Inadequate Vegetable Consumption Research Articles

Associação entre prática de atividade física com consumo de frutas, verduras e legumes em adolescentes do Nordeste do Brasil

ObjectiveTo determine the association between low levels of physical activity and consumption of fruits and vegetables among adolescents. MethodsThis cross‐sectional study included 2,057 adolescents aged 13 to 18 years from the city of Aracaju, Northeastern Brazil. We analyzed the level of physical activity, consumption of fruits and vegetables by standardized and validated questionnaires. The control variables were sex, age, socioeconomic status, maternal education, alcohol consumption and smoking. For data analysis, univariate and multivariate logistic regression were used, with a significance level of 5%. ResultsThe prevalence of low levels of physical activity was 81.9%; the inadequate consumption of fruits ocurred in 79.1% and the inadequate consumption of vegetables in 90.6%. Adolescents who consumed few fruits daily had an increase in 40% of chance of being insufficiently active and, for those who consumed few vegetable,s the likelihood of being insufficiently active was 50% higher, compared to those who had adequate intake of these foods. ConclusionsLow levels of physical activity were associated with inadequate fruit and vegetable intake among adolescents in a city in northeastern Brazil. These findings suggest that insufficiently active adolescents have other unhealthy behaviors that may increase the risk of chronic diseases in adulthood.

Chronic disease health risk behaviours amongst people with a mental illness.

Amongst people with a mental illness, modifiable health risk behaviours contribute substantially to increased chronic disease morbidity and mortality. This study examined the prevalence of and interest in changing such behaviours amongst community mental health service clients in Australia. A telephone interview was undertaken with Australian community mental health service clients. Participants reported engagement in four health risk behaviours: tobacco smoking, fruit and vegetable consumption, alcohol consumption, and physical activity. Participants were classified as at risk based upon Australian national guidelines. At-risk participants were asked whether they were considering improving their health risk behaviour within the next month. The association between psychiatric diagnosis and risk, and interest in improving health risk behaviours was examined. Risk prevalence was highest for inadequate vegetable consumption (78.3%), followed by inadequate fruit consumption (60%), smoking (50.7%), physical inactivity (46.8%), short-term alcohol risk (40.3%) and chronic alcohol risk (35.3%). A majority of at-risk participants were considering improving their health risk behaviour for smoking, physical inactivity and inadequate fruit and vegetable consumption (65.1%, 71.1%, and 53.3%, respectively). After adjusting for demographic factors, no diagnostic categories were associated with risk for any behaviour. Those with a diagnosis of depression were more likely to be interested in quitting smoking and increasing physical activity. Regardless of diagnosis, a high prevalence of chronic disease health risk behaviours was identified, with many participants expressing an interest in improving these behaviours. Such findings reinforce recommendations that preventive care addressing the chronic disease risks of clients be provided routinely by mental health clinicians. Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR) ACTRN12613000693729. URL: www.anzctr.org.au/.

Characterizing Stressors and Modifiable Health Risk Factors Among Homeless Smokers: An Exploratory Pilot Study.

This pilot study was conducted to explore the associations between stressors related to homelessness and modifiable health risk factors (poor diet, insufficient physical activity, and overweight/obesity) and to provide direction for future research. Participants (N = 57) were homeless adults enrolled in a smoking cessation program. Analyses were conducted to characterize the sample as well as the relations between relevant stressors (discrimination, chronic stress, and fear and mistrust) and health risk factors. Inadequate daily consumption of fruits, vegetables, and fiber was common. High-fat diet and insufficient physical activity were also prevalent, and the majority of participants were overweight/obese. Participants commonly endorsed discrimination, fear of victimization, mistrust of others, and several other stressors. Greater endorsement of stressors was associated with a high-fat diet. Results suggest that lifestyle interventions and policy changes may be warranted in homeless shelters to attenuate the potential effects of stressors on high-fat dietary consumption among smokers.

