Unhealthy Dietary Habits Research Articles

Investigation of Mg–Zn–Y–Nd alloy for potential application of biodegradable esophageal stent material

In recent years, due to unhealthy dietary habits and other reasons, advanced esophageal cancer patients are on the rise, threatening human health and life safety at all times. Stents implantation as an important complementary or alternative method for chemotherapy has been widely applied in clinics. However, the adhesion and proliferation of pathological cells, such as tumor cells, fibroblasts and epithelial cells, may interfere the efficacy of stents. Further multiple implantation due to restenosis may also bring pain to patients. In this contribution, we preferred a biodegradable material Mg–Zn–Y–Nd alloy for potential application of esophageal stent. The hardness testing showed that Mg–Zn–Y–Nd alloy owned less mechanical properties compared with the commercial esophageal stents material, 317L stainless steel (317L SS), while Mg–Zn–Y–Nd displayed significantly better biodegradation than 317L SS. Cell apoptosis assay indicated Mg–Zn–Y–Nd inhibited adhesion and proliferation of tumor cells, fibroblasts and epithelial cells. Our research suggested potential application of Mg–Zn–Y–Nd alloy as a novel material for biodegradable esophageal stent.

Healthy lifestyle score and irritable bowel syndrome: A cross-sectional study in adults.

Lifestyle modifications play an important role in the management of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), but there is limited information on any associations of combined lifestyle-related factors with IBS in Middle Eastern populations. We, therefore, assessed the associations of a "lifestyle score," in analogy to lifestyle scores applied in studies of other disorders, with IBS in adults. In a cross-sectional study on 3363 Iranian adults, a healthy lifestyle score (HLS) was constructed using information about dietary habits, dietary intake, physical activity, smoking status, and psychological distress, which was collected using validated questionnaires. A modified version of the Rome III questionnaire (in Persian) was used to diagnose IBS and its subtypes. Individuals with the highest HLS had a 65% lower odds of having IBS compared with those in the lowest category (OR: 0.35; 95% CI: 0.26-0.48). Participants with healthy dietary habits, including regular meal pattern, slow/moderate eating rate, moderate intra-meal fluid consumption, moderate/long meal-to-sleep interval, and low/moderate consumption of fatty foods, had significantly lower odds of having IBS compared with those with unhealthy dietary habits (OR: 0.81; 95% CI: 0.69-0.96). Moreover, individuals with lower levels of psychological distress, compared with those with higher levels of distress, had significantly lower odds of IBS (OR: 0.49; 95% CI: 0.40-0.60). Our data suggest that having an overall "healthy lifestyle" is related to substantially reduced odds of IBS, suggesting that adhering to a healthy lifestyle pattern, including dietary habits, diet quality, physical activity, smoking, and psychological distress, can be considered as a key management strategy for IBS.

Assessing dental caries and related factors in 12-year-old Nigerian school children: Report from a Southeastern State

Abstract Background/Aim: Dental caries is one of the most common diseases in the world and a common health problem among children. The aim of this study was to assess dental caries and related factors using the Decayed Missing and Filled Teeth (DMFT), Significant Caries Index (SiC), Restorative and Met Need indices in 12-year-old schoolchildren in a Southeastern State of Nigeria. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study of 360 twelve year old students selected by multistage sampling method from four schools in Enugu. Sociodemographic and behavioral data on dietary and oral health-care practices were collected using questionnaires, followed by an intraoral examination of each participant in accordance with the WHO criteria to determine their individual DMFT. Total and mean DMFT were obtained. SiC, Restorative Index (RI), and Met Need Index (MNI) were calculated. Data analysis was performed using the SPSS version 20. P ≤ 0.05 were accepted as statistically significant. Results: The prevalence of caries was 54.4%. Mean SiC/DMFT ratios of private and public school participants were 2.29/0.78 and 2.83/1.59, respectively. A zero RI and 0.02 MNI values were observed for all participants. Twelve (6.9%) public schoolchildren did not brush every day, although nearly 100% of them consumed cariogenic diet regularly. Conclusion: Despite low DMFT, number of teeth with untreated caries mirrored by zero RI and MNI values was high. Unhealthy dietary habits, suboptimal oral hygiene practices, and possibly lack of perception of gravity of caries were key influential factors. Efforts should be geared toward bridging these gaps through effective prevention program in schools.

