Changing Perception through a Participatory Approach by Involving Adolescent School Children in Evaluating Smart Food Dishes in School Feeding Programs – Real-Time Experience from Central and Northern Tanzania

Wangari, Christine; Mwema, Catherine; Siambi, Moses; Silim, S. N.; Ubwe, R.; Malesi, Kathleen; Anitha, S.; Kane‐Potaka, Joanna

doi:10.1080/03670244.2020.1745788

Cited by 13 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…This, along with the consumer survey results, suggests the need for training on value addition for traditional smart foods, such as millets (Anitha et al, 2019a,b), and that preparing millets in a culturally appropriate manner helps in improving their acceptability. The model for introducing millets in communities and schools in an acceptable manner and how they can change perceptions and influence food preferences in a positive manner have been demonstrated previously (Diama et al, 2020;Wangari et al, 2020). Equally important is understanding the initial knowledge, practices, and individual attitude toward these traditional crops while planning and implementing any nutrition-related interventions using them.…”

Section: Discussion and Policy Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 98%

Assessing Millets and Sorghum Consumption Behavior in Urban India: A Large-Scale Survey

Kane‐Potaka¹,

Anitha²,

Tsusaka³

et al. 2021

Front. Sustain. Food Syst.

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There is growing attention by governments and industry in regard to the role played by millets (including sorghum) to help build resilience for farmers and cope with climate change, malnutrition, diabetes, and some other major issues. To understand public knowledge and practices of consuming millets in urban areas, a survey was conducted with 15,522 individuals from seven major cities of India using a structured questionnaire, and after data cleaning 15,139 observations were subjected to analysis using descriptive and inferential statistics. It was found that the largest group among early adopters of millets were people with health problems (28%), it being the single largest reason for consuming millets, followed by those wanting to lose weight (15%) and those selecting millets for its taste (14%). There was a significant gap between people who were health conscious (91%) and those who were sure millets were healthy (40%). The major reason the respondents did not eat more millets was that it was not eaten at home (40%), followed by reactions such as not liking the taste (22%). Reaching the urban consumers through social media is recommended, given that it is their main source of information. There was no statistically significant relationship between state-wise per capita production and frequency of consumption of millets in the urban areas (p = 0.236). In conclusion, three key actions are recommended to enhance the consumption of millets: developing delicious products to satisfy the taste, providing knowledge on nutritional and health facts on millets, and improving accessibility of millets in urban markets.

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Section: Discussion and Policy Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 98%

Assessing Millets and Sorghum Consumption Behavior in Urban India: A Large-Scale Survey

Kane‐Potaka¹,

Anitha²,

Tsusaka³

et al. 2021

Front. Sustain. Food Syst.

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“…In terms of acceptability of such an approach, a previous study in Tanzania had positive feedback on pigeon pea from rural schools where over 2,000 students were surveyed. After the intervention, 87% of students changed their perception of pigeon pea and 91% voted to keep them in their school meals (Wangari et al, 2020).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Drivers of Pigeon Pea Consumption Among School-Aged Children in Central Tanzania

Gichohi-Wainaina¹,

Mremi

Chande

et al. 2022

Front. Sustain. Food Syst.

