Differences In Dietary Behaviors Research Articles

Association between dietary behavior and puberty in girls

IntroductionOver the decades the trends of early onset of puberty have been observed in children, particularly in girls. Research evidence has reported diet to be among the most important risk factors for puberty onset. This study evaluated the association between dietary behavior and puberty in girls.MethodsWe enrolled 201 girls with the main complaints of breast development as the cases at the Endocrine Department of Nanjing Children's Hospital. The cases were divided into breast development with central priming and breast development without central priming groups and were matched with 223 normal health girls with no breast development (control group). We used the modified Child Eating Behavior Questionnaire (CEBQ) to conduct a face-to-face interview about dietary behavior. Sample t-test or Mann Whitney U test or Chi-square test, the analysis of variance or Kruskal Wallis test, and least significant difference (LSD) were used to compare differences between the groups, Bonferroni was used to correct the p-value, and logistic regression was used to analyze risk factors for puberty onset.ResultsA total of 424 girls participated in this study, among them, 136 were cases with breast development with central priming, 65 were cases with breast development without central priming, and 223 were normal health girls with no breast development. Age of the participants ranged from 4.5 to 9.3 years. There were significant differences in food response (p < 0.001), dietary restriction (p < 0.001), frequencies of vegetable intake (χ2 = 8.856, p = 0.012), drinking milk (χ2 = 23.099, p = 0.001), and borderline statistical difference in a total score of unhealthy dietary behavior (p = 0.053) among the cases and controls. However, in the post hoc analysis, these dietary behaviors were significant differences between the girls with breast development with central priming and the control groups. Moreover, girls in the breast development with central priming group had significantly higher bone age (BA), uterine body length, ovarian volume, basal luteinizing hormone (LH), basal follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), peak LH, peak FSH, estradiol (E2), and free triiodothyronine (FT3) compared to those in the breast development without central priming group. In the multivariate logistic regression, only uterine body length was associated with increased risk of breast development with central priming (OR = 1.516, 95%CI: 1.243–1.850).ConclusionThere were significant differences in dietary behaviors among girls with breast development with central priming and normal health girls with no breast development, and uterine body length was associated with an increasing risk of breast development with central priming among girls with breast development.

The association between unhealthy dietary behaviors and participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP): No evidence in support of the self-selection hypothesis

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participants tend to have unhealthier dietary consumption compared to eligible non-participants. It has been suggested, though never empirically tested, that individuals who enroll in SNAP may have unhealthy diets prior to program participation. Using a longitudinal cohort study design, we examined the association between low-income adults' SNAP participation status and prior dietary behaviors to test the argument that individuals with unhealthier dietary consumption self-select into SNAP. A sample of households from predominantly lower-income cities were surveyed at baseline (T1) and 2–4 years later (T2). The main analyses were restricted to adults who did not participate in SNAP at T1 and with household income <200% of the federal poverty line (n = 170) at both T1 and T2. Participants were grouped into two categories, based on their SNAP participation at T2; (a) Non-participants (n = 132): no SNAP participation at T1 or T2, and (b) T2 SNAP participants (n = 38): SNAP participation at T2 but not T1. Daily consumption frequency of whole fruits, fruit juice, vegetables, sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), and energy dense snacks were measured through self-reports. To observe dietary differences between the two groups prior to SNAP participation, T1 behaviors were compared. There were no significant differences in dietary behaviors at T1 (prior to SNAP participation) between non-participants and T2 participants, providing no evidence of self-selection of individuals with unhealthier dietary consumption into SNAP among our study sample. Improvements in SNAP participants’ diets may benefit from focusing on policy changes that encourage healthy dietary habits during participation in the program.

Demographic, Healthcare Access, and Dietary Factors Associated With Thyroid Hormone Treatments for Hypothyroidism.

