South African Journal of Clinical Nutrition最新文献

{"title":"Acceptability of a moringa-added complementary soft porridge to caregivers in Hammanskraal, Gauteng province and Lebowakgomo, Limpopo province, South Africa","authors":"Sithandiwe Ntila, A. Ndhlala, U. Kolanisi, H. Abdelgadir, M. Siwela","doi":"10.1080/16070658.2018.1449377","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/16070658.2018.1449377","url":null,"abstract":"Objectives: This study determined caregivers’ (mothers’) acceptability and perceptions of a soft, white maize porridge (traditional complementary food (TCF)) that was modified by substituting maize meal with Moringa oleifera Lam. leaf powder at different levels, 1%, 2% and 3% weight for weight (w/w). Design: A cross-sectional study was conducted. Setting: The study was conducted in Stinkwater, Hammanskraal, Gauteng province (25° 23’ 59.99” S: 28° 16’ 60.00” E) and Ga-Mphahlele village, Lebowakgomo, Limpopo province (24°18’0.83”S: 29°32’33.61”E), South Africa. Subjects: Sixty mothers were sampled, separately, from Hammanskraal and Lebowakgomo communities. Outcome measures: The sensory acceptability of the complementary soft porridges was evaluated by caregivers from Hammanskraal and Lebowakgomo communities using a five-point facial hedonic scale (n = 60 per study area). A series of three focus-group discussions were conducted per study area (n = 12 persons per group) to assess caregivers’ perceptions on the inclusion of moringa in complementary foods. Results: Sensory evaluation results showed that the acceptability of the two traditional complementary foods decreased as the level of moringa leaf powder increased. Caregivers indicated in the focus-group discussions that moringa-based soft porridges had a bitter taste, which would not be suitable for children. Only the Lebowakgomo modified traditional complementary food (MTCF) containing 1% of moringa was rated similar in overall acceptability to the corresponding TCF (control). Nevertheless, all caregivers expressed willingness to use moringa in complementary foods provided they would be trained on how to process it. Conclusions: Varying product formulation and processing methods may contribute to increased acceptability of moringa-based foods. Overall, moringa appears to have the potential for use in complementary foods.","PeriodicalId":45938,"journal":{"name":"South African Journal of Clinical Nutrition","volume":"32 1","pages":"51 - 57"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2019-07-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/16070658.2018.1449377","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49477473","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Dietary supplement use in younger and older men exercising at gyms in Cape Town","authors":"M. Senekal, S. Meltzer, Anri Horne, Nicole Cg Abrey, L. Papenfus, S. van der Merwe, N. Temple","doi":"10.1080/16070658.2019.1628609","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/16070658.2019.1628609","url":null,"abstract":"Objective:\u0000 Compare dietary supplement use and associated factors between younger and older men exercising at gyms (Cape Town). \u0000 Design:\u0000 Cross-sectional comparative study (self-administered questionnaire). \u0000 Setting:\u0000 Younger (21–31 years) and older (≥ 45) men exercising at gyms (Cape Town). \u0000 Subjects:\u0000 210 younger and 91 older men. \u0000 Outcome measures:\u0000 Supplement use (frequency, reason, effectiveness, information sources, label use) and gym exercise profile and goals. \u0000 Results:\u0000 80.6% younger and 81.3% older men had used supplements in the past 6 months. Younger men were more likely to use energy drinks (50% vs. 29.7%; p = 0.014), protein bars (18.1% vs. 7.7%; p = 0.038), protein powders (50% vs. 8.8%; p < 0.001), amino acids (15.2% vs. 2.2%; p = 0.004), weight gainers (10.9 vs. 1.1%; p = 0.011), recovery drinks (13.8 vs. 6.6%; p = 0.026), creatine (34.3 vs. 4.4%; p < 0.001), glutamine (22.4 vs. 7.7%; p = 0.004), arginine (8.6 vs. 0%; p = 0.016), pre-train (11.9 vs. 3.3%; p = 0.04) and fat burner (11.4 vs. 0%; p = 0.004). Multi-vitamins, vitamin C and B vitamins were consumed by both groups. Younger men spent more hours/week exercising in a gym (6.1 ± 4.0 vs. 4.0 ± 1.7; p < 0.001) and doing strength exercises (4.0 ± 2.9 vs. 1.6 ± 1.2; p < 0.001). The main exercising goal was building muscle/strength (38.8%), to stay fit (21.8%) or to look good (15.5%) for younger men and to stay fit (41.6%) or healthy (41.6%) for older men (p < 0.001). \u0000 Conclusions:\u0000 Younger and older men exercising in select gyms in Cape Town use a variety of supplements. Supplement use and exercising by younger men seem to focus on muscle building/strength and fitness; that of older men on improvement of fitness and health.","PeriodicalId":45938,"journal":{"name":"South African Journal of Clinical Nutrition","volume":"34 1","pages":"1 - 8"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2019-06-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/16070658.2019.1628609","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49144537","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The