Nutrition Behaviors Research Articles

A great way to bring up health behaviour topics at playgroup: a qualitative evaluation of the Healthy Conversations @ Playgroup program

BackgroundThe early years is a critical stage to establish optimal nutrition and movement behaviours. Community playgroups are a relaxed environment for parents with a focus on social connection and supporting parents in their role as ‘First Teachers’. Playgroups are therefore an opportunistic setting to promote health behaviours in the early years. To support parents with young children around healthy lifestyle behaviours, the Healthy Conversations @ Playgroup program was delivered in urban and regional areas, across three Australian jurisdictions between 2021–2023.ObjectiveThis qualitative evaluation aimed to understand how the Healthy Conversations @ Playgroup program was experienced by parents, playgroup coordinators and peer facilitators.DesignSemi-structured virtual interviews and focus groups were conducted with parents, playgroup coordinators (i.e., person responsible for coordinating the playgroup) and peer facilitators (i.e., trained facilitator for the program) that participated in the Healthy Conversations @ Playgroup study. Transcripts were analysed following a thematic analysis approach.ResultsTwenty-eight playgroup parents, coordinators or peer facilitators participated in one of 8 focus groups or 5 interviews. Four themes were developed: Program strengths and challenges; Setting strengths and challenges; Factors that impact program delivery; Participant’s suggestions for future program delivery.ConclusionsThe Healthy Conversations @ Playgroup program was valued by parents, providing validation and normalisation of parenting practices, and fostering a shared experience of parenting. Playgroups are a convenient setting for families to attend. The dynamic and distracting nature of the playgroup setting were carefully considered when designing the program. Strategies to further enhance program engagement could include use of coordinator or parent champions, tailored delivery, and extending the reach to other family members.Trial registrationAustralian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12621000055808, registered 22 January 2021, https://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=380890

Abstract 3409: AGEing and lifestyle after a cancer diagnosis: A balanced equilibrium for survivorship

Abstract In the US, over 18 million people are living with a cancer diagnosis and that number may double by 2050. There is a need to unite research across the cancer continuum to address the needs of cancer survivors to ensure optimal quality of life and improve mortality outcomes. Health constructs that influence cancer survivorship are multifactorial, highly dynamic, and vary across the lifespan. This makes assigning their impact on the well-being and future outcomes of cancer survivors challenging. As a pathophysiological process that lies at the intersection between societal, environmental, and biological constructs, it is proposed that the irreversible accumulation of metabolites called advanced glycation end products (AGEs) can inform on quality of life and mortality outcomes for cancer survivors. It is proposed that AGE accumulation as a result of societal, environmental, and biological constructs overwhelm the fragile equilibrium that maintains AGE homoeostasis to impact tumor biology and cancer outcomes. The relationships between health constructs and AGE exposure are epitomized by nutritional behavior. The consumption of cheaper unhealthier often ultra-processed foods are inherently AGE laden and the excessive consumption of foods high in fats and sugars that promote obesity and increase cancer risk readily provide reactive intermediates that fuel AGE formation in cells and tissues. Our collaborative epidemiological studies assign high levels of AGE consumption with increased breast cancer risk, aggressiveness, and mortality, which is supported by translational studies showing that circulating AGE levels in breast cancer patients correlate with worse disease-free survival and other poor prognosis indicators. Critically, this group has also shown that chronic AGE consumption by mice increases prostate tumor growth (p<0.001), and causes a rapid progression through prostate intra-epithelial neoplasia (p=0.049), adenocarcinoma (p=0.042) and metastasis (p=0.001). Consumption of the high AGE diet caused a regulatory program of stromal activation conducive for tumor growth. As a bio-social determinant of health AGE accumulation and its pathogenic effects serve as informative and/or functional markers indicative of the current health status and well-being of cancer survivors and may inform of potential future outcomes. Our studies show that physical activity and dietary intervention (cardiac rehabilitation) reduced systemic AGE levels in breast cancer survivors. Therefore, prevention and control interventions aimed at reducing AGE exposure represent viable strategies for improving quality of life and disease recurrence for cancer survivors. This research was made possible in part by Grant Numbers R01-CA259415, R01-CA245143, R21-CA194469, and U54-CA210962 from NIH-NCI. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of NIH. Citation Format: David P. Turner, Bradley A. Krisanits, Marvella E. Ford, Lindsay L. Peterson, Susan E. Steck, Paula D. Bos, Victoria J. Findlay. AGEing and lifestyle after a cancer diagnosis: A balanced equilibrium for survivorship [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 3409.

