scholarly journals Energy-Adjusted Dietary Intakes Are Associated with Perceived Barriers to Healthy Eating but Not Food Insecurity or Sports Nutrition Knowledge in a Pilot Study of ROTC Cadets

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 3053
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Daniels ◽  
Jennifer Hanson

Military service is inherently demanding and, due to the nature of these demands, the term “tactical athlete” has been coined to capture the physical requirements of the profession. Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) cadets are a unique subset of the military service community, and the complexity of their training and educational pursuits increases their susceptibility to unhealthy eating patterns. The purpose of this pilot study was to explore the relationship between the perceived barriers to healthy eating, food insecurity, sports nutrition knowledge, and dietary patterns among Army ROTC cadets. The usual dietary intake was gathered from (N = 37) cadets using the General Nutrition Assessment Food Frequency Questionnaire. The perceived barriers to healthy eating were measured using a set of scales consisting of social barriers (6 items, α = 0.86), access barriers (2 items, α = 0.95), and personal barriers (2 items, α = 0.67), with higher-scale scores indicating greater perceived barriers. Spearman correlation coefficients were used to measure the association between the energy-adjusted dietary intakes and the scores on the barriers scales. Energy-adjusted intakes of calcium (ρ = −0.47, p ≤ 0.01), fiber (ρ = −0.35, p = 0.03), vitamin A (ρ = −0.46, p ≤ 0.01), vitamin C (ρ = −0.43, p ≤ 0.01), fruit (ρ = −0.34, p = 0.04), and vegetables (ρ = −0.50, p ≤ 0.01) were negatively correlated with the perceived personal barrier scores. The energy-adjusted intakes of fiber (ρ = −0.36, p = 0.03), vitamin C (ρ = −0.37, p = 0.03), and vitamin E (ρ = −0.45, p ≤.01) were negatively correlated with perceived social barriers, while energy-adjusted vitamin C intake was negatively correlated with perceived access barriers (ρ = −0.40, p = 0.01). Although additional research is needed to better understand the dietary patterns of ROTC cadets, among the participants in this study, greater perceived personal, social, and access barriers were associated with less nutrient-dense eating patterns. Interventions aimed at addressing such barriers may prove beneficial for the improvement of diet quality among ROTC cadets.

2008 ◽  
Vol 101 (12) ◽  
pp. 1828-1836 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fiona A. Ford ◽  
Theodora Mouratidou ◽  
Sarah E. Wademan ◽  
Robert B. Fraser

The aim of the study was to examine the effect of the introduction of a new food-support benefit ‘Healthy Start’ (HS) on dietary intakes and eating patterns of low-income, Caucasian, pregnant and postpartum women living in Sheffield (UK). A before-and-after study comparing nutritional behaviour of participants, who were beneficiaries or eligible for the Welfare Food Scheme (WFS) (phase 1) or HS (phase 2), was conducted. Dietary intakes and eating patterns were assessed using a validated semi-quantified FFQ. In phase 1, 176 WFS subjects (ninety pregnant and eighty-six postpartum) were recruited and in phase 2, there were 160 HS subjects (ninety-six pregnant and sixty-four postpartum). The results suggested that pregnant and postpartum HS women significantly increased their daily intakes of energy, Fe, Ca, folate and vitamin C compared with the WFS women. Observed differences remained significant after controlling for potential confounding effects of known factors, i.e. education and age. HS women were more likely to meet the recommended nutrient intakes for Fe, folate, Ca and vitamin C. HS women ate significantly more mean portions of fruit and vegetables per d (P = 0·004 and P = 0·023) respectively. None of the HS recipients was receiving HS vitamin supplements. The present study showed that pregnant and postpartum HS women increased their food consumption, and a higher proportion of them than the earlier WFS scheme met the recommended intakes for Ca, folate, Fe and vitamin C.


