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Aim: The aim of the present study was to examine prevalence and correlates of skipping breakfast in a representative sample of children and adolescents. Methods: Cross‐sectional, observational study. Population data derived from a school‐based health survey carried out in 2015 on 177 091 Greek children aged 8–17 years. Trained investigators performed all anthropometric evaluations. Breakfast skipping and adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MD) was assessed through the Mediterranean Diet Quality Index for children and adolescents. Physical activity status, sedentary activities and sleeping hours were assessed through self‐completed questionnaires. Results: Almost one in four (22.4% of boys, 23.1% of girls) schoolchildren skipped breakfast. Participants' characteristics associated with skipping breakfast were being female, being older, being overweight/obese, poorer diet, inadequate physical activity levels, insufficient sleep and increased screen time. Regression models adjusted for several potential confounders demonstrated that poor dietary habits, insufficient sleeping status (<8–9 hours per day), and increased screen time (>2 hours per day), increased the odds for skipping breakfast by almost 80% (95% CI: 1.78–1.82), 23% (95% CI: 1.20–1.26) and 22.5% (95% CI: 1.19–1.26), respectively. Conclusions: Skipping breakfast was common among schoolchildren. Participants who skipped breakfast tended to have an unhealthy lifestyle profile. Policies designed to increase breakfast consumption should target schoolchildren with unhealthy lifestyle profiles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Malnutrition has a significant impact on patient outcomes and duration of inpatient stay. However, conducting timely nutrition assessments can be challenging for rural dietitians. A solution could be for allied health assistants (AHAs) to assist with these assessments. The present study aimed to assess the accuracy and confidence of AHAs trained to conduct the subjective global assessment (SGA) compared with dietitians. Methods: A non‐inferiority study design was adopted. Forty‐five adult inpatients admitted to a rural and remote health service were assessed independently by both a trained AHA and dietitian within 24 hours. The order of assessment was randomised, with the second assessor blind to the outcome of the initial SGA. Levels of agreement were examined using kappa and percent exact agreement (PEA; set a priori at ≥80%). Rater confidence after each assessment was assessed using a 10‐point scale. Results: Agreement for overall SGA ratings was high (kappa = 0.84; PEA 84.4%). PEA for individual sub‐components of the SGA ranged from 66.4 to 86.7%. Where discrepancies were identified in global SGA ratings, AHAs provided a more severe rating of malnutrition than dietitians. AHAs reported significantly lower confidence than dietitians (t = 4.49, P < 0.001), although mean confidence for both groups was quite high (AHA=7.5, dietitians = 9.0). Conclusions: Trained AHAs completed the SGA with similar accuracy to dietitians. Using AHAs may help facilitate timely nutrition assessment in rural health services when a dietitian is not physically present. Further investigation is required to determine the benefits of incorporating this extended role into rural and remote health‐care services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim The prevalence of disordered eating has been frequently reported in university students; however, the prevalence amongst Australian undergraduate students studying degrees with a focus on nutrition is uncertain. The aims of this study were to: (i) assess eating attitudes and behaviours of students enrolled in nutrition and dietetics, (ii) compare those to students enrolled in another health degree of occupational therapy (OT) and (iii) explore possible relationships between eating attitudes and behaviours and other characteristics of both cohorts. Methods This cross-sectional observational study investigated self-reported anthropometric characteristics, eating attitudes and behaviours and self-esteem using a series of questionnaires. Results Participants included 137 students (119 females, 18 males) with a mean age of 27.1 ± 8.7 years. Fourteen percent of nutrition and dietetics and 11% of OT students had disordered eating attitudes scores that were symptomatic of an eating disorder. Mean eating attitude scores did not differ between the degrees of study. Students in nutrition and dietetics showed significantly higher levels of cognitive restraint and less emotional eating than OT students. Enrolment in the first year of study was the strongest predictor of symptomatic eating attitudes. Conclusions These findings support previously expressed concern about presence of disordered eating in nutrition and dietetics undergraduates. Collaboratively developed support mechanisms for preventing and managing disordered relationships with food would be of benefit to students enrolled in nutrition degrees to ensure ongoing professional