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[Malnutrition and weight excess: a paradoxical condition in Mauretanian Adrar (author's transl)]
Insights
Malnutrition affects young female children in Atar due to late weaning and gender-biased care. Adult women face higher risks of hypertension and stroke due to overweight, linked to cultural beauty standards.
Area of Science:
- Nutrition and Public Health
- Demographic Health Studies
- Cultural Anthropology
Background:
- Child malnutrition, particularly kwashiorkor, is uncommon in Atar, but nutritional deficiencies are noted in female infants aged 1-3 years.
- Sociocultural factors, including delayed or rapid weaning practices and preferential treatment of male infants, contribute to malnutrition in young girls.
- Adult women in Atar exhibit a higher prevalence of overweight, correlating with increased rates of hypertension and cerebrovascular accidents compared to men.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the patterns and underlying causes of malnutrition in children and overweight-related health issues in adults in Atar.
- To explore the influence of cultural norms and practices on nutritional status and health outcomes in the surveyed population.
Main Methods:
- A survey was conducted involving 3,534 individuals in Atar town.
- Data collected included nutritional status, health indicators (hypertension, cerebrovascular accidents), and information on feeding practices and cultural beliefs.
Main Results:
- Malnutrition primarily affects female babies aged 1-3 years, linked to weaning practices and gender bias in childcare.
- Overweight is prevalent in adult women, associated with cultural perceptions of beauty and wealth, leading to higher rates of hypertension and cerebrovascular accidents.
- Cultural factors significantly influence dietary habits and health outcomes in both children and adults.
Conclusions:
- Interventions addressing weaning practices and gender equity in childcare are crucial for reducing childhood malnutrition.
- Public health initiatives promoting diverse food consumption and nutrition education are necessary to combat adult overweight and associated non-communicable diseases.
- While cultural beauty standards contribute to overweight, changing lifestyles may gradually influence these perceptions and associated health risks.
Abstract:
Data and comments from a survey conducted in Atar town with 3.534 individuals controlled. In children, kwashiorkor is rare but malnutrition is observed mainly in female babies between 1 and 3 years. It is caused by on the one hand a too late and too rapid weaning, and on the other hand to ancestral habits giving priority care to male babies. In adult populations, the main fact observed is an over-weight in women, with subsequently, a higher rate of blood hypertension and cerebro-vascular accidents than in men. This over-weight is a symbol of wealthiness and resorts to a traditional pattern of feminine beauty. Public health service and nutrition education can promote the use of a larger variety of foods which has little possibility of changing quickly an esthetic mode. But this concept will slowly recess, according to new ways of life.