The effects of nutritional supplementation on the diets of low-income families at risk of malnutrition

Abstract

Protein-energy malnutrition in synergism with infection is a major problem for most developing countries, and inadequate food consumption is a critical factor in its development. Food supplementation programs can improve nutrient consumption but may also have unintended consequences. Changes in consumption of foods as well as nutrients need to be identified and evaluated. The effects of a food supplementation program on family diet patterns and protein-energy intake were investigated using data from nutritionally at risk families in Bogota, Colombia. Because food supplements are income transfers they need to substitute for purchases of similar food items. However, the results of our investigation reveal that food supplementation based on familiar foods that are part of the usual family diet are consumed in substantial quantities and result in net nutrient consumption increases. The food supplementation program increases consumption of preferred food items and introduces greater diversity into the family diet. These effects are enhanced when combined with a home education program.

Nutrition assessment - Home-based nutritional therapy

“…In the supplemented groups, the source of calories remained unchanged, the fat source fell (12%) and the protein source increased (13%). 7 (B) Malnourished children aged 10 to 60 months living in Malawi who were brought to a nutritional rehabilitation unit were included in a research project if they were stable in relation to weight-to-height, had mild edema (< 0.5 cm), or both, and a good appetite [if the child consumed food when offered and observing the child consume a test dose of 30 g of ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF)]. The children were divided into a standard treatment group and another receiving RUTF at home.…”

La otra transición epidemiológica: hitos en el desarrollo de la epidemiología de los factores de riesgo en Colombia

“…Los eventos en salud estudiados incluyeron el peso al nacer (69), la habituación visual a los 15 días (70), la respuesta a la estimulación (71), el desarrollo cognitivo entre el tercer mes y los tres años de vida (72), el crecimiento físico (73) y en el tipo de dietas de los hogares (74). El paso de usar pruebas estadísticas bivariadas para evaluar diferencias en proporciones y medias, e iniciar el uso de los métodos estadísticos inferenciales modernos en epidemiología, se puede apreciar en esta serie de trabajos.…”