The National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) is a mandatory initiative delivered in England to children in Reception and Year 6. To date, no research has explored the methods used to deliver the NCMP by Local Government Authorities (LGA) across England.

An online survey was administered between February 2018 and May 2018 to explore the delivery of the NCMP across the 152 LGA in England and disseminated using non-probability convenience sampling.

LGA received an anonymous link to the survey.

A total of 92 LGA participated in the survey.

Most LGA who responded provide result feedback (86 %), a proactive follow-up (71 %) and referrals to services (80 %). Additionally, 65 % of the authorities tailor Public Health England specimen result letters to suit their needs, and 84 % provide attachments alongside. Out of 71 % of LGA who provide proactive follow-up, 19 (29 %) provide the proactive follow-up only to upper weight categories and only 4 (6 %) include Healthy Weight category with other categories in proactive follow-up. Regarding the service availability for children, out of 80 % of LGA who indicated that services are available, 32 (43 %) targeted solely upper weight categories, while the other 42 (57 %) offered services across all weight categories. Finally, most LGA (88 %) commission providers to manage various parts of the NCMP.

The results show that LGA in England localise the NCMP. Further guidance regarding standards of best practice would help LGA to find the most suitable localisation out of various options that exist across other LGA.

To identify changes in traditional dietary behaviour through the evaluation of trends in bean consumption among adults in Brazil between 2007 and 2017 and to estimate its projections up to 2030.

Time-series analysis conducted with data from the Surveillance System for Protective and Risk Factors for Chronic Diseases by Telephone Survey (Vigitel) between 2007 and 2017. Weekly consumption of beans was analysed. Prais–Winsten regression evaluated trends for the entire period of study (2007–2017) and in two periods of analyses (2007–2011 and 2012–2017) for the complete set of the population and stratified by socio-demographic characteristics. Estimated prevalence projections were calculated up to the year 2030 using its tendency from 2012 to 2017.

Brazil.

A probabilistic sample of 572 675 Brazilian adults aged ≥ 18 years.

Changes in traditional dietary pattern were identified. Regular consumption of beans (≥ 5 d/week) presented a stable prevalence trend for the total population in the complete and the first analysed period, but a significant decrease in the second half (67·5 % to 59·5 %) among both genders, all age groups and educational levels (except for ≥12 years). The higher magnitude of regular consumption of beans will occur up to the year of 2025 for the total population (46·9 %), when it will be less frequent in the week.

Reductions in the weekly consumption of beans may represent the weakness of a traditional food culture in a globalised food system. By 2025, regular consumption of beans will cease to be the predominant habit in the country.

Social media analytics (SMA) has a track record in business research. The utilisation in nutrition research is unknown, despite social media being populated with real-time eating behaviours. This rapid review aimed to explore the use of SMA in nutrition research with the investigation of dietary behaviours.

The review was conducted according to rapid review guidelines by WHO and the National Collaborating Centre for Methods and Tools. Five databases of peer-reviewed, English language studies were searched using the keywords ‘social media’ in combination with ‘data analytics’ and ‘food’ or ‘nutrition’ and screened for those with general population health using SMA on public domain, social media data between 2014 and 2020.

The review identified 34 studies involving SMA in the investigation of dietary behaviours. Nutrition topics included population nutrition health investigations, alcohol consumption, dieting and eating out of the home behaviours. All studies involved content analysis with evidence of surveillance and engagement. Twitter was predominant with data sets in tens of millions. SMA tools were observed in data discovery, collection and preparation, but less so in data analysis. Approximately, a third of the studies involved interdisciplinary collaborations with health representation and only two studies involved nutrition disciplines. Less than a quarter of studies obtained formal human ethics approval.

SMA in nutrition research with the investigation of dietary behaviours is emerging, nevertheless, if consideration is taken with technological capabilities and ethical integrity, the future shows promise at a broad population census level and as a scoping tool or complementary, triangulation instrument.

To investigate food insecurity (FI) prevalence in two favelas in Brazil in the early weeks of the social distancing policy, from 27 March 2020 to 1 June 2020.

A cross-sectional study using an online questionnaire to elicit information on socio-economic and demographic characteristics, the types of stores visited to buy food, and FI screening. The FI experience was evaluated according to the Brazilian Food Insecurity Scale. Factors associated with moderate or severe FI were investigated using the logistic regression model.

São Paulo city, Brazil.

Totally, 909 householders.

