Nutritional practices and food intake measurements and their relationship to socio-economic grouping, location and their apparent nutritional adequacy in children
Nnanyelugo, D.O.
Appetite 3(3): 229-241
1982
ISSN/ISBN: 0195-6663 PMID: 7159074 DOI: 10.1016/s0195-6663(82)80020-2Document Number: 393512
Food consumption and anthropometric measurements were taken on 3,466 Nigerian children to establish a sectional representation of the population. Sixty percent of total food energy comes from carbohydrates; 15% of the children had lower than FAO recommended intakes for protein and 25% were low for energy. Vitamin A intakes were marginal, but 80% of the children met FAO requirements for 2-year olds. Similar inadequacies were noted for riboflavin, thiamin, and calcium. By age 2 months, 90% of the urban and 70% of rural children had begun supplementary feeding. Only 20% of urban infants were breast-fed. Correlations were noted between inadequate nutrient intakes and the occurrence of abnormal clinical signs. (kbc)