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Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
medicine
A large-scale intervention to introduce orange sweet potato in rural Mozambique increases vitamin A intakes among children and women
British Journal of Nutrition, Volume 108, No. 1, Year 2012
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Description
β-Carotene-rich orange sweet potato (OSP) has been shown to improve vitamin A status of infants and young children in controlled efficacy trials and in a small-scale effectiveness study with intensive exposure to project inputs. However, the potential of this important food crop to reduce the risk of vitamin A deficiency in deficient populations will depend on the ability to distribute OSP vines and promote its household production and consumption on a large scale. In rural Mozambique, we conducted a randomised, controlled effectiveness study of a large-scale intervention to promote household-level OSP production and consumption using integrated agricultural, demand creation/behaviour change and marketing components. The following two intervention models were compared: a low-intensity (1 year) and a high-intensity (nearly 3 years) training model. The primary nutrition outcomes were OSP and vitamin A intakes by children 6-35 months and 3-5•5 years of age, and women. The intervention resulted in significant net increases in OSP intakes (model 1: 46, 48 and 97 g/d) and vitamin A intakes (model 1: 263, 254 and 492 μg retinol activity equivalents/d) among the younger children, older children and women, respectively. OSP accounted for 47-60 % of all sweet potato consumed and, among reference children, provided 80 % of total vitamin A intakes. A similar magnitude of impact was observed for both models, suggesting that group-level trainings in nutrition and agriculture could be limited to the first project year without compromising impact. Introduction of OSP to rural, sweet potato-producing communities in Mozambique is an effective way to improve vitamin A intakes. © 2011 The Authors.
Authors & Co-Authors
Hotz, Christine
United States, Washington, D.c.
International Food Policy Research Institute
Canada, Toronto
Unit #1711
Loechl, Cornelia U.
Peru, Lima
Centro Internacional de la Papa, Peru
de Brauw, Alan
United States, Washington, D.c.
International Food Policy Research Institute
Eozenou, Patrick
United States, Washington, D.c.
International Food Policy Research Institute
Gilligan, Daniel Orth
United States, Washington, D.c.
International Food Policy Research Institute
Moursi, Mourad M.
United States, Washington, D.c.
International Food Policy Research Institute
Munhaua, Bernardino
Peru, Lima
Centro Internacional de la Papa, Peru
van Jaarsveld, Paul J.
South Africa, Tygerberg
South African Medical Research Council
Carriquiry, Alicia
United States, Ames
Iowa State University
Meenakshi, J. V.
United States, Washington, D.c.
International Food Policy Research Institute
Statistics
Citations: 259
Authors: 10
Affiliations: 5
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1017/S0007114511005174
ISSN:
00071145
e-ISSN:
14752662
Research Areas
Food Security
Maternal And Child Health
Study Design
Randomised Control Trial
Study Locations
Mozambique
Participants Gender
Female