Eighty-eight per cent of the households included young women working as cleaners or kitchen assistants and in sales services. One-fifth of the participants were involved in the federal cash transfer programme, called Bolsa Família. There were 92 % households with children. The most frequent experience reported was uncertainty about food acquisition or receiving more (89 %), eating less than one should (64 %), not being able to eat healthy and nutritious food (46 %), and skipping a meal (39 %). Forty-seven per cent of the participants experienced moderate or severe FI. Factors associated with moderate and severe FI were low income, being a Bolsa Família recipient, having a low level of education and living in a household without children.

Half of the participants experienced moderate or severe FI, and almost 10 % experienced hunger. Our data suggest that families with children were at a lower risk of moderate to severe FI. It is possible that nationally established social programmes such as Bolsa Família were protecting those families.

Dietary habits developed during childhood and adolescence are likely to continue into adulthood. An unbalanced diet may cause nutrient deficiencies and excessive energy intake; these enhance the risk for developing overweight and obesity and their co-morbidities. In the present analysis, food consumption of adolescents is described and evaluated against German food-based dietary guidelines with special focus on socio-economic status (SES) and region of residence.

Within the ‘German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents’ (KiGGS Wave 2), the cross-sectional ‘Eating Study as a KiGGS Module’ (EsKiMo II) was conducted from 2015 until 2017 to provide data about dietary behaviour.

Germany.

1353 adolescents aged 12–17 years from a nationwide representative sample with food consumption data from computer-assisted dietary history interviews.

The median consumption of fruits, vegetables, starchy foods and milk/dairy products among adolescents in Germany was below the recommendation. The median consumption of both meat/meat products and unfavourable foods, like confectionery, which should be consumed sparingly, was about 1·5 times the recommended amount. The total amount of beverages consumed by most adolescents was above the minimum amount recommended. Soft drink consumption of adolescents with a low SES was three to five times higher than soft drink consumption of adolescents with a high SES.

The results indicate the need for an improvement of dietary habits among adolescents in Germany. Further approaches to promote healthy diets in Germany should be continued, and the focus on social inequalities should be strengthened.

Game bird consumption is an important part of the diet of Indigenous populations in Canada and, as part of country food consumption, is associated with improved nutritional status. The objective of this project was to document the consumption of game birds for Dene First Nations in the Northwest Territories (NWT), Canada.

Participants were invited to complete a FFQ using an iPad to document the types of country foods consumed, as well as consumption frequency and preparation methods, including thirteen types of game birds.

The project was implemented in nine communities in the Dehcho and Sahtú regions of the NWT, Canada.

A total of 237 children and adult participants from Dene First Nations in the Mackenzie Valley region of the NWT took part in the current study.

FFQ findings indicated that game birds were frequently consumed in both Dehcho and Sahtú communities. Canada goose and mallard were found to be consumed by the largest number of participants. Five different species (including Canada goose and mallard) were found to be consumed by at least 25 % of participants over the last year. When consuming game birds, most participants reported consuming the meat as well as most, if not all, other parts of the bird.

Differences were observed since the last country food assessment in the 1990s in the same regions. These findings increase knowledge of the current Dene diet patterns and support the understanding of diet transition.

To examine the prevalence and nutrient composition of menu offerings targeted to customers with dietary restrictions at US fast casual and full-service chain restaurants.

We used 2018 data from MenuStat, a database of nutrient information for menu items at large US chain restaurants. Five alternative diets were examined: gluten-free, low-calorie, low-carbohydrate, low-fat and vegetarian. Diet offerings were identified by searching MenuStat item descriptions and reviewing online menus. For each diet, we reported counts and proportions. We used bootstrapped multilevel models to examine differences in predicted mean kilojoules, saturated fat, Na and sugars between diet and non-diet menu items.

Forty-five US fast casual and full-service chain restaurants in 2018 (including 6419 items in initial analytic sample across small plates, salads and main dishes).

None.

The most prevalent diets were gluten-free (n 631, 9·8 % of menu items), low-calorie (n 306, 4·8 %) and vegetarian (n 230, 3·6 %). Compared with non-diet counterparts, low-calorie main dishes had significantly lower levels of all nutrients examined and vegetarian main dishes had significantly lower levels of all nutrients except saturated fat. Gluten-free small plates had significantly fewer kilojoules, grams of saturated fat and milligrams of Na compared with non-diet small plates.

A small proportion of fast casual and full-service restaurant menus are targeted towards customers with dietary restrictions. Compared with non-diet items, those classified as gluten-free, low-calorie or vegetarian generally have healthier nutrient profiles, but overall nutrient values are still too high for most menu items, regardless of dietary label.

