Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate and describe the nutritional status, dietary intake and dietary diversity of waste pickers in South Africa, a socioeconomically vulnerable group who makes a significant contribution to planetary health through salvaging recyclable material from dumpsites. Participants were weighed and measured to calculate body mass index (BMI). Dietary intake was recorded using a standardised multipass 24 h recall. Individual dietary diversity scores were derived from the dietary recall data. Data were collected from nine purposefully selected landfill sites located in six rural towns and three cities in four of the nine provinces in South Africa, providing nutritional status information on 386 participants and dietary intake on 358 participants after data cleaning and coding. The mean BMI of the study sample was 23.22 kg/m2. Underweight was more prevalent among males (22.52%) whilst 56.1% of the females were overweight or obese. The average individual dietary diversity score was 2.46, with 50% scoring 2 or less. Dietary intake patterns were characterised as monotonous, starch-based and lacking vegetables and fruits. The nutritional status, dietary intake and dietary diversity of waste pickers reflect their precarious economic status, highlighting the need for health, social and economic policies to improve access and affordability of nutritious food.
Highlights
Introduction with regard to jurisdictional claims in Nutrition is a critical component of health and development, with adequate nutrition aiding the prevention of malnutrition in all its forms, improving productivity and creating opportunities to gradually break the cycles of hunger and poverty
The objectives of the study were to (1) assess the nutritional status of people who make a living of informal waste picking from landfill sites, (2) to assess the dietary intake of waster pickers, and (3) to assess the dietary diversity of waste pickers
Dietary intake was recorded by the trained field workers, using a standardised 24 h recall record form and a standardised dietary intake toolkit to assist with quantification [24]
Summary
South Africa is an upper-middle-income country with a culturally diverse population estimated at 59.6 million people [1]. The country is experiencing rapid epidemiological transition, with noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) increasing to be the major cause of death, with an estimated 269,000 NCD related deaths annually [5]. This increase as well as the substantial higher burden is noted among lower socioeconomic groups and obese persons [6–8]. The nutrition situation in South Africa is complex and typical of a country in nutrition transition. The food system is characterised by cultural and socioeconomic diversity and high levels of income inequality, rendering vulnerable population groups at risk of food insecurity and hunger [10]
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