Abstract
BackgroundDuring the last century we have seen wide-reaching changes in diet, nutritional status and life expectancy. The change in diet and physical activity patterns has become known as the nutrition transition. At any given time, a country or region within a country may be at different stages within this transition. This paper examines a range of nutrition-related indicators for countries in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and attempts to develop a typical model of a country in transition.MethodsBased on the availability of data, 40 countries in SSA were selected for analysis. Data were obtained from the World Health Organisation, Demographic and Health Surveys and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations. Multiple linear regression analysis (MLRA) was used to explore the determinants of infant mortality. A six point score was developed to identify each country's stage in the nutrition transition.ResultsMLRA showed that underweight-for-age, protein and the percentage of exclusively breastfed infants were associated with the infant mortality rate (IMR). The majority of countries (n = 26) used in the analysis had nutrition transition scores of zero and one. Most of them had a high prevalence of infant mortality, children that were stunted or underweight-for-age, small percentages of women that were overweight and obese, and low intakes of energy, protein, and fat. Countries with the highest scores include South Africa, Ghana, Gabon, Cape Verde and Senegal which had relatively low IMRs, high levels of obesity/overweight, and low levels of underweight in women, as well as high intakes of energy and fat. These countries display classic signs of a population well established in the nutrition-related non-communicable disease phase of the nutrition transition.ConclusionsCountries in SSA are clearly undergoing a nutrition transition. More than half of them are still in the early stage, while a few have reached a point where changes in dietary patterns are affecting health outcomes in a large portion of the population. Those in the early stage of the transition are especially important, since primordial prevention can still be introduced.
Highlights
During the last century we have seen wide-reaching changes in diet, nutritional status and life expectancy
The demographic transition refers to a change from a period of high fertility and mortality to one of low fertility and mortality which occurs as a result of an increase in income, education and employment [2], while the epidemiological transition refers to a change from a period of high prevalence of infectious disease associated with poor sanitation, famine and malnutrition, to a period of high prevalence of chronic and degenerative diseases [3,4]
This paper examines the role of a number of indicators associated with the advancing nutrition transition, as well as the prevalence of infant mortality and the factors impacting on its prevalence in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA)
Summary
During the last century we have seen wide-reaching changes in diet, nutritional status and life expectancy. The leading causes of mortality in developed countries are non-communicable diseases (NCD) such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and cancer which account for approximately two-thirds of all deaths [1]. These diseases account for only one-third of deaths in the developing world, where infectious diseases and malnutrition, in infants, account for up to 43 percent of deaths [1]. During the last century we have seen wide-reaching changes in diet, nutritional status, disease patterns and life expectancy These changes are thought to occur as three separate transition processes. The demographic transition refers to a change from a period of high fertility and mortality to one of low fertility and mortality which occurs as a result of an increase in income, education and employment [2], while the epidemiological transition refers to a change from a period of high prevalence of infectious disease associated with poor sanitation, famine and malnutrition, to a period of high prevalence of chronic and degenerative diseases [3,4]
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