Parenting Styles,Food Parenting Practices and Dietary Intakes of Preschoolers

Previous evidence suggests that children’s eating behaviors were largely influenced by the parent and home eating structure. This study examined the relationship between parenting styles (including authoritative, authoritarian, indulgent, and uninvolved), food parenting practices (within Structure, Coercive Control, and Autonomy Support constructs) and dietary intakes of preschoolers. Children aged 3–5 years and their parents were recruited from preschools/daycare centers and parents completed the surveys (n = 166). Dietary intakes were collected using the Harvard Service Food Frequency Questionnaire (HSFFQ), parenting style was assessed using the Parenting Dimensions Inventory-Short Version (PDI-S), and food parenting practices were measured using Comprehensive Home Environment Survey (CHES). The results showed that food parenting practices had a higher number of specific significant findings on children’s nutrient and food group intakes than parenting styles. Correlation analyses showed positive parenting practices within Structure were significantly related to healthier children’s intakes (e.g., vegetables, iron, and folate) and less unhealthy dietary intakes (e.g., sweets and total fats). Regression models show that children with authoritative parents consumed more fruits compared to children with authoritarian parents and indulgent parents. The results addressed the importance of parental influences for preschoolers’ healthy dietary intakes, which suggested that future interventions and educational programs could enhance parenting practices to impact child diet.     

Demographic characteristics and food choices of participants in the Special Diabetes Program for American Indians Diabetes Prevention Demonstration Project

Objective. American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/ANs) suffer a disproportionate burden of diabetes. Identifying food choices of AI/ANs at risk of type 2 diabetes, living in both rural and urban settings, is critical to the development of culturally relevant, evidence-based education strategies designed to reduce morbidity and mortality in this population.

Design. At baseline, 3135 AI/AN adults participating in the Special Diabetes Program for American Indians Diabetes Prevention Demonstration Project (SDPI-DP) completed a socio-demographic survey and a 27-item food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). The primary dietary behavior goal of SDPI-DP education sessions and lifestyle coaching is changes in food choices, i.e., increased fruits, vegetables and whole grains, decreased high sugar beverages, red meat, and processed foods. Subsequently, program assessment focuses on changes in food types. Foods were delineated using a ‘healthy’ and ‘unhealthy’ classification as defined by the educators advising participants. Urban and rural differences were examined using χ² tests and two sample t-tests. Multiple linear regressions and linear mixed models were used to assess the association between socio-demographic factors and food choice.

Results. Retired participants, those living in urban areas and with high income and education selected healthy foods most frequently. Young males, those with low income and education consumed unhealthy foods most frequently. Selection of unhealthy foods did not differ by urban and rural setting.

Conclusions. The ubiquitous nature of unhealthy food choices makes them hard to avoid. Food choice differences by gender, age, income, and setting suggest that nutrition education should more effectively target and meets the needs of young AI/AN males.     

Food Sources of Energy and Nutrients among Adults in the US: NHANES 2003–2006

Identification of current food sources of energy and nutrients among US adults is needed to help with public health efforts to implement feasible and appropriate dietary recommendations. To determine the food sources of energy and 26 nutrients consumed by US adults the 2003–2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 24-h recall (Day 1) dietary intake data from a nationally representative sample of adults 19+ years of age (y) (n = 9490) were analyzed. An updated USDA Dietary Source Nutrient Database was developed for NHANES 2003–2006 using current food composition databases. Food grouping included ingredients from disaggregated mixtures. Mean energy and nutrient intakes from food sources were sample-weighted. Percentages of total dietary intake contributed from food sources were ranked. The highest ranked sources of energy and nutrients among adults more than 19 years old were: energy—yeast bread/rolls (7.2%) and cake/cookies/quick bread/pastry/pie (7.2%); protein—poultry (14.4%) and beef (14.0%); total fat—other fats and oils (9.8%); saturated fatty acids—cheese (16.5%) and beef (9.1%); carbohydrate—soft drinks/soda (11.4%) and yeast breads/rolls (10.9%); dietary fiber—yeast breads/rolls (10.9%) and fruit (10.2%); calcium—milk (22.5%) and cheese (21.6%); vitamin D—milk (45.1%) and fish/shellfish (14.4%); and potassium—milk (9.6%) and coffee/tea/other non-alcoholic beverages (8.4%). Knowledge of primary food sources of energy and nutrients can help health professionals design effective strategies to reduce excess energy consumed by US adults and increase the nutrient adequacy of their diets.     

