title: Schoolchildren's food consumption and dietary intake during the dry season in north-west Namibia.
abstract: The diet of school-aged children in north-west Namibia was investigated. Data on food consumption were collected using the 24-h recall interview method. The field study was conducted during the dry season. The subjects were schoolchildren aged between 8 and 15 years living in either a small town (n=43) or a rural area (n=10). In town, the main sources of energy were maize porridge and wheat bread, and for the rural children, sour milk and maize. The consumption of vegetables, fruit and legumes was very low in both groups. The mean intakes of energy were 6.7 MJ/day for children living in town and 4.7 MJ/day for rural subjects. The intakes of vitamin A, vitamin C and folate were inadequate in both groups. Our findings show that during the dry season, the diets of Namibian school-aged children are monotonous.
authors.affiliation: Division of Nutrition, Department of Applied Chemistry and Microbiology, University of Helsinki, Finland. liisa.vahatalo@kbh.uu.se
authors.forename: Liisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Vähätalo
authors.forename: Vera
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Mikkilä
authors.forename: Leena
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Räsänen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000818:Animals; D002648:Child; D004032:Diet; D004040:Dietary Carbohydrates / Q000008:administration & dosage; D004435:Eating / Q000502:physiology*; D002149:Energy Intake / Q000502:physiology; D005638:Fruit; D006801:Humans; D008892:Milk; D009276:Namibia; D012621:Seasons; D014908:Triticum; D014675:Vegetables; D014815:Vitamins / Q000008:administration & dosage; D003313:Zea mays
chemical_list: D004040:Dietary Carbohydrates; D014815:Vitamins