integrity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim The association of sodium (Na) and potassium (K) intake with blood pressure ( BP) is an ongoing debate, especially in central Iran. We aimed to examine the mean Na and K intake, major sources of Na and the relationship between BP and dietary and urinary Na and K. Methods This cross-sectional study was performed in central Iran in 2013-2014. A total of 796 non-hypertensive adults aged >18 years were randomly recruited. The semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire was used to assess dietary Na and K intake. Moreover, 24-hour urine samples were collected to measure 24-hour urinary Na ( UNa) and K ( UK) as biomarkers. BP was measured twice on each arm using a standard protocol. Results The mean Na and K intake were 4309.6 ± 1344.4 and 2732.7 ± 1050.5 mg/day, respectively. Table and cooking salt were the main sources of Na. Odds ratio ( OR) (95% confidence interval ( CI)) of the crude model in the highest quartile of UNa indicated a significant association with the higher risk of prehypertension ( OR (95% CI): 2.09 (1.09-4.05); P for trend = 0.007). After adjustment for potential confounders, prehypertension was significantly associated with increasing dietary Na/K ratio ( OR (95% CI): 1.28 (1.01-1.57); P for trend = 0.046) and UNa/ UK ratio ( OR (95% CI): 2.15(1.08-4.55); P for trend = 0.029). Conclusions Increasing dietary and urinary Na/K ratios and UNa were associated with elevated BP and prehypertension occurrence. These findings support the necessity of developing a salt reduction programme in our country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The impact of sarcopenia on hospitalisation has been under intense investigation; however, little is known about the association between sarcopenia and their costs among hospitalised patients. The aim of the present study was to quantify the association between sarcopenia and hospitalisation costs among older adults. Methods: A cross ‐ sectional study was conducted in 201 hospitalised older adults in a general hospital. Sarcopenia was identified according to the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP) criteria. Muscle mass was assessed by anthropometric measurements, muscle strength through handgrip strength evaluation and physical performance by Timed Up and Go Test. Nutritional status was evaluated using the Mini Nutritional Assessment—Short Form (MNA ‐ SF), and hospital costs were assessed with the Diagnosis Related Groups (DRGs) system. Multivariable logistic regression models were fitted to quantify the association between sarcopenia and hospital costs. Increased hospital costs were considered when a patients′ cost was higher than the mean cost of an average patient (€2396.24). Results: Within this sample, 10.4% sarcopenic, 43.8% at nutritional risk and 14.9% undernourished older adults were identified. After adjustment, sarcopenia (OR = 5.70, 95% CI 1.57 – 20.71) and low muscle strength (OR = 2.40, 95% CI 1.12 – 5.15) were associated with increased hospital costs. Conclusions: Sarcopenia and low muscle strength at hospital admission were independently associated with increased hospital costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim Nutrition professionals in Israel are developing a system to document the Dietetic Care Process ( DCP) tailored for specific patient sectors and compliant with national health guidelines. The ultimate goal is to achieve uniform documentation and improve nutrition care. Israeli dietetic practitioners work in specific patient sectors; therefore, a patient population-specific reporting system is proposed instead of the typical singular format applied across all patient populations. The purpose of this project was to evaluate learning outcomes and attitudes among registered dietitians ( RDs) after online training of a novel DCP documentation system. Methods A total of 80 Israeli RDs working in geriatric practice completed an eight-week online educational program learning documentation that is compatible for use with electronic health records and compliant with Israeli standards of practice. A paired sample t-test and McNemar test were used to analyse pre- to post-test performance, while Pearson's r, point-biserial, Spearman's and ANOVA were used to assess relationships among variables. Results Post-test knowledge scores increased significantly, t(67) = -9.007, P = 0.000; 95% CI (−26.713, −17.019). Age, education, geographic location and previous experience with online courses were not correlated with academic performance, suggesting that demographic characteristics did not impact training. Overall, RDs (>80%) responded positively to the training model and were highly interested in future proficiency online learning opportunities (98%). Conclusions A sectoral DCP online training program significantly improved knowledge and was rated favourably by Israeli RDs. DCP training for clinical practitioners may be optimised when standardised nutrition care and reporting systems are adapted to specific patient populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]