Clinical guidelines have recommended a trial of liothyronine (LT3) with levothyroxine (LT4) in select patients with hypothyroidism. However, little is known about the real-world use of LT3 and desiccated thyroid extract (DTE) and the characteristics of patients treated with LT3 and DTE. (1) Determine national trends of new LT4, LT3, and DTE prescriptions in the United States; (2) determine whether sociodemographic, healthcare access, and dietary factors are associated with different thyroid hormone (TH) therapies. Parallel cross-sectional studies were conducted using 2 datasets: (1) a national patient claims dataset (2010-2020) and (2) the National Health and Nutrition Examination Study (NHANES) dataset (1999-2016). Included participants had a diagnosis of primary or subclinical hypothyroidism. Study outcomes included the impact of demographics and healthcare access on differences in the proportion of TH therapies consisting of LT4, LT3, and DTE (patient claims) and differences in dietary behaviors between DTE-treated participants and LT4-treated matched controls (NHANES). On an average annual basis, 47 711 adults received at least 1 new TH prescription, with 88.3% receiving LT4 monotherapy, 2.0% receiving LT3 therapy, and 9.4% receiving DTE therapy. The proportion receiving DTE therapy increased from 5.4% in 2010 to 10.2% in 2020. In the analysis between states, high primary care and endocrinology physician densities were associated with increased use of LT4 monotherapy (odds ratio 2.51, P < .001 and odds ratio 2.71, P < .001). DTE-treated NHANES participants (n = 73) consumed more dietary supplements compared to LT4-treated participants (n = 146) (4.7 vs 2.1, P < .001). The proportion of new TH therapies containing DTE for hypothyroidism doubled since 2010 while LT3 therapies remained stable. DTE treatment was associated with decreased physician density and increased dietary supplement use.

Diet in Patients with Myocardial Infarction and Coexisting Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Dietary modifications are recommended alongside pharmacotherapy in treating both diabetes mellitus (DM) and coronary heart disease (CHD) patients. The primary aim of our study was to assess the diet in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and myocardial infarction (MI) and to identify dietary differences between patients after the first and subsequent cardiovascular (CV) event. The secondary aim was to analyze the differences between men's and women's diets. The study population consisted of patients with DM/T2DM and MI. The research tool was the original author's questionnaire which was collected personally by a qualified dietician. The study included 67 patients with a mean age of 69 ± 8 years, hospitalized at the Silesian Centre for Heart Diseases in Zabrze in 2019. The study found that patients consumed less bread, whole-grain cereal products, fermented milk products, and vegetables than was recommended. A total of 32.8% of patients reported an intake of sweetened beverages, while 85.1% of participants consumed sweets despite being diagnosed with DM. Except for sweetened drinks, no differences in dietary behaviors were found in the patients after the first and second MI episode. Most of the included patients assessed their diet as appropriate. The dietary assessment of diabetes and myocardial infarction patients indicates that the diet does not comply with dietary recommendations, thus increasing the risk of a recurrent cardiac event despite a previous MI. No differences between the men's and the women's nutritional habits were observed.

Disparities in Perceived Availability of Healthful Foods, Dietary Behaviors, Diet Quality, and Obesity Among Mothers from Low-Income Households: Additional Evidence in the Call for Broader Approaches to Obesity Prevention.

To examine racial/ethnic differences in dietary behaviors, diet quality, body mass, and the perceived availability of healthful foods in one's neighborhood among mothers from low-income California households. Cross-sectional telephone surveys of mothers from randomly sampled households with incomes ≤185% federal poverty level in 2018 and 2019 using a validated 24-h dietary recall assessment. Dietary outcomes were cups of fruits and vegetables, ounces of sugar-sweetened beverages, teaspoons of added sugars, and kilocalories consumed the previous day. Diet quality was assessed by calculating Health Eating Index-2015 scores. Supplemental survey items assessed mothers' weight and height. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated with a BMI of 30 or higher considered obese. Perceived availability of fresh fruits and vegetables and healthy foods in general within one's neighborhood was recorded. The analytic sample of 9200 mothers was 66.3% Latina, 17.3% white, 12.6% African American, and 3.8% Asian American, Native Hawaiian, or Pacific Islander (AANHPI). African American mothers consumed the fewest cups of fruits and vegetables and the most teaspoons of added sugars, reported poor diet quality, and had the highest obesity rate, 54.7% versus 46.9% for Latinas, 39.9% for whites, and 23.5% for AANHPIs. Accordingly, a greater proportion of African Americans reported limited availability of fresh fruits and vegetables and healthy foods in general in their neighborhood. Findings are interpreted in light of recent calls for broader approaches to address health disparities, including strategies that focus on inequalities in racial/ethnic socioeconomic status and systemic racism.

