To investigate the prevalence of anaemia (haemoglobin < 11.0 to 13.0 g dl−1 depending on age and sex group), iron deficiency (transferrin receptor concentration > 8.3 μg ml−1) and vitamin A deficiency (serum retinol < 0.7 μmoll−1) in adolescent refugees.

Cross-sectional surveys.

Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya and seven refugee camps in Nepal.

Adolescent refugee residents in these camps.

Anaemia was present in 46% (95% confidence interval (CI): 42–51) of adolescents in Kenya and in 24% (95% CI: 20–28) of adolescents in Nepal. The sensitivity of palmar pallor in detecting anaemia was 21%. In addition, 43% (95% CI: 36–50) and 53% (95% CI: 46–61) of adolescents in Kenya and Nepal, respectively, had iron deficiency. In both surveys, anaemia occurred more commonly among adolescents with iron deficiency. Vitamin A deficiency was found in 15% (95% CI: 10–20) of adolescents in Kenya and 30% (95% CI: 24–37) of adolescents in Nepal. Night blindness was not more common in adolescents with vitamin A deficiency than in those without vitamin A deficiency. In Kenya, one of the seven adolescents with Bitot's spots had vitamin A deficiency.

Anaemia, iron deficiency and vitamin A deficiency are common among adolescents in refugee populations. Such adolescents need to increase intakes of these nutrients; however, the lack of routine access makes programmes targeting adolescents difficult. Adolescent refugees should be considered for assessment along with other at-risk groups in displaced populations.

To investigate, measure and assess the food consumption pattern of the adult population living in Beirut, Lebanon, and to identify inadequate or excessive intake of food groups particularly linked to non-communicable diseases.

A cross-sectional food consumption survey was conducted in 2001. Dietary habits were assessed by means of a quantitative food-frequency questionnaire.

Dietary survey of the urban population (Beirut).

Random sample of 444 adult subjects (aged 25–54 years) in Beirut.

The mean consumption of food by the study population was estimated to be 3030 g day−1, providing an energy intake of 2523.57 kcal day−1. Fat contributed 38.9% to the average daily energy intake, protein 13.4% and carbohydrates 47.2%. Mean consumption of fruits and vegetables was approximately 367 g day−1 and 45.3% of subjects consumed less than the recommended 400 g daily. Cereals contributed 324.5 g day−1, providing 35.0% of daily energy intake, with bread being the most highly consumed (146.2 g day−1) in this food group. The mean intake of meat and poultry products was 91.7 g day−1 and provided 8.8% of daily energy intake, with consumption of butchery products especially beef being the highest (47.6 g day−1) followed by poultry (36.1 g day−1). A low consumption of fish was noted (19.7 g day−1), with 73.6% of subjects consuming less than the recommended 2 servings of fish per week. Dairy products contributed 243.1 g day−1 or 10.9% of daily energy intake, and milk was the least consumed dairy product (56.8% of consumers). The intake of added fats and oils, excluding those in cooked recipes, was 20.4 g day−1; olive oil was not used in cooking but was added solely at the table and its mean intake was 5 g day−1. The consumption of butter was low (0.86 g day−1) and vegetable oil was the type of fat mostly used in cooking. The average intake of alcoholic beverages was low (33.6 g day−1), accounting for 0.7% of total energy intake. Women had significantly higher intakes of milk, dairy products, vegetables and coffee than men (P < 0.05). The percentage of women who reported the use of low-fat items was significantly higher than that of men. Younger people (25–34 years) ate significantly more meat, sugar, alcoholic beverages and soft drinks, and consumed significantly less cooked vegetables and legumes, than older ones (P < 0.05).

The rather high contribution of fat to daily energy intake, the low intake of fish and the relatively high percentage of people consuming less than the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables observed in this study suggest that the adult Lebanese population is at increased risk of cardiovascular diseases, obesity and other non-communicable diseases, which provides the basis for recommending increased intakes of fish, particularly fatty fish, and fruits and vegetables.

To present current breast-feeding rates for Pacific infants resident in New Zealand. Reasons for the introduction of complementary liquid foods were also explored.

A longitudinal study using hospital discharge summary records and maternal home interviews undertaken at 6 weeks, 12 and 24 months postpartum. Turnbull's non-parametric survival analysis was used to model exclusive breast-feeding rates.

Auckland, New Zealand.

