RESUMO
A public health academic institute has played an important role in producing and supporting health professionals as well as being good health care role model. However, more than 50% of its officers suffered from overweight, obesity and hyperlipidemia. Thus, there is an urgent necessity to assist them to raise concern and activate their capacity to take good care of their own health. The objective was to develop a behavioral modification model for the nutritional status improvement among officers in the academic institute. The study design was a participatory action research constructed within the framework of both an ecological perspective and social cognitive theory. The study period was during 2006 and 2007 for a total of 14 months. Data collection consisted of anthropometric measurement, lipid profile examination, observation and interview. The findings illustrated that \> 70% of program participants had a decrease in body compositions, and \> 50% had a lipid profile reduction. It also found that problem analysis, context and situation analysis, and action planning as well as indicator determination were beneficial for process development of the behavioral modification model. Program administration was one critical factor leading to success. Strategies facilitating behavioral modification included building concern about the health problem, observational learning, behavioral capability enhancement, reinforcement, social support and self control. Desired healthy behavior leading to appropriate nutritional status will be established and maintained by political support that is tangible and continual.
RESUMO
<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>For decades, birth weight doubling time (BWDT) has been used as an indicator for the assessment of physical growth of infants. However, the relevant data in the literature were obtained mainly from western subjects and no similar studies have been carried out for South EastAsian or otherAsian countries.</p><p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To determine BWDT and related variables forThai infants.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A study was conducted from January to August 1999 at the well baby clinic of Bamrasnaradura Hospital. Apparently normal infants (335) with birth weight between 2,500 and 4,000 grams were recruited and followed up until they had doubled their birth weights. Data on infant birth weight, sex, mother education, occupation, income and feeding practices were collected.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The mean BWDT was 114 days which was slightly less than that given in previous reports. Male infants doubled their birth weights in less time (104 days) than females (123 days) and the difference was statistically significant (p < 0.001). Infants with lower birth weights doubled their birth weights earlier than those with higher birth weights (p < 0.001). Infants who were not given complementary food had shorter BWDT than those who were (p < 0.001), but we could not demonstrate any significant association between BWDT and type of food, mother's education or family income (p > 0.05). Factors that did affect BWDT were birth weight, sex, daily weight gain and use of complementary food. However, by multivariate analysis only birth weight and daily weight gain showed significant association with BWDT (p < 0.001).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Both prenatal and postnatal factors may affect BWDT significantly.</p>