Systematics, ecology, and biochronology of blancan horses from Sonora, northwestern Mexico

We describe a set of dental and postcranial horse material recovered from the locality Los Hornitos, northeastern Sonora, northwestern Mexico. The fossil-bearing unit consists of brown silt with intercalation of fine-grained sandstone and bioturbated incipient soils, set in an alluvial environment and considered Pliocene in age. The comparative study of the available sample indicates the presence of two species: the small-sized hipparionine Nannippus peninsulatus and the medium-sized and primitive equine Equus simplicidens. The isotope composition of δ13C and δ18O in dental enamel tooth indicates a C3–C4 mixed diet for these species and suggests the presence of woodland and open areas in Los Hornitos during the Pliocene. The less negative δ13C values observed in E. simplicidens are related to a more C4 diet, preferring to roam open habitats. The coexistence and optimal resource partitioning between these species are explained, considering their differences in dietary behavior, body size, home range, and/or vagility. The recognized horse species are typical of the Blancan North American Land Mammal Age, and their biochronological information from the southwestern United States and central Mexico establishes the probable age of the Los Hornitos at about 3.9–2.6 Ma, corresponding to the Blancan III or late early Blancan – early late Blancan.

Socioeconomic differences in animal food consumption: Education rather than income makes a difference.

Evidence points toward more sustainable and health-conscious dietary behaviors among individuals with higher socioeconomic status. However, these differences vary considerably depending on which indicator of socioeconomic status is examined. Here, we present a systematic parallel investigation of multiple indicators of socioeconomic status as predictors of animal food consumption frequency and selected food-related behaviors in Germany. Data from the German subsample of two large representative European consumer studies (Study 1 n = 1,954; Study 2 n = 2,045) was used. We assessed the associations between the socioeconomic indicators income, current occupation as well as education and consumption frequency of animal foods and selected food-related behaviors in separate ordinal logistic regressions. Individuals with higher educational attainment engaged in more sustainable and health-conscious dietary behaviors, indicated by significant associations between educational attainment and the consumption frequency of animal foods. Low- and middle-income participants consumed processed meat more frequently (Study 1 only; medium income: OR 1.5, CI 1.09-2.05, p = 0.012; low income: OR 1.43, CI 1.01-2.05, p = 0.047) and fish less frequently (Study 2 only; medium income: OR 0.76, CI 0.59-0.97, p = 0.026; low income: OR 0.061, CI 0.46-0.82, p < 0.001) than participants with high income. Current occupation did not predict the consumption of animal foods or food-related behaviors. Intake frequency of animal-based foods indicates that most participants exceeded national dietary recommendations for meat and processed meat and remained below recommendations for fish and dairy/eggs intake. Educational attainment appears to be the strongest and most consistent socioeconomic indicator of sustainable dietary choices in Germany based on current large, representative studies. Future efforts should be directed toward education interventions about nutrition and interpretation of food labels to compensate for differences in dietary behavior among groups with different levels of education.

