330 research outputs found
Diet in three towns in England
No full textAttempts to relate the geographical distribution of diseases in England to dietary intakes have been limited by the lack of age- and sex-specific dietary information. The diet of middle-aged (35-54 years) men and women in Ipswich, Wakefield and Stoke-on-Trent was studied. These towns were chosen because of their differences in socioeconomic status and geographical location within England. They also have differences in disease rates including heart disease, gallstones and stomach cancer. A 24-hour dietary record in household measures and a questionnaire were obtained from about 400 men and 400 women in each town, giving a response rate of 85 per cent. The fieldwork was carried out over one year. A number of characteristics of the people in the towns were examined. There were differences in height for men and body mass index for women, activity, alcohol intake and amount of tobacco smoked. Food and nutrient intakes differed more among the men than the women. Total fibre, vitamin C and B carotene intakes of women were significantly different between towns. For men, proximate nutrient intakes were highest in Stoke whereas vitamin C, vitamin A, B carotene and retinol levels were highest in Ipswich. Generally, Wakefield had the lowest nutrient values. The main nutritionally related potential risk factors for the diseases considered were not supported by the results of the study. Very little in the present diet appears to explain present differences in rates of disease between towns, other factors must be in operation.</p
How can 21st century public health research overcome the long-standing frustration associated with dietary assessment?
No full text
Formative evaluation of the usability and acceptability of myfood24 among adolescents: a UK online dietary assessments tool
No full textBackground: Myfood24 is a new online 24 h dietary assessment tool developed for use among the UK population. Limited information is available on the usability and acceptability of such tools. Hence this study aims to determine the usability and acceptability of myfood24 among British adolescents (11-18y) before and after making the improvements. Methods: A total of 84 adolescents were involved in two stages. In stage-I (beta-version of myfood24), 14 adolescents were recruited, 7 of whom (group-1) were asked to enter standardized tasks in a testing room with screen capture software. The remaining 7-adolescents (group-2) were asked to report their previous food intake using myfood24 at home. All participants then completed a usability and acceptability questionnaire. Stage-II was carried out after making amendments to the live-version of myfood24 in which 70 adolescents were asked to enter their food intake for two days and then complete the same questionnaire. Thematic analysis was conducted of observer comments and open-ended questions. Results: Navigation, presentation errors and failure to find functions were the main usability issues identified in the beta-version. Significant improvements were found in the usability and acceptability of most functions after implementing certain features like a spell checker, auto-fill option, and adding ‘mouse hover’ to help with the use of some functions. Adolescents’ perceptions of searching food items, selecting food portion sizes and making a list function were significantly improved in the live-version. The mean completion time of myfood24 reduced from 31 (SD = 6) minutes in the beta-version to 16 (SD = 5) minutes in the live-version. The mean system usability score (SUS) of myfood24 improved from 66/100 (95 % CI 60, 73) in the beta-version to 74/100 (95 % CI 71, 77) in the live-version, which is considered as ‘good’. Of the adolescents in stage-II, 41 % preferred using myfood24 to the interviewer-administered 24 h recall because myfood24 was quicker, easier to use and provided the adolescents with privacy when reporting dietary intake. Conclusion: Considering adolescents’ feedback has helped in improving the usability and acceptability of the final-version of myfood24. myfood24 appears to support adolescents’ need in reporting their dietary intake, which may potentially improve the overall quality of adolescents’ self-reported dietary information
Does food portion size differ by level of household income? A cross-sectional study using the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey 2008–11
No full textBackground: in developed countries, disadvantaged groups have higher prevalence of obesity and its associated chronic diseases than do high income groups. This study aimed to investigate the association between the level of household income and food portion size for the top 20 most frequently consumed foods by adolescents and adults.Methods: data for this study came from the UK National Diet and Nutritional Survey (2008–11). Using a 4 day estimated food record, we calculated food portion size for 567 adolescents (11–18 years) and 992 adults (19–65 years). For each participant, average portion size for each food was calculated by dividing the total weight of the food by the frequency of consumption; then the average food portion size was calculated for each food for the whole sample. This method avoided portion sizes being skewed because of individuals who frequently consumed small or large portions. Levels of income were classified by household income per year: low (?