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Dysregulation of the stress response can occur early in life and may be affected by nutrition. Our objective was to evaluate the long-term effect of nutritional supplementation during gestation and early childhood on child cortisol and buccal telomere length (a marker of cellular aging) at 4-6years of age. We conducted a follow-up study of children born to women who participated in a nutritional supplementation trial in Ghana. In one group, a lipid-based nutrient supplement (LNS) was provided to women during gestation and the first 6months postpartum and to their infants from age 6 to 18months. The control groups received either iron and folic acid (IFA) during gestation or multiple micronutrients during gestation and the first 6months postpartum, with no infant supplementation. At age 4-6years, we measured hair cortisol, buccal telomere length, and salivary cortisol before and after a stressor. Salivary cortisol was available for 364 children across all three trial arms and hair cortisol and telomere length were available for a subset of children (n = 275 and 278, respectively) from the LNS and IFA groups. Telomere length, salivary cortisol, and hair cortisol did not differ by supplementation group. Overall, these findings suggest that nutritional supplementation given during gestation and early childhood does not have an effect on child stress response or chronic stress in children at 4-6years. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier NCT00970866.Lay SummaryThis study addressed a research gap about whether improved nutrition during pregnancy and early childhood impacts telomere length and cortisol in preschool children. There was no difference in child telomere length or cortisol between two trial arms of a nutritional supplementation trial that began during pregnancy. The research outcomes indicate lipid-based nutrient supplements, a relatively new form of supplementation, do not have an effect on markers of stress or cellular aging measured in later childhood.

OBJECTIVES: To explore the potential for bouillon as a micronutrient fortification vehicle in northern Ghana, we assessed market availability, household purchase and consumption of bouillon products, and perceptions of bouillon and salt. METHODS: We selected 28 clusters in the Tolon and Kumbungu districts of the Northern region of Ghana (7 urban, 4 semi-urban, and 3 rural clusters per district). Among 369 randomly selected households, women of reproductive age (15–49 y; WRA) were interviewed about household bouillon purchasing habits, its use in food preparation, and perceptions about the positive/negative effects of bouillon consumption. Twenty focus groups of 5–6 participants each were held in 11 clusters (10 WRA, 5 men, 5 women > 49y). We also assessed availability of bouillon products for sale from vendors in clusters (n = 11) and major markets (n = 4). RESULTS: In the survey, almost all (99%) respondents had ever cooked with bouillon, and 77% reported typically cooking with bouillon at least twice per day. Seven brands and three flavors of bouillon products were for sale. Most households (87%) reported consuming shrimp flavor without other spice most frequently. On average, households purchased bouillon cubes weekly, most from open markets (74%) or kiosks (22%). Most common reasons for bouillon use included taste (98%) and family preference (46%). Economic access was also important: 59% reported purchasing less bouillon or switching bouillon brands (28%) or flavors (11%) when they had less money available. About two-thirds of respondents perceived having bouillon in a person's diet was “good” (vs 43% for salt); reasons provided included: “gives more energy” (43%) and “makes you stronger” (41%). Among the 18% of respondents who perceived having bouillon in a person's diet was “bad”, reasons included: stomach upset (63%) and high blood pressure (39%). High blood pressure (85%) was the most common concern among the 32% perceiving salt as “bad”. Focus groups revealed seasonal variation in quantity of bouillon used. CONCLUSIONS: Bouillon consumption is common and frequent in northern Ghana, indicating good potential as a micronutrient fortification vehicle. Understanding perceptions of bouillon by different household members will inform research and program messaging. FUNDING SOURCES: Funded by a grant to the University of California, Davis from Helen Keller International.

Consumption of multiple micronutrient supplements (MMS) during pregnancy offers additional benefits compared with iron‐folic acid (IFA) supplementation, but the tablets are more expensive. We estimated the effects, costs, and cost‐effectiveness of hypothetically replacing IFA supplements with MMS for 1 year in Bangladesh and Burkina Faso. Using baseline demographic characteristics from LiST and effect sizes from a meta‐analysis, we estimated the marginal effects of replacing IFA with MMS on mortality, adverse birth outcomes, and disability‐adjusted life years (DALYs) averted. We calculated the marginal tablet costs of completely replacing MMS with IFA (assuming 180 tablets per covered pregnancy). Replacing IFA with MMS could avert over 15,000 deaths and 30,000 cases of preterm birth annually in Bangladesh and over 5000 deaths and 5000 cases of preterm birth in Burkina Faso, assuming 100% coverage and adherence. We estimated the cost per death averted to be US$175–185 in Bangladesh and $112–125 in Burkina Faso. Cost per DALY averted ranged from $3 to $15, depending on the country and consideration of subgroup effects. Our estimates suggest that this policy change would cost‐effectively save lives and reduce life‐long disabilities. Improvements in program delivery and supplement adherence would be expected to improve the cost‐effectiveness of replacing IFA with MMS.

