Mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) is simple to use and inexpensive in Ethiopia; both MUAC and target weight are employed, although the time to cure for MUAC is not indicated. The present study is aimed to determine cure time of MUAC for children in outpatient therapeutic program. A prospective cohort study was conducted among 414 severe acute malnourished under-five children admitted to selected health twenty-two posts from 1 February to 30 July 2021, in Oromia, Ethiopia. Data were coded, entered to Ep-data version 4.2 software, and transferred to SPSS for windows version 25 software for analysis. The Multivariate Cox Proportional Hazards model was used to fit independent determinants of time to cure. All tests were two-sided and statistical implications at P-values < 0⋅05. In the present study, the minimum week for a cure was 4 weeks, the maximum was 16 weeks and the overall time to cure severe acute malnutrition as measured by MUAC is judged to be 10 at 95 % CI (9⋅65–10⋅35). Families with six or more members are 2⋅16 times more at risk, children from homes with the lowest wealth index are at 1⋅4 times more risk, and children from food insecure families were 2⋅61 times more likely to require long-term treatment for MUAC. In the present study, the time to cure severe acute malnutrition by MUAC is determined as 10 weeks. Moreover, family size, low wealth index, and household food insecurity were risks to delay in cure time MUAC.

Zinc deficiency (ZD) during pregnancy has far-reaching consequences on the mother, fetus and subsequent child survival. Therefore, the present study aimed to assess the prevalence and associated factors of ZD among pregnant women around Lake Awasa, Hawassa City, Ethiopia. To this end, a facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted on 333 randomly sampled pregnant women from 08 April to 08 May 2021. The socio-economic, dietary intake, water, sanitation and hygiene, obstetric, and maternal health data were collected through face-to-face interviews. Moreover, on-spot blood and stool samples were taken. Descriptive statistics and binary and multivariable logistic regression analysis were conducted. The prevalence of ZD was 58⋅6 % (95 % CI 53⋅31, 63⋅89). The poorest (AOR = 3⋅28; 95 % CI 1⋅26, 8⋅50) and poor (AOR = 2⋅93; 95 % CI 1⋅14, 7⋅54) wealth quintiles, four of more family size (AOR = 1⋅84, 95 % CI 1⋅10, 3⋅35), poor dietary diversity (AOR = 4⋅11; 95 % CI 2⋅11, 7⋅62), not eating snacks (AOR = 3⋅40; 95 % CI 1⋅42, 8⋅15), not consuming fish (AOR = 3⋅53; 95 % CI 1⋅65, 7⋅56) and chicken (AOR = 2⋅53; 95 % CI 1⋅31, 4⋅88) at least once a month, and intestinal parasitic infection (AOR = 2⋅78; 95 % CI 1⋅52, 5⋅08) predicted zinc deficiency. In conclusion, ZD is a public health problem among pregnant women around Lake Awasa. The present study demonstrated that poor socio-economic status, large family size, poor nutritional practices and intestinal parasitic infection determine the zinc status in the present study area. The findings suggest the need for further analysis to deepen the understanding about ZD and consideration of livelihood in interventions to prevent and control ZD among pregnant women in Hawassa City, Ethiopia.

Improving the health and well-being of mothers and children is a priority worldwide. The present study aimed to examine the coexistence and correlates of malnutrition among mothers and under-five child pairs using Tanzania Demographic Health Survey 2015–16 data. Height-for-age, height-for-weight and weight-for-age Z-scores were used to assess the nutritional status of children, while body mass index was used to assess the nutritional status of mothers. Correlates of forms of malnutrition were assessed using multinomial logistic regression. Among 8083 pairs, 40⋅9 % were normal, 30⋅3 % were underweight, 17⋅5 % overweight and 11⋅3 % had double burden of malnutrition. The risk of being underweight is highest among the pairs with; children aged 13–59 months (relative risk ratio (RRR) = 2⋅33) and children with small birth weight (RRR = 2⋅67). Overweight is highest among pairs with; mothers aged 35–49 (RRR = 3⋅36), mothers with secondary education and above (RRR = 1⋅85), fathers aged 35+ (RRR = 1⋅38), professional fathers (RRR = 4⋅10) and richer households (RRR = 2⋅06). The double burden of malnutrition is highest among pairs with; children with small birth weight (RRR = 2⋅76), from rural households (RRR = 1⋅24) and from richer households (RRR = 1⋅41). There is a coexistence of forms of malnutrition among mothers and under-five child pairs in Tanzania. The study recommends using multidimensional approaches such as double-duty action for nutrition to eradicate all forms of malnutrition.

