Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Original Article
  • Published:

Snacks are important for fat and vitamin intakes among rural African women: a cross-sectional study from Malawi

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 62, pages 866–871 (2008)Cite this article

Abstract

Objective:

To estimate the contribution of energy and selected nutrients from foods eaten as snacks and as meals.

Subjects and methods:

Forty-four nonpregnant women in the reproductive age, of whom 20 were lactating, participated in this study. Women from rural households were randomly selected and energy and nutrient intakes were estimated using 2 days' observed weighed food record. Snacks eaten between meals were estimated by weighed food record as well as recall, thrice per day.

Results:

The largest proportions (mean±s.e.) of fat (33±3.6%), vitamin C (36±4.1%) and a large proportion of vitamin A (30±4.4%) intakes were from snacks. Furthermore, snacks provided 20% of the energy intakes.

Conclusion:

Snacks are important for energy and nutrient intakes and adequacies in rural African women and have the potential to combat energy and nutrient deficiencies in low-income countries.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1
Figure 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Brouwer ID, Wijnhoven TMA, Burema J, Hoorweg JC (1996). Household fuel use and food consumption: relationship and seasonal effects in central Malawi. Ecol Food Nutr 35, 179–193.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Damton H, Hassan N, Karim R, Duthie MR (1988). Tables of Nutrient Composition of Bangladesh Foods. Hellen Keller International. Moni Printers & Packages Ltd.: Dhaka.

    Google Scholar 

  • FAO/WHO (1994). Fats and Oils in Human Nutrition. Report of a joint expert consultation. FAO Food and Nutrition Paper 57 Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations: Rome.

  • FAO/WHO (2001). Human Vitamin and Mineral Requirements. Report of a joint FAO/WHO expert consultation. Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations: Rome.

  • FAO/WHO/UNU (1985). Energy and Protein Requirements Report of a Joint FAO/WHO/UNU Expert Consultation. World Health Organization Technical Report Series 724. World Health Organization of the United Nations: Geneva.

  • Ferguson EL, Gadowsky SL, Huddle J-M, Cullinan TR, Lehrfeld J, Gibson RS (1995). An interactive 24-h recall technique for assessing the adequacy of trace mineral intakes of rural Malawian women; its advantages and limitations. Eur J Clin Nutr 49, 564–578.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ferguson EL, Gibson RS, Weaver SD, Heywood P, Heywood A, Yaman C (1989). The mineral content of commonly consumed Malawian and Papua New Guinean Foods. J Food Comp Anal 2, 260–272.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Huddle JM, Gibson RS, Cullinan TR (1998). Is zinc a limiting nutrient in diets of rural pregnant Malawian woman. Br J Nutr 79, 257–265.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lauritsen J (2006). [online] FoodCalc, Foocdcal version 1.3. (public domain)http://www.ibt.ku.dk/jesper/foodCalc [accessed 6th July 2006].

  • Mazengo MC, Simell O, Lukmanji Z, Shirima R, Karvetti R-L (1997). Food consumption in rural and urban Tanzania. Acta Tropica 68, 131–326.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Møller A, Saxholt E (1996). The Composition of Foods – fourth edn. Levnedsmiddelstyrelsen. Gyldendals Forlagsekspedition: København.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nordeide MB (1995). The Composition of Malawian Foods. Programme de Recherche SSE. CNRST/University of Oslo, Norway.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nyambose J, Koski KG, Tucker KL (2002). High intra/interindividual variance ratios for energy and nutrient intakes of pregnant women in rural Malawi show that many days are required to estimate usual intake. J Nutr 132, 1313–1318.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • West CE, Poortvliet EJ (1993). The Carotenoid Content of Foods with Special Reference to Developing Countries. US Agency for International Development-VITAL, Washington, DC.

    Google Scholar 

  • West CE, Pepping F, Temalilwa CR (1988). The Composition of Foods Commonly Eaten in East Africa. Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation and Food and Nutrition Cooperation, Wageningen Agricultural University.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We thank the participants of the survey, Traditional Authority Timbiri and family, the staff at Department for Agricultural Research and Technical Services, Ministry of Agriculture and Lunyangwa Agricultural Research Station, Malawi. We also thank Dr Linley Chiwona-Karltun for inspiration and Dr Jonathan Mkumbira for establishing contacts for the fieldwork. A special thanks to the staff involved in data collection. We also thank Dr Jóhanna Haraldsdóttir and Dr Ole Hels for help during the preparation of the manuscript.

This study was sponsored by AN Industry Consult A/S, The Nordic Africa Institute and the Council for Development Research, Danish International Development Assistance (DANIDA), Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Denmark.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Human Nutrition, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark

    J Hallund & S H Thilsted

  2. Fafo Institute for Applied Social Science, Oslo, Norway

    A Hatlöy

  3. Department of Agricultural Research Services, Chitedze Research Station, Lilongwe, Malawi

    I Benesi

Authors
  1. J Hallund
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. A Hatlöy
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. I Benesi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. S H Thilsted
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to J Hallund.

Additional information

Guarantor: J Hallund.

Contributors: JH collected the data, analysed the data and wrote the paper. AH contributed to the study design, interpretation of results and preparation of the paper. IB contributed to collection of the data and interpretation of results. SHT contributed to the study design, interpretation of results and writing of the paper.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Hallund, J., Hatlöy, A., Benesi, I. et al. Snacks are important for fat and vitamin intakes among rural African women: a cross-sectional study from Malawi. Eur J Clin Nutr 62, 866–871 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602820

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602820

Keywords

Search

Advanced search

Quick links