Monitoring Food Consumption Research Articles

Associations between social media addiction, psychological distress, and food addiction among Taiwanese university students

BackgroundWorldwide, 60% of people use social media. Excessive and/or addictive use of social media termed “problematic social media use”, has been reported to negatively influence psychological and physiological health. Therefore, we proposed an illustrated model to investigate the associations between social media addiction, psychological distress and food addiction among Taiwanese university students.MethodsA total of 598 participants (mean age = 22.8 years) completed an online survey comprising the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS) assessing social media addiction, the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) assessing psychological distress, and the Yale Food Addiction Scale 2.0 (YFAS 2.0) assessing food addiction.ResultsStructural equation modeling showed the significant associations between BSMAS and DASS-21 (standardized coefficient [β] = 0.45; p < 0.01) and between DASS-21 and YFAS 2.0 (β = 0.43; p < 0.01). In addition, mediation effect with 100 bootstrapping samples showed the indirect effect of DASS-21 in the association between BSMAS and YFAS 2.0ConclusionsThe present study details the relationships between social media addiction and psychological distress as well as food addiction. The results suggest the need for interventions aimed at reducing these negative outcomes. Coping strategies for improving self-control or reducing weight-related stigma, such as food consumption monitoring or mindfulness, could be adopted for at-risk individuals to address these problems.

Scaling-up food policies in the Pacific Islands: protocol for policy engagement and mixed methods evaluation of intervention implementation

BackgroundThere is a crisis of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in the Pacific Islands, and poor diets are a major contributor. The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting economic crisis will likely further exacerbate the burden on food systems. Pacific Island leaders have adopted a range of food policies and regulations to improve diets. This includes taxes and regulations on compositional standards for salt and sugar in foods or school food policies. Despite increasing evidence for the effectiveness of such policies globally, there is a lack of local context-specific evidence about how to implement them effectively in the Pacific.MethodsOur 5-year collaborative project will test the feasibility and effectiveness of policy interventions to reduce salt and sugar consumption in Fiji and Samoa, and examine factors that support sustained implementation. We will engage government agencies and civil society in Fiji and Samoa, to support the design, implementation and monitoring of evidence-informed interventions. Specific objectives are to: (1) conduct policy landscape analysis to understand potential opportunities and challenges to strengthen policies for prevention of diet-related NCDs in Fiji and Samoa; (2) conduct repeat cross sectional surveys to measure dietary intake, food sources and diet-related biomarkers; (3) use Systems Thinking in Community Knowledge Exchange (STICKE) to strengthen implementation of policies to reduce salt and sugar consumption; (4) evaluate the impact, process and cost effectiveness of implementing these policies. Quantitative and qualitative data on outcomes and process will be analysed to assess impact and support scale-up of future interventions.DiscussionThe project will provide new evidence to support policy making, as well as developing a low-cost, high-tech, sustainable, scalable system for monitoring food consumption, the food supply and health-related outcomes.

Effect of Cigarette Smoking on Vitamin C in Non Pregnant and Pregnant Women

Introduction: It is perceived that smoking cigarettes during pregnancy is unfortunate and can promptexpanded unconstrained early abortion in the first trimester, premature abruption of the placenta, pretermdelivery, decreased birth weight and SIDS. All things considered, children destined to mothers who smokeduring pregnancy weigh 150-300 gram not exactly those destined to mothers who don’t smoke and thedanger of little for-gestational age among ladies who smoke is at any rate twice as high as among ladieswho don’t smoke. For more seasoned ladies, the effect of smoking during pregnancy on fetal developmentand preterm conveyance are more noteworthy. The danger of placental issues can be expanded by long haulsmoking.Aim: Effect of cigarette smoking in non-pregnant and pregnant women’s on the blood serum level of vitaminCMaterial and Methods: The present study included 150 subjects of age group 25-35 years. Out which75 werenon-smokers pregnant women as a control group and 75 were smoker pregnant women as a studygroup. During this stage of pregnancy, the vitamin C levels in the maternal serum were colorimetricallydetermined. The respondents also answered a questionnaire about their smoking habits during pregnancy.Vitamin C intake was measured during the third trimester by monitoring food consumption over a 5-dayperiod (including Sunday) and vitamin C registration with dietary supplements.Results: In the present study, we found significant decreased levels of serum vitamin C and in pregnantcigarette smokers as compared to pregnant non-smokers.Vitamin C was protective for placental abruption innonsmokers but not in smokers (P=0.01).Conclusion: If the production of antioxidants (vitamin C) in smokers is lower compared to pregnant womenwho are not smokers, this could aggravate their newborn’s peroxidation problems. Supplementation ofvitamin C tends to be connected with a decrease in placental abruption and preterm birth in pregnant smokers.

