Over the last 30 years Bahrain has witnessed remarkable economic growth and social development. This has resulted in tremendous changes in the dietary habits and lifestyle of the population and consequently increased levels of obesity. A cross-sectional study involving a representative sample of 506 Bahraini adolescents (249 males and 257 females), aged 12 to 17 years, was carried out to estimate the prevalence of obesity, its contributing factors and relationship to the risk of developing high blood pressure. The sample was selected, using a multi-stage random sampling technique, from intermediate and secondary schools in Bahrain. Data was collected using anthropometric measurements, blood pressure measurement and a self-administered questionnaire. A separate case control study, which included a sample of obese and non-obese adolescents, was carried out to investigate the relationship between adolescents' obesity and the family environment. Twenty one percent of the male and 35% of the female participants were obese using the WHO criteria for obesity in adolescents. A distinct sexual dimorphism in the accumulation of body fat during adolescence was observed. Thirty two percent of the boys and 60% of the girls had a percentage body fat at or exceeding the high-risk threshold for fatness, according to the currently accepted criteria. Systolic blood pressure, waist circumference and waist-hip ratio were all positively associated with body fatness. Multivariate analysis showed that higher levels of mother's education, frequent snacking and distress eating were all independent factors associated with an increased risk of obesity. Factors associated with a reduced risk of obesity included playing sport outside school, walking or cycling to school and eating meals with the family. Among the family environment variables, parental obesity and history of diabetes; mother's lifestyle variables, namely physical exercise and hours of television viewing, were all found to be independently related to risk of obesity in the Bahraini teenagers. Mother's degree of control over child's eating was strongly and indirectly related to risk of obesity in the adolescents. Breastfeeding, birthweight and availability and accessibility of high calorie foods in the house did not appear to be associated with adolescents' obesity. Eighteen percent of boys and 10% of girls had high blood pressure. BMI, percent body fat and waist circumference were all significantly and positively associated with a risk of having elevated blood pressure. Approximately 30% of the adolescents underestimated their current weight and about 40% thought that their parents/peers would consider them to be leaner than they actually were. More than half of the girls and about one third of the boys expressed discontent with their current body weight. Lifestyle changes and nutrition transition associated with economic development in Bahrain has increased risk of obesity among adolescents, a characteristic now evident in most countries in the Arab Gulf Region. This study provides an insight into the various determinants of this epidemic and will help to initiate public health strategies to deal with this increasing burden on health in the region.

No description available.

Thesis (M Med (Family Medicine))--University of Limpopo (Medunsa Campus), 2010. / Introduction: Diabetes Mellitus still remains an important non- communicable disease globally. The burden of the disease continues to rise even in the sub-Saharan Africa. Aim: The study aimed to assess and describe the dietary practices and the prevalence of obesity among type 2 diabetic patients seen at Scott Hospital. Methods: A descriptive cross- sectional study was conducted among type 2 diabetic patients at Scott Hospital, Morija, Lesotho. A simple random sample of 50 participants was selected and each completed an interviewer administered questionnaire. The administration of the questionnaire was done by the researcher and a research assistant. Socio- demographic characteristics of the participants were obtained, anthropometric measurements were height and weight of each participant with subsequent determination of the BMI. Dietary intake was assessed using questions from a modified food frequency questionnaire of 16 food groups that reflect the commonest food items available. Results: The results showed that 86% (43/50) of the participants were females and 14% (7/50) were males with a female: male ratio of 6:1. The majority (72%) were above age 50 years and with regards to educational status, 62% had primary school education as the highest level attained. Four percent (4%) had no formal education. Fifty percent (50%) of the participants were unemployed. The mean weight of the participants was 84.22 ± 13.51 kg and the mean height was 157.76 ± 6.10 cm. The mean BMI was 33.97 ± 4.99 kg/m². Seventy-eight percent (38/50) of the participants were obese, and 14% (7/50) of the participants who were females, were morbidly obese with BMIs ≥ 40kg/m². The prevalence of obesity when stratified by gender showed that 57% (4/7) of male participants and 81% (35/43) of female participants were obese. According to the dietary assessments, food groups with the highest reported consumption per unit per month were; maize meals, breakfast-cereals and bread respectively. Conclusion: The study showed a predominantly female and elderly population of type 2 diabetics at Scott Hospital, Morija, Lesotho. The prevalence of obesity was high (78%) among the participants and this further supports the view that obesity is a major risk factor for type 2 diabetes. Reported dietary intake showed a higher consumption of carbohydrates and a very low intake of dietary fibre as represented by legumes. Keywords: Type 2 diabetes mellitus, dietary habits and obesity.

