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Introduction To determine the association of fruit and vegetable consumption with overall sleep duration among pregnant women. Methods Data from the 2011 and 2012 Behavioral Risk Factors Surveillance System (BRFSS) were used. All women (n = 2951) of childbearing age (18-44 years) who were pregnant and responded to all fruit and vegetable consumption and sleep duration questions were included. Covariates included age, race, education level, exercise, and marital status. Data were analyzed using linear and ordinal logistic regression. Results Total daily fruit and vegetable consumption was not associated with sleep duration among pregnant women, controlling for confounders [[beta] = -0.03, (-0.07, 0.00)]. Orange and green vegetable consumption were both inversely associated with sleep duration [[beta] = -0.19, (-0.38, -0.01) and [beta] = -0.20, (-0.33, -0.08) respectively]. Ordinal logistic regression found that the odds of meeting or exceeding sleep time recommendations increased slightly with each unit increase in total fruit and vegetable consumption [OR = 1.05 (1.003, 1.092)] and for every unit increase in fruit consumption [OR = 1.12 (1.038, 1.208)]. Women who exercised within the past 30 days reported approximately 20 min of additional sleep compared to those who did not [[beta] = 0.32 (0.16, 0.49)]. Age, employment status, and marital status were also independently associated with sleep duration. Discussion Sleep duration in pregnant women was associated with exercise and other demographic factors, but only mildly associated with fruit and vegetable consumption. Future research should investigate the effects of additional factors including sleep quality, gestational age, family status and other medications as potential confounders., Author(s): C. H. Duke [sup.1] , J. A. Williamson [sup.1] , K. R. Snook [sup.1] , K. C. Finch [sup.1] , K. L. Sullivan [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.256302.0Department of [...]

Background/Objectives: Vitamin D deficiency in children remains a global concern. Although literature exists on the vitamin D status and its risk factors among children in the Middle East, findings have yielded mixed results, and large, representative community studies are lacking. Subjects/Methods: In a nationally representative survey of 1077 Jordanian children of preschool age (12-59 months) in Spring 2010, we measured 25(OH)D.sub.3 concentrations by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry and calculated prevalence ratios for deficiency associated with various factors. Results: Results showed 19.8% (95% confidence interval (CI): 16.4-23.3%) deficiency ( Conclusions: Vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency pose significant public health problems in Jordanian children with female children disproportionately affected. Strong associations between vitamin D status in children and urban residency and maternal vitamin D status suggest that the behaviors related to sun exposure in urban mothers likely also affect the sun exposure and thus vitamin D status of their children., Author(s): E K Nichols [sup.1] , I M D Khatib [sup.2] , N J Aburto [sup.3] , M K Serdula [sup.3] , K S Scanlon [sup.3] , J P Wirth [...]

Four issues in the use and interpretation of anthropometry are discussed at the level of the populat and of the individual The first issue is the index or indices of choice: weight-for-height versus he versus weight-for-age. The selection of an index or indices depends upon many factors, and no one index is complately adequate in all situations. Proposed criteria are provided to assess the sev of low anthropometry within populations. The second issue is the scale of the index. z-scores (or st deviations) versus percentiles versus percent-of-median. z-Scores have several properties that make them superior to the other two scales. A third issue deals with limitations in the current grow reference; one of these is the disjunction between the growth curves at 2 years of age, resulting fr the use of two different populations in the reference. It is important that this disjunction be reco by researchers so that the anthropometric findings are interpreted correctly for this age range. Las some issues to do with the collection of single versus multiple anthropometric measurements on child are discussed., Introduction Anthropometry is widely used as a tool to estimate the nutritional status of populations and to monitor the growth and health of individuals. The three most frequently used anthropometric [...]

Objective:: To investigate the relationship between stunting and levels of overweight/obesity among South African school children, using two definitions of overweight and obesity, based on the WHO and International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) criteria. Design:: Cross-sectional descriptive analysis of the nutritional status of primary school children, using primary data from a rural community-based study undertaken in 1995 and secondary data from the South African National Primary Schools (SANPS) survey conducted in 1994. Stunting was measured according to the WHO definition of -2 Z scores height-for-age. Two sets of criteria were used to measure overweight and obesity--the WHO/NCHS standard based on the 85th and 95th centiles and the IOTF criteria. Setting:: The primary data source was from a rural KwaZulu-Natal community based survey. The secondary data source SANPS consisted of data at National and Provincial level; for this study only data from the province of KwaZulu-Natal was considered. Subjects:: Primary school children aged between 8 and 11[??]y of age; 802 from the primary data source and 24[??]391 from the secondary source. Results:: Moderate stunting ranged from 2.9 to 40.2%, and mild stunting ranged from 31.4 to 75%. The prevalence of overweight ranged from 0.4 to 13.3% (WHO criteria) and from 0.4 to 11.9% using the IOTF criteria; while obesity ranged from 0.1 to 3.7% (WHO) and from 0.1 to 1.5% (IOTF criteria). The prevalence of overweight and obesity was observed to be higher using the WHO definition than that of IOTF (0.05 [less than] P [less than] 0.10). However, good kappa coefficient ([kappa]) levels of agreement were observed between the WHO and IOTF definitions of overweight and obesity ([kappa] [greater than] 0.55, in all cases). The levels of agreement in all cases were less for obesity than overweight (both ranged from 0.55 to 1.0). Females were observed to have higher [kappa] levels than their male counterparts; they also had higher prevalence levels of overweight and obesity across age and geographical group. Uniformly high levels of both mild and moderate stunting were observed both nationally and provincially. However, no excess relative risk of being overweight if stunted was observed in this study (P [greater than] 0.05). Conclusions:: Caution must be applied when using either definition for obesity. However, very high levels of agreement occur for overweight. There is no obvious relationship between overweight and stunting in this study, but high levels of mild stunting were observed. Regular clinical and epidemiological monitoring of nutritional status needs to be undertaken in South Africa to examine possible future trends of overweight/obesity and their relationship with stunting, and for comparisons with global trends. Sponsorship:: The British Council supported the academic link between the UK and SA partners, which facilitated the research programme. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2003) 57, 358-365. doi: 10.1038/sj.ejcn.1601534 Keywords: African primary school children, obesity, overweight, stunting, WHO, IOTF, Author(s): C C Jinabhai [1]; M Taylor [1]; K R Sullivan [2] Introduction Childhood obesity is associated with several risk factors for chronic diseases, including heart disease in later life [...]