Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Feb 25;79(1):24.
doi: 10.1186/s13690-021-00547-x.

Food intake and cardiometabolic risk factors in rural Uganda

Therese L F Holmager  1 , Dan W Meyrowitsch  2 , Silver Bahendeka  3 , Jannie Nielsen  2   4
Affiliations

Food intake and cardiometabolic risk factors in rural Uganda

Therese L F Holmager et al. Arch Public Health. .

Abstract

Background: Along with a nutritional transition in Sub-Saharan Africa, the prevalence of non-communicable diseases is increasing rapidly. We assess the association between food intake and cardiometabolic risk factors in a rural population in Uganda.

Methods: The present study was based on data from a household-based case-control study of diabetic and non-diabetic households in Southwestern Uganda, 2012-2013. We analysed food intake in 359 individuals age ≥ 13 years from 87 households, using a household food frequency questionnaire, and measures of glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c), height and weight. We used multinomial logistic regression to model abnormal HbA1c (≥5.7%) and weight status (underweight, normal weight and overweight) as an outcome of total food intake and by nine food groups. Results were reported as odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Models were adjusted for three nested sets of covariates.

Results: The diet primarily consisted of staple food (cassava and plantain). High-Glycaemic Index staple food was the most consumed food group (median = 14 servings/week, p25-p75: 11-17). Milk, meat, fish and vegetables were the least consumed food groups (medians: 0-3 servings/week). Median intake of sugary food was 6 servings/week (p25-p75: 2-9). The OR of having abnormal HbA1c or being overweight increased with every weekly serving of food (1.02, 95% CI: 1.00-1.04 and 1.01 95% CI: 1.00-1.03, respectively). Of specific food groups, each weekly serving of meat increased the OR of being overweight with 33% (95% CI: 1.08-1.64), and fruit intake decreased the OR of abnormal HbA1c (0.94, 95% CI: 0.88-1.00), though this latter association was attenuated after adjustment for weight status, aerobic capacity, and socioeconomic status.

Conclusion: Diet was monotonous, mainly consisting of cassava and plantain, and increasing food intake was associated with abnormal HbA1c and overweight. To prevent non-communicable diseases a diet with higher intake of fish and vegetables, and less sugary food is recommended.

Keywords: Cardiometabolic; Diet; Overweight; Sub-Saharan Africa; Type 2 diabetes.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Boxplot of number of food servings/week in Kasese District, Uganda (N = 359), Food Intake and Cardiometabolic Risk Factors in Rural Uganda study, 2012–2013. Abbreviations: GI, glycaemic index
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Popkin BM. Global nutrition dynamics: the world is shifting rapidly toward a diet linked with noncommunicable diseases. Am J Clin Nutr. 2006;84(2):289–298. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/84.2.289. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Omran AR. The epidemiologic Transiton - a theory of the epidemiology of population change. Milbank Meml Fund Quaterly. 1971;49(4):509–538. doi: 10.2307/3349375. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Maher D, Smeeth L, Sekajugo J. Health transition in Africa: practical policy proposals for primary care. Bull World Health Organ. 2010;88(12):943–948. doi: 10.2471/BLT.10.077891. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations . Nutrition country profile. 2010. Uganda.
    1. Afshin A, Sur PJ, Fay KA, Cornaby L, Ferrara G, Salama JS, et al. Health effects of dietary risks in 195 countries, 1990–2017: a systematic analysis for the global burden of disease study 2017. Lancet. 2019;393(10184):1958–1972. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(19)30041-8. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Grants and funding

LinkOut - more resources