Eating and lifestyle habits of overweight and obese teenagers in Thulamela municipality, South Africa

AbstractA survey made worldwide (including South Africa) revealed that most teenagers are overweight and obese and that they eat little nutritious food. Obesity and overweight are public health problems and need to be addressed from a community perspective. The reason for exploring this problem in this study was that South Africa has one of the highest rates of overweight and obesity in the world among urban and rural black women. The objective was to investigate the eating and lifestyle habits of overweight and obese female teenagers in Thulamela Local Municipality, Limpopo province, South Africa. This was an exploratory, descriptive study conducted amongst 125 female teenagers aged 13 to 18 years from rural schools in Thulamela Local Municipality. Eating and lifestyle habits, physical activity, meaning of healthy and unhealthy dietary habits, weight, height and body mass index were measured. A hundred and twenty-five questionnaires were completed and data were gathered on the demographics, anthropometry, social and lifestyle habits, nutrition-related problems, dietary patterns and dietary history of the participants. The BMI revealed that 34.4% were of normal weight, 39.2% overweight and 26.4 obese. Seventy percent of the respondents actively consumed meals in a day, 83% consumed starchy snacks, whilst 72% of the respondents carried lunchboxes to school. Regarding lifestyle habits, 88% of the respondents slept more hours than recommended (8 hours) while 88% performed sedentary activities and 66% did physical activities such as walking. The results pointed out unhealthy eating and lifestyle habits influencing teenagers’ weight and provided information on which of these must be considered in order to develop tailored nutrition interventions, improving teenagers’ consciousness about s adopting a healthy lifestyle.

Prevalence of excess body weight and associated factors among secondary school adolescent girls in northern Tanzania: a cross-sectional study

Introductionexcess body weight among adolescents is on the increase and has become a global public health challenge. It is likely to persist to adulthood, exposing to risk of developing chronic diseases. However, there is insufficient information on the prevalence of excess body weight and associated factors among adolescent girls in secondary schools in northern Tanzania.Methodsthis cross-sectional study involved 400 secondary school adolescent girls, selected by multi-stage cluster sampling. A self-administered questionnaire was used to gather information. Anthropometric measurements were taken and body mass index calculated. Descriptive statistics summarized the data. Logistic regression was used to model excess body weight resulting into adjusted odds ratios with their 95% confidence intervals and significant level was set at p-value<0.05.Resultsthe proportion of adolescents with excess body weight (BMI >+1SD) was 23%. The majority (63%), reported unhealthy dietary habits while half (51.5%) of them had moderate level of knowledge on healthy eating. Compared to working as a civil servant, the odds of having excess body weight among girls whose mothers/female guardians were housewives was less by 60% (aOR=0.4, 95%CI: 0.2, 0.9). Furthermore, the odds of having excess body weight among adolescents eating unhealthy foods were almost six times higher compared to their peers on healthy diet (aOR=5.8, 95%CI: 2.9, 11.3).Conclusionprevalence of excess body weight among adolescent girls in northern Tanzania is high. Unhealthy dietary habits and mother's/female guardian's occupation were significant correlates of excess body weight. We recommend platforms to inform adolescents on the importance of proper food intake and to advance knowledge on dangers of excessive weight gain as a strategy towards prevention of nutrition-related diseases.

