To estimate the phytate intake and molar ratio of phytate to zinc in the diet of the people in the United Kingdom.

Tables of the phytate content of foods were developed from twenty-eight published and unpublished studies. They were then applied to the nutrient databank of the National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS). The study is a retrospective analysis of data on daily consumption of foods and drinks from the NDNS of children, adolescents, adults and the elderly based on 4–7 d weighed intakes.

A total of 6786 British participants aged 1·5 years and above, who participated in the NDNS, 1992–2001.

England, Scotland and Wales.

The median daily intakes of phytate for children, adolescents, adults and the elderly population were 496, 615, 809 and 629 mg/d, respectively. Although there were differences in phytate intakes between men and women, and for children, adolescents and elderly populations, after adjusting for differences in energy intake, there was no significant variation. The median phytate-to-zinc molar ratios for children, adolescents, adults and the elderly population were 11·8, 10·4, 9·7 and 8·7, respectively. Overall, the main sources of phytate were cereal and cereal products (e.g. breakfast cereals and breads), vegetables, potatoes and savoury snacks (e.g. chips and crisps), hot drinks and miscellaneous foods (e.g. commercial toddler foods and drinks, chocolate and soups), fruits and nuts.

The present study estimated the dietary intake of phytate and the phytate-to-zinc molar ratio of the diet of the UK population, which can be used for estimating the average requirement of zinc. Further research should focus on the completion and validation of the tables of phytate content of UK foods, to assess (and if necessary improve) the accuracy and precision of these findings.

Although there is growing awareness of the impact of diet on health, little attention has been given to the food available in our sports stadia. We used a football club (Citygrene FC) – Citygrene is a fictional name – in the English Premier League as a case study to examine the attitudes of male and female football supporters to the food and drink available at their home stadium (Citygrene Stadium).

The research design used five focus groups of male and female fans. The discourse was audiotaped, transcribed, coded and analysed for themes.

A football stadium in the English Premier League, England.

The participants were season ticket holders drawn from two stands at Citygrene Stadium.

The research showed a high level of dissatisfaction with the food and drink supplied. There were key differences in the views of the male and female participants in the focus groups, with the women more concerned about wider issues such as the lack of healthy food. Both men and women were aware of their role as consumers and felt that there was an opportunity for Citygrene to improve their catering profits, if they provided a better selection of food and drink and an improved service.

The study shows that there is a demand for healthier food options (and a wider choice of food and drink in general), which may provide an economic opportunity for stadium and catering managers. In addition, a stadium may be considered a potential ‘healthy setting’, which can serve as a supportive environment for healthier food choices.

To examine the associations of perceived physical environmental factors (availability of physical activity (PA) attributes at home, PA facilities in the neighbourhood, neighbourhood pleasantness and safety) and social environmental factors (parental sports behaviour and parental rule regarding sports participation) with adolescent leisure-time sports participation, and to explore whether the associations found were mediated by individual cognitions as derived from the theory of planned behaviour (TPB).

Cross-sectional study.

In schoolyear 2005/2006 adolescents from seventeen schools in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, completed a questionnaire during school hours that included self-reported measures of leisure-time sports participation, perceived physical environmental factors and TPB variables. Information about parental sports behaviour and parental rule was obtained from a questionnaire that was completed by one parent of the adolescents.

Data were collected from 584 adolescent–parent combinations.

Data were analysed with multi-level logistic regression analyses. Availability of PA attributes at home (OR = 1·26), parents’ sports behaviour (OR = 2·03) and parental rule (OR = 1·64) were associated with a higher likelihood of adolescents’ leisure-time sports participation. These associations were partly mediated by attitude and intention.

Adolescents were more likely to engage in leisure-time sports when PA attributes were available at home, when parents participated in sports activities and had a rule about their offspring participation in sports activities. These associations were partly mediated by attitude and intention. These results suggest that parents can importantly promote sports participation among their offspring by making sports activities accessible and a family routine.

To explore the relationship between children and their parents in terms of various anthropometric parameters and obesity-related hormone levels and to identify early indicators for child obesity.