The cohort comprised 1376 infants at 6 weeks, 1223 infants at 12 months and 1142 infants at 24 months. Exclusive breast-feeding rates at hospital discharge, 6 weeks, 3 and 6 months postpartum were 84% (95% confidence interval (CI): 80–88%), 49% (95% CI: 43–55%), 37% (95% CI: 32–42%) and 9% (95% CI: 7–11%), respectively. Significant ethnic difference existed, with Samoan mothers having higher exclusive breast-feeding rates than Tongan mothers (P = 0.002). The percentage of infants receiving any breast milk at hospital discharge, 6 weeks, 12 and 24 months was 96% (95% CI: 94–97%), 95% (95% CI: 94–96%), 31% (95% CI: 28–34%) and 15% (95% CI: 13–17%), respectively. Again ethnic differences emerged. Common reasons cited for discontinuation of exclusive breast-feeding included uncertainty of breast milk supply (56%), problems with breasts (30%) and difficulties breast-feeding in work or educational environments (26%). However, 691 (50%) mothers sought no advice about their breast-feeding concerns within the first six weeks of life.

Exclusive breast-feeding rates for Pacific infants are ethnically heterogeneous, have declined since the 1990s and fall short of the World Health Organization recommendations. The principal reasons cited for exclusive breast-feeding discontinuation echo those reported over a decade ago.

In stating the Millennium Development Goals, the United Nations aims to halve malnutrition around the world by 2015. Nutritional status of the elderly population in low-income countries is seldom focused upon. The present study aimed to evaluate the magnitude of malnutrition among an elderly population in rural Bangladesh.

Data collection for a multidimensional cross-sectional study of community-based elderly people aged 60 years and over was conducted in a rural area in Bangladesh.

Of 850 randomly selected elderly individuals, 625 participated in home interviews. Complete nutritional information was available for 457 individuals (mean age 69 ± 8 years, 55% female). Nutritional status was assessed using an adapted form of the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) including body mass index (BMI). Age, sex, education, household expenditure on food and self-reported health problems were investigated as potential predictors of nutritional status.

BMI < 18.5 kg m− 2, indicating chronic energy deficiency, was found in 50% of the population. MNA revealed a prevalence of 26% for protein–energy malnutrition and 62% for risk of malnutrition. Health problems rather than age had a negative impact on nutritional status. Level of education and food expenditure were directly associated with nutritional status.

In order to reduce world hunger by half in the coming decade, it is important to recognise that a substantial proportion of the elderly population, particularly in low-income countries, is undernourished.

To compare the anthropometric, alimentary, nutritional and lipid profiles and global diet quality of Spanish children according to saturated fat intake.

This was a cross-sectional study. Food data were collected using a food-frequency questionnaire.

The sample included 1112 children of both sexes, aged between 6 and 7 years, selected by means of random cluster sampling in schools. The plasma lipid profile included measurements of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), triglycerides, apolipoprotein A1 (apoA1) and apolipoprotein B (apoB). Global diet quality was evaluated by the Dietary Variety Index (DVI) and the Healthy Eating Index (HEI).

Energy intake, DVI and HEI of children from the lower quartile of saturated fat intake (LL) were higher (P < 001) than in the remaining children (UL). However, there were no significant differences in average height or weight between groups. The UL children had lower intakes of meat, fish, vegetables, fruits and olive oil and a higher intake of dairy products (P < 0.001). The intakes of fibre, vitamins C, D, B6, E and folic acid were higher in the LL children, who had lower intakes of vitamin A and calcium. The ratios LDL-C/HDL-C and apoB/apoA1 were lower (P = 0.04) in the LL children (1.87 and 0.52, respectively) than in the UL children (2.02 and 0.54, respectively).

The growth rate of children does not seem to be affected by the level of saturated fat intake. Furthermore, at the levels of intake observed in this study, diets with less saturated fat are associated with better alimentary, nutritional and plasma lipid profiles.

To examine the relationship between unintended pregnancies and prolonged breast-feeding among 18 countries on an individual and aggregated level.

Regional multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine this association based on 18 Demographic and Health Surveys conducted between 1995 and 2000.

Women who had a live child between 13 and 36 months old were included in these analyses (n = 41 353).

Regression models were adjusted for 10 covariates including child age, maternal age, pregnancy status of mother at the time of interview and parity. In 11 out of the 18 countries the odds ratio (OR) of the association between unintended pregnancies and prolonged breast-feeding was <1.0, reaching statistical significance in three countries. Pooled analyses of all 18 countries detected a significant association between unintended pregnancies and less likelihood of prolonged breast-feeding (OR = 0.90, 95% confidence interval = 0.85–0.96).

