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With research staff from more than 60 countries, and offices across the globe, IFPRI provides research-based policy solutions to sustainably reduce poverty and end hunger and malnutrition in developing countries.

researcher spotlight

Ruth Meinzen-Dick

Ruth Meinzen-Dick is a Senior Research Fellow in the Natural Resources and Resilience Unit. She has extensive transdisciplinary research experience in using qualitative and quantitative research methods. Her work focuses on two broad (and sometimes interrelated) areas: how institutions affect how people manage natural resources, and the role of gender in development processes. 

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IFPRI currently has more than 600 employees working in over 80 countries with a wide range of local, national, and international partners.

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partnerships

Fondation Botnar is a Swiss-based foundation which champions the use of AI and digital technology to improve the health and wellbeing of children and young people in growing urban environments. It supports research, engages with diverse partners, and invests in emerging technologies and scalable solutions globally.

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Projects

Nudging for Good: A.I.-driven diagnostics and behavior change to improve diets and nutrition

Nudging for Good: A.I.-driven diagnostics and behavior change to improve diets and nutrition

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Publications

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Journal Article

The Global Diet Quality Score is associated with nutrient adequacy and depression among Vietnamese youths

2023Nguyen, Phuong Hong; Tran, Lan Mai; Hoang Nga Thu; Deitchler, Megan; Moursi, Mourad; Bergeron, Gilles
Details

The Global Diet Quality Score is associated with nutrient adequacy and depression among Vietnamese youths

The Global Diet Quality Score (GDQS) has been recommended as a simple diet quality metric that is reflective of both nutrient adequacy and noncommunicable disease outcomes. It has been validated among women of reproductive age (15–49 years) in diverse settings but not specifically among younger women. This paper examines the relationship between the GDQS and nutrient adequacy, anthropometric outcomes, and depressive symptoms among 1001 Vietnamese young women aged 16–22 years. In energy-adjusted models, the GDQS was significantly (p < 0.05) and positively correlated with intakes of protein (ρ = 0.23), total fat (ρ = 0.06), nine micronutrients (calcium, iron, zinc, vitamin C, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6, folate, and vitamin A) (ρ = 0.12–0.35), and the mean probability of adequacy of micronutrients (ρ = 0.28). Compared to young women with optimal GDQS, those with low and very low GDQS were two to five times more likely to have a mean probability of nutrient adequacy less than 50% and showed two to three times higher odds for depression. No association was observed for GDQS and anthropometric outcomes. In conclusion, the GDQS performed well in capturing nutrient adequacy and depressive symptoms among Vietnamese young women. Further research is warranted to explore the relationship between diet quality and depression in other settings.

Year published

2023

Authors

Nguyen, Phuong Hong; Tran, Lan Mai; Hoang Nga Thu; Deitchler, Megan; Moursi, Mourad; Bergeron, Gilles

Citation

Nguyen, Phuong Hong; Tran, Lan Mai; Hoang Nga Thu; Deitchler, Megan; Moursi, Mourad; and Bergeron, Gilles. 2023. The Global Diet Quality Score is associated with nutrient adequacy and depression among Vietnamese youths. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 1528(1): 48-57.

Country/Region

Vietnam

Keywords

Southern Asia; South-eastern Asia; Diet; Diet Quality; Non-communicable Diseases; Nutrients; Trace Elements; Women

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Links

https://doi.org/10.1111/nyas.15053 Source record

Project

Sustainable Healthy Diets

Record type

Journal Article

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Journal Article

Mobilizing adolescents and young women to promote healthy diets in urban settings of Colombia and Vietnam: Lessons from two action-research programs

2023Bergeron, Gilles; Nguyen, Phuong Hong; Correa Guzman, Nathalia; Tran, Lan Mai; Hoang, Nga Thu; Restrepo Mesa, Sandra
Details

Mobilizing adolescents and young women to promote healthy diets in urban settings of Colombia and Vietnam: Lessons from two action-research programs

