Browsing by Author "Anderson, A.K."
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Item Carotenoids content of Corchorus olitorius and Solanum macrocarpon - commonly used Ghanaian vegetables(International Food Research Journal, 2014-01) Steiner-Asiedu, M.; Agbemafle, I.; Setorglo, J.; Danquah, A.O.; Anderson, A.K.Green leafy vegetables are rich in carotenoids. The study investigated the effect of duration of storage and cooking time on the carotenoids in Corchorus olitorius and Solanum macrocarpon, locally known as 'adeimey' and 'gboma' respectively. The storage conditions were: overnight at room temperature (25°C), refrigeration for one day and a week, and cooking at 100oC for thirty minutes. The three individual carotenoids and total carotenoid content (TCC) were quantified using HPLC and by measuring absorbance at 450 nm, respectively. The TCC varied from 17.1 mg/100 g to 670.2 mg/100 g. The β-carotene content ranged from 7.5 mg/100 g to 196.3 mg/100 g while lutein ranged from 1.4 mg/100 g to 112.8 mg/100 g. The zeaxanthin content ranged from 0.7 mg/100 g to 16.3 mg/100 g. These results show that the two green leafy vegetables are good sources of carotenoids. There were variations in the concentrations of carotenoids in Solanum macrocarpon and Corchorus olitorius with the latter having a higher carotenoids content than the former. β-carotene was the most predominant carotenoid whilst zeaxanthin was the lowest in the vegetables studied. It was observed that the β-carotene, lutein, zeaxanthin and the total carotenoid contents decreased drastically when the vegetables were left to stand overnight at room temperature, refrigerated for one day and a week and then cooked for thirty minutes. These findings suggest modification in the storage and cooking practices of these green leafy vegetables to ensure retention of the carotenoids for the best nutritional value and health benefit; hence the need for policy towards nutrition education on vegetable processing and storage. © 2008 IFRJ, Faculty of Food Science & Technology, UPM.Item A comparison of intervention strategies to improve helminthiasis, nutrition and cognitive status among school-age children in helminth endemic farming and fishing areas in Ghana(Cogent Food & Agriculture, 2023) Tandoh, M.A.; Mills-Robertson, F.C.; Annan, R.A.; Wilson, M.D.; Anderson, A.K.To evaluate the impact of intervention strategies on helminthiasis, the nutritional and cognitive status of School-Age Children (SAC), we conducted a community trial with 4 intervention arms; “Nutrition Education Only” (NutEd), “Supplementation Only” (Suppl), “Nutrition Education+Supplementation” (NutEd +Suppl) versus a ‘Non-intervention‘(Control) group. The intervention was conducted on 358 SAC from 8 randomly selected schools (4 schools from fishing and 4 schools from farming communities) in the Kwahu Afram Plains South District of Ghana. Data were collected at baseline, third, and sixth-month post-intervention. Data were obtained through questionnaire, anthropometry, parasitology (faecal and urine analysis), hemoglobin levels (Hb) and whole blood zinc levels. The Ravens Colored Progressive Matrices (RCPM) were used for the cognitive assessment. At baseline, the overall helminthiasis prevalence was 29.6%, which decreased to 6.3% at the 6th-month post-intervention. About 7.5% of all the children were underweight, 11.2% were stunted, 21.5% were acutely malnourished, 46.1% were anemic and 31.4% were zinc deficient. These decreased to 5.3% (underweight), 8.5% (stunting), 9.8% (acute malnutrition), 16.1% (anemia) and 9.3% (zinc deficiency), respectively, at the 6th-month post-intervention. At baseline, 15.6% of the children passed the cognitive test which increased to 32.4% at the 6th-month post-intervention. The “NutEd” treatment recorded the most significantly improved of bmi-for-age z-score (0.27 ± 0.88, p = 0.002), height-for-age z-score (0.16 ± 0.38, p < 0.0001) and anemia (Hb levels; 1.22 ± 1.13 g/dL, p < 0.0001), The “NutEd+Suppl” group recorded the highest improvement in zinc levels (46.39 ± 22.30 µmol/L, p < 0.0001) and the “Suppl” group the highest improvement in cognitive performance (3.08 ± 6.07, p < 0.0001) between the baseline and the 6th-month post-intervention.Item Development and Validation of an Objective, Passive Dietary Assessment Method for Estimating Food and Nutrient Intake in Households in Lowand Middle-Income Countries: A Study Protocol(CURRENT DEVELOPMENTS IN NUTRITION, 2020-02-07) Steiner-Asiedu, M.; obarteh, M.L.; McCrory, M.A.; Lo, B.; Sun, M.; Sazonov, E.; Anderson, A.K.; Jia, W.; Maitland, K.; Qiu, J.; Higgins, J.A.; Baranowski, T.; Olupot-Olupot, P.; Frost, G.Malnutrition is a major concern in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC), but the full extent of nutritional deficiencies remains unknown largely due to lack of accurate assessment methods. This study seeks to develop and validate an objective, passive method of estimating food and nutrient intake in households in Ghana and Uganda. Household members (including under-5s and adolescents) are