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Background: In Tanzania, malnutrition among school children is still a major
public health problem. Moreover, grain legumes occupy an important place in
children of school-age. This study reports on the prevalence of undernutrition,
development and acceptability of formulated
pigeon peas biscuits, African
doughnut and pigeon buns. Material and methods: A cross-sectional study was
done which included two designs; Qualitative design included focus group
discussions with 48 farmers to determine the utilization of pigeon peas.
Quantitative design with the laboratory phase and community survey; For
laboratory experiments, biscuits, African doughnut and pigeon pea buns were
developed, proximate analysis, vitamin and minerals analysis was determined
for the raw and formulated products. Sensory evaluation to assess consumer
acceptability and preferences was done which involved 76 school children aged
5- 12 years. Furthermore, 384 pupils were involved in the assessment of
nutritional status in which standard procedures were used to measure weight
and height, also 32 parents were involved in the provision of promotional
materials and cooking demonstrations. Results: Selling was the major form of
utilization of pigeon peas in the study area. All the formulated products had the
protein, cabohydrates and minerals content which are within the recommended
dietary allowance of school-age children. In the study area, the prevalence of
wasting in school children was 8.9% and stunting was 18.8%. The biscuits
which had a high amount of pigeon peas were highly preferred than any other
products, and it was observed that all the attribute aroma, colour, taste and
overall acceptability of the products were significantly different (P≤0.05) in all
formulated products. Conclusion: The prevalence of undernutrition among
school children was high in Singida region, the formulated pigeon peas-based
products can be used to reduce the burden of malnutrition in this area. To
establish a causal relationship between formulated pigeon peas products and
nutritional status longitudinal design should be done in future studies. |
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