Adolescent and young women face grave nutrition challenges, but limited evidence exists on solutions to improve their diets. Action-research was done over 3 years (2020–2022) in secondary cities of Colombia (Medellin) and Vietnam (Thai Nguyen) to identify nutrient deficits in adolescent and young women diets; elaborate food-based recommendations to improve their nutritional status using Optifood linear programming; and engage respondents in incorporating suggested recommendations to their diet using a Social Innovation Challenge approach. A total of 1001 respondents were interviewed in Vietnam, 793 in Colombia. The probability of nutrient inadequacy in both locations was highest for iron and calcium, followed by the risk of deficiency for several other vitamins and minerals. Social Innovation Challenge teams (11 in Vietnam, 9 in Colombia) were created and supported in developing solutions to improve diets and tackle those deficiencies. Awards and resources were transferred to the most promising solutions to enable their implementation. Pre/post measurements of the interventions’ impact using the Global Diet Quality Score as outcome metric showed significant improvement in the diets of Challenge participants. After introducing a series of companion articles that offer detailed results on those various steps, this paper draws strategic lessons from an action-research perspective.

Year published

2023

Authors

Bergeron, Gilles; Nguyen, Phuong Hong; Correa Guzman, Nathalia; Tran, Lan Mai; Hoang, Nga Thu; Restrepo Mesa, Sandra

Citation

Bergeron, Gilles; Nguyen, Phuong Hong; Correa-Guzman, Nathalia; Tran, Lan Mai; Hoang, Nga Thu; and Restrepo-Mesa, Sandra. 2023. Mobilizing adolescents and young women to promote healthy diets in urban settings of Colombia and Vietnam: Lessons from two action-research programs. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 1528(1): 42-47.

Country/Region

Colombia; Vietnam

Keywords

South America; South-eastern Asia; Healthy Diets; Nutrition; Nutrient Deficiencies; Research; Women

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-NC-4.0

Links

https://doi.org/10.1111/nyas.15046 Source record

Project

Sustainable Healthy Diets

Record type

Journal Article

Resource thumbnail

Journal Article

Dietary intake and occupational status among female youths of Thai Nguyen, Vietnam

2023Tran, Lan Mai; Nguyen, Phuong Hong; Hoang, Nga Thu; Truong, Duong Thuy Thi; Tran, Trang Huyen Thi; Bui, Diep Ngoc; Hoa, Hanh Thi Hong; Hua, Diem Thi; Bergeron, Gilles
Details

Dietary intake and occupational status among female youths of Thai Nguyen, Vietnam

Adolescence is a sensitive transition time that affects rights, roles, and responsibilities in food choice, yet limited evidence exists on dietary intakes during this critical period. This study assessed the food consumption pattern and the adequacy of energy, macronutrient, and micronutrient intakes among female youth belonging to three occupational groups in Vietnam. Dietary intakes were measured for 1001 participants aged 16–22 years using INDDEX24’s 24-h recall method. Multivariate regression analyses were conducted to examine differences in diet outcomes among the three occupational groups. Dietary diversity was similar across groups but workers, compared to high school and college students, consumed less baked/grain-based sweets and fast foods, and more soft drinks, other sweets, and processed meat. Two-thirds of the sample showed energy intake lower than the estimated energy requirement, while a substantial percentage had insufficient or excessive intake of carbohydrate and fat. The mean probability of adequacy of nutrient intakes was low (0.33) and not different across all three occupational groups except for folate, which favored workers. Our study provides novel evidence supporting the development and implementation of interventions to achieve national targets, with emphasis on female youths who undergo special transitions in education, occupation, and lifestyle.

Year published

2023

Authors

Tran, Lan Mai; Nguyen, Phuong Hong; Hoang, Nga Thu; Truong, Duong Thuy Thi; Tran, Trang Huyen Thi; Bui, Diep Ngoc; Hoa, Hanh Thi Hong; Hua, Diem Thi; Bergeron, Gilles

Citation

Tran, Lan Mai; Nguyen, Phuong Hong; Hoang, Nga Thu; Truong, Duong Thuy Thi; Tran, Trang Huyen Thi; et al. Dietary intake and occupational status among female youths of Thai Nguyen, Vietnam. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 1527(1): 75-83. https://doi.org/10.1111/nyas.15044

Country/Region

Vietnam

Keywords

South-eastern Asia; Asia; Adolescents; Females; Capacity Development; Youth; Nutrition; Trace Elements; Food Consumption; Macronutrients; Diet; Dietary Diversity

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Links

https://doi.org/10.1111/nyas.15044 Source record

Record type

Journal Article