CHRONIC NON-COMMUNICABLE DISEASES: POTENTIAL RISK FACTORS FOR FOOD INSECURITY

The recent global increases in food prices have the potential to impact negatively on vulnerable groups in society. In this study, we investigated the cost of eating healthily among persons with chronic non-communicable diseases. Participants were recruited at chronic disease clinics at public institutions in Trinidad. The purpose of the study was explained to potential participants and those who gave both oral and written consent were enrolled in the study. On the day of interview, participants had their weights and heights measured to the nearest kg and cm using standard procedures. Interviews were then conducted on the amounts and types of foods consumed in the previous 24 hours by two final-year students in the BSc Human Nutrition and Dietetics programme. Recommended caloric intakes were computed from weights and heights using the appropriate WHO gender- and age-specific equations. The nutrient profile and quality of the diets consumed by participants were determined using the nutritional analysis software - Nutrigenie 7.5. For each participant, three random diets similar to those consumed were generated using the Nutrigenie 7.5 programme. Conservatively, we assumed that meals such as sandwiches, juice, rice and peas etc were all prepared at home. In such cases, we priced the amount of raw ingredient that would be required to make the particular item. All diets, whether purchased or prepared at home, were priced using the average cost of the particular item or the substitute closest in nutrient profile from the list available from the national Division of Consumer Affairs. The cost of eating a daily healthy diet was computed as the difference between the average cost of the random diets and cost of the diet consumed in the previous 24 hours. One hundred and twenty persons (60 males; 60 females) participated in the study. The average cost of consuming a healthy diet was approximately $40 TT per day. The cost of diets based on the 24-hr recall was approximately $20.00. Results of the dietary analyses suggest that the actual diets had adequate amounts of calories and proteins although they were poor in mineral and vitamins. Our results suggest that persons affected by chronic non-communicable diseases might be at increase risk for consuming diets that are poor in mineral and vitamins. The fact that many of our participants were in the lower income brackets nationally might put them at increased risk for foods insecurity