“Tailoring homely meals”: Family members’ motivations underlying nursing home visits during residents’ meals

Elderly nursing home residents are often malnourished or at risk of malnutrition. Family members often visit residents during mealtimes, which might be an ideal opportunity for interventions targeted at improving the nutritional status of older residents. Therefore, this study aimed to explore motivations behind family member visits with nursing home residents during mealtime in Taiwan. This phenomenological study was conducted with family members of residents from four nursing homes in Taiwan. Participants were purposively sampled. Data were collected with individual face-to-face interviews from 18 family members. Data from transcribed audio-recorded interviews were analyzed using the approach of van Manen. Analysis of the interview data identified the essence of motivations underlying family members' visits to nursing home residents during mealtimes, which we termed "tailoring homely meals." This referred to providing food tailored to residents' needs, providing a comforting family atmosphere, assisting residents during mealtime, and monitoring food consumption. The motivations of family members to visit during mealtime could guide healthcare professionals working with East Asian populations in developing interventions to reduce the possibility of malnutrition, while also improving their quality of life. We recommend providing the following for nursing home residents: a nutritious and balanced diet, supporting their independence and ability to feed themselves, and encouraging involvement of family members during mealtimes.

Chemerin contributes to in vivo adipogenesis in a location-specific manner.

Since chemerin’s identification as an adipokine, it has been associated with a number of human diseases including diabetes and obesity. However, the basic scientific foundation for these clinical determinations is still lacking. Fibroblastic mouse 3T3 cells are unable to develop lipid droplets if chemerin is not present. Thus, we hypothesized that an in vivo rat model chemerin knockout (KO; an advancement from the previously mentioned in vitro cultures) would have limited accumulation of lipid in adipocytes compared to their wild-type (WT) counterparts. Female WT/KO rats (Sprague Dawley background) were fed a low-fat diet starting at 8 weeks of age with weekly body weight and food consumption monitoring. At 25 weeks of age, adipose tissue depots were dissected and flash frozen for PCR analysis or fixed with paraformaldehyde for histology. Over the 17 weeks of experimentation, WT and KO animals did not have differences in total body weight or food consumption but KO animals had a significantly reduced amount of visceral fat compared to WT animals (via microCT at 8 and 25 weeks). Histology of retroperitoneal and mesenteric depots demonstrated a significant leftward shift in adipocyte size in the mesenteric but not the retroperitoneal depot of the KO compared to WT animals. Similarly, in the mesenteric fat of the KO rat, gene expression of adiponectin, fatty acid synthase, perilipin, and leptin were significantly reduced compared to mesenteric fat of WT animals and retroperitoneal fat of both WT and KO animals. Adiponectin was highlighted by a protein-protein interaction network as being important for the physiological effects of chemerin removal. These data are the first, to our knowledge, to demonstrate chemerin’s adipokine potential in vivo and identify it as fat depot location-specific.