Television Time among Brazilian Adolescents: Correlated Factors are Different between Boys and Girls

Objective. The aim of this study was to identify the prevalence of excess television time and verify correlated factors in adolescent males and females. Methods. This cross-sectional study included 2,105 adolescents aged from 13 to 18 years from the city of Aracaju, Northeastern Brazil. Television time was self-reported, corresponding to the time spent watching television in a typical week. Several correlates were examined including age, skin color, socioeconomic status, parent education, physical activity level, consumption of fruits and vegetables, smoking status, alcohol use, and sports team participation. Results. The prevalence excess television time (≥2 hours/day) in girls and boys was 70.9% and 66.2%, respectively. Girls with low socioeconomic status or inadequate consumption of fruits and vegetables were more likely to have excess television time. Among boys, those >16 years of age or with black skin color were more likely to have excess television time. Conclusions. Excess television time was observed in more than two-thirds of adolescents, being more evident in girls. Correlated factors differed according to sex. Efforts to reduce television time among Brazilian adolescents, and replace with more active pursuits, may yield desirable public health benefits.

Antioxidant effectiveness of vegetable powders on the lipid and protein oxidative stability of cooked Turkey meat patties: implications for health.

Lipid and protein oxidation decreases the shelf-life of foods and may result in formation of end-products potentially detrimental for health. Consumer pressure to decrease the use of synthetic phenolic antioxidants has encouraged identification of alternative compounds or extracts from natural sources. We have assessed whether inclusion of dried vegetable powders improves the oxidative stability of turkey meat patties. Such powders are not only potentially-rich sources of phenolic antioxidants, but also may impart additional health benefits, as inadequate vegetable consumption is a risk factor for heart disease and several cancers. In an accelerated oxidation system, six of eleven vegetable powders significantly (p < 0.05) improved oxidative stability of patties by 20%–30% (spinach < yellow pea < onion < red pepper < green pea < tomato). Improved lipid oxidative stability was strongly correlated with the decreased formation of protein carbonyls (r = 0.747, p < 0.01). However, improved lipid stability could not be ascribed to phenolic acids nor recognized antioxidants, such as α- and γ-tocopherol, despite their significant (p < 0.01) contribution to the total antioxidant capacity of the patties. Use of chemically complex vegetable powders offers an alternative to individual antioxidants for increasing shelf-life of animal-based food products and may also provide additional health benefits associated with increased vegetable intake.

A cross‐sectional survey of health risk behaviour clusters among a sample of socially disadvantaged Australian welfare recipients

To examine the prevalence and clustering of six health risk behaviours (smoking, alcohol, inadequate sun protection, physical inactivity, and inadequate fruit and vegetable consumption) among severely disadvantaged individuals. A cross-sectional touch screen computer survey was conducted with 383 clients attending a social and community welfare organisation in New South Wales. Participants were assessed on smoking status, alcohol consumption, fruit and vegetable consumption, physical activity, sun protection and socio-demographic characteristics. Descriptive statistics, factor analysis and logistic regression were used to assess the prevalence, clustering and socio-demographic predictors of health risk behaviours. Ninety-eight per cent of the participants reported inadequate vegetable consumption, 62.7% reported inadequate fruit consumption, 82.5% reported inadequate sun protection, 61.7% smoked tobacco, 51.4% consumed alcohol at risky levels and 36.5% were insufficiently active. Most participants (87%) reported three or more risk behaviours. Male participants, younger participants and those with lower education were more likely to smoke tobacco and consume alcohol. The prevalence of health risk behaviours among a sample of typically hard-to-reach, severely disadvantaged individuals is extremely high. Future intervention development should take into account the likelihood of health risk clustering among severely disadvantaged groups.

