Average Health Score Research Articles

Influence of nutrition claims on different models of front-of-package nutritional labeling in supposedly healthy foods: Impact on the understanding of nutritional information, healthfulness perception, and purchase intention of Brazilian consumers.

Nutrition claims are positive information about foods, which are widely used as a marketing strategy on labels. On the contrary, front-of-package nutritional labeling (FoPNL) aims to make it easier for consumers to understand the nutritional composition of foods and favor healthy food choices. However, the concomitant presence of nutrition claims and FoPNL may hinder the understanding, judgment, and choices of consumers at the moment of purchase. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of nutrition claims on the efficacy of FoPNL models in the understanding of nutritional information, healthfulness perception, and purchase intention of Brazilian consumers. It was an experimental cross-sectional study carried out using an online questionnaire, with a total of 720 participants randomly divided into four FoPNL conditions: control, octagon, triangle, and magnifying glass. Each participant looked at 12 food packages, which were produced following the factorial design: (i) food category (cereal bar, whole grain cookies, and snacks); (ii) product type (containing one critical nutrient × containing two critical nutrients); and (iii) nutrition claims (present × absent). The comprehension of nutritional information was evaluated through the identification of excessive nutrients, and the healthfulness perception and purchase intention were evaluated using a seven-point scale. The results indicated that the presence of FoPNL increased the understanding of the information and reduced healthfulness perception and purchase intention. The presence of nutrition claims influenced the three outcomes, decreasing the probability of understanding information about food composition by 32% (OR 0.68, 95% confidence interval 0.58–0.78, p < 0.01) and significantly increasing (p < 0.05) average health scores (1.95–2.02) and purchase intention (2.00–2.05). Nonetheless, the interaction “FoPNL × claims” was not significant, which indicated that claims act independently. All FoPNL models were more effective than the control. For the least healthful type of product (two nutrients in excess), the octagon and triangle models were superior to the magnifying glass, regarding the outcome of healthfulness perception. The results prove the efficacy of FoPNL in consumer understanding and judgment. Despite the positive effects of FoPNL, it did not cancel the positivity bias generated by the claims.

Comparing General Health and Happiness in Elderly Women With and Without a Spouse Referring to Health Centers in Bandar Abbas, Iran, in 2018

Background &amp; Aims: Given the increasing elderly population in Iran, it seems necessary to pay attention to the general health of the elderly women without a spouse, who constitute a significant percentage of the elderly population in Iran. This study aimed to compare the general health and happiness of elderly women with and without a spouse referred to Bandar Abbas health centers in 2018. Materials &amp; Methods: This descriptive-analytical study was performed on 390 elderly women with and without a spouse, using the quota cluster sampling method. Data were collected using three questionnaires (demographic, Goldberg and Hillier's General Health, and Oxford Happiness) and were processed using SPSS software v. 21. Results: In this study, out of 260 elderly women with a spouse, 218 (83.8%), and out of 130 elderly women without a spouse, 83 (63.8%) were under 70 years old. Most women without a spouse (67.6%) and a spouse (65%) have 5 to 9 children. About half of women in the two groups (48.5% in the group with a spouse and 50% in the other group) had primary education, most (94.2% in the group with a spouse, and 95.4% in the group without a spouse) were housewives. In terms of economic status, most of the two groups (61.5% of each group) were at a moderate level. The two groups were homogeneous regarding demographic variables except for age and years of living with a spouse (P&lt;0.001). Conclusion: The results showed that the average general health score in both groups was lower than the cut-off points for the whole test (23), which indicates the excellent health level of most of these women. But the average health score in this study is higher than the results of the Yazdani study in Tehran. (Yazdani, 2010), and Nejati study in Qom (Nejati, 2005). The study also found that the mean happiness score was higher in married women, but this difference was not statistically significant. (P=0.17). Other factors besides having a spouse, such as the quality of marital life, also play a role in the mental health of older women.

Treatment of Chronic Kidney Disease-Related Metabolic Acidosis With Fruits and Vegetables Compared to NaHCO3 Yields More and Better Overall Health Outcomes and at Comparable Five-Year Cost