£24?999), middle (£25?000–49?999), and high (?£50?000). Associations with food portion size were tested with multivariable regression models adjusting for sex and age (significance at p?0·01).Findings: 205, 226, and 136 adolescents and 395, 379, and 218 adults were classified as having low, middle, and high household incomes, respectively. Adolescents from low income households consumed smaller portions of “tap water” than did those in high income households (by 52 mL, 99% CI 7–97; p<0·0001). Adolescents from middle income households consumed larger food portion sizes of “carbonated soft drinks” than did those from high income households (40 mL, 2–81; p=0·01). Adults in low income households consumed larger food portion sizes of “cheese”, “mashed potato”, and “savoury sauces, pickles” (by 9 g [2–15], 25 g [2–15], and 12 g [7–43], respectively; p<0·0001), and drank smaller portions of “tap water” (34 mL [3–71], p=0·01) than did those from high income households. No significant differences were seen in food portion sizes between adults in middle and high income households.Interpretation: portion sizes of only a few foods differed by household income; nonetheless, these foods might contribute to inequalities in healthy dietary intake in both adults and adolescents. More attention should be given to both food and drink portion sizes when planning public health nutrition interventions and policy programmes aimed at closing the socioeconomic gap in obesity and chronic disease morbidity and mortalit
Associations of maternal iron intake and hemoglobin in pregnancy with offspring vascular phenotypes and adiposity at age 10: findings from the avon longitudinal study of parents and children.
No full textIron deficiency is common during pregnancy. Experimental animal studies suggest that it increases cardiovascular risk in the offspring
Maternal iron status in early pregnancy and birth outcomes : insights from the Baby's Vascular health and Iron in Pregnancy study
No full textDate of Acceptance: 16/03/2015 Acknowledgements N. A. A. was funded by a Wellcome Trust Research Training Fellowship (WT87789). H. J. M. and H. E. H. are supported by the Scottish Government’s Rural and Environment Science and Analytical Services. N. A. B. S. is supported by Cerebra. The authors’ contributions are as follows: N. A. A. was responsible for organising the study conduct, data collection and database management, performed the statistical analysis, interpreted the results and drafted the paper. N. A. A., N. A. B. S., J. E. C., H. J. M. and D. C. G. contributed to the study concept and design, and interpretation of results. H. J. M. and H. E. H. analysed the laboratory samples. J. E. C. and D. C. G. provided advice on statistical strategy and analysis. All authors have fully participated in the reporting stage and have critically reviewed and approved the final draft of the paper. The authors declare no conflict of interestPeer reviewe
Is there an association between food portion size and BMI among British adolescents?
No full textThe prevalence of obesity has increased simultaneously with the increase in the consumption of large food portion sizes (FPS). Studies investigating this association among adolescents are limited; fewer have addressed energy-dense foods as a potential risk factor. In the present study, the association between the portion size of the most energy-dense foods and BMI was investigated. A representative sample of 636 British adolescents (11-18 years) was used from the 2008-2011 UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey. FPS were estimated for the most energy-dense foods (those containing above 10·5 kJ/g (2·5 kcal/g)). Regression models with BMI as the outcome variable were adjusted for age, sex and misreporting energy intake (EI). A positive association was observed between total EI and BMI. For each 418 kJ (100 kcal) increase in EI, BMI increased by 0·19 kg/m2 (95 % CI 0·10, 0·28; P< 0·001) for the whole sample. This association remained significant after stratifying the sample by misreporting. The portion sizes of a limited number of high-energy-dense foods (high-fibre breakfast cereals, cream and high-energy soft drinks (carbonated)) were found to be positively associated with a higher BMI among all adolescents after adjusting for misreporting. When eliminating the effect of under-reporting, larger portion sizes of a number of high-energy-dense foods (biscuits, cheese, cream and cakes) were found to be positively associated with BMI among normal reporters. The portion sizes of only high-fibre breakfast cereals and high-energy soft drinks (carbonated) were found to be positively associated with BMI among under-reporters. These findings emphasise the importance of considering under-reporting when analysing adolescents' dietary intake data. Also, there is a need to address adolescents' awareness of portion sizes of energy-dense foods to improve their food choice and future health outcomes
Maternal dietary patterns during pregnancy in relation to offspring size at birth: evidence from a British cohort
No full text- …
