Nutritional Status and Eating Habits of Children in Orphanages in Bamenda (North West Cameroon)

Adeline Ambe Singwa; Agatha Nguti Tanya; Thierry Noumo Ngangmou; Lifoter Kenneth Navti; Primus Azinwi Tamfuh; Richard Aba Ejoh

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ijnfs.20221102.13

Nutritional Status and Eating Habits of Children in Orphanages in Bamenda (North West Cameroon)

Adeline Ambe Singwa, Agatha Nguti Tanya, Thierry Noumo Ngangmou, Lifoter Kenneth Navti, Primus Azinwi Tamfuh, Richard Aba Ejoh

Published in International Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences (Volume 11, Issue 2)

Received: 8 March 2022 Accepted: 28 March 2022 Published: 8 April 2022

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Abstract

Regular growth assessment of children helps maintain adequate dietary intake and physical growth. However, very little or no information is available on the nutritional status of children in orphanages in Cameroon making control of deficiency diseases in children very difficult in these institutions. The main aim of this study was to determine the nutritional status and eating habits of children in some orphanages in Bamenda (North West Cameroon). The height and weight of 205 children (97 boys and 108 girls) ages 1-18 years were measured and their BMI (Body Mass Index) was calculated. A structured questionnaire was used for eating habits and dietary data collection. A usual intake of nutrients was collected and some food samples from the orphanages were collected for three days and analyzed in the laboratory to determine children’s usual intakes of nutrients. The data were analyzed by descriptive statistics. The results revealed that 15.7% of girls and 18.6% of boys were underweight, 3.7% of girls and 4.1% of boys were stunted and 16.5% of boys and 23.1% of girls were overweight/obese. The most eaten foods were cereals and the least were dairy products. Vegetables, fruits and milk consumption rates were low. The average intake of energy, protein and total fats was inadequate for orphanage children aged 14 to 18 years. The average intake of vitamin A, calcium and iron was inadequate in all orphanages compared to the RDA (Recommended Dietary Intake) values. Efforts should be directed towards educating the orphanage caregivers on meal planning and preparation to increase micronutrient intake in the orphanages’ diets and improve the health of the children. Food or financial aid should also be granted to these institutional care homes to enable them to improve on the overall nutritional content of foods.

Published in	International Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences (Volume 11, Issue 2)
DOI	10.11648/j.ijnfs.20221102.13
Page(s)	30-37
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Nutritional Status, Children, Orphanage, Eating Habits, Bamenda, Cameroon

References

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APA Style

Adeline Ambe Singwa, Agatha Nguti Tanya, Thierry Noumo Ngangmou, Lifoter Kenneth Navti, Primus Azinwi Tamfuh, et al. (2022). Nutritional Status and Eating Habits of Children in Orphanages in Bamenda (North West Cameroon). International Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences, 11(2), 30-37. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijnfs.20221102.13

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ACS Style

Adeline Ambe Singwa; Agatha Nguti Tanya; Thierry Noumo Ngangmou; Lifoter Kenneth Navti; Primus Azinwi Tamfuh, et al. Nutritional Status and Eating Habits of Children in Orphanages in Bamenda (North West Cameroon). Int. J. Nutr. Food Sci. 2022, 11(2), 30-37. doi: 10.11648/j.ijnfs.20221102.13

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AMA Style

Adeline Ambe Singwa, Agatha Nguti Tanya, Thierry Noumo Ngangmou, Lifoter Kenneth Navti, Primus Azinwi Tamfuh, et al. Nutritional Status and Eating Habits of Children in Orphanages in Bamenda (North West Cameroon). Int J Nutr Food Sci. 2022;11(2):30-37. doi: 10.11648/j.ijnfs.20221102.13