Dietary Patterns and Association with Overweight and Obesity among Adolescents of Rewa City, Madhya Pradesh

Introduction: Prevalence of overweight/obesity has been increasing around the world. Obesity among adolescents is associated with both immediate and long-term health complications. Unhealthy dietary habits are the major modifiable risk factors which promote weight gain. Dietary patterns analysis may provide insight about effect of diet on overweight/obesity. Aim: To assess the association of overweight and obesity with dietary patterns among adolescents of Rewa city, MP (Madhya Pradesh). Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional community-based study was conducted among 744 adolescents of 10-19 year age group of Rewa city, MP from January 2018 to December 2018 with multistage random sampling procedure. Information was collected for socio-demographic variables and pattern of dietary habits and standardised anthropometric measurement were taken following STEPS manual. Data was collected through house-to-house visits. Data was interpreted using descriptive statistics with SPSS version 20.00 software. Chi-square test was used to find out the association of dietary with overweight and obesity. The p-value of less than 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Results: In the present study prevalence of over-weight and obesity showed positive association with increased frequency of consumption of carbonated soft drinks (p=0.006), energy dense food intake (p=0.009), non-vegetarian food (p=0.04), less consumption of fruits and vegetables (p=0.005 and 0.02, respectively). In summation, the dietary behaviour showed a significant association with overweight or obesity. The study participants who had a poor dietary pattern showed a greater prevalence of overweight and obesity. Conclusion: The present findings suggest that increased intake of carbonated soft drinks, junk food (like pizza, samosa), sweets/candies/chewing gums/chocolates, potato chips/popcorns/packed food are highly significant in increasing the prevalence of overweight and obesity. So healthy dietary pattern and limited intake of unhealthy dietary pattern should be followed and before this widely neglected problem acquires gigantic proportions, more research and timely intervention are much needed.

Prevalence of anaemia and its association with dietary habits among pregnant women in the urban area of Haryana.

Introduction:Anaemia is a major health problem in India especially among pregnant women and nutritional anaemia, primarily iron deficiency, is the most common type of anaemia caused primarily due to iron deficiency. About 58% of pregnant women in India are anaemic and it is estimated that anaemia is the underlying cause of 20–40% of cases of maternal deaths. Therefore, the present study was planned to study the prevalence of anaemia among pregnant women and to explore the relationship between anaemia during pregnancy and different dietary factors.Aim and Objective:To study the prevalence of anaemia and dietary habits among pregnant women in an urban slum of Haryana.Materials and Methods:A cross-sectional study was carried out among pregnant women in the urban field practise area of Pt. B.D. Sharma PGIMS, Rohtak. All Pregnant women registered in 2018 were interviewed using a semi-structured pretested questionnaire. Observations were interpreted as per the WHO criteria. The data were analysed by SPSS statistical software version 20.Results:Out of 408 study participants, 348 (85.3%) were anaemic with mild, moderate and severe anaemia in 80 (19.6%), 244 (59.8%) and 24 (5.9%), respectively. More than half (50.5%), of the anaemic mothers, were found in the first trimester, respectively. The association of vegetarian diet and tea consumption was statistically significant with the severity of anaemia. (P < 0.05).Conclusion:The present findings showed a high prevalence of anaemia and unhealthy dietary habits significantly associated with it among pregnant women. Efforts to identify anaemia that may be responsive to modifiable factors such as diet to improve health outcomes are needed.

The Association between Chronotype and Dietary Pattern among Adults: A Scoping Review.

Chronotype reflects an individual’s preferred time of the day for an activity/rest cycle and individuals can be classified as a morning, intermediate, or evening type. A growing number of studies have examined the relationship between chronotype and general health. This review aimed to map current evidence of the association between chronotype and dietary intake among the adult population. A systematic search was conducted across five databases: EBSCO Host, Medline & Ovid, Pubmed, Scopus, and The Cochrane Library. The inclusion criteria were adult subjects (more than 18 years old), and included an assessment of (i) chronotype, (ii) dietary behaviour/nutrient intake/food group intake, and (iii) an analysis of the association between chronotype and dietary behaviour/nutrient intake/food group intake. A total of 36 studies were included in the review. This review incorporated studies from various study designs, however, the majority of these studies were based on a cross-sectional design (n = 29). Dietary outcomes were categorized into three main groups, namely dietary behaviour, nutrient intake, and specific food group intake. This scoping review demonstrates that evening-type individuals are mostly engaged with unhealthy dietary habits related to obesity and were thus hampered in the case of weight loss interventions. Hence, this review has identified several dietary aspects that can be addressed in the development of a personalised chrono-nutrition weight loss intervention.