Spatial Analysis of Socio-Economic Driving Factors of Food Expenditure Variation between Provinces in Indonesia

Food security has become one of the global challenges; therefore, monitoring food consumption is required. As food consumption is a resultant of food availability at an affordable price, food expenditure actually is a key indicator to assess food security policy. Particularly, the link of food expenditure with socio-economic factors based on the perspective of spatial connectivity should be understood as nowadays food supply and demand between regions are increasingly connected. This study aims to define socio-economic driving factors of food expenditure that considering spatial connectivity between provinces in Indonesia. Data of household food expenditure and socio-economic factors by province including urbanization level, economic growth, gross domestic regional product (GDRP) per capita, poverty severity index, and unemployment rate were used. The preliminary test on the spatial correlation of food expenditure showed a significant result; thus, a spatial regression approach was employed. The results showed that declining food expenditure did not simply indicate increasing prosperity. Larger income disparity among the poor has become crucial to detect lower food expenditure caused by a lack of income. In addition, the increasing unemployment rate was followed by increasing food expenditure. Despite economic growth, increasing GDRP per capita and urbanization contributing to declining food expenditure, both poverty and unemployment are the main issues that threaten household’s ability to afford food. Furthermore, the effect of food expenditure in the neighboring region is also significant, but it shows a contradictory relationship as food expenditure in a region is decreasing when food expenditure in its neighbors is increasing, and vice versa. Therefore, reducing disparities in economic growth, GDRP per capita, urbanization, poverty, and unemployment rate between provinces is also crucial to support more equal food expenditure as well as to achieve the second goal of SDG’s (Sustainable Development Goals) in improving food security.

The influence of parents on childhood weight status: relation with eating behaviour

AbstractProper dietary habits and behaviours are at the heart of maintaining an appropriate nutritional status, an adequate body mass and, as such, avoiding obesity and/ or its comorbidities. A child's diet is highly influenced by the home food environment and upbringing. The aim of the current study was to explore if and how parental feeding practices and eating behaviour are associated with child's eating behaviour and body mass index (BMI).In 226 Belgian adolescents (10–17y, 51% girls, 10% overweight and 14% underweight) and their parents, eating behaviour was assessed through the Dutch Eating Behaviour Questionnaire. Information on the parental feeding practices was obtained through the Child Feeding Questionnaire and the Comprehensive Feeding Practices Questionnaire. BMI was calculated based on standardised measurements of body height and body weight. Linear regression results, adjusted for age, sex and socioeconomic status, are described below.Regarding parental eating behaviour, parental external eating enhanced the child's external eating (β = 0.155,p = 0.022), parental restrained eating was associated negatively with the child's emotional (β = −0.214,p = 0.001) and external eating (β = −0.154,p = 0.022), but positively with its restrained eating (β = 0.149,p = 0.022) and BMI (β = 0.183,p = 0.005), while parental emotional eating had no influence. Concerning feeding practices, restriction of the child's access to food and food consumption monitoring, stimulated child's emotional (β = 0.174,p = 0.011; β = 0.173,p = 0.010) and restrained (β = 0.137,p = 0.041; β = 0.159,p = 0.015) eating, and showed a positive association with its BMI (β = 0.143,p = 0.033; β = 0.149,p = 0.023), while allowing the child to make own food choices reduced its external eating (β = −0.169,p = 0.012). Parental pressure to eat (mainly at mealtimes) decreased the child's restrained eating (β = −0.231,p &lt; 0.001) and was negatively associated with its BMI (β = −0.340,p &lt; 0.001). Moreover, child's BMI was inversely related to its external eating (β = −0.207,p = 0.002), but positively to its restrained eating (β = 0.0483,p &lt; 0.001) and to parental healthy modelling (β = 0.192,p = 0.003), involving the child (β = 0.223,p = 0.001) and creating a favourable food environment (β = 0.162,p = 0.013).Our results confirm the parents' crucial role in the development of their offspring's dietary habits. Mainly parental external eating, restriction and monitoring of the child's access to food have an unfavourable effect, while allowing child's own food choices and parental restrained eating seem beneficial. Rather unexpected associations between healthy food environment, modelling and child involvement with child's BMI might lie in causal dependencies. A longitudinal investigation could further elucidate the reasons for these observations. We recommend that policies and educational programmes on healthy diet and eating behaviour target not only schools and children, but also parents.

