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Metabolic syndrome in Korean adolescents and young adult offspring and their parents

Background and Objectives: Studies have investigated the associations between parental metabolic syndrome (MetS) and offspring MetS. This study aimed to uncover parental-offspring associations for MetS and its components according to offspring sex and age. Methods and Study Design: A cross-sectional study in 1,403 fathers, 1,451 mothers, and 1,532 offspring (340 male and 404 female offspring aged 10-18 years; 283 male and 505 female offspring aged 19-25 years) using the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data between 2010 and 2013. Results: All categorized MetS components in fathers and mothers were significantly associated with the same components in male offspring, while high waist circumference, high triglycerides, and low high-density lipoprotein in fathers and mothers were associated with the same components in female offspring. The number of categorized MetS components which were significantly associated between parent-offspring pairs was greater in offspring aged 19-25 years than in those aged 10-18 years. All categorized MetS components were significantly associated between father-male offspring aged 19-25 years pairs, but not in other parent-offspring pairs. The MetS per se in fathers and mothers was significantly associated with that in male offspring aged 10-18 years. Conclusions: There were differential associations according to offspring sex and age group and parent’s sex with respect to parental-offspring associations for MetS and its individual components. The associations for MetS and its components were stronger in young adult versus adolescent offspring, in male offspring versus female offspring.

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Awareness of coeliac disease among chefs and cooks depends on the level and place of training

Background and Objectives: Coeliac disease is triggered by gluten. The only treatment is lifelong avoidance of dietary gluten. Dining out and travelling are particular challenges with a huge impact on quality of life. We examined the knowledge about coeliac disease and gluten-free food preparation among chefs and cooks, and culinary students in Dunedin, New Zealand. Methods and Study Design: Outlets serving gluten-free food were identified. The head chefs or cooks were invited to complete a questionnaire regarding demographics, education, qualification, experience and knowledge of coeliac disease and gluten-free food preparation. Ninety restaurant chefs and cooks, and 35 first-year culinary students participated. Results: Half of participating chefs and cooks had received no formal training, but all were aware of the term gluten-free diet. Twelve (13%) were unaware of coeliac disease, all of whom were non-European and worked at an ethnic restaurant which did not have gluten-free policies in place. There was no significant difference in awareness of coeliac disease between chefs and students (p=0.36). However, students were significantly more aware of necessary gluten-free food preparation (p=0.007) and scored better in the gluten-free quiz (p=0.01) than chefs and cooks. Conclusions: Awareness of coeliac disease did not necessarily mean that policies were in place to prepare contamination-free gluten-free meals. Chefs and cooks from countries with a low incidence of coeliac disease lacked knowledge about gluten-free food preparation and had difficulties recognising gluten containing foods. Patients with coeliac disease wanting to dine out should be advised to choose a restaurant with care.

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Associations of self-efficacy, social support, and knowledge with fruit and vegetable consumption in Japanese workers

Background and Objectives: Previous studies have suggested that self-efficacy, social support, and knowledge are primary psychosocial predictors of dietary behavior in adults. The present study aimed to investigate the associations of self-efficacy, social support, and knowledge with fruit and vegetable consumption in Japanese workers. Methods and Study Design: From September to November 2014, a self-administered questionnaire was completed by Japanese workers at 8 workplaces in Niigata, Japan. Self-efficacy and social support for fruit and vegetable consumption were measured using a 3-item Likert scale across particular situations. Knowledge was measured using a single item about the recommended guidelines for fruit and vegetable consumption in Japan. Fruit and vegetable consumption was assessed using a validated, brief-type self-administered diet history questionnaire. Results: Of the 457 respondents, 395 participants' data were analyzed. Scores in self-efficacy and social support showed a significant and positive association with fruit (p＜0.001, p=0.002) and vegetable consumption (p=0.001, p=0.015). Knowledge was significantly and positively associated with vegetable consumption (p=0.015) but did not statistically differ in fruit consumption (p=0.645). Conclusions: The findings of this study suggest that self-efficacy and social support are positively associated with fruit and vegetable consumption in Japanese workers.

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Differences in health-related behaviors between middle school, high school, and college students in Jiangsu province, China

Background and Objectives: Increasing rates of obesity among Chinese adolescents has become a major public health concern in recent years. Studies have shown that factors such as food choices, physical activity, and screen time play important roles in fostering obesity. We examined a number of biological and social determinants that influence these factors. To determine whether dietary behavior, physical activity, and screen time varied among students in different stages of their education. Methods and Study Design: Students in 13 cities across Jiangsu Province completed an anonymous survey assessing demographics and various health-related behaviors in a controlled setting. The survey population ranged from middle school students to undergraduates. 55,361 surveys were returned, and 46,611 (84.2%) were usable for the analysis. Multiple linear regression models were used to investigate the relationship between four behavioral factors (dietary behavior, screen time, physical activity, and moderate exercise) and seven predictors (gender, age, BMI, mother’s education, nearsightedness, allowance, and geographic region). Results: Baseline characteristics of the survey population analyzed by education level (middle school, high school, college and beyond) showed moderate differences in demographics among the three groups. Physical activity, moderate exercise, and dietary behavior decreased with educational level, while screen time increased. All predictors in the four considered regression models were statistically significant. Conclusions: This unique, large-scale survey of Chinese students in a region of contrasting economic development revealed numerous relationships between health-related diet and physical-activity, region, and education level. These findings can inform the development of measures to counteract the rise of obesity in China.

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Rising food accessibility contributed to the increasing dietary diversity in rural and urban China

China has undergone a dramatic transition in food consumption in the past few decades. Diet composition has changed significantly because of an increase in food accessibility and lifestyle changes. To investigate dietary changes in China from the perspective of dietary diversity, we assessed the trend of dietary diversity in China by using the following 4 indicators: count index, dietary diversity score, entropy, and Simpson index. Data of 24,542 adults (age ≥18 y) were obtained from the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS) conducted in 2004, 2006, 2009, and 2011. Furthermore, the association between dietary diversity and the number of food facilities was investigated using multivariable regression and local polynomial regression. Results indicate that dietary diversity increased over time and was unequally distributed among regions and families. Urban residents had a significantly more diverse diet compared with their rural counterparts (p＜0.01). Moreover, dietary diversity was positively associated with food accessibility (p＜0.01), and it was affected by socioeconomic factors such as the family income, household size, gender, age, education, and region. Taken together, these data suggest that the increase in dietary diversity in China in the past decade can be partially attributed to the increase in food accessibility.