Association between egg consumption and elevated fasting glucose prevalence in relation to dietary patterns in selected group of Polish adults

BackgroundThe safety of high egg intake in view of its impact on glucose metabolism remains inconclusive. The aim of the study was to assess the relationship between egg intake, dietary patterns and elevated fasting glucose (FG) level in a selected group of Polish adults.MethodsThe study group consisted of 1630 adults who participated in the Polish arm of the Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiological Study. Dietary intake, including egg intake, was assessed based on the data from the Additional file 2 Food Frequency Questionnaire previously validated for the population of Lower Silesia. DPs were derived using principal component analysis. FG levels ≥100 mg/dl were considered elevated. Subjects who used antidiabetic drugs were included in the group with elevated FG levels.ResultsEgg consumption increased in higher quartiles of “Western” and “traditional” DPs in both men and women (p < 0.0001). In a crude model each 10 g of eggs consumed per day was associated with 7% increased risk (OR 1.07; 95% CI: 1.01–1.15) of elevated glucose level in the overall group and 10% increased risk (OR 1.10; 95% CI: 1.01–1.21) of elevated glucose level in the group of men. Men who consumed at least five eggs per week had higher risk for elevated FG level compared to men who consumed at most one egg per week (OR 1.79; 95% CI 1.13–2.84), but this relationship became insignificant when the data were adjusted for DPs. In the group of women no association between egg intake and elevated FG level was observed.ConclusionsHigher egg intake may be associated with the overall unhealthy dietary habits, which is why the number of eggs consumed daily should not be considered an independent risk factor for elevated fasting glucose level.

Patterns of health behaviors affecting mental health in collegiate athletes

Objective To examine the association of multiple health behaviors to mental health functioning in male and female collegiate athletes. Participants: Prospective National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I athletes (n = 183) completed a health and wellness survey in the summer prior to joining the athletic program. Methods: Health behaviors (eating, sleeping, substance use, sexual, and aggressive behaviors) and mental health functioning (psychological distress and perceived stress) were assessed. Partial least squares (PLS) modeling was used as a multivariate approach to simultaneously examine the association of health behaviors to mental health functioning. Results: Aggressive behaviors, alcohol use, and fatigue were significantly associated with symptoms of psychological distress and stress in both males and females. Attention to nutrition, unhealthy dietary habits, and lower alcohol use was further related to psychological distress in female athletes only. Conclusions: Athletes’ eating, sleeping, substance use, and aggressive behaviors may provide insight into their mental health functioning.

Dietary Habits of Students Enrolled in Faculties of Health Sciences: A Cross-sectional Study.

IntroductionIt is often presumed that students of health sciences are more vigilant about their diet. This study assessed the prevalence of unhealthy dietary habits and identified its associated factors among students enrolled at a large university for health sciences in the Middle East.MethodsA cross-sectional study, using a set of pre-validated and anonymous dietary tools, was conducted in 2018. The self-reported students’ characteristics and prevalence of 10 unhealthy dietary habits were collected.ResultsMales were significantly more likely have irregular meal times (β = 0.425, adjusted [adj.] odds ratio [OR] = 1.5) and insufficient seafood consumption (β = 0.55, adj. OR = 1.7) compared to females, adj. P = 0.046 and adj. P = 0.012, respectively. Students in their third year and above (β = 0.857, adj. OR = 2.2) reported more insufficient water intake compared to students in the first and second years, adjusted P = 0.003. Obesity in students was a significant associated factor with fast food consumption (β = 0.48, adj. OR = 1.8), night-eating habits (β = 0.27, adj. OR = 1.3) and skipping meals (β = 0.41, adj. OR = 1.5) compared to normal weight students, adjusted P = 0.002, adj. P = 0.004, and adj. P = 0.003, respectively.ConclusionsCompliance with healthy dietary habits among students was less than optimal. Special consideration should be paid to gender and obesity that have been associated with insufficient water intake, irregular meal times, skipping meals, night-eating habits, and fast food consumption.

