Department of Development Studies, School of Public Health and Social Sciences, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Leicester School of Allied Health Sciences, De Montfort University, Leicester, United Kingdom.
Int J Public Health. 2023 Jul 21;68:1605294. doi: 10.3389/ijph.2023.1605294. eCollection 2023.
Under nutrition especially among under-fives is a major public health challenge in Tanzania. However, the contribution of cultural practices to child under nutrition is often overlooked. This study aimed to explore the perceived socio-cultural factors contributing to the persisting under nutrition among under-fives in Tanzania. The study applied focus group discussion (FDGs) with forty practitioners to examine the sociocultural factors contributing to under nutrition during early childhood. The study participants were purposively selected and thematic analysis was used to identify themes within the data. This study revealed that, under nutrition for under-fives is caused by a number of socio-cultural factors including existence of gender inequality related to dietary practices and qualities, women's excessive workload, patriarchy social-norm, excessive alcohol use and cultural taboos prohibiting women and girls from eating certain types of nutrient dense foods. The study highlights the multiplicity of factors including socio-cultural perspectives contributing to under nutrition among under-fives, and calls for a concerted efforts in developing and implementing issue-specific and culturally sensitive strategies towards elimination of child under nutrition.
在坦桑尼亚，尤其是五岁以下儿童的营养不良是一个主要的公共卫生挑战。然而，文化习俗对儿童营养不良的影响往往被忽视。本研究旨在探讨坦桑尼亚五岁以下儿童持续营养不良的感知社会文化因素。该研究采用焦点小组讨论（FDGs）的方法，与 40 名从业者一起研究了导致儿童早期营养不良的社会文化因素。研究参与者是经过精心挑选的，主题分析被用来确定数据中的主题。本研究表明，五岁以下儿童的营养不良是由多种社会文化因素引起的，包括与饮食实践和质量有关的性别不平等、妇女过多的工作量、父权制社会规范、过度饮酒以及文化禁忌禁止妇女和女孩食用某些营养丰富的食物。本研究强调了导致五岁以下儿童营养不良的多种因素，包括社会文化观点，并呼吁共同努力制定和实施针对特定问题和文化敏感的战略，以消除儿童营养不良。