Accurate measurements of food volume and density are often required as ‘gold standards’ for calibration of image-based dietary assessment and food database development. Currently, there is no specialised laboratory instrument for these measurements. We present the design of a new volume of density (VD) meter to bridge this technological gap.

Our design consists of a turntable, a load sensor, a set of cameras and lights installed on an arc-shaped stationary support, and a microcomputer. It acquires an array of food images, reconstructs a 3D volumetric model, weighs the food and calculates both food volume and density, all in an automatic process controlled by the microcomputer. To adapt to the complex shapes of foods, a new food surface model, derived from the electric field of charged particles, is developed for 3D point cloud reconstruction of either convex or concave food surfaces.

We conducted two experiments to evaluate the VD meter. The first experiment utilised computer-synthesised 3D objects with prescribed convex and concave surfaces of known volumes to investigate different food surface types. The second experiment was based on actual foods with different shapes, colours and textures. Our results indicated that, for synthesised objects, the measurement error of the electric field-based method was <1 %, significantly lower compared with traditional methods. For real-world foods, the measurement error depended on the types of food volumes (detailed discussion included). The largest error was approximately 5 %.

The VD meter provides a new electronic instrument to support advanced research in nutrition science.

The main aim of this study was to assess the psychometric proprieties of the Child Feeding Questionnaire (CFQ) in Italian mothers.

Mothers completed the Italian version of the CFQ, and children’s anthropometric data were collected. Construct validity of the CFQ was assessed by comparing three different models: (a) a seven correlated factors model in which all items were analysed; (b) a seven correlated factors model with composite items based on the Restriction factor and (c) an eight correlated factors model with a separate Reward factor. Measurement invariance using BMI categories and gender was evaluated. Furthermore, discriminant validity with group comparison was performed between BMI categories and gender.

Italy.

A total of 1253 6-year-old Italian children (53·9 % male) attending elementary school (1st grade) and their mothers (mean age = 38·22 years; sd = 4·89) participated in this study.

The eight-factor model with a separate reward factor provided the best fit for the data. The strict invariance of the CFQ across child BMI categories and gender was confirmed. The CFQ internal consistency was acceptable for most subscales. However, two subscales showed no adequate values. As expected, the CFQ scales showed significant differences between BMI categories, while no gender-related differences were found.

The study indicated the Italian version of the CFQ to be factorially valid for assessing parental feeding practices of 6-year-old children across BMI categories. Future research should address low internal consistency in some of the CFQ subscales.

To determine (i) whether distinct groups of infants under 6 months old (U6M) were identifiable as malnourished based on anthropometric measures and if so to determine the probability of admittance to GOAL Ethiopia’s Management of At Risk Mothers and Infants (MAMI) programme based on group membership; (ii) whether there were discrepancies in admission using recognised anthropometric criteria, compared with group membership and (iii) the barriers and potential solutions to identifying malnutrition within U6M.

Mixed-methods approaches were used, whereby data collected by GOAL Ethiopia underwent: factor mixture modelling, χ2 analysis and logistic regression analysis. Qualitative analysis was performed through coding of key informant interviews.

Data were collected in two refugee camps in Ethiopia. Key informant interviews were conducted remotely with international MAMI programmers and nutrition experts.

Participants were 3444 South-Sudanese U6M and eleven key informants experienced in MAMI programming.

Well-nourished and malnourished groups were identified, with notable discrepancies between group membership and MAMI programme admittance. Despite weight for age z-scores (WAZ) emerging as the most discriminant measure to identify malnutrition, admittance was most strongly associated with mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC). Misconceptions surrounding malnutrition, a dearth of evidence and issues with the current identification protocol emerged as barriers to identifying malnutrition among U6M.

Our model suggests that WAZ is the most discriminating anthropometric measure for malnutrition in this population. However, the challenges of using WAZ should be weighed up against the more scalable, but potentially overly sensitive and less accurate use of MUAC among U6M.

This study was conducted to develop and validate a questionnaire to assess the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on lifestyle-related behaviour related to eating, activity and sleep pattern.

Indexed study used a mixed method design. Phase I employed qualitative methods for development of questionnaire including literature review, focus group discussion, expert evaluation and pre-testing. Phase II used quantitative methods for establishing construct validity of the questionnaire via parallel factor analysis.

Phase 1 involved participation of experts from different fields (Departments of Medicine, Nutrition and Clinical Psychology) and general adult population. For phase II, data were collected from 124 adult respondents (female = 57·26 %); mean age (36 ± 14·8 years) residing in an urban setting.