Dietary behaviors and food insecurity among Houston college students during the COVID-19 pandemic

Objective: This study assessed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on college students’ nutrition, including dietary behaviors and food security status. Participants: Participants included 140 students between 18 and 25 years of age, who were enrolled in a college or university in the greater Houston area. Methods: Analyses included descriptive statistics, t tests, and ANOVAs to analyze differences in dietary behaviors by demographic variables, and chi-square tests to assess characteristics associated with food security status. Results: The majority of participants reported changing their diets due to the COVID-19 pandemic. There were no significant differences by demographics. However, there were significant differences in food security status by race/ethnicity and social class. Conclusion: This study identified changes and disparities in college students’ dietary behaviors and food security status during the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings help inform future policy, programs, and research to address college students’ nutrition during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Perception of urban population characteristics through dietary taste patterns based on takeout data

Research on commercial activities and their spatial structure is an important topic in urban geography and economic geography. As an online-to-offline business activity, takeout ordering is an important approach for urban residents to solve their catering needs. It can well reflect the working and living conditions of the population and is a source for studying urban life. Based on the takeout data in the city of Hangzhou, China, this study uses the customers' detailed order information to extract three dietary taste patterns: spicy, sweet, and light. We then combine the dietary taste patterns with points of interest and land use data to identify the location attributes of order destination and explore the temporal and spatial distribution characteristics of dietary taste patterns. The results show differences in dietary behavior of people at the community scale, and help us understand the local culture and socio-demographic characteristics from the perspective of diet. Dietary taste pattern is closely related to timing and location, which reflects differences in consumption tendencies, and socio-demographic heterogeneity. This research helps to present the dietary characteristics of different population groups and their spatial distribution, and supplements the content of urban research on foodscape.

Female Endurance Runners Have a Healthier Diet than Males-Results from the NURMI Study (Step 2).

Sex has been recognized to be an important indicator of physiological, psychological, and nutritional characteristics among endurance athletes. However, there are limited data addressing sex-based differences in dietary behaviors of distance runners. The aim of the present study is to explore the sex-specific differences in dietary intake of female and male distance runners competing at >10-km distances. From the initial number of 317 participants, 211 endurance runners (121 females and 90 males) were selected as the final sample after a multi-level data clearance. Participants were classified to race distance (10-km, half-marathon, marathon/ultra-marathon) and type of diet (omnivorous, vegetarian, vegan) subgroups. An online survey was conducted to collect data on sociodemographic information and dietary intake (using a comprehensive food frequency questionnaire with 53 food groups categorized in 14 basic and three umbrella food clusters). Compared to male runners, female runners had a significantly greater intake in four food clusters, including “beans and seeds”, “fruit and vegetables”, “dairy alternatives”, and “water”. Males reported higher intakes of seven food clusters, including “meat”, “fish”, “eggs”, “oils”, “grains”, “alcohol”, and “processed foods”. Generally, it can be suggested that female runners have a tendency to consume healthier foods than males. The predominance of females with healthy dietary behavior can be potentially linked to the well-known differences between females and males in health attitudes and lifestyle patterns.

Dietary behavior and urinary gallic acid concentration differences among underserved elder racial and ethnic minorities in New York City

PurposeDiet and nutrition are important for cancer prevention. To investigate associations between dietary behavior, demographics, and risk of cancer, we assessed dietary behavior and urinary concentration of gallic acid, a polyphenol with anticancer properties found in various fruits and vegetables, in racial and ethnic minorities.MethodsNinety-one (91) participants were recruited from senior centers in East Harlem, New York City, a racially diverse and underserved community. A National Institute of Health (NIH)—validated dietary survey questionnaire—was used to collect dietary fruits and vegetables consumption data. Demographic and cancer information were also collected. All 91 participants completed the survey and forty-five (45) participants provided urine samples for gallic acid analysis.ResultsGender differences were significantly associated with dietary behavior and urinary gallic acid concentration (UGAC). Female participants had a higher total daily intake of fruits and a significantly higher UGAC compared to male participants (p < 0.05). Age was negatively associated with the serving quantity of French fries/fried potatoes and white potatoes (p < 0.05), while positively associated with the daily intake frequency and daily intake of fruits (p < 0.05). Furthermore, Asian race was associated with higher daily intake frequencies of fruits and vegetable soup (p < 0.05), compared to other races. In a multivariate analysis, a significant association was observed between the serving quantities of fruits and other vegetables and UGAC (p < 0.05) after controlling for demographic characteristics.ConclusionThe observed differences in dietary behavior and UGAC in this study provide limited information on the association between demographic differences and cancer prevalence in elder racial and ethnic minorities. Future research should investigate this association further for potential implications in cancer prevention.

