Child's adaptation as an indicator of poor environmental influences

The body's adjustment changes under the influence of environmental risk factors whose long-term exposure further results in the development of prenosological and morbid disorders. These processes occur most promptly in children. The influence of risk factors, including those caused by the productive activity of the Kotlas industrial CBK complex on a child's adaptation, was studied. The specific features revealed in the physical development, baseline autonomic tone, and psychophysiological adaptation of the first and tenth-form schoolchildren under study suggest that the mechanisms responsible for adjustment are strained under the influence of environmental risk factors and differ in nature, structure, and intensity in the exposure and comparison groups.     

Number of food items as an indicator of nutrient intake

Total food duplicates for 24 hours were collected from farmers in Japan, once in 1977–1981 (109 subjects) and then in 1991–1992 (72 subjects). Nutrients (including energy, protein, fat, some minerals, and several vitamins) in each food item in the food duplicate were estimated taking advantage of the values given in the Standard Tables of Food Compositions in Japan. The number of the food items in each food duplicate was counted excluding duplication. Analyses demonstrated that the daily nutrient intake (especially that of energy, protein and vitamin B₁) has a significant association with the number of items of food taken a day, that the daily intake of most nutrients is sufficient when 30 food items were taken a day, but that the sufficient supply of calcium and iron needs an intake of more than 30 food items.     

The household food insecurity access scale and an index-member dietary diversity score contribute valid and complementary information on household food insecurity in an urban West-African setting

The number of urban poor is increasing quickly in West Africa, yet food security early warning systems still do not include urban areas. One reason is the lack of appropriate and internationally agreed-upon indicators to measure urban household food insecurity. Our objective was to assess the performance of the household food insecurity access scale (HFIAS) and an index-member's dietary diversity score (IDDS) to approximate the adequacy of urban households' diets. A survey was performed on a random cluster sample of 1056 households in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Data on HFIAS and IDDS and 2 nonconsecutive household quantitative 24-h recalls were collected twice, in June-July and in November-December 2007. Diet adequacy was assessed through the household's mean adequacy ratio (MAR) using energy and 11 micronutrients. Structural equation modeling was used to quantify the association of each candidate indicator with the MAR and receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) analyses were performed to assess their targeting performance in predicting low or high MAR. HFIAS was negatively associated with the MAR [path coefficient (P) = -7.95 × 10(-3) ± 1.45 × 10(-3); P < 0.001], whereas IDDS was positively associated with it (P = 5.19 × 10(-2) ± 1.27 × 10(-2); P < 0.001). Areas under the ROC curves ranged from 0.585 to 0.661 for HFIAS and from 0.536 to 0.629 for IDDS. In conclusion, HFIAS and IDDS performed well in approximating adequacy of urban households' diets. They are informative indicators about urban food insecurity, promising for evaluation and monitoring but not for household targeting given their insufficient predictive power.     

Interpretations of the "balanced meal" household food security indicator

The study objective was to quantify interpretations of the term "balanced meals" used in food security status assessments. Telephone interviews included 77 charitable food recipients in Hawaiì. After participants first responded to the question of whether they could afford to eat balanced meals, they next defined what a "balanced meal" meant. Qualitative responses were categorized into common themes. Forty-one (53%) indicated that a balanced meal consisted of at least three food groups.Thirty-one (40%) indicated something other than three food groups; five (6%) had no idea what a "balanced meal" meant. The findings question the validity and reliability of responses to "balanced meal" food security indicators in Hawaiì.     

Women's dietary intakes in the context of household food insecurity

A study of food insecurity and nutritional adequacy was conducted with a sample of 153 women in families receiving emergency food assistance in Toronto, Canada. Contemporaneous data on dietary intake and household food security over the past 30 d were available for 145 of the women. Analyses of these data revealed that women who reported hunger in their households during the past 30 d also reported systematically lower intakes of energy and a number of nutrients. The effect of household-level hunger on intake persisted even when other economic, socio-cultural, and behavioral influences on reported dietary intake were considered. Estimated prevalences of inadequacy in excess of 15% were noted for Vitamin A, folate, iron, and magnesium in this sample, suggesting that the low levels of intake associated with severe household food insecurity are in a range that could put women at risk of nutrient deficiencies.     

