The present study was conducted to assess the current status of iodine-deficiency disorders (IDD) in the National Capital Region of Delhi (NCR Delhi) and evaluate the implementation and impact of the National Iodine Deficiency Disorders Control Programme (NIDDCP).

Cross-sectional study.

School-going children (n 1230) in the age group of 6–12 years were enrolled from thirty primary schools in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi. Thirty schools were selected using the probability-proportional-to-size cluster sampling methodology. In each identified school forty-one children were surveyed. Urine and salt samples were collected and studied for iodine concentration. A total of sixty salt samples from retail level were also collected.

Schoolchildren aged 6–12 years.

The median urinary iodine excretion (UIE) was found to be 198·4 μg/l. The percentage of children with UIE levels of <20·0, 20·0–49·9, 50·0–99·9 and ≥100·0 μg/l was 1·9, 4·3, 9·5 and 84·2 %, respectively. The proportion of households consuming adequately iodized salt (salt with iodine levels of at least 15 ppm at consumption level) was 88·8 %. The assessment of iodine content of salt revealed that only 6·1 % of the families were consuming salt with iodine content less than 7 ppm. At retail level 88·3 % of salt samples had >15 ppm iodine.

Significant progress has been achieved towards elimination of IDD from NCR Delhi. There is a need for further strengthening of the system to monitor the quality of iodized salt provided to the beneficiaries under the universal salt iodization programme and so eliminate IDD from NCR Delhi.

The current study was conducted to assess the nutritional status and associated risk factors among foreign students residing at King Saud University for different periods and to explore its correlations.

A cross-sectional study was conducted during the spring semester of 2018. A total of 400 male students aged 18–35 years had participated in the current study after signing a written consent form according to Helsinki Declaration.

A structural questionnaire was used to collect data on daily food intake and habits and socio-economic characteristics. Nutrients of food intake were assessed using the Esha programme and compared with that of dietary requirement intake (DRI). A body composition analyser was used to measure body fat (BF), visceral fat (VF) and BMI. Spearman correlation coefficients and simple regression analysis were performed to determine associations between variables.

Foreign students residing for different periods (<6 months: 200 students and >6 months: 200 students) were used as subjects.

The students who stayed <6 months consumed lower level of some nutrients than that of the DRI compared with those stayed >6 months. Overweight and obesity were more common among students who stayed >6 months with high values of BF and VF. Several risk factors were positively or negatively correlated with the students’ nutrition proxies.

Most of the students who stayed >6 months are suffered from overweight. Some independent variables were found to be significantly correlated with the students’ nutrition proxies either positively or negatively.

Ketogenic and vegan diets have become increasingly popular. The rising popularity of these dietary trends has been met in kind by the food industry producing a variety of specialty ultra-processed foods (UPF). Despite increasing popularity, the cost and nutrient profile of vegan and ketogenic diets (KD) that rely on UPF specialty products is poorly understood. We aimed to assess the cost and nutrient profile of vegan and KD that relied primarily on UPF and compare this to those that relied primarily on whole foods.

We designed and calculated the cost of four 1-d meal plans for a hypothetical weight-stable adult female. Two meal plans were created for the vegan-style and ketogenic-style diets, respectively, with one of each being predominantly whole food based and the other constituting primarily of UPF. Carbohydrates were limited to ≤50 g, protein was set at 15–20 % and fat ≥75 % for the ketogenic meal plans. Carbohydrates were set between 45 and 65 %, protein 15 and 25 % and fat 20 and 35 % for the vegan meal plans. FoodWorks dietary analysis software was used to assess data against the national Australian/New Zealand nutrient reference value for adult females and cost was calculated using Countdown online shopping (a local New Zealand supermarket).

New Zealand.

None.

The whole food-based meal plans met a greater proportion of the macro and micronutrient thresholds and were less costly when compared with the specialty-based meal plans.

This study demonstrates that well-planned, predominantly whole food diets (regardless of dietary trend) are nutritionally superior and more cost-effective than those that rely on UPF.

Consideration of future consequences (CFC) distinguishes individuals who adopt behaviours based on immediate needs and concerns from individuals who consider the future consequences of their behaviours. We aimed to assess the association between CFC and diet, and testing the mediating role of food choice motives on this relationship.

Individuals (aged ≥ 18 years) completed the CFC-12 questionnaire in 2014, at least three 24-h dietary records, and a food choice motive questionnaire. A multiple mediator analysis allowed to assess the mediating effect of food choice motives on the cross-sectional association between CFC and diet, adjusted for socio-demographic factors.

