research on the role of micronutrients in pregnant women health and disease, on the
development of inventories and traditional food consumption tables of existing and
potentially significant traditional food sources of micro nutrients, including inter
alia green and yellow vegetables and fruits, palm oil and other locally available
traditional food sources of micronutrients, on weaving foods, on factors affecting
the bioavailability of nutrients in traditional food, on indigenous methods of traditional food processing and preparation affecting micro nutrient availability, etc.
and on the improvement of existing techniques for the assessment and correction of
micronutrient deficiencies through corporate social responsibilities in community
development.
2.5 Nutritional Interventions on Pregnant Women Health
Through Food Security
Interventions aim at changing diet and nutrition of pregnant women that include
educating individuals, changing the environment, modifying the traditional food
supply, undertaking corporate social responsibility community interventions, and
implementing economic policies. In most cases, quantifying the effects of the
intervention is difficult, because behavioural changes may take many years and
synergies are potentially important but hard to estimate in formal studies.
Substantial nihilism often exists regarding the ability to change diets or behaviours
of pregnant women, but major changes are possible over extended periods of time
since changing behaviours related to diet and lifestyle require sustained efforts and
long-term persistence. However, opportunities exist that do not require individual
behavioural changes among pregnant women, and these can lead to more rapid
benefits (1) Eat a Healthy Traditional Diet, i.e. Medical experts have long recognized the effects of traditional diet on health of pregnant women. Efforts to
change diets, physical activity patterns, and other aspects of lifestyle during pregnancy have traditionally attempted to educate women through schools, health care
providers, worksites, and general media. Hence, eating a traditionally healthy food
during pregnancy helps women largely to have a healthy lifestyle pre, during and
post pregnancy. (2) Worksite Interventions, i.e. worksite interventions can efficiently include a wide variety of health promotion activities because working
pregnant women spend a large portion of their working hours and eat a large
percentage of their food there. Interventions can include educating pregnant
employees; screening them for behavioural risk factors; offering incentive programs
to walk, ride a bicycle, or take public transportation to work; offering exercise
programs during breaks or after work; improving the physical environment to
promote activity; and providing traditionally healthier foods in cafeterias. Worksite
health promotion can result in a positive return on investment through lower health
costs and fewer sick days. (3) Interventions by Health Care Providers,
Traditional Health Foods Security as Corporate …
557
development of inventories and traditional food consumption tables of existing and
potentially significant traditional food sources of micro nutrients, including inter
alia green and yellow vegetables and fruits, palm oil and other locally available
traditional food sources of micronutrients, on weaving foods, on factors affecting
the bioavailability of nutrients in traditional food, on indigenous methods of traditional food processing and preparation affecting micro nutrient availability, etc.
and on the improvement of existing techniques for the assessment and correction of
micronutrient deficiencies through corporate social responsibilities in community
development.
2.5 Nutritional Interventions on Pregnant Women Health
Through Food Security
Interventions aim at changing diet and nutrition of pregnant women that include
educating individuals, changing the environment, modifying the traditional food
supply, undertaking corporate social responsibility community interventions, and
implementing economic policies. In most cases, quantifying the effects of the
intervention is difficult, because behavioural changes may take many years and
synergies are potentially important but hard to estimate in formal studies.
Substantial nihilism often exists regarding the ability to change diets or behaviours
of pregnant women, but major changes are possible over extended periods of time
since changing behaviours related to diet and lifestyle require sustained efforts and
long-term persistence. However, opportunities exist that do not require individual
behavioural changes among pregnant women, and these can lead to more rapid
benefits (1) Eat a Healthy Traditional Diet, i.e. Medical experts have long recognized the effects of traditional diet on health of pregnant women. Efforts to
change diets, physical activity patterns, and other aspects of lifestyle during pregnancy have traditionally attempted to educate women through schools, health care
providers, worksites, and general media. Hence, eating a traditionally healthy food
during pregnancy helps women largely to have a healthy lifestyle pre, during and
post pregnancy. (2) Worksite Interventions, i.e. worksite interventions can efficiently include a wide variety of health promotion activities because working
pregnant women spend a large portion of their working hours and eat a large
percentage of their food there. Interventions can include educating pregnant
employees; screening them for behavioural risk factors; offering incentive programs
to walk, ride a bicycle, or take public transportation to work; offering exercise
programs during breaks or after work; improving the physical environment to
promote activity; and providing traditionally healthier foods in cafeterias. Worksite
health promotion can result in a positive return on investment through lower health
costs and fewer sick days. (3) Interventions by Health Care Providers,
Traditional Health Foods Security as Corporate …
557