Association between Different Animal Protein Sources and Liver Status in Obese Subjects with Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: Fatty Liver in Obesity (FLiO) Study.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is considered the hepatic manifestation of metabolic syndrome. Obesity and unhealthy dietary habits are described as risk factors for NAFLD. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between the consumption of different animal protein sources and hepatic status in NAFLD adults. A total of 112 overweight/obese participants with NAFLD from Fatty Liver in Obesity (FLiO) study were evaluated at baseline. Diet, body composition, and biochemical variables were evaluated. Hepatic status was also assessed by Magnetic Resonance Imaging, ultrasonography, and elastography. Red meat consumption showed a positive relationship with liver iron content (r = 0.224; p = 0.021) and ferritin concentration (r = 0.196; p = 0.037). Processed meat consumption exhibited a positive association with liver iron content (r = 0.308; p = 0.001), which was also found in the quantile regression (β = 0.079; p = 0.028). Fish consumption was related with lower concentration of ferritin (r = −0.200; p = 0.034). This association was further evidenced in the regression model (β = −0.720; p = 0.033). These findings suggest that the consumption of different animal protein sources differentially impact on liver status in obese subjects with NAFLD, showing fish consumption as a healthier alternative for towards NAFLD features.

Is Foetal Programming by Mismatched Pre- and Postnatal Nutrition Contributing to the Prevalence of Obesity in Nepal?

Nepal and many developing countries are currently suffering from increased prevalence of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and other metabolic disorders. Unhealthy dietary habits and physical inactivity are traditionally considered as responsible factors for these disorders. The relatively new concept of foetal programming suggests that development of metabolic diseases later in life may be associated with poor nutritional status in utero, and such phenomenon could be amplified by subsequent exposure to unhealthy diets after birth. We suggest that foetal programming and mismatched nutritional situations during foetal and postnatal life are important causative factors for increased prevalence of obesity and metabolic disorders in Nepal. Issues highlighted in this paper may also be relevant to other developing countries with similar socioeconomic status. Undernutrition in foetal life can predispose for visceral fat deposition and may alter dietary preferences towards unhealthy diets, amplifying the risk of nutritional mismatch after birth; this can lead to metabolic disturbances in a number of pathways including glucose and lipid metabolism. Providing attention to early life nutrition could therefore be an important tool to reduce the prevalence of lifestyle diseases in Nepal. Future national health policies should thus include changes in research and intervention activities towards preventing averse early life nutritional programming. Availability of free-of-cost and mandatory nutritional education and medical services to pregnant women and their families and better management of national health care systems including digitalization of national health data could be viable strategies to achieve these goals.

Association Between Smoking, Alcohol Consumption, and Dietary Habits in Northern Thai Adolescents in Thailand, 2016 - 2017

Background: Smoking and alcohol consumption have been common among adolescents in recent years, both of which are risk factors of cardiovascular disease. They may be associated with unhealthy dietary habits that can add to cardiovascular risks in adults. Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the association between smoking status, alcohol consumption, and dietary habits in adolescents. Methods: In this study, 4,372 adolescents (2,223 males and 2,149 females) aged 13 to 18 years were enrolled from randomly selected schools in Northern Thailand. They were asked to complete the Thai Youth Risk Behavior Survey regarding smoking, alcohol use, and dietary habits. Results: The mean age of the participants was 15.4 (1.7) years and 15.0 (1.6) years in males and females, respectively. The prevalence of smokers and alcohol drinkers was 21% and 28.3%, respectively. Among alcohol drinkers, 52.4% were also smokers. Besides, 11% of the participants were current smokers. The proportions of adolescents with healthy dietary habits, defined as drinking 100% fruit juice, drinking milk, fruit/vegetable consumption, and having regular breakfast, were significantly higher in the non-smoking/non-drinking group (P ≤ 0.05 to P ≤ 0.001). Conclusions: Adolescents who were smokers and alcohol drinkers were less likely to have healthy dietary habits. This can affect cardiovascular risks and associated diseases in the future. The proper advice for dietary and lifestyle modification among these high-risk groups may be needed from an early age.

