1.
Mishra, A, et al.
(författare)
Diminishing benefits of urban living for children and adolescents' growth and development
2023
Ingår i: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1476-4687 .- 0028-0836. ; 615:7954, s. 874-883
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat) abstract
Optimal growth and development in childhood and adolescence is crucial for lifelong health and well-being1–6. Here we used data from 2,325 population-based studies, with measurements of height and weight from 71 million participants, to report the height and body-mass index (BMI) of children and adolescents aged 5–19 years on the basis of rural and urban place of residence in 200 countries and territories from 1990 to 2020. In 1990, children and adolescents residing in cities were taller than their rural counterparts in all but a few high-income countries. By 2020, the urban height advantage became smaller in most countries, and in many high-income western countries it reversed into a small urban-based disadvantage. The exception was for boys in most countries in sub-Saharan Africa and in some countries in Oceania, south Asia and the region of central Asia, Middle East and north Africa. In these countries, successive cohorts of boys from rural places either did not gain height or possibly became shorter, and hence fell further behind their urban peers. The difference between the age-standardized mean BMI of children in urban and rural areas was <1.1 kg m–2 in the vast majority of countries. Within this small range, BMI increased slightly more in cities than in rural areas, except in south Asia, sub-Saharan Africa and some countries in central and eastern Europe. Our results show that in much of the world, the growth and developmental advantages of living in cities have diminished in the twenty-first century, whereas in much of sub-Saharan Africa they have amplified.
2.
Scander, Henrik, 1976-, et al.
(författare)
Beverage consumption patterns and energy contribution from beverages per meal type : results from a national dietary survey in Sweden
2018
Ingår i: Public Health Nutrition. - : Cambridge University Press. - 1368-9800 .- 1475-2727. ; 21:18, s. 3318-3327
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat) abstract
OBJECTIVE: Many studies of food intake have been performed and published in Sweden, but to our knowledge no studies have extensively explored the beverage consumption of the Swedish adult population. The present study aimed to describe the beverage consumption and the contribution of beverage energy (including alcohol energy) to total energy intake according to gender, region of living, meal type and day for a Swedish adult population.DESIGN: National dietary survey Riksmaten (2010-2011), collected by the Swedish National Food Agency.SETTING: Sweden.SUBJECTS: A total of 1682 participants (57 % women) reported dietary intake data during four consecutive days, specified by portion size, meal, time point, day of the week and venue. Meals were categorized as breakfast, lunch, dinner and 'other'.ResultThe beverage reported to be consumed the most was water (ml/d), followed by coffee. Men had a higher consumption of juice, soft drinks, beer, spirits and low-alcohol beer, while the consumption of tea and water was higher for women. For both genders, milk contributed the most to beverage energy intake. Energy percentage from beverages was higher at lunch and dinner during weekends for both genders. Participants from the biggest cities in Sweden had a higher consumption of wine for both genders and tea for men than participants from other regions.CONCLUSIONS: A considerable part of total energy intake was contributed by beverages, especially for men. Beverages can contribute to a more enjoyable diet, but at the same time provide energy, sugar and alcohol in amounts that do not promote optimal health.
3.
Bixby, H., et al.
(författare)
Rising rural body-mass index is the main driver of the global obesity epidemic in adults
2019
Ingår i: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 569:7755, s. 260-4
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat) abstract
Body-mass index (BMI) has increased steadily in most countries in parallel with a rise in the proportion of the population who live in cities(.)(1,2) This has led to a widely reported view that urbanization is one of the most important drivers of the global rise in obesity(3-6). Here we use 2,009 population-based studies, with measurements of height and weight in more than 112 million adults, to report national, regional and global trends in mean BMI segregated by place of residence (a rural or urban area) from 1985 to 2017. We show that, contrary to the dominant paradigm, more than 55% of the global rise in mean BMI from 1985 to 2017-and more than 80% in some low- and middle-income regions-was due to increases in BMI in rural areas. This large contribution stems from the fact that, with the exception of women in sub-Saharan Africa, BMI is increasing at the same rate or faster in rural areas than in cities in low- and middle-income regions. These trends have in turn resulted in a closing-and in some countries reversal-of the gap in BMI between urban and rural areas in low- and middle-income countries, especially for women. In high-income and industrialized countries, we noted a persistently higher rural BMI, especially for women. There is an urgent need for an integrated approach to rural nutrition that enhances financial and physical access to healthy foods, to avoid replacing the rural undernutrition disadvantage in poor countries with a more general malnutrition disadvantage that entails excessive consumption of low-quality calories.
4.
Ray, Carola, et al.
