Decreased immunity is a risk factor for viral respiratory infections, underscoring the crucial role of balanced diets to support the immune system. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the eating ...habits of people in the location based on balanced nutrition guidelines during the Covid-19 pandemic. A cross-sectional design was used and the samples included 3394 respondents who met the criteria of being ≥15 years old and living in the provinces of Central Java, East Java, Riau, and Southeast Sulawesi. Data were collected using a Google form-based online questionnaire filled out independently by respondents. The gathered data comprised compliance with balanced nutrition recommendations for consuming staples, protein-rich foods, fruits, vegetables, water, salt, sugar, and oil. In addition, diet was also observed based on several sociodemographic variables. The results showed that during the Covid-19 pandemic, 75.7% of respondents had not fulfilled intake according to balanced nutrition advice due to insufficient fruit consumption. However, about 60.6% consistently used dietary supplements, and 77.8% did not limit salt, sugar, as well as oil intake. The population at more risk of inadequate nutrition included younger age groups, males, those with low education, unemployed, and living in areas with high Covid-19 cases. This study concluded that during the Covid-19 pandemic, many Indonesians did not implement a diet based on the principles of balanced nutrition. Therefore, education on the importance of balanced nutrition consumption, local food campaigns, cheap markets, and food aid was needed, specifically for rarely consumed diets such as fruit, by targeting the most vulnerable groups.
Early childhood caries (ECC) is major oral health problem, mainly in socially disadvantaged populations. ECC affects infants and preschool children worldwide. The prevalence of ECC differs according ...to the group examined, and a prevalence of up to 85% has been reported for disadvantaged groups. ECC is the presence of one or more decayed, missing, or filled primary teeth in children aged 71 months (5 years) or younger. It begins with white-spot lesions in the upper primary incisors along the margin of the gingiva. If the disease continues, caries can progress, leading to complete destruction of the crown. The main risk factors in the development of ECC can be categorized as microbiological, dietary, and environmental risk factors. Even though it is largely a preventable condition, ECC remains one of the most common childhood diseases. The major contributing factors for the for the high prevalence of ECC are improper feeding practices, familial socioeconomic background, lack of parental education, and lack of access to dental care. Oral health plays an important role in children to maintain the oral functions and is required for eating, speech development, and a positive self-image. The review will focus on the prevalence, risk factors, and preventive strategies and the management of ECC.
This paper focuses on the effect of the COVID-19 lockdown on the dietary habits of adult Danes. Two aspects were specifically considered: 1) reported changes in intake of specific food categories and ...2) effect on healthy eating, operationalized as adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MEDAS score). Respondents (
= 2,462) completed a 44-items self-administered online survey designed for the assessment of their socio-demographic characteristics, general food habits, and consumption frequency of selected foods (mainly related to the MedDiet) during the lockdown. The data indicated that the lockdown has affected dietary habits of adult Danes to a relatively limited degree. The most important findings were that a substantial proportion of respondents (≥28%) reported eating more, snacking more, exercising less, and gaining weight during the lockdown. Results could be linked to the amount of time spent at home (e.g., a higher cooking frequency) a higher degree of emotional eating during the lockdown (e.g., a higher consumption of pastries and alcohol). Women were generally affected to a higher degree than men. Additionally, dietary changes during the lockdown to a certain degree reflected pre-existing (un)healthy eating habits, as positive health outcomes were observed in respondents with a high MEDAS score and negative outcomes (e.g., weight gain and higher intakes of pastries and carbonated beverages) were associated with respondents with a low MEDAS score. These changes, if sustained long-term, are potentially concerning from a public health perspective, especially given that more than half of the respondents were characterized by a low adherence to the MedDiet.
Gut microbiome and dietary patterns have been suggested to be associated with depression/anxiety. However, limited effort has been made to explore the effects of possible interactions between diet ...and microbiome on the risks of depression and anxiety.
Using the latest genome-wide association studies findings in gut microbiome and dietary habits, polygenic risk scores (PRSs) analysis of gut microbiome and dietary habits was conducted in the UK Biobank cohort. Logistic/linear regression models were applied for evaluating the associations for gut microbiome-PRS, dietary habits-PRS, and their interactions with depression/anxiety status and Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9)/Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) score by R software.
