Igbokwe Kosisochukwu C, Ejoh Shirley I, Iheme Gideon O
Department of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria.
Department of Food Studies, Nutrition and Dietetics, Uppsala University, Uppsala753 10, Sweden.
Br J Nutr. 2025 Jan 10;133(3):1-14. doi: 10.1017/S0007114524003301.
Low vegetable consumption among school-age children and adolescents puts them at risk of micronutrient malnutrition and non-communicable diseases. There is a dearth of synthesised literature on vegetable intake and interventions to promote increased consumption among this age group in West Africa. This study pooled evidence on vegetable consumption and interventions to promote vegetable consumption among school-age children and adolescents (6-19 years) in West Africa. Quantitative and qualitative studies from 2002 to 2023 were electronically searched in PubMed, African Journals Online (AJOL) and Google Scholar databases. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses system was adhered to in reporting this review PROSPERO ID: CRD42023444444). The Joanna Briggs Institute critical evaluation tool was used to appraise the quality of studies. Forty (40) studies met the search criteria out of 5080 non-duplicated records. Meta-analysis was not possible due to high heterogeneity. Low vegetable consumption expressed in frequency or amounts was recorded among school-age children and adolescents in the reviewed studies. Intervention studies were mostly among adolescents; the most common type of intervention was the use of nutrition education. Insufficient evidence and high heterogeneity of studies reflect the need for more high-quality interventions using globally identified standards but applied contextually. School-age children appear to be an under-served population in West Africa with regard to nutrition interventions to promote vegetable consumption. There is a need for multi-component intervention studies that encourage vegetable consumption as a food group. Gardening, parental involvement, gamification and goal setting are promising components that could improve the availability, accessibility and consumption of vegetables.
学龄儿童和青少年蔬菜摄入量低，使他们面临微量营养素营养不良和非传染性疾病的风险。关于西非该年龄组蔬菜摄入量及促进摄入量增加的干预措施，缺乏综合文献。本研究汇总了关于西非学龄儿童和青少年（6至19岁）蔬菜摄入量及促进蔬菜消费干预措施的证据。2002年至2023年的定量和定性研究在PubMed、非洲期刊在线（AJOL）和谷歌学术数据库中进行了电子检索。本综述的报告遵循系统评价和Meta分析的首选报告项目（PROSPERO ID：CRD42023444444）。使用乔安娜·布里格斯研究所的批判性评价工具评估研究质量。在5080条非重复记录中，有40项研究符合检索标准。由于异质性高，无法进行Meta分析。在所审查的研究中，学龄儿童和青少年的蔬菜摄入量以频率或数量表示较低。干预研究大多针对青少年；最常见的干预类型是营养教育。证据不足和研究的高异质性反映出需要采用全球公认的标准但因地制宜地进行更多高质量干预。在促进蔬菜消费的营养干预方面，学龄儿童在西非似乎是服务不足的人群。需要开展多成分干预研究，鼓励将蔬菜作为一个食物类别进行消费。园艺、家长参与、游戏化和目标设定是有望提高蔬菜供应、可及性和消费量的组成部分。
