Predictors of Intention to Integrate Biofortified Orange-fleshed Sweetpotato in Child Feeding: A Field Information Experiment in Rural Kenya.

The study assesses the psychosocial predictors of intention to integrate biofortified pro-vitamin A orange-fleshed sweet potato (OFSP) in proper complementary feeding (PCF) among women who received either verbal or verbal and visual demonstrations on OFSP-based foods. A total of 764 randomly selected women grouped into four categories, namely pregnant women, women with infants, women with young children, and potential mothers, participated in this study. Using a structural equation model of predicted intentions based on an extended Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) the study found goal-setting, perceived behavior control, subjective norms, and attitudes had a significant influence on intention to integrate OFSP in PCF. Unexpectedly, knowledge of the various health benefits of OFSP did not positively influence intention. Probabilistic recursive regression was then used to estimate the relationship between the intention to provide PCF practices and its potential antecedents. The results then showed that the model structure and explanatory power was information-specific and also revealing outcome differences by category of women. These results have implications on how interventions targeting the improvement of PCF should be organized and delivered. They underscore the need to segment the audience during nutrition education.

Effect of nutrition education and psychosocial factors on child feeding practices: findings of a field experiment with biofortified foods and different women categories.

Despite the efforts to promote good practices in infant and young child feeding (IYCF), the adoption of such practices has been low. Using data from a sample of 665 women, and the theory of planned behavior, we examine the effect of different types of nutrition education and psychosocial factors on the use of recommended IYCF practices. Regression results show that nutrition education and psychosocial factors have strong positive effect on the extent to which IYCF practices are used, with the latter having conflicting individual but overall positive effect. Moreover, coefficients of latter were mostly less than those of the former indicating that pschosocial factors were less important in explaining variability in usage of IYCF than the nutrition education variables. It further finds that different sets of nutrition education and psychosocial factors affect different categories of women, with interactive nutrition education approaches having a greater effect. The findings also suggest need for targeting of beneficiaries with multiple nutrition education approaches.

Does High-Definition 3-Dimensional Imaging Improve Orientation During Endoscopic Transsphenoidal Surgery? A Prospective Trial.

BACKGROUND: Endoscopy has evolved as the standard visualization tool for endonasal transsphenoidal resection of sellar lesions. The most widely used 2-dimensional (2D) endoscopes harbor the problem of limited depth perception. Therefore, 3-dimensional (3D) endoscopes have been developed to enable depth perception through a stereoscopic view. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact of high-definition (HD) 2D vs 3D HD endoscopes on spatial orientation within the sphenoid sinus. METHODS: In this prospective single-center study, 21 patients have been investigated (2021-2022). Eleven standardized anatomic landmarks, which were preoperatively defined on neuronavigation imaging, were intraoperatively targeted with a navigation probe using either 2D HD or 3D HD endoscopes for visualization. RESULTS: Overall, 3D HD endoscopes provided a statistically significant higher accuracy of identification of sphenoid sinus landmarks (median deviation: 5.2 mm vs 4.2 mm, P < .001). In detail: tuberculum sellae (3.0 mm vs 4.3 mm, P = .047), most anterior point of sella (3.3 mm vs 4.8 mm, P = .049), and clivus indentation (3.8 mm vs 5.3 mm, P = .035). Anatomic variations such as a complex sphenoid sinus configuration had no influence on identifying sphenoid sinus landmarks. CONCLUSION: According to our data, stereoscopic 3D HD endoscopy enhances intraoperative orientation by improved depth perception within the sphenoid sinus. This may add to the safety of endoscopic skull base procedures, especially in extended approaches and cases with distorted anatomy.

Effect of nutrition awareness on utilization of Orange Fleshed Sweetpotato among vulnerable populations in Kenya.