We observed 51 common diet-gut microbiome interactions shared by both PHQ score and depression status, such as overall beef intake × genus
hurdle binary (HB) (
= 7.88 × 10
,
= 5.86 × 10
); carbohydrate × genus
(HB) (
= 0.0295,
= 0.0150). We detected 41 common diet-gut microbiome interactions shared by GAD score and anxiety status, such as sugar × genus
(rank normal transformed) (
= 5.15 × 10
,
= 0.0347); tablespoons of raw vegetables per day × family
(HB) (
= 6.02 × 10
,
= 0.0345). Some common significant interactions shared by depression and anxiety were identified, such as overall beef intake × genus
(HB).
Our study results expanded our understanding of how to comprehensively consider the relationships for dietary habits-gut microbiome interactions with depression and anxiety.
This study investigates the palaeoecology of fossil perissodactyls (equids) from the late Miocene of Maragheh, northwestern Iran. We used dental micro- and mesowear techniques to draw robust ...inferences about fossil equid paleoenvironment. Mesowear and microwear analyses were applied to the upper molars of three species of hipparionine horses. For this purpose, we investigated samples from three fossiliferous localities: Rohanion, Azim, and Cizdahaban. Six fossil specimens were analyzed for enamel meso- and microwear and results were compared to an extensive database of extant ungulates. Results indicated overlap of the Maragheh hipparions with the dietary signal of extant grazers and grass-dominated mixed feeders. This is consistent with the supposed vegetational habitat proposed by previous mesowear studies. The different species of hipparions from Maragheh had similar diets and were consuming a mixture of plants but with a preference for grasses. These results are consistent with paleoenvironmental reconstructions of the late Miocene dominated by open grassland areas among more wooded settings.
Introduction: Nutrition is vital for the maintenance of health and prevention of disease. The burden of nutrition-related chronic diseases (such as CVD, cancer, diabetes and osteoporosis) and obesity ...is increasing rapidly world-wide. Nutritional knowledge may play a pivotal role in the adoption of healthier food habits but it must be noted that knowledge on its own cannot bring about the desired changes due to the complex nature of food behavior.OBJECTIVE: It was to assess dietary habits and nutritional knowledge of the high health institute female students in Basrah and the relationship between nutritional knowledge and socio-demographic factors.Methods: Seventy eight female students of the high health institute were administered a special questionnaire form regarding their dietary habits and nutritional knowledge.Results: The majority of the students 82.1% were in the age group < 24 years old. The mean body mass index (BMI) was (23.56 kg/m²) however twenty three students were classified as overweight. Academic study was the main source of information for 56.4% of the students. The mean survey scores were 70.78% for dietary habits and 73.32% for nutritional knowledge. No statistical significant association was found between dietary habits and nutritional knowledge. A significant association was found between the students’ BMI and their nutritional knowledge level (p<0.05). The level of knowledge consistently decreased with the increase in BMI. Much like habits and knowledge, none of the other association between other variables (age, place of residence, paternal education level) showed any statistical significance.Conclusions: Important point observed in the present study was that though the students had good level of nutritional knowledge and dietary habits, the association between them was not statistically significant. It may be suggested that the adequate nutritional knowledge observed may not have translated into the appropriate dietary habits in the students
This study assessed 240 antenatal mothers in Sri Lanka’s Kebithigollawa Medical Officer of Health Clinic. Demographics varied, revealing distinct marital statuses, ethnicities, income levels, and ...employment statuses. Pregnancy stages, parity, pre-pregnancy BMI, and gestational age exhibited diverse profiles. Hemoglobin levels ranged, reflecting nutritional status, while BMI indicated varied weight categories. Dietary patterns demonstrated associations with maternal health indicators; fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, unsweetened dairy products, prepared food, and rice/noodles positively correlated with hemoglobin levels, BMI, and gestational weight gain. Conversely, some dietary choices displayed weaker correlations. These findings emphasize the need for tailored interventions to enhance antenatal mothers’ dietary and physical activity behaviors, benefiting maternal and child health.
Surgery is the cornerstone of the treatment of esophageal cancer (EC). This study is to evaluate the dietary habits and nutrition status in EC patients who underwent esophagectomy followed by ...esophageal reconstruction.
This retrospective study included patients with EC who underwent esophagectomy followed by esophageal reconstruction in the Department of Thoracic Surgery I of Peking University Cancer Hospital between February 2014 and December 2018. The primary outcomes were dietary habits and nutrition status. The secondary outcomes were gastrointestinal symptoms and quality of life (QoL).
