Browsing by Author "Turyashemererwa, Florence"

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    Prenatal dietary diversity may influence underweight in infants in a Ugandan birth-cohort
    (Maternal & child nutrition, 2021) Madzorera, Isabel; Ghosh, Shibani; Wang, Molin; Fawzi, Wafaie; Isanaka, Sheila; Hertzmark, Ellen; Namirembe, Grace; Bashaasha, Bernard; Agaba, Edgar; Turyashemererwa, Florence; Webb, Patrick; Duggan, Christopher
    Growth faltering in early childhood is prevalent in many low resource countries. Poor maternal dietary diversity during pregnancy has been linked with increased risk of fetal growth failure and adverse birth outcomes but may also influence subsequent infant growth. Our aim is to assess the role of prenatal maternal dietary diversity in infant growth in rural Uganda. Data from 3291 women and infant pairs enrolled in a birth cohort from 2014 to 2016 were analysed (NCT04233944). Maternal diets were assessed using dietary recall in the second or third trimesters of pregnancy. Maternal dietary diversity scores (DDS) were calculated using the FAO Minimum Dietary Diversity for Women (MDD-W). Cox regression models were used to evaluate associations of the DDS with the incidence of underweight, stunting and wasting in infants from 3 to 12 months, adjusting for confounding factors. The median DDS for women was low, at 3.0 (interquartile range 3.0–4.0), relative to the threshold of consuming five or more food groups daily. Infants of women in highest quartile of DDS (diverse diets) were less likely to be underweight (adjusted hazard ratio: 0.70, 95% confidence interval: 0.61, 0.80) compared with infants of women in Quartile 1 (p for trend <0.001) in models controlling for maternal factors. There was no significant association between DDS and stunting or wasting. Our findings suggest a relationship between higher maternal dietary diversity and lower risk of underweight in infancy. These findings suggest that programmes to improve infant growth could additionally consider strengthening prenatal dietary diversity to improve child outcomes globally.
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    Provitamin A Crops: Acceptability, Bioavailability, Efficacy and Effectiveness
    (Food and Nutrition Sciences, 2013) Ampek Tumuhimbise, Gaston; Namutebi, Agnes; Turyashemererwa, Florence; Muyonga, John
    Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) is the world’s commonest cause of childhood blindness. More than half of these cases occur in developing countries. Animal sourced foods though good sources of vitamin A are too expensive for poor rural people. Crops biofortified with provitamin A offer a convenient and accessible source of vitamin A. The other micro- nutrient programs of fortification and supplementation require more expensive inputs. Biofortification programs have developed crops that are rich in provitamin A. These crops include: maize, golden rice, cassava and orange fleshed sweetpotato (OFSP). With exception of golden rice, the rest of the biofortified crops have received considerable accep-tance among the communities. Both animal and human studies have shown that provitamin A from biofortified crops is highly bioavailable and have capacity to improve vitamin A status. After several years of research and promotion, it is time to fully commercialize provitamin A crops by encouraging farmers to start their large scale production and con-sumption.