Tadesse Alemu

Pattern of Lathyrus sativus (grass pea) consumption and beta-N-oxalyl-α-β-diaminoproprionic acid (β-ODAP) content of food samples in the lathyrism endemic region of northwest ethiopia

Abstract Grass pea, a legume whose consumption is associated with human lathyrism, is an important food crop among the poorer sectors of society in many parts of Ethiopia. A nutritional survey, focussing on the preparation and consumption of grass pea, in 224 families of two villages of a lathyrism endemic area in northwestern Ethiopia has been undertaken. Grass pea is grown in only one of the two villages. Raw as well as cooked food samples were collected and the levels of β-ODAP determined by the OPT method. Grass pea foods were also prepared in the laboratory following methods used in the villages and analyzed for their toxin level to derive information if certain procedures were capable of reducing the level of toxin. Steeping grass pea in excess water leaches out ca 30% of the β-ODAP. Grass pea bread ( kitta ) and roasted seeds ( kollo ) showed elevated levels of β-ODAP compared to the seeds used in the preparation of these foods. Lower levels of β-ODAP were found in boiled snacks ( nifro ) and the flour form ( shiro ).

Nutritional Status and Risk of Infection Among Ethiopian Children

This is a prospective study on the possible association between protein energy malnutrition and risk of infection in a pastoralist and in an agricultural community in southern Ethiopia. A total of 425 children under 5 years of age were observed for 8 months. In general, malnourished children had a significantly higher incidence of diarrhoeal disease, even after controlling for possible confounding social, economic, and environmental effects, as well as for past history of illness. However, the extent of this association between nutritional state and morbidity differed between the two study populations. Thus, only wasting was associated with increased incidence of diarrhoeal disease among the pastoralist, whereas wasting, stunting, low weight for age, and low arm circumference all showed such an association in the agricultural community. Demographic and socio-economic characteristics as well as differences in the prevalence of stunting may explain this discrepancy.

Dietary pattern and state of nutrition among children in drought-prone areas of southern Ethiopia.

To assess dietary habits and nutritional state in drought-prone areas of southern Ethiopia, we studied 334 households in a pastoral and 282 in an agricultural community. Milk and cereals were the main sources of food among children of the pastoral Boran in Dubluk, while cereals with limited supplements of animal products or legumes formed the main sources of food among children of the agricultural population of Elka in the Rift valley. Of the children in Elka, 54.9% were stunted, as compared with 19.5% among children in Dubluk. Also, stunting occurred at an earlier age among the Elka children. Prevalences of wasting were less than 5% in both communities. Improvement in the state of nutrition of the pastoral children followed soon after the main rains, but occurred later and after the main harvest among the agricultural children. In contrast to arm circumference, the weight-for-height measure showed marked seasonal variation. Socio-economic factors, such as family wealth and crowding, significantly influenced the state of nutrition among the children. Nutritional recovery following the prolonged drought among the agricultural children was slow and associated with families acquiring more wealth.

Population growth, fertility, mortality and migration in drought prone areas in Ethiopia.

To assess the population dynamics of drought-prone communities, we investigated 605 households in the pastoralist Boran community of Dubluk and in the agricultural community of Elka, both located in southern Ethiopia. The age and sex composition of the population as well as records of births, deaths and patterns of migration were observed for 2 consecutive years. Repeated surveys of the same households revealed much higher rates for deaths and births than did cross-sectional surveys with a one-year recall period. Indirect mortality estimates showed that the under 5 years mortality rates (per 1000 births) were 135 in Dubluk and 219 in Elka. Highest crude death rates were observed in Elka during periods of meningitis and malaria epidemics. During the period of observation, death rates fluctuated to a greater extent than birth rates. Both communities had very high rates of natural increase: in Dubluk 39.0/1000 and in Elka 37.1/1000. In Dubluk, this rate was far higher than any previously recorded and may have indicated that fertility regulating mechanisms, traditionally inherent in the pastoralist social organization, had become weaker as part of cultural changes. Dubluk represented a semi-nomadic society with a moderately high mobility pattern. Peak periods of migration coincided with times of food scarcity in Elka.

Nutritional assessment of two famine prone Ethiopian communities.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: To compare two ethnically distinct Ethiopian populations (Oromo Arsi in Elka in the Rift Valley and Anyuak in Punjido in Gambella) for two widely used anthropometric indices of protein-energy malnutrition: body mass index < 18.5 and arm muscle circumference < 80% of the median of the US NHANES reference data. DESIGN: Anthropometric measurements were made in two cross sectional community surveys. SETTING: The Elka village in the central Rift Valley and the Punjido village in western Ethiopia. PARTICIPANTS: 1170 and 560 people from all age groups in Elka and Punjido, respectively. MAIN RESULTS: Estimates of the prevalence of malnutrition in each group differed considerably when defined from the body mass index, but were quite similar when the arm muscle circumference was used. Data for children indicated that the boys and girls in one group (Punjido) were taller but had about the same weights for age as those in the other group (Elka), suggesting that the low body mass indices among the Punjido might have a genetic basis. CONCLUSIONS: Body mass index systematically overestimates the prevalence of malnutrition among the Anyuaks in Punjido. Local reference data from a well nourished Anyuak sample or from an ethnically related population is needed to evaluate appropriately malnutrition using the body mass index. This study shows that care must be taken when assessing different ethnic groups using existing international anthropometric references.

Post-treatment of tannery wastewater using pilot scale horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetlands (polishing)

In the present study, a pilot scale horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetland (CW) system planted with Phragmites karka; longitudinal profile was studied. The wetland was fed with tannery wastewater, pretreated in a two-stage anaerobic digester followed by a sequence batch reactor. Samples from each CW were taken and analyzed using standard methods. The removal efficiency of the CW system in terms of biological oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), Cr and total coliforms were 91.3%, 90%, 97.3% and 99%, respectively. The removal efficiency for TN, NO3- and NH4+-N were 77.7%, 66.3% and 67.7%, respectively. Similarly, the removal efficiency of SO42-, S2- and total suspended solids (TSS) were 71.8%, 88.7% and 81.2%, respectively. The concentration of COD, BOD, TN, NO3-N, NH4+-N, SO42 and S2- in the final treated effluent were 113.2 ± 52, 56 ± 18, 49.3 ± 13, 22.75 ± 20, 17.1 ± 6.75, 88 ± 120 and 0.4 ± 0.44 mg/L, respectively. Pollutants removal was decreased in the first 12 m and increased along the CW cells. P. karka development in the first cell of CW was poor, small in size and experiencing chlorosis, but clogging was higher in this area due to high organic matter settling, causing a partial surface flow. The performance of the pilot CW as a tertiary treatment showed that the effluent meets the permissible discharge standards.