Search

Objective: To examine the associations between food security status and dietary patterns among first-time food-aid users. Methods: From September 2018 to January 2020, a sample of 1001 newly registered food-aid users from 106 community-based food donation organizations were recruited across urban, rural, and peri-urban areas in four administrative regions of the province of Quebec, Canada. The Household Food Security Survey Module (HFSSM) and the Short Diet Questionnaire (SDQ) were used to assess food security status and food intake, respectively. A posteriori dietary patterns were identified through principal component analysis. Regression analyses were performed on 987 participants with complete data to quantify the association between food security status and dietary patterns. Results: Three main dietary patterns were identified: prudent(intake of fruits and fruit juice, plant-based beverages and legumes, green salad, carrots, other vegetables, whole grains, and fish), western(intake of poultry, red meat, potatoes and fried potatoes, rice, and pasta and refined grains), and snack foods(intake of salty snacks, cheese, butter and margarine, sweets, condiments, sweet beverages, and processed meat). Food insecurity was negatively associated with the prudentdietary pattern and positively associated with the snack fooddietary pattern. Conclusion: This study highlights the complexity of dietary patterns in a vulnerable population of first-time food-aid users, especially among those who are severely food insecure.

OBJECTIVE--To investigate age-period-cohort effects on the temporal trend of type 1 diabetes in children age 0-14 years in Italian registries. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS--This report is based on 5,180 incident cases in the period 1990-2003 from the Registry for Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus in Italy (RIDI). Multilevel (random intercept) Poisson regression models were used to model the effects of sex, age, calendar time, and birth cohorts on temporal trends, taking into account the registry-level variance component. RESULTS--The incidence rate was 12.26 per 100,000 person-years and significantly higher in boys (13.13 [95% CI 12.66-13.62]) than in girls (11.35 [10.90-11.82]). Large geographical variations in incidence within Italy were evident; incidence was highest in Sardinia, intermediate in Central-Southern Italy, and high in Northern Italy, particularly in the Trento Province, where the incidence rate was 18.67 per 100,000 person-years. An increasing temporal trend was evident (2.94% per year [95% CI 2.22-3.67]). With respect to the calendar period 1990-1992, the incidence rates increased linearly by 15, 27, 35, and 40% in the following time periods (P for trend < 0.001). With respect to the 1987-1993 birth cohort, the incidence rate ratio increased approximately linearly from 0.63 (95% CI 0.54-0.73) in the 1975-1981 cohort to 1.38 (1.06-1.80) in the 1999-2003 cohort. The best model, however, included sex, age, and a linear time trend (drift). CONCLUSIONS--Large geographical variations and an increasing temporal trend in diabetes incidence are evident among type 1 diabetic children in Italy. Age-period-cohort analysis shows that the variation over time has a linear component that cannot be ascribed to either the calendar period or the birth cohort., The incidence of type 1 diabetes among children is increasing worldwide with great geographical heterogeneity (1-6). Recently, the EURODIAB Study showed that within Europe the most striking changes during the [...]

OBJECTIVES: To examine the association between the local food environment and the severity of food insecurity among new families using community food security interventions in Montreal.

•Researchers must overcome multiple barriers in recruiting and retaining research participants living in conditions of vulnerability.•A comprehensive recruitment strategy that combines various elements tailored to vulnerable populations is required.•Most studies describing recruitment and retention of participants from vulnerable populations pertain to clinical settings.•This study describes strategies and challenges in recruiting participants through community organizations.•This paper provides recommendations on recruiting and retaining people living in conditions of extreme vulnerability.