The questionnaire consisted of three sections: (A) socio-demographic and anthropometric parameters, (B) twenty-four items each for investigating the changes in eating, activity and sleep behaviour before v. during COVID-19, (C) six items assessing COVID-19 specific reasons for lifestyle change. The Cronbach’s α value of the questionnaire is 0·83 suggesting its good internal consistency.

This appears to be a valid tool to assess the impact of COVID-19 on lifestyle-related behaviours with potential utility for public health researchers to identify these changes at community level and develop strategies to reinforce corrective behaviours.

The current study aimed to assess the relationship between protein intake and bone parameters among dynapenic-obese older adults.

The current study is a secondary analysis with an a posteriori and exploratory design.

Subjects were recruited from the community via social communication (flyers and meetings in community centres) in the Great Montreal area.

Twenty-six subjects were divided a posteriori into two groups according to their usual protein intake: PROT−: < 1 g/kg per d (n 13; women: 53·8 %; 66·5 (sd 3·3) years) and PROT+: > 1·2 g/kg per d (n 13; women: 61·5 %; 67·2 (sd 2·7) years).

Both groups were comparable for age (PROT−: 66·5 (sd 3·3) v. PROT+: 67·2 (sd 2·7) years, P = 0·61) and gender (women: PROT−: n 7; 53·8 % v. PROT+: n 8; 61·5 %, P = 0·69). The PROT− group had a higher marrow area (P = 0·049), a greater bone compressive strength (P = 0·048) and a larger total bone area (P = 0·045) than the PROT+ group. However, no significant difference between the two groups was observed regarding body composition (fat and lean masses) or muscle composition.

A lower protein intake seems to be associated with bone sizes, which influence bone strength, but do not influence bone density among dynapenic-obese older people.

To investigate the association between maternal pre-pregnancy BMI and offspring body composition in adulthood.

Retrospective cohort. Undergraduates of nutrition or nutritionists were recruited at the baseline of the Nutritionists’ Health Study between 2014 and 2017. Maternal pre-pregnancy BMI and current life aspects were self-reported through online questionnaires. Three body compartments were dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry-determined. The following variables were obtained: body fat (%), fat mass index (FMI) (kg/m2), android-to-gynoid fat ratio, visceral adipose tissue (VAT) (cm3), appendicular skeletal muscle mass index (ASMI) (kg/m2), total bone and femur mineral content (g) and density (g/cm2). Linear regression adjusted according to directed acyclic graphs recommendation was performed.

São Paulo, Brazil.

Healthy non-pregnant women (aged 20–45 years) (n 150).

Median age and BMI were 22 years (IQR = 20, 29) and 22·3 kg/m2 (IQR = 20·4, 25·3), respectively. Pre-pregnancy BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2 was reported by 14·7 % of mothers. In fully adjusted models, maternal pre-pregnancy BMI was associated with their daughters’ body fat % (β = 0·31; 95 % CI 0·0004, 0·63), FMI (β = 0·17; 95 % CI 0·03, 0·30), android-to-gynoid ratio (β = 0·01; 95 % CI 0·004, 0·02) and VAT (β = 0·09; 95 % CI 0·02, 0·16), but not with total bone density (β = 0·001; 95 % CI –0·003, 0·006) and content (β = 7·13; 95 % CI –4·19, 18·46). Direct association with ASMI was also detected, but lost statistical significance when participants whose mothers were underweight were excluded.

Maternal pre-pregnancy BMI was directly associated with offspring general and visceral adiposity but seems not to be associated with bone mass. Results reinforce importance of avoiding excess of maternal adiposity, as an attempt to break the vicious cycle of obesity transmission.

The primary purpose of this study is to examine changes in socio-economic inequality in nutritional status (stunting and underweight) among children in Empowered Action Group (EAG) states.

The study is based on the most recent two wave’s cross-sectional data from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) conducted in 2005–2006 (NFHS-3) and 2015–2016 (NFHS-4). The study used height-for-age (stunting) and weight-for-age (underweight) of children as anthropometric indicators.

EAG states including Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh in India.

The study includes a total of 11 858 (NFHS-3) and 92 630 (NFHS-4) children under 5 years of age.

The socio-economic inequality in stunting remained unchanged in all EAG states. At the same time, the inequality in underweight decreased during 2005–2016. On decomposing, the factors contributing to socio-economic inequality revealed that household wealth index, mother’s education and mother’s nutritional status were the largest contributors to stunting (47 %, 24 % and 8 %) and underweight (51 %, 21 % and 16 %), respectively, in 2015–2016.