(författare)
Role of free school lunch in the associations between family-environmental factors and children's fruit and vegetable intake in four European countries
2013
Ingår i: Public Health Nutrition. - Cambridge, United Kingdom : Cambridge University Press. - 1368-9800 .- 1475-2727. ; 16:6, s. 1109-1117
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat) abstract
Objective: To determine whether an association exists between different clusters of fruit- and vegetable-specific family-environmental factors and children's daily fruit and vegetable intake, and whether these associations differ between countries with different school lunch policies.Design: Cross-sectional data from four European countries participating in the Pro Greens project in 2009. These countries have different school food policies: two serve free school lunches and two do not. Self-administered data were used. Food frequency questions served to assess fruit and vegetable intakes. The study assessed sixteen children-perceived family-environmental factors, which were clustered based on principal component analysis into five sum variables: fruit and vegetable encouragement; vegetable modelling, family routine and demand; fruit modelling; fruit and vegetable snacking practices; and fruit and vegetable allowing.Setting: Schools in Finland, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands.Subjects: Schoolchildren aged 11 years (n 3317).Results: Multilevel logistic regression analyses revealed positive associations between nearly all clustered family-environmental factors and daily fruit and vegetable intake. The study tested a moderation effect between family-environmental factors and school lunch policy. In five out of twenty models significant interactions occurred. In the stratified analyses, most of the associations between family-environmental factors and raw and cooked vegetable intake were stronger in Germany and the Netherlands, neither of which provided free school lunches.Conclusions: Children reporting more fruit- and vegetable-promoting family-environmental factors had a more frequent intake of fruits and vegetables; the associations were stronger for vegetable intakes in countries providing no free school lunches, suggesting that parental involvement is crucial when schools offer no vegetables
5.
Sandvik, Camilla, et al.
(författare)
Personal, social and environmental factors regarding fruit and vegetable intake among schoolchildren in nine European countries
2005
Ingår i: Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism. - : S. Karger AG. - 0250-6807 .- 1421-9697. ; 49:4, s. 255-266
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat) abstract
BACKGROUND/AIMS: Children in Europe are consuming less fruit and vegetables than recommended. Knowledge about the potential determinants of fruit and vegetable intake is vital to understand discrepancies in intake and to guide interventions. The aim of the present study was to assess personal, social and environmental factors regarding fruit and vegetable intake among 11- to 12-year-old children in Europe.METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was undertaken, with nationally or regionally representative samples of in total 13,305 children (mean age 11.4 years) from nine European countries. Pupils in the classroom completed a self-administered questionnaire measuring fruit and vegetable intake and personal, social and environmental factors during one school lesson. Age-adjusted covariance analyses were carried out by gender, for the full sample and for each country separately. Proportions responding positively to the constructs are presented.RESULTS: Overall, European children held a positive attitude towards fruit and vegetable intake. For some constructs, large between-country differences were found. Children had a more positive attitude towards fruit than towards vegetables, and girls were on average more positive than boys. The children perceived their social environment as supportive towards fruit and vegetable intake. They reported good to very good availability of fruit and vegetables at home. However, availability at school and during leisure time activities seemed to be low, both for fruit and for vegetables.CONCLUSION: A large majority of the children reported positively to the personal and social factors regarding fruit and vegetable intake. As regards availability of fruit and vegetables at school and leisure time, and accessibility of fruit and vegetables at home, there is room for improvement.
6.
Yngve, Agneta, 1953-, et al.
(författare)
Fruit and vegetable intake in a sample of 11-year-old children in 9 European countries : the pro children cross-sectional survey
2005
Ingår i: Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism. - : S. Karger AG. - 0250-6807 .- 1421-9697. ; 49:4, s. 236-245
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat) abstract
BACKGROUND/AIMS: An adequate fruit and vegetable intake provides essential nutrients and nutritive compounds and is considered an important part of a healthy lifestyle. No simple instrument has been available for the assessment of fruit and vegetable intake as well as its determinants in school-aged children applicable in different European countries. Within the Pro Children Project, such an instrument has been developed. This paper describes the cross-sectional survey in 11-year-olds in 9 countries.METHODS: The cross-sectional survey used nationally, and in 2 countries regionally, representative samples of schools and classes. The questionnaires, including a precoded 24-hour recall component and a food frequency part, were completed in the classroom. Data were treated using common syntax files for portion sizes and for merging of vegetable types into four subgroups.RESULTS: The results show that the fruit and vegetable intake in amounts and choice were highly diverse in the 9 participating countries. Vegetable intake was in general lower than fruit intake, boys consumed less fruit and vegetables than girls did. The highest total intake according to the 24-hour recall was found in Austria and Portugal, the lowest in Spain and Iceland.CONCLUSION: The fruit and vegetable intake in 11-year-old children was in all countries far from reaching population goals and food-based dietary guidelines on national and international levels.
7.
Scander, Henrik, 1976-, et al.
