Studying the nutritional beliefs and food practices of Malagasy school children parents. A contribution to the understanding of malnutrition in Madagascar

Madagascar is severely affected by the problem of children malnutrition. The present study aimed at exploring school children Malagasy parents' food practices and beliefs structures about the nutritional value of foods, to better understand the causes of this malnutrition. A combination of Focus Groups (72 participants), and questionnaires (1000 interviewees) was used to evaluate the food beliefs and the nutritional habits of low income parents of school age children in urban and rural areas of Antananarivo and Antsiranana. The respondents' beliefs were shown to focus not only on the nutrient and energetic composition of food, but also to involve more general relations between food and heal…

How to use local resources to fight malnutrition in Madagascar? A study combining a survey and a consumer test

This study aimed to understand consumers' habits and belief structures concerning local food products and to develop a new snack as a way to fight against children malnutrition in Madagascar. A large variety of natural food resources grow in Madagascar, like Moringa oleifera (MO) which leaves are rich in nutrients but not consumed. First, a survey conducted in four areas of Madagascar revealed that MO leaves are known for their health benefits but infrequently consumed, probably because of their low satiating power and strong odor. In the studied areas, different levels of consumption were observed, which may be linked to varying levels of familiarity with MO by the local populations, this …

Using sensory evaluation to fight malnutrition in Madagascar: formulation of a snack rich in essential nutrients

International audience; The aim of this study was to formulate a snack which consumption would contribute to fight against essential nutrientsdeficiencies in Malagasy children. We identified the principal characteristics that would make a food adopted by the Malagasypopulation, using focus groups and questionnaires. Based on households’ food beliefs and practices, specifications were definedto formulate products associating cassava roots and MO leaf powder that would be accepted by the consumers. Four cassavabased snacks were proposed, which varied in MO and sucrose quantities. Hedonic and choice tests were performed with children,which showed that children preferred the sweet product with …

Role of Languages in Consumers' Food Description: Contrasting Malagasy and French Descriptors of M oringa oleifera Leaf Powder