Across Africa, conversations around food are shifting rapidly from rising dietary risks to the growing threat of childhood malnutrition, obesity, and non-communicable diseases like diabetes. As health systems and communities grapple with these changes, one truth is clear: good data is the foundation of good nutrition policy and intervention.
On this World Diabetes Day and Children’s Day 2025, the message is stronger than ever:
Healthy futures start with understanding what people eat, what they can access, and what barriers they face.
This is where telephone surveys CATI (Computer-Assisted Telephone Interviewing) play a transformative role.
Why Nutrition Data Matters More Than Ever
Africa faces a “double burden” of malnutrition:
- Under-nutrition in low-income communities
- Over-nutrition and rising diabetes in urban centers
- Poor-quality diets driven by economic shocks and urbanization
- Childhood nutrition gaps affecting long-term health, performance, and wellbeing
To address these challenges, NGOs, government agencies, and brands need accurate, real-time insights into:
- household food consumption
- dietary diversity
- food affordability
- child feeding practices
- sugar and carbohydrate consumption patterns
- access to healthy food options
- awareness of diabetes and nutrition risks
Telephone surveys deliver this data quickly, reliably, and at scale.
How Telephone Surveys Power Better Nutrition Decisions
1. Reaching Diverse Households Across Regions
Telephone surveys allow organizations to collect nutrition data from urban, peri-urban, and remote communities, including areas where physical fieldwork is difficult or costly.
This is essential for understanding regional differences in diet quality, diabetes risk, and food security.
2. Providing Fast and Real-Time Data for Rapid Response
Nutritional realities change quickly inflation, climate shocks, disease outbreaks, and market disruptions can all shift consumption patterns in weeks.
With CATI, NGOs and governments can track:
- food shortages
- price fluctuations
- availability of staples
- household coping strategies
- shifts in children’s diets
in real time, enabling faster interventions.
3. Supporting Child Nutrition and School Feeding Programs
On Children’s Day 2025, it’s important to spotlight how data supports child health.
Telephone surveys help organizations measure:
- breastfeeding practices
- school meal attendance
- child-friendly food availability
- sugar and snack consumption
- hidden hunger (micronutrient deficiencies)
These insights guide life-saving programs targeting children’s nutritional needs.
4. Tracking Diabetes Awareness and Diet-Related Risks
On World Diabetes Day, telephone surveys play a critical role in health surveillance.
CATI helps assess:
- awareness of diabetes risks
- sugar consumption habits
- physical activity levels
- dietary shifts increasing diabetes exposure
- adoption of healthier alternatives
These insights support prevention campaigns and policy design.
5. Giving Brands and Food Companies Data for Healthier Innovations
Consumer food preferences are shifting rapidly.
Brands need to understand:
- what people are eating
- how economic pressures affect diet choices
- which healthy products consumers want
- perceptions around sugar, processed foods, and nutrition
Telephone surveys offer a cost-effective way to gather this intelligence and guide healthier product development.
Why CATI Africa Leads in Nutrition and Health Data Collection
As one of Africa’s leading telephone research organizations, CATI Africa offers:
- large, verified respondent databases across countries
- multilingual interviewer capability
- high-quality nutrition and dietary survey experience
- fast turnaround for rapid assessments
- reliable data for NGOs, government agencies, and health partners
From food security to childhood nutrition and diabetes awareness, CATI Africa delivers the insights needed to design evidence-based, health-forward solutions.
Feeding Data, Nourishing Solutions
Healthy communities begin with understanding real dietary realities.
With accurate telephone-based nutrition data, NGOs, governments, and brands can craft targeted programs that support families, protect children, reduce diabetes risk, and improve health outcomes across Africa.
On this World Diabetes Day and Children’s Day 2025, we reaffirm the importance of data-driven nutrition strategies because communities thrive when solutions are informed, relevant, and tailored to people’s real needs.