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to assess: 1) the feasibility of using three tablet-based tasks to measure the cognitive outcomes of a nutrition trial in Ghana, specifically the Paired Associate Learning (PAL), Serial Reaction Time (SRT), and Simon tasks from the Rapid Assessment of Cognitive and Emotional Regulation (RACER); 2) whether learning effects in the three tasks show expected patterns compared to published data; and 3) the sensitivity of the RACER scores to two nutritional indicators: length-for-age z-score (LAZ) and hemoglobin concentration (Hb). METHODS: 966 children aged 4–6 years participated in the International Lipid-Based Nutrient Supplements trial preschool follow-up study in Ghana. Field staff measured anthropometry, child Hb, and administered the RACER tasks at a project office visit. We used repeated-measures regression controlling for pre-specified covariates to assess learning effects and Pearson's correlations to assess the sensitivity of RACER scores to the two nutrition indicators. RESULTS: The success rate for completing the PAL, Simon and SRT tasks was 99.0%, 99.3%, and 93.5% respectively. As expected, on the PAL task, children were more accurate in the delayed recall trials than in the training trials, demonstrating declarative learning. On the Simon task, children showed the expected pattern of inhibitory control by responding faster and closer to the target position in same-side trials than opposite-side trials. They also demonstrated procedural learning by responding faster in the ordered block than the random block in the SRT task. The correlations between RACER scores and the two nutrition indicators (LAZ and Hb) were not significant. CONCLUSIONS: Tablet-based assessments can be used to evaluate the outcomes of large nutrition trials in low-resource settings with high success rate. The results showed expected patterns compared to results from children in high-income countries. Although we did not find expected correlations with nutrition indicators typically associated with cognitive development, future analysis will further explore these associations. FUNDING SOURCES: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Society for Research in Child Development, and USDA NIFA Hatch Project.

Objective:We aimed to identify factors (child diet, physical activity; maternal BMI) associated with body composition of Ghanaian pre-school children.Design:Longitudinal analysis of the International Lipid-Based Nutrient Supplements (iLiNS)-DYAD-Ghana randomized trial, which enrolled 1320 pregnant women at ≤20 weeks’ gestation and followed them and their infants until 6 and 18 months postpartum, respectively. At follow-up, child age 4–6 years, we collected data on body composition (by2H dilution), physical activity and diet, extracted dietary patterns using factor analysis, and examined the association of children’s percentage body fat with maternal and child factors by regression analysis.Setting:Eastern Region, Ghana.Participants:Children 4–6 years of age.Results:The analysis included 889 children with percentage body fat and dietary data at follow-up. We identified two major dietary patterns, a snacking and a cooked foods pattern. Percentage body fat was positively associated (standardizedβ(se)) with maternal BMI at follow-up (0·10 (0·03);P= 0·003) and negatively associated with physical activity (−0·15 (0·05);P= 0·003, unadjusted for child gender), but not associated with the snacking (0·06 (0·03);P= 0·103) or cooked foods (−0·05 (0·07);P= 0·474) pattern. Boys were more active than girls (1470v.1314 mean vector magnitude counts/min;P< 0·0001) and had lower percentage body fat (13·8v.16·9 %;P< 0·0001).Conclusions:In this population, maternal overweight and child physical activity, especially among girls, may be key factors for addressing child overweight/obesity. We did not demonstrate a relationship between the dietary patterns and body fatness, which may be related to limitations of the dietary data available.

