Parental influences on young girls’ fruit and vegetable, micronutrient, and fat intakes

Objective To evaluate parents’ fruit and vegetable intake and their use of pressure to eat in child feeding as predictors of their 5-year-old daughters’ fruit and vegetable, micronutrient, and fat intakes.Subjects Data were obtained from 191 non-Hispanic white families with 5-year-old girls.Design Parent data included reports of pressure in child feeding and their own fruit and vegetable intake. Girls’ intakes of fruits and vegetables, selected micronutrients, and fat were the main outcomes of interest.Statistical analysis Structural equation modeling was used to test a model describing relationships among parents’ fruit and vegetable intake, parents’ use of pressure in child feeding, and daughters’ fruit and vegetable, micronutrient, and fat intakes.Results The model provided a good fit to the data, revealing that girls’ fruit and vegetable intake was positively related to their parents’ reported fruit and vegetable intake. Parents who consumed fewer fruits and vegetables tended to report greater pressure in child feeding and had daughters who consumed fewer fruits and vegetables. Girls’ reported fruit and vegetable intakes were positively related to their micronutrient intakes and negatively associated with fat intake.Applications/conclusions This research demonstrates that parents’ own fruit and vegetable intake may encourage fruit and vegetable intake in their daughters, leading to higher micronutrient intakes and lower dietary fat intakes. Conversely, pressure to eat may discourage fruit and vegetable intake among young girls. J Am Diet Assoc. 2002;102:58–64.     

Tight nuchal cord and neonatal hypovolaemic shock.

Two neonates who went into acute hypovolaemic shock due to a tight nuchal cord were successfully resuscitated. The occurrence of this life threatening complication in two low risk pregnancies emphasises the importance of having staff trained in resuscitation immediately available in the delivery unit.     

Blood coagulation activation and fibrinolysis during a downhill marathon run.

Prolonged physical exercise is associated with multiple changes in blood hemostasis. Eccentric muscle activation induces microtrauma of skeletal muscles, inducing an inflammatory response. Since there is a link between inflammation and coagulation we speculated that downhill running strongly activates the coagulation system. Thirteen volunteers participated in the Tyrolean Speed Marathon (42,195 m downhill race, 795 m vertical distance). Venous blood was collected 3 days (T1) and 3 h (T2) before the run, within 30 min after finishing (T3) and 1 day thereafter (T4). We measured the following key parameters: creatine kinase, myoglobin, thrombin-antithrombin complex, prothrombin fragment F1 + 2, D-dimer, plasmin-alpha(2)-antiplasmin complexes, tissue-type plasminogen activator antigen, plasminogen-activator-inhibitor-1 antigen and thrombelastography with ROTEM [intrinsic pathway (InTEM) clotting time, clot formation time, maximum clot firmness, alpha angle]. Thrombin generation was evaluated by the Thrombin Dynamic Test and the Technothrombin TGA test. Creatine kinase and myoglobin were elevated at T3 and further increased at T4. Thrombin-antithrombin complex, prothrombin fragment F1 + 2, D-dimer, plasmin-alpha(2)-antiplasmin complexes, tissue-type plasminogen activator antigen and plasminogen-activator-inhibitor-1 antigen were significantly increased at T3. ROTEM analysis exhibited a shortening of InTEM clotting time and clot formation time after the marathon, and an increase in InTEM maximum clot firmness and alpha angle. Changes in TGA were indicative for thrombin generation after the marathon. We demonstrated that a downhill marathon induces an activation of coagulation, as measured by specific parameters for coagulation, ROTEM and thrombin generation assays. These changes were paralleled by an activation of fibrinolysis indicating a preserved hemostatic balance.