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PubMed1996

[A study of multiple factors related to Enterobius vermicularis infection among pre-school children in Ta-Liao district of Kaohsiung County].

In order to study the factors related to Enterobius vermicularis infection among pre-school children in Ta-Liao District of Kaohsiung County, a questionnaire was designed to interview parents of preschool children selected by random sampling from 7 kindergartens in Ta-Liao District. Enterobius infections in the children were then examined by using two-consecutive-day adhesive cellophane paper perianal swabs. The effective sample numbered 555 children. Variables causing the infection among infected and non-infected children were analyzed by chi-square test and point-biserial correlation. The results indicated that there were significant relationship between infection and the follow items: having snacks; sucking fingers; size of house; ways of cleaning house; place of activities; parent's cognizing that anus is the polluted source of eggs; recognition of the cause-and-effect relationship between eating in the bedroom and being reinfected with Enterobius; recognition of preventing reinfection of Enterobius by taking a shower; and educational background of father. Through logistic regression analysis with backward selection, the authors constructed a predicting model which can predict the infection rate of E. vermicularis among pre-school children according to the habit of having snacks, the habit of sucking fingers, size of house, parent's recognizing that taking a shower can prevent people from reinfection, and the educational background of father.

Child, Preschool↗

PubMed1995

Nutritional epidemiology during school age.

Nutritional research covers different fields, two of which are of particular interest: evaluation of the nutritional status, and epidemiology of food consumption. For many years, studies in these fields have been promoted by our research group, which bases its methodology on anthropometric measurements, bioelectrical impedance measurements, and check of nutritional habits. Our studies involve more than 2500 subjects from pre-school age to adolescence. This work represents the basis for an educational approach with the ultimate aim of improving life styles. One of our first studies on school meals during nursery period and composition and application of "dietary tables" showed inadequacies of energy intakes and macronutrients distribution. In another study, aimed to evaluate the intake of soluble sugars, more than 2/3 of participating school children were found to consume more than 70 g of soluble sugars per day, while 10% of them exceeded 150 g/day. Results of the following study, in which special attention was given to salted and sweet snacks, showed that snacks can account for 34% of the total daily energy intake; although its adequacy, the energy distribution per macronutrients showed a clear imbalance. As for adolescence, a very critical age, the evaluation of weight self-perception revealed that only 62% of them had a correct perception of their weight. This research also devoted special attention to home prepared breakfast, which is consumed by the vast majority of enrolled subjects, although only rarely it is nutritionally adequate. A double age-related trend could thus be drawn: on one side, there is the tendency of the "overweight status" to decrease (from a starting-point of about 20%); on the other side, this tendency is unfortunately compensated by the increasing trend of "obesity" (which almost reaches 30%).

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Enzyme immunoassay for determination of peanut proteins in food products.

Food allergy presents a problem for many parts of society, including sensitive subjects, schools, health authorities, and the food industry. Once food allergy is diagnosed, dietary avoidance is the principle method of management. Because trace levels of peanuts can elicit an adverse to fatal reaction, unintentional exposure to the offending allergens may have devastating consequences to sensitive individuals. However, determination of trace amounts of unintentional peanut contamination in our food supply is very difficult. Recently, we developed polyclonal antibodies specific to peanut proteins that do not cross-react with 22 legumes, tree nuts, or other common snack ingredients. An antiserum containing the polyclonal antibodies was used to develop a sensitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for determination of peanut proteins in snack foods. This study reports the first successful ELISA test to detect trace amounts of peanut allergens in a variety of foods. The concentration of peanut protein that inhibited 50% of antibody-antigen binding (IC50) was 12 ng/mL, the linear range was 1-63 ng/mL, and the detection limit was 400 ng/g (ppb) for the various foods tested. Recoveries ranged from 68 to 90%, with coefficients of variation of 2-22%, depending on the commodity. Using this new procedure, allergy-related complaint samples from various food groups were analyzed, and undeclared peanut proteins were identified in some products.

Animals↗

PubMed1996

[Dietary approach to obesity].

Dietetic treatment of overweight has its limits in cases with morbid obesity (BMI > 40 kg/m2) or with disturbed eating habits (compulsive eating). In these cases surgery and cognitive treatment may play a role. Dietetic treatment is often sufficient in patients with moderate to severe overweight (BMI > 27 to 39 kg/m3). This includes in the first place identification of bad habits by evaluation of nutritional behaviour over 3 or 7 days. The most frequent mistakes are the jumping of a meal (mostly breakfast) and nibbling of snacks rich in fat between meals and omission of hypocaloric and voluminous food like fruit and vegetables. The lacking sensation of saturation which is fostered by rapid and automatic food intake, may also contribute to the maintenance of overweight. The first dietetic rules to be observed consist in a regular schedule for meals and-if necessary-snacks in between and the selection of a lipid-poor diet with particular attention to hidden fat. The meal should be turned into an enjoyable experience whenever possible without other concurrent activities.

