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The purpose of this paper is to present findings from research into food insecurity amongst older people aged 50 years and older in the UK.

This paper uses secondary analysis of national-level survey data and semi-structured interviews with older people receiving emergency food from foodbanks.

There is a forgotten care gap in the UK where a substantial number of older people are living in food insecurity. Many older people live alone and in poverty, and increasing numbers are constrained in their spending on food and are skipping meals. Food insecurity amongst older people can be hidden. Within families a number of older people were trying to ensure that their children and grandchildren had enough to eat, but were reluctant to ask for help themselves.

The broad categorisation of older people aged 50 and above comprises people in very different circumstances. The qualitative component of the research was undertaken across various sites in a single city in England. Despite these limitations, the analysis provides important insights into the experiences of the many older people enduring food insecurity.

An increased public and professional awareness of food insecurity amongst older people is needed. Increased routine screening for under-nutrition risk is a priority. Policy initiatives are needed that are multifaceted and which support older people across a range of age groups, particularly those living alone.

Food insecurity amongst older people in the UK raises questions about the present policy approach and the responsibilities of the government.

The research provides important new insights into the experiences of the many older people experiencing food insecurity in the UK by drawing on survey data and interviews with older people using foodbanks.

The study aimed to investigate the problem of malnutrition among Nigerian households with emphasis on protein and calorie intake.

Multi-stage random sampling approach was used to select 321 household members drawn from a total of 80 households. A combination of descriptive and inferential statistics was applied in analysing the data.

The study revealed that household income, dependency ratio, education and gender of household head, among others, are factors that would significantly influence per capita daily calorie and protein intake of households. Protein-energy malnutrition is more of inadequate calorie than protein intake. There was confirmatory evidence of inadequate consumption of calorie among pre-school and school age children, while adult male members seemed to consume the above requirements with the possibility of being at the risk of obesity. Though children were undernourished, they are unlikely to be marasmic.

The study examined the problem of malnutrition among Nigerian households with emphasis on protein and calorie intake. Socio-economic factors influencing per capita calorie and protein intakes as well as the possible risks of protein-energy malnutrition among household members were also examined. The patterns of intake of calorie and protein consumption among household members indicated the possibility of over-nutrition and under-nutrition coexisting among members of the households with over-nutrition and potential risks of obesity in adult males and under-nutrition among pre-school and school age children.

Although the health professionals have differing opinions on feeding babies and young children, the true facts are often all too few. As a result, many mothers remain confused about nutrition and not surprisingly their lack of understanding can lead to under nutrition in their offspring.

The reduction in under nutrition is very slow in the past two decades in India even with high-economic growth rate and expansion in the ICDS programme. The ICDS evaluation studies majorly stressed on the general factors but they fail to acknowledge the structural factors - class and caste - while providing solutions. In Tamil Nadu nutritional status and utilization of ICDS services are better as compared to all-India average. The purpose of this paper is to explore the nutritional status of the poor and scheduled caste (SC) in Tamil Nadu and their utilization of ICDS services and to examine the role of group-specific factors in low reduction of nutritional status and utilization of ICDS programme.

Multivariate analysis and logistic regression method were used using SPSS.

The reduction of underweight is slow among the poorest and SC, moreover, the disparity between the richest and poorest as well as upper caste and SC is increasing. Logistic regression analysis shows that the poorest are marginalized, children belonging to poorer income group have higher chances of using the ICDS than the poorest and it is significant. After making the wealth quintile constant, the utilization of ICDS services across social groups showed that, though the poorest quintile has less access, within them the SC had utilized less compared to the other backward class (OBC). This indicates the poorest SCs are more vulnerable and marginalized across all quintiles and social groups.

In Tamil Nadu there is no sufficient sample of other caste/tribe and scheduled tribe. It would have given more insight on the utilization pattern. Lack of qualitative data has limited in explaining few phenomena to get more insight.

It will help the government to formulate more inclusive policy and address the issue of exclusion of marginalized people.

The main core argument was based on the Tamil Nadu National Family Health Survey (NFHS) III unit-level data.

The purpose of this study is to determine and compare the nutritional status of children aged 5‐10 years attending private (fee paying‐FP) and public (non‐fee paying‐NFP) primary schools in Ibadan South‐West Local Government Area (ISWLGA) of Oyo State, Nigeria.

Anthropometry method was used in the study. Two basic variables (height and weight) and a single derived variable (body mass index‐BMI) were utilized. All the anthropometric measurements were taken following standard techniques.

The prevalence of malnutrition was significantly higher (p<0.05) in the NFP pupils than in the FP pupils. The incidence of stunting, underweight and wasting among NFP pupils (boys and girls) was 44.8 percent and 43.05 percent; 41.07 percent and 38.88 percent; 43.59 percent and 40.29 percent, respectively. For the pupils from FP schools, the incidence of stunting, underweight and wasting, respectively, (boys and girls) was 34.21 percent and 27.77 percent; 30.70 percent and 27.77 percent; 27.19 percent and 5.55 percent. Higher percentages of boys were malnourished in the two groups of pupils studied.

The study was limited to Ibadan South‐West local Government Area of Oyo state, Nigeria; it does not give a holistic view of the nutritional status of Nigerian school children.

The results of this study, shows that the average school child in Ibadan, Nigeria is under nourished. Also, higher percentages of boys were malnourished in the two groups of pupils studied. Urgent steps should therefore be taken to meet the nutritional needs of the children.

