Abstract
BackgroundThe objective of the current study was to measure dietary diversity in South Africans aged 16 years and older from all population groups as a proxy of food security.MethodsA cross-sectional study representative of adults from all specified ages, provinces, geographic localities, and socio-economic strata in South Africa was used (n = 3287). Trained interviewers visited participants at their homes during the survey. Dietary data was collected by means of a face validated 24 hour recall which was not quantified. A dietary diversity score (DDS) was calculated by counting each of 9 food groups. A DDS <4 was regarded as reflecting poor dietary diversity and poor food security.ResultsThe provinces with the highest prevalence of poor dietary diversity (DDS <4) were Limpopo (61.8%) and the Eastern Cape (59.6%). By contrast, only 15.7% of participants in Western Cape had a low score. Participants in tribal areas (63.9%) and informal urban areas (55.7%) were by far the worst affected. There were significant differences in DDS by Living Standards Mean (LSM) analysis (p < 0.05) with the lowest LSM group having the lowest mean DDS (2.93).The most commonly consumed food groups were cereals/roots; meat/fish; dairy and vegetables other than vitamin A rich. Eggs, legumes, and vitamin A rich fruit and vegetables were the least consumed.ConclusionOverall the majority of South Africans consumed a diet low in dietary variety. The tribal areas and informal urban areas were worst affected and eggs, legumes and vitamin A rich fruit and vegetables, were the least consumed.
Highlights
A diet which is sufficiently diverse reflects nutrient adequacy [1]
According to Hoddinott [2], dietary diversity is an outcome measure of food security at the individual or household level, while food security is defined as access by all people at all times to enough food for an active, healthy life [3]
There has been a lack of clarity regarding food security and dietary diversity status of the South African population
Summary
A diet which is sufficiently diverse reflects nutrient adequacy [1]. This statement is based on the fact that there is no single food which contains all required nutrients for optimal health. It is difficult to determine whether the higher levels of hunger in 2005 (51.6%) [4] compared with that of 2008 (25.9%) [5] reflect an improvement in food security or whether other factors including differences in the sampling methodologies of the relevant surveys may have influenced the outcomes. This was one of the reasons food diversity was evaluated in 2009 (current study) by the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) of South Africa as an additional measure of food security, since one measure of food security is not usually used on its own. The objective of the current study was to measure dietary diversity in South Africans aged 16 years and older from all population groups as a proxy of food security
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