Women's Food Research Articles

P.O.V.: Fast Food Women, Produced by Anne Lewis Johnson. 30 minutes, color, 1992

P.O.V.: Fast Food Women, Produced by Anne Lewis Johnson. 30 minutes, color, 1992

Female labour participation in agricultural production and the implications for nutrition and health in rural Africa

The broad objectives of this paper are: firstly, to examine the initial impact of colonialism on food production by women, by considering their role and activity patterns within the household in terms of rights, obligations, exchanges, allocation of resources and responsibilities and the division of labour in the selected African Societies of the Luo, Kikuyu and Luhya (Kenya), Ewe and Kusasi (Ghana), Mandinka (The Gambia), Yoruba (Nigeria) and Azande (Sudan). These ethnic groups used as examples were mainly selected on the basis of their predominance and availability of data in these countries lying in the Sub-Saharan Africa having similar historical roots of the British colonial policies. Secondly, some of the possible social, economic and biological effects or implications on the changes in rural women's work in the chosen case studies in Africa are elucidated. It has been hypothesized that the development process in rural Africa has marginalized women (with varying degrees) in the subsistence sector, reducing their productivity and control over resources; and that women's total work burden has relatively increased, a phenomenon which can be understood as an integral process of capital penetration and accumulation. These changes may have significant implications for nutrition and health affecting the overall levels of food production. Although the selected illustrations do not represent the full range of possibilities in Sub-Saharan Africa, the data on the gender roles and workpatterns and the different changing ways do indicate that the women's role in food production has profound implications for socio-economic development in general and nutrition and health in particular with much wider applicability. In fact no such cross-sectional study has been conducted in rural Africa. It is generally concluded that any consideration of women's agricultural production should not neglect the structural bases of their inequality, and the policies can be inadequate if they overlook the relationship between the subsistence and commercial sectors and the women's role in each. In effect, the relative and absolute losses in women's food production and incomes bear immediately on the food crisis of many of the Sub-Saharan African countries, and that the current policies for the food crisis are likely to fail unless there is an improvement of the data base on women's and men's specific food production activities, processing and marketing for use in policy formulation and implementation. Indeed, the integration of women into the development process should be sensitive to and cognizant of their needs, contributions and potentials in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Food security and nutrition, 1971–91: Lessons learned and future priorities

This is an edited version of testimony given by the authors before the US House of Representatives Select Committee on Hunger, 16 October 1991. They offer rules of thumb for achieving food security and nutrition goals, and emphasize that greater attention should be given to understanding the impact of policies on women's food security and nutrition. In addition, it is necessary to broaden the concept of food and nutrition security to offer greater protection to vulnerable households.

Enhancing Nigerian rural women's food production through appropriate child care assistance

Nigerian rural women play an important role in feeding the nation. They are largely responsible for 80 percent of all food items produced and sold in different parts of the country. Since most of these women are in their active childbearing age, there is no doubt that the provision of adequate child care facilities would not only enhance the productivity of these women but would also address the educational and health needs of preschool children in the rural communities. The paper stresses the importance and the need for joint efforts between community cooperative societies and government/private agencies in the organization and successful implementation of childcare programmes for rural women in agriculture.

What should you eat? A survey of South Australian women's food consumption norms

In a random population survey, 418 South Australian women rated the desirability of consumption of 48 common foods, according to their perceived health relevance. Multidimensional scaling of the women's responses yielded three dimensions which accounted for 87% of total variance. The first two dimensions were related to healthiness (low fat, salt and sugar contents) and traditional-artificial nutrient-reduced foods respectively. Younger women rated healthy foods more highly. The mean ratings also formed a unidimensional scale which had high internal reliability (Cronbach's alpha = 0.80). These unidimensional scores were correlated with reported food intakes of a random sample of respondents in the State of Victoria, using mean values for demographic subgroups ( r = 0.50). The results suggest that food intake, or alternatively recalls of food intake, may be influenced by such prescriptive norms.

Variations in food preference and consumption across the menstrual cycle

There is some evidence that food consumption changes across the menstrual cycle. However, archived studies tend to rely on self-report data and do not differentiate among types of food eaten. The present laboratory study was designed to measure women's taste preferences and specific food consumption across the menstrual cycle. Women came into the laboratory, consumed everyday foods, and rated them on taste judgment scales. The foods were weighed before and after the tasting session to determine amount eaten. After the tasting session, subjects completed several questionnaires (e.g., measures of affect, restrained eating, menstrual cycle and menstrual symptoms). Physical measurements (e.g., height, weight) were taken at the end of the session. Sweet food consumption and preference ratings were significantly higher during the premenstrual period. Consumption and ratings of other foods did not differ. There were no differences in levels of mood, obesity, or restrained eating across the menstrual cycle. Low restraint was associated with reporting fewer menstrual symptoms, in general, and slightly better mood. These results support the idea that specific taste preferences change over the menstrual cycle, and that endocrinological factors could be involved in this phenomenon.

