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NUTRITIONAL, HEALTH AND SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHIC DETERMINANTS OF ANAEMIA IN ADOLESCENT GIRLS IN KUMBUNGU DISTRICT, GHANA

2026-07-22T11:51:24Z

Title: NUTRITIONAL, HEALTH AND SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHIC DETERMINANTS OF ANAEMIA IN ADOLESCENT GIRLS IN KUMBUNGU DISTRICT, GHANA Authors: Wemakor, A.; Kwaako, M.; Abdul-Rahman, A. Abstract: Background: Anaemia is a serious health problem among adolescent girls in Ghana. The aims of this study were to measure the prevalence and identify the nutritional, health, and socio-demographic determinants of anaemia in adolescent girls in Kumbungu District, Northern Region, Ghana. Method: An analytical cross-sectional study involving 370 adolescent girls residing in Kumbungu district, selected using multi-stage sampling procedure, was conducted. A semi-structured questionnaire, 24-hr dietary recall, food frequency questionnaire, Food Insecurity Experience scale, and anthropometry were used to gather information on socio-demographic characteristics, nutrition knowledge, dietary diversity score, food consumption score, food consumption frequency, household food insecurity, and waist and hip circumferences. Haemoglobin was measured using a portable HemoCue hg 301 + Analyzer. Anaemia in the adolescent girls was defined as haemoglobin concentration less than 12 g/dl. Chi-square test and binary logistic regression analysis were used to identify the determinants of anaemia. Results: The mean (± SD) age was 13.95 (± 2.94) years, and the majority of the girls were in school (79.5%) and lived in a rural area (81.1%). The mean (± SD) haemoglobin was 11.27 (± 1.19) g/dl, and 74.6% of the respondents had anaemia, with 1.6% having severe anaemia. The health determinant of anaemia was frequency of feeling nervous in the past 6 months [Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR): 2.12: 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 1.17–3.89; p: 0.014], and the socio-demographic determinants were residential community status (AOR: 0.42; 95% CI: 0.24–0.75; p: 0.003), and fathers’ educational qualification (AOR: 2.57, 95% CI: 1.17–5.65, p: 0.019). No nutritional determinants of anaemia were identified for this study population. Conclusion: The prevalence of anaemia was very high and the frequency of feeling nervous in the past 6 months, residential community status, and fathers’ educational qualification were associated with anaemia among adolescent girls in Kumbungu district, Ghana. The prevalence of anaemia measured highlights the need for intensification of anaemia prevention and management interventions in the district.

PEARL MILLET INSTANT BEVERAGE POWDER ENRICHED WITH BAOBAB PULP TO IMPROVE IRON AND ANAEMIA STATUS OF ADOLESCENT GIRLS IN RURAL GHANA: A STUDY PROTOCOL FOR A CLUSTER RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL

2026-07-22T11:43:31Z

Title: PEARL MILLET INSTANT BEVERAGE POWDER ENRICHED WITH BAOBAB PULP TO IMPROVE IRON AND ANAEMIA STATUS OF ADOLESCENT GIRLS IN RURAL GHANA: A STUDY PROTOCOL FOR A CLUSTER RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL Authors: Atosona, A.; Larbie, C.; Apprey, C.; Annan, R. A. Abstract: Iron (Fe) deficiency anaemia is a public health concern among adolescent girls worldwide. Food-to-food fortification may be a sustainable and effective solution to Fe deficiency anaemia. However, the effect of food-to-food fortification on Fe deficiency anaemia reduction is understudied particularly in Ghana. This study seeks to investigate the efficacy of baobab pulp-fortified pearl millet beverage powder in improving the Fe and anaemia status of adolescent girls in Ghana. A three-arm cluster randomised controlled trial design, which will involve 258 anaemic adolescent girls (86/arm) selected through multi-stage cluster sampling in Kumbungu District of Ghana, will be used. Participants in arm 1 will receive 350ml of baobab pulp-fortified pearl millet beverage, containing 13mg Fe (96 % of average RDA),18·8mg vitamin C (30·4 % of average RDA) and 222·1 mg citric acid, while participants in arm 2 will receive similar volume of unfortified pearl millet beverage, once a day, five times a week, for six months. Participants in arm 3 will receive the routine weekly Fe (60 mg)-folate (400 μg) supplementation for six months. Serum ferritin, C-reactive protein and haemoglobin (Hb) of participants will be assessed at baseline and end-line. The primary outcomes will be serum ferritin and Hb concentrations. Secondary outcomes will be prevalence of Fe deficiency, Fe deficiency anaemia and BMI-for-age. One-way ANOVA and paired t test will be used to compare means of serum ferritin and Hb levels among and within groups, respectively. This study will provide novel concrete evidence on the efficacy of pearl millet-baobab pulp beverage powder in improving Fe and anaemia status of adolescent girls.

