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A longitudinal assessment of the diet and growth of malnourished children participating in nutrition rehabilitation centres in Accra, Ghana

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2007

Esi K Colecraft ,
Grace S Marquis ,
Alfred A Bartolucci ,
LeaVonne Pulley ,
W Bruce Owusu  and
H Michael Maetz
Esi K Colecraft
Affiliation:
Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, 1127 HNSB, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50014, USA
Grace S Marquis*
Affiliation:
Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, 1127 HNSB, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50014, USA
Alfred A Bartolucci
Affiliation:
Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham, USA
LeaVonne Pulley
Affiliation:
Department of Health Behaviour, School of Public Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham, USA
W Bruce Owusu
Affiliation:
Department of Nutrition and Food Science, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana
H Michael Maetz
Affiliation:
Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham, USA
*
*Corresponding author: Email gmarquis@iastate.edu
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Abstract

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Objective:

To examine the adoption of feeding recommendations among caregivers of children recuperating from malnutrition and assess the determinants of growth of children attending a nutrition rehabilitation centre (NRC) in Accra, Ghana.

Design:

Longitudinal study in which attendance and maternal programme participation were recorded daily and children's anthropometry and dietary intake were measured at four time points (admission, interim, exit, post-exit) at the NRC and participants' homes.

Setting:

NRCs at four polyclinics and participants' homes in Accra, Ghana.

Subjects:

One hundred and eight caregivers and their 116 children referred to an NRC between November 1999 and July 2000.

Results:

Most caregivers attended the NRC sporadically (effective length of stay was 1.4 ± 0.1 months). Use of NRC-promoted foods in the home after discharge was low due to inaccessibility of the food items, lack of preparation knowledge or money, child preferences and the common practice of purchasing ready-to-eat foods. Although there were significant increases in children's weight-for-age (P = 0.048) and weight-for-height (P = 0.002) Z-scores between enrolment and discharge, most children discontinued programme participation before adequate recuperation.

Conclusions:

The NRC education did not address the use of street foods for child feeding and was unsuccessful in changing in-home feeding behaviour. The prominence of street foods in children's diets warrants re-evaluation of the NRC's educational approaches to enhance their responsiveness to caregivers' needs and effectiveness for the continued recuperation of malnourished children at home. NRC feeding strategies need improvement to ensure adequate provision of energy and nutrients to support catch-up growth in children.

Keywords

Protein–energy malnutritionFeeding programmesChild anthropometryDietary intakeChild growthComplementary feedingKokoGhana
Type
Research Article
Information
Public Health Nutrition , Volume 7 , Issue 4 , June 2004 , pp. 487 - 494
Copyright
Copyright © The Authors 2004

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