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OBJECTIVES: To determine whether parent report of difficulty buying food was associated with child body mass index (BMI) z-score or with eating habits in young children. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study in primary care offices in Toronto, Ontario. Subjects were children aged 1 -5 years and their caregivers, recruited through the TARGet Kids! Research Network from July 2008 to August 2011. Regression models were developed to test the association between parent report of difficulty buying food because of cost and the following outcomes: child BMI z-score, parent's report of child's intake of fruit and vegetables, fruit juice and sweetened beverages, and fast food. Confounders included child's age, sex, birth weight, maternal BMI, education, ethnicity, immigration status, and neighbourhood income. RESULTS: The study sample consisted of 3333 children. Data on difficulty buying food were available for 3099 children, and 431 of these (13.9%) were from households reporting difficulty buying food. There was no association with child BMI z-score (p = 0.86). Children from households reporting difficulty buying food (compared with never having difficulty buying food) had increased odds of consuming three or fewer servings of fruits and vegetables per day (odds ratio [OR]: 1.31, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.03-1.69), more than one serving of fruit juice/sweetened beverage per day (OR: 1.60, 95% CI: 1.28-2.00), and, among children 1-2 years old, one or more servings of fast food per week (OR: 2.91, 95% CI: 1.67-5.08). CONCLUSION: Parental report of difficulty buying food is associated with less optimal eating habits in children but not with BMI z-score. KEY WORDS: Child; obesity; diet; poverty; food supply OBJECTIFS : Determiner si la difficulte indiquee par les parents d'acheter des aliments est associee a l'ecart Z de l'indice de masse corporelle (IMC) ou aux habitudes alimentaires des jeunes enfants. METHODE : Il s'agissait d'une etude transversale menee dans des cabinets de soins primaires de Toronto (Ontario). Elle portait sur des enfants de 1 a 5 ans et leurs proches aidants, recrutes par le reseau de recherche TARGet Kids! entre juillet 2008 et aout 2011. Des modeles de regression ont ete mis au point pour tester l'association entre la difficulte indiquee par les parents d'acheter des aliments en raison de leur cout et les resultats suivants : l'ecart Z de l'IMC des enfants, et la consommation de fruits et legumes, de jus de fruits, de boissons edulcorees et d'aliments de restauration rapide par les enfants selon les parents. Les facteurs confusionnels etaient l'age, le sexe et le poids de naissance des enfants, l'IMC maternel, l'instruction, l'ethnicite, le statut d'immigration et le revenu selon le quartier. RESULTATS : L'echantillon de l'etude comprenait 3 333 enfants, dont 431 (14,09%) provenaient de menages dont les parents disaient avoir de la difficulte a acheter des aliments. Aucune association n'a ete observee avec l'ecart Z de l'IMC des enfants (p = 0,86). Les enfants des menages disant avoir de la difficulte a acheter des aliments (comparativement a ceux des menages n'ayant jamais de difficulte a acheter des aliments) presentaient une probabilite accrue de consommer trois portions de fruits et legumes par jour ou moins (rapport de cotes [RC] : 1,31, intervalle de confiance de 95% [IC] : 1,03-1,69), de consommer plus d'une portion de jus de fruit ou de boissons edulcorees par jour (RC : 1,60, IC de 95% : 1,28-2,00) et, chez les enfants de 1 a 2 ans, de consommer une portion ou plus d'aliments de restauration rapide par semaine (RC : 2,91, IC de 95% : 1,67-5,08). CONCLUSION: La difficulte indiquee par les parents d'acheter des aliments est associee a des habitudes alimentaires sous-optimales chez les enfants, mais pas avec l'ecart Z de l'IMC. MOTS CLES: enfant; obesite; regime alimentaire; pauvrete; approvisionnement en nourriture, Childhood obesity is an important public health problem, and a growing body of research seeks to explore the ways in which social factors contribute to childhood obesity and eating behaviours. [...]

