Nutrition & Dietetics最新文献

Aims: Plant-based eating patterns are recommended for human and planetary health. Plant-based protein sources in supermarkets include traditional options and plant-based meat analogues. This cross-sectional survey examined the nutritional content, healthiness, cost and labelling of these products.

Methods: Nutrient content and claims on canned legumes (plain [N = 64] and flavoured [N = 25]), canned baked beans (N = 23), dried legumes (N = 21), tofu (plain [N = 8] and flavoured [N = 5]), falafels (N = 14), meat analogues (meat-free burgers [N = 11], meat-free sausages [N = 10] and 'other' meat-free products [N = 20]) were obtained from a database of packaged foods in New Zealand. Mean (SD) energy, protein, total fat, saturated fat, sodium and dietary fibre content (per 100 g) was calculated for each category. Healthiness was assessed using an estimated Health Star Rating (Rating ≥3.5 considered 'healthy'). Product data were linked with household purchasing data from the 2019 Nielsen IQ® consumer panel to calculate mean purchase price/100 g/category. The number and type of nutrition claims were compared across categories.

Results: The highest mean protein content was 'other' meat-free products (14.8 ± 6.9 g/100 g). Meat-free sausages had the highest sodium and saturated fat content (643 ± 148 mg/100 g, 3.7 ± 4.5 g/100 g). Overall, few meat analogues (N = 5, 12%) scored an estimated Health Star Rating ≥3.5. Dried legumes were the cheapest plant protein (mean ± SD) purchase price = NZ $0.30 ± 0.16/100 g), compared with 'other' meat-free products (purchase price = NZ $2.57 ± 0.88/100 g). The most common nutrition claims on meat analogues were about protein content. Dietary fibre claims were the most common on canned and dried legumes.

Conclusion: Meat analogues offer convenience, however, may be less healthy and more expensive than traditional plant-based proteins. This study assists dietitians in providing accurate consumer messaging about healthy plant-based proteins.

Aims: This research aimed to assess the rate and reliability of routine nurse-completed malnutrition screening and report the prevalence of malnutrition risk on admission to Christchurch Hospital.

Methods: Student dietitians administered the Malnutrition Screening Tool to patients in three speciality wards within 48 h of admission. Student dietitians' Malnutrition Screening Tool scores were compared against documented nurse-completed Malnutrition Screening Tool scores. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Fisher's exact test, and Cohen's kappa tests (interrater reliability ⱪ). A p-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results: Student dietitians, using the Malnutrition Screening Tool, screened 360 (96%) of 377 eligible patients while nurses screened 332 (88%) patients. Student dietitians and nurses screened 119 patients (33%) and 63 patients (18%) respectively at risk of malnutrition. There was fair agreement (ⱪ = 0.311) in Malnutrition Screening Tool total scores between nurses and student dietitians. There was a significant difference in the proportion of patients screened at risk of malnutrition between nurses and student dietitians (p < 0.0001).

Conclusion: Malnutrition risk remains high in acute care settings. Nurses were less likely to screen patients as at risk of malnutrition than student dietitians. Regular support and training in using Malnutrition Screening Tool may help improve the rate and reliability of routine malnutrition screening.

Aim: The economic depression and reduced physical mobility associated with COVID-19 potentially affected the food security status of the poor. This study aimed to assess the possible worsening of perceived food insecurity among low-income families in Hong Kong.

Methods: Families either receiving government subsidies or living in a subdivided flat referred by local non-governmental organisations were invited to participate in a telephone survey. Food security status before (by recalling) and during the pandemic were assessed using Household Food Insecurity Access Scale. Chi-square analysis and ANOVA were used to test the difference between the percentage of participants who responded affirmatively to survey questions and various categories of food insecurity. Paired t-test was used to examine the reported change in food insecurity score before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Association between socio-demographic factors and change in food insecurity score was then assessed by multiple linear regression using backward stepwise elimination.

Results: Findings from the 212 households revealed that, for all nine questions concerning food insecurity, there was a significantly higher percentage of affirmative responses during versus before the pandemic. The proportion of food-secure households dropped from 16.5% to 7.1% amidst the pandemic. By contrast, households with severe food insecurity increased from 19.3% to 33.5%. Regression analysis showed that those households who were living in subdivided flats and with high monthly housing expenses, were likely to experience an exacerbation of food insecurity. Meanwhile, households with divorced parents (probably due to consistent social subsidy) and high household incomes, showed resilience toward food insecurity. Concurrently, about one fifth of children in these households had an experience of starvation for a whole day due to financial constraints.