assigned a wearable camera device to capture images of their food intake during waking hours. Using custom software, images captured are then used to estimate an individual's food and nutrient (i.e., protein, fat, carbohydrate, energy, and micronutrients) intake. Passive food image capture and assessment provides an objective measure of food and nutrient intake in real time, minimizing some of the limitations associated with self-reported dietary intake methods. Its use in LMIC could potentially increase the understanding of a population's nutritional status, and the contribution of household food intake to the malnutrition burden. This project is registered at clinicaltrials.gov (NCT03723460).Item Dietary trans fatty acid intake and maternal and infant adiposity(European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2010-11) Anderson, A.K.; McDougald, D.M.; Steiner-Asiedu, M.Background/Objectives:The fatty acid composition in maternal diet and in breastmilk during lactation may be a factor in the development of childhood overweight later in life. To investigate the association between trans fatty acid and adiposity, 96 mother-infant pairs (exclusive breastfed; mixed fed; and formula fed) at 3 months postpartum were interviewed; body composition was measured onsite using the BOD POD and PEA POD for mothers and infants, respectively.Subjects/Methods:This was a cross-sectional study. Participants were recruited via convenience sampling from Athens-Clarke and surrounding counties of the state of Georgia. Data were analyzed using 2, analysis of variance and regression.Results:There were no significant differences in maternal percent body fat by feeding group (32.70, 33.70, and 35.73%, for exclusive, mixed and formula feeding, respectively). Exclusively breastfed infants had higher percent body fat (24.87%) compared with their mixed-fed counterparts (22.15%) but not formula-fed infants (23.93). Mothers who consumed at least 4.5 g of trans fatty acids/day were 5.8 times more likely to have body fat ≥ 30% than those consuming less (odds ratio5.81; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.05, 32.32), and their infants were over two times more likely (odds ratio2.13; 95% CI, 0.75, 6.01) to have body fat ≥ 24%.Conclusions:Trans fatty acid content of the maternal diet may be associated with both maternal and infant body composition in the early postpartum period. More research is warranted regarding maternal dietary and breastmilk fatty acid composition and their effects on maternal and infant body composition and the development of childhood overweight later in life. © 2010 Macmillan Publishers Limited All rights reserved.Item Effect of fortification of maize with cowpea and iron on growth and anaemia status of children(African Journal of Food Science 4(4): 136-142, 2010) Adom, T.; Steiner-Asiedu, M.; Sakyi-Dawson, E.; Anderson, A.K.Iron and iron deficiency anaemia is of concern globally, and most vulnerable are children and women. In Ghana, after six months of age when breast milk is not enough, children are given cereal-based gruels which are poor in nutrients. Addition of cowpea to maize improved nutrient quality but not enough to meet iron needs. We investigated the effect of iron-fortified maize-cowpea blend in controlling iron deficiency anaemia in a high risk population. Fifty-six children aged 6 - 18 months in two peri-urban communities were randomly assigned (i) iron-fortified food or (ii) non-iron fortified food, fed daily for six months. Haemoglobin concentration (Hb), serum iron, total iron-binding capacity (TIBC), transferrin saturation, weight, length and mid upper arm circumference (MUAC) were measured at baseline and at the end of intervention. Generally, growth improved in the iron fortified group over the control group. Iron status was improved in the test group. Significant differences were observed in haemoglobin concentration (1.08±1.43 compared with -0.40±1.72 g/dL, p=0.0009), and the risk of developing anaemia was about 3 times less likely among this group compared to the non-fortified group. The children liked the diets, and preparation did not create an additional burden for mothers. Use of cowpeas and maize are within the socio-cultural context of the people, hence the right vehicle for fortification and has implications for intervention, policy and advocacy.Item Effect of storage and cooking time on the antioxidant properties of two commonly used ghanaian vegetables(Advance Journal of Food Science and Technology, 2012-04) Steiner-Asiedu, M.; Agbemafle, I.; Setoglo, J.; Danquah, A.O.; Anderson, A.K.Green leafy vegetables are good sources of antioxidants. This study was designed to evaluate the effect of storage and cooking time on the antioxidant properties of two commonly used Ghanaian vegetables: Corchorus olitorius and Solanum macrocarpon locally known as "adeimey" and "gboma" respectively. The storage conditions were: Left to stand overnight at room temperature, refrigerated for one day and refrigerated for one week, and cooked for ten and thirty minutes at 