Influence of rural‐urban migration on adult women's food patterns and adequacy of their children's diet, in Ecuador

Twenty‐four hour dietary recalls were collected from eighty‐five school aged children eight to ten years of age in Cotocollao Alto, Quito, Equador. Socioeconomic, food frequency, and dietary history data were also collected from the food system gatekeeper of each child's family. Mean proportions of the 1974 FAO/WHO Recommended Nutrient Intakes adjusted for sex and age were 50% or greater. Migrating women and their children did change their dietary patterns when they moved from rural to urban areas of Ecuador. These changes were examined to describe potentially positive, negative, or neutral effects on the dietary adequacy of the children.

経年栄養調査対象者の参加・脱落

Food consumption surveys of the female population were conducted every year in a semi-rural community for eight years. The authors examined their commitment to the surveys. The surveys have been executed on women's food consumption by weight record method every year since 1978 in Ohami-Shirasatocho, chiba prefecture. The results were as follows : 1) The population size was 108 in the first year, and it increased gradually to 196 persons in 1980. The number of the participants of the survey was between 80 and 106. The participation rate of the population was 74.1% in 1978 and 82.5% in 1979. It decreased gradually to 49.0% in 1985. 2) The participation rate showed decreasing tendency during the observed pariod with some fluctuation. Half of the participants in the first year remained in the survey in the last observed year. 3) Up to the fourth year, the rate of those who dropped out was over 60%. But, it became fewer after that year. About 24% of the original participants in the first year still remained as active participants in 1985, even after eight years. 4) The frequency of participation shows ; while the participants in 1978 were surveyed 7 or 8 times, those who began to participate in subsequent years were less active in the survey. 5) It is desirable to consider these factors at the planning stages of the field survey in order to maintain a certain number of participants.

A comparative study of two nutrient data bases

Reported dietary intake records of 18 infants, 22 young children, and 20 women were analyzed using the nutrient data base systems of the Second National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES II) and the Nutrient Dietary Data Analysis (NDDA) System. Significant differences between the nutrient data bases were found in the calculations of potassium and niacin for infants and of energy and nine nutrients for women and children. The energy and nutrient composition of many commonly consumed food items in the two nutrient data base systems was different, even though the systems shared common data sources. Differences in the nutrient data bases were primarily due to the timing of data base updates, as well as to the differential use of industry, private, and government food analysis sources, procedural differences in data base updating, and random data entry error. Resolution of differences among nutrient data base systems may depend upon comprehensive reviews of all data base systems or the establishment of a national nutrient data base to serve as a standard for the professional.

The validity of a telephone-administered 24-hour dietary recall methodology

This study assesses the operational feasibility and validity of a unique telephone-administered 24-h dietary recall methodology. Dietary interviews were conducted by telephone with 204 low-income elderly subjects. Food portion size estimation was done using a two-dimensional food portion visual aid the that was mailed to respondents' homes. The mean intakes and distributions of nine nutrients among males and females in the research sample were compared with those reported in the 1971 to 1974 Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. After correcting for time trends in nutrient intake, the mean intake values found in the survey were very similar to those reported by the Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. In testing the frequency distributions of intakes, only two nutrients for women and one for men had statistically significant differences. The telephone-administered dietary methodology thus produced acceptable estimates of the means and distributions of nutrient intakes among groups of individuals and has the potential of markedly reducing the cost, time, logistical, and personnel constraints associated with nutrition surveys.

Women's Preponderance in Possession Cults: The Calcium‐Deficiency Hypothesis Extended

The preponderance of women in spirit possession cults is linked with the likelihood of deficiencies in thiamine, tryptophan‐niacin, calcium, and vitamin D in women in Old World traditional societies in which poverty and/or sumptuary rules restrict women's nutrient intakes more than those of men. The higher nutrient needs of pregnant and lactating women may exacerbate the inadequacy of their diets. It is postulated that involuntary symptoms of deficiencies affecting the central nervous system and muscles have been recognized in these societies as manifestations of spirit possession and institutionalized as a means of reducing victims' anxieties and restoring their ability to function normally

New Life-Style Determinants of Women's Food Shopping Behavior

Women's current high levels of participation in the labor force have focused attention on changing life-styles and consumption patterns. This study uses life-style variables as predictors of food shopping behavior. A set of intervening variables reflecting women's attitudes toward food preparation explains their food shopping behavior better than either a working/nonworking classification or general role orientations.

New Life-Style Determinants of Women's Food Shopping Behavior

New Life-Style Determinants of Women's Food Shopping Behavior

A dietary survey of older people in Edinburgh.

1. Dietary histories covering 1 week were obtained from 212 men and 263 women, aged 62--90 years, who formed a random sample of the older people living in a defined area of Edinburgh. The histories were validated by 2 d weighed-diet records for 219 of the subjects. 2. Nutrient intakes are given as mean values and standard deviations, and as percentage distributions of intake relative to the recommended intakes of nutrients. Intakes are also related to factors which might affect diet adversely. 3. Mean values obtained suggested that intakes were less than recommended intakes for more nutrients for women than for men, particularly values for energy and vitamin D. Values for percentage distributions indicated that a substantial proportion of all subjects had low intakes of ascorbic acid and vitamin D, that the energy intake of many women was low and that for most nutrients a greater proportion of men than of women had the recommended intake. Factors assocIATED With significant proportions of subjects with less than the recommended intakes were mental illness in women and deafness and severe dyspnoea in men. 4. Possible action to improve the diet of the elderly is discussed.