SUITABILITY AND POTENTIAL NUTRIENT CONTRIBUTION OF UNDERUTILIZED FOODS IN COMMUNITY-BASED INFANT FOODS IN NORTHERN GHANA

2025-12-18T10:58:16Z

Title: SUITABILITY AND POTENTIAL NUTRIENT CONTRIBUTION OF UNDERUTILIZED FOODS IN COMMUNITY-BASED INFANT FOODS IN NORTHERN GHANA Authors: Kubuga, C. K.; Bantiu, C.; Low, J. Abstract: In rural Ghana, infant feeding is largely home-based or community-based yet less is known about the kinds of community-based infant foods and the ability of families to create a range of recipes for baby feeding using context-specific ingredients particularly in northern Ghana which has a high prevalence of malnutrition. In this explorative study on mothers (15–49 years; n = 46), we investigated community-based infant foods’ food group composition, enrichment, nutrient contribution, and acceptability. The identified community-based infant foods were mainly made of either corn or millet porridges in northern Ghana and had three nutrients with % RNI 70. We developed 38 recipes of enriched community-based infant foods adding underutilized foods (orange-fleshed sweet potato, pawpaw, cowpea, moringa, groundnut, Bambara beans, and soya beans) to increase the number of nutrients from three to at least five and at most nine nutrients with % RNI 70 based on the recipe combinations. The enriched community-based infant food recipes provided adequate caloric amounts and modest improvements in micronutrient content for infants (6–12 months). All recipes tested were deemed appropriate and acceptable for infants by mothers. Moringa and pawpaw emerged as the lowest-cost ingredients to add among the underutilized foods. Future research is necessary to assess the effectiveness of the new recipes at promoting linear growth and improving micronutrient status during the complementary feeding period

EARLY INITIATION OF BREASTFEEDING, BOTTLE FEEDING, AND EXPERIENCING FEEDING CHALLENGES ARE ASSOCIATED WITH MALNUTRITION

2025-12-18T10:41:27Z

Title: EARLY INITIATION OF BREASTFEEDING, BOTTLE FEEDING, AND EXPERIENCING FEEDING CHALLENGES ARE ASSOCIATED WITH MALNUTRITION Authors: Garti, H.; Bukari, M.; Wemakor, A. Abstract: Malnutrition remains a public health concern amidst low proportions of the core infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices, yet, data on specific child feeding practices that are associated with undernutrition are rare. Hence, this study sought to assess child feeding practices and their association with undernutrition among young children. An analytical cross-sectional design was used among mothers/caregivers with children aged 6–23 months, attending child welfare clinics in Techiman municipality, Ghana. Simple random sampling was used to select 8 health facilities, and 403 participants were selected from those facilities using proportional stratification. A 24-h dietary recall based on seven food groups was used to collect data on children's dietary intake and used to derive WHO child feeding indicators. The length, weight, and age of children were taken and used to compute anthropometric z-scores. The proportions of children who met their minimum dietary diversity (MDD), minimum meal frequency (MMF), and minimum acceptable diet (MAD) were 44%, 56%, and 36% respectively. Children 6–8 months [AOR=2.24, CI (1.037–4.841); p = .04] and 9-11 months [AOR=2.47, CI (1.096–5.573); p = .029], those who were not breastfed within the first hour of delivery [AOR = 3.56, CI (1.833–6.912), p < .001], and those who were bottle fed [AOR = 2.87, CI (1.374–5.973); p = .005] were more likely to be wasted. Children 6–8 months [AOR = 0.29, CI (0.126–0.672); p = .004] and 9–11 months [AOR = 0.24, CI (0.104–0.544); p = .001] and those who experienced feeding challenges [AOR = 0.52, CI (0.301–0.905); p = 0.021] were protected against stunting. The percentages of children who met their MDD, MMF, and MAD were low and not associated with undernutrition. Early initiation of breastfeeding and bottle feeding were associated with acute malnutrition and experiencing feeding challenges was associated with chronic malnutrition. Promoting appropriate child feeding practices can reduce the risk of undernutrition