Background: Between 1977 and 2002, the per capita intake of caloric beverages doubled in the United States, with most recent data from 2005–2006 showing that children and adults consume about 172 and 175 kcal daily, respectively, from sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) (Brownell et al., 2009). Also, a high intake of SSB has been related to many adverse health outcomes including type 2 diabetes, obesity, dental carries and heart disease (Malik, Schulze, & Hu, 2006; Vartanian, Schwartz, & Brownell, 2007; Schulze et al., 2004; Ismail, Sohn, Lim, & Willem, 2009; Fung et al., 2009); however, few studies have explored factors that influence SSB consumption. In addition, no theory-based interventions have been implemented targeting this public health problem. Objective: The primary objective of this study was to apply the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) (Ajzen, 1991) to investigate culturally specific attitudes, subjective norms and behavioral capabilities related to SSB, water, and artificially sweetened drink consumption among adults residing in rural Southwest Virginia. In addition, programmatic issues related to implementation of SSB interventions, including small group sessions and interactive voice response (IVR) technology was explored. Methods: A total of 8 focus groups were completed with 54 participants. Each focus group took place with residents from one of the 11 identified rural Southwest Virginia counties. Four focus groups included individuals on city water and four contained residents on well water to investigate any discrepancies in attitudes, norms and perceived behavioral control related to the intake of various drinks. Participants needed to be at least 18 years of age, English speaking, and consume >1 cup of SSB per day. A semi-structured script guided by the TPB constructs was used to facilitate the focus group discussions. All focus groups were transcribed verbatim. Two researchers independently reviewed the transcripts and met to identify major themes and develop a coding system. Three researchers independently coded meaning units (MU) to the major themes and subsequently met to review codes and reconcile disagreements. Results: The most notable themes that emerged included taste (n= 161 MU), availability/convenience (n= 95 MU), cost (n= 28 MU), and habit/addiction (n= 57 MU). Participants also continuously emphasized the importance of their doctor's advice and health concerns on their beverage choices. The majority of the participants (n=27 MU) indicated they would be willing to participate in a program with three small group sessions and phone calls, yet when asked specifically about receiving multiple interactive voice technology telephone messages, most participants said that they would not be receptive to an automated message (n=21 MU). Conclusions: Collectively, these findings provide unique cultural insight to better understand the salient beliefs associated with beverage behaviors and helps inform intervention development and delivery in the targeted vulnerable region of Southwest Virginia. / Master of Science

College is a time of emerging identity and habit formation for students. One hundred and sixty-two (162) college students were surveyed via an internet based survey. The survey asked questions regarding dietary habits such as consumption of dairy, vegetables, fruit, and protein. The survey also examined dietary knowledge such as ability to read food labels. The students were divided into two groups for analysis, nutrition majors and non-nutrition majors. The two groups differed in Body Mass Index (BMI) (p=0.004), but not nutrition knowledge (p=0.082). The nutrition students had an average BMI of 22.0+/-2.42 and a nutrition knowledge score of 2.44+/-0.60, while the non-nutrition majors had an average BMI of 23.9+/-4.50 and a knowledge score of 2.22+/-0.55.

Weight gain affects all living beings and excessive weight gain can lead to obesity and comorbidities linked to obesity. In order to better understand how the college student population gains weight and increase in BMI, data collected under the Council of Environment and Dietary Activity (CEDA) at Texas A&M University was examined and analyzed in order to understand how physical activity, sedentary behavior, and dietary activity affect weight gain or weight loss. The college population was divided into BMI categories, gender, and where they lived on campus at Texas A&M University. The data shows that physical activity was associated with loss of weight and BMI in females. Sedentary behavior was associated with weight gain in males but also weight loss in females. Meat consumption was associated with weight gain in males. Fish consumption was associated with weight loss in females. Pastries consumption was associated with weight gain in females. Physical activity appeared to have a stronger effect on weight than dietary behavior even though both can interact to affect weight for females. Speed of service and location have a significant effect on where students would eat. In conclusion, physical activity and sedentary activity have an effect on weight and BMI. Diet can also have an effect on weight and BMI. More specifically, sugar snacks affect weight in females and meat affects weight and BMI in males. However, physical activity appears to have a larger on weight and BMI than diet. Location also affects where a student will eat.

