Abstract:
'"'Consumption of a balanced-nutritious diet is essential in ensuring public health. It is
important to assess the baseline nutritional status of the population before development
and implementation of an effective intervention programmes to improve the nutritional
status. Therefore, this study was conducted in the Ambagahakanda village of the
Rathnapura district of Sri Lanka to assess the baseline nutritional status of rural people and
to evaluate the nutritional knowledge, attitudes and practices of the rural community. The
sample consisted of 148 individuals and nutrient intake (24 h diet recall), anthropometric
measurements (height, weight and MUAC) and demographic information (Age, sex,
employment etc.) were collected using a structured and pre-tested questionnaire. The
majority of subjects belong to the middle-class socio-economic category and both males
and females showed normal Body Mass Index (BMI) with a mean BMI value of 23.74. There
was a significant correlation between BMI and Mid Upper Arm Circumference (MUAC) in
both males (Pco.ooi, r=o.68) and females (P<o.ooi, r=o.47). The results of the 24 h diet
recalls indicated that the mean daily intake of energy by men and women were 2545 kcal
and 1988 kcal, respectively. The energy intake of both males and females did not show any
significant difference (P>0.05) compared to the standard values (2500 kcal for men, 2000
kcal for women) recommended by the Ministry of Health, Sri Lanka. However, the protein
intake of both males (68g) and females (s8g) showed significantly lower (Pco.os) values
than the recommended values. It can be concluded that the rural diet lacks protein although
it provides adequate energy to maintain the normal BMI. Therefore, proper intervention
programmes need to be inplemented with a view to enhancing the nutritional knowledge
and attitudes to combact possible protein malnutritional disorders in the future.