Comparison of national food supply,household food availability and individual food consumption data in Portugal

The present study aimed to compare Portuguese food and nutrient data retrieved from three distinct sources of dietary data: national food supply, household food availability and individual food consumption. In particular it was intended to validate the use of the dietary data derived from the Portuguese household budget surveys (HBS). The data sources used were food balance sheets (FBS) (1990, 1995 and 2000) generated by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), HBS (1990, 1995 and 2000) collected by the National Statistics Institute (INE) and individual consumption obtained through a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) applied in the context of the EpiPorto study circa 2000. Thirteen comparable food groups were established for analysis. Total energy, macronutrients and other selected dietary components were considered. The average daily values of different dietary sources were compared in absolute amounts (g/person per day) and in relative energy contribution (%E). To evaluate association and agreement between sources, Spearman’s correlation coefficients and distance matrices based on Euclidian distances were computed. The obtained average daily per capita amounts reflect the different points of data collection in the food chain; HBS fall in the expected position, below FBS and closer to FFQ. Agreement between FBS, HBS and FFQ was higher when data were expressed in relative energy contribution than when absolute amounts were considered. In general, the observed discrepancies between the three data sources could be attributed to known differences in the methodological approaches. This study supports the finding that despite their constraints the HBS-derived data are a valid option to evaluate dietary habits in Portugal.     

Caffeine as an environmental indicator for assessing urban aquatic ecosystems

This study aimed to evaluate the co-occurrence of caffeine and the extent of its influence as compared to other traditional water quality parameters (microbiological and physico-chemical) in order to characterize it as an efficient indicator of anthropic pollution of urban aquatic environments. Caffeine is an ingredient in a variety of beverages (coffee, tea, and caffeinated soft drinks) and numerous food products (chocolate, pastries, and dairy desserts). Although the human body metabolizes this stimulant efficiently, between 0.5 and 10.0% is excreted, mostly in the urine. Analysis of water samples from the Leopoldina Basin and Guanabara Bay revealed a significant difference between areas not commonly affected by nutrient enrichment or sewage inputs and areas chronically influenced by sewage discharges and elevated eutrophication. Monitoring caffeine will be fundamental in stressed urban aquatic environments where frequent accidental ruptures of sewer lines and discharges of untreated effluents impede effective water quality evaluation with traditional indicators.     

Validation of food variety as an indicator of diet quality assessed with a food frequency questionnaire for Western Mali

OBJECTIVE: To assess the validity of two diet quality indexes-food variety score (FVS) and diet diversity score (DDS) in Western Mali. DESIGN: In two separate studies (A and B), FVS and DDS were derived from a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) and were compared with the same scores and with measures of nutrient adequacy derived from 2-day weighed records (WR). SETTING: Two rural, adjacent villages in Mali, West Africa. SUBJECTS: In study A (1996), 48 women and 27 men (15-59 y) participated. Study B (1999) included 34 women and 36 men (15-45 y). RESULTS: Spearman's correlation coefficients between FVS from the FFQ and WR for men were 0.5 in study A and 0.4 in study B. The corresponding correlations for DDS were 0.2 and 0.4, respectively. Correlations for women were lower, especially in study B. Classification into quartiles was also best for men. Correlations for the two diet variety scores from the FFQ with nutrient adequacy from the WR in study A were about 0.3 for men, but lower for women. In study B, these correlations were around 0.5 for men, whereas for women there was no association. CONCLUSION: FVS and DDS can be assessed by our FFQ. The two diet variety scores reflect diet quality and are simple tools that can be used for monitoring. The validation study gave better results for men than for women, which has implications for further use of these instruments.     