Pregnancy and breastfeeding make demands on maternal nutrient stores. The extent of depletion and the degree to which nutrient stores are replenished between pregnancies has implications for a mother's nutritional status at conception of the subsequent child and therefore that child's birth outcomes and growth. Using follow‐up data collected several years after a randomized effectiveness trial conducted in rural Bangladesh and a randomized efficacy trial conducted in semiurban Ghana, we evaluated the impact of maternal supplementation with small‐quantity lipid‐based nutrient supplements (LNS) or multiple micronutrients (MMN) through pregnancy (the index pregnancy) and 6 months postpartum on the growth status of the next living younger sibling conceived and born after the index pregnancy. In both Bangladesh (n = 472 younger siblings) and Ghana (n = 327 younger siblings), there were no overall differences in the growth status or the prevalence of undernutrition among younger siblings whose mothers had received LNS (or MMN, Ghana only) during and after the index pregnancy compared with the younger siblings of mothers who had received iron plus folic acid (IFA) during the index pregnancy (Ghana) or during and for 3 months after the index pregnancy (Bangladesh). These findings do not indicate that preconception nutrition interventions do not improve child growth. Rather, they suggest that any benefits of maternal LNS or MMN supplementation during one pregnancy and for 6 months postpartum are unlikely to extend to the growth of her next child beyond any effects due to IFA alone.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the prevalence and frequency of consumption of vegetables, fruits, sugar sweetened beverages (SSBs), salty and sweet snacks and the relationship between consumption and household characteristics (residence location, food insecurity, and socioeconomic status [SES]) among children 2–5 years of age in two districts in the Northern region of Ghana. METHODS: Households were recruited from 14 urban, 8 semi-urban and 6 rural clusters in the Tolon and Kumbungu districts in Northern Ghana. Primary caregivers of children 2–5 years (n = 242) reported the number of days in a typical week selected food items were consumed, and the number of servings per day. Household characteristics, food insecurity (USAID Household Food Insecurity Access Scale) and SES, were assessed via questionnaires administered to the head of household. We examined the relationships between consumption of each food and 1) residence (urban vs. semi-urban/rural), 2) household food insecurity (moderate/severe vs. none/mild) and 3) household SES (lowest quartile vs. other quartiles). RESULTS: The proportion of children who consumed each food in a typical week was: 98% vegetables, 81% sweet snacks, and 75% fruits; approximately half of children consumed salty snacks (51%) or SSBs (46%). Mean (SD) servings consumed in a typical week were: 7.85 (7.32) vegetables, 2.82 (2.51) sweet snacks, 2.54 (3.69) SSBs, 1.77 (1.70) fruits, and 1.17 (1.67) salty snacks. Consumption of fruits (82% vs 68%, p = 0.01) and sweet snacks (91% vs 71%, p

OBJECTIVES: We modeled the potential impacts of bouillon fortification with different levels of vitamin A, folic acid, vitamin B12, iron, and zinc on dietary micronutrient adequacy to inform multi-stakeholder discussions around bouillon fortification programs. METHODS: We used individual dietary intake data in Cameroon from women of reproductive age (WRA) and children 1–5 y (n = 902 and 872), and household (HH) survey data in Cameroon (n = 11,384 HH), Ghana (n = 11,870 HH), and Haiti (n = 4,951 HH) to estimate micronutrient (MN) intake. The Adult Male Equivalent method was applied to estimate “apparent intake” of WRA, children, and men from HH surveys. We examined intake of bouillon and calculated prevalence of inadequate (below the estimated average requirement) and high (above the tolerable upper intake level, UL) micronutrient intake. Analyses included the contributions of mandatory fortification of oil or wheat flour at estimated current micronutrient levels. We simulated the impacts of bouillon fortification with varying levels of vitamin A, folic acid, vitamin B12, iron, and zinc on inadequate and high intakes of each nutrient. RESULTS: Bouillon was commonly consumed in all countries, with any reported consumption ranging from 67–81% in Ghana to over 90% in Cameroon and Haiti. Median (apparent) bouillon consumption ranged from 1.6–2.1 g/d for women, 0.7–1.0 g/d for children, and 1.8–2.2 g/d for men. Bouillon fortification with vitamins was predicted to reduce dietary inadequacy (120 μg/g vitamin A: 15–33 percentage points, pp, depending on the country and target group; 80 μg/g folate: 11–33 pp; 1.2 μg/g B12: 12–67 pp) with minimal risk of high intake. In contrast, predicted effects on dietary iron inadequacy were modest (5–12 pp reduction at 5 mg iron/g, assuming 2% absorption). Simulated zinc fortification showed reductions in inadequate absorbable zinc intake (14–42 pp at 3 mg/g), but children's intakes commonly exceeded the UL. CONCLUSIONS: Modeling suggests that bouillon fortification could reduce inadequate MN intakes in these countries. Further work is needed to identify fortification levels that will meet criteria for nutritional benefits, technical feasibility, and cost-effectiveness. FUNDING SOURCES: This analysis was supported by a grant to UC Davis from Helen Keller International.