Cross-sectional observational study.

Urban areas of Korea in 2005.

A total 124 families with 7-year-old children participated. Anthropometric and blood biochemistry data and information concerning the children’s lifestyles, dietary habits and parental and grandparental weight status were obtained.

The mean values for all anthropometric parameters were greater in overweight children than in children of normal weight. Very close relationships existed between the anthropometric parameters of children and their parents. Children with two overweight parents showed the highest odds for being overweight (OR 7·62). The strong relationship between overweight children and grandparental and parental overweight, especially on the maternal side, suggests gender differences in the intergenerational transmission of body weight. We also noted a greater risk of being overweight in children with a parent with high serum leptin level.

Grandparental and parental weight status and parental serum leptin levels enable us to identify childhood obesity at an early age and may help to counter the current epidemic of adult obesity.

To investigate the relationships between weight reduction behaviour among non-overweight schoolchildren and dietary habits, perception of health, well-being and health complaints.

Analysis of the 2006 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children survey, a cross-sectional study involving schoolchildren aged 10–17 years.

Schools in the Republic of Ireland.

The proportion of children (n 3599) engaged in weight reduction behaviour (‘dieting’ among non-overweight students) was 10·3 %. Older children, females and those from higher social classes (SC) were more likely to report such behaviour. Non-overweight schoolchildren who reported weight reduction behaviour were less likely than those not engaged in such behaviour to frequently consume sweets, soft drinks, crisps and chips/fried potatoes (OR from 0·39 (95 % CI 0·17, 0·89) to 0·72 (95 % CI 0·53, 0·99)); were more likely to consume diet soft drinks (OR 1·50 (95 % CI 1·03, 2·18); and were more likely to miss breakfast during the week (OR 0·62 (95 % CI 0·48, 0·80). The risk of subjective health complaints increased (OR from 1·47 (95 % CI 1·13, 1·91) to 1·92 (95 % CI 1·48, 2·49)); as did body dissatisfaction (OR 9·17 (95 % CI 6·99, 12·02)), while perception of health and well-being decreased (OR 0·47 (95 % CI 0·36, 0·61)) to 0·54 (95 % CI 0·41, 0·70)). All analyses were controlled for age, gender and SC.

Weight reduction behaviour among non-overweight schoolchildren is associated with considerable risk to physical health and emotional well-being. Since the risks associated with such behaviour varies by weight status, health professionals and researchers need to consider these issues in parallel.

To assess feeding practices of infants born to HIV-positive women in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. These data then served as a proxy to evaluate the adequacy of current infant feeding counselling.

A cross-sectional survey of infant feeding behaviours.

Four clinics in greater Dar es Salaam in early 2008.

A total of 196 HIV-positive mothers of children aged 6–10 months recruited from HIV clinics.

Initiation of breast-feeding was reported by 95·4 % of survey participants. In the entire sample, 80·1 %, 34·2 % and 13·3 % of women reported exclusive breast-feeding (EBF) up to 2, 4 and 6 months, respectively. Median duration of EBF among women who ever breast-fed was 3 (interquartile range (IQR): 2·1, 4·0) months. Most non-breast-milk foods fed to infants were low in nutrient density. Complete cessation of breast-feeding occurred within 14 d of the introduction of non-breast-milk foods among 138 of the 187 children (73·8 %) who had ever received any breast milk. Of the 187 infants in the study who ever received breast milk, 19·4 % received neither human milk nor any replacement milks for 1 week or more (median duration of no milk was 14 (IQR: 7, 152) d).

Infant feeding practices among these HIV-positive mothers resulted in infants receiving far less breast milk and more mixed complementary feeds than recommended, thus placing them at greater risk of both malnutrition and HIV infection. An environment that better enables mothers to follow national guidelines is urgently needed. More intensive infant feeding counselling programmes would very likely increase rates of optimal infant feeding.

We examined factors affecting compliance to antenatal micronutrient supplementation and women’s perceptions of supplement use.

