ABSTRACT

Background and objective: Forest cover has been associated with better diets and nutritional status. We investigated whether living in close proximity to forest cover was associated with better diet quality and anaemia prevalence among women of reproductive age in Southwest Cameroon.

Methodology: Comparative cross-sectional survey of 247 randomly selected women of reproductive age from four forest-based villages (n=126) and four non-forest villages (n=121). A semi-structured questionnaire was used to interview women about their sociodemographic characteristics, anaemia-related morbidity, and use of forests for food, income and medicine. Qualitative 24-hour recall method was used to assess the women’s dietary intake in the past day. Additionally, the women’s weight, height and Hemoglobin (Hb) were measured. Differences between groups were assessed with Pearson’s chi-square and independent T-tests; logistic regressions were used to identify predictors of anaemia. Results: Compared with women from non-forest villages significantly more women from forest-based villages consumed Vitamin A rich fruits and vegetables (98% vs. 92%; p=0.04) and animal source foods (84% vs. 68%; p=0.002). Women from forest-based villages were also significantly more likely to have obtained iron-rich foods such as dark green leafy vegetables (42% vs. 1%; p=0.001) and animal source foods (17% vs. 1%; p=0.001) from the forest, whereas these foods were more likely to be from their own farms or purchased by the non-forest women. Mean hemoglobin concentration was higher for the forest-based women (forest 11.10±1.53 g/dl vs.10.68±1.55g/dl; p=0.03) but there was no group difference in anemia prevalence. Significant predictors of anemia among the women were: living in a compound setting (OR=2.37; 95% CI: 1.27-4.43), not consuming pulses the previous day xi (OR=2.60; 95% CI: 1.32-5.13) and not having a toilet facility at home (OR=2.24; 95% CI: 1.07-4.67). Conclusion: Despite having higher mean hemoglobin concentration women from forest based communities had similar anemia prevalence to women living farther from forest cover. However, for women living near forest cover, the forest was an important source of iron-rich foods. Efforts to prevent forest loss and maintain ecosystem services are warranted to enhance diets and nutrition of rural forest dependent communities.