Personalizing Nutrition Strategies: Bridging Research and Public Health.

In recent years, although life expectancy has increased significantly, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) continue to pose a significant threat to the health of the global population. Therefore, eating habits have been recognized as key modifiable factors that influence people's health and well-being. For this reason, it is interesting to study dietary patterns, since the human diet is a complex mixture of macronutrients, micronutrients, and bioactive compounds, and can modulate multiple physiological processes, including immune function, the metabolism, and inflammation. To ensure that the data we acquired were current and relevant, we searched primary and secondary sources, including scientific journals, bibliographic indexes, and databases in the last 15 years with the most relevant articles. After this search, we observed that all the recent research on NCDs suggests that diet is a critical factor in shaping an individual's health outcomes. Thus, cardiovascular, metabolic, mental, dental, and visual health depends largely on the intake, habits and patterns, and nutritional behaviors. A diet high in processed and refined foods, added sugars, and saturated fats can increase the risk of developing chronic diseases. On the other hand, a diet rich in whole, nutrient-dense foods, such as vegetables, fruits, nuts, legumes, and a high adherence to Mediterranean diet can improve health's people.

The effect of a health belief model-based education on nutritional behavior and biochemical factors of patients with myocardial infarction: A line follow-up experimental study.

Myocardial infarction is a common cause of hospitalization, and nutritional behaviors are risk factors in such patients. The present study aimed to determine the effect of education based on the health belief model on nutritional behavior and indices in patients with myocardial infarction. The present experimental study examined patients with myocardial infarction in 2021. Seventy-two patients with myocardial infarction were randomly divided into intervention and control groups. The intervention group received educational interventions based on the health belief model in four 60-min sessions for 3 months. The constructs of the health belief model, nutritional behavior, and indices were measured using a valid questionnaire before, 1, and 3 months after the intervention. At the end, the study data was analyzed using SPSS version 22 software. There was a significant difference between the two groups in the mean scores of knowledge, perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived benefits, self-efficacy, nutritional behaviors,and body mass indexafter the intervention (p < 0.05); however, no significant difference was found in the field of perceived barriers (p > 0.05). Biochemical factors also had a significant difference after the intervention (p < 0.05). Educational intervention based on the health belief model is effective for myocardial infarction patients and has a significant impact on the constructs of perceived sensitivity, perceived intensity, perceived benefits, and self-efficacy as well as biochemical factors, so it can be used to improve the nutritional status of patientssuffered from a myocardial infarction.

A Systematic Review of the Prevalence of Mental Health Symptoms and Disorders in Rugby Players

The aim of this systematic review was to investigate the prevalence of mental health symptoms and disorders in rugby players. Six electronic databases were searched in December 2020. Studies were included if they provided quantitative data on mental health symptoms and disorders and consisted of adult rugby players. Eight studies were included, covering symptoms of anxiety, depression, alcohol use/misuse, distress, sleeping/sleep disturbance, and eating disorders/adverse nutrition behaviors. Prevalence of mental health symptoms ranged from 6% (depression) to 68.8% (alcohol use/misuse). Most rates were similar to the general population, while symptoms of sleeping/sleep disturbance were lower, and symptoms of eating disorders/adverse nutrition behaviors and alcohol use/misuse were higher than the general population. One study included female rugby players. Epidemiological evidence comprising of rigorous diagnostic data and inclusive of gender, race, ethnicity, sexuality, and other protected characteristics is needed to inform future mental health support in this population.

