Dietary diversity and its determinants among women of reproductive age residing in the urban area of Nouakchott, Mauritania.

BACKGROUND: The intake of nutrient-rich foods from diverse diets ensures adequate nutrition for women. This study aims to determine dietary diversity among women of reproductive age (WRA) using the MDD-W indicator and how it relates to their socio-economic characteristics in the city of Nouakchott, Mauritania. METHODS: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted on 240 women of reproductive age, aged 15-49 years. Food consumption data were obtained through unquantified 24 h recall which is designed to identify all foods consumed by the women during this period. We computed MDD-W as the consumption of at least five out of ten predefined food groups according to the guideline of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations. In order to determine which factors had a statistically significant influence on dietary diversity among women, we used a value of P < 0.05. RESULTS: The mean of dietary diversity was 5.48 and 71.7% of WRA had an acceptable minimum dietary diversity. During the study period, 96.25% and 80% of women consumed vitamin A and iron-rich foods respectively. The consumption rate of starchy foods, vitamin A-rich fruits and vegetables, meat, fish and chicken, milk and dairy products, dark green leafy vegetables and finally other vegetables was higher; 99.6%, 75.3%, 80%, 62.5%, 60.4% and 83.3% respectively. On the other hand, the consumption of legumes, eggs and other fruits was low; at 21.7%, 14.2% and 13.8% respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The study showed that more than half of the studied population had an acceptable minimum dietary diversity. The diet was mainly based on the consumption of starchy foods, meat and other vegetables than those rich in vitamin A.

Tropical Data: Approach and Methodology as Applied to Trachoma Prevalence Surveys.

PURPOSE: Population-based prevalence surveys are essential for decision-making on interventions to achieve trachoma elimination as a public health problem. This paper outlines the methodologies of Tropical Data, which supports work to undertake those surveys. METHODS: Tropical Data is a consortium of partners that supports health ministries worldwide to conduct globally standardised prevalence surveys that conform to World Health Organization recommendations. Founding principles are health ministry ownership, partnership and collaboration, and quality assurance and quality control at every step of the survey process. Support covers survey planning, survey design, training, electronic data collection and fieldwork, and data management, analysis and dissemination. Methods are adapted to meet local context and needs. Customisations, operational research and integration of other diseases into routine trachoma surveys have also been supported. RESULTS: Between 29th February 2016 and 24th April 2023, 3373 trachoma surveys across 50 countries have been supported, resulting in 10,818,502 people being examined for trachoma. CONCLUSION: This health ministry-led, standardised approach, with support from the start to the end of the survey process, has helped all trachoma elimination stakeholders to know where interventions are needed, where interventions can be stopped, and when elimination as a public health problem has been achieved. Flexibility to meet specific country contexts, adaptation to changes in global guidance and adjustments in response to user feedback have facilitated innovation in evidence-based methodologies, and supported health ministries to strive for global disease control targets.

Effects of the Methyl Donors Supplementation on Hippocampal Oxidative Stress, Depression and Anxiety in Chronically High Fructose-treated Rats.

Evidence suggests that oxidative stress plays an important role in the development of anxiety and depression. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether methyl donors supplementation could exert beneficial effects on hippocampal oxidative stress, anxiety and depression in chronically high fructose-treated rats, a new animal model of anxiety and mood disorders. Rats were divided into two groups and treated for 10 weeks as follows: Group 1 represents the control group and Group 2 was treated with 23% fructose. After 10 weeks, the fructose-fed animals were divided into two groups and treated for 8 weeks as follows: Group 2 continued to receive fructose while Group 3 was treated with methyl donors and fructose. High fructose-fed rats showed increases in glucose, triglycerides, total cholesterol as well as in the final body weight and the adipose tissue weight. High fructose induced anxiety- and depression-like behaviors. High fructose caused an increase of the nitrite content and the Malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in the hippocampus tissue in association with an induction of damage in the dorsal hippocampus neurons. The 8-weeks dietary supplementation with methyl donors normalized the depression-like behavior, oxidative stress in the hippocampus, reversed the damage observed in the hippocampal neurons. These findings demonstrate that high fructose induced depression in association with the induction of a hippocampal oxidative stress. The anti-depressive action of methyl donors appears to be associated to their anti-oxidative properties since they normalized the nitrite content and the MDA levels at the hippocampus in the high fructose-fed female rats.

Mapping xerophthalmia in Mali: results of a national survey on regional distribution and related risk factors.

BACKGROUND: Vitamin A deficiency is recognized to be a severe public health problem in most of the sahelian countries. In Mali, several surveys had been performed at the district or regional level. Unfortunately, they did not cover the entire territory. In the aim of getting a general picture, we collected information on the frequency and presentation of xerophthalmia among the children under 10 years old population recruited in the setting of a national survey planned in 1996 and 1997 to evaluate the prevalence and determinants of trachoma in Mali. METHODS: In each of the seven regions (with the exception of Bamako district), a random sample of thirty villages was taken from the general population. In a subsample of those villages, children under 10 years of age were examined by an ophthalmologist and their related mothers interviewed. Diagnosis of night blindness and Bitot spot occurrence was used for data gathering. Information was collected on village's infrastructures and familial socioeconomic condition. Multiple logistic regression analyses were performed to purpose the best model to describe the relationship between each outcome variable and the various risk factors assessed. RESULTS: The prevalence of night blindness was estimated to be 1.95% (95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 1.58-2.39) and Bitot spots frequency to be 1.10% (95% CI: 0.83-1.45) among children between 2 and 6 years of age. Xerophthalmia prevalence was 2.51% (95% CI: 2.09-3.00) and nearly similar according to gender (2.68% among boys and 2.32% among girls). By region of the country and for the same age group, the prevalence ranged from 0.26% in the Kayes region to 7.02% in the Timbuktu region. In Mali, in four regions out of seven, the WHO thresholds defining a serious public health problem have been exceeded. The higher prevalence rates were found in Timbuktu, Mopti and Segou. After adjustment to season, the main risk factors were latitude, village size and poor sanitary coverage. The main protective determinants were education and rice culture. CONCLUSIONS: This presentation illustrates a public health problem concerning vitamin A deficiency among young children in the general population and allows considering the effectiveness of substitutive intervention with vitamin A capsule distribution along with the improvement of vitamin A rich food production and consumption.