A universal product code scanner is a feasible method of measuring household food inventory and food use patterns in low-income families

This study assesses the feasibility of using a Universal Product Code (UPC) scanner to record the home food inventory of limited-resource families. Feasibility was based on UPC scanner accuracy, time involved, and researcher/study participant feedback. Program staff members completed a traditional line-item inventory and UPC scan of 5,920 food items during 51 separate visits to the homes of 32 families. Foods reported from the UPC scanner were compared with the manual line-item food inventory. The UPC scanner report had an accuracy of 95.6% (5,661/5,920). Further, the UPC scanning technique offered a 31.8% time savings over the traditional line-item inventory approach. The UPC scanner was easy to use and participants reported that scanning food items was non-intrusive. A UPC scanner is a feasible method of recording the home food inventory, and the accuracy and simplicity of this approach can provide useful information on foods available for consumption within a home.     

Birth weight distribution as an indicator of environmental effects on fetal development

A medical birth registry was used for a geographical analysis of birth weight distribution. Nearly 900,000 Swedish singleton births, 1973-1981, were used for an analysis of the effect of some variables and for standardization for these variables. A marked change in the rate of low birth weight infants (LBW, less than 2,500 g) was seen in the country between 1976 and 1977. A U-formed effect of maternal age and of parity was demonstrated. A marked interaction between the effects of these two variables existed. Two social groups were compared and the well-known high rate of LBW infants associated with low socioeconomic conditions was demonstrated. Standardization for the variables mentioned influenced this effect only little but reduced the difference between the social groups concerning infants above 3.5 kg weight. The background data were used for analysis of restricted geographical areas.     

A brief history and inventory of immunizations.

This article attempts to summarize succinctly the origins, past history, present armamentarium, and possible future directions of immunizing agents. Individual discoveries and governmental initiatives have led to large-scale immunization programs that have proven the success of this primary preventive tool. Examples of missed opportunities have been noted. Like previous vaccines, the newer vaccines will require scientific proof of efficacy and public acceptance. Unlike other primary preventive tools (chlorination of water, pasteurization of milk), future successful immunization programs will require active participation, of the public and continuous governmental education in order to protect its citizens.     

Development and validation of a shelf inventory to evaluate household food purchases among older adults with diabetes mellitus

OBJECTIVE: Valid measures of behavioral outcomes are needed to evaluate interventions. The purpose of this research was to validate a shelf inventory and evaluate food purchases using the inventory among older adults with diabetes. DESIGN: A 166-item shelf inventory of household food was assessed for face, content, and criterion validity. The sensitivity and specificity of the inventory were determined by comparing participant- and interviewer-completed inventories. A randomized pretest/post-test control group design was used to evaluate household food purchases following an intervention. Setting: The intervention was held in an outpatient setting. PARTICIPANTS: Study participants were > or = 65 years old with type 2 diabetes mellitus for > or = 1 year. INTERVENTION: The intervention included 10 weekly group sessions and emphasized applying food label information to food purchases. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Each food on the inventory was defined as "encouraged" or "discouraged" according to intervention messages. ANALYSIS: Inventory sensitivity was the proportion of foods present in households that were accurately identified on the self-reported inventory as present; specificity was the proportion of foods not present that were accurately identified as not present. Two-sample t tests compared intervention scores for encouraged/discouraged foods by treatment group. RESULTS: Overall sensitivity and specificity were.90 and.97, respectively. Intervention results found more encouraged than discouraged foods present at post-test (t [91] = 2.3, P =.02). CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: The shelf inventory is a sensitive, specific, and valid tool for assessing household food purchases and can be used to evaluate food choice interventions among older adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus.     

