Dietary intake and nutritional status of antioxidant vitamins have been reported to protect against some cancers. The objective of the present study was to assess the correlations between serum levels of carotenoids (including β-, α- and γ-carotene), lycopene, retinol, α- and γ-tocopherols, and dietary intakes estimated by an FFQ, among low-income women in the Brazilian Investigation into Nutrition and Cervical Cancer Prevention (BRINCA) study.

Cross-sectional study of data for 918 women aged 21–65 years participating in the BRINCA study in São Paulo city. Multiple linear regression models were used with serum nutrient levels as the dependent variable and dietary intake levels as the independent variable, adjusted for confounding factors.

In energy-adjusted analyses, the intakes of dark green and deep yellow vegetables and fruits (partial R2 = 4·8 %), total fruits and juices (partial R2 = 1·8 %), vegetables and fruits (partial R2 = 1·8 %), carrots (partial R2 = 1·4 %) and citrus fruits and juices only (partial R2 = 0·8 %) were positively correlated only with serum total carotene levels, after adjusting for serum total cholesterol concentration, age, hospital attended, smoking status, BMI and presence of cervical lesions. Multiple-adjusted serum levels of carotenoids were positively correlated with intake quartiles of dark green and deep yellow vegetables and fruits and total fruits and juices independent of smoking status.

The intake of specific fruits and vegetables was an independent predictor of serum total carotene levels in low-income women living in São Paulo.

To examine differences in the availability, variety and distribution of foods and beverages sold at street food stands (SFS) across neighbourhood income levels in Mexico City.

Cross-sectional.

Twenty neighbourhoods representing low-, middle- and high-income levels in Mexico City.

Direct observations of SFS (n 391).

The availability of healthy foods such as fruits/vegetables was high in middle- and high-income neighbourhoods, whereas the availability of unhealthy foods such as processed snacks was higher in low-income neighbourhoods. However, statistically significant differences in food availability across neighbourhoods were only observed for dairy and processed snack items (P < 0·05). Similarly, differences in variety were only observed for cereal and processed snacks (P < 0·05). No statistically significant differences were seen for variety of fruits/vegetable across neighbourhood income levels (P > 0·05). No statistically significant differences across neighbourhood income levels were observed for beverage availability and variety (P > 0·05). Although street foods and beverages were often distributed near homes, public transportation centres and worksites, no differences were observed across neighbourhood income levels (P > 0·05).

Findings suggest that SFS can be a source of both unhealthy foods and healthy foods for communities across neighbourhoods in Mexico City. Additional studies are needed to assess the relationship between street food and beverage availability, and consumption.

The current study was conducted to determine mothers’ knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding probiotic use during pregnancy and for infants between 6 months and 2 years old.

The study had a cross-sectional design, and the data were collected using a Socio-demographic Information Form and a Probiotic Information and Attitude Form. The data were evaluated using frequency, percentage and χ2 tests.

Two hospitals of one province in the central Black Sea Region, Turkey.

519 mothers with infants between 6 months and 2 years old who had been hospitalised in paediatric clinics participated in the study.

20·2 % of the mothers knew what a probiotic was, 33·1 % of them had knowledge of specific probiotic products and 49·7 % of them knew that breast milk contains probiotics. A statistically significant difference was found between mothers’ knowledge of probiotics and probiotic products, and their ages, education, employment, income, family structure and whether they were actively breast-feeding (P < 0·05). A statistically significant difference was found between the mothers’ knowledge that breast milk contains probiotics and their ages, education, employment, income, family structure, age of children and actively breast-feeding (P < 0·05).

The study found that the mothers’ knowledge and practices regarding probiotics were inadequate, and that they traditionally used natural products in their daily lives. Evidence-based educational activities should be designed which include information about the definition of probiotics, and their benefits and disadvantages for mothers. Further studies are needed to determine the knowledge and attitudes of health professionals regarding the use of probiotics by mothers with infants and pregnant women.

Dietary indexes measure the adherence of individuals to a set of nutritional recommendations. However, the health gains associated with adherence to various dietary indexes may vary. Our objective was to compare the magnitude of estimated avoided deaths by chronic diseases obtained by improving diet quality in the French population, measured by a variety of dietary indexes.

Simulation study based on observational data.

Weighted data from a French population-based cohort study.

