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Online ISSN : 2349-8080 Issues : 12 per year Publisher : Excellent Publishers Email : editorinchiefijcrbp@gmail.com |
University of Bamenda, PO Box 39, Bambili, Cameroon
Information on the food habits and prevalence of chronic non communicable diseases in people of the Sudano-sahelian region of Cameroon is limited. The aim of this study was to evaluate the eating habits of the people, know the prevalence of chronic non communicable diseases in this region, and investigate their relationship. A crosssectional study using anthropometric measurements and food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) was done. Body Mass Index (BMI) was calculated from anthropometric data and information on feeding habits was gathered using a standardized frequency questionnaire. Approximately 47.6% of the people who participated in the study were female as opposed to 52.4% male. Among these, 16.9% were overweight and 5.8% obese. An increase in body weight was noticed among the people of the urban population, bringing about a weight difference with those of the rural areas in terms of IMC (χ2 =17.33, P= 0.0006). The health problems in this zone were prominently parasitic (85.9%) and digestive tract (39.3%) infections. Chronic non communicable diseases showed a prevalence of 3.9%. Generally vegetables and cereals were more consumed than meat and/or fish, and a rare consumption of milk. There is a need for nutrition education of the Sudano-sahelian population on consumption of diversified meals and also a need for the prevention and care for non-communicable chronic diseases.