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Background: Protein energy malnutrition (PEM) and iron deficiencies (ID) are of major public health concern in Tanzania including among school-aged children. PEM and ID in early childhood have serious, long-term consequences because they impede motor, sensory, social and emotional development, growth retardation, poor cognitive development, learning disability of children, lowered resistance to infectious diseases, and reduced physical work capacity. The objective of this study was to elucidate the drivers of pigeon pea consumption among school-aged children in Dodoma district, Central Tanzania. Understanding these drivers would be useful in promoting pigeon pea consumption among school-aged children as one of the strategies to increase dietary protein and iron intake.Methods: This study was a cross-sectional study in which data were collected using a questionnaire based on a combination of the Theory of Planned Behavior and Health Belief Model. The data were collected from caregivers (n = 138) in four villages in Kongwa district, Dodoma region, Central Tanzania. We used correlations and multiple regressions to assess associations between constructs and identify predictive constructs. Mann–Whitney U tests were used for score comparisons with a significant p-value set at <0.10.Results: Health value was significantly correlated with health behavior identity (rs = 0.63, p < 0.001) and also significantly predicted health behavior identity (rs = 0.49, p = 0.001). The constructs cues to action and control belief were significantly associated with intention (β = −0.41, p = 0.059 and β = 0.06, p = 0.019 respectively). Finally, we observed that intention was a significant predictor of behavior (β = 1.38, p = 0.001). We also observed a significant negative interaction between perceived barriers and intention to consume pigeon pea (β = −0.04, p = 0.006), indicating that perceived barriers limit intention to consume pigeon pea.Conclusion and Implication: Our findings indicate that when the caregiver places increased importance on preventing her school-aged child from being iron or protein deficient or indeed anemic (health value), it results in a positive evaluation of the effectiveness of giving pigeon pea to address these nutrient deficiencies. Programs and efforts aimed at promoting pigeon pea consumption should focus on educating caregivers on iron and protein deficiency and the role that pigeon pea could play in addressing these. However, perceived barriers such as pest infestation during storage need to be addressed to increase pigeon pea consumption. The involvement of post-harvest management specialists is therefore crucial. Along with this, increasing productivity and crop management is also crucial to ensure year-round affordable supply of pigeon pea.

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“…Two studies were undertaken to assess the inclusion of finger millet in schoolfeeding programs in India and Tanzania respectively. The results show that the inclusion of finger millet increased the calcium content of mid-day meals compared to meals based on rice and maize [39,40].…”

Section: Myths On Antinutrientsmentioning

confidence: 91%

Calcium from Finger Millet—A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis on Calcium Retention, Bone Resorption, and In Vitro Bioavailability

et al. 2021

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Calcium deficiency during child growth leads to osteoporosis in later stages of life. Finger millet is one of the calcium dense foods, with three times the level of calcium than milk, and the only cereal that contains high calcium content which is consistent across different varieties (364 ± 58 mg/100 g). Thus, finger millet has potential for addressing calcium deficiency naturally. This study aimed to determine the retention and impact of finger millet calcium on bone turnover through a systematic review and meta-analysis. Three human studies were eligible for systematic review. Of these, only two were eligible for meta-analysis to assess the retention of calcium in children of 9 to 12 years. One study on bone turnover markers was not used in the meta-analysis as at least two studies are required to conduct meta-analysis. Due to the lack of complete data only four studies were eligible for meta-analysis to assess the in vitro bioavailability of calcium from unprocessed and a range of different types of processed finger millet. The result shows that there was significant retention (p < 0.05) of 23.4 ± 2.9% calcium from finger-millet-based diet which could help bone accretion during child growth if finger-millet-based diet is consumed. The bone turnover marker study shows that the resorption of calcium reduced by 28% and 47% among peri and post-menopausal women respectively after feeding the nutria mixed grain ball. However, there is no significant change in bone formation marker. Depending on the type of processing, calcium bioavailability either increased or decreased. One in vitro study showed that calcium bioavailability from finger millet was 28.6% when boiled, whereas three studies on processing show that certain processing can double the calcium bioavailability to 61.4%. Irrespective of the type of processing, finger millets contribute to high calcium retention and extremely high bioavailable calcium and could be useful for healthy growth and in dealing with complications related to calcium deficiency.

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Changing Perception through a Participatory Approach by Involving Adolescent School Children in Evaluating Smart Food Dishes in School Feeding Programs – Real-Time Experience from Central and Northern Tanzania

Cited by 13 publications

References 5 publications

Assessing Millets and Sorghum Consumption Behavior in Urban India: A Large-Scale Survey

Assessing Millets and Sorghum Consumption Behavior in Urban India: A Large-Scale Survey

Drivers of Pigeon Pea Consumption Among School-Aged Children in Central Tanzania

Calcium from Finger Millet—A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis on Calcium Retention, Bone Resorption, and In Vitro Bioavailability

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