Prospective studies are needed to further understand if and how pregnancy intentions influence breast-feeding outcomes in different settings.

To assess socio-economic indicators, nutritional status and living conditions of farm workers and their families, with the purpose to develop research and intervention programmes aimed at enhancing nutritional status and quality of life.

Three farm schools in two districts of the North-West Province and farming communities were selected. Anthropometrical measurements, structured face-to-face questionnaires and focus group discussions were carried out in 2002 and 2003 by a multidisciplinary research team.

Access to electricity, water and sanitation, as well as monthly food rations or subsidies, vary and depend on farm owners. The majority of adults have education below or up to grade four, farm schools provide only up to grade seven. Distance to farm schools and intra-household issues hamper children's attendance and performance at school. Household food security is compromised due to a lack of financial resources, infrastructure and also household resource allocation. This impacts negatively especially on children, with half of them being underweight, stunted or wasted. Employment is usually linked to men, while most women have access to casual jobs only. Insecurity of residence and the perceived disempowered position towards farm owners add to feelings of hopelessness and stress.

This study highlights destitute living conditions of farm worker families. Apart from structural and financial constraints, paternalistic structures of the past might also hamper development. Based on these findings, follow-up research projects and in-depth investigations into underlying social issues with regard to nutrition insecurity and livelihoods of farm workers were initiated.

Assessment of relation between metabolic syndrome (MS) and Mediterranean diet (MD) adherence.

Cross-sectional study. ATP III definition of MS was used. Adherence to MD was assessed with a Food Frequency Questionnaire. Intakes of cereal, fruit, legumes, vegetables, fish, nuts, monounsaturated to saturated ratio, alcohol from red wine, whole-fat dairy products and red meat were considered.

Representative sample of population from the Canary Islands (Spain) participating in the Canarian Nutrition Survey (ENCA).

578 adults>18 years.

Of the subjects, 24.4% presented MS. Once adjusted, MD adherence was not related to MS prevalence, but subjects in the third tertile of adherence presented 70% lower prevalence of the blood pressure criteria and 2.5 times more prevalence of the glycaemia criteria with respect to the first tertile. Red meat intake was associated with higher prevalence of blood pressure criteria. Moderate alcohol intake from red wine was associated with lower prevalence of these criteria in women and lower prevalence of HDL cholesterol criteria in men. Fruit intake showed a protective effect on triglyceride criteria, whereas vegetable intake was associated with higher prevalence of this criterion. Cereals' intake showed a protective effect over insulin resistance measured by high insulinaemia level. Fruit intake showed a significative protective effect over high Homeostasis Model Assessment index. Whole-fat dairy products showed a significant protective effect on the glycaemia criteria. High monounsaturated to saturated fatty acid intake showed a protective effect on insulin resistance.

Some components of the MD showed a protective effect on the MS and its components.

To discuss present knowledge about Mediterranean diet and cardiovascular diseases.

Review of existing literature.

Epidemiological studies as well as randomised dietary trials suggest that Mediterranean diet may be important in relation to the pathogenesis (and prevention) of CHD. For instance, a striking protective effect of an ALA-rich Mediterranean diet was reported in the Lyon Diet Heart Study with a 50 to 70% reduction of the risk of recurrence after 4 years of follow-up in CHD patients. According to our current knowledge, dietary ALA should represent about 0.6 to 1% of total daily energy or about 2 g per day in patients following a Mediterranean diet, whereas the average intake in linoleic acid should not exceed 7 g per day. Supplementation with very-long-chain omega-3 fatty acids (about 1 g per day) in patients following a Mediterranean type of diet was shown to decrease the risk of cardiac death by 30% and of sudden cardiac death by 45% in the GISSI trial.

In the context of a diet rich in oleic acid, poor in saturated fats and low in omega-6 fatty acids (a dietary pattern characterising the traditional Mediterranean diet), even small doses of omega-3 fatty acids (about 1 g EPA + DHA the form of fish oil capsules or 2 g α-linolenic acid in canola oil and margarine) might be very protective. These data underline the importance of the accompanying diet in any dietary strategy using fatty acid complements.