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@article{10.11648/j.ijnfs.20221102.13,
  author = {Adeline Ambe Singwa and Agatha Nguti Tanya and Thierry Noumo Ngangmou and Lifoter Kenneth Navti and Primus Azinwi Tamfuh and Richard Aba Ejoh},
  title = {Nutritional Status and Eating Habits of Children in Orphanages in Bamenda (North West Cameroon)},
  journal = {International Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences},
  volume = {11},
  number = {2},
  pages = {30-37},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijnfs.20221102.13},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijnfs.20221102.13},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijnfs.20221102.13},
  abstract = {Regular growth assessment of children helps maintain adequate dietary intake and physical growth. However, very little or no information is available on the nutritional status of children in orphanages in Cameroon making control of deficiency diseases in children very difficult in these institutions. The main aim of this study was to determine the nutritional status and eating habits of children in some orphanages in Bamenda (North West Cameroon). The height and weight of 205 children (97 boys and 108 girls) ages 1-18 years were measured and their BMI (Body Mass Index) was calculated. A structured questionnaire was used for eating habits and dietary data collection. A usual intake of nutrients was collected and some food samples from the orphanages were collected for three days and analyzed in the laboratory to determine children’s usual intakes of nutrients. The data were analyzed by descriptive statistics. The results revealed that 15.7% of girls and 18.6% of boys were underweight, 3.7% of girls and 4.1% of boys were stunted and 16.5% of boys and 23.1% of girls were overweight/obese. The most eaten foods were cereals and the least were dairy products. Vegetables, fruits and milk consumption rates were low. The average intake of energy, protein and total fats was inadequate for orphanage children aged 14 to 18 years. The average intake of vitamin A, calcium and iron was inadequate in all orphanages compared to the RDA (Recommended Dietary Intake) values. Efforts should be directed towards educating the orphanage caregivers on meal planning and preparation to increase micronutrient intake in the orphanages’ diets and improve the health of the children. Food or financial aid should also be granted to these institutional care homes to enable them to improve on the overall nutritional content of foods.},
 year = {2022}
}

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TY - JOUR
T1 - Nutritional Status and Eating Habits of Children in Orphanages in Bamenda (North West Cameroon)
AU - Adeline Ambe Singwa
AU - Agatha Nguti Tanya
AU - Thierry Noumo Ngangmou
AU - Lifoter Kenneth Navti
AU - Primus Azinwi Tamfuh
AU - Richard Aba Ejoh
Y1 - 2022/04/08
PY - 2022
N1 - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijnfs.20221102.13
DO - 10.11648/j.ijnfs.20221102.13
T2 - International Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences
JF - International Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences
JO - International Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences
SP - 30
EP - 37
PB - Science Publishing Group
SN - 2327-2716
UR - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijnfs.20221102.13
AB - Regular growth assessment of children helps maintain adequate dietary intake and physical growth. However, very little or no information is available on the nutritional status of children in orphanages in Cameroon making control of deficiency diseases in children very difficult in these institutions. The main aim of this study was to determine the nutritional status and eating habits of children in some orphanages in Bamenda (North West Cameroon). The height and weight of 205 children (97 boys and 108 girls) ages 1-18 years were measured and their BMI (Body Mass Index) was calculated. A structured questionnaire was used for eating habits and dietary data collection. A usual intake of nutrients was collected and some food samples from the orphanages were collected for three days and analyzed in the laboratory to determine children’s usual intakes of nutrients. The data were analyzed by descriptive statistics. The results revealed that 15.7% of girls and 18.6% of boys were underweight, 3.7% of girls and 4.1% of boys were stunted and 16.5% of boys and 23.1% of girls were overweight/obese. The most eaten foods were cereals and the least were dairy products. Vegetables, fruits and milk consumption rates were low. The average intake of energy, protein and total fats was inadequate for orphanage children aged 14 to 18 years. The average intake of vitamin A, calcium and iron was inadequate in all orphanages compared to the RDA (Recommended Dietary Intake) values. Efforts should be directed towards educating the orphanage caregivers on meal planning and preparation to increase micronutrient intake in the orphanages’ diets and improve the health of the children. Food or financial aid should also be granted to these institutional care homes to enable them to improve on the overall nutritional content of foods.
VL - 11
IS - 2
ER -

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Author Information

Adeline Ambe Singwa

Department of Nutrition, Food and Bioresource Technology, College of Technology, University of Bamenda, Bambili, Cameroon
Agatha Nguti Tanya

