Food Insecurity Is Linked to Dietary Intake but Not Growth of Children in the Caribbean

ABSTRACT Objective: To examine food insecurity and its relationship with children's nutritional health. Methods: The data for the 390 children, aged 7-12 years and their caregivers, recruited from eight schools in Trinidad and seven schools in St. Kitts in 2013-2014 from a study dealing with food and nutrition security were used for this study. Food insecurity was assessed using the USDA's Household Food Security Survey Module, and 24-hour dietary recall of the children was assessed in home interviews. The children's height and weight were measured, and a capillary blood sample was collected at their schools. Results: Overall, 41.5% of the caregivers reported household food insecurity, with 15% of the children living in households with very low food security. Daily intakes of protein and zinc were higher among the children from the 'food secure' vs the 'food insecure' households (protein, 59.6 ± 31.5 g vs 50.9 ± 24.4 g, p = 0.003; zinc, 7.33 ± 5.02 mg vs 6.20 ± 3.47 mg, p = 0.004, respectively). There were no other differences in their dietary intake. The children's body mass index z-score, weight status and height-for-age z-score were not associated with their food security status, and there was no evidence of stunting in either group. Anaemia, however, was prevalent (30%) and higher among the children from the food insecure households (39% vs 23%; p = 0.002). Conclusion: Household food insecurity was was associated with lower intakes of some nutrients, and anaemia rates were higher among the children living in food insecure households but food insecurity was not related to the indicators of growth or weight status.

The effects of dark chocolate on moods among residents of a small community in East Trinidad

Objective: To investigate the relationship between dark chocolate consumption and mood. Design and Methodology: This pilot study was conducted with a convenience sample of thirty-three (n=33) participants (twentyfive females and eight males) who lived in East Trinidad during the months of January to February 2016. Participants between the ages of 18 and 65 years were engaged to participate in a seven-day intervention in which 1/4 ounce of dark chocolate was consumed twice during the hours of 8:00 A.M and 10:00 A.M and 3:00 P.M and 6:00 P.M on day three of the intervention. The treatment was repeated on days four and five with 1/2 ounce chocolate being administered on day four. On day five, 1/4 ounce was again administered. Mood was measured for each of the seven days using the Brief Mood Introspection Scale. A Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ-C) designed to assess the frequency of consumption and servingsof chocolate food items was also administered. Results: There was a significant correlation between mood and chocolate consumption on days three to five only (P < 0.001). Conclusions: It was concluded that there was an effect on mood with the consumption of dark chocolate. However, this was not the result of the intake of a specificamount of chocolate.

BMI, nutrition knowledge and practice among nutrition and non-nutrition university students at The University of the West Indies

Objective: This study assessed nutrition knowledge and healthy dietary practices among nutrition and non-nutrition University students in relation to body mass index classification. Design and Methodology: A convenience sample of 224 students (112 nutrition students; 112 non-nutrition students) participated in the study. Data was collected face to face using a structured questionnaire. Nutrition knowledge, healthy dietary practices and body mass index were assessed. The study was conducted at the University of the West Indies Campus, St. Augustine during the months of March to April, 2018. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 21.0 to perform descriptive statistics and correlations. Results: The mean knowledge score of nutrition students was 24 ± 4.47 and non-nutrition students were 20 ± 3.87. BMI classification of nutrition students, 53.6% were overweight, 43.8% had normal BMIs and 2.6% were underweight. Among the non-nutrition students 41% were overweight, 57.2% had normal BMIs and 1.8% were underweight. In relation to dietary practice, there was no significant difference between the groups. Conclusions: Nutrition students at the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus were observed to have higher BMIs and unhealthier BMI classifications compared to non-nutrition students. Sound dietary practices did not differ among the groups; nutritional knowledge levels however were higher in nutrition students than non-nutrition students.

Measuring changes in nutritional knowledge: a nutrition education intervention among primary school children in Trinidad and Tobago

OBJECTIVE: To measure changes in nutritional knowledge among primary school children aged 6-12 years in Trinidad and Tobago. DESIGN AND METHODS: This study utilized a randomized experimental design. Eight government primary schools from two geographical regions with students aged 6-12 years from varied socioeconomic status in Trinidad participated in the study. A paired design, matched on geographical region and school population size was used to randomly assign schools to one of the four groups, i.e., (1) menu modification plus and nutrition education (MM plus NE), (2) menu modification (MM) alone, (3) nutrition education (NE) alone, and (4) control group. RESULTS: An analysis of changes in nutrition knowledge score on the 15-item pre/post tests indicated higher scores for three groups: MM plus NE, NE alone, and the control. Specifically, a statistically significant mean increase from baseline of 1.47 points for MM plus NE group, 0.61 points for NE group, and 1.19 points for the control group was found. Statistically significant differences were observed in the treatment groups receiving NE when compared to the control for level of nutrition knowledge. At post-intervention, the highest score was in the MM plus NE (p < 0.01), which was significantly higher than the control or MM. Further, mean knowledge scores for NE and MM plus NE were significantly higher than MM (p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: The researchers concluded that both interventions together had greater improvements in knowledge scores than the MM alone group but not compared to the control group.