This thesis reports findings of a biocultural study of the growth and nutrition of children attending schools in rural Ontario, Canada. The objectives of the research were fourfold: (I) to evaluate the growth and nutrition status of a sample of rural Canadian schoolchildren; (2) to explore the school context of children· s nutrition; (3) to build knowledge useful for the development and implementation of nutrition policy and programs; and ( 4) to conduct nutrition workshops with children and parents in school and community settings. Methods: Measures of height and weight were obtained for 504 children ages 7-13 years. Height for age and body mass index scores were calculated and compared with 2000 data from the Centers for Disease Control (Kuczmarski et al. 2002). Weekday 24-hour dietary recall was conducted on a subsample of 352 children and the results compared with Canada's Food Guide (Health Canada 1997) and dietary reference data from the US Institute of Medicine (2000). Focus groups were conducted with 144 schoolchildren ages 8-13 years. Open-ended questions were used to encourage students to describe the physical and social environments in which they consume school snacks and lunches. Results: Prevalence of overweight and obesity were high in this sample, with 17.7% of children classified as overweight and 10.9% of children classified as obese. Fifteen percent of boys were classified as obese, compared to 6.8% of girls. Boys consumed significantly more servings from the grain and meat food groups than girls. While mean daily intake of fiber and micronutrients was significantly low for both boys and girls, there were significant gender differences in nutrient intake. with boys consuming greater energy. protein. carbohydrate, calcium, iron, phosphorus, and sodium than girls. The results of focus group analysis suggest that a wide range ofrules and restrictions are imposed on children's activities during school meals. The majority of these rules govern the physical location. movement. and social interaction of students, suggesting a significant degree of institutionalized control over children's bodies and interactions. Few ofthe rules and restrictions were perceived by children to relate to their nutrition or health. And the imposition of these rules and restrictions occurs in a gendered fashion, creating a gendered climate in which school and societal stereotypes about boys· and girls' behaviour are normalized. In addition, food rewards constitute an important avenue for the communication of values and norms around food and children· s behaviour. Discussion: The results of the present study describe high prevalence ofoverweight in both boys and girls. This finding is consistent with data on childhood obesity in other rural North American settings, where socioeconomic factors such as income, employment and education contribute to elevated obesity risk in both adults and children. In addition, children in this sample are generally consuming less than optimal servings from the four food groups outlined in Canada's Food Guide to Healthy Eating (Health Canada l 997). resulting in widespread nutritional inadequacies. Interventions for this population ofrural children should target overall dietary inadequacies and replacement of existing caloric intake with nutrient-rich foods from across all four food groups. Boys have higher obesity prevalence and consume significantly greater levels ofdietary energy and nutrients than girls. This finding is less common in the literature on child nutrition and may be evidence of gendered dietary patterns in this rural population. In addition, the results of focus group analysis indicate that educators and health workers need to be cognizant that school-based programs and policies aimed at decreasing childhood obesity prevalence occur in a wider context ofinstitutional rules and practices that communicate powerful messages about food and children· s bodies. Based on a biocultural analysis that examines biological outcomes in the context ofsocial processes, the present study sheds light on factors in the school environment that impact child nutrition. It also offers new directions for investigation into the tractability of schoolchildren· s eating behaviours, which constrain public health approaches to obesity prevention programs in schools. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

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In saline soils, which are characterized by an appreciable quantity of neutral soluble salts, plant growth is adversely affected due to the increase in osmotic pressure and the consequent decrease in the physiological availability of water. In addition, growth may also be restricted through the accumulation of toxic quantities of various ions within the plant.

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Thesis is focused on comparison of dietary mixtures used in the nutriton of sterlet. While there are no special diets for sturgeons used in Czech Republic, I compared two mostly used trout dietary mixtures, which are used in sterlet nutrition. Feeding experiment was held in fish-hatchery Mydlovary, the aim was to find out differences in gain in weight, mortality and growth equability and to set feeding coefficients (SGR, RGR, FCR, FCE).