In participants from the NutriNet-Santé cohort, we computed dietary scores reflecting the adherence to various recommendations (Medi-Lite, Healthy Diet Indicator (HDI), Programme National Nutrition Santé/National Nutrition and Health Program – Guidelines Score, Diet Quality Index (DQI), Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI) and the modified Food Standards Agency nutrient profiling system dietary index (FSAm-NPS DI)). Quintiles of the food groups’ consumption and dietary intakes were used as input in a simulation model (Preventable Risk Integrated ModEl (PRIME)), yielding the number of delayed or avoided deaths in nutrition-related non-communicable diseases, comparing between very high or very low nutritional quality of the diet and medium nutritional quality.

A modification of dietary intakes from medium quality to very low quality (i.e. from the middle quintile to the quintile with the lowest nutritional quality) was associated with an increased number of deaths ranging from 3485 (95 % uncertainty interval (CI) 4002, 2987) for HDI and 3379 (95 % CI 3881, 2894) for FSAm-NPS DI to 838 (95 % CI 1163, 523) for Medi-Lite. Conversely, a modification of dietary intakes from medium quality to very high quality was associated with a decrease in the number of deaths ranging from 1995 (95 % CI 1676, 2299) for Probability of Adequate Nutrient intake diet, 1986 (95 % CI 1565, 2361) for DQI-International, 1931 (95 % CI 1499, 2316) for FSAm-NPS DI and 858 (95 % CI 499, 1205) for HDI.

Our results provide some insights as the potential impact of following various dietary guidelines to reduce mortality from nutrition-related diseases.

The present study aimed to (i) calculate body-weight- and BMI-for-age percentile values for children aged 0·5–12 years participating in the South-East Asian Nutrition Survey (SEANUTS); (ii) investigate whether the pooled (i.e. including all countries) SEANUTS weight- and BMI-for-age percentile values can be used for all SEANUTS countries instead of country-specific ones; and (iii) examine whether the pooled SEANUTS percentile values differ from the WHO growth references.

Body weight and length/height were measured. The LMS method was used for calculating smoothened body-weight- and BMI-for-age percentile values. The standardized site effect (SSE) values were used for identifying large differences (i.e. $\left| {{\rm SSE}} \right|$ >0·5) between the pooled SEANUTS sample and the remaining pooled SEANUTS samples after excluding one single country each time, as well as with WHO growth references.

Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia.

Data from 14 202 eligible children.

The SSE derived from the comparisons of the percentile values between the pooled and the remaining pooled SEANUTS samples were indicative of small/acceptable (i.e. $\left| {{\rm SSE}} \right|$ ≤0·5) differences. In contrast, the comparisons of the pooled SEANUTS sample with WHO revealed large differences in certain percentiles.

The findings of the present study support the use of percentile values derived from the pooled SEANUTS sample for evaluating the weight status of children in each SEANUTS country. Nevertheless, large differences were observed in certain percentiles values when SEANUTS and WHO reference values were compared.

To assess the stability and changes in fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption over a 3-year period during adolescence in a population-based birth cohort.

Longitudinal descriptive study. FV consumption was collected in 2008 and 2011/12 using an FFQ. We conducted descriptive analyses of medians to assess the trends in FV intake over time. Stability of FV intake was assessed by percentage of agreement and kappa coefficients.

Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.

Adolescents from 15 to 18 years of age (n 3915).

We observed an overall slight decrease in FV consumption during adolescence and also a moderate stability, especially in those with higher socio-economic status (proportion of agreement 38·6 % and 40·5 % for boys and girls, respectively). About a half of those consuming low levels of FV at 15 years of age still consumed low levels 3 years later.

Our results showed that FV consumption presented a moderate stability across a 3-year period during adolescence, especially in those with higher socio-economic status. Given the great proportions of non-communicable diseases such as CVD, diabetes and obesity, knowledge about the patterns of FV consumption during adolescence has implications for health promotion interventions.

To examine the associations of adiposity, dietary restraint and other personal characteristics with energy reporting quality.

Secondary analysis of 230 women and 158 men from the 1997/98 Ontario Food Survey.

Energy reporting quality was estimated by ratios of energy intake (EI) to both basal metabolic rate (BMR) and total energy expenditure (TEE). Multivariate regression analyses were conducted to examine energy reporting quality between two dietary recalls and in relation to body mass index (BMI) with adjustment for potential confounders. Energy reporting quality was explored across categories of age, BMI, income, education, dieting status and food insecurity through analysis of variance (ANOVA).

From the ANOVA, energy reporting quality was associated with BMI group, age category and weight loss for men and women, as well as with education among women (P < 0.05). The multivariate regression analyses indicated that energy reporting quality was positively associated with education and inversely associated with obesity and dieting. No associations were observed in relation to food insecurity or income (P>0.05). EI:BMR and EI:TEE on the first and second 24-hour recalls were positively related (P < 0.0001 for men and women). A higher proportion of variance in energy reporting quality was explained for women than for men (R2 = 0.19 and 0.14, respectively).

