Knowledge, attitude, and practice of mothers regarding nutrition of under-five children: A cross-sectional study in rural settings

Background: Nutrition of the under-five children is of greatest importance because the foundation of our lifetime health, strength, intelligence, and vitality is laid during this period. Our country faces the burden of diseases in which nutritional deficiencies are the most common. The prevalence of underweight children in India is among the highest in the world. Knowledge of mothers has an important role in the maintenance of nutritional status of the children. For this mother has to be made more aware about feeding practices of children and other health-care practices. Objective: This study was undertaken with an aim to evaluate knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) of mothers regarding nutrition of under-five children and prevention of malnutrition. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional community-based study was conducted among 300 mothers with under-five children. A structured questionnaire based on KAP survey guidelines, previous studies, but relevant to local context was developed. The KAP questionnaire comprised three parts which assessed the KAP regarding nutrition of under-five children and prevention of malnutrition. Results: A total of 300 mothers were enrolled in the study. Majority of mothers had fair to good KAP regarding nutrition of under-five children and prevention of malnutrition. Conclusion: Adequate knowledge of mothers regarding dietary patterns of under-five children will enhance the attitude and practice to prevent malnutrition.

Undernutrition in children & critical windows of opportunity in Indian context

It is intriguing to note that majority of the wasting among the under 5 yr in India is present at birth. The National Family Health Survey 4 (NFHS-4) data analysis shows 31.9 per cent wasting at birth, which is decreasing to 17.7 per cent in the under five children; clearly suggesting that any reduction in wasting should come from improvement in foetal growth. In addition, children with both severe wasting and severe stunting, in whom the risk of mortality increases many folds, are <1 per cent in almost all the States; and these are the children in whom special care is required under the community-based management of severe acute malnutrition. This article presents an overview of nutrition status in children, their antecedents, and the critical phases; especially, nutrition status before pregnancy that plays a crucial role in all the nutrition status indicators of children. More attention on the critical phases is crucial to maximize the benefits from national programmes.

The Influence of Self-resilience on Dietary Management in Middle School Students / 대한지역사회영양학회지

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to identify self-resilience factors that drive right dietary and food safety practices in middle school students. METHODS: Data was collected from 438 middle school students in Daegu using a self-administered questionnaire in December, 2013. The questionnaire consisted of 81 items with the following categories: general information, self-resilience, right dietary and food safety practices. Statistical analyses to determine frequency, average, ANOVA, factor analysis, reliability analysis, and regression analysis were performed using SPSS 21. RESULTS: The results of factor analysis indicated that self-resilience was classified into challenge, adaptability, patience and achievement needs, and right dietary practices were sub-grouped into family meals, experience of dietary life, eco-friendly, balanced food, economy and bad food control, and food safety practices consisted of management of bacteria, hand washing and eating off a plate, safety food and food purchasing. The score of right dietary and food safety practices showed significant differences by sex, grade, and school achievement (p < 0.05). The economy factor of right dietary practices was significantly affected by the management of bacteria (p < 0.001), hand washing and eating off a plate (p < 0.001), safety food (p < 0.01), food purchasing of food safety practices (p < 0.05). The challenge factor of self-resilience significantly affected family meals, experience of dietary life, balanced food, economy, bad food control, management of bacteria, hand washing and eating off a plate, and safety food (p < 0.05). The adaptability factor of self-resilience was associated with factors such as eco-friendly, balanced food, economy, bad food control, management of bacteria, hand washing and eating off a plate, and food purchasing (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that dietary education programs for middle school students could incorporate food safety practices, and self-resilience such as challenge, adaptability, patience and achievement needs to be effective.

A study on hypertension relevant nutritional knowledge and dietary practices in Chinese college students studying in South Korea / 한국영양학회지

