Dietary intake in undernourished adults living in Guinea-Bissau; a cross-sectional study.

Background: Data on dietary intake in Guinea-Bissau is limited. The main purpose of this study was to compare mean daily energy intake (EI) with mean daily energy expenditure (EE) for a moderately active lifestyle in health-seeking individuals with a body mass index < 20.0 kg/m. Furthermore, dietary composition was evaluated by estimates of macronutrient energy distribution, individual dietary diversity scores, and the identification of frequently consumed food items, stratified by sex.

Methods: A cross-sectional dietary survey was conducted at the suburban health- and demographic surveillance site in Guinea-Bissau, West Africa, from May 2014-February 2015. Each participant answered one interviewer-administered 24-h dietary recall at baseline, from which dietary intake was assessed. Differences in dietary intake between men and women were analysed using the test or Fisher's Exact test for categorical outcomes, and the Student's t-test for continuous variables.

Results: Forty-three men and forty-eight women were included. Mean EI for men was 6326 kJ/d (sd 2104) and for women 6822 kJ/d (sd 2210). Mean EE for a moderately active lifestyle with a physical activity level of 1.75 was 10,479 kJ/d (sd 658) for men and 8729 kJ/d (sd 731) for women. Both men and women had a significantly lower mean EI compared with mean EE (-values both < 0.001). Dietary diversity was low with a score of 3.5 (sd 1.0) for men and 4.0 (sd 1.3) for women, value 0.046. Macronutrient energy was distributed as 66% (sd 11) carbohydrate, 15% (sd 5) protein, and 19% (sd 9) fat, with no significant difference in distribution between men and women. Consumption of starchy and sugary carbohydrates accounted for two thirds of mean EI. Cereals were the main source of protein, in place of animal protein.

Conclusions: Both men and women in this study had low mean EI compared with mean EE for a moderately active lifestyle. Dietary intake was characterized by a seemingly low dietary diversity and imbalanced macronutrient energy distribution, comprising insufficient fat intake and excess carbohydrate intake. Cereals were the main source of protein.

Trial Registration: PACTR2009110001673419. Registered 22 Oct 2009.