The study concluded the socio-economic inequality in underweight among children under 5 years of age increased over the years in EAG states in India. Altogether, household wealth index, mother’s education and mother’s nutritional status contributed to nearly 80 % to inequality in stunting and 90 % to inequality in underweight in 2015–2016. Hence, efforts should be made to minimise the socio-economic inequality in the nutritional status of children, particularly in EAG states in India.

The current study sought to describe and compare study type, research design and translation phase of published research in nutrition and dietetic journals in 1998 and 2018.

This was a repeat cross-sectional bibliographic analysis of Nutrition and Dietetics research. All eligible studies in the top eight Nutrition and Dietetics indexed journals in 1998 and 2018 were included. Two independent reviewers coded each study for research design (study type and study design) and translation phase (T0-T4) of the research using seminal texts in the field.

Not relevant.

Not relevant.

The number of publications (1998, n 1030; 2018, n 1016) has not changed over time, but the research type, design and translation phases have. The proportion of intervention studies in 1998 (43·8 %) was significantly higher than 2018 (19·4 %). In 2018, more reviews (46·9 % v. 15·6 % in 1998) and less randomised trials (14·3 % v. 37·8 % in 1998) were published. In regard to translation phase, there was a higher proportion of T2–T4 research in 2018 (18·3 % v. 3·8 % in 1998); however, the proportion of T3/T4 (dissemination, implementation and population-level research) research was still low (<3 %). Our sensitivity analysis with the four journals that remained in the top eight journal across the two time periods found no differences in the research type, design and translation phases across time.

There was a reduction in intervention and T0 publications, alongside higher publication of clinical study designs over time; however, published T3/T4 research in Nutrition and Dietetics is low. A greater focus on publishing interventions and dissemination and implementation may be needed.

To investigate the association between energy drink (ED) use and sleep-related disturbances in a population-based sample of young adults from the Raine Study.

Analysis of cross-sectional data obtained from self-administered questionnaires to assess ED use and sleep disturbance (Epworth Sleepiness Scale, Functional Outcomes of Sleep Questionnaire (FOSQ-10) and the Pittsburgh Sleep Symptoms Questionnaire–Insomnia (PSSQ-I)). Regression modelling was used to estimate the effect of ED use on sleep disturbances. All models adjusted for various potential confounders.

Western Australia.

Males and females, aged 22 years, from Raine Study Gen2–22 year follow-up.

Of the 1115 participants, 66 % were never/rare users (i.e. <once/month) of ED, 17·0 % were occasional users (i.e. >once/month to <once/week) and 17 % were frequent users (≥once/week). Compared with females, a greater proportion of males used ED occasionally (19 % v. 15 %) or frequently (24 % v. 11 %). Among females, frequent ED users experienced significantly higher symptoms of daytime sleepiness (FOSQ-10: β = 0·93, 95 % CI 0·32, 1·54, P = 0·003) and were five times more likely to experience insomnia (PSSQ-I: OR = 5·10, 95 % CI 1·81, 14·35, P = 0·002) compared with never/rare users. No significant associations were observed in males for any sleep outcomes.

We found a positive association between ED use and sleep disturbances in young adult females. Given the importance of sleep for overall health, and ever-increasing ED use, intervention strategies are needed to curb ED use in young adults, particularly females. Further research is needed to determine causation and elucidate reasons for gender-specific findings.

Family meals promote healthful dietary intake and well-being among children. Despite these benefits, family meal participation typically declines as children age. This study utilises life course theory to explore parents’ perceptions of family meals in order to understand how parents’ past experiences with family meals (in childhood and earlier in adulthood) influence their current beliefs and practices regarding mealtimes with their own children.

Semi-structured qualitative interviews.

In-person interviews were conducted in participants’ homes.

Twenty families (twenty-one mothers and fifteen fathers) with a child aged between 18 months and 5 years.

Thematic analysis revealed that families seemed to primarily approach mealtimes from one of three overarching orientations: meals for (1) Togetherness, (2) Nutrition Messaging or (3) Necessity. These orientations were informed by parents’ own mealtime experiences and significant life transitions (e.g. parenthood). The current family meal context, including the messages parents shared with their children during mealtimes and the challenges experienced with mealtimes, characterised the orientations and families’ approaches to mealtimes.