Abstract PO-143: Gender differences in dietary behavior and urinary gallic acid concentrations in racial minorities in New York City

Abstract Nutrition is important for cancer prevention. To investigate associations between dietary differences based on demographics and risk of cancer, we assessed dietary behavior and the urinary concentrations of gallic acid, an antioxidant found in various fruits and vegetables, in racial minorities in New York City (NYC). Ninety-one (91) participants were recruited from a senior center in East Harlem, NYC, a racially diverse and underserved community. A National Institute of Health (NIH) - validated diet survey questionnaire was used to collect dietary behavior data. Demographic and cancer information were also collected. All 91 participants completed the survey and forty-five (45) participants provided urine samples for gallic acid analysis. Associations between demographic factors and the intake of certain foods were assessed. Gender differences were significantly associated with dietary behavior and urinary gallic acid concentrations (UGAC). Female participants had a higher daily intake of fruits compared to male participants (p&amp;lt;0.05). Additionally, female participants had significantly higher UGAC compared to male participants (p&amp;lt;0.05). Other associations were also observed. Age was negatively associated with the quantity of french fries/fried potatoes and white potatoes intake (p&amp;lt;0.05), while positively associated with frequency of fruit intake (p&amp;lt;0.05). Furthermore, Asian race was associated with a higher frequency of fruit intake (p&amp;lt;0.05), compared to other races. Among all recruited participants, we collected information on three cancer cases. Compared to non-cancer cases, participants with cancer reported a significantly lower fruit intake quantity (p&amp;lt;0.05). In a multivariate analysis, we observed a significant association between fruit intake quantity and UGAC (p&amp;lt;0.05) after controlling for income. Our findings suggest that gender differences in dietary behavior and UGAC may explain some of the gender differences in cancer incidence and prevalence observed in racial minority groups. Citation Format: Cristina N. Zambrano, Wenyue Lu, Cicely Johnson, Maayan Beeber, April Panitz, Safa Ibrahim, Marilyn Fraser, Grace Ma, Ming-Chin Yeh, Olorunseun Ogunwobi. Gender differences in dietary behavior and urinary gallic acid concentrations in racial minorities in New York City [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Virtual Conference: Thirteenth AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2020 Oct 2-4. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2020;29(12 Suppl):Abstract nr PO-143.

Gender differences in dietary behaviors among Japanese adolescents.

Unhealthy dietary behaviors in adolescence are an important public health problem. Gender differences in dietary behaviors have already appeared during adolescence. However, few studies have assessed a variety of adolescent dietary behaviors in Japan. We aimed to clarify gender differences in unhealthy dietary behaviors among Japanese adolescents. The participants consisted of 84,988 participants from seventh to 12th grades. Unhealthy dietary behaviors were defined according to the National Health and Nutrition Survey. Multivariable logistic regression was used to analyze a nationally representative sample of Japanese adolescents from the 2014 to 2015 Lifestyle Survey. The effective response rate was 51.4%. The prevalence of unhealthy dietary behaviors (skipping breakfast, snacking, eating out, skipping meals, eating alone at dinner, and subjectively poor diet quality) among boys and girls was 14.2% versus 12.4%, 19.6% versus 14.1%, 10.6% versus 7.0%, 7.9% versus 5.6%, 13.3% versus 12.1%, and 12.3% versus 15.8%, respectively. Compared with boys, girls were more negatively associated with skipping breakfast [OR=0.76 (95% CI 0.73-0.79)], snacking [OR=0.67 (95% CI 0.65-0.70)], eating out [OR=0.62 (95% CI 0.59-0.66)], skipping meals [OR=0.61 (95% CI 0.58-0.65)], and eating alone at dinner [OR=0.79 (95% CI 0.76-0.83)]. However, girls were more positively associated with subjectively poor diet quality [OR=1.19 (95% CI 1.14.1.24)]. The findings suggest that gender differences existed in dietary behaviors. Gender differences in dietary behaviors suggest opportunities for tailoring interventions related to dietary education in schools.

