South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) Repository
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Test Determining classes of food items for health requirements and nutrition guidelines using Gaussian mixture models
No full textIntroduction: The identification of classes of nutritionally similar food items is important for creating food exchange lists to meet health requirements and for informing nutrition guidelines and campaigns. Cluster analysis methods can assign food items into classes based on the similarity in their nutrient contents. Finite mixture models use probabilistic classification with the advantage of taking into account the uncertainty of class thresholds.
Methods: This paper uses univariate Gaussian mixture models to determine the probabilistic classification of food items in the South African Food Composition Database (SAFCDB) based on nutrient content.
Results: Classifying food items by animal protein, fatty acid, available carbohydrate, total fibre, sodium, iron, vitamin A, thiamin and riboflavin contents produced data-driven classes with differing means and estimates of variability and could be clearly ranked on a low to high nutrient contents scale. Classifying food items by their sodium content resulted in five classes with the class means ranging from 1.57 to 706.27 mg per 100 g. Four classes were identified based on available carbohydrate content with the highest carbohydrate class having a mean content of 59.15 g per 100 g. Food items clustered into two classes when examining their fatty acid content. Foods with a high iron content had a mean of 1.46 mg per 100 g and was one of three classes identified for iron. Classes containing nutrient-rich food items that exhibited extreme nutrient values were also identified for several vitamins and minerals.
Discussion: The overlap between classes was evident and supports the use of probabilistic classification methods. Food items in each of the identified classes were comparable to allowed food lists developed for therapeutic diets. This data-driven ranking of nutritionally similar classes could be considered for diet planning for medical conditions and individuals with dietary restrictions.YB and AG time on this research was funded by the South African Medical Research Council
A qualitative exploration of the perceived factors that influence alcohol consumption among South African AGYW and the relationship with sexual risk behaviour
No full text48th Annual Symposium of the Kettil Bruun Society for Social and Epidemiological Research on Alcohol. Johannesburg, South Africa. 5-9 June 2023
The use of Interferon-Gamma Releasing Assays (IGRA) to improv the detection of tuberculosis in captive-bred nonhuman primates
No full textPoster presented at the 13th International Veterinary Immunology Symposium, Kruger National Park, South Africa, 17-21 November 2023
Which policies and interventions work to influence the school food environment?
No full textNutrition Congress 2023. Cape Town, South Africa. 18-20 April 2023
Incorporating economic evidence into guidelines to inform local policy and best practices for child health in Malawi, Nigeria and South Africa
Full text link17th Public Health Association of South Africa (PHASA) Conference. Gqeberha, South Africa. 10-13 September 2023
READ-It project: Catalysing influential nutrition evidence synthesis and capacity building in LMICs.
No full textPoster presented at the 27th Cochrane Colloquium, London UK from 3-6 September 2023
Geospatial mapping of food advertisements in three low-income communities in Cape Town, South Africa
Full text linkEPH 2023 Conference; abstract published and relevant poster displayed at the European Public Health Conference in Dublin, 8-11 November 2023.Background: The South African food environment is characterized by pervasive marketing on television and in print media of unhealthy food and beverages. Little is known about the extent of outdoor food and beverage marketing (product, spatial advertising, branding) at transport interchange areas, community food outlets, and schools. Our study aimed to map outdoor food and beverage marketing within the vicinities of these areas in three low-income communities in Cape Town.
Methods: Data on food and beverage-related branding, product type, placement, pictures, and Global Positioning System coordinates were captured using a web-based questionnaire. Geographic Information System software was used to delimit the target communities and areas, geospatially map the physical food environment, and perform spatial analysis of the data. Results: Overall, 986 food and beverage advertisement entries were observed. Preliminary results depicted trends of advertisements clustering around retailers. Spatial trends depicted that fast food and sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) advertisements were likely to collocate around transport interchange areas, while SSB advertisements were more likely to collocate near schools. The spatial trend for alcohol advertisements indicated a clustering near main roads. Spatial trends for product types varied by location. Few advertisements for fruit and vegetables were captured. Further spatial analysis is underway to assess advertisement density and proximity to youth-related areas, food outlets, and transport interchange areas.
Conclusions: Low-income communities, commuters, and schoolchildren in South Africa are targeted by advertisements for unhealthy foods and SSBs, indicating the need for policy intervention to regulate food marketing. Key messages: Geospatial mapping of food and beverage advertisements indicated the promotion of unhealthy products in low-income communities in South Africa. Food and beverage adverts target school children and commuters using public transport in poorer communities
Developing infographics to communicate COVID-19 rapid review conclusions in South Africa
Full text linkPresented at the 27th Cochrane Colloquium, London, UK from 3-6 September 2023
South Africa newborn and child health national and provincial clinical practice guideline (CPG): A landscape analysis
Full text linkPoster presented at the 17th Public Health Association of South Africa (PHASA) Conference 10-13 September 2023, Gqeberha, South Africa
The feasibility and acceptability of mobile phone-delivered adherence counselling to address HIV-stigma concerns to improve ART adherence among people attending public health services
Full text link11th SA AIDS Conference 20-23 June 2023, Durban, South Africa