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Abstract Background Collection of reliable and comparable individual food consumption data is of primary importance to better understand, control and monitor malnutrition and its related comorbidities in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), including in Africa. The lack of standardised dietary tools and their related research support infrastructure remains a major obstacle to implement concerted and region-specific research and action plans worldwide. Citing the magnitude and importance of this challenge, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC/WHO) launched the “Global Nutrition Surveillance initiative” to pilot test the use of a standardized 24-h dietary recall research tool (GloboDiet), validated in Europe, in other regions. In this regard, the development of the GloboDiet-Africa can be optimised by better understanding of the local specific methodological needs, barriers and opportunities. The study aimed to evaluate the standardized 24-h dietary recall research tool (GloboDiet) as a possible common methodology for research and surveillance across Africa. Methods A consultative panel of African and international experts in dietary assessment participated in six e-workshop sessions. They completed an in-depth e-questionnaire to evaluate the GloboDiet dietary methodology before and after participating in the e-workshop. Results The 29 experts expressed their satisfaction on the potential of the software to address local specific needs when evaluating the main structure of the software, the stepwise approach for data collection and standardisation concept. Nevertheless, additional information to better describe local foods and recipes, as well as particular culinary patterns (e.g. mortar pounding), were proposed. Furthermore, food quantification in shared-plates and -bowls eating situations and interviewing of populations with low literacy skills, especially in rural settings, were acknowledged as requiring further specific considerations and appropriate solutions. Conclusions An overall positive evaluation of the GloboDiet methodology by both African and international experts, supports the flexibility and potential applicability of this tool in diverse African settings and sets a positive platform for improved dietary monitoring and surveillance. Following this evaluation, prerequisite for future implementation and/or adaptation of GloboDiet in Africa, rigorous and robust capacity building as well as knowledge transfer will be required to roadmap a stepwise approach to implement this methodology across pilot African countries/regions.

Aspects of the female body may be attractive because they signal evolutionary fitness. Greater body fatness might reflect greater potential to survive famines, but individuals carrying larger fat stores may have poor health and lower fertility in non-famine conditions. A mathematical statistical model using epidemiological data linking fatness to fitness traits, predicted a peaked relationship between fatness and attractiveness (maximum at body mass index (BMI) = 22.8 to 24.8 depending on ethnicity and assumptions). Participants from three Caucasian populations (Austria, Lithuania and the UK), three Asian populations (China, Iran and Mauritius) and four African populations (Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria and Senegal) rated attractiveness of a series of female images varying in fatness (BMI) and waist to hip ratio (WHR). There was an inverse linear relationship between physical attractiveness and body fatness or BMI in all populations. Lower body fat was more attractive, down to at least BMI = 19. There was no peak in the relationship over the range we studied in any population. WHR was a significant independent but less important factor, which was more important (greater r2) in African populations. Predictions based on the fitness model were not supported. Raters appeared to use body fat percentage (BF%) and BMI as markers of age. The covariance of BF% and BMI with age indicates that the role of body fatness alone, as a marker of attractiveness, has been overestimated.

Objectives: Development and validation of bioelectrical impedance prediction model for Moroccan adolescents. Subjects and methods: The total sample included 143 adolescents (34 boys and 109 girls) aged 11-17 years-old who were recruited from high schools of the capital city (Rabat) of Morocco. The study population was divided into developmental and validation sample. Anthropometric measurements performed by a trained technician were body weight, standing height, body mass index and waist-to-hip ratio. Body composition was measured by deuterium oxide dilution (D2O) (0.5 g of ²H2O for one kg of body weight) and by bioelectrical impedance analysis (4000 Bodystat Quadscan). Resistance (R50) and reactance (Xc50) were measured at 50 kHz. Pubertal status was determined. Results: The model is FFM (kg) determined by D2O = 0.578xHeight²/R50 (cm²/Ω) + 0.176xBody weight (kg) - 2.296xGender (boy=0, girl=1) + 0.791xAge (years) - 3.768; with R²=0.93 and SEE = 1.89 kg. In the validation sample, there was no significant difference between FFM measured by D2O (37.32±6.58 kg) and that estimated with model (37.22±6.37 kg) with p-value = 0.647. Bland and Altman analysis showed no significant association between the difference and the average of the two methods. The bias was 0.103 ± 1.891 kg of FFM with 95% confidence interval equal to -0.34 and +0.55 kg. The limits of agreement were -3.60 and +3.81 kg of FFM. Conclusions: The model is accurate to be used to assess body composition and nutritional status in Moroccan adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Physical activity (PA) surveillance, policy, and research efforts need to be periodically appraised to gain insight into national and global capacities for PA promotion. The aim of this paper was to assess the status and trends in PA surveillance, policy, and research in 164 countries., Methods: We used data from the Global Observatory for Physical Activity (GoPA!) 2015 and 2020 surveys. Comprehensive searches were performed for each country to determine the level of development of their PA surveillance, policy, and research, and the findings were verified by the GoPA! Country Contacts. Trends were analyzed based on the data available for both survey years., Results: The global 5-year progress in all 3 indicators was modest, with most countries either improving or staying at the same level. PA surveillance, policy, and research improved or remained at a high level in 48.1%, 40.6%, and 42.1% of the countries, respectively. PA surveillance, policy, and research scores decreased or remained at a low level in 8.3%, 15.8%, and 28.6% of the countries, respectively. The highest capacity for PA promotion was found in Europe, the lowest in Africa and low- and lower-middle-income countries. Although a large percentage of the world's population benefit from at least some PA policy, surveillance, and research efforts in their countries, 49.6 million people are without PA surveillance, 629.4 million people are without PA policy, and 108.7 million live in countries without any PA research output. A total of 6.3 billion people or 88.2% of the world's population live in countries where PA promotion capacity should be significantly improved., Conclusion: Despite PA is essential for health, there are large inequalities between countries and world regions in their capacity to promote PA. Coordinated efforts are needed to reduce the inequalities and improve the global capacity for PA promotion.

