Small fish are increasingly recognized as affordable, nutrient-rich animal-source foods, yet little is known about their consumption among primary school-age children, particularly within home and school food environments. This study applied Turner’s food environment framework to examine factors influencing fish consumption among primary school-age children in three districts of Northern Uganda. Using a convergent parallel mixed-methods design, we combined quantitative data from a cross-sectional survey of 109 households involving 280 children with qualitative data from 16 focus group discussions with parents. Children consumed fish primarily at home, mainly as environmentally friendly processed small fish, while school meals largely comprised carbohydrate-rich, plant-based foods. Both external and personal food environment factors influenced fish consumption, but affordability emerged as the dominant driver, mediating the effects of availability, market access, convenience, and desirability. We demonstrate that applying the food environment framework provides a comprehensive understanding of how these interacting factors shape children’s fish consumption. The limited inclusion of nutrient-dense small fish in school meals represents a missed opportunity to improve dietary quality and nutrition among school-age children, with implications for nutrition-sensitive and sustainable school feeding programs in Uganda and other low- and middle-income countries.

While small fish are increasingly being recognized as an important source of essential nutrients, little is known about how they are utilized and consumed in households. This study aims to fill this gap. We used a cross-sectional survey consisting of 109 households, with 742 individuals, to collect quantitative data on household dietary diversity and fish consumption in three districts of northern Uganda. Additionally, qualitative data on the preparation of small fish were collected through observations and focus group discussions. Contrary to views in mainstream food security discourses, our results show that small fish are accessible and frequently consumed. Overall, 686 of the 742 individuals (92.4

Fish is readily available to fishing communities. Given the high nutritional value of fish, these communities are expected to have better nutritional status, compared to non-fishing communities. However, this assumption is not well studied across coastal fishing communities in Ghana. Hence, this cross-sectional study was conducted to investigate the nutritional status, dietary patterns, and fish consumption of children living in coastal fishing communities in Ghana. Nutritional status of 384 randomly selected children was assessed using the mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) measurement. MUAC less than 12.5 cm was used as the cutoff to identify malnourished children. Food and fish consumption patterns were assessed using an adopted and pretested food frequency questionnaire. The findings showed a prevalence of 0.5% wasting among surveyed children. The mean dietary diversity score (DDS) of the study participants was 4.3 ± 1.2. The mean DDS of the children of fisher mothers was less than that of the children of the female caregivers who are involved in other occupations. However, no significant difference was observed in the DDS across the coastal regions. Seventy eight percent of the children who participated in the study consumed an adequately diversified diet, and more than 40 different small fish species were consumed across the four coastal regions. The average median weekly fish intake among the children in the study sample was 213 (64–468) g. Considering that one-third of the employed respondents were fisherfolk, coupled with the availability of a great diversity of small fish in the communities, the findings of our study suggest that there is great potential to incorporate small fish into strategic interventions aimed at improving nutrition, food security, and achieving economic sustainability in these communities.

Small fish are an important part of the diet in Ghana, but malnutrition rates remain high. The nutritional quality of fish consumed in Ghana may be affected by food processing and cooking practices, but the extent to which these processes are practiced among poor Ghanaian households along the coastal belt is unknown. This study explored how poor Ghanaian households process, prepare, and cook meals containing small fish. This exploratory qualitative study used Attride-Stirling thematic network analysis. Respondents were purposively sampled from fishing communities in the coastal regions of Ghana. One-on-one interviews were performed by trained field assistants, audio recorded and videotaped, and transcribed for further data analysis. The most common small fish species identified were anchovies and herrings. Anchovies were fried and eaten whole. Herrings were eaten either smoked or fresh; for fresh herring, the head, fins, and viscera were removed before boiling. Herrings were smoked with the head and viscera; however, both the head and viscera were removed before being added to boiling soup and were not consumed. Anchovies were fried for 10 min, and herrings were boiled for 15–30 min. Processing methods and further meal preparation depend on the small fish species. Nutrient composition and contribution of small fish depend on the processing method, preparation method, and what tissues are eaten. Thus, these results will be of importance for sampling schemes for food composition tables and for the calculation of nutrient intake from small fish.

The EAT-Lancet Commission's planetary health guidelines suggest a reduction in the consumption of animal-source foods (ASFs) for better health and more sustainable food systems. ASFs are highly nutrient dense, therefore suited to address the widespread issue of micronutrient deficiencies, particularly in low-resource settings where diets are predominantly plant based. ASFs are also believed to contain the meat factor, a substance enhancing the absorption of micronutrients from plant-based foods. We conducted a scoping review with the objective of systematically mapping the available evidence on the meat factor. The MEDLINE/PubMed and Web of Science databases were searched for literature published up to September 2021. Articles eligible for inclusion were all studies assessing the effect of adding ASFs and/or ASF fractions on micronutrient absorption from a plant-based meal or the overall diet in animal models and human subjects. Screening and data extraction were performed, and results were charted into 12 categories. We identified 77 articles eligible for inclusion, 52 of which were conducted in human subjects, 24 in animal models, and 1 in both. The addition of muscle tissue and muscle tissue fractions to single plant-based meals steadily increased absorption of iron and zinc across studies. The efficacy of the meat factor in increasing iron and zinc absorption in the overall diet is less clear. No clear differences emerged between red meat, poultry, and fish in promoting the meat factor effect. No clear evidence indicates that milk and egg products contain the meat factor. Our review highlights the importance of muscle tissue for the potential of the meat factor to enhance absorption of micronutrients of concern. Although the literature supports including sustainable and economically accessible forms of these ASFs into the diet, we found limited studies in resource-poor countries and of diets with low meat intake.

Introduction The magnitude of child malnutrition including severe child malnutrition is especially high in the rural areas of the Democratic Republic of Congo (the DRC). The aim of this qualitative study is to describe the social context of malnutrition in a rural part of the DRC and explore how some households succeed in ensuring that their children are well-nourished while others do not. Methodology This study is based on participant observation, key informant interviews, group discussions and in-depth interviews with four households with malnourished children and four with well-nourished children. We apply social field theory to link individual child nutritional outcomes to processes at local level and to the wider socio-economic environment. Findings We identified four social fields that have implications for food security and child nutritional outcomes: 1) household size and composition which determined vulnerability to child malnutrition, 2) inter-household cooperation in the form of ‘ gbisa work party’ which buffered scarcity of labour in peak seasons and facilitated capital accumulation, 3) the village associated with usufruct rights to land, and 4) the local NGO providing access to agricultural support, clean drinking water and health care. Conclusions Households that participated in inter-household cooperation were able to improve food and nutrition security. Children living in households with high pressure on productive members were at danger of food insecurity and malnutrition. Nutrition interventions need to involve local institutions for inter-household cooperation and address the problem of social inequalities in service provision. They should have special focus on households with few resources in the form of land, labour and capital.

Studying the influence of geographical factors on child growth is important, especially given the increasing interest in climate change and health in resource-poor settings and the recognized importance of growth faltering as a general marker of population health. We describe patterns in children's weight and length velocity and relate them to seasonal and spatial factors in rural DR Congo. The study setting is a food-insecure area with a majority dependent on rain-fed subsistence farming and expected to be one of the regions most affected by climate change.