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Background: Food taboos and cultural beliefs among pregnant and breast-feeding women influence their food consumption patterns and hence the health of women and unborn children. Cognizant of their neglect in programs aimed to ameliorate hidden hunger among pregnant and breast-feeding women in Buyende and other resource-poor communities in sub-Saharan Africa, we opted for a study to unravel them to inform program design. Methods: We documented food taboos and beliefs amongst pregnant and breast-feeding women from six sub-counties of Buyende district in Eastern Uganda. A mixed-methods approach was used, which was comprised of questionnaire interviews with 462 women, eight focus group discussions with 6–10 participants in each and a total of 15 key informant interviews. Results: The present study revealed that 129 (27.9%) of the respondents practice food taboos and adhere to cultural beliefs related to their dietary habits during pregnancy and breast-feeding that are fuelling the prevalence of hidden hunger. The most tabooed foods during pregnancy were sugarcane (17.8%), fishes which included lung fish, catfish and the Lake Victoria sardine (Rastrineobola argentea) (15.2%), oranges (6.6%), pineapples (5.9%), eggs (3.3%), chicken (3.3%) and cassava, mangoes and Cleome gynandra (each at 3%). Most foods were avoided for reasons associated with pregnancy and labour complications and undesirable effects on the baby. Most women learnt of the taboos and beliefs from the elders, their own mother, grandparents or mother-in-law, but there was also knowledge transmission in social groups within the community. Conclusions: The taboos and cultural beliefs in the study area render pregnant and breast-feeding women prone to micronutrient deficiency since they are denied consumption of a diversity of nutritious foods. There is a need to educate such women about consumption of nutrient-rich foods like fish, eggs, fruits and vegetables in order to improve their health, that of the unborn and children being breast fed. Additionally, culturally appropriate nutrition education may be a good strategy to eliminate inappropriate food taboos and beliefs with negative impact on the health of pregnant and breast-feeding women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Uganda is ranked 77th out of 95 countries in terms of under-nutrition prevalence. Under-nutrition is closely linked to 40% of all mortalities among children below 5 years of age. It is projected that by 2050 malnutrition in all its dimensions combined will cost the country US $ 7.7 billion (19 trillion Uganda Shillings) in lost productivity, yet timely investing in nutrition would translate into an economic gain of US$ 1.7 billion (4.3 trillion Uganda shillings) through enhanced productivity. A critical review and trend analysis, following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) approach was carried out. This was aimed at critically assessing the status of nutrition and identifying existing research gaps and intervention options. In addition, the study was focused on generating evidence for nutrition policy discourse. The review mainly focused on peer reviewed publications, covering the period from 2011 to 2022. A total of 215 materials were downloaded, 28 articles were used for literature review and 14 were used for further synthesis and trend analysis. It was found that stunting among children under 5 years was higher in the rural areas (37%) than in the urban areas (34%). Wasting and underweight among the same age group were most rampant in northern region, with prevalence rates of 7.5% and 14.6%, respectively, while stunting was most prevalent in western region (33.2%). Available data showed increasing prevalence of obesity and overweight. The proportion of women 15-49 years who were overweight or obese increased from 17% in 2006 to 19% in 2011 and 24% in 2016. On the other hand, prevalence of thinness among women aged 15-49 years declined from 12% in 2006 and 2011 to 9% in 2016. The review unearthed dearth of literature on nutrition for the elderly, adolescents and young adults. It would be prudent to invest in research to bridge the identified gaps. The outcome of such studies would be instrumental in informing nutrition policy in Uganda. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bananas and plantains (Musa spp.) are an important staple and food security crop in sub‐Saharan Africa. In Uganda, where the consumption of East African highland banana (EAHB) is the highest in the world, the population suffers from a high incidence of vitamin A deficiency (VAD). Since the consumption of pro‐vitamin A carotenoids (pVAC) made available through the food staple can help alleviate these ailments, we set out to identify the most suitable banana variety to use in future biofortification strategies through genetic engineering. The study focussed on eight popular Musa cultivars grown in the heart of banana farming communities and across the three major agricultural zones of Uganda. The fruit pVAC concentration varied considerably within and across the cultivars tested. These variations could not be explained by the altitude nor the geographical location where these fruits were grown. More than 50% of the total carotenoids present in EAHB cultivars was found to comprise of α‐ and β‐carotene, while the retention of these compounds following traditional processing methods was at least 70%. Storage up to 14 days postharvest improved carotenoid accumulation up to 2.4‐fold in the cultivar Nakitembe. The technical challenge for a successful biofortification approach in Uganda using genetically modified EAHB lies in guaranteeing that the fruit pVAC content will invariably provide at least 50% of the estimated average requirement for vitamin A regardless of the growing conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Governments around the world have agreed to end hunger and food insecurity and to improve global nutrition, largely through changes to agriculture and food systems. However, they are faced with a lot of uncertainty when making policy decisions, since any agricultural changes will influence social and biophysical systems, which could yield either positive or negative nutrition outcomes. We outline a holistic probability modeling approach with Bayesian Network (BN) models for nutritional impacts resulting from agricultural development policy. The approach includes the elicitation of expert knowledge for impact model development, including sensitivity analysis and value of information calculations. It aims at a generalizable methodology that can be applied in a wide range of contexts. To showcase this approach, we develop an impact model of Vision 2040, Uganda's development strategy, which, among other objectives, seeks to transform the country's agricultural landscape from traditional systems to large‐scale commercial agriculture. Model results suggest that Vision 2040 is likely to have negative outcomes for the rural livelihoods it intends to support; it may have no appreciable influence on household hunger but, by influencing preferences for and access to quality nutritional foods, may increase the prevalence of micronutrient deficiency. The results highlight the trade‐offs that must be negotiated when making decisions regarding agriculture for nutrition, and the capacity of BNs to make these trade‐offs explicit. The work illustrates the value of BNs for supporting evidence‐based agricultural development decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]