Randomized controlled supplementation trial of four alternative combinations of micronutrients given during pregnancy through to 3 months postpartum. Women were visited twice weekly to monitor compliance and to replenish tablets by female study workers. At 6 weeks postpartum women with live births (n 4096) were interviewed regarding their perceptions of the supplement. Median compliance calculated as percentage of total eligible doses received by women was high (84 %).

Rural southern Nepal.

Pregnant women.

Women with high compliance (above the median of 84 %) were likely to be older, less educated, poorer, undernourished, belong to lower caste and of Pahadi (hill) ethnicity compared with women with low compliance (at or below the median of 84 %). Smoking and drinking alcohol in the past week during pregnancy were strongly associated with low compliance. The major reason for irregular intake was forgetting to take supplements. A higher proportion of the high compliers liked taking the supplements but only half of them were willing to purchase them in the future. A large proportion of women (91 %) perceived a benefit from taking the supplement such as improved strength and health, whereas only about 10 % perceived any side-effects which were not a major barrier to compliance.

The present analysis highlights that poor, undernourished, uneducated women can have high compliance to antenatal supplementation if they are supplied with the tablets and reminded to take them regularly, and counselled about side-effects.

The estimation of dietary intake in population-based studies is often assessed by the FFQ. The objective of our study is to evaluate the validity of an FFQ used to assess dietary fatty acid intake among middle-aged Chinese adults in Southern China.

The method of triads was applied to obtain the validity coefficients (VC) of the FFQ for specific fatty acids. A subsample was randomly selected from an earlier cross-sectional study. The FFQ and 3d dietary records were used for dietary assessment, and the fatty acid composition of erythrocyte membranes was determined as the biomarker.

The Spearman correlation coefficients between the FFQ and 3d dietary records were moderate to good (r = 0·28–0·66). The VC of the FFQ estimated by the method of triads were 0·72, 0·61, 0·65, 0·75 and 0·67 for MUFA, total n-6 fatty acids, α-linolenic acid, EPA and DHA, respectively. The VC could not be calculated for SFA, PUFA and total n-3 fatty acids because of negative correlations among the three measurements. But, the correlations between the FFQ and the dietary records were moderate for these fatty acids.

Our FFQ applied in Southern Chinese adults was valid to estimate their dietary fatty acid intake and was thus suitable for use in a large cohort study.

To estimate the dietary intake of total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and benzo(a)pyrene (BaP), and to characterise factors associated with higher intake during pregnancy. Recent studies suggest that prenatal exposure to PAH is associated with adverse reproductive outcomes. Other than tobacco smoke and occupational exposures, diet is the main source of human PAH exposure.

Prospective birth cohort study. Dietary exposure to total PAH and BaP was calculated combining food consumption data and estimated PAH concentrations in foods. One-way ANOVA was used to assess differences in intake among non-smokers, passive or active smokers. Linear regression was used to assess factors related to higher intake, and associations between dietary PAH and birth weight.

Sabadell, Spain, 2004–2006.

Women (n 657) recruited during the first trimester of pregnancy.

The mean dietary intake of BaP and total PAH was significantly higher among active (0·199 and 10·207 μg/d, respectively) and passive smokers (0·196 and 9·458 μg/d) than among non-smokers (0·181 and 8·757 μg/d; P value < 0·005). Maternal age, educational level and region of origin were also associated with higher BaP intake. In all women, major contributors to PAH intake were processed/cured meats, cereals/potatoes and shellfish. Elevated first trimester dietary BaP was associated with a significant reduction in birth weight (fourth v. first quartile: β = −142·73 g, P value < 0·05).

Active and passive smokers had higher dietary PAH exposure during pregnancy because of higher intake of processed meats and shellfish. As tobacco smoke is an additional route of PAH exposure, the added dietary burden in these women is of concern.

To evaluate the effectiveness of the peer counselling (PC) programme on breast-feeding initiation among participants in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) in Missouri, and to identify factors that facilitate breast-feeding initiation.

