Consumption patterns and quantification of folate in commonly consumed green leafy vegetables in Accra, Ghana: a cross-sectional study

Background The B vitamin family of nutrients includes folates; a crucial group of nutrients obtained from food. Folate deficiency is a major concern in Ghana, and the resultant neural tube defects in newborns are rampant, but no surveillance is in place. Dietary approaches have proven more sustainable; therefore, this study aimed to conduct a community survey among women to assess the intake of dark green leafy vegetables (DGLV) and to quantify the folate content in a variety of DGLV frequently consumed in Accra, Ghana.

Methods A cross-sectional study of 388 pregnant and nursing mothers aged 15 to 49 years in Dodowa, an Accra district, was conducted to analyze their consumption of green leafy vegetables using structured questionnaires. The study also looked at the folate levels of various green leafy vegetables that are widely consumed in Ghana. The Kolmogorov–Smirnov test was used to assess the normality of continuous variables. A variance analysis with a post hoc test was used to see whether there were differences in the means of the readings between samples.

Results A general low intake of folate-rich vegetables in terms of both frequency per week and quantity consumed was recorded. Kontomire emerged as the most frequently consumed DGLV, with 36.1% of participants reporting weekly intake and 24.5% consuming it three times weekly. In contrast, vegetables such as Gboma, Bokobokor, and Alefu were rarely consumed. Over 87% of participants reported never eating Gboma, while 91.5% and 94.3% never consumed Bokobokor or Alefu, respectively. Folate content in vegetable samples ranged between (44.36 ± 17.37 to 220.39 ± 21.93) ug/100 g and (33.53 ± 9.27 to 122.06 ± 5.19) ug/100 g for fresh and steamed (3 min) samples, respectively. Although the green leafy vegetables studied were found to be rich in folates, steaming led to considerable losses ranging from 8.56 to 78.46%.

Conclusions The results suggest that raw vegetables may offer higher levels of folate, compared to cooked vegetables. The community survey reported limited consumption of vegetables rich in folate. These findings expand knowledge on neural tube defects, orofacial clefts, and folate content in Ghanaian foods, offering a foundation for future public health measures and policy.