Consumption of Dark Green Leafy Vegetables Predicts Vitamin A and Iron Intake and Status among Female Small-Scale Farmers in Tanzania

• Published in: Nutrients 2019-05, Vol.11 (5), p.1025
• Main Authors: Stuetz, Wolfgang, Gowele, Victoria, Kinabo, Joyce, Bundala, Nyamizi, Mbwana, Hadijah, Rybak, Constance, Eleraky, Laila, Lambert, Christine, Biesalski, Hans Konrad
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Agricultural production; Agriculture; Anemia; Body Weight; Caregivers; Carotene; Carotenoids; Cereals; Chi-square test; Child; Consumption; Corn; Cross-Sectional Studies; Dark green leafy vegetables; Demography; Diet; Farmers; Female; Food; Food intake; Fruits; Gardens & gardening; Humans; Iron; Iron - administration & dosage; Legumes; Lutein; Meat; micronutrient intake; micronutrient status; Middle Aged; Millet; Nutrient deficiency; Nutrition research; Nutritional Status; overweight; Population; Porridge; Pregnancy; Regression analysis; Rice; Rural areas; small-scale farmers; Statistical tests; Tanzania; Tocopherol; Towns; Tropical diseases; Vegetables; Vitamin A; Vitamin A - administration & dosage; Womens health; Zeaxanthin; Zinc; β-Carotene
• ISSN: 2072-6643; 2072-6643
• DOI: 10.3390/nu11051025

Inadequate consumption of micronutrient-dense foods such as vegetables and meat are an important contributing cause for anemia and deficiencies of iron and vitamin A in rural communities of Tanzania. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2016 to examine nutritional and micronutrient status and their associations to the diet of female small-scale farmers in the sub-humid Kilosa ( = 333) and the semi-arid Chamwino ( = 333) districts, in the Morogoro and Dodoma region. An overall higher prevalence of overweight (19.7%) and obesity (7.1%) than of underweight (5.9%) was detected. Significantly more women in the two villages of Kilosa (27-40%) than in the two villages of Chamwino district (19-21%) were overweight/obese, but also more frequently had anemia (34-41% vs. 11-17%), iron deficiency (24-32% vs. 15-17%), and low serum retinol (21-24% vs. 8-9%). Overall, only a small proportion of women reached recommended daily micronutrient intakes: 27% for vitamin A, 17% for iron, 7% for zinc, and 12-38% for B-vitamins. The amount of dark green leafy vegetables (DGLV) consumed was the main determinant of vitamin A and iron intake by women in Chamwino and corresponded to higher hemoglobin, serum retinol and iron status than in the villages of the Kilosa district; in agreement, DGLV consumption also predicted iron and vitamin A intake in Kilosa district. DGLV consumed with wholemeal millet was advantageous in terms of women's vitamin A and iron intake and status over the predominantly maize-rice-based diet lacking vegetables.