Food and Nutrition Bulletin最新文献

Bridging the gap between research and policy continues to be a major challenge in Ethiopia, particularly in the nutrition sector, where evidence is often fragmented, inconsistently collected, and underutilized. Traditional research-to-policy approaches are frequently misaligned with policymaking needs due to differences in timelines, priorities, and communication practices. While these challenges are not unique to Ethiopia-and indeed, numerous global efforts have attempted to address them with varying degrees of success-examples from other settings offer useful insights for strengthening the interface between evidence and action. In the Ethiopian context, the National Information Platform for Nutrition (NiPN) represents an important shift toward a more responsive, demand-driven model that seeks to improve the relevance and uptake of evidence. Unlike conventional approaches that begin with research questions and proceed directly to data collection, Ethiopia's NiPN starts with policy question formulation, aligning evidence generation with real-time decision-making priorities. This approach emphasizes embedding research in institutional processes and tailoring outputs to policy needs. The paper explores how NiPN addresses structural barriers to nutrition governance-such as limited institutional capacity, fragmented coordination, and weak knowledge translation. It engages multiple sectors in mapping evidence, analyzing data, and supporting dialogue to inform actionable recommendations. Using examples like the Seqota Declaration and the School Feeding Program, the paper demonstrates how NiPN has improved policy relevance, intervention targeting, and national ownership. The Ethiopian case offers transferable insights for other countries seeking to institutionalize evidence-informed policymaking in complex, multisectoral domains.

IntroductionUndernutrition continues to be a significant public health concern, particularly among children under 5 years.ObjectivesThis study evaluated the efficacy of an additional nutritional intervention in improving growth parameters, dietary diversity and hemoglobin levels in children aged 6 to 59 months with moderate acute malnutrition (MAM) during the 2023 economic crisis in Sri Lanka.MethodsThis was a randomized-controlled trial, and children with MAM were randomly allocated to either the intervention group, receiving additional food transfers and nutrition education, or the control group, receiving standard care. The outcomes were improvement in growth parameters, dietary diversity, and hemoglobin levels. Regression analysis was used to adjust for potential confounding variables. A total of 510 children were enrolled and followed for 6 months. The intervention group showed a significant proportion of children improving to normal weight-for-height Z-scores than the control group in addition to the improvement in dietary diversity. However, the 2 groups had no significant difference in stunting and underweight.ConclusionsThe nutritional intervention improved weight for height z-scores and dietary diversity in this cohort of children with MAM. The study highlights the importance of targeted nutrient-adequate food security interventions in undernourished children during crises to support their nutrition rehabilitation effectively.

BackgroundLow- and middle-income countries (LMICs) developing dietary guidelines often face challenges in translating nutrient requirements into practical, culturally acceptable recommendations due to limited data and technical resources. To address this gap, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) developed FAO DietSolve, a user-friendly tool designed to support such efforts through a systematic and evidence-based approach.ObjectiveTo present an overview of the FAO DietSolve methodology, demonstrating its application through a hypothetical example, and highlighting its utility in supporting the development of dietary guidelines in LMICs.MethodsFAO DietSolve uses a mathematical optimization approach using Microsoft Excel's Solver add-in. It combines food groups that meet both nutritional constraints (energy and nutrient requirements) and acceptability constraints (minimum/maximum limits for each food group), while optimizing an objective function. The tool also allows for integration of additional sustainability criteria such as cost, cultural acceptability, and environmental impact into developed dietary patterns. Food groupings are based on representative foods and food consumption data. Objective functions can vary, such as minimizing deviation from observed dietary patterns.ResultsThe tool has been utilized by eight LMICs in developing their national dietary guidelines. The optimized dietary patterns generated have supported the creation of food selection guides tailored to different population groups and informed food graphics.ConclusionsFAO DietSolve provides LMICs with a practical, data-driven method for developing comprehensive, sustainable, and culturally appropriate dietary patterns. It enables countries to address multiple dimensions of diets and food systems, in line with FAO's new food systems-based dietary guidelines methodology.

