scholarly journals Dietary inadequacies observed in homeless men visiting an emergency night shelter in Paris

2001 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 155-161 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole Darmon ◽  
J Coupel ◽  
M Deheeger ◽  
A Briend

AbstractObjectiveTo assess the dietary intake and the nutritional status of homeless men.SettingA night emergency shelter in Paris, France.DesignDietary survey (48-h) including alcohol intake and a questionnaire on age, duration of homelessness, smoking habits. Subjects were also weighed and measured.SubjectsNinety-seven men aged 18–72 years (mean 43.3), of whom 54% were homeless for more than 18 months, 82% were smokers and 53% were regular and/or excessive drinkers.ResultsThe BMI distribution was shifted towards low values, the percentage of wasted persons being four times higher than in the reference population. The mean total energy intake was 2376 kcal (SD = 879) and included a high and highly variable percentage of energy derived from alcohol (12.0% (SD = 18.1)). Among drinkers, the mean ethanol intake was 90 g (SD = 102) and there was a significant negative correlation between ethanol and non-alcoholic energy intakes. The median intakes of potassium, calcium, zinc, vitamins B1, B2, and niacin were lower than European Population Reference Intakes but only the mean intake of vitamin B1 was significantly lower. Eighty percent of non-alcoholic energy was provided by charitable organisations. For most nutrients, the nutritional density of the shelter ration was not significantly different from the density of the foods purchased by the homeless.ConclusionsThese data suggest that the content of some nutrients should be increased in existing food assistance programs for homeless people in France.

Author(s):  
J. D. Brewer ◽  
M. P. Santos ◽  
M. A. Lopez ◽  
V. A. Paz-Soldan ◽  
M. P. Chaparro

AbstractThe goal of this study was to measure food insecurity among families with children in a low-income district of Lima, Peru and to identify the formal and informal food resources available to them that may affect their food security status. In June-July 2019, we collected data from 329 randomly selected households in Villa El Salvador (Lima, Peru). Following a mixed methods approach, we found that the percentage of households using food assistance programs (FAPs) increased with increasing levels of food insecurity, but two FAPs were heavily used by households regardless of food (in)security. The main reasons for using FAPs included financial need, already being signed up in the program, and believing that the food was of nutritional value; the main reasons for non-use were finding the program unnecessary, dislike or poor perceived quality of the food, and not being able to sign up for the program. Similarly, informal food resources, such as buying food on credit or receiving food from someone outside the household, were incrementally used with increased levels of food insecurity. Our study clarifies the relationship between level of household food insecurity and FAP use – FAPs more commonly used by food insecure households were used because of financial need, whereas the FAPs most commonly used by food secure households were those with automatic enrollment. At a programmatic level, our research highlights the need for making nutritious and preferred foods available in FAPs and standardizing the application of enrollment criteria.


PEDIATRICS ◽  
1966 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 597-604
Author(s):  
Doman K. Keele ◽  
Jacob L. Kay

Simultaneous plasma free fatty acid (FFA) and blood sugar levels were determined for fasting newborn infants during the first 24 hours of life, for their cord bloods, and for their mothers at delivery. The following observations were made. In control infants the mean FFA level rose about three times the cord level after birth and was accompanied by a 25% drop in the mean blood sugar level. Thereafter, the mean blood sugar level remained relatively constant, but the mean FFA level varied from 2½ to 3 times the cord level. There was no significant correlation between the length of maternal fasting prior to delivery and the infant FFA level; there was, however a significant negative correlation between the length of maternal fasting prior to delivery and the infant blood sugar level at 24 hours of age. High FFA levels occurred in the infants of obese mothers and low levels were observed in infants with delayed respirations, in infants of preeclamptic mothers, and in infants of diabetic mothers.


1995 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 177
Author(s):  
DONNA V. PORTER

1995 ◽  
Vol 77 (3) ◽  
pp. 851-857 ◽  
Author(s):  
Randall S. Singer ◽  
Lynette A. Hart ◽  
R. Lee Zasloff

66 individuals were given a questionnaire during their initial visit to a veterinary clinic for homeless pet owners. Among the 35 men and 31 women, 32 had been homeless for 6 mo. or less and were termed the acutely homeless subgroup, and 34 had been homeless multiple times or for more than 6 mo. and were termed the chronically homeless subgroup. In responding to the Lexington Attachment to Pets Scale, both men and women participants had significantly higher mean scores on attachment to their pets than did the scale's standardization population. Participants did not differ from the normative sample of adults on the Beck Hopelessness Scale. Both men and women participants stated a preference for being rehoused. 93% of men and 96% of women said that housing would not be acceptable if pets were not allowed. 61% of the men and 33% of the women stated they would be willing to live anywhere pets were allowed except in a shelter Reluctance to live in a shelter was significantly greater among chronically homeless men than other subgroups, and they also had low desire to be rehoused. A majority of the participants had been refused housing because they had pets. Attempts to rehouse homeless individuals who have pets are likely to be unsuccessful unless accommodation for pets is included.


2017 ◽  
Vol 52 (2) ◽  
pp. S138-S144 ◽  
Author(s):  
Binh T. Nguyen ◽  
Christopher N. Ford ◽  
Amy L. Yaroch ◽  
Kerem Shuval ◽  
Jeffrey Drope

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (11) ◽  
pp. 655-661
Author(s):  
Tugba Nur Oden ◽  
Rahsan Cam

Objective: This study was conducted to evaluate the relationship between hopelessness and perceived social support levels of parents with children with congenital heart disease (CHD). Material and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted with parents of children who underwent surgery for CHD, and data were collected from 100 parents who agreed to participate in the study. A descriptive information form for the sociodemographic characteristics of the parents, “Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS)” and “Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS)” were used to collect the data. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and Spearman’s correlation tests. Results: The mean score of the hopelessness level of the parents participating in the study was 6.15±4.23, and the mean perceived general social support score was 69.55±15.47. There was a significant negative correlation between the hopelessness levels of mothers and social support (SS) received from the family, from significant others, and general SS scores. There was a significant positive correlation between the hopelessness levels of the mothers and the SS level received from the family (p<0.05). Conclusion: In this study, the parents of children with CHD have low levels of hopelessness and perceived SS levels are high. Moreover, the relationship between hopelessness and perceived SS levels varies according to the sex of the parents. In our study, the SS level of mothers had a higher effect on the hopelessness level. It is recommended that the SS levels of the parents of children with CHD should be increased to help them cope with hopelessness.


2000 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 379-387 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kati Juva ◽  
Auli Verkkoniemi ◽  
Petteri Viramo ◽  
Tuomo Polvikoski ◽  
Katariina Kainulainen ◽  
...  

We examined 510 subjects representing 83.2% of all citizens of a Finnish city aged 85 years or over. Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores, diagnosis of dementia by DSM-III-R criteria, and Apo-E genotype were determined. The prevalence of dementia was 38.6%. The odds ratio (OR) of the Apo-E ε4 carriers (with the reference population of people with the genotype ε3/ε3) for dementia was 2.36 (95% CI 1.58–3.58). There was a significant sex difference: The OR in women was 3.23 (95% CI 2.02–5.17) whereas among men it was insignificant. The mean MMSE score (± SD) among the Apo-E ε4 carriers (15.0 ± 10.0) and noncarriers (18.7 ± 8.6) (p < .001) differed among the whole population, but not within the demented or nondemented subjects analyzed separately. This study does not support the hypothesis that the Apo-E ε4 allele impairs cognitive functions of nondemented elderly, at least in those surviving to very old age.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document