Energy Intake↗

PubMed1997

The dental health status of five-year-old children in north and west Belfast.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the influence of social deprivation upon the diet, dental health behaviours and dental health status of five-year-old children in Northern Ireland. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Fifty-eight primary schools in North and West Belfast. SUBJECTS: A nine per cent (240) random sample of 2,666 five-year-old children resident and attending school in North and West Belfast. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Dental health status measured by dmft index; parental assessments of the child's dental health behaviours: parental dental attendance patterns and attitudes towards dental health; parental assessments of the child's diet and snacking behaviours: parental attitudes towards snack foods; and demographic profile of child's family. RESULTS: One hundred and sixty-three children were examined, a 68 per cent response. The majority of the families were either in low income employment or unemployed. Sixty-eight per cent of children had experience of dental caries. Dental decay was unrelated to parental employment status but more children from unemployed families attended when in pain. The diet of the children was related to both employment status and parental attitude and was reflected in their caries experience. Caries experience was dependent upon parental dental attendance, the consumption of carbonated drinks and sugar containing bedtime drinks. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that unemployment and parental attitudes are important as determinants of dental caries in five-year-old children from North and West Belfast. These factors may influence the child's dental health care as well as type of diet.

Attitude to Health↗

PubMed1998

The street food culture of Guatemala City: a case study from a downtown, urban park.

This study investigated the structure and environment of 31 street food vendors in an urban park in the downtown area of Guatemala City. Vendors were interviewed and observed in order to assess the quality, safety, and accessibility of street food. The street food vending in the park consisted of five types: whole meal, snack, beverage, fruits, and carts. A great variety of typical Guatemalan meals, as well as ready-to-eat fruits and hot dog chapin (hot dog with cabbage and avocado cream), were found in the park. The food preparation and handling revealed inadequacies concerning the hygiene. Circumstances, such as the lack of portable water near the vending site and unhygienic sanitary facilities, supported the transmission of pathogens. The clientele was of all ages, and included female as well as the male purchasers. Typical clients came from the surrounding area, i.e. the employees of civil and private offices, commercial businesses, and the non-food vendors of the park. Comparing the economy of street food with the definition of very poor in Guatemala, the prices on the street were often above the daily money needed for a basic food basket. However, a special clientele were the very poor, such as the street children and handicapped people, who earned their meals by helping out at the vending sites. Mainly female street food vendors were found at the whole meal, snack, and refreshment sites whereas men sold predominantly at the carts. For all of the vendors, it was the main source of income and for many families the only one.

Child↗

PubMed2003

Reported consumption of low-nutrient-density foods by American children and adolescents: nutritional and health correlates, NHANES III, 1988 to 1994.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the contribution of foods of modest nutritional value to the diets of American children and adolescents. METHODS: The data were from the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1988 to 1994, and included 4852 children and adolescents, aged 8 to 18 years. Foods reported in the 24-hour dietary recall were grouped into the following low-nutrient-density (LND) food categories: visible fat; table sweeteners, candy, and sweetened beverages; baked and dairy desserts; salty snacks; and miscellaneous. The independent association of the number of LND foods mentioned in the recall with intake of food groups, macronutrients, micronutrients, and body mass index was examined by means of regression procedures to adjust for multiple covariates. RESULTS: The LND foods contributed more than 30% of daily energy, with sweeteners and desserts jointly accounting for nearly 25%. Intakes of total energy and percentage of energy from carbohydrate and fat related positively, but percentage of energy from protein and dietary fiber (in grams) related inversely to the reported number of LND foods (P<.05). The reported number of LND foods was a negative predictor (P<.001) of the amount of nutrient-dense foods reported. The mean amount of reported intake of several micronutrients-vitamins A, B6, and folate, and the minerals calcium, magnesium, iron, and zinc-declined (P<.05) with increasing tertiles of reported number of LND foods. The LND food reporting was not a significant predictor of body mass index. CONCLUSION: High LND food reporting was related to higher energy intake but lower amounts of the 5 major food groups and most micronutrients.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2005