Conclusion: The exacerbation of food insecurity among low-income families during the COVID-19 pandemic necessitates timely assessments and the implementation of appropriate measures to prevent them from experiencing physiological harm. These initiatives can be guided by the identified at-risk socio-economic characteristics in the present study.

Aims: The provision of Home Enteral Nutrition (HEN) is a well-established support for patients, however, significant inconsistencies in funding result in financial burden for some healthcare services across Australia. Recent government-initiated funding changes prompted the development of a new HEN service for eligible patients with a disability, moving from a universal to more individualised approach to care.

Methods: This retrospective observational study included patients enrolled on a newly established disability-specific HEN service at a paediatric tertiary hospital between July 2020 and February 2022 inclusive. Components of service development were explored including service model, clinical resources, information related to patient enrolments and costings for annual HEN requirements provided by dietitians. Retrospective quantitative data was collected from the Electronic Medical Record system and analysed using descriptive statistics.

Results: A total of 362 patient enrolments occurred over a 21-month period, with an average of 17 new patients having accessed the service each month. Annual HEN supports were quoted at a median cost of $13487.94 AUD (2364.97-44170.92), mostly attributable to consumable requirements. Most eligible participants chose to receive care through the new HEN service. Supports were quoted >330% higher than previous fixed price allocations, highlighting the true cost associated with HEN care. Large variation in costings may be attributed to the diversity and complexity of patients.

Conclusion: Funding changes presented a unique opportunity to meet pre-existing resource deficits and enabled individualised access to HEN supports for paediatric patients with a disability.

Aim: Nutrition challenges are common during childhood cancer treatment and can persist into survivorship, increasing the risk of non-communicable diseases. Evidence-based practice and implementation of nutrition interventions/education for childhood cancer survivors has been poorly investigated and may influence their future health. This study aimed to explore the nutrition interventions/education needs of childhood cancer survivors and the barriers and facilitators to delivering follow-up services in New Zealand.

Methods: Semi structured interviews were conducted with childhood cancer survivors and/or their families (n=22) and health professionals (n=9) from a specialist paediatric oncology centre in New Zealand. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Transcripts were analysed inductively using thematic analysis. A multi-level consensus coding methodology was used where each theme and associated subthemes were discussed with the study team for confirmation to ensure accurate coding and analysis.

Results: Three themes emerged from the analysis: (1) the current survivorship care pathway does not provide adequate interventions/education, (2) weight and dietary changes are common challenges and (3) requirements for interventions/education in survivorship are varied. Common nutrition-related concerns included fussy eating/limited dietary intake, poor diet quality, difficulties with tube weaning, and challenges with weight gain. Participants expressed a desire for education on healthy eating alongside information about cancer-related nutrition issues, such as learned food aversions. A preference for clear referral pathways and multifaceted interventions tailored to individual patient needs was identified.

Conclusion: The trifecta of treatment side effects, negative feeding practices and poor messaging from health professionals creates a challenging environment to optimise nutrition. A stepped care model matching the intervention intensity with the childhood cancer survivors is required. Education for healthcare professionals will improve the delivery of timely interventions/education and monitoring practices.

Aim: This study aimed to explore dietitians' perceptions of their current practice for identifying and managing malnutrition/frailty in the community, to fill an evidence gap.

Methods: This mixed-methods study involved an online survey distributed to dietitians practising in Australia and New Zealand, and semi-structured interviews with a subset of survey participants. The 34-item survey and interviews explored dietitians' practices for identifying/managing malnutrition and frailty, focusing on the community setting. Survey data were analysed descriptively and some simple association tests were conducted using statistical software. Interview data were analysed thematically.

Results: Of the 186 survey respondents, 18 also participated in an interview. Screening and assessment for malnutrition varied in the community and occurred rarely for frailty. Dietitians reported practising person-centred care by involving clients/carers/family in setting goals and selecting nutrition interventions. Key barriers to providing nutrition care to community-dwelling adults included a lack of awareness/understanding of nutrition by clients and other health professionals (leading to them not participating in or valuing nutrition care), lack of time and resources in the community, and client access to foods/supplements. Enablers included engaging family members/carers and coordinating with other health professionals in nutrition care planning.