Explaining the personal cognitive factors affecting physical activity and nutritional behaviors in the middle-aged at risk of coronary artery disease: A directed qualitative content analysis.

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the most common cardiovascular disease worldwide. Nutrition and physical activity are recognized as the major lifestyle-related behaviors to reduce the risk of noncommunicable diseases. It is essential to explain personal cognitive factors to identify potential ways to increase physical activity and improve nutritional behavior. Therefore, the present study aimed to explain the personal cognitive factors affecting physical activity and nutritional behavior in the middle-aged population at risk of a CAD. The present qualitative study was conducted with a directed content analysis approach. A purposive sampling was used with maximum variety of sex, age, education, marital status, job, and risk factors of CAD. The data were collected through semistructured interviews with 20 middle-aged participants at the risk of CAD visiting comprehensive health centers in Bandar Abbas city. The interviews continued until data saturation. The present findings led to the identification of 4 main categories (i.e., self-efficacy, collective efficacy, outcome expectations, knowledge) and 10 subcategories. It seems that to increase the self-efficacy, attention should be paid to individuals' past experiences, self-efficacy of action and maintenance and successful middle-aged peers. Measures should be taken to improve and strengthen it. Peer support, networking, forming online groups (in social networks), and a comprehensive use of social media can help increase collective efficacy. Expectations of positive and negative outcomes and the public knowledge can also be modified through accurate and appropriate information provided in different campaigns for awareness-raising.

IDF23-0196 Re-evaluating PERSUADE: A Nutrition and Lifestyle Behaviour Peer Support for Malaysian Adults with Metabolic Syndrome

IDF23-0196 Re-evaluating PERSUADE: A Nutrition and Lifestyle Behaviour Peer Support for Malaysian Adults with Metabolic Syndrome

Effect of nutrition counseling on nutritional status and gestational weight gain of pregnant adolescents in West Arsi, Central Ethiopia: a cluster randomized controlled trial

When pregnancy occurs in adolescence, the growth and development of the mother and fetus may be impaired due to strong competition for nutrients between the still-growing adolescent and the fetus. Pregnant adolescents constitute an underserved population; they lack adequate nutritional knowledge. Therefore, this study investigated the effect of nutritional behavior change communication (NBCC) through alliance for development (AFD) on the nutritional status and gestational weight gain (GWG) of pregnant adolescents. A two-arm parallel cluster randomized controlled community trial was conducted in the West Arsi Zone, central Ethiopia, from August 2022 to July 2023. The nutritional status of the pregnant adolescent was assessed using mid-upper arm circumference. Weight was measured at baseline and at the end of the intervention. A total of 207 and 219 pregnant adolescents participated in the intervention and control clusters, respectively. The intervention started before 16 weeks of gestation, and the intervention group attended four NBCC sessions. The NBCC was based on the health belief model (HBM) and was given at the participants’ homes with their husbands. The NBCC intervention was delivered by AFDs and community-level health actors. Pregnant adolescents in the control group received routine nutrition education from the health care system. A linear mixed-effects model and difference in difference (DID) were used to measure the intervention effect after adjusting for potential confounders. After the implementation of the trial, the mean mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) in the intervention arm significantly increased from baseline (p ≤ 0.001), 23.19 ± 2.1 to 25.06 ± 2.9 among intervention group and 23.49 ± 2.1 to 23.56 ± 2.0 among control group and the mean difference in the MUAC (DID) was 1.89 ± 2 cm (p ≤ 0.001); the mean GWG in the intervention arm significantly increased from baseline; 51.54 ± 4.7 to 60.98 ± 4.6 among intervention group and 52.86 ± 5.27 to 58 ± 5.3 among control group; the mean GWG in the intervention group was 9.4 kg, and that in the control group was 5.14 kg, and the difference in difference was 4.23 kg and this was statically significant p ≤ 0.001). This study demonstrated that the use of the HBM for NBCC delivered through the AFD was effective at improving the nutritional status and GWG of pregnant adolescents. These results imply the need for the design of model-based nutritional counseling guidelines.Clinical trial registration: PACTR202203696996305, Pan African Clinical Trials Registry, date of first registration: 16/03/2022.