100°C. The reducing power and the total carotenoid content were determined by measuring absorbance using a Shimadzu UV-120-02 spectrophotometer at 700nm and 450 nm respectively. The free radical scavenging activity was determined by the 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazil (DPPH) method. The antioxidant activity (AOA) ranged from 91.59 to 38.42%. The total carotenoid content (TCC) varied from 5.10 to 27.30 mg/100 g. The reducing power ranged from 9.52 to 50.59%. The results show that Solanum macrocarpon and Corchorus olitorius are good sources of antioxidants with the later exhibiting higher antioxidant properties than the former. However the AOA, TCC and reducing power decreased drastically when the vegetables were refrigerated for one day and one week and cooked for thirty minutes at 100°C. Similarly the AOA, TCC and reducing power decreased slightly when the stored vegetables were cooked for ten minutes. These findings suggest modification in the storage and cooking practices of these green leafy vegetables to ensure retention of antioxidants for the best nutritional value and health benefit. The results also indicate that in areas where refrigeration is not possible, vegetables can be left overnight at room temperature to preserve the antioxidants in them. © Maxwell Scientific Organization, 2012.Item Measured Energy Content of Frequently Purchased Restaurant Meals: Multi-Country Cross Sectional Study(BMJ (Online), 2018-12) Roberts, S.B.; Das, S.K.; Suen, V.M.M.; Pihlajamäki, J.; Kuriyan, R.; Steiner-Asiedu, M.; Taetzsch, A.; Anderson, A.K.; Silver, R.E.; Barger, K.; Krauss, A.; Karhunen, L.; Zhang, X.; Hambly, C.; Schwab, U.; Triffoni-Melo, A.D.T.; Taylor, S.F.; Economos, C.; Kurpad, A.V.; Speakman, J.R.OBJECTIVE: To measure the energy content of frequently ordered meals from full service and fast food restaurants in five countries and compare values with US data. DESIGN: Cross sectional survey. SETTING: 223 meals from 111 randomly selected full service and fast food restaurants serving popular cuisines in Brazil, China, Finland, Ghana, and India were the primary sampling unit; 10 meals from five worksite canteens were also studied in Finland. The observational unit was frequently ordered meals in selected restaurants. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Meal energy content, measured by bomb calorimetry. RESULTS: Compared with the US, weighted mean energy of restaurant meals was lower only in China (719 (95% confidence interval 646 to 799) kcal versus 1088 (1002 to 1181) kcal; P<0.001). In analysis of variance models, fast food contained 33% less energy than full service meals (P<0.001). In Finland, worksite canteens provided 25% less energy than full service and fast food restaurants (mean 880 (SD 156) versus 1166 (298); P=0.009). Country, restaurant type, number of meal components, and meal weight predicted meal energy in a factorial analysis of variance (R2=0.62, P<0.001). Ninety four per cent of full service meals and 72% of fast food meals contained at least 600 kcal. Modeling indicated that, except in China, consuming current servings of a full service and a fast food meal daily would supply between 70% and 120% of the daily energy requirements for a sedentary woman, without additional meals, drinks, snacks, appetizers, or desserts. CONCLUSION: Very high dietary energy content of both full service and fast food restaurant meals is a widespread phenomenon that is probably supporting global obesity and provides a valid intervention target.Item A Novel Approach to Dining Bowl Reconstruction for Image-Based Food Volume Estimation(MDPI, 2022) Jia, W.; Ren, Y.; Li, B.; Beatrice, B.; Que, J.; Cao, S.; Wu, Z.; Mao, Z.; Lo, B.; Anderson, A.K.; Frost, G.; McCrory, M.A.; Sazonov, E.; Steiner-Asiedu, M.; Baranowski, T.; Burke, L.E.; Sun, M.Knowing the amounts of energy and nutrients in an individual’s diet is important for maintaining health and preventing chronic diseases. As electronic and AI technologies advance rapidly, dietary assessment can now be performed using food images obtained from a smartphone or a wearable device. One of the challenges in this approach is to computationally measure the volume of food in a bowl from an image. This problem has not been studied systematically despite the bowl being the most utilized food container in many parts of the world, especially in Asia and Africa. In this paper, we present a new method to measure the size and shape of a bowl by adhering a paper ruler centrally across the bottom and sides of the bowl and then taking an image. When observed from the image, the distortions in the width of the paper ruler and the spacings between ruler markers completely encode the size and shape of the bowl. A computational algorithm is developed to reconstruct the three-dimensional bowl interior using the observed distortions. Our experiments using nine bowls, colored liquids, and amorphous foods demonstrate high accuracy of our method for food volume estimation involving round bowls as containers. A total of 228 images of amorphous