Studies of diet and adiposity are probably hindered to some extent by BMI-related variation in energy reporting quality. Methods to address this issue are urgently needed if population surveys will continue to serve as the primary source of dietary intake data.

To determine the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of overweight and obese multi-ethnic children compared with normal-weight children; and to investigate differences in HRQOL between self- and parent-proxy reports and ethnic groups.

Prospective cross-sectional study.

Out-patient clinic where children and their parents filled out a validated HRQOL questionnaire (KIDSCREEN-52) and height, weight, waist circumference and fat percentage were measured.

Overweight and obese children, aged 8–18 years (mean BMI Z-score 3·2 (sd 0·6)), from the obesity out-patient clinic.

Three hundred and eight self- and 213 parent-proxy reported questionnaires were completed. Global HRQOL and the Physical Wellbeing, Moods & Emotions and Self-Perception subscales were markedly reduced in our multi-ethnic obese cohort, relative to the Dutch reference values. Parent proxies reported significantly lower on the global HRQOL and the Physical Wellbeing, Moods & Emotions and Bullying subscales. In Caucasian children, multivariate analyses showed that BMI was associated with the quality-of-life subscales Moods & Emotions, Self-Perception and Bullying.

HRQOL was markedly reduced in our multi-ethnic overweight and obese out-patient clinic cohort, with significantly lower parent-proxy scores compared with self-reported scores. We believe intervention programmes aiming to improve HRQOL should be directed to both parents and children, while ethnic-specific programmes to enhance HRQOL seem of less importance.

To determine if participants would be interested in consuming soy foods to lower cholesterol in primary and secondary prevention of heart disease, and to identify the role physicians and registered dietitians have in providing dietary advice, about soy foods or other foods, for participants with elevated cholesterol.

Qualitative data from 12 focus groups were gathered from a convenience sample of 74 adults, aged 18–91 years, with and without high cholesterol (total cholesterol >200 mg dl−1). Participants were recruited from Minneapolis/St. Paul mainstream and natural foods grocery stores. Focus group interviews were taped and transcribed verbatim. Common themes were identified, coded and compared using NVivo computer software.

Participants believed diet, lifestyle and genetics were the cause of high cholesterol and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Few participants were aware of the Food and Drug Administration health claim for soy protein, yet many were willing to consume soy as part of lifestyle modification to prevent CVD. They reported preferring food and exercise over medication to treat high cholesterol. Few participants had ever received dietary advice from physicians on treating high cholesterol or CVD, and most doubted the accuracy of such advice. They believed registered dietitians were the most credible source of nutrition counselling and expressed an interest in physician referrals to dietitians.

A collaboration and referral system between physicians and registered dietitians could increase CVD patients' consumption of soy foods as a means potentially leading to a reduced risk of heart disease in participants.

To identify school community readiness to adopt a school-based adolescent nutrition intervention.

Cross-sectional study: mixed-methods design. The community readiness model was used to guide instrument development and qualitative analysis. Quantitative data are presented using descriptive statistics. Each statement was rated on a seven-point Likert scale, thereby producing scores between 1 (strongly disagree) and 7 (strongly agree).

Ten of the twenty current public secondary schools in Bogor, Indonesia.

Ninety teachers and ten school principals.

Eating behaviour problem awareness was present among all participants; awareness of efforts to improve eating habits was also present, but these efforts were perceived as having low efficacy; support from the City Education Authority and Health Authority was present, but the support type did not match the perceived needs; nutrition education had not been implemented across the entire school community due to competing priorities; existing nutrition policies did not provide concrete scenarios and clear guidelines for nutrition-friendly schools; the availability and accessibility of healthy foods at schools were considered to be key factors in improved adolescent nutrition; positive attitudes existed among respondents towards the implementation of various nutrition programmes, and the median and mode were seven in all types of school-based intervention.

The school community readiness level regarding school-based adolescent nutrition interventions is currently in the action phase, implying that community leaders have begun organising efforts to address issues in adolescent nutrition and are aware of their consequences. Future support should be directed towards improving existing efforts and offering concrete ideas and clear policy guidelines for implementation.

To investigate the seasonal variations of women’s dietary diversity (WDD) (items consumed and food supply) and its linkages with agriculture, market and wild resources.

A cohort of 300 women was followed-up over a year to investigate WDD and food sources (production, purchase or foraging). Monthly qualitative 24 h recalls allowed computing WDD Scores from a standard 10-food groups (FG) classification (WDDS-10). Associations between farm/women’s characteristics and WDDS-10 were investigated using multivariate mixed models including interaction terms factor*months.