The association between edentulism and progress of multimorbidity over 12 years among older American adults.

To examine the relationship between edentulism and the progress of multimorbidity, and the role of nutritional intake and behaviours among older Americans. We used 7 waves (2006-2018) of the Health and Retirement Study, a longitudinal survey of older Americans (number included in analysis 2,224). Edentulism was assessed in 2006 and 2012. Multimorbidity was indicated by 5 self-reported conditions: diabetes, heart conditions, lung diseases, cancer, and stroke. Behavioural factors were smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, physical activity, and body mass index. Nutritional intake was calculated by summing 10 nutrients (Protein, Vitamins C, D, B12, E, Calcium, Zinc, Polyunsaturated fatty acids, Folate and ß- carotene). Multilevel models for analysis of longitudinal data were used to assess the association between change in repeated measures of multimorbidity (between 2006 and 2018) and edentulism (2006) adjusting for nutritional intake, behavioural and socioeconomic factors. Participants who were edentate in 2006 and 2012 had higher rate-ratios (RR) for change in multimorbidity between 2006 to 2018 (RR: 1.29 and 1.28, respectively). After adjusting for socioeconomic factors, total nutrients and behavioural factors, these RR attenuated to 1.12 (95%CI: 1.06, 1.18) and 1.10 (95%CI: 1.05, 1.16), respectively. Total nutrition was negatively associated with progress of multimorbidity, but after adjusting for socioeconomic and behavioural factors the association became insignificant. Total nutrients rates in 2013 were significantly lower among those who were edentate in 2006 and 2012. There was a longitudinal association between edentulism and progress of multimorbidity. The relationship appeared to be mediated be behaviours and nutrition.

Nutrition of preschoolers and junior schoolchildren: trends, problems and search for ways of optimization

Nutrition is one of the key factors shaping and determining the health of children in all periods of childhood. Rational nutrition provides adequate development of children’s organism, contributes to the prevention of a wide range of diseases, while nutritional imbalance affects not only physical health, but also all spheres of life activity. The article presents generalized data on the factors that ensure the formation of nutritional behavior of the child, discusses the issues of age physiology of preschool and school age, the peculiarities of the organization of nutrition, taking into account the attendance of educational institutions. The main trends and problems in the nutrition of children 3–10 years old are presented, as well as possible ways to solve them. The article discusses the possibilities of preventive interventions in case of unbalanced diet and/or increased nutrient requirements of the organism through the correction of diet, lifestyle and the use of combined vitamin and mineral complexes and biologically active additives both to ensure the physiological needs of the child’s organism and in the situation of deficiency.

The Effectiveness of Health Communication in Preventing Stunting

Purpose: Stunting is a chronic nutritional problem that remains a primary concern in Indonesia; it requires considerable attention and is one of the Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs). Stunting prevention is very important, and one program that can be implemented is health communication. This study aimed to evaluate, review, and criticize published articles regarding the effectiveness of health communication in efforts to prevent stunting. Methodology: A systematic and comprehensive literature search was conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines using the following databases: PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar until September 2023. Results: All the included studies stated that health communication has a significant positive impact on stunting prevention through three types of communication: interpersonal, group, and mass communication. The messages conveyed by communicators to communicants cover most of the important messages that must be conveyed, including exclusive breastfeeding, complementary foods, BMI and HAZ scores, and nutritional behavior. The methods used also varied, ranging from counseling methods at posyandu or integrated healthcare centers, use of flipcharts, radio, TV, support groups, home visits, mobile outreach, food production, and training of community health workers. Limitations: According to the review, this study has limitations, including a limited number of studies, and the research population is not spread across every region in the world; consequently, the results of this review may not be able to represent all populations and races globally. Contribution: We hope that the findings of this study can be used as a reference for further research related to stunting management using a health communication approach. In addition, this study can be used as a reference source for conducting outreach, interpersonal communication, group communication, and mass communication related to stunting, so that stunting prevention programs in Indonesia can be implemented widely and comprehensively.