Prevalence of Malnutrition and Monitoring of Food Consumption among Hospitalized Patients

Prevalence of Malnutrition and Monitoring of Food Consumption among Hospitalized Patients

ENutrition - The next dimension for eHealth?

Rapid communication technology, inexpensive sensing devices and big data enable “eNutrition” – the use of ICT to develop and support personalized healthy nutrition. eNutrition combines personal health records, monitoring of body functions and activity by smart wearables, monitoring food consumption, and datasets of food composition. An AI system, a personal virtual dietitian, can use this information to provide nutritional advice and alerts at the time of purchase and consumption of foods. eNutrition has the potential to significantly lessen the public heath burden of non-communicable diseases such as hypertension, type 2 diabetes and allergic reactions to foods.

Growth Differentiation Factor-15 (GDF-15) Inhibits Gastric Emptying in Rodents as Part of Its Anorectic Mechanism of Action

GDF-15 is a secreted circulating polypeptide that regulates systemic energy balance. GDF-15 agonists may have therapeutic potential as anorectic agents in obesity and type 2 diabetes. The receptor for GDF-15, Gfral, is expressed on specific neurons in the area postrema (AP) of the hindbrain, and is necessary for the effect of GDF-15 on food intake. Given the role of the AP in vagal control of gastric motility, we sought to investigate the potential effects of GDF-15 on gastric emptying. Food intake reduction by GDF-15 was confirmed in C57Bl/6N mice using BioDAQ continuous food consumption monitoring. Animals were treated sc with recombinant His-tagged human GDF-15 prior to initiation of the dark cycle; GDF-15 treated mice showed significant reduction in food intake relative to vehicle treated controls (12 hour cumulative food intake: 3nmol/kg, -19.9±10.5%; 10nmol/kg, -58.0±10.0%; P&amp;lt;0.0001, n=8). Gastric emptying was assessed using an oral acetaminophen (AAP) absorption test over 90 minute using LC/MS detection. This method was validated using known inhibitor of gastric emptying, Exendin-4 as a positive control; 7.2nmol/kg Exendin-4 significantly reduced integrated AAP absorption by -44.7±5.1% (P&amp;lt;0.01, n=8). In this assay, GDF-15 caused a significant dose-dependent inhibition of gastric emptying, reducing acetaminophen AUC levels by -18.1±10.6% at 1nmol/kg, and by -36.0±9.9% at 10nmol/kg, relative to vehicle treated control mice (P&amp;lt;0.01, n=8). Comparable results were obtained in an independent repetition of the study. We extended the results obtained in mice to SD rats, where we similarly observed a significant reduction in gastric emptying following GDF-15 treatment. Hence, GDF-15 appears to reduce gastric emptying rate in both mouse and rat, potentially contributing to the food intake suppression mechanism of action. Disclosure S.A. Hinke: Employee; Self; Janssen Research &amp; Development. C.R. Cavanaugh: Employee; Self; Janssen Research &amp; Development. T. Kirchner: None. W. Lang: None. R. Meng: None. N.H. Wallace: None. J. Liu: None. K.E. D'Aquino: Employee; Self; Janssen Research &amp; Development. Employee; Spouse/Partner; Janssen Research &amp; Development. G. Ho: None. M.M. Rankin: Employee; Self; Janssen Research &amp; Development. S. Wang: None. J.A. Chavez: None. S.M. Nelson: None. J. Furman: Employee; Self; Janssen Research &amp; Development. S. Mullican: Employee; Self; Janssen Research &amp; Development. S.M. Rangwala: Employee; Self; Janssen Research &amp; Development. A.R. Nawrocki: Employee; Self; Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc..