To analyse the socio-economic factors related to breakfast eating, the association between breakfast eating and overweight, and to gain a more thorough understanding of the relationship between these two elements in a population-based cohort of 4.5-year-old children. We hypothesised that a relationship could be observed between breakfast skipping and overweight independently of socio-economic factors such as ethnicity, maternal education, single parenting and family income.

A population-based study whereby standardised nutritional interviews were conducted with each child's parent. The children's height and weight were taken by a trained nutritionist and parents were asked about their child's breakfast eating.

The analyses were performed using data from the Québec Longitudinal Study of Child Development (1998–2002), conducted by Santé Québec (Canada).

Subjects were 1549 children between the ages of 44 and 56 months, with a mean age of 49 months.

Almost a tenth (9.8%) of the children did not eat breakfast every day. A greater proportion of children with immigrant mothers (19.4% vs. 8.3% from non-immigrant mothers), with mothers with no high school diploma (17.5% vs. <10% for higher educated mothers) and from low-income families (15% for income of $39 999 or less vs. 5–10% for better income) did not eat breakfast every day. Not eating breakfast every day nearly doubled the odds (odds ratio = 1.9, 95% confidence interval 1.2–3.2) of being overweight at 4.5 years when mother's immigrant status, household income and number of overweight/obese parents were part of the analysis.

Although our results require replication before public policy changes can be advocated, encouraging breakfast consumption among pre-school children is probably warranted and targeting families of low socio-economic status could potentially help in the prevention of childhood obesity.

To describe the case of Congo as an example of the assessment and appropriateness of donor operational and sectoral strategies in a complex emergency.

The paper reports the findings of an external evaluation of operations financed by the European Commission Humanitarian Office in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

The Congolese health system is suffering from severe deterioration. What is functioning in the public health context is donor-dependent with high costs and limited coverage. Despite a relatively favourable agro-climatic situation, food shortage and famine severely affect the nutritional status of large population groups. In this context, humanitarian programmes have generally improved access to health care and the nutritional status of beneficiaries. The reduction of malnutrition in project areas is often demonstrated even though the context did not permit consolidation of these results. Malnutrition continues to claim a massive cost of lives owing to the effect of widespread food insecurity that follows a circular cause-and-effect pattern of very low food production and extreme poverty.

The current context in DRC does not correspond yet to ‘post-crisis’: neither at population level with regard to indicators of poverty, malnutrition, disease and death, nor at institutional level, with regard to state support to institutions. In these situations, the international community is often called upon to replace the state as service provider. Integrated humanitarian actions should be the future of relief projects in DRC. Health, nutrition and food security components should be considered a standard public health intervention strategy representing the most sensible approach to address the needs of the affected population.

To investigate the degree of individual heterogeneity related to complex dietary behaviour and to further examine the associations of different dietary compositions with selected characteristics.

Latent class analysis was applied to data from the recent cross-sectional National Family Health Survey that collected information on the intake frequency of selected foods. Different responses regarding intake frequency were condensed into a set of five meaningful latent clusters representing different dietary patterns and these clusters were then labelled based on the reported degree of diet mixing.

Indian states.

In total, 90 180 women aged 15–49 years.

Three clusters were predominantly non-vegetarian and two were vegetarian. A very high or high mixed-diet pattern was observed particularly in the southern and a few north-eastern states. Many women in the very high mixed-diet cluster consumed mostly non-green/leafy vegetables on a daily basis, and fruits and other non-vegetarian diet on a weekly basis. In contrast, those in the low mixed-diet cluster consumed more than three-fifths of the major vegetarian diet ingredients alone on a daily basis. The affluent group that represented the low mixed-diet cluster were primarily vegetarians and those who represented the very high mixed-diet cluster were mostly non-vegetarians. The significant interrelationships of different characteristics highlight not only socio-economic, spatial and cultural disparities related to dietary practices, but also the substantial heterogeneity in diet mixing behaviour.

The results of this study confirmed our hypothesis of heterogeneous dietary behaviour of Indian women and yielded useful policy-oriented results which might be difficult to establish otherwise.

To assess the iodine status of long-term refugees dependent on international food aid and humanitarian assistance.

A series of cross-sectional two-stage cluster or systematic random sample surveys which assessed urinary iodine excretion and the prevalence of visible goitre. Salt samples were also collected and tested for iodine content by titration.

Six refugee camps in East, North and Southern Africa.

Male and female adolescents aged 10–19 years.