We used the data from the 2006 Missouri Pregnancy Nutrition Surveillance System, Missouri Live Birth Records and the Missouri WIC programme to compare breast-feeding initiation rates between PC and non-PC agencies. We used multilevel logistic regression, with individual participants being nested within agencies, to control for individual- and agency-level characteristics.

The breast-feeding initiation rate in PC agencies was significantly higher than in non-PC agencies among prenatal participants, but the difference was not significant among postpartum participants. After controlling for maternal sociodemographic characteristics, compared with prenatal cases in non-PC agencies, prenatal cases in PC agencies were more likely to initiate breast-feeding (OR = 1·21; 95 % CI 1·03, 1·43), whereas postpartum cases were less likely to initiate breast-feeding. Among prenatal participants in PC agencies, longer duration of prenatal WIC enrolment was associated with a higher rate of breast-feeding initiation. After adjusting for maternal sociodemographic characteristics and other agency-level characteristics, participants of PC agencies with an international board-certified lactation consultant were more likely to initiate breast-feeding than participants of PC agencies without such a consultant (OR = 1·21; 95 % CI 1·01, 1·45).

Prenatal participation in the WIC breast-feeding PC programme (especially participation early during pregnancy) was associated with an increased rate of breast-feeding initiation in Missouri.

Eating habits of Finns have improved dramatically in 40 years. The proportion of fat in the diet has decreased and vegetable and fruit consumption increased. Knowledge of Finnish young men’s dietary habits is limited. The aim was to assess food choices and quality of diet among young men and to analyse how background and health behaviour factors explain it.

In 2007, data on eating habits, sociodemographic background factors and health behaviours of 17–21-year-old men (n 2905) entering military service were collected by self-administrated questionnaire. Two indexes – core food index (CFI) and extra food index (EFI) – were formed to describe daily and redundant snacking-type eating, respectively. Associations of background factors and health behaviours on the indexes were analysed by general linear modelling.

In all, 13 % consumed fruits and berries daily and 8 % consumed vegetables, whereas 24 % consumed pizza and 19 % consumed hamburgers more than once a week. CFI increased with educational level (P < 0·001) and was explained by background and health behaviour (smoking, physical activity and eating breakfast). EFI was inversely associated with BMI (P < 0·001) and explained by health behaviour: (smoking, physical activity, drinking beer and eating breakfast).

These results indicate that in early adulthood, eating habits cluster with other health behaviours among men. In this age group, education is associated with core food but not with extra food eating habits. Furthermore, seasonal variation is seen in both types of eating. When promoting healthy eating, a distinction between core foods and extra foods by using feasible indexes will be helpful in targeting the efforts.

To examine whether television viewing, computer game playing or book reading during meals predicts meal skipping with the aim of watching television, playing computer games or reading books (media meal skipping).

A cross-sectional study was conducted using a standardized self-administered questionnaire. Analyses were controlled for age, gender and BMI.

Data were obtained from a random sample of adolescents in Flanders, Belgium.

Seven hundred and ten participants aged 12, 14 and 16 years.

Of the participants, 11·8 % skipped meals to watch television, 10·5 % skipped meals to play computer games and 8·2 % skipped meals to read books. Compared with those who did not use these media during meals, the risk of skipping meals in order to watch television was significantly higher for those children who watched television during meals (2·9 times higher in those who watched television during at least one meal a day). The risk of skipping meals for computer game playing was 9·5 times higher in those who played computer games weekly or more while eating, and the risk of meal skipping in order to read books was 22·9 times higher in those who read books during meals less than weekly. The more meals the respondents ate with the entire family, the less likely they were to skip meals to watch television.

The use of media during meals predicts meal skipping for using that same medium. Family meals appear to be inversely related to meal skipping for television viewing.

The purpose of the study was to test the moderating influence of two risk factors, maternal depression and socio-economic status (SES), on the association between authoritarian and permissive parenting styles and child obesity.

Correlational, cross-sectional study. Parenting style was measured with the Parenting Styles and Dimensions Questionnaire (PSDQ). Maternal depression was measured using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). BMI-for-age percentile was used to categorize children by weight status (children with BMI-for-age ≥95th percentile were classified as obese). SES was computed from parent education and occupational status using the four-factor Hollingshead index.

