Dietary analysis of South African indigenous vegetables and traditional foods assumptions made by nutritionists and the impact on public health outcomes

A food composition database needs to be reflective of the commonly consumed foods eaten by the population, in order for it to be comprehensive. The South African Food Data System (SAFOODS) is one of a few food composition databases used amongst nutrition researchers and academia nationally for dietary intake analysis of South Africans. The SAFOODS comprises of 37% truly analysed South African nutrient values, which provides for an improved analysis when using this food composition database to analyse dietary intake data of South Africans. Indigenous vegetables and traditional recipe foods are limited within the current SAFOODS, resulting in nutrition researchers making assumptions when coding dietary records comprising of these foods eaten in selected study areas. The aim of this cross-sectional descriptive study was to collect and evaluate the different assumptions made by researchers when analysing food intake data inclusive of indigenous vegetables and traditional recipe foods, when utilising the South African food composition database for dietary analysis. In addition, it aims to record how these assumptions could possibly over or under report on actual dietary intake. Forty (40) nutrition researchers, actively engaged in dietary intake studies across the nine provinces of South Africa, were conveniently selected for this study. These researchers were all linked to an academic institution and consisted of dietitians and nutritionists. A questionnaire was completed, assumptions recorded by the nutrition researchers for indigenous vegetables and traditional recipe foods not found within SAFOODS. The study investigator further entered assumptions reported by participants of the study into a sample menu dataset. Information received from participants‟ were compared to a reference meal analysis report and analysed results compared for energy and macronutrients (carbohydrate, fat, protein) and micronutrients (vitamin A and C, iron, magnesium and sodium).

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

Department of Public Health and Family Medicine

Year dc:date.issued

2013

Author dc:creator

• Chetty, Joelaine Meryll

Advisors dc:contributor.advisor

• Booley, Sharmilah
• Wolmarans, Petro

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/11427/6094

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/6094