Department of Nutrition, Food and Bioresource Technology, College of Technology, University of Bamenda, Bambili, Cameroon
Thierry Noumo Ngangmou

Department of Nutrition, Food and Bioresource Technology, College of Technology, University of Bamenda, Bambili, Cameroon
Lifoter Kenneth Navti

Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Bamenda, Bambili, Cameroon
Primus Azinwi Tamfuh

Department of Soil Science, Faculty of Agronomy and Agricultural Sciences, University of Dschang, Dschang, Cameroon
Richard Aba Ejoh

Department of Nutrition, Food and Bioresource Technology, College of Technology, University of Bamenda, Bambili, Cameroon

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Plain Text BibTeX RIS

APA Style

Adeline Ambe Singwa, Agatha Nguti Tanya, Thierry Noumo Ngangmou, Lifoter Kenneth Navti, Primus Azinwi Tamfuh, et al. (2022). Nutritional Status and Eating Habits of Children in Orphanages in Bamenda (North West Cameroon). International Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences, 11(2), 30-37. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijnfs.20221102.13

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ACS Style

Adeline Ambe Singwa; Agatha Nguti Tanya; Thierry Noumo Ngangmou; Lifoter Kenneth Navti; Primus Azinwi Tamfuh, et al. Nutritional Status and Eating Habits of Children in Orphanages in Bamenda (North West Cameroon). Int. J. Nutr. Food Sci. 2022, 11(2), 30-37. doi: 10.11648/j.ijnfs.20221102.13

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AMA Style

Adeline Ambe Singwa, Agatha Nguti Tanya, Thierry Noumo Ngangmou, Lifoter Kenneth Navti, Primus Azinwi Tamfuh, et al. Nutritional Status and Eating Habits of Children in Orphanages in Bamenda (North West Cameroon). Int J Nutr Food Sci. 2022;11(2):30-37. doi: 10.11648/j.ijnfs.20221102.13

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@article{10.11648/j.ijnfs.20221102.13,
  author = {Adeline Ambe Singwa and Agatha Nguti Tanya and Thierry Noumo Ngangmou and Lifoter Kenneth Navti and Primus Azinwi Tamfuh and Richard Aba Ejoh},
  title = {Nutritional Status and Eating Habits of Children in Orphanages in Bamenda (North West Cameroon)},
  journal = {International Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences},
  volume = {11},
  number = {2},
  pages = {30-37},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijnfs.20221102.13},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijnfs.20221102.13},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijnfs.20221102.13},
  abstract = {Regular growth assessment of children helps maintain adequate dietary intake and physical growth. However, very little or no information is available on the nutritional status of children in orphanages in Cameroon making control of deficiency diseases in children very difficult in these institutions. The main aim of this study was to determine the nutritional status and eating habits of children in some orphanages in Bamenda (North West Cameroon). The height and weight of 205 children (97 boys and 108 girls) ages 1-18 years were measured and their BMI (Body Mass Index) was calculated. A structured questionnaire was used for eating habits and dietary data collection. A usual intake of nutrients was collected and some food samples from the orphanages were collected for three days and analyzed in the laboratory to determine children’s usual intakes of nutrients. The data were analyzed by descriptive statistics. The results revealed that 15.7% of girls and 18.6% of boys were underweight, 3.7% of girls and 4.1% of boys were stunted and 16.5% of boys and 23.1% of girls were overweight/obese. The most eaten foods were cereals and the least were dairy products. Vegetables, fruits and milk consumption rates were low. The average intake of energy, protein and total fats was inadequate for orphanage children aged 14 to 18 years. The average intake of vitamin A, calcium and iron was inadequate in all orphanages compared to the RDA (Recommended Dietary Intake) values. Efforts should be directed towards educating the orphanage caregivers on meal planning and preparation to increase micronutrient intake in the orphanages’ diets and improve the health of the children. Food or financial aid should also be granted to these institutional care homes to enable them to improve on the overall nutritional content of foods.},
 year = {2022}
}

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