Nutrition and eating beliefs and behaviors among individuals with spinal cord injuries and disorders: Healthy or misconceived?

Nutrition knowledge, beliefs, and behaviors have important implications for managing and preventing chronic and injury-related secondary conditions in persons with spinal cord injuries and disorders (SCI/D). Yet, the unique dietary and nutritional needs and recommendations specific to individuals with SCI/D and their eating beliefs and behaviors have been understudied. Aim is to describe nutrition and eating beliefs and behaviors from the perspectives of individuals with SCI/D. Descriptive qualitative design using in-depth semistructured interviews with a national sample of veterans with SCI/D (n = 33). Audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim transcripts were coded and analyzed using thematic analysis. Participants were male (61%), aged 29-84 years, and 55% had tetraplegia. Five key themes were identified: extreme fasting/caloric restriction, perceived healthy eating behaviors, perceived unhealthy eating behaviors, modified eating behaviors due to SCI/D-related symptoms, and food/preparation choices based on abilities/independence and access. Nutrition among veterans with SCI/D may be impacted by many factors, such as nutrition knowledge and beliefs/behaviors about "healthy" and "unhealthy" nutrition, fasting, caloric restriction, imbalanced intake of macro- and micronutrients, overconsumption relative to energy needs, injury-related secondary complications, postinjury body composition and function changes, impairments related to satiety and hunger signals, and difficulty in obtaining and preparing food. Study findings provide many areas that would benefit from intervention. Findings can be used to inform ideal nutrition and healthy eating beliefs and behaviors which are important because nutritional inadequacies can lead to diet-related diseases, may exacerbate SCI secondary conditions, and lead to poor overall health. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Supplemental Material for Nutrition and Eating Beliefs and Behaviors Among Individuals With Spinal Cord Injuries and Disorders: Healthy or Misconceived?

Supplemental Material for Nutrition and Eating Beliefs and Behaviors Among Individuals With Spinal Cord Injuries and Disorders: Healthy or Misconceived?

Edukasi Perilaku Hidup Sehat, Bersih, Dan Gizi Seimbang Sejak Dini

Human behaviour is formed from habits carried out in everyday life. Habits come from knowledge or the process of imitation. Healthy, clean, and balanced nutrition habits are essential to be educated early, considering the many negative impacts that arise, such as infectious and non-communicable diseases. This negative impact reduces human competence and creativity. Aware of this, this service activity is carried out to know the behaviour, increase knowledge, and identify the nutritional status of service participants from an early age. Mitra Pengabdi is the Yayasan Prayoga, precisely SMP Yos Sudarso Padang. Participants in the activity are new learners. The service method is carried out in 3 stages, namely exploration, education, and testing. The results of this dedication are known that, in general, the daily behaviour of participants towards living healthy, clean, and balanced nutrition has followed the rules, but there are still those who need to. The knowledge of participants after education was 60% in the excellent category, 30% in the sufficient category, and 10% in the less category. Generally, the nutritional status of service participants is in the normal category, but they are still fat and thin. After participating in this service activity, participants are expected to be able to apply healthy, clean, and balanced nutrition behaviours adequately and appropriately so that they become models for individuals in the surrounding environment.

Health Communication Strategy in Changing Community Nutrition Behavior and Reducing Stunting Cases in South Konawe Regency, Southeast Sulawesi

This study aims to analyze the communication capacity of public health cadres in designing and implementing effective health communication campaigns and their impact on changing the nutritional behavior of rural communities and helping to reduce the number of stunting cases in Indonesia. This study uses a qualitative and case study approach focusing on health communication strategies implemented by community health cadres in South Konawe Regency, Southeast Sulawesi Province. Data collection used an in-depth interview method with public health cadres, which included evaluating their understanding of health communication, the use of social media in delivering health messages, and their ability to adapt nutrition messages to the local cultural context. Research findings show that most health cadres do not understand effective health communication. The use of social media in delivering health messages is still not optimal, and there are challenges in understanding and integrating local cultural contexts in nutrition counseling. The implications of this study suggest that enhancing the capacity of community health cadres in South Konawe Regency is imperative, particularly in proficient health communication through social media platforms and understanding the nuances of local cultural contexts. It is anticipated that implementing strategies aimed at augmenting the training and skill development of health cadres would significantly contribute to endeavors to mitigate the prevalence of stunting cases in rural Indonesian regions.