Abstract This study focuses on the clinical use of laser fluorescence compared to visual inspection (VI) for detecting and monitoring the progress of caries lesions during a one-year follow-up period and for screening subjects with unfavourable dietary habits causing demineralization of teeth. The effect of professional cleaning on laser fluorescence was also studied. The study groups were comprised of schoolchildren (n = 259), and altogether 3 651 occlusal tooth surfaces were examined visually and by using laser fluorescence. Laser fluorescence was found to be useful as an adjunct to visual inspection in detecting dental caries lesions during routine dental check-ups. The variation of laser fluorescence values in each visual category excludes its use as a primary or only method for caries detection. It rather functions as an alarm for a closer or more thorough examination. In addition, it can be a useful tool when deciding on the intervention method and the length of the recall-interval. The best cut-off point for considering operative intervention was found to be 30/99. Laser fluorescence was also found to be useful in monitoring lesion progression. Monitoring can be done through clear sealants. High laser fluorescence values (> 20) of sound tooth surfaces may predict decaying within a period of one year. Professional cleaning increased laser fluorescence values of molars, especially second molars. The increase was significant in molars with a visual score of > 0 or when visually detected initial and dentinal caries lesions were included. Professional cleaning was most efficient when using only a rubber cup and water spray without paste. A computer-based questionnaire on dietary habits was used to evaluate the cariogenity of children's dietary habits. The laser fluorescence values of tooth surfaces of children with harmful dietary habits were found to be higher than among children with favourable dietary habits. Laser fluorescence can be used for screening children whose current dietary habits may harm their teeth.

African American women are suffering from high rates of debilitating illnesses and diseases. Over 50% of African American women are obese; close to 44% of African American women have hypertension or are taking medication for high blood pressure; 4.1% of African American women have had a stroke; and 12.4% of African American women have diabetes. Dietary behaviors play pivotal roles in improving the health of African American women. African American women have shown consistent dietary habits that include eating foods higher in fat, and foods lower in desirable nutrient content. These dietary habits have been linked to higher prevalence of obesity, hypertension, stroke, and diabetes. The culture of African American women often includes the African American church, which is a venue that may be utilized to promote dietary interventions. Eve’s Apple Nutrition Education program was an 8-week program designed using a faith-based approach to promote healthy dietary behaviors among African American women. Program objectives were to increase lowat eating behaviors and decrease negative dietary behaviors. The program was implemented with African American women (n=38) in Little Rock, Arkansas. Data were collected from pre and post surveys, as well as a focus group survey. Paired-samples t tests determined that at eight weeks, participants significantly decreased all negative dietary behaviors (emotional eating, snacking on sweets, haphazard planning, meal skipping, cultural factors) and increased lowat eating behaviors and lowat eating styles (p<.01). These results indicate Eve’s Apple Nutrition Education Program was successful in improving dietary behaviors during the program. A focus group with eight of the participants was completed post-intervention and also indicated that the faith-base was an important component in improving dietary behaviors. For African American women, faith-based nutrition education programs provide cultural relevance, support, and are unique in specifically targeting their health and nutrition needs.

