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

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), 2022. 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
  • Department of Nutrition, Food and Bioresource Technology, College of Technology, University of Bamenda, Bambili, Cameroon

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

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

  • Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Bamenda, Bambili, Cameroon

  • Department of Soil Science, Faculty of Agronomy and Agricultural Sciences, University of Dschang, Dschang, Cameroon

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

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