Tuy province, Burkina Faso.

300 women of reproductive age.

Both dietary diversity and food sources were seasonal. The mean WDDS-10 was relatively stable from August to January (ranging from 3·1 to 3·5 FG) when farm production predominated. The WDDS-10 gradually increased from February, concomitantly with an increase in food purchases (onions, tomatoes, mangoes) and reached its highest levels (>4 FG) from March to June, when food purchases were still relatively high and when more women consumed foraged fruits (shea plums and wild grapes). Women living on farms owning > 3 plough oxen and different animal species had significantly higher WDDS-10 than others (+0·28 and +0·35 FG, respectively). Women who practiced off-farm activities also had higher WDDS-10 than those who did not (+0·21 FG, P < 0·05). Other factors, for example, the number of foraged edible species, provided advantages in terms of dietary diversity only during certain seasons (October – January, P for interaction < 0·01).

Diversifying women’s diets throughout the year requires complementary interventions aimed at diversifying production, promoting foraging and increasing income-generating activities to enable food purchasing.

To quantify food/beverage advertising on television in Montreal (Quebec), to estimate and characterise children’s exposure and to examine trends over time.

Television food advertising data were licensed for nineteen food categories and eighteen stations for May 2011, 2016 and 2019. The frequency of advertisements and the average number viewed per child aged 2–11 years overall, by food category and by station type (i.e. youth-appealing (n 3) and generalist (n 15) stations) were determined. The percent change in advertising frequency and exposure between May 2011 and 2019 was calculated.

Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

This study used media data and did not directly involve human participants.

The total number of television advertisements increased by 11 % between May 2011 (n 41 084) and May 2019 (n 45 406); however, exposure to food/beverage advertisements decreased by 53 %, going from 226 ads/child in May 2011 to 107 ads/child in May 2019. Overall, the most advertised food categories in both May 2011 and 2019 were fast food (29·8 % and 39·2 %, respectively) followed by chocolate (14·2 %) in 2011 and savory snacks (9·7 %) in 2019. In May 2019, children were predominantly exposed to unhealthy food categories such as fast food (41·3 % of exposure), savory snacks (7·5 %), chocolate (5·0 %) and regular soft drinks (4·5 %), and most (89·3 %) of their total exposure occurred on generalist television stations.

Despite Quebec’s restrictions on commercial advertising directed to children under 13 years, Quebecois children are still frequently exposed to unhealthy food advertising on television. Government should tighten restrictions to protect children from this exposure.

We examined the determinants of food insecurity among active duty Army households that transitioned into food insecurity during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

We compared Army households that recently transitioned into marginal food insecurity with those households that remained highly food secure (n 2832) to better understand how these households differ in their resilience to food insecurity during economic downturns using data from a military installation in the USA in 2020.

A US military installation in the USA.

Active duty US Army soldiers.

Prior to the pandemic, the prevalence of marginal food insecurity among Army households was similar to that reported for households in the general population. Marginal food insecurity among Army households increased over 1·5-fold – from 19 % to 33 % – with the onset of the pandemic. Relative to Army households with consistently high food security, the Army households that transitioned into marginal food insecurity after the onset of the pandemic were more likely to report concerns about financial insecurity and the job security of their family members.

Army households, like their civilian counterparts, are vulnerable to food insecurity because of instability in their income during periods of economic uncertainty. Periods of economic uncertainty are more common for Army households because of the frequent relocations associated with military service which could lead to predictable periodic spikes in their food insecurity.

To assess relationships between mothers’ feeding practices (food as a reward, food for emotion regulation, modelling of healthy eating) and mothers’ willingness to purchase child-marketed foods and fruits/vegetables (F&V) requested by their children during grocery co-shopping.

Cross-sectional. Mothers completed an online survey that included questions about feeding practices and willingness (i.e. intentions) to purchase child-requested foods during grocery co-shopping. Feeding practices scores were dichotomized at the median. Foods were grouped as nutrient-poor or nutrient-dense (F&V) based on national nutrition guidelines. Regression models compared mothers with above-the-median v. at-or-below-the-median feeding practices scores on their willingness to purchase child-requested food groupings, adjusting for demographic covariates.

Participants completed an online survey generated at a public university in the USA.

Mothers (n 318) of 2- to 7-year-old children.

Mothers who scored above-the-median on using food as a reward were more willing to purchase nutrient-poor foods (β=0·60, P<0·0001), mothers who scored above-the-median on use of food for emotion regulation were more willing to purchase nutrient-poor foods (β=0·29, P<0·0031) and mothers who scored above-the-median on modelling of healthy eating were more willing to purchase nutrient-dense foods (β=0·22, P<0·001) than were mothers with at-or-below-the-median scores, adjusting for demographic covariates.