Perceptions of medical interactions between healthcare providers and American Indian older adults

Cultural competence models assume that culture affects medical encounters, yet little research uses objective measures to examine how this may be true. Do providers and racial/ethnic minority patients interpret the same interactions similarly or differently? How might patterns of provider–patient concordance and discordance vary for patients with different cultural characteristics?     

Cultural identification and smoking among American Indian adults in an urban setting

Objectives. Among American Indians (AIs), an important relationship has been theorized between cultural identification and substance abuse, including smoking. We investigated the relationship between cultural identification and smoking among AI adults.

Design. Using the Orthogonal Cultural Identification Scale (OCIS), we examined the relationship between AI and White cultural identification and cigarette use in a sample of AI recruited at an urban Indian center (n=217).

Results. We found that high AIs identification predicted smoker status and high White identification predicted non-smoker status when controlling for age and reservation residence. Orthogonal cultural identification status (categorized as high White/high AI, high White/low AI, low White/high AI, or low White/low AI) did not predict smoker status when controlling for age and reservation residence. OCIS item analysis revealed that positive responses to the individual OCIS items ‘My family lives by the American Indian way of life,’ ‘I live by the American Indian way of life,’ and ‘I am a success in the American Indian way of life’ predicted smoker status when controlling for age and reservation residence.

Conclusions. Our data suggest that, among some groups of urban AIs, recreational smoking is associated with AI cultural identification.     

Estimated Choline Intakes and Dietary Sources of Choline in Pregnant Australian Women

(1) Background: Despite the postulated importance of choline during pregnancy, little is known about the choline intake of Australians during pregnancy. In this study, we estimated dietary intakes of choline in early and late pregnancy, compared those intakes to recommendations, and investigated food sources of choline in a group of pregnant women in Australia. (2) Methods: 103 pregnant women enrolled in a randomized controlled trial. In early pregnancy (12–16 weeks gestation) and late pregnancy (36 weeks gestation), women completed a food frequency questionnaire designed to assess dietary intake over the previous month. (3) Results: Choline intakes and sources were similar in early and late pregnancy. Median choline intake in early pregnancy was 362 mg/day. Of the women, 39% and 25% had choline intakes above the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) adequate intake (AI) of >440 mg/day and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) AI of >480 mg/day for choline in pregnancy, respectively. Eggs, red meat, nuts, legumes, and dairy accounted for 50% of choline intake, with eggs being the most significant contributor at 17%. (4) Conclusions: Few pregnant women in our study met the AI recommended by the NHMRC and EFSA. In Australia, choline intake in pregnancy may need to be improved, but further work to define choline requirements in pregnancy is required.     

河南农村居民食物摄入与血压的关系分析

[目的 ]探讨食物摄入与血压之间的关系 ,为农村地区高血压的防治提供科学依据。 [方法 ]本研究利用1997年中国预防医学科学院和美国BioSignia公司的合作项目“膳食、生活方式与慢性疾病研究”的资料 ,采用多因素分析方法对河南南阳农村地区居民食物摄入与血压之间的关系进行了分析。 [结果 ]人群血压水平与食物摄入有密切的关联。高钠食物 (腌制蔬菜 )和油脂类食物与血压水平明显正关联 ,水产品、新鲜蔬菜、水果与血压水平呈明显负关联 ,可以预防高血压的发生和发展。另外本研究通过分级分析初步得到了食物摄入与血压之间的定量关系 ,在今后的膳食指导中具有一定的实用价值。 [结论 ]食物摄入种类和摄入量与平均血压水平有密切的关系 ,合理膳食是防治高血压的重要措施之一。     

Health‐related quality of life for rural American Indians in New Mexico

Objectives. To determine health‐related quality of life for rural American Indians using an economical telephone surveillance system.

Design. We interviewed 618 American Indians by telephone about health‐related quality of life using an adaptation of the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System questionnaire.

Results. A smaller proportion of rural New Mexico American Indians (50.7%) reported their general health as ‘excellent’ or ‘very good’ compared to the overall New Mexico (58.2%) and US populations (57.9%). American Indians reported a mental health limitation more frequently than the New Mexico and the US populations. However, 13% fewer rural New Mexico American Indians reported a limitation in usual activities. Most limitations were due to musculoskeletal conditions or diabetes mellitus. Survey respondents were found to be representative of the rural American Indian population as reported by the 1990 US Census Bureau by tribal group affiliation and age, but were not representative by income, education, and gender.

