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Nutrition, Diets, and Health

Nadia Koyratty

Research Fellow

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Bio

Nadia Koyratty is a Research Fellow in the Nutrition, Diets, and Health Unit. Her research interests include food insecurity and water insecurity in low- and middle-income countries and during disasters. Her doctoral thesis focused on maternal and child health in Zimbabwe, and her post-doctoral research examined food security during the COVID-19 public health emergency and other natural disaster events. Nadia received her PhD in Epidemiology from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 2022. She also holds a double master’s degree in Sustainable Management of Food Quality from the Université de Montpellier, France, and the Università degli Studi della Basilicata, Italy.

Languages: Creole, English, French, Italian

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Publications

Resource thumbnail

Journal Article

Diets, fruit and vegetable intake, and nutritional status in Sri Lanka: A scoping review

2026Koyratty, Nadia; Nwabuikwi, Odiche; Silva, Renuka; Hess, Sonja Y.; Olney, Deanna K.
Details

Diets, fruit and vegetable intake, and nutritional status in Sri Lanka: A scoping review

Suboptimal diets, including low fruit and vegetable (F&V) intake, are major contributors to malnutrition and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Sri Lanka. Understanding dietary patterns is essential for addressing these challenges. This scoping review synthesizes the literature on diet, F&V intake, and nutritional status across different population groups in Sri Lanka. Searches were conducted in PubMed in October 2023. In total, 30 publications on diet, 13 on F&V intake, and 26 on nutritional status met the inclusion criteria. Sri Lankan diets were found to be rice-dominant with limited variety of nutrient-dense foods such as animal-source foods (ASF) and F&V. Trends in nutritional status varied across life stages. Among children < 5, undernutrition was prevalent, with stunting affecting 14%–21%, wasting 10%–15%, and underweight 17%–21%. Anemia was found in 8%–15% of children < 5 and 25%–30% of pregnant women. Micronutrient deficiencies, particularly vitamin D, iron, and zinc, affected more than one-third of pregnant women. In adults, over one-third were overweight/obese, 8%–12% had diabetes, and 20%–25% had hypertension. Diet, F&V intake and nutrition outcomes also differed by socioeconomic, demographic, and geographic characteristics, with estate sector residents, Indian Tamil populations, and low-income groups disproportionately affected by poor diet quality, low F&V intake, insufficient nutrient intake and malnutrition, while women (vs. men) and urban (vs. rural/estate) residents exhibited higher prevalence of overweight/obesity and NCDs. This review revealed evidence gaps such as the lack of recent dietary intake data based on individual quantitative dietary assessments that limit understanding of current diet adequacy. Additionally, only one impact evaluation designed to improve diet was identified. More research is needed to understand how to effectively improve diet including increasing intake of F&V and ASF in Sri Lanka.

Year published

2026

Authors

Koyratty, Nadia; Nwabuikwi, Odiche; Silva, Renuka; Hess, Sonja Y.; Olney, Deanna K.

Citation

Koyratty, Nadia; Nwabuikwi, Odiche; Silva, Renuka; Hess, Sonja Y.; and Olney, Deanna K.. 2026. Diets, fruit and vegetable intake, and nutritional status in Sri Lanka: A scoping review. Maternal and Child Nutrition 22(1): e70157. https://doi.org/10.1111/mcn.70157

Country/Region

Sri Lanka

Keywords

Asia; Southern Asia; Diet; Fruits; Vegetables; Nutritional Status; Food Intake; Health

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-NC-ND-4.0

Links

https://doi.org/10.1111/mcn.70157 Source record

Project

Fruit and Vegetables for Sustainable Healthy Diets

Record type

Journal Article

Resource thumbnail

Journal Article

Understanding the evidence gaps: Diets and fruit and vegetable intake across five diverse low- and middle-income countries

2026
Tharaney, Manisha; Hess, Sonja Y.; Bliznashka, Lilia; Amunga, Dorcas A.; Azupogo, Fusta; Koyratty, Nadia; Smith, Taryn J.; Angeles-Agdeppa, Imelda; Goyena, Eva A.; Grant, Frederick
…more Kinabo, Joyce; Mitchodigni, Irene Medeme; Silatolu, Anasaini Moala; Silva, Renuka; Hambayi, Mutinta; Perera, Thushanthi; Olney, Deanna K.
Details

Understanding the evidence gaps: Diets and fruit and vegetable intake across five diverse low- and middle-income countries

Poor dietary quality, particularly inadequate fruit and vegetable (F&V) intake, remains a significant public health challenge globally. This article synthesizes findings from scoping reviews examining diet and F&V intake, and interventions to increase F&V consumption among population groups in five countries: Benin, Fiji, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Tanzania. Our analysis confirms previous findings of inadequate F&V intake across all five countries, with most adults consuming well below the WHO recommendations of 400 g per day. Across the five countries, the identified scientific evidence is limited due to heterogeneous dietary assessment methods, limited coverage of population groups in national surveys and smaller studies, and limited data from rigorous evaluations of interventions aiming to increase F&V intake. Although all five countries have developed food-based dietary guidelines promoting F&V intake, research on their implementation and effectiveness remains limited. To build evidence for effective programmes and policies to improve both quantity and diversity of F&V intake, we identify three priority areas for future research: standardizing dietary assessment methods for use in surveys and evaluations, understanding context-specific drivers and determinants of F&V intake and strengthening intervention research in low-resource settings.

Year published

2026

Authors

Tharaney, Manisha; Hess, Sonja Y.; Bliznashka, Lilia; Amunga, Dorcas A.; Azupogo, Fusta; Koyratty, Nadia; Smith, Taryn J.; Angeles-Agdeppa, Imelda; Goyena, Eva A.; Grant, Frederick; Kinabo, Joyce; Mitchodigni, Irene Medeme; Silatolu, Anasaini Moala; Silva, Renuka; Hambayi, Mutinta; Perera, Thushanthi; Olney, Deanna K.