Abstract P096: Excess Sodium and Inadequate Potassium Dietary Intake by Italian Children and Adolescents: Results of the MINISAL Survey

Introduction: The MINISAL survey aimed to assess the age-, gender- and region-specific habitul sodium and potassium intake and its association with relevant anthropometric characteristics in a national sample of Italian healthy children and adolescents referred to centers recognised by the Italian Society of Gastroenterology and Pediatric Nutrition. Methods: The study population included 1422 6 to 18 yrs. old subjects from ten regions. Main anthropometric indexes, blood pressure (BP) and 24h urinary sodium and potassium excretion (as proxy for habitual sodium and potassium intake) were measured using carefully standardised procedures. Potentially incomplete 24h collections were identified and excluded from the analysis based on values of urinary creatinine/Kg body weight and/or a urinary volume below the 5 th percentile of the overall distribution. The analysis was carried out upon stratification by gender (M=788, F=644), puberal age category: &lt;9 yrs, 9-11 yrs. and 5 months, &gt;11 yrs. and 5 mo. (male); &lt; 8 yrs., 8-10 yrs. and 2 mo., &gt; 10 yrs. and 2 mo. (female), and scholar age category: 6-10 yrs., 11-13 yrs. and 14-18 yrs (both male and female participants). The relationships among body weight, sodium, potassium and creatinine excretion were analysed using Z-scores as an index of body mass. Results: The 24h sodium and potassium excretion were higher in male than in female participants (respectively, 130±63 vs 119±56 mmol; p=0.001 and 39±18 vs 37±16 mmol; p=0.003). Upon stratification by puberal age and gender, 24h urinary sodium and potassium excretion were respectively 109±54 and 36±19 mol in category 1, 134±60 and 40±16 in category 2 and 152±69 and 43±17 in category 3 for male subjects (p&lt;0.01); 98±39 and 33±13 in category 1, 105±45 and 34±13 in category 2 and 137±63 and 40±18 mmol in category 3 for female individuals (p&lt;0.05). The expected gender difference in 24h urinary creatinine was observed in all age categories (p&lt;0.05). Male individuals had consistently greater sodium, potassium and creatinine excretion than female individuals (p between &lt;0.001 and &lt;0.05). Upon stratification of the study population in four body weight categories (BMI Z-score &lt;0, 0 to &lt;0,9, 1 to &lt;1,9 and ≥2), 24h sodium excretion was significantly greater in obese compared to normal weight children. 24h potassium excretion was also greater in obese children and adolescents compared with their normal weight counterparts (p=0.002). No significant difference was observed in either sodium or potassium excretion by geographical area. Conclusions: The MINISAL survey indicates a substantial age-, gender- and body mass-related variation with average values of sodium intake definitely high when related to true physiological needs or to the “adequate intakes” defined by the health institutions. By contrast, the habitual potassium intake was relatively low and such to indicate an inadequate fruit and vegetable consumption.

