The Contributions of Orange Fleshed Sweet Potato to Household Vitamin A Intake

Abstract

The prevalence of Vitamin A Deficiency (VAD) remains high in Uganda among children under 5 years and women of reproductive age. The readily bio-available sources of vitamin A such as liver, organ meats and fish oils are too expensive for the majority of the population to consume regularly. Sweet potato is a major staple food in the country and Orange Fleshed Sweet Potato (OFSP) being rich in beta-carotene offers an alternative source of Vitamin A to the low income section of the population. This study was conducted to assess the contributions of OFSP to household vitamin A intake in Gulu district, Northern Uganda. The cross sectional study was conducted over a period of six months in purposively selected four rural sub-counties and the Municipality. A total of 250 randomly selected households participated in the study. Using Food Frequency Questionnaires (FFQ), data on the contributions of different food items to Vitamin A intake was collected. OFSP contributed 68% of the daily Vitamin A intake at household level. However, OFSP alone is not adequate to meet the vitamin A requirements of all household members. It is therefore important for households to include other sources of Vitamin A in their daily diets to adequately cater for the vitamin A requirements of all its members. To realize the full potential of OFSP or any other food based intervention in addressing malnutrition in a population, it is important to consider other factors such as the health status of individuals, access to health services, sanitation, feeding and care practices since they all play critical roles in determining the overall effect of the intervention on the population.