Mental distress, food insecurity and university student dropout during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020: evidence from South Africa.

Background: Student dropout has been a key issue facing universities for many years. The COVID-19 pandemic was expected to exacerbate these trends; however, international literature has produced conflicting findings. Limited literature from Africa has investigated the impact of COVID-19 on student dropout trends, despite the documented devastation, including increased risk of food insecurity and mental distress, caused by the pandemic.

Nutrition knowledge and health vulnerability of mothers of pre-school children in north-central, Nigeria.

Objective: This study explores the contribution of nutrition knowledge to the health status of pre-school children's mothers in Niger State, North-Central, Nigeria.

Design: The study is a descriptive cross-sectional design using a quantitative data collection method.

Setting/participants: A multi-stage sampling technique was used to recruit 450 mothers of pre-school children across Niger state, Nigeria.

Mineral Composition and Consumer Acceptability of Amaranthus Leaf Powder Supplemented for Improved Nutrition Security.

Malnutrition, especially micronutrient deficiency, is a widespread health challenge that predominantly affects young children, young ladies who are within the productive age, refugees, and older adults who reside in rural communities and informal settlements in underdeveloped and developing countries. Malnutrition is caused by consuming either too little or too much of one or more food nutrients. Additionally, monotonous dietary lifestyle, especially the over-reliance on staple foods, is identified among the top factors limiting many individuals' intake of essential nutrients.

Overcoming barriers for people with disabilities participating in income-generating activities: A proposed development framework.

Background: People with disabilities in sheltered workshops are disempowered and face many barriers, adversely affecting their income-generating activities and weakening their competitiveness in the labour market. There is limited evidence on how to overcome these barriers.

Objectives: This paper seeks to propose a framework to overcome the barriers experienced by people with disabilities participating in income-generating activities in a sheltered workshop.

The Household Food Security and Feeding Pattern of Preschool Children in North-Central Nigeria.

Children's feeding patterns and health outcomes are important determinants of any country's food and nutrition security status. This study assessed the household food security and feeding patterns of preschoolers in Niger State, Nigeria. A cross-sectional descriptive design and a multi-stage sampling technique were employed to analyze 450 preschool children from selected local government areas.

Grain Quality, Provitamin A Carotenoid Profiles, and Sensory Quality of Provitamin A-Biofortified Maize Stiff Porridges.

Provitamin A-biofortified maize could contribute to the alleviation of vitamin A deficiency (VAD), which is prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa due to a high consumption of starchy, maize-based diets. Four varieties of provitamin A biofortified maize were studied for grain colour, grain texture, thousand kernel weight, and hectolitre mass. Provitamin A biofortified maize stiff porridges were prepared and their retained provitamin A was determined using lutein, zeaxanthin, β-cryptoxanthin, and β-carotene (all-trans and cis isomers) as standards.

Protein Isolate from Seeds Improves Dyslipidaemia and Cardiac Oxidative Stress in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Rats.

Reports from previous studies now provide evidence that dyslipidaemia and oxidative stress play crucial roles in the pathogenesis and progression of diabetes and its related complications. This research is aimed to investigate the potential effects of protein isolate from seeds (PBPI) in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats by measuring blood glucose levels, changes in lipid metabolism and biomarkers of oxidative stress. Diabetic rats were treated orally with graded doses of PBPI, 200 mg/kg bw and 400 mg/kg bw, and 5 U/kg, intraperitoneal (i.

Cardiac autonomic function and its association with cardiometabolic disease risk factors in Black South African children.

Objective: This study evaluated the associations between cardiac autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity and cardiometabolic disease (CMD) risk factors among black South African children.

Design: The participants included 34 black South African children (11.85 ± 0.

Short-Term High-Intensity Interval Training Is Superior to Moderate-Intensity Continuous Training in Improving Cardiac Autonomic Function in Children.

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the impact of 3 isocaloric exercise programs on cardiac autonomic nervous system (ANS) functioning in children.

Methods: One hundred nine children (39% boys and 61% girls) aged 10-13 years (mean 11.07 ± 0.

Do Short-Term Exercise Interventions Improve Cardiometabolic Risk Factors in Children?

Objectives: To explore the impact of short-term exercise of varying intensity on traditional risk factors for cardiometabolic disease.

Study Design: A total of 109 children (mean age, 11.1 ± 0.

The Potential of Integrating Provitamin A-Biofortified Maize in Smallholder Farming Systems to Reduce Malnourishment in South Africa.

Biofortification interventions have the potential to combat malnutrition. This review explored the use of provitamin A-biofortified maize (PVABM) as a vitamin A deficiency (VAD) reduction agricultural-based strategy. Maize has been identified as one of the key staple crops for biofortification to reduce hidden hunger in Africa.

An Assessment of the Food and Nutrition Security Status of Weaned 7-12 Months Old Children in Rural and Peri-Urban Communities of Gauteng and Limpopo Provinces, South Africa.

This study assessed the food and nutrition security status of children receiving complementary food in rural and peri-urban communities. A group of 106 mothers from Lebowakgomo village and Hammanskraal Township, respectively, participated in the survey. Additionally, six focus group discussions were conducted per study area to assess the mothers' perceptions about children's food access.

Provitamin A retention and sensory acceptability of amahewu, a non-alcoholic cereal-based beverage made with provitamin A-biofortified maize.

Background: Vitamin A deficiency is a major public health problem in sub-Saharan Africa. Amahewu is a popular southern African lactic acid fermented non-alcoholic maize-based beverage, which is deficient in vitamin A. In this study, provitamin A retention and sensory acceptability of amahewu processed using provitamin A-biofortified maize and three types of inoculums during fermentation (malted maize, wheat bran and Lactobacillus starter culture) were investigated.