Nutrition knowledge: a mediator between socioeconomic position and diet quality in Australian first-time mothers

Background

Mothers are important role models for eating and are gatekeepers of food in the home. An understanding of maternal dietary behaviors could assist in the promotion of healthy eating for both mother and child.

Objective

To investigate the independent contribution of socioeconomic position to nutrition knowledge and diet quality, and the contribution of nutrition knowledge to diet quality; and to assess nutrition knowledge as a mediator between socioeconomic position and diet quality.

Subjects/setting

Subjects included first-time Australian mothers residing in Melbourne, Australia (n=527).

Design

Cross-sectional data from the Melbourne InFANT (Infant Feeding, Activity, and Nutrition Trial) Program.

Methods

A self-completed validated food-frequency questionnaire recorded dietary intake during the past year and a diet quality score was developed. Maternal education was used to classify socioeconomic position. Regression analyses were undertaken to assess associations between socioeconomic position and nutrition knowledge score; socioeconomic position and diet score; and nutrition knowledge score and diet score. Baron and Kenny's approach to mediation analyses was used to assess nutrition knowledge as a mediator.

Results

Overall maternal diet quality was poor, with average diet quality scores of 52.4, 52.9, and 57.1 out of a possible 80, in the low, medium, and high socioeconomic groups, respectively. Maternal diet quality was significantly better in mothers of high socioeconomic position as compared with the low socioeconomic position group (P<0.001). Overall nutrition knowledge was found to be quite high, with mean nutrition knowledge scores of 12.5, 12.7, and 13.7 out of a possible 17, in the low, medium, and high socioeconomic groups, respectively. Maternal nutrition knowledge was found to partly mediate the association between socioeconomic position and maternal diet quality.

Conclusions

Poor maternal dietary quality may have implications for both mother and child, and socioeconomic position and nutrition knowledge are likely to be important. Effective interventions to support mothers to achieve healthy diets for themselves and their families are needed.     

Detraditionalisation and attitudes to sex outside marriage in China

China has undergone massive socio-economic change over the past 30 years. In parallel, there have been huge changes in social and sexual mores. Until the end of the Mao era strict norms prevailed, with sex outside marriage widely regarded as immoral and unacceptable. Detraditionalisation theory describes the abandonment or reconfiguration of the socio-cultural traditions and has been explored widely in Western settings. This study aimed to explore its relevance for China through exploring attitudes towards premarital sex, extramarital sex, same-sex relations and sex work. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 212 men and women aged 18 to 39 in urban and rural areas of three provinces: Zhejiang, Guizhou and Yunnan. Analysis identified emerging themes. Results show varying degrees of acceptance of the four sexual behaviours, with premarital sex seen as common, homosexuality still regarded as unacceptable by the majority but considerable acceptance of commercial sex work as part of male business transactions and social life. China appears to be on a pathway of detraditionalisation with specific Chinese features. This study suggests that the concept of detraditionalisation applies well to non-Western contexts, but the path it takes is culture-specific and relatively unpredictable.     

Incidence of delayed nausea and vomiting in patients with colorectal cancer receiving irinotecan-based chemotherapy

Purpose  

This study sought to prospectively determine the frequency of delayed nausea and vomiting with irinotecan-based chemotherapy following day 1 prophylaxis with a 5-HT₃ receptor antagonist and dexamethasone.     

The European Sero-Epidemiology Network 2 (ESEN2): standardization of assay results for hepatitis A virus (HAV) to enable comparisons of seroprevalence data across 15 countries

The European Sero-Epidemiology Network 2 (ESEN2) aimed to compare serological results of vaccine-preventable diseases across Europe. To ensure direct inter-country comparability of hepatitis A virus antibody (anti-HAV) measurements, a standardization panel of 150 sera was developed by a designated reference laboratory and tested by participating national laboratories using assays of choice; each country's results were subsequently regressed against those of the reference laboratory. Quantitatively, the assays were generally highly correlated (R2>0.90). Nevertheless, qualitative comparisons indicated that results obtained with different assays may differ despite the usage of well-established international and local standards. To a great extent standardization successfully alleviated such differences. The generated standardization equations will be used to convert national serological results into common units to enable direct international comparisons of HAV seroprevalence data. The results of this study are expected to contribute to the evaluation and potential improvement of the currently employed immunization strategies for hepatitis in Europe.