Rural public schools in a mid-western state in the USA.

One hundred and seventy-six mothers of first-grade children (ninety-one boys, eighty-five girls) enrolled in rural public schools.

Both maternal depression and SES were found to moderate the permissive parenting style/child obesity association, but not the authoritarian/child obesity association. For depressed mothers, but not for non-depressed mothers, more permissive parenting was predictive of child obesity. Similarly more permissive parenting was predictive of child obesity among higher SES mothers, but not for lower SES mothers.

Maternal depression and SES interact with permissive parenting style to predict child obesity. Future research should examine the relationship among these variables using a longitudinal design.

To our knowledge, only a few Iranian studies have investigated factors associated with obesity among men. The aims of the present study were to explore the associations between sociodemographic factors, smoking and obesity in Iranian men and compare these associations between Iranian men and women.

We used data from the National Health Survey in Iran. A generalised estimating equations model included 11 697 men and 14 854 women aged 20–69 years (12 850 households). Body weight and height were objectively measured. BMI was calculated as kg/m2, and subjects were classified into obese (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2) and non-obese (BMI < 30 kg/m2).

Among men, adjusted obesity OR were 0·62 (95 % CI 0·52, 0·74), 1·09 (95 % CI 0·90, 1·32), 1·003 (95 % CI 1·00, 1·007) and 0·57 (95 % CI 0·40, 0·81) for smokers, married, economic index and active workforce groups, respectively. Using low education as the reference group, the obesity OR for men were 1·06 (95 % CI 0·89, 1·26) and 0·75 (95 % CI 0·57, 0·99) for the moderate and high education groups, respectively. Using rural as the reference group, the obesity OR was 1·87 (95 % CI 1·56, 2·26) for urban men.

Our findings may point towards a better understanding of the social and cultural mechanisms of obesity in Iranian men. The above sociodemographic factors are large contributors to obesity and provide the greatest opportunity for actions and interventions designed for prevention and treatment.

To study the demographic and clinical parameters of three different categories of obesity, with particular focus on a cohort of individuals with BMI ≥ 50 kg/m2, the fastest growing category of obesity.

Over 700 obese individuals were studied (186 with BMI = 30–39 kg/m2, 316 with BMI = 40–49 kg/m2 and 290 with BMI ≥ 50 kg/m2).

Median BMI was 51 kg/m2 for patients who reported onset of overweight before 15 years of age, 47 kg/m2 for patients who reported onset between 15 and 30 years, and 42 kg/m2 for patients who became overweight after 30 years of age. The BMI ≥ 50 kg/m2 group was notably younger than the group with BMI = 30–39 kg/m2 (44 (sd 11) years v. 50 (sd 15) years; P < 0·0001). Eighteen per cent of obese patients studied were considered metabolically healthy according to standard cut-off points for blood pressure, fasting glucose and lipid profiles. However, the proportion of metabolically healthy individuals was significantly higher in the BMI = 30–39 kg/m2 group than in the BMI = 40–49 kg/m2 and BMI ≥ 50 kg/m2 groups (31 % v. 17 % and 12 % respectively; P < 0·05 and P < 0·005). When compared with people of similar age in the general population, individuals with BMI ≥ 50 kg/m2 had lower rates of marriage (51 % v. 72 %) and a higher prevalence of unemployment (14 % v. 5 %).

The current study suggests that the increasing prevalence of childhood obesity worldwide will lead to many more individuals achieving a higher BMI at a younger age. Furthermore, an earlier onset of overweight does not appear to prevent the adverse metabolic health outcomes associated with extreme obesity.

Parents may influence children’s fruit and vegetable (F&V) consumption in many ways, but research has focused primarily on counterproductive parenting practices, such as restriction and pressure to eat. The present study aimed to assess the association of diverse parenting practices to promote F&V and its consumption among pre-school children.