A study on prevalence of risk factors for non-communicable diseases among allopathic doctors of Vijayawada city, Andhra Pradesh

Background: Chronic non-communicable diseases (CNCDs) are the leading cause of death in the world. Accounting for around 60% of all deaths and 44% of premature deaths worldwide. The objective of the study was to assess the prevalence of risk factors for non-communicable diseases among allopathic doctors in Vijayawada.Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted on allopathic practicing doctors who were working in the various Hospitals, clinics, Nursing Homes within the corporation limits of Vijayawada city.Results: Out of the 720 study subjects, 498 doctors (69.2%) were males and 222 doctors (30.8%) were females. majority of the doctors 515 (71.5%) were with educational qualification of master degrees (MS/MD/MDS). Doctors in clinical specialty are more 565 (78.5%) compared with non-clinical 133 (18.4%) and dental 22 (3.1%). With regarding working sector, nearly one third of doctors were working in private sector 532 (73.9%).Conclusions: Because of more exposure to unhealthy life styles like smoking, alcohol, unhealthy dietary habits like high intake of salt, inadequate use of fruits and vegetables, oil fries and by leading a sedentary life and high risk factors like overweight/obesity, hypertension and diabetes a large number of the doctor’s population were at increased risk for chronic non-communicable diseases.

Towards reducing behavioral risk factors of non-communicable diseases among adolescents: protocol for a school-based health education program in Bangladesh

BackgroundDeveloping strategies aimed at reducing behavioral risk factors and hence the prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) is a major challenge to the policy makers today. Like the same age group worldwide, the prevalence of obesity, unhealthy dietary habit, physical inactivity, smoking and alcohol intake is high among the adolescents of Bangladesh. Studies showed promising results of an early intervention at adolescent age in reducing the likelihood of NCDs at adult age. So, this study is designed to implement a behavior change intervention and evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention in reducing the behavioral risk factors of NCDs among the adolescents of Bangladesh.MethodsA before-after designed intervention study will be conducted in two randomly selected secondary schools- one will be selected randomly as intervention school and the another as control school. A baseline survey will be conducted among the students of both schools by a pre-tested questionnaire to attain their current status of knowledge, attitude and practices related to NCDs. Afterward, students will be enrolled in the intervention group who will meet the eligibility criteria from the intervention school. The intervention will be given through a health promotion session to a group of students, not more than 25 at a time, by trained facilitators. A post-intervention end line survey will be conducted among all the participants from both schools using the same questionnaire 3 months after the baseline survey.DiscussionAn intervention has been developed based on some principals of two psychosocial theory- Motivational Interview and Social Cognitive Theory. Emphasis will be given on motivating the adolescents towards a healthy lifestyle, supporting self-efficacy to be changed, guiding self-regulatory ways along with facilitating desired changing process by empowering them with choices about the preventive measures of NCDs. This intervention is expected to increase awareness by equipping the adolescents with specific knowledge and skills and thus, facilitate an eventual change in their practiced risk behaviors. Besides, this intervention will address multiple behaviors at a time, and will be delivered to a group of adolescents, to attain the cost-effectiveness and thereby making it more realistic in the resource-poor context of Bangladesh.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT03975335, registered on 01.06.2019. Retrospectively registered.

An Ontology-Based Serious Game Design for the Development of Nutrition and Food Literacy Skills.

Unhealthy dietary habits constitute a major risk factor for the onset of chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes and other conditions linked to obesity. Effective dietary changes are of paramount importance and can be promoted through empowering individuals with Nutrition Literacy (NL) and Food Literacy (FL) skills. This paper presents a novel serious game aiming at building NL and FL skills in adolescents and young adults. It is based on an innovative conceptual framework, incorporating a recipe ontology and a theory driven game design approach maximizing user attractiveness and promoting sustainable effective dietary changes. The ontological modeling of recipes offers game experience personalization while providing a realistic and diverse simulation environment. Modern game design techniques from three game genres (cooking, roguelike, puzzle) are employed along with a compelling plot for engagement purposes.

Anthropometrics, diet, and resting energy expenditure in Norwegian adults with achondroplasia.