Schoolwide food practices are associated with body mass index in middle school students.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between body mass index in young adolescents and schoolwide food practices such as foods used in school fundraising and in the classroom as incentives and rewards. DESIGN: Using a cross-sectional study design, we collected data from both the schools and the students. School administrators provided information on schoolwide food policies and practices. Eighth-grade students provided self-reported heights and weights. SETTING: Sixteen middle schools in the Minneapolis-St Paul metropolitan area. PARTICIPANTS: The study included 3088 eighth-grade students. Students were participants in a school-based dietary intervention study. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Body mass index was calculated from self-reported height and weight data. A 7-item schoolwide food practices scale (Cronbach alpha = 0.83) was created using data collected from school administrators. RESULTS: The mean number of food practices permitted by a school was 3 (range, 0-7). The most prevalent food practices were the use of food as incentives and rewards (69%) and in classroom fundraising (56%). Body mass index (BMI) [corrected] of the students increased a 0.10 BMI unit [corrected] for every additional food practice permitted in their school (P<.03). CONCLUSIONS: Schoolwide food practices that supported frequent snacking and the consumption of foods and beverages high in calories and low in nutrients by students throughout the school day were common and adversely associated with body mass index of the students. Prevention of overweight in childhood must include attention to the nutrition integrity of schools, and school nutrition policies that consistently support and promote healthy dietary practices among young adolescents are urgently needed.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2006

A content analysis of health and physical activity messages marketed to African American children during after-school television programming.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the number of food advertisements African American children are exposed to during children's television programming aired on predominantly African American and general television stations. DESIGN: A content analysis was conducted to identify and analyze the health-related content (HRC) and physical activity-related content (PARC) of food advertisements shown during children's television programming. SETTING: Three sets of television advertisements from 3 stations (Black Entertainment Television, The WB [Warner Bros], and Disney Channel) served as the sample during a 1-week period in July 2005 (July 11-15), from 3 pm to 9 pm. RESULTS: In total, 1098 advertisements were recorded, with 256 food and beverage commercials used for this study. Results indicate that 36.3% of all commercials were based on fast food restaurants, 31.3% were for drinks, 16.8% were for candy, 13.7% were for cereals, and 2.0% were for snacks (percentages do not total 100 because of rounding). Compared with The WB and Disney Channel, Black Entertainment Television had significantly (P=.001) more food and beverage advertisements. Few HRC or PARC advertisements were shown. Of 256 food and beverage commercials, only 8.2% contained HRC and 9.4% had PARC. Also, the HRC and PARC scenes contained messages that were implied vs explicitly talking about the health or physical benefits of the product. CONCLUSIONS: African American children are overexposed to numerous types of food and beverage advertisements. These advertisements do not provide an adequate level of positive HRC and PARC messages. Consequently, the messages that are portrayed may undermine efforts to teach African American children about the importance of healthy living and physical activity.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1994

Obesity in preschool and school-age children. Treatment early and often may be best.

OBJECTIVE: To determine if timing and frequency of interventions affect the outcome of treatment of obesity in pediatric patients. DESIGN: Retrospective chart review; comparison of subgroups defined by age and frequency of visits. SETTING: A nutrition evaluation clinic, an outpatient referred care clinic at a metropolitan hospital. PARTICIPANTS: All 93 obese children, aged 1 to 10 years, seen within 1 year and with one or more subsequent visits in the next year. Obesity was defined as greater than 120% ideal body weight for height age (IBWH). Mean percent IBWH was 171% (median, 199%; range, 127% to 251%). INTERVENTIONS: (1) Initial visit. Comprehensive history and physical examination, by physician, registered dietician, and licensed clinical social worker; design of individualized care plan, including prescribed frequency and size of meals and snacks; and type, frequency, and duration of exercise. (2) Subsequent visits (after 1 month, then with frequency tailored to need). Review of progress, adjustment of energy intake and expenditure; management of biopsychosocial obstacles to needed changes. MEASUREMENTS/MAIN RESULTS: Four patient groups were defined by two variables: age (preschool vs school-age children) and frequency of visits in 1 year (two to three vs four or more). Groups were compared on change in mean percent IBWH and on mean change in percent IBWH. All groups showed significant change in percent IBWH (P < or = .040 for school-age children, P < or = .012 for preschool children). For all visits, the mean change was more than twice as great for preschool as for school-age children (4.7 +/- 5.4 vs 1.9 +/- 4.8, P = .027). CONCLUSIONS: (1) The most successful treatment of pre-adolescent obesity may be in preschool children with frequent visits. (2) A randomized trial is warranted to test this possibility. (3) Many of the techniques used to treat early obesity can be adapted for prevention and intervention in early obesity during the preschool years, and this is the preferred approach.