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: There are limited data on the association between dietary information and leukocyte telomere length (LTL), which is considered an indicator of biological aging. In this study, we aimed at determining the association between dietary patterns or consumption of specific foods and LTL in Korean adults. SUBJECT/METHODS: A total of 1958 middle-aged and older Korean adults from a population-based cohort were included in the study. Dietary data were collected from a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire at baseline (June 2001 to January 2003). LTL was assessed using real-time PCR during the 10-year follow-up period (February 2011 to November 2012). RESULTS: We identified two major factors and generated factor scores using factor analysis. The first factor labeled 'prudent dietary pattern' was characterized by high intake of whole grains, seafood, legumes, vegetables and seaweed, whereas the second factor labeled 'Western dietary pattern' was characterized by high intake of refined grain, red meat or processed meat and sweetened carbonated beverages. In a multiple linear regression model adjusted for age, sex, body mass index and other potential confounding variables, the prudent dietary pattern was positively associated with LTL. In the analysis of particular food items, higher consumption of legumes, nuts, seaweed, fruits and dairy products and lower consumption of red meat or processed meat and sweetened carbonated beverages were associated with longer LTL. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that diet in the remote past, that is, 10 years earlier, may affect the degree of biological aging in middle-aged and older adults. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2015) 69, 1048-1052;doi: 10.1038/ejcn.2015.58;published online 15 April 2015, INTRODUCTION Telomere length shortens in cellular aging, representing an indicator of biological aging. Telomeres, which consist of repetitive DNA sequences of 5'-TTAGGG-3', protect the ends of human chromosomes from oxidative [...]

To assess the dietary status of Americans and monitor changes in these patterns, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion (CNPP) developed the Healthy Eating Index (HEI) and first computed the Index by using 1989 data. The HEI is a summary measure of the overall quality of people's diets (broadly defined in terms of adequacy, moderation, and variety). This article presents the HEI for young children (age 2 to 9) for 1994-96/ 98--the most recent years for which nationally representative food intake data are available to compute the Index. The HEI is calculated for these children because they were the only subpopulation on which food intake data were collected in 1998. Most young children (81 percent) had a diet that needed improvement or was poor. The quality of children's diets varied by their sociodemographic characteristics. The diets of young children were statistically different based on age, gender, household income, receipt of food stamps, food sufficiency, and area of residence., Most young children have diets that need to be improved. This is of concern because poor eating habits in young children may impair their growth and development and serve as [...]

Objective The purposes of this study were to identify specific food choice behaviors used to decrease dietary fat intake in a community-dwelling population; assess how people categorize changes to diet; determine whether logical grouping of food intake changes revealed one or more common patterns or strategies used by these participants to decrease fat; and determine which strategies were responsible for the greatest decrease in dietary fat intake in the study population. Design Survey analysis and in-depth interviews were used to quantitatively and qualitatively define dietary change patterns retrospectively in a population who, according to self-report, had decreased their fat intake. Specific food changes made to decrease fat intake, interview statements, and participants' reduction of percentage energy from fat were examined. Setting Interviews were conducted from June 1993 through April 1994. Subjects Included in the study were 145 persons aged 30 to 55 years who reported that they had been decreasing their dietary fat intake for 5 years or more, maintained a healthful diet for at least 5 months, and resided in the United States while changing their diets. Statistical analyses performed Confirmatory factor analysis, reliability analysis, and linear regression analysis were performed. Results Nine fat-reduction strategies were identified. Decrease fat flavorings, decrease 'recreational foods,' decrease cooking fat, replace meat, change breakfast, and use fat-modified foods accounted for significant reduction in fat intake. Conclusions People use a variety of dietary changes to reduce their fat intake. These changes can be categorized into strategies according to the way people change their diets. Knowledge of these strategies and their importance in dietary fat reduction can improve and help nutritionists prioritize the messages they convey. JAm Diet Assoc. 1996; 96:1245-1250,1253., The adoption of a low-fat diet has been associated with decreased risk for chronic disease and excess body weight (especially for women) and associated physiological and psychological issues (1-3). As [...]