Conclusions. Health‐related quality of life for rural American Indians differs little from that of other New Mexicans and the general US population; however, when physical and mental health was rated as poor, fewer American Indians reported a limitation in usual activities. A telephone survey focusing on New Mexico American Indians is an efficient method by which to conduct surveillance of health‐related quality of life.     

Requirement of zinc in human subjects.

Essentiality of zinc in nutrition of higher animals was established in 1934. Dietary zinc deficiency in humans was recognized in 1961. Dietary requirements for zinc have been estimated factorially and by balance studies. Factors that influence dietary zinc requirement include dietary and other substances that either facilitate or inhibit absorption and retention of zinc; and metabolic phenomena that influence retention or excretion of the element. These determinants must be considered in estimating the requirement and the recommended dietary allowance for this essential element. An approach that has been used to assess requirement is the measurement of dietary zinc retention by men fed diets providing sufficient energy to meet the needs of each individual and containing other nutrients in proportion to energy content. By measurement of chemical balance and subsequent analysis of the data by multiple regression, dietary factors influencing requirement have been identified and amounts of dietary zinc essential for needs calculated. Using this approach, 83% of the variance (P less than 0.0001) in requirement was accounted for by the dietary content of phosphorus and nitrogen when data from 157 twenty-eight to thirty day studies were analyzed. The equation, Intake = 1.466 + 0.23 (Zn balance) + 5.19 (P intake) + 0.40 (N intake) ? 0.30 (P intake ? 1.389) (N intake - 14.646), was used to estimate zinc requirement of persons who participated in the most recent USDA Food Consumption Survey. For all age groups, ages 9 to greater than 75y, males and females, the mean (range) difference between the estimated intakes and calculated requirements were: males 1.5% (?6.5 to + 8.1), females 11.3% (? 1.1 to + 20.3). Thus, mean intakes were generally within the 95% confidence limits of the estimated requirements. Of some interest was the finding that the mean intake of none of the groups was equivalent to the Recommended Dietary Allowance. The mean intake of males ranged from 9.32 mg in men 75y and older to 13.53 mg in persons 15–18y. The mean intake of the females ranged from 7.04 mg in women 75y and older to 9.22 mg in persons 12–14 y.     

Socio-Demographic Characteristics,Dietary, and Nutritional Intakes of French Elderly Community Dwellers According to Their Dairy Product Consumption: Data from the Three-City Cohort

Few data are available regarding dietary habits of the elderly, especially about dairy products (DPs) (total DP and milk, fresh DP, and cheese), whereas these are part of healthy habits. The aim was to describe the socio-demographic characteristics, food, and nutritional intakes of elderly DP consumers. The sample consisted of 1584 participants from the Three-City-Bordeaux cohort (France), who answered a food frequency questionnaire and a 24-h dietary recall. Socio-demographic characteristics, practice of physical activity, Body Mass Index, and polymedication were registered. The sample was 76.2 years (SD 5.0 years) on average, 35% were in line with the French dietary guidelines for DP (3 or 4 servings of DP/day), while 49% were below, and 16% above. Women were significantly more likely to declare the highest total DP (≥4 times/day), milk (>1 time/day), and fresh DP (>1.5 times/day) frequency consumption. The highest cheese frequency consumers (>1.5 times/day) were more likely men, married, and ex-smokers. The highest frequency of fresh DP intake was significantly associated with the lowest energy and lipid intakes, and that of cheese with the highest consumption of charcuteries, meat, and alcohol. This cross-sectional analysis confirmed that the socio-demographics and dietary characteristics varied across DP sub-types consumed, which encourages individual consideration of these confounders in further analyses.     

The relationship between post-traumatic stress disorder,depression, and lung disorders in Northern Plains and Southwest American Indians

Objective. Research within the past decade has suggested that mental disorders are associated with lung disorders. This study compared the association of lifetime post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and lifetime major depression with lung disorders in two American Indian (AI) tribal communities.

Design. A total of 2622 tribal members (1414 in the Northern Plains and 1208 in the Southwest) aged 18–57 years completed an interview assessing psychiatric diagnoses and physical health, including lung disorders. Logistic regression analyses were used to estimate odds ratios for the association of PTSD and major depression with lung disorders.