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of hypertension relevant nutrition knowledge on practices for prevention of hypertension in Chinese college students studying in South Korea. METHODS: We conducted a survey of 276 Chinese students studying more than three months in Korean universities who were aged 19 and older about hypertension and sodium relevant nutrition knowledge, intake of salty processed food, hypertension prevention practices, and stages of behavior change for hypertension. RESULTS: The average score on the questionnaire for hypertension relevant nutritional knowledge was 40.62 out of 50 points, and the average score for sodium relevant nutritional knowledge was 24 out of 30 points. Kimchi was the most frequently eaten salty processed food. The average score for hypertension prevention practices was 3.10 out of 5 points. The behavior change stages for prevention of hypertension were contemplation (47.1%), action (32.2%), and pre-contemplation (20.7%). The students received high scores on nutrition knowledge and showed significantly higher scores on the action stage than on pre-contemplation or contemplation. Nutritional knowledge of hypertension and sodium showed positive correlation with hypertension prevention practices, whereas negative correlation with salty processed food intake. CONCLUSION: Development of an education program for Chinese students in Korea on hypertension and sodium relevant nutritional knowledge is needed so that they can practice for prevention of hypertension.

Os sentidos de riscos atribuídos à alimentação entre cuidadores domésticos / The senses of risks attributed to food among household caregivers

Este trabalho tem por objetivo compreender os sentidos atribuídos aos discursos veiculados no campo social sobre alimentação e nutrição por cuidadores domiciliares de crianças. Foi realizado um estudo de cunho etnográfico num contexto urbano da cidade de Salvador/BA, representado por grupos domésticos do segmento de camadas baixas urbanas, durante o ano de 2010. Foram realizadas observações e entrevistas semiestruturadas com cuidadores, as quais foram analisadas com base na fenomenologia hermenêutica. Os resultados permitem afirmar que os sentidos sobre alimentação e nutrição estão margeados por significados de riscos, a partir de conteúdos de natureza técnico-científica. A imagem tecnológica dos alimentos está fortemente presente nos modos de pensar a comida cotidiana. Contudo, não apresenta um quadro de estabilidade, podendo variar dentro do mesmo grupo social, considerando a referência na qual se assenta tal significação...

This study aimed to understand the meanings given to speech in the social field about food and nutrition by children's household caregivers. It was an ethnographic study in an urban context with low level population. In the city of Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, along a year (2010), observation and semi-structured interviews with household caregivers were conducted, according to the meaning interpretation method. The meanings about food and nutrition that emerged were related to risks in a perspective of scientific speech; food image was strongly associated with technological process present in daily feeding. However, it was not a standard in the social groups observed, considering the reference on which rests that meaning...

A literature review of dietary accultaration in Asian Americans

The overall goal of this literature review is to promote a better understanding of the construct of dietary acculturation in recent years and how it affects the dietary intake of Asian-American population. Four databases were searched simultaneously: Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Medline, Pub Medical, and Journals at OVID. The key terms used in the search were Asian-Americans, dietary practices, eating habits, and dietary acculturation. A total of seven articles were relevant and met the inclusion criteria. The findings from these studies of dietary acculturation in Asian Americans are generally in agreement with other dietary acculturation research conducted in non-Asian population samples. These results suggests that immigrants who have adapted to the US lifestyle are more likely to adopt a Western dietary pattern, while those who immigrate at an older age or live in metropolitan areas where traditional foods are available and affordable are more likely to maintain traditional dietary patterns. Although the studies presented in this literature review represent the recent researches conducted in Asian populations in the US, the research in dietary acculturation remains sparse. Nurses need to understand that although their Asian American patients may have resided in the US for many years and may have demonstrated some degree of acculturation, may retain some of their traditional dietary practices at the same time. Nurse researches can capitalize on further studies in examining important variables to Western food choices and better understanding of the influence of traditional health beliefs, pre-migration factors, and social and environmental influences on the dietary practices of Asian immigrants.

Obesity-related behaviors of Malaysian adolescents: a sample from Kajang district of Selangor state

This study aims to determine the association between obesity-related behaviors (dietary practices, physical activity and body image) and body weight status among adolescents. A total of 382 adolescents (187 males and 195 females) aged 13 to 15 years in Kajang, Selangor participated in this study. Majority of the respondents were Malays (56.0%), followed by Chinese (30.1%) and Indians (13.9%). Dietary practices, physical activity and body image of the adolescents were assessed through the eating behaviors questionnaire, two-day dietary record, two-day physical activity record and multi-dimensional body image scale (MBIS), respectively. Body weight and height were measured by trained researchers. The prevalence of overweight and obesity (19.5%) was about twice the prevalence of underweight (10.5%). About two-thirds of the respondents (72.3%) skipped at least one meal and half of them (56.2%) snacked between meals with a mean energy intake of 1,641 +/- 452 kcal/day. More than half of the respondents (56.8%) were practicing sedentary lifestyle with a mean energy expenditure of 1,631 +/- 573 kcal per day. Energy intake (r = 0.153, P < 0.05), physical activity (r = 0.463, P < 0.01) and body image (r = 0.424, P < 0.01) were correlated with BMI. However, meal skipping, snacking and energy expenditure per kg body weight were not associated with body weight status. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that body image, physical activity and energy intake contributed significantly in explaining body weight status of the adolescents. In short, overweight and obesity were likely to be associated not only with energy intake and physical activity, but also body image. Hence, promoting healthy eating, active lifestyle and positive body image should be incorporated in future obesity prevention programmes in adolescents.