2021 ◽  
Vol 50 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Ebrahimi ◽  
Rebecca Leech ◽  
Sarah McNaughton ◽  
Katherine Livingstone

Abstract Background Iranian diet quality has been evaluated using indices that are not based on Iranian dietary guidelines. This study examined the applicability of the Healthy Eating Index (HEI) by examining associations with sociodemographics, nutrient intakes and nutrient adequacy. Methods Household sociodemographics and dietary intakes (three 24-h dietary recalls) were collected in the cross-sectional National Comprehensive Study on Household Food Consumption Patterns and Nutritional Status 2001-2003. Household diet quality was calculated using the HEI. Regression analyses examined associations between diet quality and sociodemographics, nutrient intakes and nutrient adequacy. Results A total of 6584 households were included in this study. Age (β-coeff 2.11; 95% CI: 1.64, 2.44), education (β-coeff 4.58; 4.05, 5.11) and living in urban areas (β-coeff 2.87; 2.56, 3.19) (as reported by the household head) were positively associated with diet quality. Higher diet quality was associated with higher intake of protein (% energy) (β-coeff 0.08; 0.07, 0.08), calcium (mg/day) (β-coeff 12.10; 11.23, 12.98), iron (mg/day) (β-coeff 0.04; 0.02, 0.05), vitamin C (mg/day) (β-coeff 3.61; 3.45, 3.77) and fibre (g/day) (β-coeff 0.12; 0.11, 0.14), lower intake of sodium (mg/day) (β-coeff -83.45; -93.02, -73.88) and adequate intake of calcium (mg/day) (OR 1.10; 95% CI: 1.09, 1.12) and vitamin C (mg/day) (1.19; 1.18, 1.20). Conclusions Higher HEI was associated with a range of sociodemographics and better nutrient intakes and nutrient adequacy. Key messages HEI was applicable for assessing the diet quality of Iranian households.


Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 1163
Author(s):  
Suzana Shahar ◽  
Mohd Razif Shahril ◽  
Noraidatulakma Abdullah ◽  
Boekhtiar Borhanuddin ◽  
Mohd Arman Kamaruddin ◽  
...  

Measuring dietary intakes in a multi-ethnic and multicultural setting, such as Malaysia, remains a challenge due to its diversity. This study aims to develop and evaluate the relative validity of an interviewer-administered food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) in assessing the habitual dietary exposure of The Malaysian Cohort (TMC) participants. We developed a nutrient database (with 203 items) based on various food consumption tables, and 803 participants were involved in this study. The output of the FFQ was then validated against three-day 24-h dietary recalls (n = 64). We assessed the relative validity and its agreement using various methods, such as Spearman’s correlation, weighed Kappa, intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), and Bland–Altman analysis. Spearman’s correlation coefficient ranged from 0.24 (vitamin C) to 0.46 (carbohydrate), and almost all nutrients had correlation coefficients above 0.3, except for vitamin C and sodium. Intraclass correlation coefficients ranged from −0.01 (calcium) to 0.59 (carbohydrates), and weighted Kappa exceeded 0.4 for 50% of nutrients. In short, TMC’s FFQ appears to have good relative validity for the assessment of nutrient intake among its participants, as compared to the three-day 24-h dietary recalls. However, estimates for iron, vitamin A, and vitamin C should be interpreted with caution.


Foods ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 695
Author(s):  
João P. M. Lima ◽  
Sofia A. Costa ◽  
Teresa R. S. Brandão ◽  
Ada Rocha

Background: A wide variety of social, cultural and economic factors may influence dietary patterns. This work aims to identify the main determinants of food consumption and barriers for healthy eating at the workplace, in a university setting. Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted with 533 participants. Data were obtained through the application of a self-administered questionnaire that included socio-demographic information, food consumption determinants and the main perceived barriers for healthy eating at the workplace. Results: The respondents identified “price” (22.5%), “meal quality” (20.7%), and “location/distance” (16.5%). For women, the determinant “availability of healthy food options” was more important than for men (p < 0.001). The food consumption determinants at the workplace most referred to by respondents were related to the nutritional value. Smell, taste, appearance and texture, and good value for money, were also considered important for choosing food at the workplace. Respondents referred to work commitments and lack of time as the main barriers for healthy eating at the workplace. Conclusions: Identification of determinants involved in food consumption, and the barriers for healthy eating, may contribute to a better definition of health promotion initiatives at the workplace aiming to improve nutritional intake.