Fruit-and-Vegetable Consumption May Not be Inadequate

Whitehead et al. begin their intriguing article with the following two authoritative statements (leading off their abstract and introduction, respectively): “Fruit and vegetable consumption is inadequate among adults in the United States” and “Inadequate fruit and vegetable consumption is an enduring problem that presents a significant challenge to human well-being.” 1(p207) Although these statements are definitive, the evidence for them is less so, deriving mostly from observational studies and various problematic research designs.2 It is entirely possible that worldwide fruit-and-vegetable consumption is already at an appropriate level (or maybe even too high), and what the world's people may want to do to improve their health is consume fewer processed products like those containing refined grains and sugar. Exclusively carnivorous peoples like the Masai did just fine without eating fruits or vegetables3,4—as did the Inuit who considered fruits and vegetables “not proper human food.”4,5 Only after the introduction of white flour and sugar to traditional plant-avoiding diets did such peoples begin to exhibit diseases like obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer.4 It is not clear that eating more fruits and vegetable would help. Indeed, it has not helped protect exclusively vegetarian Hindus from escaping similar chronic-disease fates; in fact, they may be disproportionately affected.6 Whitehead et al. suggest fruits and vegetables are beneficial because of healthy substances (like the appearance-benefitting antioxidant carotenoids) they contain.1 When such substances are tested in randomized controlled trials, however, they mostly fail to improve health and may even cause death7 (famously the case for yellow-pigmented carotenoids carotenoids8). An alternative hypothesis to a fruit-and-vegetable benefit through healthy substances is a benefit through substitution: perhaps fruits and vegetables promote health by displacing unhealthy foods that people might otherwise eat. Such a possibility would certainly give the appearance of a uniquely healthy effect, but would make fruits and vegetables no more “inadequate” in a person's diet than other unprocessed foods (e.g., nuts, whole grains, fish, wild game) that might replace processed foods; and no more inadequate than other foods that might supply appearance-benefiting yellow pigments (e.g., liver, eggs, cheese).9 In fact, if preferentially eating certain other whole foods would produce more-desirable health effects, then consuming fruits and vegetables instead could be relatively unhealthy. Don't get me wrong, the article by Whitehead et al.1 is incredibly interesting, is very well referenced, and makes several compelling points. Also, I am certainly not against promoting fruits and vegetables10 (particularly to displace processed foods). I just do not think we can use words like “inadequate” to describe fruit or vegetable intake. Until better evidence is available, we, in public health might proceed with more cautious statements such as: Levels of fruit-and-vegetable consumption may be less than ideal.

Mo1980 Assessment of Vegetable Familiarity in Pediatric Gastroenterology Patients

Background: A poor dietary habit, particularly inadequate vegetable consumption, is often cited as a contributing factor toward the development of digestive complaints in children. This is a pilot study to assess children's familiarity with vegetables in an ambulatory pediatric gastroenterology practice. Methods: 76 consecutive patients between the ages of 8 and 18 years who presented for pediatric gastroenterology office visits over a 5 week period were prospectively asked during the visits to name as many different varieties of vegetables as possible in 30 seconds. Each patient's age, gender, BMI, BMI-for-age percentile, primary diagnosis, list of vegetables named in order, and the number of vegetables named, were recorded. Microsoft Excel was used for data analysis. Results: The average number of vegetables named in 30 seconds was approximately 6. There was a trend toward gradual improvement with age, from an average of 3.9 +/0.4 (S.E.M.) in the 8-10 year old group to 6.9 +/0.5 in the 16-18 year group. Results were similar across gender and BMI-for-age percentile categories. 38 distinct vegetables were named; however, only carrot (85.5%), broccoli (75.0%), tomato (63.2%) and lettuce (50.0%) were named by at least half of the patients, and 21 of the vegetables were named less than 10% of the time. Several patients answered “pickles” as a vegetable choice, but did not know that pickles are made from cucumbers. Conclusion: Familiarity with vegetables appears to be poor among most youths who present for pediatric gastroenterology visits, regardless of gender or BMI-for-age percentiles.

Mo1981 The Utility of a Faecal Calprotectin Cut off of >200ug/G in a Regional Paediatric Population

Background: A poor dietary habit, particularly inadequate vegetable consumption, is often cited as a contributing factor toward the development of digestive complaints in children. This is a pilot study to assess children's familiarity with vegetables in an ambulatory pediatric gastroenterology practice. Methods: 76 consecutive patients between the ages of 8 and 18 years who presented for pediatric gastroenterology office visits over a 5 week period were prospectively asked during the visits to name as many different varieties of vegetables as possible in 30 seconds. Each patient's age, gender, BMI, BMI-for-age percentile, primary diagnosis, list of vegetables named in order, and the number of vegetables named, were recorded. Microsoft Excel was used for data analysis. Results: The average number of vegetables named in 30 seconds was approximately 6. There was a trend toward gradual improvement with age, from an average of 3.9 +/0.4 (S.E.M.) in the 8-10 year old group to 6.9 +/0.5 in the 16-18 year group. Results were similar across gender and BMI-for-age percentile categories. 38 distinct vegetables were named; however, only carrot (85.5%), broccoli (75.0%), tomato (63.2%) and lettuce (50.0%) were named by at least half of the patients, and 21 of the vegetables were named less than 10% of the time. Several patients answered “pickles” as a vegetable choice, but did not know that pickles are made from cucumbers. Conclusion: Familiarity with vegetables appears to be poor among most youths who present for pediatric gastroenterology visits, regardless of gender or BMI-for-age percentiles.