Prevalence of dental erosion among asthmatic patients in India / Prevalência de erosão dentária em pacientes asmáticos na India

OBJETIVOS: O presente estudo foi realizado para investigar a associacao entre erosao dentaria e asma e estabelecer relacao com a historia medica, dieta e nivel de erosao dentaria. MATERIAL E METODO: O estudo transversal foi realizado entre 102 asmaticos e nao asmaticos, com idades entre 18 e 65 anos, em Udaipur, Rajasthan, India, em janeiro de 2009. A erosao dentaria foi determinada pelo uso de index de erosao utilizado em trabalho no Reino Unido em 1993. Os dados foram coletados por meio de questionarios. Os individuos foram examinados utilizando um procedimento do tipo III, por um unico examinador. A variacao intra examinadores foi testada estatisticamente, com acuracia de 90,3%. O teste qui-quadrado foi aplicado com utilizacao do programa SPSS, versao 11.0. RESULTADOS: Erosao dentaria estava presente em 76.5% de adultos com asma e em 66,7% de pacientes sem asma. 86% das drogas prescritas para asma tinham um pH abaixo de 5,5 %. Ocorreu tambem associacao entre erosao dentaria e consumo de refrigerantes, bebidas carbonatadas e frutas frescas. CONCLUSOES: Ha diferenca significativa na prevalencia de erosao, sendo que adultos com asma tem maior prevalencia do que nos grupos controle. Embora ocorra uma relacao entre niveis de erosao, ha tambem relacao dos niveis de erosao relacionadas com a historia medica e componentes acidos da dieta.

OBJECTIVE: This study was done to investigate association between tooth erosion and asthma and to find out the relationship between medical history, dietary practices and the level of dental erosion. MATERIAL AND METHOD: A cross sectional survey was conducted among 102 asthmatic and non asthmatic patient aged from 18 to 65 years old in Udaipur, Rajasthan, in January 2009. Tooth erosion was assessed using tooth erosion index employed in the childrenfs dental health in UK survey 1993. Data was collected by using self-prepared questionnaire. The subjects were examined using a type III examination procedure by single examiner. Intra examiner variability was tested by weighted kappa statistic which was 90.3%. Chi-square test was applied by using SPSS software (version 11.0). RESULTS: Tooth erosion was present in 76.5% of adults with asthma and in 66.7% asthma free subjects. 86% drugs which were prescribed for asthma had a pH below 5.5. There were also association between dental erosion and consumption of soft drinks, carbonated beverages and fresh fruits. CONCLUSION: There was significant difference in prevalence of erosion, adults with asthma having a higher prevalence than controlled group, although there is relationship between levels of erosion, medical history and acidic dietary components.

Household dietary practices and family nutritional status in rural Ghana

A cross-sectional study involving 400 mothers was conducted in the Manya Krobo district of Ghana with the objective of studying household dietary practices, quality of diets and family nutritional status of rural Ghana. A combination of methods, including structured interviews using questionnaire, dietary assessments and anthropometry was used to collect data for the study. The data obtained was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 10 in Windows. Means and standard deviations were generated for continuous variables and frequency distribution for categorical variables. Most women consumed meals three times a day but only a few (12.5%) cooked all three meals at home. Breakfast and lunch were the two main meals purchased from food vendors. The most frequently consumed food items on daily basis were the starchy staples, maize, fish, pepper, onion, tomato and palm fruits. The nutritional qualities of diets were poor in terms of calcium and the B-vitamins. A significant proportion of the women were nutritionally at risk of being either underweight (12%), overweight (17%) or obese (5%). For adequate nutrition in this population, nutrition education intervention programs aimed at improving nutrient intake through improved diet diversity and increased use of local foods rich in calcium and the B-vitamins needs to be undertaken. There is also the need to intensify education on excessive weight gain and its attendant health problems in the area.