Evidence on whether nutritional supplementation affects physical activity (PA) during early childhood is limited. We examined the long-term effects of lipid-based nutrient supplements (LNS) on total PA, moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) and sedentary behaviour (SB) of children at 4–6 years using an accelerometer for 1 week. Their mothers were enrolled in the International Lipid-based Nutrient Supplement-DYAD randomised controlled trial in Ghana, assigned to daily LNS or multiple micronutrients (MMN) during pregnancy through 6 months postpartum or Fe and folic acid (IFA) during pregnancy and placebo for 6 months postpartum. From 6 to 18 months, children in the LNS group received LNS; the other two groups received no supplements. Analysis was done with intention to treat comparing two groups: LNSv. non-LNS (MMN+ IFA). Of the sub-sample of 375 children fitted with accelerometers, 353 provided sufficient data. Median vector magnitude (VM) count was 1374 (interquartile range (IQR) 309), and percentages of time in MVPA and SB were 4·8 (IQR 2) and 31 (IQR 8) %, respectively. The LNS group (n129) had lower VM (difference in mean −73 (95 % CI −20, −126),P= 0·007) and spent more time in SB (LNSv. non-LNS: 32·3v. 30·5 %,P= 0·020) than the non-LNS group (n224) but did not differ in MVPA (4·4v. 4·7 %,P= 0·198). Contrary to expectations, provision of LNS in early life slightly reduced the total PA and increased the time in SB but did not affect time in MVPA. Given reduced social-emotional difficulties in the LNS group previously reported, including hyperactivity, one possible explanation is less restless movement in the LNS group.

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to estimate the potential effects, costs, and cost-effectiveness of a programmatic transition from distribution of iron-folic acid (IFA) tablets to distribution of multiple micronutrient supplements (MMS) to pregnant woman, using Bangladesh and Burkina Faso as case studies. METHODS: For each country, we developed an 11-year predictive model using baseline demographic information from the Lives Saved Tool and effect sizes from a recent meta-analysis of trials of MMS compared to IFA supplementation during pregnancy. We predicted the number of cases of stillbirth, infant mortality, and adverse birth outcomes (low birth weight, small-for-gestational age, and preterm birth) and DALYs averted by replacing IFA with MMS at current levels of IFA coverage (∼50% nationally in Bangladesh; ∼10% in Burkina Faso). We estimated initial program transition costs and the annual marginal cost of MMS compared to IFA supplements, and calculated cost-effectiveness measures for scenarios with varied numbers of tablets received and consumed by pregnant women. RESULTS: In Bangladesh, immediate replacement of IFA with MMS at current coverage (assuming all covered pregnancies receive 180 tablets) was predicted to avert >73,800 deaths and >178,500 cases of preterm birth over 11 years at a cost of $5.0 to $14.2 per DALY averted; costs would increase by ∼9% with the addition of programmatic transition costs. In Burkina Faso, the same scenario would avert >5700 deaths and >6600 cases of preterm birth over 11 years at a cost of $3.6 to $15.5 per DALY averted. Assuming that benefits of supplementation accrue only above a given threshold (e.g., 180 tablets per pregnancy), accounting for supplement consumption above or below this threshold (e.g., consumption of 30 tablets or 270 tablets) could substantially reduce the cost-effectiveness of the IFA-MMS switch in comparison with a scenario in which all covered pregnancies consume exactly 180 tablets, although cost per DALY averted remained below $105 in all scenarios. CONCLUSIONS: This modeling analysis suggests that the cost per DALY averted by transitioning from IFA to MMS is low relative to other prenatal interventions designed to save lives. Improvements in program delivery and supplement adherence would improve the cost-effectiveness of replacing IFA with MMS. FUNDING SOURCES: Sight and Life; Sackler Institute for Nutrition Science.