BackgroundDespite well-documented health benefits, fruit and vegetable (F&V) intake remains below recommended levels globally.ObjectivesThis scoping review aimed to identify effective intervention strategies to increase F&V intake.MethodsWe searched PubMed and Web of Science (February 2023) for intervention studies assessing impact on F&V intake. Eligibility criteria included studies published in English since 2012, a valid control group, ≥2 weeks duration, and ≥50 participants per intervention arm. Analysis was done by intervention comparison. Findings were described by summarizing proportion of intervention comparisons reporting statistically significant increases in fruit, vegetable and/or combined F&V intake across standalone (nutrition communication, social protection, agriculture or food environment restructuring) and multi-component strategies.ResultsA total of 284 intervention comparisons (223 unique studies) were included. The majority of comparisons (191/284) came from high-income countries (HICs) and 93/284 from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Nutrition communication was the most common standalone strategy, with 121/218 comparisons reporting positive impacts on fruit, vegetable and/or combined F&V intake. Fewer studies evaluated standalone social protection (13/284), food environment restructuring (4/284), or agriculture strategies (3/284). Among the limited interventions, 7/13 social protection and 3/4 food environment restructuring comparisons reported positive impacts, while none of the 3 standalone agricultural interventions did. Multi-component interventions demonstrated potential with 28/46 comparisons having positive impacts.ConclusionsSome of the intervention strategies showed potential for increasing fruit and/or vegetable intake. However, given the heterogeneity of the interventions, small number of studies for some strategies and limited evidence from LMICs, more rigorous, context-specific research is needed.

BackgroundAdequate fruit and vegetable (F&V) intake is important for health, yet populations globally are failing to meet recommendations.ObjectiveA scoping review to summarize available evidence of evaluations of interventions to increase F&V intake globally, focusing on target populations, intervention strategies, research methods, and summarizing their evaluated impacts.MethodsWe searched PubMed and Web of Science in February 2023 for intervention studies in which dietary intake of fruit and/or vegetables were documented. Eligible studies included all age groups, excluding those targeting populations with specific disease-related conditions, such as cancer patients/survivors. Only articles published in English since 2012 were included in the review.ResultsWe identified 6338 articles, with 226 meeting inclusion criteria, comprising 223 unique studies and 284 intervention comparisons. Most comparisons occurred in high-income countries (n = 192) compared to low- and middle-income countries (n = 92). Randomized controlled trials (RCTs; 37.3%) and cluster RCTs (52.5%) were predominant. Interventions primarily targeted adults (31.7%), school-aged children (18.0%), children under-five (14.4%), and adolescents (13.7%), lasting an average of 24 weeks (range: 2 weeks to 20 years). Food-frequency questionnaires (59.2%) and 24-h recalls (26.8%) were the most used dietary assessment method. Health and nutrition communication (75.9%) was the most common intervention, utilizing interpersonal communication, mass media, and information-communication technology, often in combinations. Positive impacts on fruit (43.9%), vegetable (40.2%), and combined F&V intake (53.0%) were observed in nearly half the intervention comparisons.ConclusionsThese findings highlight the predominance of health and nutrition communication interventions, predominantly in high-income countries, showing mixed success in improving F&V intake, emphasizing the need for context-specific strategies and standardized methodologies to design sustainable, cost-effective interventions for better diet quality and health outcomes.Plain language titleA literature review assessing what we know and do not know about efforts to improve fruit and vegetable intake across the world.

Adequate amounts of fruit and vegetables (F&V) are an important part of a healthy diet, yet intake is suboptimal in most population groups worldwide. To better understand the evidence of strategies aiming to improve F&V intake, we conducted a scoping review of interventions assessing the impact on F&V intake, including those aiming to improve F&V intake explicitly and those targeting diet, health, lifestyle, or food environment generally. Among all eligible interventions reviewed, most of which were implemented in high-income countries, about half reported a significant positive impact on fruit and/or vegetable intake. Interventions that used a multicomponent strategy (61%) and those that focused on F&V specifically (72%) were most likely to find a significant increase in fruit and/or vegetable intake. Detailed summaries are provided in 2 accompanying articles. In the present article, we put these findings into perspective. Specifically, we considered the evidence for 4 target countries of the Fruit and Vegetables for Sustainable Healthy Diets Initiative: Benin, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Tanzania. When considering available evidence at the national level, there is a paucity of information from intervention trials despite evidence of inadequate F&V intakes in each of these countries. When considering available evidence at the global level, and especially for low-and-middle income countries, there is a critical need to strengthen the evidence across various intervention strategies, particularly related to targeting, timing, intensity, duration, frequency, and other key characteristics, to better understand how to enhance their impact on F&V intake in various population groups and contexts.

