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A meta-analysis of community-based studies on quality protein maize

A meta-analysis of community-based studies on quality protein maize
A meta-analysis of community-based studies on quality protein maize
Biofortification, or the improvement of nutritional quality in food crops, is a promising strategy to combat undernutrition, particularly among the rural poor in developing countries.

However, traditional methods of impact assessment are inadequate for biofortified crops, as they do not consider their nutritional benefits. Evidence for the nutritional impact of maize varieties with improved protein quality, collectively known as quality protein maize (QPM), was evaluated using meta-analysis of randomized, controlled studies in target communities.

A new and generalizable effect size was proposed to quantify the impact of QPM on a key outcome, child growth. The results indicated that consumption of QPM instead of conventional maize leads to a 12% (95% CI: 7–18%) increase in the rate of growth in weight and a 9% (95% CI: 6–15%) increase in the rate of growth in height in infants and young children with mild to moderate undernutrition from populations in which maize is the major staple food.

The proposed effect size and use of bootstrapping to determine statistical significance addressed some methodological limitations in the existing studies.
impact assessment, biofortification, meta-analysis, bootstrap, quality protein maize
0306-9192
Gunaratna, Nilupa S.
5bc81545-54da-461b-8dc0-a0fac8172a05
De Groote, Hugo
140fcd6e-c97b-4092-a7f7-b5b48e9f9354
Nestel, Penelope
64dfcf3f-2e0f-4653-9fdf-1a48f1c99a1e
Pixley, Kevin V.
067eb4df-59cf-4420-a2b5-86fecbd9bcb1
McCabe, George P.
c7863df1-4a1e-408b-a924-7c247d736703
Gunaratna, Nilupa S.
5bc81545-54da-461b-8dc0-a0fac8172a05
De Groote, Hugo
140fcd6e-c97b-4092-a7f7-b5b48e9f9354
Nestel, Penelope
64dfcf3f-2e0f-4653-9fdf-1a48f1c99a1e
Pixley, Kevin V.
067eb4df-59cf-4420-a2b5-86fecbd9bcb1
McCabe, George P.
c7863df1-4a1e-408b-a924-7c247d736703

Gunaratna, Nilupa S., De Groote, Hugo, Nestel, Penelope, Pixley, Kevin V. and McCabe, George P. (2009) A meta-analysis of community-based studies on quality protein maize. Food Policy. (doi:10.1016/j.foodpol.2009.11.003).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Biofortification, or the improvement of nutritional quality in food crops, is a promising strategy to combat undernutrition, particularly among the rural poor in developing countries.

However, traditional methods of impact assessment are inadequate for biofortified crops, as they do not consider their nutritional benefits. Evidence for the nutritional impact of maize varieties with improved protein quality, collectively known as quality protein maize (QPM), was evaluated using meta-analysis of randomized, controlled studies in target communities.

A new and generalizable effect size was proposed to quantify the impact of QPM on a key outcome, child growth. The results indicated that consumption of QPM instead of conventional maize leads to a 12% (95% CI: 7–18%) increase in the rate of growth in weight and a 9% (95% CI: 6–15%) increase in the rate of growth in height in infants and young children with mild to moderate undernutrition from populations in which maize is the major staple food.

The proposed effect size and use of bootstrapping to determine statistical significance addressed some methodological limitations in the existing studies.

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More information

Published date: 5 December 2009
Keywords: impact assessment, biofortification, meta-analysis, bootstrap, quality protein maize

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 143261
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/143261
ISSN: 0306-9192
PURE UUID: 1c8018af-a7e3-475a-b327-e7a1c26c896d

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Date deposited: 08 Apr 2010 08:18
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 00:42

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Contributors

Author: Nilupa S. Gunaratna
Author: Hugo De Groote
Author: Penelope Nestel
Author: Kevin V. Pixley
Author: George P. McCabe

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