2017 ◽  
Vol 20 (18) ◽  
pp. 3266-3274 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharon Rosenrauch ◽  
Kylie Ball ◽  
Karen E Lamb

AbstractObjectiveMeal skipping is a relatively common behaviour during adolescence. As peer influence increases during adolescence, friendship groups may play a role in determining eating patterns such as meal skipping. The current study examined cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between perceived friends’ support of healthy eating and breakfast and lunch skipping among adolescents.DesignSurvey of intrapersonal, social and environmental factors that may influence eating patterns at baseline (2004/05) and follow-up (2006/07).SettingThirty-seven secondary schools in Victoria, Australia.SubjectsSample of 1785 students aged 12–15 years at baseline.ResultsAdolescents who reported that their friends sometimes or often ate healthy foods with them were less likely (adjusted OR; 95 % CI) to skip breakfast (sometimes: 0·71; 0·57, 0·90; often: 0·54; 0·38, 0·76) or lunch (sometimes: 0·61; 0·41, 0·89; often: 0·59; 0·37, 0·94) at baseline than those who reported their friends never or rarely displayed this behaviour. Although this variable was associated with lunch skipping at follow-up, there was no evidence of an association with breakfast skipping at follow-up. There was no evidence of an association between perceived encouragement of healthy eating, and an inconsistent relationship between perceived discouragement of junk food consumption, and meal skipping.ConclusionsFriends eating healthy foods together may serve to reduce meal skipping during early adolescence, possibly due to the influence of directly observable behaviour and shared beliefs held by those in the same friendship group. Verbal encouragement or discouragement from friends may be less impactful an influence on meal skipping (than directly observable behaviours) in adolescents.


2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (10) ◽  
pp. 1872-1887 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmad Jayedi ◽  
Ali Rashidy-Pour ◽  
Mohammad Parohan ◽  
Mahdieh Sadat Zargar ◽  
Sakineh Shab-Bidar

AbstractObjectiveThe present review aimed to quantify the association of dietary intake and circulating concentration of major dietary antioxidants with risk of total CVD mortality.DesignSystematic review and meta-analysis.SettingSystematic search in PubMed and Scopus, up to October 2017.ParticipantsProspective observational studies reporting risk estimates of CVD mortality across three or more categories of dietary intakes and/or circulating concentrations of vitamin C, vitamin E and β-carotene were included. A random-effects meta-analysis was conducted.ResultsA total of fifteen prospective cohort studies and three prospective evaluations within interventional studies (320 548 participants and 16 974 cases) were analysed. The relative risks of CVD mortality for the highest v. the lowest category of antioxidant intakes were as follows: vitamin C, 0·79 (95 % CI 0·68, 0·89; I2=46 %, n 10); vitamin E, 0·91 (95 % CI 0·79, 1·03; I2=51 %, n 8); β-carotene, 0·89 (95 % CI 0·73, 1·05; I2=34 %, n 4). The relative risks for circulating concentrations were: vitamin C, 0·60 (95 % CI 0·42, 0·78; I2=65 %, n 6); α-tocopherol, 0·82 (95 % CI 0·76, 0·88; I2=0 %, n 5); β-carotene, 0·68 (95 % CI 0·52, 0·83; I2=50 %, n 6). Dose–response meta-analyses demonstrated that the circulating biomarkers of antioxidants were more strongly associated with risk of CVD mortality than dietary intakes.ConclusionsThe present meta-analysis demonstrates that higher vitamin C intake and higher circulating concentrations of vitamin C, vitamin E and β-carotene are associated with a lower risk of CVD mortality.