Conclusion: Reported practices for identifying malnutrition and frailty vary in the community, suggesting guidance may be needed for health professionals in this setting. Dietitians reported using person-centred care with malnourished and frail clients but encountered barriers in community settings. Engaging family members/carers and multidisciplinary colleagues may help overcome some of these barriers.

Aims: To examine the frequency of promotions on breakfast cereals and drinks in a major New Zealand supermarket chain, determine the healthiness of promoted versus non-promoted products, and quantify the effects of promotions on sales.

Methods: Weekly data on product promotions and sales were collected in six Auckland supermarkets for 198 breakfast products over 12 weeks. The healthiness of products was determined using the Health Star Rating system, and the effect of promotions on sales was estimated using linear mixed models.

Results: On average, 47% of breakfast products in a given week were promoted using on-shelf tickets, 12% in weekly mailers, and 9% via promotional displays. The healthiness of promoted and non-promoted breakfast products was comparable. In relation to weekly sales of non-promoted products, all three promotional strategies had substantial (2 to 2.5 times higher sales) and statistically significant (P < 0.001) effects on product sales.

Conclusion: Promotions are frequently used and effective at increasing sales. Marketing strategies focusing solely on promoting healthier products could be an important nudging strategy to improve the healthiness of supermarket food purchases.

Aims: This study aimed to identify and evaluate tools and resources used to support the implementation of workplace healthy food and drink policies, primarily in Australia and New Zealand.

Methods: A scoping grey literature review included searches of government agencies and non-governmental organisations' websites in six English-speaking countries, public health nutrition intervention databases and Google search engine queries. Paper-based and digital tools were included if they were written in English, referred to within a policy or on a policy's website, and primarily targeting supply-side stakeholders. Tools were evaluated on two domains: 'Features' (summarised descriptively) and 'Usability and Quality' (with inter-rater reliability scores calculated using an intraclass correlation coefficient).

Results: Twenty paper-based tools were identified relating to Australian (n = 14) and New Zealand (n = 6) policies, and a further six digital tools were identified from Australia (n = 3) and Canada (n = 3). Target audiences included workplace managers, food providers and suppliers. The paper-based tools focused on general implementation guidance. In contrast, digital tools tended to support specific elements of policy implementation. 'Usability and Quality' scores ranged from 2.9 to 4.5 (out of 5.0) for paper-based tools, and 3.9 to 4.2 for digital tools, with a moderate agreement between reviewer scores (intraclass correlation coefficient 0.523, p = 0.010).

Conclusions: A range of tools have been developed to support the implementation of workplace healthy food and drink policies. Understanding the strengths and limitations of current tools will assist in developing improved aids to support policy implementation.

Aim: Malnutrition is common in older adults in aged care homes, partly due to inadequate protein intake. Menu planning guidelines are available however, adherence to guidelines is unknown. This study aimed to determine; (i) what are the average serving sizes of menu items provided and do they meet recommended portion sizes? (ii) does consumption from a 'typical' menu provide sufficient protein? and (iii) can substituting a 'typical' menu with high-protein options enable residents to achieve protein adequacy?

Methods: This study involved 572 residents (73% female; aged 86.4 ± 7.3 years) from 60 aged-care homes in Australia involved in a 2-year cluster-randomised trial. During the trial, food intake was recorded quarterly using visual estimation of plate-waste and 42 061 foods analysed. As part of a secondary analysis of these data, portion sizes of foods were compared to guidelines by calculating the mean (95% confidence interval). Items were deemed inadequate if the upper 95% confidence interval remained below recommended portion sizes.

Results: On average 47% of breakfast and 80% of lunch/dinner items were below recommended portion sizes. Relative protein intakes, from a typical menu (most consumed foods), was 0.9 g and 0.8 g/kg body weight/day for females and males; both below recommendations. Substituting regular items with higher protein equivalents increased protein intake to 1.3 g and 1.2 g/kg body weight/day, for females and males, respectively.

Conclusion: Aged care homes in Australia are not meeting menu planning guidelines resulting in insufficient protein being provided. Reform to menu guidelines including provision of high-protein foods, will ensure protein adequacy in older adults in aged-care homes.