It is important to identify the periods during childhood when exposure to environmental risk factors results in long-term neurodevelopmental deficits. Stunting and anaemia may be sensitive indicators of exposure to such risks. In a prospective cohort enrolled before birth, we investigated the association of developmental scores at 4-6years with (a) birth length and linear growth during three postnatal periods and (2) haemoglobin (Hb) concentration at three time points. Children were participants in a follow-up study of a randomized controlled trial of nutritional supplementation in Ghana. At 4-6years, cognitive, motor, and social-emotional developments were assessed using standard tests adapted for this population. We estimated the associations of length-for-age z-score (LAZ) at birth and postnatal linear growth (n=710) and Hb (n=617) with developmental scores in regression models, using multistage least squares analysis to calculate uncorrelated residuals for postnatal growth. Cognitive development at 4-6years was significantly associated with LAZ at birth (β=0.12, 95% CI=0.05, 0.19), ΔLAZ from 6 to 18months (β=0.16, 95% CI=0.04, 0.28), and Hb at 18months (β=0.13, 95% CI=0.06, 0.20), but not with ΔLAZ during 0-6months, ΔLAZ from 18months to 4-6years, Hb at 6months, or Hb at 4-6years. No evidence of associations with motor or social-emotional development were found. These results suggest that in similar contexts, the earlier periods prior to birth and up to 18months are more sensitive to risk factors for long-term cognitive development associated with LAZ and Hb compared with later childhood. This may inform the optimal timing of interventions targeting improved cognitive development.

Background The impact of feeding a slightly sweet nutrient supplement early in life on later sweet taste preference is unknown. Objective We tested the hypothesis that the level of sucrose most preferred by 4–6-y-old children exposed to a slightly sweet lipid-based nutrient supplement (LNS) early in life would not be higher than that of children never exposed to LNS. Design We followed up children born to women (n = 1,320) who participated in a randomized trial in Ghana. In one group, LNS was provided to women on a daily basis during pregnancy and the first 6 mo postpartum and to their infants from age 6 to 18 mo (LNS group). The control groups received daily iron and folic acid or multiple micronutrients during pregnancy and the first 6 mo postpartum, with no infant supplementation (non-LNS group). At age 4–6 y, we randomly selected a subsample of children (n = 775) to assess the concentration of sucrose most preferred using the Monell 2-series, forced-choice, paired-comparison tracking procedure. We compared LNS with non-LNS group differences using a noninferiority margin of 5% weight/volume (wt/vol). Results Of the 624 children tested, most (61%) provided reliable responses. Among all children, the mean ± SD sucrose solution most preferred (% wt/vol) was 14.6 ± 8.6 (LNS group 14.9 ± 8.7; non-LNS group 14.2 ± 8.4). However, among children with reliable responses, it was 17.0 ± 10.2 (LNS group 17.5 ± 10.4; non-LNS group 16.5 ± 10.0). The upper level of the 95% CI of the difference between groups did not exceed the noninferiority margin in either the full sample or those with reliable responses, indicating that the LNS group did not have a higher sweet preference than the non-LNS group. Conclusion Exposure to a slightly sweet nutrient supplement early in life did not increase the level of sweet taste most preferred during childhood. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00970866.

Author(s): Ocansey, Maku E; Adu-Afarwuah, Seth; Kumordzie, Sika M; Okronipa, Harriet; Young, Rebecca R; Tamakloe, Solace M; Oaks, Brietta M; Dewey, Kathryn G; Prado, Elizabeth L | Abstract: Background:Adequate nutrition is necessary for brain development during pregnancy and infancy. Few randomized controlled trials of supplementation during these periods have measured later developmental outcomes. Objective:Our objective was to investigate the effects of provision of prenatal and postnatal lipid-based nutrient supplements (LNS) on child development at preschool age. Methods:We conducted a follow-up study of 966 children aged 4-6 y in 2016, born to women who participated in the International Lipid-Based Nutrient Supplements-DYAD trial conducted in Ghana in 2009-2014, representing 79% of eligible children. Women ≤20 weeks of gestation were randomized to daily LNS or multiple micronutrient (MMN) capsules during pregnancy through 6 mo postpartum or iron and folic acid (IFA) capsules during pregnancy and calcium placebo capsules during 6 mo postpartum. Children in the LNS group received LNS from 6 to 18 mo. Primary outcomes of this follow-up study were (1) a cognitive factor score based on a test battery adapted from several standard tests, 2) fine motor score (9-hole pegboard test), and (3) social-emotional difficulties (Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire; SDQ). Eight secondary outcomes were calculated in specific domains (e.g., language, SDQ prosocial). Analysis was by a complete case intention to treat in a 2-group comparison: LNS compared with non-LNS (MMNn+nIFA). Results:Children in the LNS group had significantly lower social-emotional difficulties z-scores than children in the non-LNS group (adjusted for child age βn=n-0.12, 95% CI: -0.25, 0.02, Pn=n0.087; fully adjusted βn=n-0.16, 95% CI: -0.29, -0.03, Pn=n0.013). The effect of LNS on social-emotional difficulties score was larger among children living in households with lower home environment scores (P-interactionn=n0.081). No other outcomes differed between the 2 intervention groups. Conclusions:Provision of LNS during the first 1000 d of development improved behavioral function, particularly for children from low nurturing and stimulation households, but did not affect cognition at preschool age in this setting. Trial Registration: clinicaltrials.gov, Identifier NCT00970866.