effect of consumption of soy foods on metabolic syndrome in women: a case study from peri-urban Qwa-Qwa, South Africa","authors":"W. Oldewage-Theron, A. Egal","doi":"10.1080/16070658.2018.1438340","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/16070658.2018.1438340","url":null,"abstract":"Objectives: The objective was to determine the long-term effect (18 months) of 40 g daily consumption of whole soy bean on metabolic syndrome (MetS) in apparently healthy women. Design: Single-system experimental design. Subjects and setting: Ninety women were randomly recruited from three communities in Qwa-Qwa, Free State province. Outcome measures: Dietary intake (24-h recall questionnaire), waist circumference (WC), blood pressure, fasting venous blood samples for total serum cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), triglycerides (TRGs) and glucose analyses. Results: The prevalence of MetS was significantly (p < 0.001) reduced from 53.3% to 34.4% after the intervention. The most prominent risk factors were low serum HDL-C and high serum TRG levels followed by obesity (WC). After the intervention, the MetS group had significantly improved mean serum glucose (p = 0.013), systolic (p < 0.001) and diastolic (p < 0.001) blood pressure. No significant improvements were observed in the non-MetS group. Conclusions: The prevalence of MetS is high in black women residing in Qwa-Qwa. Despite the beneficial metabolic effects observed in this study, a relationship between soy protein consumption and MetS risk factors could not statistically be confirmed. However, soy is a source of good-quality protein and is often used in low-income households as a replacement for other more expensive protein sources and the use of soy should not be discontinued as it may have a beneficial effect on MetS and may play a role in preventing MetS. More research is needed in large-scale case-control studies to determine the effect of soy consumption on MetS risk factors. Social media message: Research has shown that soy may be beneficial for ameliorating some of the metabolic syndrome risk factors.","PeriodicalId":45938,"journal":{"name":"South African Journal of Clinical Nutrition","volume":"32 1","pages":"40 - 45"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2019-04-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/16070658.2018.1438340","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48211483","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Undernutrition among children under five in the Bandja village of Cameroon, Africa","authors":"Léonie Dapi Nzefa, F. Monebenimp, Christofer Äng","doi":"10.1080/16070658.2018.1448503","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/16070658.2018.1448503","url":null,"abstract":"Background: Sub-Saharan Africa has a long history of struggling with child undernutrition. The prevalence of undernutrition is still high and knowledge about this public health problem and the underlying causes is essential for children’s health. Aim: To evaluate the anthropometric status of children under five in the Bandja village of Cameroon. Methods: A cross-sectional study was undertaken that included 388 children. Undernutrition was evaluated in terms of wasting, stunting and underweight. Information on sex, age, birth order, birth interval, duration of breastfeeding, and mother’s age at birth, occupation and educational level were collected. Results: The prevalence of wasting, stunting and underweight was 3.2%, 16.4% and 5.2%, respectively. Boys were more stunted than girls (OR 2.24; 95% CI 1.16–4.34). Children less than 30 months were more often wasted than older children (OR 17.70; 95% CI 1.82–172.40). The first and second born in order were more stunted than the third or later born in order (OR 2.06; 95% CI 1.02–4.18). Children of farming mothers were more often stunted (OR 2.87; 95% CI 1.35–6.13) and underweight (OR 3.47; 95% CI 1.09–11.09) than others. Children still being breastfed were more underweight (OR 6.52; 95% CI 1.31–32.43) than those whose mothers had finished breastfeeding. Conclusion: Undernutrition is highly prevalent in Bandja, and is more common among boys, younger children, first born in order, children still being breastfed and children of farming mothers. This study underlines the importance of intervention to prevent and reduce undernutrition among children.","PeriodicalId":45938,"journal":{"name":"South African Journal of Clinical Nutrition","volume":"32 1","pages":"46 - 50"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2019-04-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/16070658.2018.1448503","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43572376","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Validity and reliability of a questionnaire developed to explore nutrition determinants among construction workers in Gauteng, South