Data from the NutriNet-Santé cohort study.

27 330 participants.

CFC was associated with all food choice motives (P < 0·001), with the strongest positive associations for avoidance for environmental reasons, absence of contaminants and health motives and the strongest negative associations for innovation and convenience. Positive total effects were found between CFC and the consumption of healthy food groups (fruits and vegetables, whole-grain foods, legumes), and negative total effects for alcohol, meat and poultry and processed meat (P < 0·001). CFC was positively associated with diet quality (P < 0·001). Across food groups, major mediators of these relationships were higher health (8·4–32·6%), higher environmental (13·7–22·1 %) and lower innovation (7·3–25·1 %) concerns.

CFC was associated with healthier dietary intake, essentially mediated by a greater motivation of future-oriented participants for self-centred and altruistic outcomes, including health and environment. Focusing on the awareness of future benefits in public health interventions might lead to healthier dietary behaviours.

The present study investigated potential predictors of food insecurity among UK university students during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Close-ended questionnaire administered to a cross-sectional sample of UK university students.

Data were collected using an online survey platform in October 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A nationally representative sample of UK university students (n 640).

Odds ratios (OR) obtained from logistic regression were statistically significant for three measures of economic hardship. First, students who relied on financial aid from student loans were 1·9 times more likely to report being food insecure than students who did not rely on financial aid from student loans. Second, students who could not pay their utility bill (v. those that could pay) were 3·1 times the odds of being food insecure. Finally, as perceived difficulty in paying for accommodation increased across the sample, the odds of being food insecure also increased (OR = 1·9). We also found that students who were recently ill were 2·2 times more likely to be food insecure compared with students who were not recently ill. We did not find any evidence that testing positive for COVID-19 predicted food insecurity, and university supplied food parcels/boxes did not reduce student food insecurity.

Both economic factors and illness play a significant role in self-reported food insecurity in higher education students during pandemic lockdown. Further research is needed to explore food insecurity, economic factors and illness outside of a pandemic context.

To conduct a systematic review of experimental or quasi-experimental studies that aimed to improve the nutritional status of children under 5 years of age in Ethiopia.

Embase, MEDLINE/PubMed, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), PsychINFO, and Academic Search Database were used to locate peer-reviewed studies, and Google Scholar and Open Dissertation were used to locate grey literatures. All searches were conducted between 2000 and November 2022.

Ethiopia.

Pregnant women and mothers with children aged 0–59 months.

Ten cluster randomised controlled trials (RCT), six quasi-experimental studies and two individual RCT were included. Out of the identified eighteen studies, three studies targeted pregnant mothers. Our findings showed that almost two-thirds of published interventions had no impact on childhood stunting and wasting, and more than half had no impact on underweight. Some behaviour change communication (BCC) interventions, food vouchers, micronutrient supplementation and quality protein maize improved stunting. Similarly, BCC and fish oil supplementation showed promise in reducing wasting, while BCC and the provision of quality protein maize reduced underweight. Additionally, water, sanitation and hygiene (WaSH) interventions provided to pregnant mothers and children under 2 years of age were shown to significantly reduce childhood stunting.

Future childhood nutritional interventions in Ethiopia should consider adopting an integrated approach that combines the positive effects of interdependent systems such as BCC, food supplemental programmes (e.g. boosting protein and micronutrients), health interventions (e.g. strengthening maternal and childcare), WaSH and financial initiatives (e.g. monetary support and income schemes).

Eating a variety of nutritious foods is fundamental to good nutrition. However, this principle is challenged when recommendations seeking to improve the environmental sustainability of diets call for avoidance of foods considered to have a higher environmental footprint, such as animal-sourced foods. Our objective was to assess the implications for nutritional adequacy of protein choice across Australian adult diets preselected as having higher quality and lower environmental impact scores.

Each individual diet was assessed for variety of food choice within the ‘Fresh meat and alternatives’ food group defined in the Australian Dietary Guidelines, which includes protein-rich foods such as eggs, nuts, tofu and legumes in addition to animal meats. Diets were grouped according to variety score and whether they included only animal meats, only alternatives or a variety of meat and alternatives. Nutrient content was assessed relative to estimated average requirements (EAR).

Australia.

1700 adults participating in the Australian Health Survey

For diets with higher diet quality and lower environmental impact, the likelihood of achieving nutrient EAR significantly increased as variety of food choice in the ‘Fresh meat and alternatives’ food group increased (P < 0·001). Variety score and number of serves were also correlated (r = 0·52, P < 0·001) which is relevant since most diets did not meet the recommended minimum number of serves for this food group.