Hydrochemical investigations of groundwater have been carried out on objectives of evaluating groundwater quality. Groundwater quality contaminations have emerged in many geographical areas due to natural environmental processes and human intervention in the geosystems. Geochemical evaluation of nitrate contaminated groundwater in Gulf region was investigated. Results showed that most of the samples contained high concentrations of nitrate. More than 70% of samples in central area contained high concentration of nitrate. Furthermore, results show that nitrate has a negative relationship with calcium and sodium, whereas relationship with magnesium, potassium, alkalinity, sulphate, chloride and electrical conductivity (EC) are positive. Factor analysis was used to identify key parameters that described the groundwater quality. Two factors were extracted as follows: Factor 1 explained 60% of the total variance, reflected the importance of the intrusion of salt water into the groundwater and factor 2 explained 35% of the total variance, and reflected impact of human activities and acid-rain recharge of the aquifers in the area. The geochemical modeling reveals that the high nitrate groundwater behaves like two kinds of the mechanism of hydrogeochemical evolution, namely the intervention of human activities, and the evaporation effect of the shallow groundwater. Key words: Groundwater, geochemical, factor analysis, nitrate, drinking water.

Groundwater quality in Beijing, China was evaluated by measuring the quantities of major and minor elements, temperature, pH, total dissolved solids (TDS), and electrical conductivity (EC). Most samples contained high concentrations of NO3– (5.13 to 164.0 mg/L), which is a serious water quality issue. This NO3– originates from the soil surface and enters the groundwater by infiltration. Factor analysis modeling demonstrated that NO3−, Cl−, SO42−, Ca2+, and Mg2+ in the system are produced by anthropogenic sources, but a portion of the (Ca2+, Mg2+) comes from ion exchange and mineral dissolution. The strong correlation observed between NO3− and Ca2+, Mg2+, Cl− and SO42- suggests that they have the same origin. The parameters in Factors 1–3 reflected the importance of the acid-rain recharge of the aquifers in the area, anthropogenic impact and salinity, respectively. Hierarchical cluster analysis was used to group the wells into homogeneous zones for future monitoring of groundwater quality. Multivariate statistical techniques were used to identify key parameters that described the groundwater quality, characterize spatial variability of groundwater quality data and allow future groundwater quality control studies to be performed using a reduced number of measurements on a small number of sampling points, respectively. Key words: Groundwater, hydrochemica, multivariate statistical, nitrate, contamination.

The present study examined the hydrochemical facies of groundwater present in the Coastal Sedimentary basin of Togo around drinking water supply. The study aim at explaining the controlling processes responsible for various facies. The parameters including pH, electrical conductivity (EC), K, Na, Ca, Mg, Cl, HCO3, SiO2, SO4 and NO3 in water samples were analyzed and based on standard procedures. The data obtained were subjected to R-mode factor analysis. Two factors were extracted. Factor 1 include EC, Na, Cl, Ca, SO4 and K and explained 59.88% of the total variance, Cl and EC and reflected the signature of saline water incursion. Factor 2 has high loading values of pH,HCO3, SiO2 and NO3 which explained 34.76% of the total variance. pH and HCO3 are the processes of natural rainwater recharge and water-soil/rock interaction process which eventually as acid-rain recharges aquifers in the vicinity. The presence of nitrate in groundwater reflects the anthropogenic impact of domestic sewage, industrial waste, uncontrolled landfill waste, fertilizers, and manure on the study area. This paper demonstrates the effectiveness of factor analysis in evaluating hydrochemical processes in coastal and industrial areas. Key words: Coastal aquifers, factor analysis, water supply, nitrate, hydrochemical modeling.

This article 'Comparative tolerance of Oryza sativa and O. glaberrima rice cultivars for iron toxicity in West Africa' appeared in the International Rice Research Notes series, created by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) to expedite communication among scientists concerned with the development of improved technology for rice and rice-based systems. The series is a mechanism to help scientists keep each other informed of current rice research findings. The concise scientific notes are meant to encourage rice scientists to communicate with one another to obtain details on the research reported.