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

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cg.authorship.typesCGIAR single centre
cg.authorship.typesCGIAR and developing country institute
cg.authorship.typesCGIAR and advanced research institute
cg.contributor.affiliationInternational Food Policy Research Institute
cg.contributor.affiliationWayamba University of Sri Lanka
cg.contributor.affiliationUniversity of California
cg.contributor.donorCGIAR Trust Fund
cg.contributor.initiativeFruit and Vegetables for Sustainable Healthy Diets
cg.contributor.programAcceleratorBetter Diets and Nutrition
cg.coverage.countrySri Lanka
cg.coverage.regionAsia
cg.coverage.regionSouthern Asia
cg.creator.identifierNadia Koyratty: 0000-0001-6035-6920
cg.creator.identifierOdiche Nwabuikwu: 0009-0004-6093-6828
cg.creator.identifierDeanna Olney: 0000-0002-2420-8565
cg.howPublishedFormally Published
cg.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.1111/mcn.70157
cg.identifier.projectIFPRI - Nutrition, Diets, and Health Unit
cg.identifier.publicationRankA
cg.isijournalISI Journal
cg.issn1740-8695
cg.issn1740-8709
cg.issue1
cg.journalMaternal and Child Nutrition
cg.numbere70157
cg.reviewStatusPeer Review
cg.subject.impactAreaNutrition, health and food security
cg.subject.sdgSDG 2 - Zero hunger
cg.volume22
dc.contributor.authorKoyratty, Nadia
dc.contributor.authorNwabuikwi, Odiche
dc.contributor.authorSilva, Renuka
dc.contributor.authorHess, Sonja Y.
dc.contributor.authorOlney, Deanna K.
dc.date.accessioned2026-01-28T17:05:43Z
dc.date.available2026-01-28T17:05:43Z
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10568/180802
dc.titleDiets, fruit and vegetable intake, and nutritional status in Sri Lanka: A scoping reviewen
dcterms.abstractSuboptimal 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.en
dcterms.accessRightsOpen Access
dcterms.audienceAcademics
dcterms.available2026-01-15
dcterms.bibliographicCitationKoyratty, 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
dcterms.issued2026-03
dcterms.languageen
dcterms.licenseCC-BY-NC-ND-4.0
dcterms.publisherWiley
dcterms.subjectdiet
dcterms.subjectfruits
dcterms.subjectvegetables
dcterms.subjectnutritional status
dcterms.subjectfood intake
dcterms.subjecthealth
dcterms.typeJournal Article

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