Evaluation of Anemic Pupils Nutritional Status Fed with Recipes Based on Sweet Potatoes, Soya and Cowpea in Nawa Region, Côte d’Ivoire

In underdeveloped countries a great number of school-age children suffered of malnutrition and anemia. This is due to a less diversified diet and had an impact on their intellectual capacities. A study was conducted in four schools in Nawa region of Cote d’Ivoire with the aim to evaluate the impact of selected foods on anemic children nutritional status. One meal was proposed by school: rice with tomato sauce and meat, sweet potatoes stew with soya, sweet potatoes stew with cowpea and sweet potatoes stew with soya and cowpea. A total of 75 children aged from 6 to 15 years old participate, and they ate the meals twice in a week for 3 months. Anthropometric measurements (weight and height) and blood sampling were taken at 3 periods: at the beginning, middle and end of the study. The results showed that hemoglobin values were under normal rate for all children except in Petit-Bondoukou and Takoreagui in period 1 (11.67 and 11.82 g/dl respectively). There was an increase of anemia prevalence from 18.18 % to 40.91 % for children who ate rice with tomato sauce and meat and from 43.75 % to 50.00 % for children who ate potatoes stew with cowpea. But there was a decrease of anemia rate from 61.54 % to 53.83 % for children who ate potatoes stew with soya. Nutritional status according to anthropometric measurement increased for children of Gnaboya and Petit-Bondoukou. Albumin (33.25 g/l) and orosomucoid (0.69 mg/l) value of children who ate tomato sauce and meat were lower in period 1 than that of children of the other villages. According to prognostic inflammatory nutritional index, children present a low malnutrition risk which varied between 7.69 to 43.75 %. Diet diversification should be applied for a long period to better appreciate their impact on nutritional and anemia status improvement.