TY - JOUR
T1 - Dietary Inadequacy, Micronutrient Deficiencies, and Approaches to Preventing Poor Nutrition in the Gaza Strip
AU - Horino, Masako
AU - Bahar, Lina
AU - Al-Jadba, Ghada
AU - Habash, Rami
AU - Akihiro, Seita
AU - West, Keith P.
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors would like to thank Dr Majed Hababeh for sharing his expertise on maternal child health and historical knowledge of UNRWA and Palestine refugees in the Middle East. The first author gratefully acknowledges the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, the Harry D. Kruse Publication Award in Human Nutrition, and support from the Sight and Life Global Nutrition Research Institute, Baltimore, MD.
Funding Information:
The authors would like to thank Dr Majed Hababeh for sharing his expertise on maternal child health and historical knowledge of UNRWA and Palestine refugees in the Middle East. The first author gratefully acknowledges the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, the Harry D. Kruse Publication Award in Human Nutrition, and support from the Sight and Life Global Nutrition Research Institute, Baltimore, MD. The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2020.
PY - 2020/12
Y1 - 2020/12
N2 - Palestine refugees comprise the largest refugee population in the world, most of whom are encamped in Middle Eastern countries. In the Gaza Strip, where ∼1.4 million Palestinians reside, there are high prevalences of anemia and multiple micronutrient deficiencies (MNDs), including those of iron, zinc, vitamins A, B12, D, and E, ranging from 11.4% to 84.7% among pregnant women and 2.9% to 70.9% among preschool children. Dietary diversification and adequate food fortification are framed in policies but remain aspirational goals. Alternative, effective, targeted preventive approaches include, for women, replacement of antenatal iron-folic acid with multiple micronutrient supplementation, and for young children, point-of-use multiple micronutrient powder fortification to prevent anemia, both of which can reduce other MNDs and may bring additional health benefits. These interventions coupled with monitoring of dietary intakes, periodic assessment of MNDs, and implementation research to improve existing nutrition interventions are warranted to protect the health of the Middle East Palestinian diaspora.
AB - Palestine refugees comprise the largest refugee population in the world, most of whom are encamped in Middle Eastern countries. In the Gaza Strip, where ∼1.4 million Palestinians reside, there are high prevalences of anemia and multiple micronutrient deficiencies (MNDs), including those of iron, zinc, vitamins A, B12, D, and E, ranging from 11.4% to 84.7% among pregnant women and 2.9% to 70.9% among preschool children. Dietary diversification and adequate food fortification are framed in policies but remain aspirational goals. Alternative, effective, targeted preventive approaches include, for women, replacement of antenatal iron-folic acid with multiple micronutrient supplementation, and for young children, point-of-use multiple micronutrient powder fortification to prevent anemia, both of which can reduce other MNDs and may bring additional health benefits. These interventions coupled with monitoring of dietary intakes, periodic assessment of MNDs, and implementation research to improve existing nutrition interventions are warranted to protect the health of the Middle East Palestinian diaspora.
KW - malnutrition
KW - maternal and child nutrition
KW - micronutrient deficiency
KW - supplementation
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U2 - 10.1177/0379572120967819
DO - 10.1177/0379572120967819
M3 - Article
C2 - 33131324
AN - SCOPUS:85094874612
SN - 0379-5721
VL - 41
SP - 503
EP - 511
JO - Food and nutrition bulletin
JF - Food and nutrition bulletin
IS - 4
ER -