A cross-sectional study of the nutritional significance of food aversions and cravings during pregnancy was conducted on 295 women in southern Ethiopia between February and May 1995. A questionnaire was used to collect data on dietary practices. Mid-upper-arm circumference (MUAC), triceps skinfold thickness (TSFT), and weight measurements were used to assess nutritional status. Slightly fewer than three-quarters (71%) of the women craved one or more foods, whereas about two-thirds (65%) avoided at least one food. Cereal foods, despite being staple foods in the area, were avoided by more women (41%) than any other foods. Livestock products, which were scarce at the time of the study, were craved by more women (55%) than any other foods. Comparisons using various anthropometric indicators revealed that women who avoided foods had significantly higher MUAC and TSFT than those who did not (p < .05), whereas there was no difference in nutritional status between women who craved foods and those who did not. However, those craving women who managed to get the desired foods had significantly higher weight gain (p < .05), but not significantly higher MUAC or TSFT, than those who did not. Aversion and craving were positively associated (χ 2 = 10.66, p < .001; odds ratio, 2.36). Thus, women who avoided foods were 2.4 times more likely to crave foods than those who did not avoid foods. This implies that aversion and craving are complementary processes geared towards ensuring optimal nutrition during pregnancy. Aversion results in the avoidance of monotonous diets, whereas craving calls for varied and nutritious foods. More research, however, is needed before such a conclusion is warranted.

Objective: To determine the impact of vitamin A supplementation on child morbidity and nutritional status. Design: A community based follow-up (interventional) in nature. Setting: Two randomly selected Weredas (districts) of Tigray, North Ethiopia were studied between 1996 and 1997. Subjects: Four thousand seven hundred and seventy children aged between six and 72 months, selected using a multi-stage sampling procedure were enrolled and clinically assessed for xerophthalmia and nutritional status. A sub-sample of these children (n = 281) was further assessed for their serum retinol levels. Main outcome measures: The pre and post intervention data on xerophthalmia, morbidity, nutritional status and serum retinol levels were compared. Results: Vitamin A capsule coverage of 87% in all the villages of the Weredas and a statistically significant (p < 0.05) reduction in the prevalence of Bitot's spot (from 1.5 to 0.5), fever (from 29.8 to 14.2), diarrhoea (from 30.2 to 18.2), oedema (from 9.2 to 3.2), measles (from 14.0 to 6.2), conjunctivitis (from 10.2 to 3.0), stunted (from 64.2 to 42.7), wasted (from 12.8 to 2.5) and underweight (from 46.2 to 24.2). The proportion of children with normal serum retinol concentration (> 0.7 µmole/L) has also improved significantly (from 36.8 to 56.2). Conclusion: In conclusion, the significant improvement in morbidity and nutritional status that followed the intervention programme although encouraging, it still indicates the importance of coupling periodic provision of Vitamin A capsules with nutrition education.

Street foods were sampled from 12 vending sites around construction sites and industrial areas in Nairobi. The foods were analyzed for proximate composition and assessed for their contribution to energy and protein RDAs to the manual workers. It was established that the foods were sold mainly as meals which could be described as githeri-based, ugali-based or rice-based and that the main side dishes were matumbo, bean stew, greengram stew, potato/beef stew and stewed vegetables. The meals were of diverse energy contents and provided energy RDAs between 16.8-36.7% for age group 18-30 years and 17.8-38.3% for age group 30-60 years. Except for chapati+stewed vegetables all the meals provided more than 50% protein RDA to all consumers.

Objective: To demonstrate the effectiveness and social feasibility of weekly versus daily iron supplementation in preventing and treating iron deficiency anaemia among anaemic mothers. Design: A longitudinal in nature. Setting: Seven urban slum communities in Teklehaimanot Wereda, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Subjects: Two hundred seven eligible mothers were assigned to the daily supplementation, weekly supplementation or control groups following randomisation between March and May 2001. The daily supplemented groups (n=71) received 60 mg of elemental iron containing 300 mg ferrous sulphate and 400 µg folic acid from monday to friday. The weekly group (n=68) received one tablet once a week every monday supervised while the control group (n=68) was advised to take no medications without the knowledge of the investigators until the completion of the study. To eliminate a major source of variation, subjects participating in the study were de-wormed at the beginning of the study. Main outcome measures: Haemoglobin and serum ferritin concentrations were compared before and after the intervention among the groups. Results: The mean haemoglobin (Hgb), and serum ferritin concentration (SFC) at baseline were practically similar among the groups. Haemoglobin levels significantly increased at the end of the study in all the groups and the proportion of anaemia decreased from 6.9% to 1.6% in the daily, 6.7% to 1.7% in the weekly supplemented and 6.7% to 6.1% in the control groups. The difference noted between the daily and weekly supplemented groups was not significant. The improvement of SFC concentration was better in the daily than the weekly group but not statistically significant. Daily supplementation schedule caused more side effects and lower compliance level than the weekly supplementation schedule. Conclusion: Weekly supplementation is simple, comparable to daily supplementation and economically advantageous. Thus, it is recommended to adopt the strategy for controlling anaemia. Further because of higher compliance rate and lower side effects, it is deemed to be socially feasible.

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