The median urinary iodine concentration (UIC) ranged from 254 to 1200 μg l−1 and in five of the camps exceeded the recommended maximum limit of 300 μg l−1, indicating excessive iodine intake. Visible goitre was assessed in four surveys where it ranged from 0.0 to 7.1%. The camp with the highest UIC also had the highest prevalence of visible goitre. The iodine concentrations in 11 salt samples from three camps were measured by titration and six of these exceeded the production-level concentration of 20 to 40 ppm recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), but were all less than 100 ppm.

Excessive consumption of iodine is occurring in most of the surveyed populations. Urgent revision of the level of salt iodisation is required to meet current WHO recommendations. However, the full cause of excessive iodine excretion remains unknown and further investigation is required urgently to identify the cause, assess any health impact and identify remedial action.

Breast-feeding (BF) provides the ideal food for the healthy growth and development of infants. The prevalence of BF in Lebanon shows mixed results. The present study was the first large-scale, extensive survey on BF parameters in Lebanon that aimed to explore demographic, socio-economic and other fundamental issues associated with the initiation and duration of BF by Lebanese mothers.

The survey was cross-sectional in design and administered over 10 months.

Information on all variables was collected from mothers at health centres.

Two-stage sampling was conducted to select participants. A total of 1000 participants were randomly selected. A consent form was provided to each participant. Data were collected from 830 of these.

Almost all mothers were Lebanese, married and had given birth in a hospital. About a third stated that breast milk was the first food introduced after birth. Although 55.9% started breast-feeding their newborns within a few hours after birth, and 18.3% within half an hour, 21.2% replied that they initiated BF a few days after birth. Only 4.6% of the mothers replied that they never breast-fed their infant. Timing of initiation of BF was associated with the type of delivery (vaginal/Caesarean section) and hospital-related factors (rooming-in, night feedings and frequency of mother–infant interaction). Of the mothers who breast-fed exclusively beyond 6 months, 86.7% had initiated BF a few hours following delivery, while only 13.3% had initiated BF a few days later. Compared with the exceptionally high proportion of BF initiation, exclusivity of BF was low, dropping to 52.4% at 1 month. Exclusivity of BF was also associated with place of residence (urban/rural) and negatively associated with educational level of the mother. Duration of BF was inversely associated with the use of pain killers during delivery and maternal education. Rural mothers and those who practised exclusive BF maintained BF for a longer duration.

Initiation rates of BF are very high in Lebanon but rates of exclusive BF are low and duration of BF is short. Future research targeting the factors associated with BF, with particular emphasis on exclusivity, is needed. For the 95.4% of mothers who initiated BF, an ecological perspective on intervention aimed at women and their social support system is required to improve duration and exclusivity.

To assess knowledge of dietary and behaviour-related determinants of non-communicable disease (NCD) of urban Senegalese women.

A cross-sectional, population study using an interviewer-administered knowledge questionnaire, developed and validated for this study. The questionnaire consisted of 24 items with six scores measuring knowledge of: (1) diet- and behaviour-related causes of NCD; (2) diet quality–NCD relationship; (3) fruit and vegetable link with NCD; (4) health consequences of obesity; (5) causes of cardiovascular disease (CVD); and (6) causes of certain cancers.

A random sample of 301 women aged 20–50 years.

The knowledge scores developed suggest that the health consequences of obesity (mean score of 65.4%) were best understood followed by causes of CVD (mean score of 60.6%), because obesity, smoking, high blood cholesterol and dietary fat were well recognised as risk factors for CVD. Subjects scored least for their knowledge of the protective effect of fruit and vegetables (mean score of 19.9%). Knowledge of causes of certain cancers (mean score of 36.1%) was also low. Women who worked outside the home had better knowledge for two scores but otherwise no relationship was found between knowledge and literacy, formal education or body mass index.

Findings suggest reasonable overall knowledge concerning diet and behaviour with NCD, especially given the relatively new context of the obesity epidemic in Senegal. However, there was poor knowledge of the benefit of eating fruit and vegetables and other preventable causes of certain cancers. Education targeting the benefits of vegetables and fruit may have the greatest impact on NCD prevention.

To describe feeding patterns and mothers' perceptions of desirable feeding practices in low-birth-weight (LBW) infants after hospital discharge in England and to test for the association of inappropriate practices/perceptions with identifiable demographics.

Postal questionnaires from 198 mothers of LBW infants in London, Liverpool and Winchester were analysed regarding infant demographics, mothers' demographics, infant milks used, solid feeding practices and mothers' perceptions of infant feeding practices.

