Improving Diets and Nutrition Outcomes in Southern Africa - TCP/SFS/3604

Abstract

It is widely acknowledged that having a high-quality diet is one of the single most important contributors to nutrition outcomes and health, while poor-quality diets result in malnutrition in its many forms, including under-nutrition, micronutrient deficiencies and obesity. In recent years, African countries have begun to undergo a dietary transition, marked by changes in food consumption patterns. Globalization, urbanization and changes in the food supply and lifestyles have resulted in a shift in dietary habits, a loss in dietary diversity and a loss of traditional food cultures. Shifts to sub-optimal diets are compounded by a lack of awareness of nutrition and a low level of empowerment to make healthy food choices. The general population has been exposed to mixed and misguided nutrition messages which, in turn, negatively influence their overall knowledge, outlook and behaviour towards making healthy food choices. These changes, coupled with the increased availability and marketing of products of low nutritional value, highlighted the need for consistent, simple and practical dietary guidance to enable people to make healthy food choices and therefore prevent negative health outcomes, and to assist countries in developing food, health and agriculture policy. The Sub-regional Office of Southern Africa (SFS) therefore implemented this project, TCP/SFS/3604, to support three countries (Seychelles, the United Republic of Tanzania, and Zambia) in promoting healthy diets through the development of Food-based Dietary Guidelines (FBDGs). This TCP also supported the Government of Lesotho in the development of a Nutrition and Home Economics Strategy (NHES) for the Department of Nutrition and Home Economics (DoNHE) in the Ministry of Agriculture. The FBDGs are evidence-based recommendations with a series of harmonized nutrition messages and related illustrations that represent what a healthy diet is. The guidelines also provide advice on foods, food groups and dietary patterns to help the population meet nutrition requirements, so as to promote overall health and prevent diet-related non-communicable diseases. The FBDGs are intended to establish a basis for policies on food and nutrition, public health, and agriculture, as well as nutrition education programmes, in order to foster healthy eating habits and lifestyles.