Assessment of nutritional status of the population in Senegal

Bc. Ahmadou Badara Beye

Master's thesis

Abstract:

Despite experiencing economic growth from 1995 to 2005 and being the second-largest economy in French-speaking West Africa behind the Ivory Coast, Senegal is still facing several nutrition-related issues commonly found in developing countries, as well as a noticeable disparity among parts of the country, especially between urban and rural areas. This master’s thesis aims to make a comparison between the nutritional status of the population of urban and rural areas of Senegal and to compare it to the one of the Czech population, but also to several recommendations such as DACH, EFSA, and food pyramids. The data was collected using a food frequency questionnaire, which was distributed in Dakar, the capital city of the country, and in Velingara, a rural area located in the Kolda region in the south of the country. Additional health-related questions were also asked. The study findings were that dietary recommendations from DACH and EFSA were met at almost all levels by rural respondents except for vitamin C, while respondents from Dakar were below recommendations for several nutrients, including magnesium, calcium, vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin E, fibers and overall calorie consumption. Consumption of vegetable sources of protein was higher among rural respondents than urban. The comparison with food pyramids showed that sweets and animal products were overconsumed overall compared to plant products in both areas. Comparison with data from the Czech Republic showed an overall lower consumption of most food groups among the Dakar population except for legumes and nuts, sweets, and juices; and an overall higher consumption of food groups from respondents from Velingara except juices, grains, tubers, and fruits. In conclusion, most nutritional recommendations were met by both localities, but some micronutrients were found in deficit, especially in Dakar. The nutritional status of the urban population of Senegal was rated as worse than the one of the Czech Republic, while the one of the rural population was better compared to the one of the Czech Republic.

Keywords

nutrition, health, West Africa, nutritional recommendations, food consumption

Language used: English

Date on which the thesis was submitted / produced: 13. 4. 2022

Thesis defence

• Supervisor: Ing. Sarvenaz Khalili Tilami, Ph.D.

Czech University of Life Sciences Prague

Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources

Master programme:
Food and Nutrition