Gender differences in cardiovascular risk factors among adolescents in Aseer Region, southwestern Saudi Arabia

ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to explore gender differences in the prevalence of silent and clinical apparent cardiovascular risk factors among adolescents in Aseer Region, southwestern Saudi Arabia. Materials and methodsA cross-sectional study on a stratified sample of 1869 adolescents was carried out. They were interviewed and examined for weight and height, systolic and diastolic blood pressure using standardized techniques. ResultsThe study revealed high prevalence of some potential behavioral and biological cardiovascular diseases (CVD) risk factors among adolescent males and females in the study area. Behavioral risk factors included inadequate low consumption of fruits and vegetables, physical inactivity, and smoking. Physical inactivity was significantly more prevalent among females than males (42.9% and 25.7%, respectively). Smoking was significantly more among females than males (11.8% and 1.3%, respectively). Biological risk factors found were family history of CVD, obesity and high blood pressure. Obesity was significantly prevalent among females (29.4%) compared to males (20.6%). Males had significantly more high blood pressure than females. In logistic regression analysis, being male (aOR=2.992, 95% CI=1.933–4.742) and obesity (aOR=2.995, 95% CI=2.342–3.991) were found to be significant risk factors in developing high blood pressure among adolescents in the region. ConclusionsPresence of cardiovascular risk factors among adolescents is a public health problem in the region. There is a need for a national program in the country to prevent and control cardiovascular risk factors among adolescents.

Edentulism, use of dentures and consumption of fruit and vegetables in south Brazilian community-dwelling elderly

There is evidence suggesting that edentulous older persons modify their diet, avoiding foods that are difficult to chew, such as fruit and vegetables; meanwhile, the consumption of these foods is associated with prevention of chronic diseases. However, few studies evaluated whether a poor oral status without prosthetic rehabilitation is associated with a reduction in the consumption of fruit and vegetables in community-dwelling older persons. We evaluated the association of oral status with emphasis on complete dentures use with the daily consumption of at least 400 g of fruit and vegetables, following the recommendations of the WHO. A random sample of 282 south Brazilians ≥60 years of age was evaluated. Measurements included a questionnaire to assess sociodemographic, behaviour, and health data; consume of fruit and vegetables by means of a 24-h diet recall, and oral status assessment, by means of oral examinations assessing the number of teeth and use of dental prosthesis. Multivariate Poisson regression showed that the only variable significantly associated with inadequate consumption of fruit and vegetables was edentulism with the use of only one denture [PR=1·75 (1·11-2·74)]. Edentulous participants wearing only one denture were less likely to consume at least 400 g day(-1) of fruit and vegetables. These results indicate that, in edentulous community-dwelling elderly, oral health rehabilitation might play an important role in the maintenance of consumption of adequate amounts of fruit and vegetables, which is an important component of a healthy diet and also in the prevention of chronic diseases.