Results. The prevalence of lung disorders was 17% (95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 15, 19) in the Northern Plains and 13% (95% CI: 11, 15) in the Southwest. In the Northern Plains, men with lung disorders had a higher prevalence of PTSD and major depression than men without lung disorders, and women with lung disorders had a higher prevalence of major depression than women without lung disorders. Neither PTSD nor major depression was associated with lung disorders in men or women living in the Southwest. In the Northern Plains, major depression remained significantly associated with lung disorders in both men (OR=3.1, 95% CI: 1.5, 6.4) and women (OR=2.2, 95% CI: 1.2, 4.1) even after adjusting for age, education, smoking, alcohol abuse, and PTSD.

Conclusions. Depression, but not PTSD, was associated with lung disorders in AIs living in the Northern Plains. Differences between the Northern Plains and the Southwest underscore the importance of recognizing unique characteristics of tribes and tribal communities. The increasing prevalence of lung disorders in AIs heightens the need for further work to help explain social, cultural, and clinical determinants of these disorders and their associations to PTSD and depression, and ultimately to help provide more effective clinical treatment and preventive care.     

Familial predisposition for otitis media in Apache Indians at Canyon Day, Arizona

The familial occurrence of otitis media was studied in White Mountain Apache Indians at Canyon Day, Arizona. Of the 760 residents, 366 persons were seen during a village survey for otitis media. There were 133 first-degree relatives involving 113 first-degree relative pairs. Of these, there were 38 children involving 19 separate sibling pairs, for whom age- and sex-matched controls could be assigned. Tympanic membrane scarring was assumed to be a marker of prior otitis media. The findings suggested (P less than .01 for the nonindependent first-degree relative pairs, and P less than .05 for the independent sibling pairs) a familial predisposition. With the additional assumption that the severity of tympanic membrane scarring can be ranked, no association of severity of otitis media was apparent in the first-degree relatives.     

Patterns of Food Consumption are Associated with Obesity,Self-Reported Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease in Five American Indian Communities

The relationship between dietary patterns and chronic disease is underexplored in indigenous populations. We assessed diets of 424 American Indian (AI) adults living in 5 rural AI communities. We identified four food patterns. Increased prevalence for cardiovascular disease was highly associated with the consumption of unhealthy snacks and high fat–food patterns (OR 3.6, CI = 1.06, 12.3; and OR 6.0, CI = 1.63, 22.1), respectively. Moreover, the food-consumption pattern appeared to be different by community setting (p < .05). We recommend culturally appropriate community-intervention programs to promote healthy behavior and to prevent diet-related chronic diseases in this high-risk population.     

Food and nutrient intakes by British women aged 15–25 years,with particular reference to dieting habits and iron intakes

A dietary survey of 15–25 year old men and women throughout Britain was carried out in 1982. Food and nutrient intakes were estimated from two week semi‐quantitative diary records. Mean intakes of iron among the 461 women were found to be low, with 44 % of these participants consuming less than 8 mg/ day. Women under 22 years of age and those who were attempting to lose weight had the poorest nutrient intakes. This may be attributable to diets of lower nutrient density amongst youngest women and to energy restriction amongst the dieters. Nearly one third of the women surveyed perceived themselves as overweight.     

“Doing It Properly”: The Experience of First Mothering Over 35 Years

First mothering over 35 years is an increasing phenomenon in developed countries, and this “greying” of maternity raises some interesting questions and dilemmas for clinical care. In a qualitative study conducted in Melbourne, Australia, the motherhood experiences of 22 primiparous women were explored. Participant age ranged from 35 to 48 years. Women were interviewed over three junctures: at 35–38 weeks gestation, 10–14 days postpartum, and 8 months postpartum.

Becoming a mother was found to occur in a temporally ordered sequence, with clear markers at 1–4 weeks, 1–4 months, 4–6 months, and 6–8 months. Themes that emerged from the analysis included the project “doing it properly,” vulnerability, “finding my own way,” and “being older.”

The continuing and increasing trend of primiparity older than 35 years makes this account of interest globally. Findings from this study offer an alternative explanation of early mothering over 35 years and offers direction to health professionals for easing early motherhood experiences for this growing group of childbearing women.