Body Height↗

PubMed1995

Advertised foods on children's television.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the quantity and nutritional value of foods advertised on children's television following new regulations and an expanded number of networks. RESEARCH DESIGN: Children's television hours were surveyed (with use of a method modeled on previously published studies, for purposes of comparison). SETTING: Seven local network affiliates; all but one are broadcast nationally. RESULTS: Children viewed an average of 21.3 commercials per hour, each lasting an average of 28.6 seconds. Food advertisements accounted for 47.8% of these commercials. Ninety-one percent of advertised foods are high in fat, sugar, and/or salt. Compared with data collected before new regulations and networks, children now watch more numerous but shorter commercials. Cereals and sweet snacks are advertised proportionately less. Processed foods, canned and prepared foods, and dairy products are more frequently advertised. The proportion of foods high in fat, salt, and sugar has not changed. CONCLUSIONS: Commercials advertising unhealthy foods account for a large portion of children's televised viewing time. Current regulations and the incursion of cable networks into the children's television market have not meaningfully impacted the nature or number of food advertisements.

Advertising↗

PubMed1997

Adolescent vegetarians. A behavioral profile of a school-based population in Minnesota.

OBJECTIVE: To compare a population-based sample of vegetarian and nonvegetarian adolescents regarding food intake patterns, disordered eating, and a range of other non-food-related health-compromising and health-promoting behaviors. DESIGN: A cross-sectional school-based survey. SETTING: Public schools within nonurban areas of Minnesota. PARTICIPANTS: Adolescents (n = 107) aged 12 to 20 years who reported on the Minnesota Adolescent Health Survey that they follow a vegetarian diet and a comparison group of nonvegetarian youth (n = 214) matched for sex, age, and ethnicity. The percentage of self-identified vegetarians in the study population was relatively low (0.6%); most of the vegetarians were female (81%). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Food intake patterns, disordered eating (frequent dieting, binge eating, self-induced vomiting, and laxative use), health-compromising behaviors (tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana use and suicide attempts), and health-promoting behaviors (seat belt use, physical activity, and brushing teeth regularly). RESULTS: Vegetarian adolescents were twice as likely to consume fruits and vegetables (P < .001), one third as likely to consume sweets (P < .001), and one fourth as likely to eat salty snack foods (P < .001) more than once a day compared with nonvegetarians. Vegetarians were almost twice as likely to report frequent dieting (P < .001), 4 times as likely to report intentional vomiting (P < .001), and 8 times as likely to report laxative use (P < .001) than nonvegetarians. Overall, associations with other health-compromising and health-promoting behaviors were not apparent. CONCLUSIONS: A vegetarian diet may be beneficial because of increased fruit and vegetable consumption and decreased consumption of foods high in fat, salt, and sugar. However, adolescents following a vegetarian diet need to be screened for adequate food intake and potential disordered eating behaviors.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1979

Obesity and food choices in public places.

More than 5,000 food choices were observed at nine eating sites--four where meals were served and five where snacks were served. Caloric content of food choice was strongly affected by eating site and there was great variability in the amount chosen at each site. Men chose somewhat more food than women. Body weight had no overall effect on food choice, although obese people chose somewhat more food than nonobese people at one site--that serving food with the highest caloric content. These findings are consistent with the six earlier studies of food choice, which concluded that the major influence on how much people choose to eat is where they eat, and that there is great variability in the amount they choose at any one site. The presence of obesity is not a major determinant of food choice in public places.

Adult↗

PubMed1995

Esophageal resection with colon interposition for end-stage achalasia.

OBJECTIVE: To review the potential benefits of esophageal resection with colon interposition in patients with achalasia. DESIGN: Retrospective review. SETTING: University-based tertiary care center. PATIENTS: Nineteen patients (13 men, six women; median age, 44 years; age range, 26 to 77 years) with achalasia and recurrent or persistent dysphagia despite a variety of previous treatments. INTERVENTIONS: Esophageal resection and replacement with colon interposition. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Mortality and morbidity of the procedure, symptomatic outcome, nutritional impact, ability to ingest a meal, and overall patient satisfaction. RESULTS: Follow-up results were available in 15 patients. The procedure accounted for no deaths and complications in four patients. Outcome assessment was done at a median of 6 years (range, 1 to 14 years) after resection. Overall, the symptomatic outcome was excellent to good in 12 patients. Eleven of the 15 patients gained weight (median weight loss, 6.3 kg) after the procedure. Thirteen patients were able to eat three meals daily; seven had the capacity to eat a steak dinner; five, an airline meal; and three, a snack. Nine of the 15 patients enjoyed an unrestricted diet. The speed of ingesting a meal was reduced in that most (11 of 15) were the last to finish when eating in a group. Fourteen of the 15 believed that the operation had cured or improved their preoperative symptoms, and a similar percentage were satisfied with the overall outcome of surgery. Most patients (12 of 15) would have the operation again. CONCLUSIONS: Esophageal replacement for end-stage achalasia can be accomplished with safety and marked improvement of preoperative symptoms. Despite multiple previous therapeutic failures, normal alimentation was restored in the majority of patients, with 93% judging the operation to be highly beneficial, improving their quality of life. Based on this success, guidelines for resection in end-stage achalasia are established.