Occupational Therapy Students' Perceptions of the Role of Robots in the Care for Older People Living in the Community.

Background The question arises how recent developments in robotics can contribute to the care for older people. The study is part of the EU-funded ENRICHME project. Objectives of Study The aim of the study was to investigate opinions of occupational therapy students (OTS), as future professional caregivers, on the use of robots in care for older people. Methods It included 26 OTS from Poznan University of Medical Sciences. To collect data, the Users' Needs, Requirements, and Abilities Questionnaire (UNRAQ) was developed. Findings OTS perceived the robot as “a useful device” and “an assistant” rather than “a companion” (p < 0.01). In their opinion, the most important functions of the robot were related to health aspects (emergency alarms, health parameters monitoring, physical activity and memory training, and reminders about medication, drinks, etc.), scored positively by 23–26 OTS. Functions such as mood detection, encouraging to contact with friends, and monitoring of food consumption were accepted by 16-17 OTS. Two statements concerning social functions (accompanying in everyday activities and decreasing the sense of loneliness) were rated positively by less the than half of the participants. Limitations and Recommendations for Further Research A module concerning technology use, including robotics, should constitute an important part of the curricula of both academic and continuous education of OTS.

Mobile Food Consumption Monitoring Application

Obesity is becoming a serious health issue due to the growing number of obese people in many countries. iFood, a mobile application to help individuals manage daily calorie consumption is presented and ways of optimizing the daily calorie needed is achieved by offering information of each food and suggestions on food and physical activities that can be carried out to balance the amount of calorie intake. The application is developed based on the Rational Unified Process Model (RUP) system development methodology which comprises of four stages including inception, elaboration, construction and transition. We present the design, implementation and evaluation of iFood for Android smartphones and demonstrate its feasibility in monitoring daily calorie intake. The application analyzes emphasizing on its accessibility and acceptance test. The results show that participants are satisfied with the features provided by the application. They agreed that the application helps them to monitor their food intakes and hence to lose weight.

Avaliação nutricional de idosos: desafios da atualidade

ResumoEntre os maiores problemas de saúde pública no país atualmente, a maioria está relacionada com o estado nutricional. O envelhecimento populacional é uma realidade e traz grandes desafios, especialmente para o setor de saúde. Visto o papel da nutrição na modulação do processo do envelhecimento, na etiologia de doenças e declínios funcionais associados com a idade, a avaliação e o monitoramento nutricional de idosos são necessários para uma assistência adequada e para o planejamento de ações de promoção da saúde. Nesse contexto, o objetivo do presente estudo foi refletir sobre métodos e indicadores propostos para avaliação e acompanhamento nutricional de idosos. Apresenta-se uma síntese do que vem sendo proposto por meio das recomendações do Ministério da Saúde, que orientam a atenção e a vigilância nutricional do idoso no Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS). Os procedimentos relativos ao diagnóstico e acompanhamento do estado nutricional de idosos preconizados, embora sinalizem a importância de se levantar marcadores de consumo alimentar, acabam por dar ênfase ao uso de medidas antropométricas, especialmente o índice de massa corporal. A incorporação de outros indicadores para o monitoramento dos idosos demonstra avanço no reconhecimento de eixos fundamentais que precisam ser incorporados na prática profissional e na rotina da atenção básica. Entretanto, o uso desses marcadores exige que o profissional o faça de forma crítica e integrada em equipe, compreendendo que nenhum indicador isolado satisfará as necessidades de todas as dimensões envolvidas na avaliação nutricional, especialmente tratando-se de idosos.