Objective To describe the relationship of new measures of hunger and food insecurity to household food supplies and individual food and nutrient intake. Design and Setting A questionnaire containing the Radimer/Cornell hunger and food insecurity items and questions on eating patterns and the frequency of fruit and vegetable consumption was administered to subjects during a personal interview in their homes. A 24-hour diet recall and a household food inventory were conducted at the initial interview and at a follow-up visit. Subjects Participants were 193 women drawn from a random sample of 308 women who had completed a previous health census in a rural New York State county. Subjects' ages ranged from 15 to 40 years. All had children living at home and less than 16 years of education. Statistical analyses Regression analysis was used to test for linear trends across food insecurity groups for the household food inventory scores and for the frequency of consumption of fruits and vegetables. t Tests were used to assess differences between the food secure and food insecure groups for nutrient and food group means. A [Χ.sup.2] test for trend was used to examine differences in the distribution of nutrient and fruit and vegetable intake between the food secure and food insecure groups. Results A significant decrease in the frequency of consumption of fruits and vegetables and the amount of food in the household and a significant increase in scores indicative of disordered eating patterns were associated with a worsening of food insecurity status. Potassium and fiber intake and fruit consumption differed significantly between the food secure and food insecure groups. The percentage of respondents consuming less than the Recommended Dietary Allowance for vitamin C and fewer than five fruits and vegetables per day was significantly greater among food insecure respondents than food secure respondents. Applications/conclusions The quantity of food available in households and consumption of fruits and vegetables decreased with increasingly severe problems with food insecurity and hunger. In this rural population, the Radimer/Cornell measures were useful in identifying households experiencing food insecurity and providing information about the nature of the food supply and the dietary intake problems experienced by food insecure households and persons, suggesting that these measures may be useful on community surveys designed to examine food insecurity issues., The 1980s saw a reemergence of concern about hunger in the United States. To express its concern, in 1990 The American Dietetic Association issued a position statement calling on dietitians [...]

Objective Age-related deficits in salt taste perception are said to increase preferences for salty foods, thereby leading potentially to greater sodium consumption. This study examined the link between salt taste perceptions and preferences and sodium intakes as a function of age and gender. Design We studied 24 young adults (aged 20 to 30 years) and 24 healthy older adults (aged 60 to 75 years). The subjects tasted and rated five sodium chloride solutions and eight samples of salted chicken broth containing from 0.04 to 0.64 mol/L sodium. Food intakes were assessed using a 24-hour food recall and 14 consecutive days of diet records. Results Older and younger subjects did not differ in their sensory evaluations of chicken broth, including ratings of the intensity of saltiness. Older subjects preferred less salty soups than did young adults. Hedonic response profiles for salt in soup were not related to daily sodium intakes as assessed by diet records. Applications Salt taste perceptions and preferences were unrelated to sodium intakes in young adults and in older respondents. Factors other than taste may influence dietary sodium consumption. J Am Diet Assoc. 1996; 96:471-474., Age-related deficits in taste and smell are thought to affect food preferences and may have an adverse effect on nutrition and health (1,2). Diminished perception of saltiness in old age [...]

Abstract Elderly persons are vulnerable to nutritional risks. Factors such as living alone make the elderly prone to poor nutritional status as a result of inadequate diets. The results of a Dutch national nutrition survey of food consumption and nutritional status among 539 independently living, apparently healthy elderly persons, aged 65 to 79 years, show that in general the intake of macronutrients deviates from the Dutch recommendations. In particular, saturated fat intake and P:S ratio were unfavorable, especially for the solitary elderly persons (saturated fat intake 19.0 ± 3.2% and 1 7.7 ± 3.3% total energy for men and women, respectively). Except for vitamin B-6 (about 92% of the recommendation on a group level for men and 78% for women), the intake of micronutrients studied is considered to be adequate. Elderly women living alone had a higher calcium: phosphorus ratio (0.76 ± 0.12), lower meat consumption (90 ± 31 gm), and a lower mean HDL-cholesterol concentration (1.22 ± 0.28 mmol/L) in serum than non-solitary elderly women (Ca:P ratio 0.73 ± 0.12, meat consumption 100 ± 36 gm, HDL-cholesterol concentration 1.45 ± 0.38 mmol/L). Potatoes, vegetables, and meat were more often prepared for more than one day at a time by elderly persons living alone than by the non-solitary elderly J Am Diet Assoc 89:793-799, 1989., The proportion of elderly persons in the Dutch population has increased in the twentieth century In 1986, 12.3% of the total population was 65 years of age or older; in [...]

Recent statistics from the U.S. Department of Labor indicate that there are more than 10.5 million children under 6 whose mothers are in the labor force and that at least [...]

Extreme concern with weight gain during college years has been reported (1) but not verified empirically Short-term fat gain has been observed among subpopulations of college women with low meal [...]