Sociodemographic Factors and Attitudes toward Food Affordability and Health Are Associated with Fruit and Vegetable Consumption in a Low-Income French Population

Determinants of fruit and vegetable consumption, including affordability and attitudes, have been poorly investigated, especially in European deprived populations. Our objective was to analyze various determinants of low consumption of fruits and vegetables in disadvantaged participants. Our participants were randomized into 2 groups, 1 which received nutritional advice alone and 1 that also received vouchers that were exchangeable for fruits and vegetables during a 12-mo period. Socioeconomic characteristics, food insufficiency, affordability, and motivation for eating fruits and vegetables were assessed. A short FFQ was administered. Determinants of consumption of <1 fruit or vegetable/d were analyzed using multivariate logistic regression. A total of 295 participants were included (mean age 44.8 y; 133 men, 162 women). At baseline, mean daily consumption of fruits and vegetables was 2.13 ± 1.57 times/d. Nearly 30% of the sample did not eat fruits and vegetables every day. Determinants of low fruit and vegetable consumption were: age younger than 55 y, education level lower than tertiary, and absence of financial means for buying fruits and vegetables daily. Other determinants were affordability (whether fruits and vegetables are affordable, lack of money in preventing healthy diet) and attitudes (whether one’s own diet is healthy, whether or not fruits and vegetables improve health, whether eating fruits and vegetables is a pleasure). Thus, determinants of inadequate consumption of fruits and vegetables in this deprived French population are numerous. The impact of financial difficulties is crucial, as is the perception of affordability of fruits and vegetables.

Abstract A90: Reducing colorectal cancer risk among Chinese Americans

Abstract Colorectal cancer rates are increasing among Chinese Americans, and this trend seems to be reflected among Chinese Americans in Texas. Data from the Texas Cancer Registry indicates that colorectal cancer is among the top three most frequently reported cancers among Chinese Americans. Case control studies among Chinese Americans in other parts of the U.S. suggest that risk factors for colorectal cancer may include high body mass index, inadequate physical activity, low fruit and vegetable consumption, high saturated fat consumption, longer exposure to high fat diet, low fiber diet and tobacco use. The Asian American Health Needs Assessment (AsANA) study collected self reported risk factor data from over 400 Chinese and 400 Vietnamese randomly selected households in the Greater Houston area. The data showed that among Chinese Americans in Houston, 62% reported no leisure time physical activity, 19% were obese, and that as years in the US increased, the percent of Chinese with less than 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day increased from 41% to almost 80%. Approximately 34% of Chinese adult males smoked cigarettes as compared to the Texas rate of 20%. The AsANA data also showed that only 25% of the Chinese respondents 50 years and older had had colorectal cancer screening as compared to 53% of Texas adults. Research is needed to identify cultural and access barriers to early detection and screening for colorectal cancer among Chinese Americans in Texas. In addition, culturally tailored educational programs and lifestyle interventions should be developed to educate this population on how to modify behaviors to reduce colorectal cancer risk. Citation Information: Cancer Prev Res 2010;3(1 Suppl):A90.

Exploring the Food Beliefs and Eating Behavior of Successful and Unsuccessful 'Weight Losers' Belonging to Different Areas of Karachi

The objectives of this study was to explore the food beliefs and eating behavior of successful and unsuccessful 'weight losers'; and to find out the nutritional adequacy of food groups, through a 24 hour food recall. A total of sixty participants were selected from 75 respondents on the basis of their past weight loss, and separated into two groups of thirty each; namely successful and unsuccessful 'weight losers'. Data about their food beliefs and eating behaviors were collected through a questionnaire. A 24 hour food recall was also taken. Results showed that both groups of 'weight losers', differed in their food beliefs, eating behavior and energy intake. 'weight losers' of both groups had an inadequate consumption of vegetables, fruits and milk.