Circulation ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 131 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher E Kline ◽  
Patrick J Strollo ◽  
Eileen R Chasens ◽  
Bonny Rockette-Wagner ◽  
Andrea Kriska ◽  
...  

Background: Sleep is emerging as an important factor that impacts dietary habits, physical activity, and metabolism. However, minimal attention is typically given to sleep in traditional lifestyle interventions. The purpose of these analyses was to examine baseline associations between sleep and physical activity and perceived barriers to healthy eating, which are two common lifestyle intervention targets, in a sample of apparently healthy adults enrolled in a behavioral weight loss intervention study. Methods: 150 overweight adults (51.1±10.2 y; 91% female; 79% Caucasian) participated in a 12-month lifestyle intervention that featured adaptive ecological momentary assessment. Sleep, physical activity, barriers to healthy eating and body habitus/composition were assessed prior to the intervention. Objective sleep was estimated with 7 days of wrist-worn actigraphy (Philips Actiwatch 2); sleep onset latency (SOL; the amount of time it takes to fall asleep after going to bed), sleep efficiency (SE; the percentage of time in bed that is spent asleep), and total sleep time (TST; total time spent asleep) served as the primary actigraphic sleep variables. Subjective sleep quality was assessed with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Physical activity was assessed with 7 days of waist-worn accelerometry (ActiGraph GT3x). Perceived barriers to healthy eating were assessed with the Barriers to Healthy Eating questionnaire. Body mass index (BMI) served as the measure of body habitus, and body fat was assessed with bioelectrical impedance. Results: Mean BMI and body fat for the sample were 34.0±4.6 kg/m2 and 43.7±5.5%, respectively. Mean TST was 6.6±0.8 h/night; approximately 23% of the sample averaged less than 6 hours of sleep. Mean SOL and SE for the sample were 15.3±16.2 min and 85.7±6.1%, respectively. Based on the PSQI, 52.0% of the sample had poor sleep quality. Following adjustment for age, sex, and race, longer SOL was associated with fewer steps/day (β=-.19, p=.02) and less time spent in moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA; β=-.16, p=.03), and lower SE was related to less MVPA (β=.15, p=.04). Shorter TST was associated with greater barriers to healthy eating (β=-.16, p=.05). Longer SOL was associated with higher BMI (β=.16, p=.05) and body fat % (β=.15, p=.03), and lower SE was related to higher body fat % (β=-.13, p=.06). Conclusions: Short sleep duration and sleep disturbance were highly prevalent in this sample of overweight adults. Significant associations were observed between sleep and measures of body habitus/composition and eating and physical activity habits. Efforts to improve sleep during a behavioral intervention for weight loss may reduce barriers to healthy eating and improve physical activity habits as well as weight loss outcomes.


Circulation ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 143 (Suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hyunju Kim ◽  
Cheryl A Anderson ◽  
Emily A Hu ◽  
Zihe Zheng ◽  
Lawrence J Appel ◽  
...  

Introduction: In individuals with chronic kidney disease (CKD), healthy dietary patterns are inversely associated with CKD progression. Metabolomics, an approach which measures many small molecules in biofluids, can identify biomarkers of healthy dietary patterns and elucidate metabolic pathways underlying diet-disease associations. Hypothesis: We hypothesized that adherence to 4 healthy dietary patterns would be associated with a set of known metabolites in CKD patients. Methods: We examined associations between 634 plasma metabolites assessed using the Broad platform at year 1 and Healthy Eating Index (HEI)-2015, Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI)-2010, the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet, and alternate Mediterranean diet (aMED), and their food components in 1,117 participants in the CRIC Study. Usual dietary intakes were assessed using a food frequency questionnaire at baseline and year 2. We conducted multivariable linear regression models to study associations between diet scores and individual plasma metabolites, adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics, health behaviors, and clinical factors. Results: After Bonferroni correction, we identified a total of 362 diet-metabolite associations (HEI=78; AHEI=127; DASH=97; aMED=60), and 101 metabolites were associated with more than 1 dietary pattern. The most common metabolite categories were triacylglycerols and diacylglycerols. Most lipids were negatively associated with healthy dietary patterns, except for cholesterols esters and triacylglycerols with ≥7 double bonds. Triacylglycerols with high number of double bonds were positively associated with healthy fat intake (e.g., higher monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acid, omega-3 fatty acid, fish) within HEI, AHEI, and aMED ( Table ). Conclusions: We identified many metabolites associated with healthy dietary patterns, indicative of food consumption. If replicated, they may be considered biomarkers of healthy dietary patterns in CKD patients.


