ABSTRACT
@#Introduction: The household food insecurity (FI) is still one of global health issues, which is related to various health and developmental problems. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship of the FI with type 2 diabetes and hypertension in a city in North-West of Iran. Methods: Study population was the Khoy city’s households which refer to the primary health-care centers. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) six-item Household Food Security Scale was used to determine food insecurity. Sample size for each case group (type 2 diabetic and hypertensive) was calculated to be 110 subjects and was doubled to be 220 subjects in the control group. Multi-stage random sampling method was applied. To control the confounding variables, the logistic regression was used. Results: In total, 210 subjects (47.7%) had food security and 52.3% were insecure. Seventeen percent of the study population had normal BMI (Body Mass Index) and 83% were obese or overweight (42.7% obese, 40.5% overweight). In multivariate analysis the age (p<0.001), BMI (p=0.002), and education (p=0.002) were significantly related to hypertension. However, food insecurity was not significantly related to diabetes and hypertension. Conclusion: High prevalence of FI, obesity and overweight in the population necessitate the educational interventions about healthy nutrition in families, especially from childhood. Financial and nutritional support is needed for the families with FI. Considering the indirect relationship between FI and hypertension shown in this study, it is recommended to implement interventions to reduce the FI as a risk factor of hypertension.
ABSTRACT
Objective: This study was designed to examine the effect of metabolic syndrome [MetS] on health-related quality of life [HRQOL] in patients with suspected nonalcoholic steatohepatitis [NASH]
Subjects and Methods: Three hundred thirty-two patients [236 males and 96 females] with suspected NASH from the Amol cohort study were included in this study. MetS was diagnosed based on Adult Treatment Panel III criteria and HRQOL was measured using the 12-Item Short-Form Health Survey [SF-12] questionnaire [with 8 subscales and 2 summary components]. A multivariable linear regression model was used to assess the independent effect of MetS on HRQOL
Results: The mean age of the study population was 42 +/- 13 years [range 18-82]. The prevalence of MetS was 43.4% [n = 144] and the mean scores on the Physical Component Summary [PCS] and the Mental Component Summary were 72.4 +/- 20.86 and 42.7 +/- 12.42, respectively. The multivariable linear regression model showed that MetS was negatively associated with 4 subscales of HRQOL that included: role limitations due to physical problems [RP] [B = -14.05, p = 0.004], bodily pain [BP] [B = -7.37, p = 0.02], vitality [VT] [B = -7.72, p = 0.022], and role limitations due to emotional problems [RE] [B = -12.67, p = 0.005] after adjustment for other variables. Also, MetS had a borderline association with the general health and mental health subscales and the PCS [p < 0.1]
Conclusion: In this study, there was a strong association between MetS and 4 subscales [RP, BP, VT, and RE] of HRQOL in patients with suspected NASH; this could be considered as a part of health policy to improve general health