(författare)
Food and beverage dinner combinations, patterns among Swedish adults
2018
Ingår i: International Journal of Gastronomy and Food Science. - : Elsevier. - 1878-450X .- 1878-4518. ; 14, s. 20-26
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat) abstract
Introduction: Since the taste preferences of food and beverage combinations are considered subjective properties and have been studied in several different ways, mainly within the field of sensory science, this study contributes to the field of food and beverage combination studies by using self-reported eating habits.Objective: This article explores the relationships between food and beverage combinations, recorded by a Swedish adult population.Method: Analyses were made using data from the national dietary survey, Riksmaten (2010–2011), performed by the Swedish National Food Agency. A total of 1753 Swedish adults (53% women) aged 18–80 contributed dietary intake data during four consecutive days. All dinner choices were categorized into beverage categories and food categories. Combinations between beverage and food categories were analyzed by using cross tabulation. Correlation coefficients for non-parametric variables were used to determine the association power. Predictive factors for more important beverage and food combinations were explored by logistic regression analysis.Results: Water was the most frequent choice in combination with all food categories. The results also showed that alcoholic beverages are present in two of the three strongest food and beverage correlations, the spirits drinks and white wine. The most important predictive factors were where the dinner took place for non-alcoholic combinations (OR: 4.33; 95% CI: 2.28–8.21) and age and employment for alcoholic combinations (OR > 2; p < 0.05).Conclusion: Our results show correlations in reported consumption of food and beverage, which explain the occurrences of specific patterns of combinations of food and beverage. More studies on choice of beverage are needed to describe the patterns of intake, in order to understand the mechanisms behind beverage choice, in different settings, cultural situations and lifestyle backgrounds. Combinations in everyday life are described here and these are not always so sophisticated, rather building on availability than on optimal taste combinations. Our findings can offer an understanding of some common every-day choices to culinary professionals, useful for their guidance of food and beverage pairing, to enhance restaurant experiences.
8.
Kugelberg, Susanna, et al.
(författare)
Public health nutrition workforce development in seven European countries : constraining and enabling factors
2012
Ingår i: Public Health Nutrition. - Cambridge, United Kingdom : Cambridge University Press. - 1368-9800 .- 1475-2727. ; 15:11, s. 1989-1998
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat) abstract
Objectives: Little is known about current public health nutrition workforce development in Europe. The present study aimed to understand constraining and enabling factors to workforce development in seven European countries.Design: A qualitative study comprised of semi-structured face-to-face interviews was conducted and content analysis was used to analyse the transcribed interview data.Setting: The study was carried out in Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the UK.Subjects: Sixty key informants participated in the study.Results: There are constraining and enabling factors for public health nutrition workforce development. The main constraining factors relate to the lack of a supportive policy environment, fragmented organizational structures and a workforce that is not cohesive enough to implement public health nutrition strategic initiatives. Enabling factors were identified as the presence of skilled and dedicated individuals who assume roles as leaders and change agents.Conclusions: There is a need to strengthen coordination between policy and implementation of programmes which may operate across the national to local spectrum. Public health organizations are advised to further define aims and objectives relevant to public health nutrition. Leaders and agents of change will play important roles in fostering intersectorial partnerships, advocating for policy change, establishing professional competencies and developing education and training programmes.
9.
Kugelberg, Susanna, et al.
(författare)
Understanding the process of establishing a food and nutrition policy : the case of Slovenia
2012
Ingår i: Health Policy. - Clare, Ireland : Elsevier. - 0168-8510 .- 1872-6054. ; 107:1, s. 91-97
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat) abstract
Background: There has been an increasing effort across Europe to develop national policies in food and nutrition during the last decade. However, little is known about how public health nutrition issues get on the public health agenda and the roles individuals have when these agendas are being set.Objectives: The aims of this study were to scrutinise the development process of the Slovenian national food and nutrition policy, and to identify the roles and functions of individuals who have contributed to that process.Methods: This study undertook a qualitative approach. Data collection included 18 semi-structured interviews between 2007 and 2011, and grey and scientific literature search. Text analysis was based on Kingdon's streams model, which involved highlighting the relationship between problem identification, policy solutions and political opportunities. Data were coded to identify the roles and functions of individuals participating in the agenda-setting process.Results: The analysis showed that the opportunity for the Slovenian food and nutrition policy to be developed was largely explained by a change in political circumstances, namely the accession of Slovenia to the European Union and the Common Agricultural Policy. Individuals with experience in policy development were identified because of their analytical, strategic and policy entrepreneurial skills. The analyst was responsible for communicating the key nutrition issues to policy-makers, the strategist joined international networks and promoted policy solutions from international experts including the World Health Organization, and the policy entrepreneur took advantage of the political situation to enlist the participation of previous opponents to a national nutrition policy.Conclusion: This study found that individuals, their roles and skills, played an important role in the development of the Slovenian National Food and Nutrition Policy. The roles and functions of these individuals, which are identified in this study, may assist future endeavours to advance public health nutrition as a key political issue.
10.