To what extent do dietary costs explain socio-economic differences in dietary behavior?

BackgroundLow socio-economic position is associated with consumption of lower quality diets, which may be partly explained by the cost of healthier diets. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the mediating role of dietary costs in the association between educational level and diet quality.MethodsWe used cross-sectional data from Dutch older adults (N = 9399) in the EPIC-NL cohort. Participants provided information about their own and their partners’ highest attained educational level (as proxy for socio-economic position). Dietary behavior was assessed using a food frequency questionnaire from which we derived two diet-quality scores, including the Dutch Healthy Diet index 2015 (DHD15-index) and the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet. Dietary cost estimates were based on food price data from food stores, and linked to reported consumption of food items. Multiple regression analyses and bootstrapping were used examine the mediating role of dietary cost in the association between educational level and diet quality.ResultsMean age of participants was 70 (SD: 10) years and 77% were women. Dietary costs significantly mediated the association between educational level and diet quality, except for high versus middle individual educational level and the DHD15-index. Depending on the dietary and educational indicator, dietary costs explained between 2 and 7% of the association between educational level and diet quality. Furthermore, associations were found to be modified by sex and age. For the DHD15-index, mediation effects were only present in females and adults older than 65 years, and for the DASH diet mediation effects were only present in females and strongest amongst adults older than 65 years compared to adults younger than 65 years.ConclusionDietary costs seems to play a modest role in explaining educational differences in diet quality in an older Dutch population. Further research is needed to investigate which other factors may explain SEP differences in diet quality.

Abstract 3462: Gender differences in dietary behavior and urinary gallic acid concentrations in racial minorities in New York City

Abstract Nutrition is important for cancer prevention. Previous research has found that socioeconomic factors may affect access to a healthy diet, which may impact the risk of cancer. To investigate this association, we assessed dietary behavior and the urinary concentrations of gallic acid, an antioxidant found in various fruits and vegetables, in racial minorities in New York City. Ninety-one (91) participants were recruited from a senior center in East Harlem, New York City, a racially diverse and underserved community. A National Institute of Health (NIH) - validated diet survey questionnaire was used to collect dietary behavior data. Demographic and cancer information were also collected. All 91 participants completed the survey and forty-five (45) participants provided urine samples for gallic acid analysis. Associations between demographic factors and the intake of certain foods were assessed. Gender differences were significantly associated with dietary behavior and urinary gallic acid concentrations. Female participants had a higher daily intake of fruits compared to male participants (p&amp;lt;0.05). Additionally, female participants had significantly higher urinary gallic acid concentrations compared to male participants (p&amp;lt;0.05). Other associations were also observed. Age was negatively associated with the quantity of french fries/fried potatoes and white potatoes intake (p&amp;lt;0.05), while positively associated with frequency of fruit intake (p&amp;lt;0.05). Furthermore, Asian race was associated with a higher frequency of fruit intake (p&amp;lt;0.05), compared to other races. Among all recruited participants, we collected information on three cancer cases. Compared to non-cancer cases, participants with cancer reported a significantly lower fruit intake quantity (p&amp;lt;0.05). In a multivariate analysis, we observed a significant association between fruit intake quantity and urinary gallic acid concentration (p&amp;lt;0.05) after controlling for income. Our findings suggest that gender differences in dietary behavior and urinary gallic acid concentration may explain some of the gender differences in cancer incidence and prevalence observed in racial minority groups. Citation Format: Cristina Zambrano, Wenyue Lu, Cicely Johnson, Maayan Beeber, April Panitz, Safa Ibrahim, Marilyn Fraser, Grace Ma, Khursheed Navder, Ming-Chin Yeh, Olorunseun Ogunwobi. Gender differences in dietary behavior and urinary gallic acid concentrations in racial minorities in New York City [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research 2020; 2020 Apr 27-28 and Jun 22-24. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(16 Suppl):Abstract nr 3462.