UTILIZATION OF THE ANDROID APPLICATION “BOCESTING” IN ENHANCING KNOWLEDGE FOR MOTHERS OF CHILDREN UNDER FIVE YEARS ABOUT STUNTING PREVENTION

The most common health problem is malnutrition, called stunting. In the province of Riau Islands in 2020, 7.2% of cases were distributed among seven districts/cities. One attempt to address nutritional problems in young children is to approach health education using the Android method. Continuing previous research on nutritional therapies as delayed prevention in the news, using brochure media to stop prevention (Bocesting), implementation of Bocesting has a knowledge-increasing effect compared to the dissemination method. Based on this, the author is interested in researching brochure prevention of stunting (Bocesting) based android application as a learning environment in improving maternal nutritional behavior and nutritional status news, so that in Riau Islands community a special field of work in Puskesmas Kampung Bugi complexity. village Bugis District, Tanjungpinang City to analyze the differences in the effect of education on the prevention of stunting using a media leaflet and an Android-based application to improve maternal nutritional behavior and nutritional news to prevent news-induced stunting events.

The Impact of Education Level on Individual Lifestyle Behaviors among Dietetics Students and Professionals.

Lifestyle and habits are acquired in the family environment and then shaped by the potential influence of the environment and received education. In recent years, there has been growing interest in understanding the relationship between sleep and dietary behaviors in various health professionals, including medical and dietetics professionals and students, as well as their self-perceived knowledge and attitudes. Despite the importance of this topic, there is a lack of research on the assessment of individual behaviors in dietetics students and professionals. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of education level on individual behaviors regarding nutrition, sleep, and physical activity in dietetics students and professionals. 71 dietetics students and professionals were enrolled in this study. Their overall knowledge, sleep, and nutritional behavior were assessed with a validated Questionnaire of Eating Behaviors at the beginning of their dietetics university education and then prospectively after a year. It was also compared to dieticians who already graduated. The analysis showed that the educational level did not correlate with sleep length or the physical activity level. However, the educational level was correlated with dietary knowledge and properly self-assessed by the participants. Significant differences were observed in both the prospective and comparative analyses. The educational level and knowledge were not correlated with eating behaviors. The self-assessment of nutritional behaviors also did not correlate with the objective assessment. Sleep length did not correlate with BMI, but it was inversely correlated with overall and healthy diet scores and knowledge levels. On the other hand, physical activity levels were positively correlated with healthy diet scores. Dietary education results in better nutritional knowledge; however, it does not significantly impact individual nutritional behaviors among dietetics students and professionals. Moreover, the inverse relationship between sleep length and nutritional knowledge and behaviors, as well as the positive relationship between physical activity level and dietary behaviors, shows that nutritional aspects of lifestyle are probably prioritized among dietetic students and professionals, with an acknowledgment of the role of physical activity and a neglect of sleep hygiene importance. Dietetics students should be advised to use their theoretical knowledge not only to guide their patients but also to implement it in their own lives.