Current guidelines recommend treatment of metabolic acidosis in chronic kidney disease (CKD) with Na+-based alkali but base-producing fruits and vegetables (F+V) might yield more and better health outcomes, making the intervention cost-effective. In this post hoc analysis of a clinical trial we randomized 108 macroalbuminuric, nondiabetic CKD stage 3 participants with metabolic acidosis to receive F+V (n=36) calculated to reduce dietary acid by half, oral NaHCO3 (HCO3-, n=36) 0.3 mEq/kg body weight/day, or Usual Care (UC, n=36) assessed annually for 5years. We calculated a mean overall health score for the groups as follows: 1 for improved, 0 for no change, and -1 for worsened at 5years for plasma total CO2, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, change in medication dose (reduction=1, increased=-1, no change=0), and 1 for met goal and 0 for not meeting goal for estimated glomerular filtration rate (>30mL/min/1.73m2) and systolic blood pressure (<130mm Hg). We also assessed the number of participants with cardiovascular disease events (myocardial infarctions+strokes) and group medication and hospitalization costs. Net plasma total CO2 increase at 5years was no different between HCO3- and F+V. Average health scores at 5years differed among groups (P < .01) with F+V (7.4 [mean]±1.6 [standard deviation]) being descriptively larger than HCO3- and UC (2.9±1.6 and 1.2±1.6, respectively). The number of participants suffering cardiovascular disease events differed among groups (P=.009) with none (0) in F+V, 6 in UC, and 2 in HCO3-. Total 5-year household cost per beneficial health outcome differed among groups (P=.005) with UC being highest and that for HCO3- and F+V being comparable. Metabolic acidosis improved comparably with F+V or standard oral NaHCO3, but F+V yielded ancillary beneficial health outcomes, fewer participants with adverse cardiovascular events, and per-household cost that was comparable to NaHCO3.

Decomposing the causes of socioeconomic-related health inequality among urban and rural populations in China: a new decomposition approach

BackgroundIn recent decades, China has experienced tremendous economic growth and also witnessed growing socioeconomic-related health inequality. The study aims to explore the potential causes of socioeconomic-related health inequality in urban and rural areas of China over the past two decades.MethodsThis study used six waves of the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS) from 1991 to 2006. The recentered influence function (RIF) regression decomposition method was employed to decompose socioeconomic-related health inequality in China. Health status was derived from self-rated health (SRH) scores. The analyses were conducted on urban and rural samples separately.ResultsWe found that the average level of health status declined from 1989 to 2006 for both urban and rural populations. Average health scores were greater for the rural population compared with those for the urban population. We also found that there exists pro-rich health inequality in China. While income and secondary education were the main factors to reduce health inequality, older people, unhealthy lifestyles and a poor home environment increased inequality. Health insurance had the opposite effects on health inequality for urban and rural populations, resulting in lower inequality for urban populations and higher inequality for their rural counterparts.ConclusionThese findings suggest that an effective way to reduce socioeconomic-related health inequality is not only to increase income and improve access to health care services, but also to focus on improvements in the lifestyles and the home environment. Specifically, for rural populations, it is particularly important to improve the design of health insurance and implement a more comprehensive insurance package that can effectively target the rural poor. Moreover, it is necessary to comprehensively promote the flush toilets and tap water in rural areas. For urban populations, in addition to promoting universal secondary education, healthy lifestyles should be promoted, including measures such as alcohol control.

한국, 중국, 일본에 거주하는 한국계 노인의 건강상태 비교

본 연구의 목적은 한국, 중국 및 일본에 거주하는 한국계 노인들을 대상으로 건강상태를 평가하는 것으로 한국에 거주하는 노인 및 한국에서 출생 한 후 중국과 일본으로 이주한 노인을 대상으로 건강상태를 비교, 분석하였다. 본 연구의 대상자는 한국노인 231명, 일본노인 126명, 중국노인 246명으로 총 603명이었으며 평균 연령은 74.4세였다. 한국, 중국, 노인의 건강상태는 한국 노인이 중국과 일본 노인에 비해서 건강상태의 평균점수가 높았다. 노인의 건강상태에 영향을 미치는 특성으로는 연령, 성별, 결혼상태, 종교, 교육정도, 용돈, 흡연과 음주, 수면시간 및 건강관리방법에 따라 유의한 차이가 있었다. 본 연구결과 한국, 중국, 일본의 문화적 차이에 따라 거주하는 노인의 일반적 특성, 건강상태, 일반적 특성에 따른 건강상태에 차이가 있음이 나타났다. 따라서 추후 노인의 건강증진 방안 모델 제시에는 노인들의 문화적 특성이 고려되어져야 할 것으로 판단된다. 【Most overseas Korean seniors live in China and Japan due to Korea's historical background. Although Korean seniors living in Korea China and Japan share some similarities, the overseas seniors have become culturally different as they adapted to their countries of residence. Therefore, the aim of this study was to provide basic reference data for future senior health enhancement models by comparing and analyzing the health of Korean and overseas Korea seniors. The number of subjects in this study was 603 people, which was comprised of 231 Korean seniors, 246 overseas seniors in China, and 126 overseas seniors in Japan. The average age of the subjects was 74.4 years old. The Korean seniors displayed higher average health score than the overseas seniors. Therefore, the study believes that cultural elements should be considered in a future senior health enhancement model.】