2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 54
Author(s):  
Tomoko Osera ◽  
Nobuko Taniguchi ◽  
Hiroko Hashimoto ◽  
Nobutaka Kurihara

Early childhood is the most important time for establishing healthy eating habits, and of course during this period a mother can have a great influence in this regard. In this study explored what major factors influence the development children’s food habits and whether the level of nutrition knowledge of parents has a material impact. This study involved 219 students (age renge, 3–5 years) and their parents in Osaka prefecture in Japan. Mothers were administered questionnaires that contained uestions pertaining to lifestyle, unidentifiable description of the children and their guardian’s SRH along with 39 questions to assess the food-related habits and attitudes. The correlates of the nutrition-related knowledge level of mothers and the children’s concern and respect for healthy eating were assessed using the Chi-square test, Fisher’s exact test and the Mann-Whitney U test. The differences between high and low amount of parental knowledge and high and low non-cognitive skills towards food groups were also examined. Completed questionnaires were returned by 219 of the participants. Among the respondents, 50.7% were male, and 92.2% of the parents indicated that they get nutrition information from the Internet. We remarkably found that the level of mother’s knowledge about nutrition had no statistically significant influence on how the children in this study understood food. However, chilren’s concern and respect for food were significantly associated with their participation in various aspects of food preparation (help with washing and cooking of food) and presentation (help with setting up the table) (P &lt; 0.05, Mann–Whitney U test). Participation of Japanese kindergarten children in such activities was significantly associated with high level of food-related non-cognitive skills. Of note, the nutrition-related knowledge level of the mother showed no significant association with the attitude of their children towasds food.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Danilo C. Noronha ◽  
Monique I. A. F. Santos ◽  
Adrianny A. Santos ◽  
Lizia G. A. Corrente ◽  
Rúbia K. N. Fernandes ◽  
...  

Nutrition education is one of the factors that may help to promote behavior change and therefore may improve the dietary habits of adolescent soccer players. However, information about the relationship between nutrition knowledge (NK) and the dietary behavior of these athletes is scarce. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the eating habits of adolescent soccer players and analyse the correlations among dietary intake and NK. Seventy-three Brazilian adolescent soccer players (aged 14–19 years), from four professional clubs, underwent anthropometric evaluation and completed 3-day food records. Misreporting of energy intake was evaluated and the dietary intake data were energy-adjusted and compared with recommendations for athletes and dietary reference intakes. The athletes also answered a questionnaire about barriers for healthy eating and a nutrition knowledge test divided into three sections: Basic Nutrition Knowledge (BNK), Sports Nutrition Knowledge (SNK), and Food Pyramid Nutrition Knowledge (FPNK). The participants showed a low NK (54.6%) and an inadequate intake of fruits, vegetables, dairy, carbohydrates, and micronutrients. A positive correlation was found between the ingestion of phosphorus and FPNK as well as among calcium and both SNK and Total NK (p<0.05). Sodium intake was negatively correlated with all categories of the NK test (p<0.05). The adolescents reported that the principal barriers for adopting a healthy diet were the lack of willpower and a busy lifestyle. In this context, nutrition education is recommended and should also provide practicable healthy eating goals according to athletes´ lifestyle as well as target motivational barriers to increase adherence.


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