Africa","authors":"C. Okoro, I. Musonda, J. Agumba","doi":"10.1080/16070658.2018.1438337","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/16070658.2018.1438337","url":null,"abstract":"Objectives: The nutrition of construction workers is related to their health and safety (H&S) at work. Research on the factors influencing construction workers’ food choices and overall nutrition is limited, in South Africa and indeed Africa as a whole. The present paper aims to develop and validate a questionnaire on factors influencing construction workers’ food choices. Design: The study adopted a quantitative approach; 42 items, divided into six constructs, were used to develop a field-survey questionnaire after a detailed literature review. Setting: The study was conducted on eight construction sites (consisting of five building construction and three road construction sites), chosen through heterogeneity sampling, in Midrand, Centurion, Johannesburg and Samrand. Subjects: Participants included construction workers actively involved in site activities. Outcome measures: Principal components analysis (PCA) was conducted to examine the structures and validity of the constructs. Cronbach’s alpha test and mean inter-item correlations were used to examine internal consistency reliability. Results: After repeated factor analysis, the questionnaire on food-choice factors revealed seven different factors: food context, biological factors, nutritional knowledge, personal ideas and systems, economic factors, resources and cultural background. These factors explained 60.09% variance. Cronbach’s alpha coefficients ranged from 0.62 to 0.85, signifying good internal consistency reliability. Conclusion: The determinants of construction workers’ food choices are vital considerations when designing and implementing nutrition interventions in the South African construction industry. Future research can adopt the instrument and developed model when conducting psychometric evaluations of construction workers’ food-choice determinants.","PeriodicalId":45938,"journal":{"name":"South African Journal of Clinical Nutrition","volume":"32 1","pages":"32 - 39"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2019-04-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/16070658.2018.1438337","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47758620","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Iodine status of pregnant women and children age 6 to 12 years feeding from the same food basket in Mopani district, Limpopo province, South Africa","authors":"Eric Mabasa, N. Mabapa, Pieter J Jooste, X. Mbhenyane","doi":"10.1080/16070658.2018.1449370","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/16070658.2018.1449370","url":null,"abstract":"Objectives: The aim of the study was to assess the iodine status of pregnant women and children age 6 to 12 years feeding from the same food basket in Mopani District. Design: A cross-sectional study was conducted. Setting: The setting was primary health care clinics and households from five municipalities of Mopani District in Limpopo province. Subjects: A total of 565 conveniently selected pregnant women and 116 children aged 6 to 12 years were recruited, of which 116 were mother–child pairs. Methods: The demographic information, iodine nutrition knowledge and salt consumption patterns were obtained using a validated questionnaire. Spot urine, household drinking water and salt samples were collected and analysed for iodine using standard procedures. A professional nurse, using filter paper to determine thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) levels, collected spot finger-stick blood samples from pregnant women. Results: The findings showed that only 52.5% of household salt had an iodine concentration level of more than and equal to 15 ppm. The median iodine concentration of household drinking water was 46.2 μg/l (interquartile range [IQR] 10.8–73.4 μg/l). The TSH levels of the majority of pregnant women were normal and the maternal overall median urinary iodine concentration (UIC) was 164 μg/l (IQR 92–291 μg/l), indicating maternal iodine sufficiency. However, median UIC in the first and third trimesters was below 150 μg/l, indicating iodine insufficiency. The UIC level of children in the study was 386 μg/l (IQR 200–525 μg/l), signifying iodine excess. Conclusion: Iodine status of pregnant women in this study was sufficient, with UIC for children excessively high, more than two times higher than the iodine status of pregnant women. The reasons for the excessive UIC in school-age children need to be elucidated.","PeriodicalId":45938,"journal":{"name":"South African Journal of Clinical Nutrition","volume":"32 1","pages":"76 - 82"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2019-02-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/16070658.2018.1449370","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48143260","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Nutritional status and food intake of women residing in rural and urban areas of Lesotho","authors":"Marinel Rothman, Mamotsemai