Greater variety within the ‘Fresh meat and alternatives’ food group is beneficial to meeting EAR and lower environmental impact diets can include three or more selections including foods of animal origin.

Limited research is available on how motivations to adopt plant-based diets and nutrition literacy influence diet quality. This study assessed diet quality, diet motives and nutrition literacy in vegans, vegetarians and semi-vegetarians and investigated predictors of dietary quality.

Cross-sectional study, participants completed an online survey about diet-related motives and nutrition literacy. Dietary intake was assessed with the Diet History Questionnaire III, and diet quality was calculated with the Healthy Eating Index (HEI)-2015. A one-way ANCOVA was used to compare diet quality, nutrition literacy and diet motives among diets. Hierarchical regression analysis was performed to identify significant predictors of diet quality.

Online survey, participants were recruited through paid targeted social media (Facebook/Instagram) advertising.

Adults following a plant-based diet, including 117 (52·5 %) vegans, 51 (22·9 %) vegetarians and 55 (24·6 %) semi-vegetarians.

Vegans had higher HEI-2015 scores (80·8 (sd 6·5), P < 0·001) compared to vegetarians (75·1 (sd 9·1)) and semi-vegetarians (76·8 (sd 7·5)). Most participants (74 %) had good nutrition literacy scores. Total nutrition literacy did not differ between groups, but vegans had higher vegetarian nutrition literacy than vegetarians and semi-vegetarians (P < 0·001). Ecological welfare, health and sensory appeal were highly important to all participants. Motives accounted for 12·8 % of the variance in diet quality scores. HEI-2015 scores were positively associated with motives of health and natural content, but negatively associated with weight control motivation (all P < 0·05).

Individuals following plant-based dietary patterns have high diet quality and nutrition literacy. Messages valuing intrinsic over extrinsic factors may facilitate healthier dietary adherence in this population.

To develop a child- and adolescent-appropriate physical activity frequency questionnaire (PAFQ) in Tunisia, North Africa.

A PAFQ was developed from a physical activity (PA) inventory that comprised major activity components (at home, preparing meals, school time, transport, non-sport leisure, sports, prayer and sleeping time). Then, type and duration of each activity undertaken during the past week were estimated. Total energy expenditure (TEE) estimated by the PAFQ was compared with data derived from two criterion methods: heart-rate monitoring (HRM) and a 24 h PA recall (24h-R), both collected during a 3 d period including one weekday and two weekend days.

Two elementary schools and two high schools of the most developed and urbanized area, Greater Tunis.

One hundred and forty-two volunteer children and adolescents aged 10–19 years.

The PAFQ strongly was correlated with both HRM (r = 0·70; 95 % CI 0·62, 0·76) and 24h-R (r = 0·81; 95 % CI 0·77, 0·84). It featured acceptable agreement with both criterion measures, slightly underestimating TEE compared with 24h-R (−2·8 %, mean of individual differences −272·7 kJ/d; 95 % CI −490·6, −57·4 kJ/d) and moderately overestimating it compared with HRM (+11·3 %, mean of individual differences +1106·2 kJ/d; 95 % CI 845·8, 1366·6 kJ/d). Reliability ranged from moderate to good (weighted kappa coefficients from 0·47 to 0·78 and intra-class correlation coefficients between 0·79 and 0·86 for energy expenditure by PA categories), indicating strong agreement between the two assessments.

This PAFQ could be useful in the description and surveillance of PA patterns or for the evaluation of population-based interventions directed at promoting PA in Tunisian children and adolescents.

To evaluate the impact of increased availability of healthier options on purchasing of different types of vending snack products sold in English leisure (sports) centres.

An evaluation of an intervention using pre-post methods and interrupted time series analysis. Products within the vending machines were altered over three phases to increase the availability of healthier options, using agreed nutrition criteria – Government Buying Standards for Food and Catering Services (GBSF) for England – as a guide, as well as product availability. The primary outcome was the change in mean weekly purchased energy between the first and third phase. Secondary outcomes included changes by phase and by week in weekly number of purchases, fats, sugars and salt for all products combined and by individual product categories.

Fifteen sports centres in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, UK.

Snack products sold in eighteen vending machines.

Energy purchased reduced from baseline to phase 2, for all product categories combined, by 47·25 MJ (95 % CI (−61·22, −33·27)) per machine and by 279 kJ, (95 % CI (−325, −266)) per product unit. There were reductions in most nutrients purchased in all individual product categories except chocolate confectionery. Nutrients per product unit decreased for all product categories except saturated fat in chocolate confectionery. Minimal underlying trends in the baseline phase were identified, indicating changes in outcomes were likely to be due to the intervention.