Multimedia persistence as an indicator of potential for population-level intake of environmental contaminants

Although intuitively it is apparent that population-level exposure to contaminants dispersed in the environment must be related to the persistence of the contaminant, there has been little effort to quantify this link formally. In this paper we investigate the relationship between overall persistence and/or overall residence time in a multimedia exposure environment and the population-level intake of contaminants as expressed by intake fraction (iF), the cumulative fraction of chemical emitted to the environment that is taken up by members of the population. We demonstrate that for any given contaminant and emission scenario the definition of iF implies that it is directly proportional to the overall multimedia persistence (Pov), or the overall multimedia residence time (Tov). The proportionality constant has dimensions of time and represents the characteristic time for population intake (CTI) of the chemical from the environment. We then apply the CalTOX fate and exposure model to explore how Tov and CTI combine to determine the magnitude of iF We find that CTI has a narrow range of possible values relative to Tov across multiple chemicals and emissions scenarios. We use data from the Canadian Environmental Protection Act Priority Substance List (PSL1) Assessments and multimedia Pov to show that exposure assessments based on empirical observation are consistent with interpretations from the model. Results indicate that Pov derived from screening-level assessments of persistence, bioaccumulation potential, and toxicity (PBT) is a useful indicator of the potential for population-level exposure.     

The safety of gum arabic as a food additive and its Energy Value as an ingredient: a brief review

Gum arabic, the natural exudate from Acacia senegal (L.) Willd., has enjoyed the toxicological status 'ADI not specified' for use in minor proportions as a food additive (E414 in the EEC) since 1982, but it is also used as a major ingredient. Manufacturers may therefore be required to make labelling declarations of its Energy Value and of available/non-available carbohydrate. Although gum arabic complies with the definition for soluble dietary fibre, its Energy Value was accepted by the FAO/WHO International Programme of Food Safety to be 4 kcal/gram on the basis of the evidence available in 1982. Subsequently a French claim for a much lower value attracted the attention of manufacturers of low calorie products but a recent precise experiment establishes that the Digestible Energy Value is 3.5 ± 0.12 kilocalories per gram. The physiological mechanism whereby this value arieses is outlined. The more general dietary implications for other complex carbohydrates which conform to the definition for soluble dietary fibre and yet suffer complete degradation in the large bowel are indicated.     

Seasonality of the dietary dimension of household food security in urban Burkina Faso

Food insecurity is affecting an increasing number of urban poor in the developing world. Yet seasonal characteristics of food intakes have rarely been studied in West African cities. The objective of the present study was to assess the seasonality of the dietary dimension of household food security in Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso). In 2007, two sets of data were collected during the lean and post-harvest seasons, respectively, on a representative sample of 1056 households. At each season, two non-consecutive 24 h recalls were performed at the household level. Food prices were also recorded. Household food security was assessed by the household's mean adequacy ratio (MAR) for energy and eleven micronutrients. Changes in the MAR according to the season were analysed by mixed multivariate linear regression. Results showed that intakes of energy and of ten micronutrients were significantly lower during the lean season than during the post-harvest season, leading to a lower MAR in the lean season (49·61 v. 53·57, P < 0·0001). This was related to less frequent consumption and consumption of smaller amounts of vegetables and of foods prepared at home. Food security relied heavily on food expenses (P < 0·0001) and on the price of meat/fish (P = 0·026). Households with economically dependent adults (P = 0·021) and larger households (P < 0·0001) were the most vulnerable, whereas education (P = 0·030), social network (P = 0·054) and urban origin other than Ouagadougou (P = 0·040) played a positive role in food security. To achieve food security in Ouagadougou, access to micronutrient-dense foods needs to be ensured in all seasons.     

Thiocyanate as an indicator of tobacco smoking.

This study demonstrates the suitability of serum thiocyanate as an indicator of tobacco smoke. The median serum level of smokers rises steadily from 51 μmol/liter in nonsmokers to 174 μmol/liter in smokers of more than 20 cigarettes/day. The method can be used in epidemiologic studies of smoking behavior and smoking cessation. To increase the accuracy of predicting smoking habits, this test can be used in conjunction with a determination of expired carbon monoxide.