Dietary Practices and Metabolic Syndrome in the Young Adult Population of Rwanda
Condition: Metabolic Syndrome; Nutritional Status; Diet Habit
MeSH terms: Metabolic Syndrome; Syndrome
Study type: Observational

Summary: 
      Policy makers in Rwanda have recently highlighted the importance of promoting healthy diets
      and lifestyle in response to rapidly increasing rates of obesity. This project will provide
      evidence on shifts in diet and nutritional status in urban dwellers as compared to the
      traditional diet and lifestyle in rural areas as a basis for a targeted public health policy
      for Rwanda.
    

Detailed description: 
      Adequate diet has been known for many years to be a major lever to significantly decrease the
      risk for non-communicable diseases (NCD). However, mainly due to urbanization and improved
      economic status in low and middle income countries (LMICs), the traditional largely
      plant-based diets are being replaced by more energy-dense and nutrient poor diets,
      incorporating more animal foods and processed foods and fat, and with a decrease in
      consumption of fruits and vegetables and other plant based foods. This diet change together
      with a sedentary lifestyle are typical phenomena in LMICs that are driving the so-called
      nutrition transition that is typically accompanied by an increase in obesity and in NCD like
      metabolic syndrome, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and cancer. In Rwanda, NCD lead to 36%
      of total deaths. Cancers, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and chronic respiratory diseases
      account for 82% of NCD deaths. The major risk factor is the raised blood pressure (34.4%) and
      the probability of dying between ages 30 and 70 years from those four main NCD is estimated
      to 19%.

      The Government of Rwanda has installed an operational NCD unit in the Ministry of Health with
      a view to developing preventive strategies vis-à-vis the nutrition transition process in the
      country. It has been shown already that there is a need for adopting dietary behaviour change
      to prevent the epidemic of chronic diseases.

      The aim of this PhD work is to contribute in generating evidence needed to develop targeted
      prevention strategies for NCD in a broader framework of informed health policy making in
      Rwanda.

      Specific objectives:

        1. To identify the changes in eating habits of different socio- economic subgroups in
           adults living in Kigali, in comparison to their peers in rural areas;

        2. To assess nutritional status and body composition using several methods (BMI, skinfold
           thicknesses, sitting height and body build, fat and fat free mass), with the ultimate
           objective to establish population-body composition-derived BMI cut-offs for overweight
           and obesity in this population;

        3. To assess and compare the prevalence of common risk factors for non-communicable disease
           (high BMI, low fruit and vegetable consumption, low physical activity and high blood
           pressure) between rural and urban areas;

        4. To evaluate people's nutrition knowledge, aptitude and capacity (KAP), perception of
           obesity and normal weight and food insecurity levels as risks factors for adherence to
           healthy dietary practices and life style;

        5. To generate information to be used by governments to improve dietary habits and physical
           activity through targeted interventions.

      The data collected in a cross sectional study design. Validated questionnaires will be used
      to get information on socio-economic characteristics, dietary practices, physical activity,
      other lifestyle factors and psycho-social and emotional indicators.
    

Intervention name(s): Dietary habits; Risk factors associated with metabolic syndrome
Intervention type(s): Other; Other
Intervention description(s): Data collected using food frequency questionnaire; Data collected on nutritional status, biochemical indicators and other risk factors associated with metabolic syndrome
Observational model: Other
Time perspective: Cross-Sectional
Sampling method: Non-Probability Sample
Study population: 
        Participants will be selected randomly from the general population. Eligible subjects who
        agree to participate (informed consent) will be enrolled in the study.
      
Biospecimen description: 
      Serum samples
    
Keywords: Food Frequency Questionnaire; Dietary patterns; Risk factors; metabolic syndrome; Nutritional transition