An Important New Way to Rate the Nutritional Quality of Foods

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has estimated that diet and activity patterns cause about 400,000 premature deaths annually due to chronic diseases. The dietary culprits include fatty animal products, sugar-laden soft drinks, and countless packaged and restaurant foods high in calories, saturated and trans fatty acids, refined sugars, and sodium. The other culprit is inadequate consumption of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and legumes, which tend to be rich in dietary fiber, potassium, and other necessary nutrients and possibly beneficial phytonutrients. At the grocery store, health-conscious consumers scrutinize the detailed Nutrition Facts labels, but it isn’t clear what they discern. Even for nutritionists and dietitians, evaluating the dozen-plus nutrients listed can be confusing: Are they equally important? Does a hefty dose of vitamin C cancel out an equally hefty dose of sodium? When I first delved into nutrition in the early 1970s, I was one of the confused consumers. My solution to the confusion was to devise an algorithm that assigned positive or negative weights to some of the important nutrients, and then I (and an intern) used our trusty slide rules to calculate the scores of several hundred foods. The staff of the Center for Science in the Public Interest subsequently spent years urging Congress to pass a law that required manufacturers to print clear lists of nutrients on all packaged foods. The resulting ‘‘Nutrition Facts’’ labels provide valuable information for the more conscientious shoppers, but may overwhelm the typical shopper. Now, as discussed in an article in this issue of the journal, leading academic nutritionists have greatly refined and commercialized a system for rating the nutritional value of foods. Katz et al.’s sophisticated algorithm dubbed ONQI— Overall Nutritional Quality Index—incorporates some two dozen parameters. The more ‘‘good’’ nutrients and the fewer ‘‘bad’’ nutrients, the higher the score. The raw scores are adjusted to between 1 and 100 for presentation to consumers. Those scores should make it easy to compare the nutritional quality of different foods in a given category. So, for instance, fat-free milk has a score of 91, while chocolate milk rates only 24. The researchers are further developing the algorithm to also rate meals and daily diets. Several American grocery chains are using the ONQI approach under the name NuVal. Scores for most foods in the supermarket are provided on shelf tags, although not on the packages themselves. NuVal should be helpful to harried consumers, including those for whom nutrition is not the highest priority. As Katz et al. point out, NuVal is only one of several foodrating systems found in grocery stores.

Health benefits of 'grow your own' food in urban areas: implications for contaminated land risk assessment and risk management?

Compelling evidence of major health benefits of fruit and vegetable consumption, physical activity, and outdoor interaction with 'greenspace' have emerged in the past decade - all of which combine to give major potential health benefits from 'grow-your-own' (GYO) in urban areas. However, neither current risk assessment models nor risk management strategies for GYO in allotments and gardens give any consideration to these health benefits, despite their potential often to more than fully compensate the risks. Although urban environments are more contaminated by heavy metals, arsenic, polyaromatic hydrocarbons and dioxins than most rural agricultural areas, evidence is lacking for adverse health outcomes of GYO in UK urban areas. Rarely do pollutants in GYO food exceed statutory limits set for commercial food, and few people obtain the majority of their food from GYO. In the UK, soil contamination thresholds triggering closure or remediation of allotment and garden sites are based on precautionary principles, generating 'scares' that may negatively impact public health disproportionately to the actual health risks of exposure to toxins through own-grown food. By contrast, the health benefits of GYO are a direct counterpoint to the escalating public health crisis of 'obesity and sloth' caused by eating an excess of saturated fats, inadequate consumption of fresh fruit and vegetables combined with a lack of exercise. These are now amongst the most important preventable causes of illness and death. The health and wider societal benefits of 'grow-your-own' thus reveal a major limitation in current risk assessment methodologies which, in only considering risks, are unable to predict whether GYO on particular sites will, overall, have positive, negative, or no net effects on human health. This highlights a more general need for a new generation of risk assessment tools that also predict overall consequences for health to more effectively guide risk management in our increasingly risk-averse culture.

Prevalência de fatores de risco cardiovascular em adolescentes

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors in adolescents and to verify its association with age and gender. 644 high school students from public schools in the city of Londrina, Paraná State, Brazil, participated in the study. A two-step sampling process was used. Behavioral risk factors (physical inactivity, inadequate consumption of fruits and vegetables, and smoking) and biological risk factors (overweight and high blood pressure) were investigated. Nearly 90% of adolescents showed at least one risk factor. Inadequate consumption of fruits (56.7%) and vegetables (43.9%) and physical inactivity (39.2%) were the most prevalent risk factors. Prevalence rates for high blood pressure and overweight were 18.6 and 12.7%, respectively. Cardiovascular risk factors were more frequent among boys (PR = 1.20; 95%CI = 1.01-1.42). In conclusion, cardiovascular risk factors are a prevalent health issue among students in the city of Londrina.