foods were also used in a comparative experiment between our algorithm and an independent human estimator. The results showed that our algorithm overperformed the human estimator who utilized different types of reference information and two estimation methods, including direct volume estimation and indirect estimation through the fullness of the bowl.Item Nutritional and cognitive deficits of school-age children: A study in helminth-endemic fishing and farming communities in Ghana(Nutrition & Food Science, 2019-08-22) Wilson, M.D.; Tandoh, M.A.; Mills-Robertson, F.C.; Anderson, A.K.Purpose – The purpose of this study was to elucidate the association between helminth infections, dietary parameters and cognitive performance, as well as the predictors of undernutrition among school-age children (SAC) living in helminth-endemic fishing and farming communities in Ghana. Design/methodology/approach – This was a cross sectional study involving 164 (9 to 12 years old) SAC from fishing (n=84) and farming (n=80) communities of the Kwahu Afram Plains South District of the Eastern Region of Ghana, using structured questionnaires and anthropometric and biochemical assessments. Findings – Overall, 51.2% of the children were males, with no significant gender difference between the communities (p=0.88). Average age of the children was 10.561.25 years, with no significant difference between the farming and fishing communities (p=0.90). About 53.1% of all children were anemic, with no significant differences between farming versus fishing communities (p=0.87). Helminth-infected children were significantly anemic (p=0.03). Mean serum zinc level of all children was 13.164.57mmol/L, with zinc deficiency being significantly higher in children in the farming community (p<0.0001). About 7.5%of all the children were underweight, whilst 13.8% were stunted with a higher proportion of stunting occurring among older children (p=0.001) and girls (p=0.117). There was no significant difference in the Raven’s Colored Progressive Matrices cognitive test scores between the two communities (p=0.79). Predictors of anemia were helminthiasis and pica behavior. Originality/value – These findings are relevant and have the prospect of guiding the development of intervention programs in addressing the persistent problem of nutritional and cognitive deficits among SAC.Item Reliability of the Bod Pod® Compared to Traditional Reference Methods for Measuring Body Composition(University of Ghana, 2001-07) Anderson, A.K.; Lartey, A.; University of Ghana, College of Basic and Applied Sciences , School of Biological Sciences, Department of Nutrition and Food ScienceIn the mid-1990s, a new air-displacement plethysmograph (ADP) was developed for measuring human body composition. This device (BOD POD® Body Composition System) uses the relationship between the pressure and volume of air to measure the body volume of a subject seated in the test chamber. Body density (Db) is then calculated using body mass and body volume and percent body fat (% BF) estimated using an equation such as the one by Siri (1961). This study evaluated the reliability of the BOD POD compared to dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), underwater weighing (UWW) and isotope dilution for the measurement of percent body fat (%BF). Twenty healthy Caucasians (12 males and 8 females) aged 25 to 81 years, with mean ± SD body mass (75.9 ± 18.1 kg), height (169.9 ± 8.3 cm) and BMI (26.1 ± 5.1 kg/m2) volunteered. %BF was measured twice on day 1, after an overnight fast and once on day 2. Also assessed was within-day and between-day reliability was assessed. The two test days were usually scheduled 5 - 8 days apart and were randomized. Results showed there were no significant differences among the three test sessions in %BF measured by any individual method, or calculated by multi-compartment models. For the within-day variability, the BOD POD had the smallest within-subject SD (0.3 %BF) compared to UWW which had the highest within-subject SD (1.0 %BF). Between days, DXA had the lowest within-subject SD (0.5 %BF) but was followed closely by the BOD POD (0.7 %BF). The actual error for estimating %BF by multi-compartment models was found to be smaller than theoretically calculated and was smallest when Dh from BOD POD was used (0.1 %BF) compared to when Db from UWW was used (0.6 %BF). Neither subject characteristics nor the time between tests was significantly associated with variability in measured %BF for any method either within or between-days. Moreover, the difference in oral and skin temperatures was not associated with the difference between-days in %BF measured by the BOD POD after controlling for confounding factors. Thoracic gas volume (TGV), associated with the BOD POD, and residual lung volume (RV) associated with UWW, had similar reliability; however heavier subjects had a higher RV on the second within-day trial. These findings indicate that the BOD POD is among the most reliable methods. This study supports the use of the BOD POD in clinical and nutrition research.