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Objectives: This study assessed food label reading habits and understanding of nutrition information on food labels by higher income adults in India. Design: It involved a cross-sectional study using non-probability purposive sampling. Setting: Data were collected by mixed methods approach between March 2019 and February 2020. Adults were selected from housing colonies in four geographical zones of Delhi, India. Method: A total of 589 adults (20-40 years) belonging to upper middle-income and high-income groups were selected. Associations between gender, family income, age, marital status, and label reading habits were assessed using Chi-square tests. Demographic predictors of food label reading habits were identified using binary logistic regression with a level of significance set at p < 0.05. Results: Participants read the food labels (79%) and noticed the nutrient claims (76%) on food labels. Female participants were more likely to understand nutrition information as compared with male participants (odds ratio [OR] = 1.52, p = 0.04). Female participants were also more likely to notice the nutrient claims on the packet of food products (OR = 1.99, p < 0.01) as compared with male participants. The majority of participants found the 'traffic light scheme' format easy to understand. Conclusion: Consumers look for nutrition information on food labels. They value healthier food alternatives but most are unable to decipher the nutrition labels. Food labels should communicate the healthfulness of products in a straightforward manner to enable better food choices.

Background: Menstrual hygiene management is a significant issue affecting the health of women around the world. Lack of knowledge and awareness about menstruation and the silence surrounding it is a risk factor for all women. Objective: The objectives of this study were to elicit the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of adolescent girls (13-15 years) regarding issues related to menstruation and to assess the barriers that prevent them from practising menstrual hygiene. Design and Setting: Cross-sectional study involving 187 adolescent girls from four government schools of Delhi. Method: Information was obtained using a mixed-methods approach, including a pretested questionnaire and focus group discussions with girls, parents and school staff. Results: Only 40% of girls were aware of menstruation prior to menarche. The majority of girls (95.7%) did not know the source of menstrual blood. About two-thirds (65.8%) of girls were unaware that the menstrual blood flow could be affected by anaemia. Approximately 17% of the girls believed a woman to be impure during menstruation. About half of the girls absented themselves from school for the first 2-3 days of their menstrual cycle. Thirty-four percent girls did not bathe at all during their menstrual period and a similar number of girls did not bathe daily while menstruating. Dysmenorrhoea was a common problem among 60% of girls. The mothers of girls were identified as the major source of information about menstruation. However, mothers believed that school teachers should also be imparting this knowledge. Teachers expressed the belief that menstrual hygiene was poor among girls. The provision of free sanitary napkins in school has improved hygiene levels. Conclusion: Strategic behaviour change interventions should be designed involving all stakeholders to ensure a sustained change in knowledge, attitude and practices so as to ensure the better health of adolescent girls.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to collect and assess the evidence available on the effect of non nutritive sweeteners on appetite, weight and glycemic regulation. As a replacement for sugars, non-nutritive sweeteners (NNSs) are widely being used in different food products with the assumption that these would lower calorie intake and help to manage weight and blood sugar levels better. However, studies using animal models have reported that chronic exposure to NNSs leads to increased food consumption, weight gain and insulin resistance. Design/methodology/approach: Evidence was acquired from systematic reviews or meta-analyses (2016–2021) of relevant clinical studies, especially randomized control trials using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis guidelines. Findings: The review showed NNSs exposure did not conclusively induce increased food intake or change in subjective appetite ratings. Appetite biomarkers like ghrelin, gastric inhibitory peptide, C-peptide levels and Peptide YY remained mostly unaffected by NNSs. Meta-analyses of human randomized control studies showed a reduced energy intake and body weight. No significant change was seen in blood glucose levels, post-prandial glycemic or insulin response after consumption of NNSs. Adequate evidence is not available to conclusively say that NNSs influence gut health at doses relevant to human use. Research limitations/implications: Most studies which are prospective cohort, observational and cross-sectional studies suggest that use of NNSs may promote obesity and metabolic syndrome in adults. Such studies are plagued by confounding variables and reverse causation. Mechanistic evidence is mostly based on in-vitro and in-vivo studies. The same causal pathways may not be operative or relevant in humans. Practical implications: This review of available literature concludes that to achieve specific public health and clinical goals, the safe use of NNSs for the reduction of intakes of free sugars and energy should be explored. This would be possible by educating the consumer about energy compensation and understanding the nutritional content of artificially sweetened products in terms of calories coming from fat and complex carbohydrates used in the product. Originality/value: This study was, thus, designed with the objective of examining the usefulness of NNSs in human population, especially with respect to insulin regulation, glycemic control and weight management. Well-designed randomized control trials which control for confounding variables are needed to generate high quality evidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review explored the relationship between knowledge among children and adolescents and their dietary behaviour. Potentially eligible original research articles were identified through a systematic search in PubMed, SCOPUS, Web of Science and WHO Virtual Health Library from 2000 to 2018. From the initial search, a total of 7,258 research articles were obtained. Duplicate studies were identified and removed. Observational studies on children and adolescents (5–19 years) of any gender, ethnicity and country were included in which the outcome measured was either a scoring of/ association between nutrition knowledge and practices. After screening using the inclusion criteria, 13 studies were selected for this paper. Four studies reported non-significant association between overall nutrition knowledge and practices. Only two studies found a significant association, out of which one showed a weak association highlighting that nutrition knowledge is not sufficient to result in healthy eating. Other factors which showed significant but weak associations with knowledge/practices included age, gender, nutritional status and lifestyle, peer influence, parents'/guardians' knowledge, education and occupation level. The causal relationship couldn't be examined in the present review due to the cross-sectional nature of the studies. Besides imparting knowledge through nutrition education interventions, there is a need for holistic behaviour change strategies including supporting food skills like menu planning, food shopping and cooking to encourage healthy eating habits among children. These interventions should target children from an early age, involving family/parents, teachers and peers to facilitate improvement in the food environment for sustainable change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Inappropriate menstrual care practices result in adverse health consequences among girls. Developing and implementing interventions that minimize these adverse consequences and facilitate development of healthy menstrual behavior are a priority for any nation.Objectives: This study aimed at collating, summarizing and reviewing evidence to assess the effectiveness of interventions to improve menstrual health and the challenges faced in doing the same.Methods: A systematic review of studies published in peer-reviewed journals and project reports was conducted. Intervention studies related to menstrual health management conducted from 2007 to 2018 were analyzed. A total of 27 interventions conducted among young girls in different countries were identified and study characteristics and outcomes were reviewed.Results: Different intervention studies used a variety of methods like lectures, discussions, demonstrations using multiple audio-visual aids and provision of resources like menstrual cups, sanitary pads and washing soap to spread awareness about menstrual hygiene. Most of the interventions reported a positive impact on the awareness and menstrual practices of girls. However, in a few studies no significant change was observed in the attitude regarding regular bathing, practices related to self-medication for dysmenorrhea and socio-cultural taboos.Conclusion: This review of literature has offered insights into the scope and development of future interventions so that apart from increasing awareness and knowledge on menstrual health issues, sustained behavior change can be brought about among girls to improve their health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Byline: Neha. Singhal, Pulkit. Mathur, Renuka. Pathak Objective: The study examined the validity of simple and novel measures of generalized obesity- [body mass index (BMI, kg/m [sup]2 ), fat mass [...]