Mothers who reported using food to control children’s behaviour were more willing to purchase child-requested, nutrient-poor foods. Parental feeding practices may facilitate or limit children’s foods requested in grocery stores. Parent–child food consumer behaviours should be investigated as a route that may contribute to children’s eating patterns.

Our study aimed to describe body phenotypes (BP) estimated by multivariate analysis and their association with body mass.

BP were defined based on demographic variables, anthropometric data (body mass, height, skinfolds and circumferences), body composition (phase angle measured by bioelectrical impedance analysis), biochemical parameters (TAG, glucose, total cholesterol ratio/LDL, Hb and sexual maturation (pubic hair and breasts or gonads). ANOVA was performed to verify the differences between skin colour and the stages of pubertal development, BP, body composition, anthropometric and biochemical variables.

Cities of São Paulo-SP, Piracicaba-SP and Florianópolis-SC from Brazil and the United States.

9269 adolescents aged between 10 and 15 years old.

The composition of BP was similar in all surveys, which are: BP1 was composed by skinfolds, body mass and circumferences variables; BP2 by pubic hair, breast in girls or gonad in boys, height and age; BP3 by cholesterol, TAG and glucose; and BP4 by phase angle, Hb and glucose (negative loading). There was a strong correlation (r = 0·9, P < 0·001) between BP1 and BMI.

We highlighted independence observed between biochemical parameters, anthropometry, body composition and sexual maturation. BP may support the calculation of scores for diagnosis of obesity based on anthropometric variables and overcome ambiguity in the isolated use of BMI.

This study aims to explore the association between coffee consumption and the prevalence of hearing loss in American adults based on a national population-based survey.

Cross-sectional analysis of reported audiometric status and coffee intake from the 2003–2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Multivariate logistic regression, forest plots and restricted cubic spline (RCS) analyses were used to explore the associations and dose–response relationships between coffee consumption frequency and hearing loss.

The USA.

This study included 1894 individuals aged ≥ 20 from the 2003–2006 NHANES.

In this study, the prevalence of speech-frequency hearing loss (SFHL) and high-frequency hearing loss (HFHL) among the participants was 35·90 % and 51·54 %, respectively. Compared with those who no consumed coffee, non-Hispanic White who consumed ≥ 4 cups/d had higher prevalence of SFHL (OR: 1·87; 95 % CI: 1·003. 3·47). And a positive trend of coffee consumption frequency with the prevalence of HFHL was found (Ptrend = 0·001). This association of HFHL was similar for participants aged 20–64 (Ptrend = 0·001), non-Hispanic White (Ptrend = 0·002), non-noise exposure participants (Ptrend = 0·03) and noise-exposed participants (Ptrend = 0·003). The forest plots analysis found that the association between 1 cup-increment of daily coffee consumption and the prevalence of HFHL was statistically significant in males. RCS model supported a positive linear association of coffee consumption with SFHL (P for overall association = 0·02, P for nonlinearity = 0·48) and a positive non-linear association of coffee consumption with HFHL (P for overall association = 0·001, P for nonlinearity = 0·001).

Our findings suggested that coffee consumption was associated with higher prevalence of hearing loss. Further cohort studies in larger population are needed to investigate these findings.

The objective of the current study was to evaluate the impact of the Market to MyPlate (M2MP) program on participants’ reported farmers’ market (FM) attitudes and shopping behaviours, frequency of serving vegetables to their families, food resource management behaviours and food security. A secondary objective was to identify facilitators and barriers to shopping at FM and food waste reduction techniques used by low-income families.

The current study used a mixed methods evaluation embedded within a cluster randomised trial of the M2MP intervention.

The 7-week M2MP program was delivered at Extension offices and community centres in central Illinois.

Participants included 120 adults and their families. Class cohorts were randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups: (1) nutrition education and cooking classes with produce allocations (PAE, n 39); (2) nutrition education and cooking classes only (EO, n 36) or (3) control group (n 45).

Compared with control participants, PAE participants were significantly more likely to report shopping at FM (P = 0·029) and reported serving more vegetables to their families (P = 0·010) (EO participants did not differ from the control group on any outcomes). There were no differences between conditions in survey-based measures of food security or food resource management behaviours. Interview results describe facilitators and barriers to shopping at FM and a variety of food waste reduction techniques (including food placement and food resource management).

These findings suggest that fresh produce provision coupled with nutrition and culinary education can positively impact shopping and dietary behaviours.