Introduction: Diarrhea remains the second leading cause of death among children under five years globally. Nearly one in five child deaths, about 1.5 million each year, are due to diarrhea. It kills more young children than Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS), malaria and measles combined. World Health Organization has accordingly underlined the need for epidemiological surveys of infantile diarrhea in all geographical areas. The main research objectives were to estimate the prevalence of diarrhea and identify factors associated with diarrheal diseases in Tiko city in Cameroon. Method: The present study was a cross-sectional community household survey which was conducted in Tiko town from 1st to 31st of August 2012. With the use of a questionnaire, a total of 602 households that had at least one child under five years of age were interviewed. Mothers/caregivers were questioned on the morbidity of diarrhea and the logistic regression model was employed to examine the determinants of childhood diarrhea. Both univariable and multivariable data analysis was performed using SPSS version 16.0. Results: The results of this study showed that the prevalence of diarrhea was 23.8% and children under 24 months were highly affected. We found children using the main toilet and other types of toilet facilities such as bushes, diaper, and streams (OR: 0.194; p < 0.001, 95% CI) and usage of narrow-mouth container for storage of drinking water (OR: 0.492; p < 0.001, 95% CI) less likely to suffer from diarrhea. In contrast, higher rates of diarrhea prevalence were seen in children from households with two or more siblings (OR: 1.222; p < 0.001, 95% CI) and whose mothers/caregivers never had the knowledge of safe sources of drinking water (OR: 1.849; p < 0.01, 95% CI). Conclusion: Childhood diarrhea is a public health problem in Tiko city. Hence, interventions aimed at reducing the prevalence should take into consideration the integration of family planning activities in the prevention of childhood diarrhea and the deployed of health personals to educate the community to adopt a hygienic behavior. Future research on the topic should be qualitative inquiry to complement the quantitative nature of this study.

Background: Despite the strong commitment at both national and international levels to eradicate hunger and achieve household food security, by 2030 food insecurity remains a public health problem. South Africa is amongst the countries with the highest rate of income inequality in the world and extremely high levels of absolute poverty. The Gini coefficient in South Africa is estimated at 0.68 Although South Africa may be food secure at a national level, large numbers of households within the country are food insecure approximately 52% of the rural households in Limpopo Province of South Africa were considered severely food insecure. It has been noted that the majority of households in South African informal settlements and rural areas were moderately or severely food insecure due to lack of access to food which was directly related to income. Rural areas have assets that can be explored to support households. The adult population above 18 years in South Africa make up 78% of the 5.9 million population with about 40% living in rural areas, this study explored household food insecurity in adults in rural environments. The current study aimed to explore the socioeconomic and dietary determinants of household food insecurity among the adult population in the Limpopo Province. Methods: A cross-sectional survey design was used, and data were collected using a validated pre-tested questionnaire. The participants were recruited from households in Limpopo province. Multiple linear regression was computed to explore the influence of socioeconomic and dietary practices on food insecurity. Results: The study included 699 randomly selected participants of which the majority earned a monthly income ≤ 3000 ZAR, and 31.8% experiencing hunger in the past 30 days at the time of study. The dietary practices of the participants were found to be associated with household food insecurity. The study found that large family size, being female in South Africa, low household income and low rate of regular breakfast intake were significant determinants of household food insecurity (p < 0.05). Conclusion: In summary, most of the households were poor and approximately one-third were food insecure. The implementation of sustainable employment policies, and food-based approaches and targeting rural household food production could significantly reduce food insecurity in the rural area.

Agriculture is undoubtedly the backbone of the Cameroonian economy, and other economic activities thrive only if production in this sector is assured. It has been estimated that approximately 25 million agricultural workers worldwide experience unintentional pesticide poisoning yearly. Unfortunately, limited information exists about the health and safety of the farmers. The aim of this study was to describe the occupational health and safety (OHS) conditions of farmers working on small-scale tomato farms in the western region of Cameroon. A cross-sectional research method was used to collect data from tomato farmers in May 2017, using a questionnaire developed by the research team. A total of 104 tomato farmers from small-scale farms participated in the study. The analysis revealed that the occupation is male-dominated (86.5%). The training and use of personal protective equipment (PPE) among farmers were rare (35.6%), and farmers were mostly exposed to chemical hazards. The farmers reported the following work-related health problems: skin irritation, backache, impairment of the central nervous system (CNS), visual problems, and respiratory difficulties. The OHS conditions on small-scale tomato farms are mostly poor, thus predisposing farmers to the risk of work-related health problems. Exposure to occupational hazards can be significantly reduced if the required PPE are available and efficiently used.

This study assesses the fruit and vegetable consumption patterns and risk factors for chronic diseases of lifestyle (CDL) among young adults attending Kenyatta University, Kenya. Four hundred and twenty-three young adults aged 19–30 years participated in the cross-sectional study. Males were 75.0% less likely to be overweight than females (OR = 0.25; 0.13–0.47). The mean overall consumption of fruit and/or vegetables amounted to 3.6 servings in a typical day. Eight in ten participants consumed lower amounts of fruits and vegetables than recommended by the WHO. At least one combined risk factor of CDL was observed among 91.3% of the young adults. About 8.7% of the participants were classified as low risk for CDL (having none of the five risk factors), 48.9% had one risk factor, 32.9% had two risk factors, 8.5% had three risk factors, while 0.9% had four risk factors. A significant relationship between daily fruit consumption and waist circumference was observed. These findings show the dire need to develop public health nutrition activities aimed at increasing the intake of fruit and vegetables and sensitizing young adults, and the general population, to the risk factors of CDL.

Insufficient access to enough quality food remains a public health challenge in South Africa. This study aimed to report the influence of community and the household environment, food system inventories, and food procurement on household food security. The findings alluded that food insecurity is prevalent among the rural areas in South Africa. Large household sizes and a limited access to and use of water and food storage facilities for food preservation are the major household determinants. A multi-sectoral nutrition-planning approach that accelerates the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals should be reinforced. We recommend the promotion of food production for consumption in rural communities.