Total daily energy expenditure ("total expenditure") reflects daily energy needs and is a critical variable in human health and physiology, but its trajectory over the life course is poorly studied. We analyzed a large, diverse database of total expenditure measured by the doubly labeled water method for males and females aged 8 days to 95 years. Total expenditure increased with fat-free mass in a power-law manner, with four distinct life stages. Fat-free mass-adjusted expenditure accelerates rapidly in neonates to ~50% above adult values at ~1 year; declines slowly to adult levels by ~20 years; remains stable in adulthood (20 to 60 years), even during pregnancy; then declines in older adults. These changes shed light on human development and aging and should help shape nutrition and health strategies across the life span., (Copyright © 2021 The Authors, some rights reserved; exclusive licensee American Association for the Advancement of Science. No claim to original U.S. Government Works.)

Objective: To carry out an inventory on the availability, challenges, and needs of dietary assessment (DA) methods in Africa as a pre-requisite to provide evidence, and set directions (strategies) for implementing common dietary methods and support web-research infrastructure across countries., Methods: The inventory was performed within the framework of the "Africa's Study on Physical Activity and Dietary Assessment Methods" (AS-PADAM) project. It involves international institutional and African networks. An inventory questionnaire was developed and disseminated through the networks. Eighteen countries responded to the dietary inventory questionnaire., Results: Various DA tools were reported in Africa; 24-Hour Dietary Recall and Food Frequency Questionnaire were the most commonly used tools. Few tools were validated and tested for reliability. Face-to-face interview was the common method of administration. No computerized software or other new (web) technologies were reported. No tools were standardized across countries., Conclusions: The lack of comparable DA methods across represented countries is a major obstacle to implement comprehensive and joint nutrition-related programmes for surveillance, programme evaluation, research, and prevention. There is a need to develop new or adapt existing DA methods across countries by employing related research infrastructure that has been validated and standardized in other settings, with the view to standardizing methods for wider use.

This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of hypertension among a group of adolescents and to assess the relationship of systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP, DBP) with body fat mass (BFM), body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC). A total of 167 subjects aged 11-17 years were recruited, 29.3% and 12.6% were overweight and obese respectively. BMI, WC, SBP and DBP were determined using standardized equipment. BFM was estimated by the deuterium oxide dilution. Hypertension (HT) and prehypertension (pre-HT) were observed in 17.4% and 9.6%, of the study population, respectively. The prevalence of HT and pre-HT was significantly higher in boys and in overweight-obese groups (p = 0.044; p = 0.003 respectively). Both SBP and DBP were significantly higher in overweight-obese compared to healthy-weight groups (p < 0.001; p = 0.002 respectively). SBP was significantly higher in boys than girls (p = 0.013). With some exceptions, SBP and DBP were significantly correlated with BMI, WC and BFM in the study population and different weight-status groups of both genders. The relationship of blood pressure with BMI appeared to be more significant than with WC and BFM. The prevalence of hypertension was higher in boys than girls and in overweight-obese than healthy-weight adolescents. Overall SBP and DBP were associated with BFM, BMI and WC. However, the strong association between these variables was seen in girls, and the greater risk of developing hypertension could be associated with increasing BMI., (© 2013 Asian Oceanian Association for the Study of Obesity . Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Vitamin E supplements could be beneficial for postmenopausal women. To evaluate the effect of edible argan oil consumption on the antioxidant status of postmenopausal women, the vitamin E serum level of 151 menopausal women consuming either olive or argan oil was determined. Serum level of vitamin E was increased in the argan oil consumer group. Therefore, an argan oil-enriched diet can be recommended to help prevent some postmenopausal disorders.