Dietary diversity and its determinants among women of reproductive age residing in the urban area of Nouakchott, Mauritania.

BACKGROUND: The intake of nutrient-rich foods from diverse diets ensures adequate nutrition for women. This study aims to determine dietary diversity among women of reproductive age (WRA) using the MDD-W indicator and how it relates to their socio-economic characteristics in the city of Nouakchott, Mauritania. METHODS: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted on 240 women of reproductive age, aged 15-49 years. Food consumption data were obtained through unquantified 24 h recall which is designed to identify all foods consumed by the women during this period. We computed MDD-W as the consumption of at least five out of ten predefined food groups according to the guideline of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations. In order to determine which factors had a statistically significant influence on dietary diversity among women, we used a value of P < 0.05. RESULTS: The mean of dietary diversity was 5.48 and 71.7% of WRA had an acceptable minimum dietary diversity. During the study period, 96.25% and 80% of women consumed vitamin A and iron-rich foods respectively. The consumption rate of starchy foods, vitamin A-rich fruits and vegetables, meat, fish and chicken, milk and dairy products, dark green leafy vegetables and finally other vegetables was higher; 99.6%, 75.3%, 80%, 62.5%, 60.4% and 83.3% respectively. On the other hand, the consumption of legumes, eggs and other fruits was low; at 21.7%, 14.2% and 13.8% respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The study showed that more than half of the studied population had an acceptable minimum dietary diversity. The diet was mainly based on the consumption of starchy foods, meat and other vegetables than those rich in vitamin A.

Assessment of Trace Metals in Camelus dromedarius Meat from Mauritania.

In Mauritania, the dromedary breeding is the most widespread pastoral activity, and it is considered as the first source of animal protein; however, the research on meat is relatively rare compared with fish, especially in relation with the presence of trace metals. In this work, livers, kidneys, and muscles of 25 Camelus dromedarius were collected from butcheries in Nouakchott (Mauritania) between February and April 2020 to study the concentration of trace metals (three essential metals: cooper (Cu), iron (Fe), and zinc (Zn), and four toxic metals: mercury (Hg), arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), and lead (Pb)). Statistical treatment did not show significant differences associated with age (P = 0.7004), sex (P = 0.9353), or type of diet (0.9951) in the found concentration of the target substances, but the differences were significant between metals and between organs (P < 0.0001). The mean concentrations of the essential metals were 0.80 mg/100 g for Cu, 6.02 mg/100 g for Fe, and 3.28 mg/100 g for Zn, and the ratios between these concentrations were significant (P < 0.0001 in all cases), with [Fe] > [Zn] > [Cu]. Cu was most concentrated in the liver, Fe in the kidney, and Zn in muscle. The mean concentrations of toxic metals were 0.055 mg/kg for As, 0.064 mg/kg for Cd, 0.040 mg/kg for Pb, and 0.027 mg/kg for Hg. They also exhibited significant difference between organs. Hg and Pb showed their largest concentrations in the liver, whereas As and Cd reached their maximum values in the kidney. Therefore, the found concentrations in all cases were lower than the admissible level of trace metals.