A total of 346 patients were included. At 30 months after the operation, 90.2% of the patients had recovered to regular dietary habits, 72.8% of patients had a restored frequency of preoperative regular food intake, 2.3% of the patients ate more than six times a day, and 0.6% had semi-liquid food because of bad teeth. The nutrition status remained stable after 6 months postoperatively and recovered slightly 1 year after the surgery. At 30 months after the operation, the most common gastrointestinal symptoms were reflux (38.4%), dysphagia (15.3%), hoarseness (11.8%), abdominal distension (6.6%), diarrhea (2.9%), and nausea and vomiting (2.3%). According to the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer, Quality of Life Questionnaire-OG 25 (EORTC QLQ-OG 25), the factors that affected the life quality of patients during follow-up were anxiety, reflux, and dietary limitations.
Most patients with EC who underwent esophageal reconstruction recovered to regular dietary habits and stable nutrition status, while some may still suffer from gastrointestinal symptoms, anxiety, and dietary limitations.
Background: Several studies have shown a correlation between Helicobacter pylori
(H.pylori) and vitamin D, but considerable disagreement exists. The goal of this
study was to see if there was a ...relationship between vitamin D3 deficiency on the
one hand, dietary habits on the other hand, and Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection in kids patients in a hospital in Iraq. Methods: In 2022, a cross-sectional
study was done on 1600 patients in a child hospital in Iraq. A structured questionnaire was used to collect information on socio-demographic and lifestyle variables,
and a short food frequency questionnaire was used to determine dietary patterns
(FFQ). After a blood sample from the vein was taken, the H. pylori status (positive
vs. negative) was identified. The stool and blood samples were all collected and
sent to the hematology, chemistry, and parasitology lab for examination. Logistical
multivariable to determine the relationship between socio-demographic, lifestyle,
nutritional, and other factors, regression used. With H.pylori infection, there are
several health-related issues to consider. In this sample, the prevalence of H. pylori
infection was 62.8%. The multivariable analysis revealed that the risk of H. pylori
infection was higher among those who did not follow healthy eating habits and
whose parents were uneducated. The study found that Vit.D3 deficiency increased
in girls more than in boys. H. pylori is associated with socio-demographic and clinical factors. More research is needed to determine the impact of diet on H. pylori
risk.
Keywords: Helicobacter pylori, Iraq, hemoglobin deficiency, dietary habits
This study aimed to evaluate the effect of a family-based lifestyle intervention on reducing body weight among Jordanian children with obesity aged 6-9 years old. The pretest-posttest control group ...design was conducted among 162 children (75 in the intervention group and 87 in the control group) with obesity aged 6-9 years old at four primary schools in Jordan during the period from March 2021 to July 2021. The results found that, after the intervention, there was a statistically significant change in the F scores in the control group vs. in the intervention group (M = 37.07, SD = 2.77; M = 33.48, SD = 2.73; t (160) = 8.29, P < 0.001), where the mean BMI percentile was reduced by 2.05 in the intervention group. A significant difference was demonstrated in the median BMI percentile in the intervention and control groups post-intervention (P < 0.001). A significant difference was also noticed between the average weekly reported dietary habits and the physical activities of both the control group and the intervention group post-intervention. The findings support the effect of family-based lifestyle interventions. Healthcare providers should adopt such interventions for children living with obesity. Future study is required to evaluate the long-term effectiveness of this intervention on weight reduction.This study aimed to evaluate the effect of a family-based lifestyle intervention on reducing body weight among Jordanian children with obesity aged 6-9 years old. The pretest-posttest control group design was conducted among 162 children (75 in the intervention group and 87 in the control group) with obesity aged 6-9 years old at four primary schools in Jordan during the period from March 2021 to July 2021. The results found that, after the intervention, there was a statistically significant change in the F scores in the control group vs. in the intervention group (M = 37.07, SD = 2.77; M = 33.48, SD = 2.73; t (160) = 8.29, P < 0.001), where the mean BMI percentile was reduced by 2.05 in the intervention group. A significant difference was demonstrated in the median BMI percentile in the intervention and control groups post-intervention (P < 0.001). A significant difference was also noticed between the average weekly reported dietary habits and the physical activities of both the control group and the intervention group post-intervention. The findings support the effect of family-based lifestyle interventions. Healthcare providers should adopt such interventions for children living with obesity. Future study is required to evaluate the long-term effectiveness of this intervention on weight reduction.