Food service programme for promoting healthy nutrition among medical cadets of Phramongkutklao College of Medicine: a preliminary study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the patterns of food services and to determine the kinds and frequencies of food items served to the medical cadets. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Menu records of the meals served to the medical cadets at a mess hall of Phramongkutklao College of Medicine were retrospectively reviewed, covering the period of one month of the academic year 2004. The menus were analysed using descriptive statistics. RESULTS: Sixty-five medical cadets participated in the food service programme by setting their own menus. The programme provided three main meals a day. In August, the studied month, it was found that some selected menus were not suitable. Only two types of foods of carbohydrate sources were used. The predominant one was milled rice (87 meals or 93.5%). At least 5 meals (5.4%) did not serve vegetables at all. As for fresh fruits, up to 16 days (51.6%) they were not served. CONCLUSION: The food service programme is a strength point for promoting healthy nutrition to medical cadets in this setting. Involvement of medical cadets by setting up their own menus can reflect very clearly undesirable eating habits. Thus, appropriate involvement of medical cadets can be a good means to help them acquire knowledge and skills in healthy nutrition practices.

Dietary behaviors and nutritional status of adolescents in a remote rural area of Thailand.

INTRODUCTION: Nutritional status among adolescents is an important health indicator. The up-to-date information about nutritional status and food consumption pattern in the remote rural area is required for the effective public health intervention in the rural area of the country. The present study aimed to demonstrate the prevalence of malnutrition, eating behavior and nutritional knowledge among secondary school students in a remote rural area in Thailand. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Body weight and height data were collected from 298 secondary school students for nutritional status calculation using the Institute of Nutrition Research, Mahidol University, INMU-Thaigrowth program. Eating behavior and nutritional knowledge were observed by self-administrated questionnaires. RESULTS: The prevalence low height-for-age (<-2SD) 6.1% and it was 0.7% for low weight-for-height (<-2SD). Fruits (69%) and vegetables (79.4%) consumptions were in the high level. The authors found that the students always consumed commercial snacks especially salted chips more often than regular Thai dessert (74.0% VS 52.3%). The inappropriate behavior found in the present study included always drinking caffeine beverage (43.5%), always drinking alcoholic beverage (6.5%) and always consuming instant noodles (64.4%). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of malnutrition was low among this population. The studied population had a fair knowledge about nutrition. The authoes found that regular consumption of highly commercialized snack products especially salted chips and instant noodles were at a high level in this remote rural area of Thailand. The pattern of nutritional problems in Thailand may have changed in which a public health program for children in rural areas of the country should recognize this transition.

Energy and nutrients intake of Thai active duty army personnel at the Army Special Warfare Command Unit.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the daily energy and nutrient intake of the active duty army personnel at the Army Special Warfare Command (SWC) Unit during home stations. MATERIAL AND METHOD: A cross-sectional survey was carried out at the SWC unit in Lopburi province, Central region of Thailand. One hundred and eight personnel, who were at home stations, volunteered for participation in the present study. Three-day food records were used for evaluating nutrient intakes. Dietary data were analysed using the Nutritionist III programme and expressed as mean and standard deviation. RESULTS: All 108 active duty army personnel were men with the mean age of 37.0 years (SD 7.4). The mean actual energy intake was 2,304 kcal/day (SD 645), which accounted for 109% of Dietary Reference Intake for Thais (DRI). Most mean intakes of vitamins and minerals were above DRI levels, including vitamin A, vitamin B2, niacin, vitamin C, and iron. However, their average intakes of vitamin B1 and calcium were lower. CONCLUSION: The present study demonstrated the undesirable intake patterns which may become significant when intakes occur routinely or extend to longer periods and can adversely affect military readiness as well as health. Further improvements in dietary intake for these personnel are needed.