Feeding Practices, Food Variety, and Dietary Diversity – Indicators of Nutritional Status among Historically Disadvantaged Agri-business Families, South Africa

Background: In the South African context, little is known about the nutritional status of historically disadvantaged smallholder food producers and their family members. Food Variety Scores (FVS) and Dietary Diversity Scores (DDS) are some of the indicators of nutritional status. This study sought to evaluate the nutritional status of children of historically disadvantaged agri-business smallholders at Alfred Nzo District. Methods: This study‟s purposeful sample comprised of 263 agri-business households that generated annual turnover of US $11 811 – $39 370, and 327 children aged 5-14 years. A 3-day 24h dietary recall method was administered to collect information using questionnaires to assess the households‟ socio-economic status and the caregivers‟ nutritional practices. Descriptive, correlational, and non-parametric statistical analyses were performed. Results: The majority of caregivers‟ households had a monthly non-farm income of US $78.82 - $118.11 (32.3%), and food expenditure of US $55.20 - $70.87 (23.2%). The households‟ nutritional practices appeared weak. Half of the caregivers‟ households (50.2%) could not afford to provide breakfast for their children every day before they go to school or church. The mean FVS was low at 23.43 ± 7.89, while the mean DDS was debatably high at 7.82 ± 4.53. The households‟ non-farm income was positively and highly correlated (r = 0.55) to food expenditure (P 0.01). In turn, food expenditure had a significant influence on FVS (P 0.01) and DDS (P 0.05). Conclusion: Households of historically disadvantaged agri-business smallholders had rather poor nutritional status. Staple food production-based security programs are required to improve nutrition.