Date of Graduation

5-2016

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Agricultural & Extension Education (MS)

Degree Level

Graduate

Department

Agricultural Education, Communications and Technology

Advisor/Mentor

Leslie D. Edgar

Committee Member

Lawton L. Nalley

Second Committee Member

K. Jill Rucker

Third Committee Member

Bruce L. Dixon

Keywords

Social sciences, Communication and the arts, Health and environmental sciences, Education, Helath, Knowledge, Mozambique, Perceptions

Abstract

Mozambique is classified as a low income country, the lowest development classification defined by the World Bank. It is underdeveloped in food security, agricultural production, and nutritional status, and research shows its residents are not foreign to poverty and malnutrition. Low protein, starchy foods (maize, rice, wheat, cassava) comprise the majority of the Mozambican diet; these starchy foods are the most available for consumption. Although availability impacts diet, educational barriers may also threaten the knowledge of nutrition and perceptions of healthy foods. Illiteracy and lack of education are extreme challenges to disseminating nutritional education efforts in the rural Nampula region. New Horizons, a for-profit poultry company located in the rural Nampula region, provides local villagers with employment opportunities that provide increased income and ultimately lead to increased quality of life (which may affect employees’ diet and food choices). This study assessed the nutritional status of New Horizons employees and nonemployees and their knowledge and perceptions of nutrition. When reporting daily food consumption, grains represented the highest percentage of caloric intake for both groups, followed by beans and tubers. Respondents could not consistently provide a definition of nutrition, but employees were able to define nutrition more often than nonemployees. When reporting healthy foods, leaves, maize flour, and bananas were chosen most often. When reporting preferred foods to consume, employees chose luxury goods and nonemployees chose starchy foods. Respondents could not provide a consistent answer of where they learned about healthy foods. Implications for practice include incorporating nutrition and healthy foods lessons with school lunch programs. Future research should assess respondents during the harvest, post-harvest, and hungry seasons to account for seasonality, and measure foods consumed by providing measuring utensils for respondents.

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