Obesity and its association with diets and sedentary life style among school children in Seoul, Korea: Compliance with Dietary References Intakes for Koreans food guides

This study compared obese children's food group intakes with the new Dietary References Intakes for Koreans (KDRIs) food guides for 5th-6th grade school children. This study also determined the extent of sedentary life styles related with obesity in this area of children. This is a cross-sectional study of 799 school children. The dietitian sent a survey form describing the project and a questionnaire to the subject's family. The questionnaire included child demographics, family history of chronic diseases, the daily servings of five food groups, such as grains, meat and beans, dairy products, fruits, and vegetables. The daily or weekly hours of physical activity, television viewing, and computer usage were also surveyed. Obesity index (%) of the subjects was calculated, and children with an obesity index (%) equal to or greater than 20 were classified as the obese. Among the 799 participants, 50.7% were female. The percentages of the normal and the obese were 691 (86.5%) and 108 (13.5%) respectively. Obese children reported eating less vegetables (p<0.05), more high sugar snacks (p<0.05), and high fat snacks (p<0.05) than normal children. No significant differences in food servings of grains, meats and beans, and fruits, and dairy products between the normal and the obese were shown. Obese children reported fewer hours of physical activities (p<0.05) and more hours of computer usage (p<0.05) than normal children. Girls showed less likelihood of being obese (odds ratio, 0.575, CI (0.38, 0.87), p<0.05). More hours of physical activity significantly decreased the likelihood of being obese (odds ratio, 0.572, CI (0.35, 0.92), p<0.05). Family history of obesity almost doubled the likelihood of obesity in children (odds ratio, 2.653, CI (1.660, 4.241), p<0.05). In conclusion, frequent snacking, inadequate vegetable consumption, and sedentary lifestyle increased significantly the likelihood of obesity in children, which suggest that obesity intervention in this age group should focuse more on those variables.

Controlled Environments for Production of Value-added Food Crops with High Phytochemical Concentrations: Lycopene in Tomato as an Example

Plants produce various phytochemicals that are of nutritional and medicinal value to humans. Phytochemicals having antioxidant capacity are drawing increased interest from consumers. Population studies among Americans have consistently demonstrated inadequate consumption of fruit and vegetables. Improving intake of fruit and vegetables has been a major public health effort for many years with minimal success. Given this, it seems opportunistic to consider other approaches to enhance the nutritional quality of the American diet. One plausible approach is the development of fresh produce containing a greater concentration of phytochemicals known to improve health, thus while consuming fewer servings of produce, Americans would still have significant exposure to health-promoting food constituents. Controlled environments provide a unique opportunity to modify the concentrations of selected phytochemicals in fruit and vegetables, yet practical information is limited regarding methods effective in optimizing antioxidant capacity. Our research at the University of Arizona Controlled Environment Agriculture Program has shown that application of moderate salt stress to tomato plants can enhance lycopene and potentially other antioxidant concentrations in fruit. The increase in lycopene in response to salt stress in the tomato fruit was shown to be cultivar specific, varying from 34% to 85%. Although the specific biological mechanisms involved in increasing fruit lycopene deposition has not been clearly elucidated, evidence suggests that increasing antioxidant concentrations is a primary physiological response of the plant to the salt stress. Another experiment showed that low temperature during postharvest increased antioxidant capacity of tomato fruit while it maintained the lycopene concentration. More detailed study in this area is needed including accumulation of antioxidant phytochemicals as affected by environmental conditions during the cultivation and the postharvest.