Individuals with achondroplasia have a high prevalence of obesity and increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Fat distribution, diet, and caloric intake are known risk factors, but the literature concerning diet and energy balance in achondroplasia is limited. The main aim of this study was to describe the anthropometrics, diet, and resting energy expenditure (REE) in a Norwegian adult achondroplasia population. Here, we present a descriptive cross-sectional study with the following variables: anthropometrics, the SmartDiet questionnaire, and dietary records. In addition, REE was measured and estimated using indirect calorimetry and prediction equations. A total of 33 adults with achondroplasia participated with a mean age of 40 years. Mean body mass index was 34.1 kg/m2 , and mean waist circumference was 94.1 cm for men and 82.2 cm for women. Their diets were classified as unhealthy (38%) or in need of improvement (62%). The mean REE values for the total group were 21 kcal/kg for the male (n = 15) and 20 kcal/kg for the female (n = 18). This study revealed a high frequency of central obesity and unhealthy dietary habits in Norwegian adults with achondroplasia. Mean energy intake was low and only 10% higher than the mean REE, and does not explain the high prevalence of abdominal obesity in our population.

Applying Health and Food Literacy Models to College Students' Nutrition Knowledge and Salt Consumption

This descriptive quantitative study examined the college students' nutrition knowledge and salt consumption by applying Nutbeam's Health Literacy (NHL) and Grier's Food Literacy (GFL) models. These models identified the underlying factors behind nutritional knowledge on salt and salt consumption. The study surveyed 664 students from 13 colleges of different courses from first year to fifth year in a state university in Diliman, Quezon City, through stratified random sampling. Data were analyzed using frequency and percentages. The survey revealed that 96% of the respondents were unaware of the recommended salt intake per day while 72% preferred salted food because of its affordability, accessibility, and taste than unsalted food. More than half of the respondents add salt for flavor during cooking, and add salt to their food while eating and 67% do not control their salt intake. Based on these results, it may be confirmed that health and food literacy are related to college students' unhealthy dietary habits. Thus, the empirical evidence may infer how health professionals may develop health literacy materials that will enhance students' knowledge on healthy dietary practices in particular salt consumption.

Dietary Profiles, Nutritional Biochemistry Status, and Attention-deficit/hyperactivity Disorder: Path Analysis for a Case-control Study (P18-106-19)

ObjectivesStudies suggested that attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is associated with multiple dietary factors. Earlier studies addressed issues related to dietary allergens and toxicants. Recent attention has turned to nutrient imbalance resulted from unhealthy dietary habit. This study aims to investigate dietary and nutritional biochemistry profiles of ADHD and to explore their potential relationship by path analysis. MethodsWe enrolled 216 children with ADHD and 216 age-, height- and gender-matched controls from 31 elementary schools in Taiwan. Dietary intake of the participants was assessed using food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Fasting blood samples were collected to determine the serum levels of multiple nutritional markers, including several potential vitamins, minerals, and fatty acids. Moreover, we employed a structural equation model (SEM) to link diet, nutritional markers and ADHD. ResultsCompared to healthy control, ADHD children had significantly lower serum levels of vitamin B12, folate, vitamin B6, ferritin concentration, and monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), but higher levels of serum saturated fatty acids (SFA), n-6/n-3 fatty acid ratio, and inorganic phosphorous concentration (Table 1). Children with ADHD had more intakes of nutrient-poor foods such as high sugar and high fat foods, and had less intakes of vegetable, fruit, protein-rich foods than their counterpart (Table 2). SEM analysis showed that the poor nutritional biochemistry profiles linked the association between unhealthy dietary patterns and ADHD (Figure 1). ConclusionsWe found that lower serum levels of B-vitamins and imbalanced mineral and fatty acid distributions were risk factors of ADHD and path analysis suggests that unhealthy dietary pattern may be a predecessor of the poor nutritional biochemistry status. Managing diet and nutrition conditions should be trialed and considered among methods to improve ADHD symptoms in children. Funding SourcesNational Science Council of Taiwan R.O.C.; Academia Sinica. Supporting Tables, Images and/or Graphs▪▪▪