A healthy diet low in fat, sugars, and sodium and high in fruit and vegetables (F&V) is recommended to ensure overall health and reduce risk of noncommunicable diseases. However, despite the evidence of strong health benefits, dietary intake of both fruit and vegetables is inadequate in most populations worldwide. To better understand the state of the evidence of what has worked to improve F&V intake, we conducted a scoping review to summarize available evidence of interventions focusing on the impact on F&V intake, including those aiming to improve F&V intake specifically and those targeting diet, health, lifestyle or environment more broadly. We chose to take a global view as lessons learnt from studies in high-income countries may provide important insights for other contexts. The evidence summarized in this Food and Nutrition Bulletin supplement can be used to inform program and policy design as well as future research areas.

BackgroundHousehold food insecurity is a critical concern for ultra-poor families in low- and middle-income countries like Bangladesh, particularly those with members who have disabilities. The COVID-19 pandemic has worsened this situation.ObjectiveThis study aimed to assess the impact of microfinance-based livelihood programs on food insecurity in ultra-poor families with members affected by cerebral palsy in Bangladesh.MethodsData were extracted from the SUPPORT CP trial for 251 children with cerebral palsy. The Household Food Insecurity Access Scale score was the outcome variable. The explanatory variable was the intervention type, dividing the sample into 3 arms: Arm C (care as usual), Arm B (Community-Based Rehabilitation [CBR]), and Arm A (CBR with the integrated microfinance-based livelihood program [IMCBR]). Both linear regression and the Generalized Estimating Equations model were used to determine the association of outcome variable with explanatory variables adjusting for covariates.ResultsWe found a consistent level of household food insecurity across each time point, with a significant increase in the midline during the peak of COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. However, following the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, both Arms A and B, where interventions were provided, reported a significant decline in food insecurity. Notably, Arm A, where IMCBR was provided, exhibited the fastest decrease in food insecurity followed by Arm B, where only CBR was provided, compared to Arm C.ConclusionMicrofinance programs can reduce food insecurity among families of children with cerebral palsy in Bangladesh, especially during crises like COVID-19, underscoring the need to integrate them with tailored disability rehabilitation services.

BackgroundOn 6 February 2023, 2 major and aftershock earthquakes occurred in Türkiye. These earthquakes caused disasters in Kahramanmaraş, Hatay, and its surroundings. More than 50 000 people lost their lives. The day after the earthquakes, disaster/emergency kitchens were established in these cities with the initiatives of various institutions and organisations. One of these kitchens is the 'Anadolu Mutfağı', which was established by Anadolu University in 2023. Approximately 15 000 people benefited from the emergency kitchen in Belen district of Hatay every day.ObjectiveIn this study, the daily needs of adults eating in this kitchen were evaluated. Additionally, the basic problems and requirements encountered during the operation of nutrition services are included.MethodsBreakfast, lunch, and dinner menus served in the emergency kitchen were monitored on-site by the researcher for a week and the amounts served to 1 person were recorded. Daily energy and nutrient values were calculated. These values were evaluated using Türkiye Nutrition Guide 2022 reference values.ResultsIt was determined that the energy intake of adults fed from the disaster/emergency kitchen was sufficient; however, the daily recommended intake of important minerals and vitamins such as calcium and vitamins E and C was not met. In addition, it was observed that daily water consumption of individuals was insufficient. In addition, it was also observed that those with chronic diseases had difficulty in accessing the special diet products they needed.ConclusionIn such crisis, it is recommended that strategies for community nutrition should be developed, updated, coordinated, and implemented immediately.