Ranneileng, R. Nel, C. Walsh","doi":"10.1080/16070658.2017.1415783","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/16070658.2017.1415783","url":null,"abstract":"Objective: The socio-demography, anthropometry and food intake of women residing in rural and urban areas of Lesotho were determined. Design: Cross-sectional survey. Setting: Basotho women from four randomly selected villages in Maseru and Berea, which includes both urban and rural areas. Subjects: A total of 452 women were included in the study. Outcome measures: Socio-demographic information was collected using a structured questionnaire completed in an interview with each participant. Standard methods were used to determine anthropometric measurements, while usual food intake was determined using a short unquantified food frequency questionnaire. Results: A large percentage of participants were unemployed with a significantly higher percentage in urban compared with rural areas (65.5 vs. 49.2%; CI 6.8%; 25.4%). A higher percentage of urban than rural participants had a BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2 (53.5 vs. 44.4%, respectively) and waist circumference ≥ 88 cm (62.7 vs. 54.1%, respectively). For both rural and urban participants, stiff maize-meal porridge was commonly consumed with all meals, often with moroho (cooked green leafy vegetables). Although a variety of vegetables (onions, cabbage, pumpkin, tomatoes, turnips and potatoes) were frequently eaten by most participants, quantities of intake were not determined. Protein sources consumed almost every day by more than 50% of all participants were dried beans. Chicken, eggs and full cream milk were consumed significantly more frequently by urban participants. Significantly more urban participants had access to a variety of fruits and vegetables, and they were also more likely to consume foods such as polony, russians (sausage containing pork and beef), sausage, sweetened drinks, mayonnaise and margarine more frequently than rural participants. Conclusions: A nutrition transition associated with the frequent intake of processed, sugary and high-fat foods was identified in urban participants. These unhealthy dietary practices may lead to an increased risk of obesity and poor health outcomes. The development of culturally acceptable and relevant interventions is thus recommended.","PeriodicalId":45938,"journal":{"name":"South African Journal of Clinical Nutrition","volume":"32 1","pages":"21 - 27"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2019-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/16070658.2017.1415783","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42531144","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Pre-albumin as a marker for predicting weight loss in hospitalised children","authors":"D. Quadros, R. Kamenwa, S. Akech, W. Macharia","doi":"10.1080/16070658.2017.1412182","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/16070658.2017.1412182","url":null,"abstract":"Objectives: This study sought to determine the diagnostic utility of serum pre-albumin in predicting weight loss in hospitalised children. Design: A hospital-based longitudinal survey was carried out between December 2013 and February 2014. Setting: Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi, Kenya, a tertiary care hospital. Subjects: A total of 170 children aged 29 days to 15 years who met the inclusion criteria were included in the study. Outcome measures: Serum pre-albumin levels and weight were measured at admission and repeated after 48–96 h. Sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values were calculated to determine the diagnostic utility of serum pre-albumin in predicting weight loss in hospitalised children. Results: Of the 170 children studied, 57% and 60% had a drop in serum pre-albumin level and weight within the first four days of hospitalisation respectively. A drop in pre-albumin occurred in 68% of the 103 patients who had weight loss (p < 0.001). Using a serum pre-albumin cut off point of < 0.15 g/l at admission, sensitivity and specificity of serum pre-albumin in predicting weight loss were 76.7% and 29.0% (negative predictive value = 42.9%; positive predictive value = 64.2%). Positive and negative likelihood ratios were low at 1.08 and 0.8. The majority of the patients (72.3%) were already at risk of malnutrition as determined by the pre-albumin risk stratification on admission. Conclusion: Serum pre-albumin is not an accurate surrogate for weight loss during hospitalisation. It is, however, useful in identifying patients at risk of malnutrition on admission and during hospitalisation.","PeriodicalId":45938,"journal":{"name":"South African Journal of Clinical Nutrition","volume":"32 1","pages":"12 - 8"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2019-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/16070658.2017.1412182","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46096411","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Adult malnutrition: prevalence and use of nutrition-related