The Effect of Healthy Diet on Cognitive Performance Among Healthy Seniors - A Mini Review.

At present, a healthy diet appears to be one of the suitable strategies in slowing down cognitive decline in the process of aging. A number of evidence-based studies confirm its efficacy, safety, and cost-effectiveness. The aim of this mini review is to evaluate and describe recent randomized clinical and cohort studies exploring the effect of healthy diet on cognitive performance among healthy seniors, as well as to update the existing information on this research issue. For these reasons, the authors reviewed full-text, peer-reviewed journal articles written in English and available in Web of Science and PubMed between September 2017 and February 2020. Altogether nine original studies were detected. The results indicate that healthy diet and healthy diet components generally have a positive impact on the enhancement of cognitive functions. Furthermore, the findings reveal that dietary patterns, as well as single nutrients might have a significant effect on specific cognitive domains, such as memory in general, episodic memory, or processing speed. It also seems that a strict adherence to the dietary patterns and a higher diet variety have a more significant effect on the improvement of cognitive functions. Nevertheless, there seem to be gender differences in dietary behavior. More recently, personalized dietary interventions started to be used in delaying cognitive decline among healthy seniors. Therefore, more randomized control trials or N-of-1 trials should be performed in this research area in order to detect the most suitable dietary pattern or nutrients, which would, together with other modifiable lifestyle factors, contribute to the improvement of quality of life of the aging population.

A Short-term Longitudinal Study Of The Effectiveness Of Kids Get Fit Fitness And Nutrition Curriculum

PURPOSE: This study investigated the effects of the Kids Get Fit (KGF) fitness (premised on integrative neuromuscular training) curriculum and nutritional education on measures of movement competence, muscular endurance, and dietary behavior in elementary school age children. METHODS: Participants were 4th graders at two local schools (94 ± 2% Hispanic/Latino) in Corpus Christi, Texas, i.e., experimental (n = 69; 31 males) (8.5 ± 0.5 years; 132.6 ± 6.3 cm; 36.3 ± 10.7 kg) and control (n = 40; 14 males) (8.4 ± 1.2 years; 131.7 ± 17.1 cm; 35.7 ± 11.5 kg). KGF instructors delivered an engaging curriculum that included fitness, dance, yoga, and nutritional education to children at the intervention school, while the control school had traditional physical education class across 12 weeks. Movement competence (standing long jump), muscular endurance (90o push-up), and dietary behaviors (EFNEP 3rd-5th Grade Survey) were assessed at baseline and within a week of concluding the intervention. A series of factorial ANOVA and Mann-Whitney U Test was used to explore differences within and between groups. Statistical significance was set at P < .05. RESULTS: There was a significant interaction of time and intervention (F(1,108) = 7.973, P = .006); the control group had higher resting heart rate increase compared to the experimental group. There was a significant interaction of time and intervention (F(1,96) = 8.579, P = .004); the experimental group showed greater increase in standing long jump performance compared to the control group. There was a significant main effect of the intervention (F(1,107) = 6.192, P = .014); the experimental group showed increased 90o push-up performance compared to the control group. There were no significant differences in sugar-sweetened beverage (U = 1311.500, P = .505), vegetable (U = 1399.500, P = .924), and fruit (U = 1341.500, P = .629) consumption between groups after 12 weeks. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest the intervention improved muscular endurance and movement competence. Improved stability of resting heart rate suggests favorable cardiovascular effects attributed to enhanced fitness. Lack of differences in dietary behaviors further underscore the importance of involving entire families in nutritional education and addressing access to healthy foods in elementary school age children.

Exploring Dietary Behavior Differences among Children by Race/Ethnicity and Socioeconomic Status.

