Study of the frequency of consumption of food recipes at the community level in five regions of Niger

Malnutrition, particularly undernutrition and micronutrient deficiencies, persists and is a public health problem in Niger. The rates of these different forms exceed WHO standards. The objective of this study is to establish a reference situation in the regions of Niger most affected by malnutrition in order to develop a code dictionary of food recipes and foods, the starting point for the food consumption study. Thus, through focus groups, the different recipes and ingredients commonly consumed in 5 regions of Niger (Tillabéry, Dosso, Tahoua, Maradi, Zinder) were collected. A wide variety of recipes were encountered. Pasta is the most common cereal-based dish consumed in the households we visited. It is often the family's evening meal, which can be reheated the next day for breakfast. The most commonly consumed pasta is made from millet, rice, or sorghum. Then come the drinks (boule) made from these cereals. However, some local foodstuffs are also found, but of low consumption, which could contribute to rebalancing the nutritional status of the populations. In this study, the recipients of the various food recipes identified are almost exclusively households (98.86%), with only one case cited for children under two years of age (cooked cowpeas) and one case for nursing mothers (milk). Overall, with the exception of the month of April (77.89%), at least 80% of the food recipes identified were consumed each month. However, additional studies must be conducted to better map them from a nutritional point of view.