Nutrition supplementation plus standard of care versus standard of care alone or standard of care plus unconditional cash transfer in the prevention of chronic malnutrition in Southern Angola: study protocol for the MuCCUA study, a cluster randomized controlled trial

BackgroundChronic malnutrition is a condition associated with negative impacts on physical and cognitive development. It is multi-causal and can start very early in life, already in utero, thus it is especially challenging to find appropriate interventions to tackle it. The government of Angola is implementing a standard of care program with potential to prevent it, and the provision of cash transfers and the supplementation with small quantity lipid-based nutrients (SQ-LNS) are also promising interventions. We aimed to evaluate the impact of the standard of care program alone and of the standard of care plus a cash transfer intervention in the lineal growth of children less than 2 years old and compare it to the effectiveness of a nutrition supplementation plus standard of care program in Southern Angola.Methods/designThe three-arm parallel cluster randomised controlled trial is set in four communes of Huila and Cunene provinces. Clusters are villages or neighbourhoods with a population around 1075 people. A total of twelve clusters were selected per arm and forty pregnant women are expected to be recruited in each cluster. Pregnant women receive the standard of care alone, or the standard of care plus unconditional cash transfer or plus nutritional supplementation during the first 1000 days, from pregnancy to the child reaching 24 months. The primary outcome is the prevalence of stunting measured as height-for-age Z-score (HAZ) < -2 in children below 2 years. Impact will be assessed at 3, 6, 12, 18 and 24 months of children’s age. Secondary outcomes include mortality, morbidity, caring, hygiene and nutrition behaviours and practices, and women and children’s dietary diversity. Quantitative data are also collected on women’s empowerment, household food security, expenditure and relevant clinical and social events at baseline, endline and intermediate time points.DiscussionThe results will provide valuable information on the impact of the standard of care intervention alone as well as combined with an unconditional cash transfer intervention compared to a nutrition supplementation plus standard of care intervention, carried out during the first 1000 days, in the children´s growth up to 2 years and related outcomes in Southern Angola.Trial registrationClinical Trials NCT05571280. Registered 7 October 2022.

Gamification to Engage Healthy Habits in Socially Deprived Secondary School Students

A sedentary lifestyle, unhealthy eating habits, and substance abuse are increasingly prevalent among adolescents, necessitating effective interventions within educational environments. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of a fifteen-week gamified intervention to promote healthy habits among 314 secondary school students residing in socially deprived areas. The gamified PBL (Points-Badges and Leaderboard) approach offers a promising strategy to engage students, enhance their knowledge, and influence their physical activity, nutrition, and substance consumption behaviors. Employing a pre-post-test design with a control group, data were collected through Kimed and IPAQ questionnaires evaluating participants' habits. Results revealed statistically significant differences between pretest and post-test scores in the experimental group and significant differences favoring the experimental group. Participating students exhibited improved physical activity and nutrition, alongside a reduction in harmful substance consumption behaviors. These findings suggest that the gamified PBL intervention holds promise in promoting healthier habits among secondary school students, specifically in socially deprived areas, emphasizing the importance of integrating such interventions into educational curricula. Keywords: Gamification; Balanced nutrition; Harmful substance consumption; Secondary school students

Ketogenic diet and behavior: insights from experimental studies.

As a journal page for full details. The ketogenic diet (KD) has been established as a treatment for epilepsy, but more recently it has been explored as an alternative or add-on therapy for many other diseases ranging from weight loss to neurological disorders. Animal models are widely used in studies investigating the therapeutic effects of the KD as well as underlying mechanisms. Especially in the context of neurological, psychiatric, and neurodevelopmental disorders essential endpoints are assessed by behavioral and motor tests. Here we summarized research evaluating the influence of the KD on cognition, depressive and anxiety-related behaviors, and social and nutritional behaviors of laboratory rodents. Each section contains a brief description of commonly used behavioral tests highlighting their limitations. Ninety original research articles, written in English, performed on mice or rats, providing measurement of blood beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) levels and behavioral evaluation were selected for the review. The majority of research performed in various disease models shows that the KD positively impacts cognition. Almost an equal number of studies report a reduction or no effect of the KD on depressive-related behaviors. For anxiety-related behaviors, the majority of studies show no effect. Despite the increasing use of the KD in weight loss and its appetite-reducing properties the behavioral evaluation of appetite regulation has not been addressed in preclinical studies. This review provides an overview of the behavioral effects of nutritional ketosis addressed to a broad audience of scientists interested in the KD field but not necessarily specializing in behavioral tests.