In Spartanburg County, SC, nearly 33.7% of children are overweight or obese. The purpose of this study was to investigate differences in eating behavior of youth by race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status. Students (N=997) in 4th to 5th grades completed the School Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey. School databases categorized students as either White or racial/ethnic minority and free/reduced or full paid lunch status. Dietary behaviors included 13 composite measures: unhealthy proteins, healthy proteins, dairy, refined grains, whole grains, vegetables, fruit, fried snacks, sugar-sweetened beverages, sweets, and consumption of a breakfast, evening, and/or restaurant meal. Logistic regression, controlling for sex, was used to analyze differences in consumption for each nutrition variable. Minority youth were less likely to consume healthy proteins (odds ratio [OR]=0.71, 95% confidence interval [CI]=0.55-0.92) and more likely to eat at a restaurant (OR=1.32, 95% CI=1.02-1.70) compared to white youth. Lower socioeconomic status youth were less likely to eat an evening meal compared to higher socioeconomic status youth (OR=0.59, 95% CI=0.39-0.89). Differences in dietary behaviors may result from food accessibility and insecurity in minority and/or low-income neighborhoods. Future research should explore policy strategies that can help ensure all youth maintain healthy eating habits and weight status.

Dental microwear as a behavioral proxy for distinguishing between canids at the Upper Paleolithic (Gravettian) site of Předmostí, Czech Republic

Morphological and genetic evidence put dog domestication during the Paleolithic, sometime between 40,000 and 15,000 years ago, with identification of the earliest dogs debated. We predict that these earliest dogs (referred to herein as protodogs), while potentially difficult to distinguish morphologically from wolves, experienced behavioral shifts, including changes in diet. Specifically, protodogs may have consumed more bone and other less desirable scraps within human settlement areas. Here we apply Dental Microwear Texture Analysis (DMTA) to canids from the Gravettian site of Předmostí (approx. 28,500 BP), which were previously assigned to the Paleolithic dog or Pleistocene wolf morphotypes. We test whether these groups separate out significantly by diet-related variation in microwear patterning. Results are consistent with differences in dietary breadth, with the Paleolithic dog morphotype showing evidence of greater durophagy than those assigned to the wolf morphotype. This supports the presence of two morphologically and behaviorally distinct canid types at this middle Upper Paleolithic site. Our primary goal here was to test whether these two morphotypes expressed notable differences in dietary behavior. However, in the context of a major Gravettian settlement, this may also support evidence of early stage dog domestication. Dental microwear is a behavioral signal that may appear generations before morphological changes are established in a population. It shows promise for distinguishing protodogs from wolves in the Pleistocene and domesticated dogs from wolves elsewhere in the archaeological record.

Rural-Urban Differences in Dietary Behavior and Obesity: Results of the Riskesdas Study in 10-18-Year-Old Indonesian Children and Adolescents.

Obesity has become a significant problem for developing countries, including Indonesia. High duration of sedentary activity and high intake of unhealthy foods were associated with high risk of overweight and obesity. The objective of this study was to compare the distributions of sedentary activity and dietary behavior with overweight/obesity risks between urban and rural areas among children and adolescents aged 10–18 years in Indonesia. This is a cross-sectional study. Data from a national survey in 33 Indonesian provinces (Basic Health Research /Riskesdas 2013) were analyzed. Multiple logistic regression models were used to calculate the odds ratio (OR) adjusted with all variables, such as age, gender, residency, education level, physical activity, and food intake. An urban–rural residence difference was found in the factors related to obesity. Daily caffeinated soft drinks and energy drinks consumption (OR = 1.12, 95% CI: 1.01–1.23) were related to risk of overweight and obesity in urban areas. Daily grilled foods (OR = 1.32, 95% CI: 1.22–1.42) and salty food (OR = 1.09, 95% CI: 1.04–1.15) consumption were significantly associated with obesity in rural areas but not in urban areas. Furthermore, sedentary activity was correlated with overweight and obesity among those who lived in urban and rural areas. Our findings suggest that education, environmental, and policy interventions may need to specifically target urban settings, where access is high to a wide range of processed and traditional high-sugar, high-fat snack foods and beverages.