Zinc (Zn) is an essential mineral and its deficiency manifests in non-specific clinical signs that require long time to develop. The response of swine intestine to Zn restriction was evaluated to identify early changes that can be indicative of Zn deficiency. Twenty-seven pigs (body weight = 77⋅5 ± 2⋅5 kg) were assigned to one of three diets: diet without added Zn (Zn-restricted diet, ZnR), and ZnR-supplemented with either 50 (Zn50) or 100 mg of Zn/kg of diet (Zn100) of Zn supplied by ZnCl2. After 32 d consuming the diets, serum Zn concentration in ZnR pigs was below the range of 0⋅59–1⋅37 μg/ml considered sufficient, thereby confirming subclinical Zn deficiency. Pigs showed no obvious health or growth changes. RNA-seq analysis followed by qPCR showed decreased expression of metallothionein-1 (MT1) (P < 0⋅05) and increased expression of Zn transporter ZIP4 (P < 0⋅05) in jejunum and ileum of ZnR pigs compared with Zn-supplemented pigs. Ingenuity pathway analysis revealed that Zn50 and Zn100 induced changes in genes related to nucleotide excision repair and integrin signalling pathways. The top gene network in the ZnR group compared with Zn100 was related to lipid and drug metabolism; and compared with Zn50, was related to cellular proliferation, assembly and organisation. Dietary Zn concentrations resulted in differences in genes related to immune pathways. Our analysis showed that small intestine presents changes associated with Zn deficiency after 32 d of Zn restriction, suggesting that the intestine could be a sentinel organ for Zn deficiency.

We evaluated the accuracy of the estimated serving size using digital photographs in a newly developed food atlas. From 209 food items in the food atlas, we selected 14 items with various appearances for evaluation. At the study site, fifty-four participants aged 18–33 years served fourteen foods in the amount they usually ate. After they left, each food item was weighed by a researcher. The following day, the participants estimated the quantity of each food they served based on food photographs using a web-based questionnaire. We compared the weights of the foods the participants served (true serving sizes) and those determined based on the photographs (estimated serving sizes). For ten of the fourteen food items, significant differences were observed between the estimated and true serving sizes, ranging from a 29⋅8 % underestimation (curry sauce) to a 34⋅0 % overestimation (margarine). On average, the relative difference was 8⋅8 %. Overall, 51⋅6 % of the participants were within ±25 % of the true serving size, 81⋅9 % were within ±50 % and 93⋅4 % were within ±75 %. Bland–Altman plots showed wide limits of agreement and increased variances with larger serving sizes for most food items. Overall, no association was found between estimation errors and participant characteristics. The food atlas has shown potential for assessment of portion size estimation. Further development, refinement and testing are needed to improve the usefulness of the digital food photographic atlas as a portion size estimation aid.

Nutrients are an essential part of building and maintaining optimal health. Certain nutrient exposure has been shown to be associated with many important health outcomes, although there is variability among studies. Despite the scientific efforts of many, it is unclear why some well-hypothesised nutrients lack sufficient evidence for clear association with health outcomes. One potential reason for conflicting results is that certain subgroups of patients benefit or are harmed more by adequate or inadequate exposure to certain nutrients. These subgroup-specific effects have historically not been studied, or if they are, it is often in a one-off type of approach where the investigator believes that a subgroup effect could exist based on limited previous data. In the era of big data, improvements can be made in efforts to generate new hypotheses for subgroups of patients and recommendations for precision nutrition can be made. In the present paper, we present a strategy for exploring subgroup-specific effects in nutrient-related studies. This data-driven method can be useful in secondarily exploring which subgroups are harmed/helped most by inadequate/adequate nutrient exposure and could suggest target groups for future clinical trials to test the identified hypotheses. We then present an example study utilizing the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data from the years 2001–2006. In this example, a limited selection of nutrients is protective in subgroups of participants with diabetes on their self-reported number of poor mental health days.

The aim of the present study was to assess the seasonal relationship between serum 25(OH)D concentration, lean mass and muscle strength. This was a secondary data analysis of a subgroup of 102 postmenopausal women participating in the 2006–2007 D-FINES (Vitamin D, Food Intake, Nutrition and Exposure to Sunlight in Southern England) study. The cohort was assessed as two age subgroups: <65 years (n=80) and ≥65 years (n=22). Outcome measures included lean mass (DXA), muscle strength (handgrip dynamometry) and serum 25(OH)D concentration (enzymeimmunoassay). Derived outcomes included appendicular skeletal muscle mass (ASM) and relative appendicular skeletal muscle index (RASM). Sarcopenia status was assessed using the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People 2018 criteria. Non-parametric partial correlation using BMI as a covariate was used to evaluate the study aims. There were no statistically significant associations between total lean mass, ASM or RASM and 25(OH)D in any group at any season. There was a trend for handgrip strength to be positively associated with serum 25(OH)D concentration. There was a trend showing a higher prevalence of sarcopenia in women ≥65 years. Sarcopenia status appeared transient for five women. In conclusion, the present study found no significant association between vitamin D status and functional indicators of musculoskeletal health, which were additionally not affected by season.