Introducing standards to increase availability of healthier snack products in vending machines is feasible without substantially affecting sales.

Misreporting of energy intake (EI) in nutritional epidemiology is common and even severe among adolescents. Thus, the current study aims to examine the presence, bias and impact introduced by implausible reporters.

Cross-sectional.

Central and eastern regions of Peninsular Malaysia.

A stratified random sampling was employed to select 917 secondary school-going adolescents (aged 15–17 years).

The prevalence of under-reporters was 17·4 %, while no over-reporters were identified. Under-reporters had higher body composition and lower dietary intakes (except for vitamin C, Cr and Fl) compared with plausible reporters (P < 0·05). Adolescents with overweight and obesity had a higher odds of under-reporting compared with under-/normal weight adolescents (P < 0·001). In model 3, the highest regression coefficient (R2 = 0·404, P < 0·001) was obtained after adjusting for reporting status.

Overweight and obese adolescents were more likely to under-report their food intake and consequently affect nutrient intakes estimates. Future analyses that include nutrient intake data should adjust for reporting status so that the impact of misreporting on study outcomes can be conceded and consequently improve the accuracy of dietary-related results.

Dietary fibre is essential for a healthy diet; however, intake is often inadequate. Understanding of sources of dietary fibre and familial factors associated with intake in adolescents is limited, hampering efforts to increase intake. We aimed to determine adequacy of dietary fibre intake in adolescents, examine how intake changes from mid to late adolescence, identify major food sources and explore associations with familial factors.

Dietary fibre intake measured with semi-quantitative FFQ and sources calculated with the AUSNUT database. Familial factors determined by questionnaire.

Western Australian Pregnancy Cohort (Raine) Study.

Generation 2 adolescents from the 14- (n 1626) and 17-year (n 835) follow-ups.

Mean intake of dietary fibre did not meet national dietary guidelines other than for females aged 14 years. Mean intake of both sexes was lower at 17 years (23·0 (sd 10·0) g/d) than at 14 years (24·3 (sd 9·0) g/d, P < 0·001). The quantity of dietary fibre consumed per megajoule also decreased (2·6 (sd 0·7) g/MJ at 14 years, 2·5 (sd 0·9) g/MJ at 17 years, P = 0·007). The greatest source of dietary fibre was cereals and grains, followed by fruits, then vegetables. In multivariable mixed-model analysis, female sex, Caucasian race, age 14 years, good family functioning, high level of parental education and high energy intake were independently associated with higher dietary fibre intake.

Our study highlights an age range and characteristics of adolescents lacking in dietary fibre, thereby identifying target populations for interventions to improve dietary fibre intake across adolescence, which would lead to better health.

The objective was to examine risk and protective factors associated with pre- to early-pandemic changes in risk of household food insecurity (FI).

We re-enrolled families from two statewide studies (2017–2020) in an observational cohort (May–August 2020). Caregivers reported on risk of household FI, demographics, pandemic-related hardships, and participation in safety net programmes (e.g. Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) stimulus payment, school meals).

Maryland, USA.

Economically, geographically and racially/ethnically diverse families with preschool to adolescent-age children. Eligibility included reported receipt or expected receipt of the CARES stimulus payment or a pandemic-related economic hardship (n 496).

Prevalence of risk of FI was unchanged (pre-pandemic: 22 %, early-pandemic: 25 %, p = 0·27). Risk of early-pandemic FI was elevated for non-Hispanic Black (adjusted relative risk (aRR) = 2·1 (95 % CI 1·1, 4·0)) and Other families (aRR = 2·6 (1·3, 5·4)) and families earning ≤ 300 % federal poverty level. Among pre-pandemic food secure families, decreased income, job loss and reduced hours were associated with increased early-pandemic FI risk (aRR = 2·1 (1·2, 3·6) to 2·5 (1·5, 4·1)); CARES stimulus payment (aRR = 0·5 (0·3, 0·9)) and continued school meal participation (aRR = 0·2 (0·1, 0·9)) were associated with decreased risk. Among families at risk of FI pre-pandemic, safety net programme participation was not associated with early-pandemic FI risk.

The CARES stimulus payment and continued school meal participation protected pre-pandemic food secure families from early-pandemic FI risk but did not protect families who were at risk of FI pre-pandemic. Mitigating pre-pandemic FI risk and providing stimulus payments and school meals may support children’s health and reduce disparities in response to pandemics.