모니터링 강화 밥그릇이 섭취량과 포만도 및 섭취속도에 미치는 영향

ABSTRACT The study examined dietary intake, satiety rate, and eating rate using rice bowls with an elevated bottom (diet rice bowl) and rice bowls with an elevated bottom and monitoring line (monitoring rice bowl). The monitoring rice bowl was used to help subjects monitor amounts they had eaten as they ate. Eighteen normal weight college female students participated in this study once a week for 2 weeks. Three hundred grams of fried rice in a diet rice bowl (1st week), and 300 g of fried rice in a monitoring rice bowl were served to the participants over 2 consecutive weeks. After each lunch, dietary intake, satiety rate, and eating rate were measured. The consumption amount of fried rice was 261.6 g in the diet rice bowl group, and 264.8 g in the monitoring rice bowl group. There was no significant difference in fried rice intake between the two groups. The satiety rate of fried rice in the monitoring rice bowl group was significantly higher than that of the diet rice bowl group after 1 hour and 2 hours (P＜0.05). The eating rate of the diet rice bowl group (21.3 g/min) was significantly faster than that of the monitoring rice bowl group (18.7 g/min) (P＜0.05). This result shows that food consumption monitoring can affect not only eating rate but also the subjective feelings of satiety af-ter meal eating. Although more study is needed, these data suggest consumption monitoring in a rice bowl may help to control obesity and weight.

스마트폰을 이용한 식이섭취 모니터링이 비만여성의 체중변화에 미치는 효과 분석

This study investigated the effect of food consumption monitoring and real-time communication-based weight control program using a smartphone on weight reduction and maintenance in obese women. This study consisted of two phases: an 8-week weight control program with food consumption monitoring and real-time communication using a smartphone and an 8-week follow-up. Sixteen obese female college students (>30% body fat) participated in this program, and we measured changes in body composition and dietary intake volume. Follow-up analysis focused on weight maintenance after 8 weeks of no contact. Total energy intake (P<0.01), body weight (P<0.001), percent body fat (P<0.001), body fat (P<0.05), and body mass index (P <0.001) decreased significantly after the 8-week weight control program. However, we could not observe total energy intake or body composition regain after the follow-up period. These results suggest that food consumption monitoring and real-time communication using a smartphone can be effective for weight control and maintenance.

Nutrimetabolomic Strategies To Develop New Biomarkers of Intake and Health Effects

Correctly assessing the metabolic status of subjects after consumption of specific diets is an important challenge for modern nutrition. Recently, metabolomics has been proposed as a powerful tool for exploring the complex relationship between nutrition and health. Nutritional metabolomics, through investigating the role that dietary components play in the maintenance of health and development of risk disease, aims to identify new biomarkers that allow the intake of these compounds to be monitored and related to their expected biological effects. This review offers an overview of the application of nutrimetabolomic strategies in the discovery of new biomarkers in human nutritional research, suggesting three main categories: (1) assessment of nutritional and dietary interventions; (2) diet exposure and food consumption monitoring; and (3) health phenotype and metabolic impact of diet. For this purpose, several examples of these applications will be used to provide evidence and to discuss the advantages and drawbacks of these nutrimetabolomic strategies.

비만여대생을 대상으로 카메라폰을 이용한 음식섭취 모니터링 강화에 의한 체중 및 혈청지질 감소 효과

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of food consumption monitoring using a camera-phone in a weight control program. Twenty-six female college students (>30% body fat) were randomly assigned to the camera-phone and diary (CD) group or diary (D) only group. During the 8-week weight control program, the CD group controlled their food consumption using a camera-phone, in which they took a food picture and uploaded it to the homepage. However, the D group used only a diary to record their food intake. The mean energy intake of the CD group during the program was 1451.9 kcal while that of the D group was 1524.3 kcal. The total energy intakes of both groups significantly decreased during the program. The CD group lost 5.2 kg of body weight and 3.1% body fat while the D group lost 2.2 kg of body weight and 1.1% body fat. The body weight and fat levels significantly decreased in the CD group compared to the D group. The triglyceride, total-cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol levels of the CD group as well as the total-cholesterol level of the D group significantly decreased during the program. The total-cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol levels both significantly decreased in the CD group compared to the D group. In this study, it was concluded that digital photography method using a camera-phone might influence weight control through trained consumption monitoring, which helps individuals reduce discrepancies between perceived and actual consumption levels.

