Prince Edward Island Heart Health Dissemination Research Project: establishing a sustainable community mobilization initiative.

This paper provides an overview of the Prince Edward Island Heart Health Program (PEIHHP) Dissemination Research Project. Prince Edward Island (PEI) is a small province in the Atlantic region of Canada with a population of 137,980. The Island's economy is dependent on the fishery, agriculture, and tourism industries. Although unemployment rates are high (14.4%), Prince Edward Island has the lowest poverty rate in the country at 15.2%, high levels of social support (86%), and the second lowest rate of high chronic stress (Report on the Health of Canadians, 1996, 1999).

What determines health? To where should we shift resources? Attitudes towards the determinants of health among multiple stakeholder groups in Prince Edward Island, Canada.

The population health perspective has become significant in academic and policy discourse. The purpose of this paper is to assess its significance among health care practitioners and administrators as well as the general public. Respondents in Prince Edward Island, Canada were asked to rank the broad determinants of health and comment on to where resources should be shifted to improve the health of the population. Important variations are noted between the groups with family physicians and front-line staff being similar in perceptions to the general public on most determinants than other groups. The paper concludes with discussion on the relevance of the findings for population health research and health policy.

Nutritional assessment of primary school children in papua new Guinea: implications for community health.

The nutritional status of primary school children (N = 1453) was assessed using weight-for-height (W/H) and twenty-four hour food recall records. Using WHO standards, 21 percent of the students were within the standard W/H. Of the remainder, 71 percent were within 5 kg. of standard W/H, and 8 percent deviated more than 5 kg. from the standard W/H (5% underweight and 3% overweight). The dietary data collected from Grades 5 and 6 (N = 425) revealed a daily food intake of 1.6, 2.8, and 7.7 servings of protein, protective, and energy foods, respectively, as recorded in local servings. Sixty-five percent of the subjects consumed foods from all three food groups. Twenty-four percent consumed no protein, 14 percent consumed no protective food, and 2 percent consumed neither protein nor protective food. The variety of foods available varied from school to school-3-11 protein foods, 7-15 energy foods, and 8-18 protective foods. To improve nutritional status, government leadership in the areas of education, health, and primary industry will be required. All divisions adhere to the National Food and Nutrition Policy which promotes local rather than imported food.

Factors affecting the dietary quality of adolescent girls.

This study investigated variable to differentiate two groups of adolescent girls, one consuming a good quality diet and one consuming a poor diet. Of the initial sample of 276 adolescent girls surveyed, the 50 girls with the best and 50 with the worst diets were identified. No differnece between the groups was found on three personality traits (self-esteem, social recognition, and enerty level). The use of a multivariate stepwise discriminant function analysis resulted in the selection of three variables as the strongest predictors of dietary quality: hours per day spent in - inactive pursuits, ideal body image choices, and past dieting attempts.

Hypocholesterolemic effect of substituting soybean protein for animal protein in the diet of healthy young women.

The effect of dietary protein on the level of plasma cholesterol in young, healthy, normolipidemic women was investigated in two separate studies by feeding either a conventional diet containing mixed protein, or a plant protein diet in which the animal protein of the first diet was replaced by soy protein meat analogues and soy milk. The diets were similar with respect to carbohydrate, fat and sterol composition. The first study, lasting 73 days and involving six subjects, gave an indication that plasma cholesterol levels were lower on the plant protein diet. The second study, which incorporated a number of improvements based on experience, lasted 78 days and used a cross-over design involving two groups of five subjects each. In this study, the mean plasma cholesterol level was found to be significantly lower on the plant protein diet.