The habitual diet in rural and urban Cameroon

Objective: To evaluate the habitual diet or a rural and urban Copulation in Cameroon, Central Africa. Setting: An urban area-Cite Verte Housing District. Yaounde (1058 subjects) , and a rural area-three villages in Evodoula. Cameroon (746 subjects). Subjects: Cameroonian men and women of African origin (1058 urban, and 746 rural), aged 24-74y. Methods: The habitual diet was estimated with an interviewer-administered f ood frequency questionnaire. Main outcome measures: Macro- and micronutrient intake, Results: The intake of energy, fat and alcohol was higher in rural men and women than in urban subjects. In rural women, the intake of carbohydrates a nd protein was also higher. The intakes of fibre, iron, carotene, zinc, pot assium. and of the vitamins C, D and E were all higher in rural men and wom en than in their urban counterparts. The intake of retinol was lower in rur al subjects than in urban subjects. Eight of the 10 foods eaten in the high est amount and contributing most to energy intake differed between the rura l and urban population. Conclusion: The habitual diet in rural Cameroon contains more fat rind alco hol than the diet in urban Cameroon. The high physical activity in the rura l area may explain the lower levels of the cardiovascular risk factors in t his area compared to those of the urban dwellers. Sponsorship: This work was supported by a grant from the European Union (co ntract no. TS3*CT92-0142) and by the Conseil Regional d'Ile de France and I NSERM. Descriptors: habitual diet: Africa: Cameroon; urban; rural.