Malnutrition continues to affect many vulnerable populations worldwide, with the majority of these residing in developing and underdeveloped countries. This problem has been exacerbated by the changing climate and more recently by the COVID-19 pandemic. Urgent efforts geared towards enhancing sustainable production and value chains of nutritious foods to ensure access to healthier diets are therefore critical. A recent partnership between the World Food Programme and the International Potato Center to enhance utilization of biofortified crops in fragile environments in Kenya is a step in this direction, aimed at improving the diets of households at risk of hunger and malnutrition. This study sets out to provide early evidence on the potential impacts of the interventions spearheaded in this partnership, together with lessons for further scaling efforts. Using household level data, the study adopts an impact evaluation framework to understand the effect of nutrition awareness through the dissemination of information on Vitamin A deficiency, on the utilization of orange fleshed sweetpotato, a biofortified crop rich in Vitamin A. Results show positive and significant effects of nutrition awareness on utilization of the orange-fleshed sweetpotato. Several factors were also identified as key to determining the exposure to nutrition awareness, including proximity to markets and extension agents, gender, and education levels. For widespread and inclusive adoption and utilization of orange-fleshed sweetpotato, out-scaling efforts need to consider these determinants in designing interventions aimed at raising nutrition awareness, as a key entry point to enhancing utilization of orange-fleshed sweetpotato.

Predictors of vitamin A rich food consumption among women living in households growing orange-fleshed sweetpotatoes in selected regions in Uganda.

Objective: Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) has serious public health consequences including morbidity and mortality for populations in low and middle-income countries (LMICs), especially for children under 5 years and pregnant women. LMICs are at greater risk of VAD, in part due to low levels of consumption of vitamin A-rich foods most of which are plant-based, such as orange-fleshed sweet potatoes (OFSP), with lower bioavailability than animal sources of the vitamin A. Food-based approaches such as biofortification of OFSP, including promoting the consumption of vitamin A-rich biofortified staple crops, has been shown to be potentially effective in improving the status of vitamin A and other micronutrients. This study examined vitamin A-rich food consumption and its predictors among women of reproductive age from OFSP-growing households in two regions of Uganda. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 617 OFSP growing households, focusing on women in the reproductive age group from the northern and eastern regions of Uganda. Households were not receiving any VAD-related intervention at the time of the survey. Quantitative data included vitamin A-rich food consumption, knowledge on vitamin A, and rich food sources dietary intake, using a 7-day food frequency questionnaire. Vitamin A consumption and risk of deficiency were estimated using the Hellen Keller International guide. Results: The majority of women in this study were either pregnant (80%) or lactating (17%). More than 70% of the study population had a weighted vitamin A rich food consumption mean score of <6 days per week, indicating a high risk of VAD. Knowledge about vitamin A [b (SE) = -0.18 (0.50), p < 0.001] was significantly and inversely associated with vitamin A rich food consumption. Conclusion: Components of food insecurity such as availability, affordability, utilization, and changing food preferences may contribute to the unexpected inverse relationship between knowledge and consumption of vitamin A rich foods. Scaling up biofortified food initiatives, including OFSP, can improve consumption of vitamin A rich foods with effective strategies to comprehensively address consumption barriers such as lack of nutrition education, cooking skills, and storage facilities, as well as low production levels and perceived contamination of biofortified foods.

Market Intelligence and Incentive-Based Trait Ranking for Plant Breeding: A Sweetpotato Pilot in Uganda.

Crop breeding programs must accelerate crop improvement, spur widespread adoption of new varieties and increase variety turnover they are to meet the diverse needs of their clients. More comprehensive quantitative approaches are needed to better inform breeding programs about the preferred traits among farmers and other actors. However, the ability of current breeding programs to meet the demands of their clients is limited by the lack of insights about value chain actor preference for individual or packages of traits. Ranking traits based on monetary incentives, rather than subjective values, represents a more comprehensive, consistent, and quantitative approach to inform breeding programs. We conducted a large pilot in Uganda to assess the implementation of a novel approach to trait ranking, using a uniquely large sample of diverse sweetpotato value chain actors. We found meaningful differences in trait ranking and heterogeneity among different actors using this approach. We also show our approach's effectiveness at uncovering unmet demand for root quality traits and at characterizing the substantial trait demand heterogeneity among value chain players. Implementing this approach more broadly for sweetpotato and other crops would increase the effectiveness of breeding programs to improve food security in developing countries.