At birth, the median weight, independent of gestational age, was 1.80 kg (range 0.6–2.50 kg) and 37.1% of infants received breast milk exclusively; 83.7% were breast-fed at some stage, a practice favoured more by first-time mothers (90.2%) than multiparous mothers (73.4%) (P = 0.004) as well as by mothers of higher social groups (P> = 0.019). The median age of solid food introduction was 17 postnatal weeks (range 8–36 weeks); the timing correlated strongly with infant birth weight (P < 0.001). A high-fibre diet and a low-fat diet were incorrectly considered important for their infants by 67.1% and 51.6% of mothers, respectively. Regarding a high-fibre diet as important was associated with being a multiparous mother (P = 0.006), while regarding a low-fat diet as important was associated with low social group (P = 0.018). A quarter of mothers did not consider 'plenty of calories' to be important for their infants, reflecting similar attitudes in 1990 for mothers of term infants; this incorrect attitude exhibited an association with being a first-time mother (P = 0.047).

Infant feeding practices were very variable, showing poor concordance with national and international recommendations for term infants. In selecting foods for their infants, many mothers appeared to be applying principles more appropriate to planning a healthy diet for adults. There is an urgent need to develop and implement evidence-based guidelines for feeding LBW infants after hospital discharge, with special attention given to multiparous mothers as well as mothers from lower social groups.

To describe the main finding produced so far by the EPIC project, which aims to improve the scientific knowledge of nutritional factors involved in cancer.

Prospective cohort study in 23 centres from 10 European countries. Dietary assessment method varied by countries: in some cases a diet history by personal interview was carried out, while in most countries a self-administered semi-quantitative food-frequency questionnaire was used; in one case the questionnaire was combined with a food record. Information on a wide range of lifestyle factors and anthropometric measurements were also collected for most participants.

The cohort includes 521 468 men and women mostly aged between 39 and 69 years, whereas blood samples are available for 387 889 subjects.

To date 24 185 cancer cases have been identified in the follow-up of the cohort. The publications produced by each centre can be consulted on the EPIC website (http://www.iarc.fr/epic/). Among initial findings concerning the associations between cancer and dietary factors, one of the most important results is a protective effect of high fibre intake and fish consumption against colorectal cancer, while high red and processed meat intake increase the risk. Regarding lung cancer the first analyses found a protective effect of fruit intake but no association with vegetable consumption. No association was observed between vegetables and fruit intake and the risk of prostate cancer or breast cancer. Finally, data from Cambridge point to an interesting result regarding breast cancer: no association was observed with saturated fat intake measured by food-frequency questionnaire, but according to the food diary a daily intake of 35 g doubles the risk of breast cancer compared to women with daily intake of 10 g or less.

The purpose of the present study was to characterise the food landscape of an inner city African American neighbourhood and its mixed-race suburban neighbour. Detailed analysis focuses on the relationship between community store mix and price, availability and produce quality.

A market basket study was completed by members of the Chicago Food Systems Collaborative. The US Department of Agriculture's standard market basket survey and methodology were used. Additional items and analyses were added in consultation with community members.

Austin is a lower-middle-class African American community of 117 500 on the western edge of Chicago. Oak Park, which borders Austin, is an upper-middle-income suburb of 52 500 with a mixed racial profile.

A market basket survey of every retail food store in Austin and Oak Park was completed. A total of 134 were included.

Results indicate that Austin has many grocery stores and few supermarkets. Many Austin groceries stores carry produce that is usually competitively priced, but often of unacceptable quality. Supermarkets had the best selection. Prices were lowest at discount supermarkets. Prices of packaged items were higher at independent stores than at chain supermarkets, but fresh items were cheaper.

Food access is related more to store type than number. In this study, item availability and produce quality varied greatly between store types. Price differences were complicated and varied by store type and food category. This has consequences in terms of food purchasing decisions and dietary quality that public health professionals should acknowledge.

To review and update the most relevant research dealing with the antioxidant properties of fruits which can be useful in Mediterranean and other healthy diets.

Personal perspectives and late data.

International

The evaluation of total antioxidant capacity of fruits is of pivotal importance in assessing the nutritional attributes of these products. By means of specific breeding programmes, it is possible to select antioxidant-enriched fruit varieties. These features are susceptible to be improved through generations in order to release fruits with enhanced nutritional features.

The availability of high quality and nutritionally enriched fruit at competitive costs may be a useful tool in the planning of healthy diets.