Citation

Tharaney, Manisha; Hess, Sonja Y.; Bliznashka, Lilia; Amunga, Dorcas A.; Azupogo, Fusta; Koyratty, Nadia; et al. Understanding the evidence gaps: Diets and fruit and vegetable intake across five diverse low- and middle-income countries. Maternal and Child Nutrition. Article in press. First published online October 22, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1111/mcn.70117

Country/Region

Benin; Fiji; Philippines; Sri Lanka

Keywords

Tanzania; Africa; Western Africa; Eastern Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Oceania; Asia; Southern Asia; Consumption; Dietary Assessment; Dietary Guidelines; Diet Quality; Less Favoured Areas; Fruits; Vegetables

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Links

https://doi.org/10.1111/mcn.70117 Source record

Record type

Journal Article

Resource thumbnail

Journal Article

Interventions on fruit and vegetable intake in low-, middle-, and high-income countries: A scoping review of evidence and knowledge gaps

2025
Azupogo, Fusta; Koyratty, Nadia; Smith, Taryn J.; Hinnouho, Guy-Marino; Tharaney, Manisha; Bliznashka, Lilia; Amunga, Dorcas A.; Angeles-Agdeppa, Imelda; Goyena, Eva; Grant, Frederick
…more Kinabo, Joyce; Mitchodigni, Irene Medeme; Silva, Renuka; Sitisekara, Hasara; Olney, Deanna K.; Hess, Sonja Y.
Details

Interventions on fruit and vegetable intake in low-, middle-, and high-income countries: A scoping review of evidence and knowledge gaps

Background Adequate fruit and vegetable (F&V) intake is important for health, yet populations globally are failing to meet recommendations. Objective A scoping review to summarize available evidence of evaluations of interventions to increase F&V intake globally, focusing on target populations, intervention strategies, research methods, and summarizing their evaluated impacts. Methods We searched PubMed and Web of Science in February 2023 for intervention studies in which dietary intake of fruit and/or vegetables were documented. Eligible studies included all age groups, excluding those targeting populations with specific disease-related conditions, such as cancer patients/survivors. Only articles published in English since 2012 were included in the review. Results We identified 6338 articles, with 226 meeting inclusion criteria, comprising 223 unique studies and 284 intervention comparisons. Most comparisons occurred in high-income countries (n = 192) compared to low- and middle-income countries (n = 92). Randomized controlled trials (RCTs; 37.3%) and cluster RCTs (52.5%) were predominant. Interventions primarily targeted adults (31.7%), school-aged children (18.0%), children under-five (14.4%), and adolescents (13.7%), lasting an average of 24 weeks (range: 2 weeks to 20 years). Food-frequency questionnaires (59.2%) and 24-h recalls (26.8%) were the most used dietary assessment method. Health and nutrition education (75.9%) was the most common intervention, utilizing interpersonal communication, mass media, and information-communication technology, often in combinations. Positive impacts on fruit (43.9%), vegetable (40.2%), and combined F&V intake (53.0%) were observed in nearly half the intervention comparisons. Conclusions These findings highlight the predominance of health and nutrition education interventions, predominantly in high-income countries, showing mixed success in improving F&V intake, emphasizing the need for context-specific strategies and standardized methodologies to design sustainable, cost-effective interventions for better diet quality and health outcomes.

Year published

2025

Authors

Azupogo, Fusta; Koyratty, Nadia; Smith, Taryn J.; Hinnouho, Guy-Marino; Tharaney, Manisha; Bliznashka, Lilia; Amunga, Dorcas A.; Angeles-Agdeppa, Imelda; Goyena, Eva; Grant, Frederick; Kinabo, Joyce; Mitchodigni, Irene Medeme; Silva, Renuka; Sitisekara, Hasara; Olney, Deanna K.; Hess, Sonja Y.

Citation

Azupogo, Fusta; Koyratty, Nadia; Smith, Taryn J.; Hinnouho, Guy-Marino; Tharaney, Manisha; Bliznashka, Lilia; et al. 2025. Interventions on fruit and vegetable intake in low-, middle-, and high-income countries: A scoping review of evidence and knowledge gaps. Food and Nutrition Bulletin 46(1_suppl): S5 – S18. https://doi.org/10.1177/03795721251314141

Keywords

Fruits; Vegetables; Health; Nutrition; Nutrition Education; Diet

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-NC-4.0

Links

https://doi.org/10.1177/03795721251314141 Source record

Project

Fruit and Vegetables for Sustainable Healthy Diets

Record type

Journal Article

Events

Better Diets & Nutrition Webinar Series Session 2: Demand Creation for Fruits and Vegetables
IFPRI Program/Country Event

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January 28, 2026, 9:00 – 10:30 am

Better Diets & Nutrition Webinar Series Session 2: Demand Creation for Fruits and Vegetables

Healthy diets are essential for promoting well-being and preventing nutrient deficiencies and diet-related diseases. Fruits and vegetables play a critical role by providing essential vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber, and bioactive compounds, while generally having a lower environmental footprint than many other foods. Despite their importance, global fruit and vegetable consumption remains well below the World […]

23rd International Congress of Nutrition (ICN)
IFPRI at External Event

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August 24 to 29, 2025

23rd International Congress of Nutrition (ICN)

IFPRI is participating in the 23rd International Congress of Nutrition (ICN), hosted by the International Union of Nutritional Sciences (IUNS) on August 24-29 in Paris, France.  The theme of this year’s congress is “Sustainable Food for Global Health,” bringing together experts to discuss evidence and innovations in nutrition, sustainability, food science, and public health. IFPRI […]

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