Modelling health and economic impact of nutrition interventions: a systematic review.

Diet related non-communicable diseases (NCDs), as well as micronutrient deficiencies, are of widespread and growing importance to public health. Authorities are developing programs to improve nutrient intakes via foods. To estimate the potential health and economic impact of these programs there is a wide variety of models. The aim of this review is to evaluate existing models to estimate the health and/or economic impact of nutrition interventions with a focus on reducing salt and sugar intake and increasing vitamin D, iron, and folate/folic acid intake. The protocol of this systematic review has been registered with the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO: CRD42016050873). The final search was conducted on PubMed and Scopus electronic databases and search strings were developed for salt/sodium, sugar, vitamin D, iron, and folic acid intake. Predefined criteria related to scientific quality, applicability, and funding/interest were used to evaluate the publications. In total 122 publications were included for a critical appraisal: 45 for salt/sodium, 61 for sugar, 4 for vitamin D, 9 for folic acid, and 3 for iron. The complexity of modelling the health and economic impact of nutrition interventions is dependent on the purpose and data availability. Although most of the models have the potential to provide projections of future impact, the methodological challenges are considerable. There is a substantial need for more guidance and standardization for future modelling, to compare results of different studies and draw conclusions about the health and economic impact of nutrition interventions.

Mediterranean Diet Quality Index (MDQI) of the pregnant women / Índice de calidad de la dieta mediterránea (MDQI) en mujeres embarazadas

Introduction: This study aimed to determine pregnant women's nutritional status and habits in the middle and low-income groups and the level of compliance with the Mediterranean diet. The Mediterranean diet supports healthy fetal growth and development by providing sufficient nutrients for pregnant women and protecting against the development of obstetrical pathologies.Materials and Methods: One hundred and thirty-two pregnant women aged 17-45 were included. The demographic characteristics and anthropometric measurements, systolic blood pressure, fasting, and postprandial blood glucose values were noted.24-hour recall was determined and The Mediterranean Diet Quality Index (MDQI) developed by Gerber et al. was used to assess nutritional status. Nutritional habits and food attitude changes during gestation were recorded.Results: Overall, 15.2% of the pregnant women had good, 54.5% had medium-good, and %29.5 had medium-poor adherence to MDQI. The dietary macronutrient intakes were close to the daily dietary recommended intakes (DRI); however, micronutrient intakes were below the recommendations. Pre-pregnancy mean BMI was found to be 26.4 kg/m2.Conclusions: According to the mean pre-pregnant BMI, the pregnant women were overweight, and their adherence to the Mediterranean diet needed to be improved. General measures should be taken to improve pregnant women's diets and micronutrient intakes, even in the Mediterranean countries where this diet is the daily nutrition habit of local inhabitant pregnant women. (AU)

Introducción: La dieta mediterránea contribuye a un crecimiento y desarrollo fetal saludable, proporcionando suficientes nutrientes a mujeres embarazadas y protegiendo contra el desarrollo de patologías obstétricas. Este estudio tiene como objetivo determinar el estado nutricional y los hábitos de mujeres embarazadas de grupos de ingresos medios y bajos y su nivel de cumplimiento de la dieta mediterránea.Materiales y métodos: Se incluyeron y siguieron a 132 gestantes de entre 17 y 45 años. Se anotaron sus características demográficas y medidas antropométricas, presión arterial sistólica, y glucemia en ayunas y posprandial. Para evaluar su estado nutricional se utilizaron registros dietéticos de consumo de 24 horas y el indice de calidad de la dieta mediterránea (MDQI). Se registraron los hábitos nutricionales y los cambios de actitud alimentaria durante la gestación.Resultados: En general, la adherencia de las gestantes al MDQI fue buena en el 15,2%, media-buena en el 54.5%, y media-mala en el 29,5% de los casos. Las ingestas dietéticas de macronutrientes se aproximaron a las ingestas diarias recomendadas (IDR); sin embargo, la ingesta de micronutrientes estuvo por debajo de las recomendaciones. El IMC medio antes del embarazo era de 26,4 kg/m2.Conclusiones: De acuerdo con el IMC medio previo al embarazo, las gestantes tenían sobrepeso y debían mejorar su adherencia a la dieta mediterránea. Es necesario tomar medidas generales para mejorar la dieta y la ingesta de micronutrientes de mujeres embarazadas, incluso en países mediterráneo donde esta dieta es el hábito nutricional diario de sus habitantes. (AU)

Periodic Revisions of the International Choices Criteria: Process and Results.

Unhealthy diets contribute to an increased risk of non-communicable diseases, which are the leading causes of deaths worldwide. Nutrition policies such as front-of-pack labeling have been developed and implemented globally in different countries to stimulate healthier diets. The Choices Programme, including the International Choices criteria, is an established tool to support the implementation of such policies. The Choices criteria were developed to define the healthier choices per product group, taking saturated fatty acids, trans fatty acids, sodium, sugars, energy, and fiber into account. To keep these criteria updated, they are periodically revised by an independent international scientific committee. This paper explains the most important changes resulting from revisions between 2010 and 2016 and describes the process of the latest revision, resulting in the International Choices criteria version 2019. Revisions were based on national and international nutrition and dietary recommendations, large food composition databases, and stakeholders' feedback. Other nutrient profiling systems served as benchmarks. The product group classification was adapted and new criteria were determined in order to enhance global applicability and form a credible, intuitively logical system for users. These newly developed criteria will serve as an international standard for healthier products and provide a guiding framework for food and nutrition policies.

Spotlight on Global Malnutrition: A Continuing Challenge in the 21st Century.

Malnutrition as undernutrition, overnutrition, or an imbalance of specific nutrients, can be found in all countries and in both community and hospital settings around the world. The prevalence of malnutrition is unacceptably high in all settings and affects children, adolescents, pregnant women, and sick and older adults. Malnutrition has multiple underlying issues (food insecurity, chronic and acute illnesses, sanitation and safety, and aging in the community), which need to be addressed. At the same time, direct nutrition interventions (food supplements and micronutrient supplementation) help support immediate resolution of malnutrition. Awareness of malnutrition issues in the community and in clinical setting must be stimulated in order to provide better care. Different countries have implemented a wide range of interventions to prevent and treat malnutrition. These include nutrition education, engagement of the community, resolution of sanitation problems affecting food and water, routine screening and assessment and diagnosis of malnutrition (when feasible), and food supplements and micronutrients. Such programs are achieving improved outcomes; however, further engagement and training is needed for more community and clinical health workers. Many countries lack qualified nutrition and dietetics practitioners or have low dietitian-to-patient ratios with suboptimal salaries. Thus, an increase in number of and empowerment of nutrition and dietetics practitioners is desperately needed to help prevent and treat malnutrition globally.