Socioeconomic and cultural factors influencing nutritional status of children in three sudanese villages

Abstract

Introduction. The drought and famine in Africa have received much publicity and attention, but the underlying causes of malnutrition also need to be ex­ amined. Sudan is the largest country in Africa, situ­ ated south of Egypt with the Red Sea and Ethiopia to the east; Kenya, Uganda, and Zaire on its southern border; and the Central African Republic, the Repub­ lic of Chad, and Libya to the west. The Nile River, which passes through the entire length of Sudan, is the principal means of transportation and livelihood of the people. Sudan is a land of contrast and diversity due to 'its great number of tribal groups, languages, customs, religions, climate, and terrain. Factors influencing the nutritional status of chil­ dren in Sudan include customs and culture, income level of the family, location ofthe village, knowledge of the family member making food purchases, and the environmental conditions. It is extremely important that nutrition educators examine these factors before planning a program. Thus our objectives were to de­ termine social, economic, and cultural factors that af­ fected food consumption patterns; to determine which foods families consumed most frequently; to deter­ mine the methods of food preparation and storage; and to document the extent of malnutrition. We also wanted to draw some conclusions about the relation­ ships among some of these factors. Villages. To achieve our objectives we surveyed three villages in the semi-arid central region of Sudan where whole-grain sorghum is a staple in the diet of the people. UmSagata, an Eritrean refugee village with a population of 25,000, is located 412 km south­ east of Khartoum near the Sudan-Ethiopian border. The terrain is grassland with huge hills throughout the area. Nuba village, situated 45 km directly south of Khartoum on the White Nile River, has a population of 600. In spite of the desert climate, fruit trees and crops grow in this area because the village is near a good source of water. Nuba is near Khartoum and many people work and purchase their food there. Thus the residents of Nuba have access to a larger amount and a greater variety of food than do residents of the other two villages. Oliab village has 500 inhabitants and is