An exploratory analysis was performed on cross-sectional data from 755 Head Start pre-school children and their parents collected in 2004–5. Data included parent practices to facilitate child F&V consumption (grouped into five categories); parent-reported dietary intake of their child over 3 d; and a number of potential correlates. K-means cluster analysis assigned parents to groups with similar use of the food parenting practice categories. Stepwise linear regression analyses investigated the association of parent clusters with children’s consumption of F&V, after controlling for potential confounding factors.

A three-cluster solution provided the best fit (R2 = 0·62), with substantial differences in the use of parenting practices. The clusters were labelled Indiscriminate Food Parenting, Non-directive Food Parenting and Low-involved Food Parenting. Non-directive parents extensively used enhanced availability and teachable moments’ practices, but less firm discipline practices than the other clusters, and were significantly associated with child F&V intake (standardized β = 0·09, P < 0·1; final model R2 = 0·17) after controlling for confounders, including parental feeding styles.

Parents use a variety of parenting practices, beyond pressuring to eat and restrictive practices, to promote F&V intake in their young child. Evaluating the use of combinations of practices may provide a better understanding of parental influences on children’s F&V intake.

To modify the self-administered, short version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) for adults to be used in the elderly (aged 65 years and above), and to validate this modified IPAQ for the elderly (IPAQ-E).

A direct validity study using accelerometer-measured physical activity (PA) as the criterion measure, and an indirect criterion validity study using high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) as a biological marker of activity.

Organisations for retired persons in Sweden.

The direct validity study consisted of fifty-four participants and the indirect criterion validity study consisted of 359 participants. All participants were retired persons (66–91 years) living independently.

All self-reported activity domains (sitting, walking, moderate and vigorous) were positively correlated with the corresponding variable objectively assessed by an accelerometer (ρ = 0·277–0·471), but a systematic error was observed. The specificity of IPAQ-E to identify low-active participants was 85 %, and the sensitivity to identify the more active participants was 81 %. A main effect of IPAQ-E category (Low, Moderate or High) was observed for hs-CRP (P = 0·041).

We found this modified version of IPAQ, the IPAQ-E, to be well accepted by our sample of socially active elderly. It provided acceptable estimates of PA, well in line with other questionnaires, even though it had a systematic error. The IPAQ-E was able to identify an expected response of a biomarker (hs-CRP) to PA. We recommend the use of the IPAQ-E to classify participants aged 65 years and above into PA categories, to rank individuals or to identify individuals meeting certain PA criteria.

The current study examined proxy efficacy, which was defined as youth’s confidence to influence their parents to provide fruits and vegetables. The overall objective was to examine change in middle-school youth’s proxy efficacy over time, and to determine if changes were moderated by gender and socio-economic status.

Longitudinal cohort nested within schools.

Eight middle schools located in urban, suburban and rural areas of a mid-western US state.

Seven hundred and twelve youth followed across their 6th, 7th and 8th grade years. The sample was 51·8 % female, 30·5 % low socio-economic status and 89·5 % Caucasian, non-Hispanic.

Males and lower socio-economic status youth were significantly lower in proxy efficacy at each assessment year compared with females and high socio-economic youth, respectively.

Proxy efficacy to influence parents to provide fruits and vegetables may be an important construct to target in future interventions.

Magazines targeted at children under 12 years old are growing in popularity; past studies have asserted that food items are rarely exposed, but methodological issues may have covered the true extent of covert promotion. The primary purpose of the present study was to quantify the nature and extent of the promotion of branded food products in Australian children’s magazines.

We conducted a content analysis of possible food promotions in seven top-selling Australian children’s magazines published in 2005. In addition to regular food advertisements, the number of advertisements for premiums, editorials, puzzles or games, competitions and branded non-food promotions by food companies was recorded. Category frequencies are reported with a detailed description of the promotions present during September 2005.

Only fifty-eight out of the 444 items identified could be classed as regular food advertisements. Several advertisements appeared to be in breach of codes regarding advertising to children and premiums.

The pervasiveness of covert food marketing in the present study was contrary to previous findings and raises questions about the effectiveness of legal restrictions and self-regulation of advertising in protecting children from commercial food messages that may not be regarded as advertising.