Quality and psychosocial factors influencing purchase of orange-fleshed sweetpotato bread.

This 2018 study, conducted in six Tusky's supermarkets in Nairobi, Kenya, combined the Just-About-Right, Penalty and Mean-End-Chain analyses to examine the quality and psychosocial factors influencing the purchase of a novel bread made from orange-fleshed sweet potato (OFSP), a biofortified crop, focusing on sixty-one male and eighty female urban OFSP bread buyers recruited at point of purchase. It finds that sensory and psychosocial factors drive purchasing decisions and that some of the bread's sensory characteristics are misaligned with consumers' expectations. It also finds that women and men's evaluations of the bread's characteristics are different, as are their motivations for purchase. However, good sensory attributes and the knowledge of the bread's nutritional value were key drivers. Some misaligned characteristics reveal levers for the reformulation of the bread and present opportunities for segmenting the market. Several other implications of the findings for policy and future improvement of the bread are discussed.

Resilient agri-food systems for nutrition amidst COVID-19: evidence and lessons from food-based approaches to overcome micronutrient deficiency and rebuild livelihoods after crises.

COVID-19 has had an instant effect on food systems in developing countries. Restrictions to the movement of people and goods have impaired access to markets, services and food. Unlike other concurrent crises, rather than threatening the material hardware of food systems, COVID-19 has so far affected the 'software' of food systems, highlighting again that connectivity is at the heart of these systems. Drops in demand, the loss of markets and employment and growing concerns about international cooperation are indications of possible deeper disruptions to come. Amidst this uncertainty, strategies to safeguard food and nutrition security of the world's poor need to prioritize diversification of production and markets. Nutritious, biofortified crops such as potato, sweetpotato, but also wheat, maize and beans among others, can play a more significant role to provide key micronutrients (vitamin A, iron, zinc) at large scale. Strong local market chains, robust smallholder production systems and increasing commercial utilization make these crops powerful vehicles for securing nutrition when markets and mobility look uncertain. We posit that the evolving impacts of COVID-19 provide an opportunity to focus agricultural innovations, including the development and delivery of biofortified crops, on new and more specifically defined 'jobs to be done' throughout the food system. This will help bridge some of the current disruptions in supply and demand and will help prepare food systems for future crises.

Development of diagnostic SNP markers for quality assurance and control in sweetpotato [Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.] breeding programs.

Quality assurance and control (QA/QC) is an essential element of a breeding program's optimization efforts towards increased genetic gains. Due to auto-hexaploid genome complexity, a low-cost marker platform for routine QA/QC in sweetpotato breeding programs is still unavailable. We used 662 parents of the International Potato Center (CIP)'s global breeding program spanning Peru, Uganda, Mozambique and Ghana, to develop a low-density highly informative single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) marker set to be deployed for routine QA/QC. Segregation of the selected 30 SNPs (two SNPs per base chromosome) in a recombined breeding population was evaluated using 282 progeny from some of the parents above. The progeny were replicated from in-vitro, screenhouse and field, and the selected SNP-set was confirmed to identify relatively similar mislabeling error rates as a high density SNP-set of 10,159 markers. Six additional trait-specific markers were added to the selected SNP set from previous quantitative trait loci mapping studies. The 36-SNP set will be deployed for QA/QC in breeding pipelines and in fingerprinting of advanced clones or released varieties to monitor genetic gains in famers' fields. The study also enabled evaluation of CIP's global breeding population structure and the effect of some of the most devastating stresses like sweetpotato virus disease on genetic variation management. These results will inform future deployment of genomic selection in sweetpotato.

The physiochemical properties and shelf-life of orange-fleshed sweet potato puree composite bread.