The Effectiveness of Nutrition Education Provided by Dietitians in Child Care Centers / 대한지역사회영양학회지

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of nutrition education with nutrition services provided by dietitians who were placed in child care facilities from the Korean Dietetic Association. For this, we investigated the levels of nutrition knowledge and dietary intakes of children who attended child-care centers as well as dietary practices of children assessed by their parents. The treatment for children consisted of nutrition education and food service activities that are provided by the dietitian who have 3 to 5 years experience. Nutrition education was implemented during 10 weeks, 20 times, and a total 400 min and it's effectiveness was evaluated by questionnaire. Data were obtained for 123 children aged 4 to 5 years old who attended four child-care centers, one for a control group and 3 for intervention groups. Dietary intakes were investigated by measuring one-serving size and plate waste a of child for one-day dietary records before and after nutrition education. The levels of nutrition knowledge of children improved showing 70.80 points before to 83.45 points after nutrition education (p < 0.001). Dietary intakes of the children after nutrition service increased significantly on cooked rice (133.66 g), Kimchi (19.41 g), side dish of meat/fish (48.40 g), and side dish of vegetables (24.88 g). Dietary practices of children after treatment also improved especially 'eat diverse meat, fish, egg, and bean' and 'never leave plate waste'. To summarize, this study pointed out that nutrition service and nutrition education provided by dietitians had influences on increases of the nutrition knowledge, dietary intake, and dietary practices. Therefore, placement of dietitians needs to extend to child care facilities from the 100 persons-over-capacity facility to the 50 persons-over-capacity facility, for providing professional service such as nutrition education and nutrition counseling.

A Study on Dietary Practices of Juvenile Delinquents in Korea / 대한지역사회영양학회지

The relationship between dietary practices and juvenile delinquency was studied using a dietary survey. Subjects were selected from juvenile delinquents who were under the supervision of the Seoul Probation Office of the Ministry of Justice. The study group consisted of 52 male and 52 female delinquents. As a control group, 104 exemplary high school students were selected in Seoul. A questionnaire was designed to find out the subjects' general characteristics, dietary habits, lifestyle, eating behavior, food frequency, and nutrient intake using the 24-hour recall method. Compared to the exemplary students, the juvenile delinquents were significantly different in education level, family status, monthly allowance, residence status, breast fed, parents' education level, parents' concern. In dietary habits, fifty-eight percent of the juvenile delinquents ate 2 or fewer meals per day, preferred to eat with friends, and liked hot tasting foods. The juvenile delinquents consumed more ion drinks (OR=9.26 CI: 3.83-22.37), rameon (OR=7.67 CI: 3.21-18.33), cola (OR=6.75 CI: 2.91-15.69), soft drinks (OR=6.12 CI: 2.53-14.81), steamed korean sausage (OR=5.34 CI:2.31-12.32), hamburger (OR=5.15 CI: 1.91-13.87), kimbab (OR=3.63 CI: 1.76-7.46), ddokbokgi (OR=3.17 CI: 1.58-6.38), candy (OR=3.08 CI: 1.41-6.73), white rice (OR=2.59 CI: 1.19-5.64), hotdog (OR=2.52 CI: 1.31-4.86), and less rice mixed with grains (OR=0.02 CI: 0.01-0.05), tangerine (OR=0.06 CI: 0.02-0.20), milk (OR=0.29 CI: 0.14-0.60), roasted fish (OR=0.32 CI: 0.28-0.99, anchovy (OR=0.35 CI: 0.17-0.72), seaweed (OR=0.37 CI: 0.16-0.83), and tofu (OR=0.48 CI: 0.23-0.99) than the exemplary students. With respect to the juvenile delinquents, the nutrient intakes lower than 75% of the Korean RDA were for riboflavin (75.0%) and calcium (47.9%) among the boys, and calcium (46.9%) and iron (60.4%) among the girls. To prevent juvenile delinquency, nutritional education and well-balanced school food service meals should be emphasized so as to improve the management of dietary practices.