The aim of this thesis is to describe the distribution of feeding habits and dietary habits of Swedish children of different ages, to search for determinants of the observed distributions and to analyse some possible implications of those habits regarding health and growth. The present results emanate from a longitudinal study of feeding, growth and development of 312 infants and from a cross-sectional study on the dietary habits of 738 children aged 4,8 and 13 years. The dietary assessement techniques used in these epidemiological studies are evaluated (e.g. 24-hour recall, 7-day recording of food intake and dietary history technique). The infant feeding habits in three communities are described and the variation of those habits in different strata is discussed. Breastfeeding habits are analysed using multivariate techniques. The energy and nutrient intake of weaned infants aged 6 and 12 months was characterized by a good supply of most nutrients in comparison with recommended dietary allowances. The mean energy intake of the studied, normally-growing infants at 6 months was 80 per cent of the recommended intake. The growth velocity during the first three months of life for entirely breastfed infants was found to be higher than for mixed-fed or formula-fed infants. The need for a revision of present growth standards for use in breastfed populations during the first 6 months of life is discussed. An attempt was made to formulate a causal model for dental caries, including dietary factors and caries-preventive activities, and to make som quantitative interpretations from this model and the present set of data. Dietary habits associated with different short- or long-term health risks were analysed in the ages 4, 8 and 13 years. The dietary intake of iron was satisfactory and no cases of iron deficiency anaemia were found. On average 10 per cent of the daily energy intake derived from sucrose. The fat intake was characterized by a high intake of saturated fat and a low P/S ratio. Most children had a daily sodium intake above recommended levels. The prevalence of obesity differed between different social strata, especially in the oldest age group. Overweight children did not have a higher energy intake than normal-weight children. The need for a population approach to prevention in childhood of some diet-related health problems in adult life is discussed. The present dietary patterns and health of children in northern Sweden are compared with the situation 15 and 50 years ago, when nutrition surveys were performed in the same areas. / <p>[2] s., s. 1-30: sammanfattning, s. 31-103: 7 uppsatser</p> / digitalisering@umu

Bakgrund: Övervikt och fetma är ett folkhälsoproblem som sprider sig alltmer i samhället. Vida diskuterat och efterforskat så uppstår nya metoder konstant för att förhindra denna spridning. Den mängd med olika träningsformer och dieter som finns kan anses vara oändlig. I denna litteraturöversikt undersöks en träningsform, styrketräning, om denna kan vara en metod att hjälpa förhindra ytterligare spridning av övervikt och fetma. Syfte: Syftet med den här litteraturöversikten är att beskriva effekten av styrketräning som medel för viktminskning. Effekten av både styrketräning som enskild faktor och styrketräning i kombination med förbättrade kostvanor och konditionsträning kommer beskrivas. Metod: Metoden är en litteraturöversikt där tidigare forskning används för att uppnå syftet med studien. 10 artiklar har analyserats och sammanställts för att uppnå syftet.Resultat: I enstaka studier visade styrketräning ingen effekt alls i syftet att uppnå viktminskning, dock i majoriteten av artiklarna påvisades positiva resultat, ofta jämlika med andra populära träningsformer såsom konditionsträning. Bästa resultaten i syfte att uppnå viktminskning uppnåddes då styrketräning kombinerades med konditionsträning och ändrade kostvanor. Dessa resultat var dock oftast endast marginellt bättre än när de olika träningsmetoderna utfördes enskilt.Slutsats: Styrketräning som medel för viktminskning är ofta jämlikt med konditionsträning som är en av de vanligare träningsformerna för att uppnå viktminskning. Större effekt uppstår om dessa träningsmetoder kombineras med varandra och med ändrade kostvanor. Att kombinera konditionsträning med styrketräning kan vara ett starkt komplement för bryta ett monotont träningsmönster och öka motivationen. / Background: Overweight and obesity is a public health problem that is spreading in our society. Being greatly discussed and researched there is new methods being developed constantly in an attempt to hinder the spreading. The vast amount of different training programs and diets can seem endless. In this literature review a form of training, resistance training, is examined if it can be a method of hindering the spread of overweight and obesity. Aim: The aim of this literature review is to describe the effect of resistance training as a mean to achieve weight loss. The effect of both resistance training alone and resistance training combined with aerobic training and changed dietary habits will be described. Method: The method is a literature review where previous research is examined to achieve the aim of this literature review. Results: In some few articles there was no sign of any effect on weight loss using resistance training, although, in the majority of the articles there were positive results, often equal those of the more popular forms of training such as aerobic training. The best results for the cause of achieving weight loss were shown when resistance training was combined with aerobic training and changed dietary habits. These results were however only marginally better than when the different methods of training were performed individually. Conclusion: Resistance training as a mean to achieve weight loss is often equal to theuse of aerobic training, which is one of the more popular methods of training to achieve weight loss.The greatest effect is given if these training methods are combined with each other and with changed dietary habits. Combining aerobic training with resistance training can be a strong complement to break a monotonous training habit and increasing the motivation.