Value addition of orange-fleshed sweet potato (OFSP) increases diversified utilization of this crop, which is rich in provitamin A carotenoids. OFSP bread, in which 30%-45% of wheat flour is replaced with OFSP puree, has been successfully commercialized in Kenya. However, the effect of this substitution on the bread's physiochemical properties and its shelf-life are currently unknown. This study was designed to determine the physiochemical properties and shelf-life of OFSP puree-wheat flour composite bread (30% puree), compared to standard, 100% wheat flour, bread. Freshly baked bread samples were stored at 7, 20, 25, and 30°C, and monitored for moisture content, water activity, color, texture, volume, carotenoids, and microbial load. The moisture content, ß-carotene content, and color of bread significantly decreased with increase in storage temperature and time (p < 0.05). Bread made with OFSP puree had a longer shelf-life, showing spoilage on day six compared with the white bread, which spoiled on the fourth day. This is attributed to the significantly higher water activity in white bread than in the OFSP bread. The substitution of wheat with OFSP puree resulted in reduced extensibility of gluten, thus, specific volume of white bread was significantly (p < 0.05) higher than that in OFSP puree bread. Refrigeration increased crumb firmness, chewiness and cohesiveness in both types of bread. In conclusion, OFSP puree increases the water binding capacity of the bread, which reduces water activity and increases its shelf-life.

Effects of Acidification and Preservatives on Microbial Growth during Storage of Orange Fleshed Sweet Potato Puree.

Orange Fleshed Sweet Potato (OFSP) puree, a versatile food ingredient, is highly perishable limiting its use in resource constrained environments. It is therefore important to develop shelf-stable puree. A challenge test study was carried out to determine the effect of combinations of chemical preservatives and acidification on microbial growth in stored puree. Puree was prepared and treated as follows: control (A); 0.05% potassium sorbate+0.05% sodium benzoate+1% citric acid (B); 0.1% potassium sorbate+0.1% sodium benzoate+1% citric acid (C); 0.2% potassium sorbate+0.2% sodium benzoate+1% citric acid (D); 1% citric acid (E). Samples were inoculated with Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus at levels of 5.2 x 109 cfu/100g and 1.5 x 109 cfu/100g, respectively, before being evaluated during storage for 10 weeks at prevailing ambient temperature (15-25°C) and refrigeration temperature (4°C). Total aerobic counts, yeasts, and molds were also evaluated. E. coli and S. aureus counts declined significantly (p<0.05) by 4 log cycles in all puree treatments except for control and puree with only citric acid. Total viable count, yeasts, and molds were completely inhibited except for puree with only citric acid. Combination of chemical preservatives and acidification is effective in inhibiting pathogens and spoilage microorganisms in sweet potato puree.

The 'Fish Trader+' model: reducing female fish traders' vulnerability to HIV.

Analysis from research and practice in Africa shows that fishing communities are hardly reached by HIV-related services, education, and business services, partly because of the efforts and costs involved and a lack of good practice in reaching out to these often remote areas. At the same time, fish traders, especially women, travel regularly to remote fishing camps to purchase fish. Although female fish traders may be exposed to HIV, violence and abuse in their interactions and relationships with fishermen, economic necessity keeps them in this trade. Good health among fisherfolk is a basic mainstay of productive and sustainable fisheries, providing food and income to fishing communities and the nation at large. However, these benefits are severely at risk as per-capita fish supplies in several African countries are declining, and fisherfolk are among the populations most vulnerable to HIV and AIDS. Under the regional programme 'Fisheries and HIV/AIDS in Africa: Investing in sustainable solutions,' the WorldFish Center conducted a socioeconomic assessment in the Kafue Flats fishery in Zambia to identify factors related to HIV/AIDS vulnerability among people in the fishing communities, particularly female fish traders. The study identified a variety of factors, hence the 'Fish Trader+' model of intervention was developed to reduce female fish traders' vulnerability to HIV by building on their economic rationale through the formation of savings groups. This article outlines the implementation of the Fish Trader+ model in Zambia and examines its potential to empower female fish traders so as to reduce poverty and vulnerability to HIV in fishing communities.