[Breastfeeding support in nine Czech maternity hospitals 1998-1999]. / Péce o kojení v devíti ceských porodnicích v letech 1998-1999.

OBJECTIVE: To find out the state of breastfeeding support in prenatal and perinatal care and infant feeding in first 6 months in 6 big cities of Czech Republic in 1998-1999. DESIGN: Cross-sectional multicentre descriptive study of 6 medical schools. SETTING: Centre of Preventive Medicine, 3rd Medical Faculty, Charles University, Prague. METHODS: In the first year of the study (1998), 1104 mothers were interviewed by neonatologists at the discharge from 9 maternity hospitals. After 6 months, 1019 mothers of the same sample were interviewed again by students and staff members of 6 medical schools. Obtained data were analyzed in EpiInfo 6 programme using ANOVA and x2 test. RESULTS: 29 percent of mothers participated in prenatal classes. 70 percent of newborns were put to the breast within two hours after birth. 44 percent of mothers reported problems with breastfeeding in the hospital. 77 percent of mothers appreciated the assistance with breastfeeding in the hospital. Mothers with higher education, living with partner or husband, mothers who participated in prenatal classes, mothers after vaginal labour, mothers whose children were put to the breast within two hours after birth and mothers who did not have problems with breastfeeding in the hospital were breastfeeding fully for significantly longer period. At the discharge from the hospital, 93.5 percent of newborns were fully breastfed. At the end of the 6th month, 23.1 percent of infants were fully breastfed and 29.9 percent of infants were breastfed while receiving complementary food. CONCLUSION: Breastfeeding rate at the end of the 6th month of age of infants increased apparently in mothers from 6 big cities of Czech Republic in comparison with national data from 1991.

[Nutritional status and problems with obesity in relation to educational status in young people in the Czech Republic]. / Výzivový stav a problematika obezity u mladých lidí Ceské republiky ve vztahu ke vzdelání.

UNLABELLED: The cross section study was performed with the aim to detect health prone nutritional behaviour and describe its relationship to the education in the groups of 20-25 years old people. Two groups: 449 undergraduate medical students (UG) and 116 non-graduate control people (C) were compared in respect of their food habits (food frequency questionnaire), nutrition (3 days dietary records data) and health nutritional state (measurement of body weight, height, percentage of body fat using Harpenden calliper). UG male performed higher energy intake, however, they did not differ in BMI, but they showed lower proportion of body fat ¿95% CI:(-4.22; -4.18)% of body content¿, probably due to higher physical activity. UG female performed lower energy intake and lower body mass index in comparison to C ¿95% CI:(-4.18; -4.8) kg/m2¿. CONCLUSION: Higher level of education is associated with health prone behaviour and is reflected on health nutritional state already in age of early adulthood.

[Evaluation of diet in a sample of Czech mothers six months after delivery]. / Zhodnocení stravování vzorku ceských matek v sestém mesíci po porodu.

BACKGROUND: Health care of nursing mothers and their infants is an important priority of primary preventive care. The mother's diet plays an important role in this respect. The objective of the presented investigation was to assess the adequacy of the dietary intake of lactating mothers during the sixth month after delivery. METHODS AND RESULTS: Data on the education, body weight, height of the mother, dietary intake, evaluated from a three-day dietary record, were collected from 131 nursing mothers and compared with the Czech recommended dietary allowances for nursing mothers as well as with data from 265 controls, i.e. women who did no longer breastfeed their babies. From the results ensues a significantly higher calcium intake (937 mg; SD = 415, p < 0.001), vitamin B1 (1.1 mg, SD = 0.5, p < 0.001), total energy (8.7 MJ, SD = 2.6, p < 0.01), protein 75.4 g, SD = 18, p < 0.01), carbohydrates (281 g, SD = 112, p < 0.01) and riboflavin (1.3 mg, SD = 0.5, p < 0.01) in nursing women as compared with those not nursing. The nursing mothers, however, do not meet the Czech recommended dietary allowances as regards total energy, calcium, vitamin C, linoleic acid, vegetable proteins and iron. Other problematic nutrients-magnesium, zinc, folates, pyridoxine, selenium and iodine could not be assessed as they are not listed in the Czech food composition tables. In women with university education the energy and nutrient intake was in the majority more favourable than in women with elementary education. On the other hand no statistical differences were found in weight increments during the period from the beginning of gestation to the sixth month after delivery between nursing and not nursing mothers. CONCLUSIONS: The results of analysis of the dietary intake of nursing mothers indicate that the Czech recommended allowances are not met as regards energy, calcium, linoleic acid, protein and iron. Whether the intake is really inadequate or whether the recommended allowances are excessive remains an open question.