quality indicators in South African public-sector hospitals","authors":"E. van Tonder, L. Gardner, Saskia Cressey, R. Tydeman-Edwards, K. Gerber","doi":"10.1080/16070658.2017.1410003","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/16070658.2017.1410003","url":null,"abstract":"Objectives: The aim of this study was to describe the prevalence of malnutrition among adult hospitalised patients in three South African public hospitals and to determine the availability of nutrition-related quality indicators at ward and institutional level. Method: A descriptive, cross-sectional, multi-centre study was used to determine the prevalence of malnutrition, whilst a descriptive exploratory design was used to determine the use of nutrition-related quality indicators for the identification and treatment of malnutrition. A total of 141 adult hospitalised patients in three public hospitals in an urban setting participated. Mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC), body mass index (BMI), and malnutrition universal screening tool (MUST) were used to determine the prevalence of malnutrition or malnutrition risk. A Hospital Nutrition Review Tool (HNRT) determined the use of nutrition-related quality indicators. Results: The overall malnutrition risk according to MUST was 72.3% (48.2% high risk and 24.1% medium risk), whilst 45.4% were malnourished based on MUAC. No routine nutritional screening was conducted in any of the wards to identify patients at nutritional risk. The majority of nurses reported inadequate training or knowledge to calculate patients’ BMI or percentage weight loss, or to perform nutritional screening. Conclusion: Both malnutrition prevalence and malnutrition risk among adult hospitalised patients are high in the public sector. Inadequate resources may lead to delays in malnutrition identification and appropriate nutritional intervention, which may adversely affect both the patient and the institution. This study contributes to baseline data on adult malnutrition in the South African public hospital setting.","PeriodicalId":45938,"journal":{"name":"South African Journal of Clinical Nutrition","volume":"32 1","pages":"1 - 7"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2019-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/16070658.2017.1410003","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48266980","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evaluation of nutrition care to adult patients on HAART attending primary healthcare facilities in Mpumalanga","authors":"Jf Schiever, J. Visser, M. van der Merwe, D. Nel","doi":"10.1080/16070658.2017.1412183","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/16070658.2017.1412183","url":null,"abstract":"Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate nutrition care and nursing professional knowledge received by adults on highly active antiretroviral therapy attending primary health care (PHC) facilities Design: Cross-sectional, descriptive study. Subjects and setting: The study was conducted on 263 adults and 75 nursing professionals, recruited from 19 facilities in the Mbombela sub-district, Mpumalanga. Outcome measures: Interviewer-administered questionnaires were completed for each patient. Nursing professionals completed a self-administered questionnaire. Assessment tools were completed for each facility. Results: Some 41% of patients were either overweight or obese, and most females (n = 87; 51.8%) had a BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2. Based on waist circumference, 52.7% (n = 88) of females and 8.4% (n = 8) of males showed increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Although nurses were aware of a nutrition supplementation programme, knowledge of national nutrition guidelines was inadequate. Clinical judgement, rather than eligibility criteria, was used to identify suitable patients, with 13.3% (n = 35) receiving supplementation whereas only 4.9% (n = 13) qualified. Facilities generally had sufficient equipment and fair storage conditions, but stock shortages of nutrition supplements were problematic. Conclusions: Whilst certain positive findings emerged, nutrition care could be improved, largely through adequate training and support to professional nurses. Training should focus on correct execution of assessment measurements and appropriate nutritional counselling, emphasising balanced eating, food security and prevention of over-nutrition. Nurses should be familiarised with national nutrition guidelines and have access to a constant nutrition supplementation supply. Improved monitoring and evaluation of nutrition care to adults on treatment at PHC facilities is needed.Keywords","PeriodicalId":45938,"journal":{"name":"South African Journal of Clinical Nutrition","volume":"32 1","pages":"13 - 20"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2019-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/16070658.2017.1412183","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47654742","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}