Nutritional assessment for primary school children in Tehran: an evaluation of dietary pattern with emphasis on snacks and meals consumption

In order to provide better advice for prevention of obesity and eating disorders among children, there is a need to have more knowledge of their dietary patterns. This study examined meal and snacking patterns of primary school children in Tehran. A total of 761 male and female primary school children from all educational areas in Tehran were recruited in a cross sectional survey. The data was collected by interviewing the students and their mothers or caregivers. Information on food consumption patterns was collected by one 24-h-recall and one snack-oriented food frequency questionnaire which covered a period of 1 month. Means, standard deviations, frequencies, percentages, energy and nutrient analyzes and nutrient densities were reported. All of the students snacked at least once on the day of the survey. Snacks provided 38% of total energy intake by the students. Fruits and sweet snacks were consumed by almost all of the students during a week. Energy and most nutrient intakes from meals were greater than those consumed from snacks. Snacks had a higher density of fiber, carbohydrate, calcium, iron, vitamin C, riboflavin and thiamin and had a lower density of protein, fat and niacin, compared with main meals. Salty snacks such as extruded cheese curls [Cheetos] and chips were not consumed so often. Results provide detailed information about dietary patterns, which in turn enable development of targeted messages and/or interventions to improve nutritional status of school children

Content analysis of food advertising in Iranian children's television programs

Advertisements can influence children's health related behaviors. Television advertisements are the main avenues directing commercials at children in Iran. This study aimed to explore the content of food advertisement during children's television programs in 2007-8 and to compare it with those reported in 2000. All advertisements broadcasted before, during, and after children's programs aired on two major Iran national television networks were videotaped for a period of 4 weeks during 2007- 8. For each advertisement, type of product[s] and mode of presentation[s] were coded. A total of 229 television advertisements were broadcasted. Food commercials were the most frequent group [31%] across the two channels. Among the food products advertised, calorie dense foods, including chocolate, soft drinks, extruded cereals, ice cream, cookies and candies were the most frequent. The appeal mainly used in television food advertisements was "stimulation of hunger/thirst" [38.5%]. The advertisements were mostly presented as animations [54%] and the messages used were mainly directed to good taste. Although the total number of food advertisements during children's television programs has decreased but the consumption of high fat, high sugar, low nutrient dense foods continues to be promoted. Policies to address the issue should be scrutinized

Mothers' Views on Food Security and Complementary Feeding: a Qualitative Study in Urban Iran

Food insecurity may be associated with poor nutrition, which in turn can increase the risk of adverse nutrition and health outcomes among infants and toddlers. This study was undertaken in 2008 to gain an insight of mothers' views on complementary feeding practices and food security. In this qualitative study, data were collected through 10 Focus Group Discussions [FGDs] with groups of mothers who had under two-year-old children in the urban areas of Damavand [7 FGDs; n=51] and Varamin [3 FGDs; n=29]. Each FGD was held in the presence of a moderator, two note takers, and an observer. All notes were collected, and the emerging themes were reported. In the study, nine general themes were identified: 1] The mothers viewed adequate food as a food, which is useful for health in both quality and quantity; 2] Households have limited access to adequate food because they cannot afford it; 3] In hard situations, household's strategies are: changing the type and amount of food, and buying cheaper foods; 4] In case of poverty, mothers abstain from eating to save food for their children; 5] The mothers viewed complementary feeding as soft, simple and light foods, which are especially made for children; 6] The best time for introducing complementary feeding was 6 months of age; 7] There were no complementary local foods in the region; 8] For under one-year-old children, a different type of food was separately prepared; 9] Home-made complementary food was preferred over the readymade type. Despite mothers' sufficient knowledge about the advantages of complementary feeding, the majority of them had not good performance. This qualitative study provides a foundation and valuable information for future studies on the nutritional health of children in food insecure households

comparing study of clarithromycin XL with co-amoxiclav for treatment of chronic sinusitis; a clinical trial

Chronic sinusitis is one of the most common medical problems affecting 30 million people in USA annually. In the present study, we compared the efficacy and safety of clarithromycin XL and co-amoxiclav on clinical and CT scan findings of patients suffering from chronic sinusitis. In this clinical trial, a total of 59 subjects [37 males and 22 females, mean age 28 years] with clinical symptoms and CT scan findings of chronic sinusitis were assigned randomly in two groups and treated with clarithromycin XL or co-amoxiclav. Clinical success rates were similar at the end of therapy period, however, subjects receiving clarithromycin XL showed better CT scan findings when compared with co-amoxiclav-treated subjects [53% versus 29%]. Gastrointestinal discomfort was the most frequent treatment-related adverse effects in both groups [NS]. Results revealed that clarithromycin XL and co-amoxiclav have similar efficacy when considered for treatment of chronic sinusitis

Pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis and osteopetrosis

Pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis is a rare condition caused by deposition in the alveoli of the lungs by calcific consolidation called calcospherites. Its etiology and pathogenesis are obscure. Osteopetrosis is a heterogeneous group of inheritable conditions with a defect in bone resorption by osteoclasts. We report a case of pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis associated with osteopetrosis, which was diagnosed incidentally by bone high density and generalized osteosclerosis on chest x-ray. Association of these two diseases has not been reported before

Evaluation of Iml at id cyst manifestations in patients admitted to Shaheed Modarres Hospital, 1984-2004

Hydatid cyst is one of the most important and dangerous human and herbivore animal helminthic disease. Infection is quite prevalent in Iran, however, patients' features and manifestations have not been clarified thoroughly, thus, in the present study we evaluated Iranian patients with hydatid cyst referred to a tertiary hospital in Tehran during a 20-year period. For this descriptive study, initial data including age, sex, clinical symptoms, cyst type, the place of cyst replacement, diagnostic technique, laboratory findings, treatment modalities and relapse were obtained from patients medical files. Totally, 60 patients aged 4-70 years were entered, of whom 32[53.3%] were females and 28[46.7%] were males. House-wives [75%] and farmer men [42.8%] were more commonly affected. In 80% of the cases cyst was found in liver [lonely or with other organ involvement]. Echinococcous Granulosus was detected in all patients. RUQ pain and cough and sputum were the most common symptoms of liver and lung cysts, respectively. Totally, 20% of patients referred with relapses, most of whom were multivesicular. Our results revealed that hydatid cyst in Iran is more or less the same as other western societies, however, a high rate of relapse in multivesicular cysts was noted

Prevalence of overweight and obesity among junior high school students in a district of Tehran

To determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity among a sample of middle class junior high school students in a district of Tehran and its association with certain demographic and dietary factors this study was carried out. Weight, height, waist and hip circumferences were measured and information on two-day food intake and demographics on 398 students aged 10-15 years from district 6 in Tehran were collected. Prevalence of overweight and obesity in the studied girls were 19%, 6.5% and in boys were 14%, 13%, respectively. There was an inverse relationship between numbers of siblings and BMI. Overweight/obese students, bought snacks from school shops more frequently than other students did. Findings showed that the high prevalence of overweight/obesity can be related to the household size, including the number of siblings and the pattern of snack purchase by the students