Emphasises the youth of South Africa’s population of almost 45 million: 43 per cent are under 20 years old, but 60 per cent of children live below the poverty line and are therefore outside the target area of marketers. Contrasts the freedom that food advertisers have in South Africa for targeting children with the position in developed countries: whereas obesity is an issue in the latter, in South Africa the problem has been one of under‐nutrition. Describes the South African Advertising Research Foundation’s Living Standards Measure studies which aim to estimate the size of the youth market; they are a heterogeneous and media‐rich segment. Outlines the regulatory environment: there is a mix of legal regulation and sophisticated self‐regulation based on the Code of Advertising Practice of the Advertising Standards Authority of South Africa. Concludes that marketers will need to attend to the worldwide debate on food advertising to children: incidence of obesity is higher than expected, and this is complicated by the stunting phenomenon, where chronic undernutrition in early life results in abdominal obesity from energy‐rich western diets.

Childhood under‐nutrition remains a major health problem in resource‐poor settings like the rural areas in Nigeria. The purpose of this paper is to determine the types and nutrient adequacy of complementary foods used in a rural area.

The most frequently used (52 percent) homemade complementary food (HCF) in the area was studied, employing questionnaire, standardization of recipe and chemical analysis to evaluate the complementary food and to suggest improvement.

Two varieties of local beans (white and brown) were used in the preparation of HCF in the study area. They were either peeled to remove the coat or unpeeled. There was no significant difference (p<0.05) in the protein content of the HCF made from the two varieties. Using any of the beans unpeeled children between the ages of six and eight months meet their energy and protein requirement. The calcium, iron, and zinc contents of HCF from the two bean varieties were low.

This paper may be the first to evaluate HCF using mothers' method of preparation.

The purpose of this paper is to develop and standardize nutrient dense, easily digestible and affordable ready-to-eat supplementary foods from locally available ingredients for malnourished children and to assess their nutritional composition.

To develop supplementary foods, wheat and green gram were germinated, dried and made into flour. Potatoes of “Kufri Pukhraj” variety procured from university were washed, peeled, sliced, boiled, dipped in potassium metabisulphite solution, dried and grounded into flour. Spinach leaves were washed, dried and made into powder. Five wholesome ready-to-eat supplementary foods, namely, panjiri, mathi, seviyan, biscuits and pinni, were developed from germinated cereal, pulse and potato flour and spinach leaves powder. The products were standardized with potato flour and spinach leaves powder. The developed products were analyzed for proximate composition by standardized methods.

One-way analysis of variance and Tukey’s test was used to obtain differences in organoleptic scores within different levels of treatments. All five supplementary foods were acceptable at 30 per cent level of potato flour and 2.5 per cent level of spinach leaves powder. Mean scores of panjiri, mathi, seviyan, biscuits and pinni were significantly different (p < 0.05). Significant (p < 0.05) difference was observed in terms of moisture, crude protein, crude fat, crude fibre and ash content among the developed products.

The developed ready-to-eat supplementary foods can be recommended for supplementary feeding programmes running in the country.

The paper aims at the development of high energy protein supplementary foods for malnourished children. The developed complementary food blend is made up of variety of food groups like cereal, pulse, root and tuber and green leafy vegetables to provide wholesome nutrition to children. This is different to originally provided supplementary foods to children made up of only cereal. The developed products also add a variety to supplementary foods given to malnourished children in supplementary feeding programmes.

This study aimed to determine the relationship between calorie and macronutrients intake and the growth status of Aboriginal children based on gender and age group.

This was a cross-sectional study participated by 85 school-aged Aboriginal children at Labu, Negeri Sembilan. The dietary intake and socioeconomic status data were collected from the parents using an interviewer administrated structured-questionnaire and 24-hour dietary recall. WHO AnthroPlus software was used to determine the z-score of weight for age (WAZ), height for age (HAZ) and body mass index (BMI) for age (BAZ).

The mean fat intake was significantly higher among younger children (i.e. 7–9 years old) as compared to elder children (i.e. 10–12 years old) (40.7 ± 17.3 g vs 32.0 ± 13.8 g; t = 2.496, p = 0.015) but not for the mean intake of calorie (1816.1 ± 979.9 kcal vs 1566.3 ± 808.7 kcal; t = 1.248, p = 0.216), protein (50.13 ± 20.08 g vs 44.94 ± 16.45 g; t = 1.269, p = 0.208) and carbohydrates (198.0 ± 63.0 g vs 190.8 ± 66.1 g; t = 0.513, p = 0.609). The majority of the respondents did not meet recommended nutrient intake (RNI) for the calorie (65.9%) and fat (75.3%). A significantly higher proportion of elder children did not meet RNI for fat as compared to younger children (88.8% vs 65.3%; X² = 6.21, p = 0.021). The HAZ showed that 28.2% (n = 24) of the Aboriginal children were stunted, while WAZ showed that 14.8% (n = 9) of the Aboriginal students were underweight, and 8.2% of them were overweight. Based on BAZ classification, 15.4% (n = 6) of boys and 2.2% (n = 1) of girls were overweight. There is no significant correlation between calories and macronutrients and growth status of the children.

Although the under-nutrition status among Aboriginal children is still a highlighted issue, the few over-nutrition statuses among Aborigines should be taken into count, especially in term of energy and macronutrient intake.