Adult↗

PubMed1999

Dieting and the family context of eating in young adolescent children.

OBJECTIVES: The potential for undernutrition and links with eating disorders make early dieting an issue of concern. The aim of this research was to examine the eating patterns, social circumstances of eating, and parental use of food in young adolescent dieters. METHODS: Four hundred and two 12-year-old children (200 girls, 202 boys) completed assessments of dieting, eating patterns, food-related nurturance, and parental control of eating, together with body weight, height, and self-perception. RESULTS: Current dieting (20% girls, 8% boys) was strongly associated with fasting and dietary restraint. Highly restrained children ate fewer meals and snacks and reported significantly greater parental control of their eating. However, they did not differ in the social context of eating or in food-related nurturance. Dieting status was a stronger determinant than body weight of all these differences. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that 12-year-old dieters are quite serious in their nutritional intentions. They also confirm an active role for parents in their children's dieting. Both children and their parents are in need of age and gender-specific advice concerning eating and weight.

Child↗

PubMed2000

Effects of selected process parameters in extrusion of yam flour (Dioscorea rotundata) on physicochemical properties of the extrudates.

Raw yam (Dioscorea rotundata) flour was cooked and extruded in a Brabender single-screw laboratory scale extruder. Response surface methodology using an incomplete factorial design was applied with various combinations of barrel temperature [100, 125, 150 degrees C], feed moisture content [18, 22, 26%] and screw speed [100, 150, 200 rpm]. Initial viscosity at 30 degrees C, water solubility index, expansion and hardness were determined. The highest values of initial viscosity were at the highest barrel temperatures and the highest moisture contents. At high feed moisture content and high barrel temperatures the yam extrudate flour showed the greatest values of water solubility index. The physical properties of the extruded product showed that at high temperature the lower the moisture content the greater the expansion index. Hardness was influenced directly by moisture content and inversely by extrusion temperature. The extrusion of yam flour led to the production of snacks and pre-gelatinized flours of diverse properties. Also extruded yam flour can be successfully used in the preparation of 'futu' (pre-cooked compact dough), a yam-based food, popular in Western Africa.

Chemical Phenomena↗

PubMed1986

Shifting gears: self-reported attitudes and behaviors during times of weight loss, maintenance, and gain.

One hundred and eleven respondents who had achieved at least a 15-pound (6.80 kg) weight loss in a 20-week cognitive-behavioral treatment program for obesity were asked 6 to 10 years after treatment to describe their current use of cognitive and behavioral activities during periods of weight maintenance, loss, and gain. Eleven scales were constructed to measure the self-reported frequency with which the cognitive and behavioral efforts were extended for Weight Monitoring; Food Record Monitoring; Calorie Counting; Shopping; Food Storage and Preparation; Meal Times; Snack Times; Social Occasions; Taste and Satisfaction; Physical Activity; and Sports/Exercise. A multivariate repeated-analysis of variance indicated that the respondents increased the mean frequencies with which all 11 of the cognitive and behavioral efforts were used during times of weight loss; these mean frequencies decreased during times of maintenance and decreased still further during times of weight gain. The conclusion was drawn that the respondents were able to differentiate among the types of attitudes and behaviors that they used during times of gain, maintenance, and loss.

Attitude↗

PubMed2001

Gender differences in the relation between food cravings and mood in an adult community: Results from the fleurbaix laventie ville santé study.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this survey was to study food cravings and its indulgence in community adults (538 women and 506 men) and to compare nutritional parameters, weight preoccupations, and weight history between cravers and noncravers. METHOD: Cravers experienced a strong urge to eat specific foods more than once a week during the past 6 months. Food intake was estimated by a 3-day food record. RESULTS: 28% of women and 13% of men were food cravers. Cravers, especially women, were more frequently concerned about their weight than noncravers. Energy intake during snacks was higher in cravers. Less than 40% of cravers reported being hungry when they experienced cravings. Women cravers indulged their cravings as often as men. They reported more frequently negative feelings, whereas men reported more frequently positive feelings. DISCUSSION: This study shows that food craving episodes are strongly associated with mood but in a different way in women and men.

Adult↗