Biological Safety Assessment of a Colored Zirconia Ceramic: Hemolysis and Short-Term Systemic Toxicity Tests

Objective: To evaluate the biological safety of a colored zirconia ceramic regarding its hemolytic activity and short-term systemic toxicity. Methods: Fresh anti-coagulating rabbit blood was mixed with test materials and the hemolytic activities detected spectrophotometrically. Suspensions of the ceramic were fed to rats for one week while monitoring food consumption and relative growth rate and with subsequent pathology examinations of vital organs and tissues. Results: The hemolytic activity of the ceramics was &lt;5%, and rats in all groups showed weekly relative growth rates of food utilization and body weight with no statistically significant differences. There were also no pathological changes observed among the various examined organs between the experimental and control groups. Conclusions: This colored ceramic showed good biocompatibility in terms of hemolytic activity and short-term systemic toxicity.

Low fruit and vegetable consumption in Mozambique: results from a WHO STEPwise approach to chronic disease risk factor surveillance

Monitoring food consumption and its determinants over time is essential for defining and implementing health promotion strategies, but surveillance is scarce in Africa. The present study aimed to describe fruit and vegetable consumption in Mozambique according to socio-demographic characteristics and place of residence (urban/rural). A national representative sample (n 3323) of subjects aged 25-64 years was evaluated in 2005 following the WHO Stepwise Approach to Chronic Disease Risk Factor Surveillance, which included an assessment of usual fruit and vegetable consumption (frequency and quantity). Crude prevalence and age-, education- and family income-adjusted prevalence ratios (PR) with 95% CI were computed. Less than 5% of the subjects reported an intake of five or more daily servings of fruits/vegetables. Both fruits and vegetables were more often consumed by women and in rural settings. In urban areas, the prevalence of fruit intake (≥2servings/d) increased with education (≥6 years v. <1 year: women, adjusted PR=3·11, 95% CI 1·27, 7·58; men, adjusted PR=3·63, 95% CI 1·22, 10·81), but not with income. Conversely, vegetable consumption (≥2servings/d) was less frequent in more educated urban men (≥6 years v.<1 year: adjusted PR=0·30, 95% CI 0·10, 0·94) and more affluent rural women (≥$801 US dollars (USD) v. $0-64: adjusted PR=0·32, 95% CI 0·13, 0·81). The very low intake of these foods in this setting supports the need for fruit and vegetable promotion programmes that target the whole population, despite the different socio-demographic determinants of fruit and vegetable intake.

Changes in core food intake among Australian children between 1995 and 2007

To assess the changes in the consumption of core foods among Australian children between the 1995 National Nutrition Survey (1995 NNS) and the 2007 Australian National Children's Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey (2007 Children's Survey). Core food consumption was analysed using 24-h recall data from 2-16 year old children using the 1995 NNS (n=2435) and the 2007 Children's Survey (n=4380). Differences in percent consuming, amounts consumed and percent energy contribution were assessed. The consumption of core foods increased significantly between the 1995 and 2007 surveys, including per-capita consumption and percent energy contribution (both P0.001). Core foods contributed to 59% of energy intake in 1995 compared with 65% in 2007. The types of core foods consumed also changed during this time period with more children reporting eating healthy options such as wholemeal bread, reduced-fat milk, reduced-fat cheese and fruit in the 2007 Children's Survey. Conversely, the consumption of white bread, full-fat milk and low-fibre breakfast cereals was lower in 2007. Overall, reported dietary intake had improved from 1995 to 2007 among Australian children with an increase in the amounts of core foods consumed and healthier types of foods being chosen. Continued health-promotion activities and monitoring of food consumption are highly warranted.