Parents’ own early life experiences and significant life transitions influence why families eat meals together and have important implications for the intergenerational transmission of mealtime practices. Results may help to inform the content and timing of intervention strategies to support the continuation of frequent family meals beyond the preschool years.

We examined the association of household food insecurity with educational outcomes and explored the moderating effect of gender and school lunch programme.

The study used a cross-sectional design. Data were collected in 2014 using interviewer-administered questionnaires and school administrative records. We measured household food insecurity using the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale. Educational outcomes referred to knowledge, attitudes and skills that students are expected to obtain while attending school. We obtained sixteen different measures of educational outcomes, ranging from academic grades to beliefs and attitudes towards school and education. Data were analysed using multilevel modelling with covariates at the student and school levels. We conducted moderation tests by adding a two-way interaction between food insecurity and gender, and between food insecurity and school lunch programme.

The study was conducted in 100 schools located in fifty-four districts within Ghana’s eight administrative regions in 2014.

Participants included 2201 school-going adolescents aged 15–19 years.

More than 60 % of adolescents were from food-insecure households. Household food insecurity was negatively associated with Math grade and school attendance. Food insecurity was also inversely associated with socio-emotional outcomes, including academic self-efficacy, commitment to school and academic aspirations and expectations. We did not find a moderating effect of gender and school lunch programme.

Food insecurity is negatively associated with wide-ranging educational outcomes related to both learning and socio-emotional abilities. Our study supports prior evidence suggesting the importance of food access on both cognitive and non-cognitive educational outcomes.

Studies have reported an inverse association between a diet rich in fruits and vegetables and type 2 diabetes (T2D), but data on high-risk ethnic minority groups is limited. We investigated whether serum carotenoids, as biomarkers for fruit and vegetable intake, mediate ethnic differences in the prevalence of T2D.

Age-adjusted serum carotenoid concentrations were compared using ANCOVA. A cross-sectional analysis was performed using Cox regression to estimate prevalence ratios (PR) and their 95 % CI of the association between serum carotenoid concentrations and T2D. To study whether serum carotenoids potentially mediate the differences in the prevalence of T2D across ethnic groups, we compared PR of the model including known risk factors and the model additionally adjusted for serum carotenoid concentrations using the Dutch group as reference.

A study among six ethnic groups living in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Data on 204 Dutch, 203 South Asian Surinamese, 204 African Surinamese, 203 Turkish and 200 Moroccan-origin participants from the Healthy Life in an Urban Setting (HELIUS) study were used.

Serum carotenoid concentrations differed across ethnic groups. After adjusting for confounders, the serum concentrations of total carotenoids (PR 0·67, 95 % CI 0·54, 0·84), α-carotene (PR 0·57, 95 % CI 0·42, 0·77), β-carotene (PR 0·45, 95 % CI 0·32, 0·63) and β-cryptoxanthin (PR 0·73, 95 % CI 0·58, 0·92) were inversely associated with T2D. Despite the associations, serum carotenoids did not mediate the ethnic differences in the prevalence of T2D.

The limited contribution of serum carotenoids to ethnic differences in T2D suggests that a focus on increasing fruit and vegetable intake alone will not likely eliminate ethnic differences in T2D prevalence.

The objective was to evaluate maternal Mediterranean diet (MD) pattern adherence during pregnancy and its association with small for gestational age (SGA) and preterm birth. A secondary objective of the current study was to describe the sociodemographic, lifestyle and obstetric profile of the mothers studied as well as the most relevant paternal and newborn characteristics.

The current study is a two-phase retrospective population-based study of maternal dietary habits during pregnancy and their effect on newborn size and prematurity. The descriptive first phase examined maternal dietary habits during pregnancy along with the maternal sociodemographic, lifestyle and obstetric profile in a cross-sectional period study. In the second phase, newborn outcomes were evaluated in a nested case–control study. Adherence to MD during pregnancy was measured with the Spanish version of Kidmed index.

Obstetrics ward of the La Fe Hospital in Valencia.

All mother–child pairs admitted after delivery during a 12-month period starting from January 2018 were assessed for eligibility. A total of 1118 provided complete outcome data after signing informed consent.

14·5 % met the criteria of poor adherence (PA); 34·8 %, medium adherence (MA); and 50·7 %, optimal adherence (OA). Medium adherence to MD was associated in the adjusted scenarios with a higher risk of giving birth to a preterm newborn. No association was found between MD adherence and SGA.

Early intervention programmes geared towards pregnant women, where women were aided in reaching OA to MD, might reduce the risk of preterm newborn.