An integrated primary health-care and provitamin A household food-production program: Impact on food-consumption patterns

Food diversification is a long-term food-based strategy to address vitamin A deficiency. In order to improve the vitamin A status of preschool children in a rural South African community a home-based food-production program targeting provitamin A-rich foods was integrated with a community-based growth-monitoring system. This integrated system provided the infrastructure needed for nutritional education and promotion of the food-production program. Dietary intake was collected by 24-hour recall at baseline and 12 and 20 months after implementation of the food-production program. At baseline the median intake of vitamin A was 150 µg RE. One year after implementation the vitamin A intake increased to 1133 µg RE in children from households with a project garden and to 640 µg RE in control children. Eight months later vitamin A intake was 493 µg RE in children from households with a project garden and 129 µg RE in control children. We concluded that a home-based food-production program resulted in a significant increase in vitamin A intake. Home gardens should therefore be promoted but they should focus on foods needed to address specific nutrient deficiencies. (authors)