BMC Nutrition最新文献

Background: Unfavorable perinatal complications, such as low-birth-weight infant, premature infant, and small for gestational age (SGA), continue to be significant community health emergencies in low- and middle-income nations. These results are mainly influenced by insufficient maternal diet quality and social inequality, and income disparity. Though several studies have researched these relations, there is a limited synthesis of their joint effect on prenatal results, underlining the essential of inclusive assessment.

Objective: This scoping review is designed to map and make accessible statistics on maternal diet quality and social and economic factors in relation to intimidating delivery consequences among expectant mothers in developing countries.

Methods: Re-examine the PRISMA-ScR guidelines. An exhaustive examination was performed in PubMed, Science Direct, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Scopus, Google Scholar, and MedRxiv for investigations published between January 2000 and December 2024. Revision quality was assessed by the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale to ensure methodological consistency and rigor.

Results: Eighty-two studies met the inclusion criteria. Suboptimal dietary variety (≤ 5 food classifications per day) was importantly connected with underweight and premature at birth (AOR: 2.45; 95% CI: 1.55-3.87). Skipping meals was expected premature delivery (AOR: 2.62; 95% CI: 1.41-4.89), whereas food insufficiencies amplified the threat of intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) (AOR: 2.18; 95% CI: 1.02-4.63). Narcotics misuse, uneducated, low income, being a country dweller, and reduced judgment self-sufficiency were reliably associated with associated effect.

Conclusions: Nutrition during pregnancy and social exclusion, and poverty-stricken conjointly impact pregnancy outcomes in low- and middle-income countries. Integrated policies combining nutrition-specific interventions with socioeconomic empowerment are critical to improving maternal and neonatal health.

Introduction: Antibiotic-associated diarrhea (AAD) is known to be a common problem in children receiving antibiotic treatment. However, there is insufficient data in children hospitalized with a diagnosis of pneumonia. The aim of our study was to evaluate the incidence of AAD in children hospitalized with a diagnosis of pneumonia without known comorbidities and to investigate the protective effect of Bifidobacterium animalis ssp. lactis B94 against diarrhea.

Population and methods: We conducted a retrospective preliminary observational study in children diagnosed with pneumonia who were admitted to the Department of General Pediatrics at a Tertiary Hospital in the Mediterranean Region of Turkey between January 2021 and December 2023. Children diagnosed with pneumonia who met the study criteria were included in the study. AAD was defined as ≥ 3 loose or watery stools per day for a minimum of 48 h during antibiotic treatment. For patients with AAD, clinical data, antibiotic use, diarrhea incidence, and probiotic use were recorded.

Results: A total of 202 patients were enrolled. Of these, 116 (57.4%) were female, with a median age of 33.6 months. AAD developed in 14 patients (6.9%). AAD developed more frequently in children younger than 24 months (p = 0.004). Age and gender distribution were similar between the probiotic and control groups (p > 0.05). AAD developed significantly less in the probiotic group (2.9% vs. 11.0%, p = 0.022). After multivariate adjustment, probiotic use remained protective (adjusted OR: 2.435, 95% CI: [(1.464)-(2.717), p = 0.031]). Additionally, children given probiotics required less IV hydration (1.9% vs. 8.0%, p = 0.041).

Conclusion: This preliminary observational study suggests the incidence of AAD is low among children hospitalized with pneumonia without comorbid diseases. Prophylactic use of Bifidobacterium animalis ssp. lactis B94 may reduce the risk of diarrhea, though larger prospective studies are needed for confirmation.

Background: This study assesses associations between eating behavior and physical activity (PA) and overweight/obesity in children and adolescents, focusing on differences depending on familial socio-economic status (SES).

Methods: Data were collected within a school-based study. The sample comprised 661 8- to 15-year-old children and adolescents from families with either low (n = 77), medium (n = 367), or high (n = 217) SES. Overweight, including obesity, was defined as a Body Mass Index (BMI) standard deviation score above the 90th percentile. Eating behavior was assessed using the parent-version of the Composition and Culture of Eating Questionnaire (CoCu). Regarding PA, we compared children performing versus not performing any PA in their leisure time. Logistic regression analyses were applied to assess associations between overweight and healthiness of diet, culture of eating (media use while eating and snacking between meals), and leisure PA. All associations were checked for interactions with SES.

Results: The prevalence of overweight was 22% in low SES families, 14% in medium SES families, and 6% in high SES families. Overweight was significantly associated with a less healthy diet, but this association was only shown in children from families with medium SES. Media use while eating and snacking between meals were more frequent in children with overweight, while PA was less frequent. Family SES did not moderate the strengths of these associations.

Conclusions: Unhealthier diet and eating habits as well as less PA are associated with overweight in children and adolescents. However, associations with healthy diets were not observed in families with low or high SES, suggesting that other factors may play a greater role in these groups.

Background: The problem of food insecurity, from a public health perspective, is becoming increasingly pressing, as 9% of the global population is currently experiencing severe food insecurity most of whom reside in low- and middle-income countries. In Nepal, socially excluded ethnic groups are particularly vulnerable to food insecurity which is underexplored.

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the proportion of households experiencing food insecurity and to identify the factors contributing to it.

Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 181 Dalit ethnic group family (a socially and economically disadvantaged community in Nepal). Data were collected using the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) questionnaire developed by USAID's Food and Nutrition Technical Assistance (FANTA) project and were subsequently analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistical methods. Systematic random sampling was employed for selection of the final respondents. A multinomial logistic regression model was employed for this purpose and its validity was assessed.

Results: Around 44.2% of households were food secure, 20% were mildly food insecure, 20.4% were moderately food insecure and the rest 12.2% were severely food insecure. The variables religion, sex of household head, education of household head, house type, having one's own land and monthly income were found to be statistically significant. Compared to literate household head, households with illiterate household head are 7.28 (CI: 2.03-26.10) times more likely to experience severe food insecurity.

Conclusion: The study highlights a high burden of food insecurity among Dalit households in Bharatpur. The sex of the household head, the literacy level of the household head, land ownership, religion and housing type were significant predictors of food insecurity in this study. These findings underscore the need for targeted policy interventions to address food insecurity within socially excluded and economically disadvantaged communities in order to meet the Sustainable Development Goal 2: end all forms of malnutrition and hunger by ensuring everyone has access to safe and nutritious food.

Background: Uganda's Outpatient Therapeutic Care (OTC) programs have scaled up community-based Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) management, yet treatment default rates remain higher than acceptable thresholds. Evidence on the drivers of default, particularly in referral settings in northern Uganda, is limited. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence and determinants of treatment default among children aged 6-59 months enrolled in OTC at Gulu Regional Referral Hospital (GRRH) in Northern Uganda.

Methods: A cross-sectional analysis was conducted using retrospective chart review data of 411 children enrolled in the OTC program at GRRH between July 2022 and June 2024. Data on sociodemographic (age, sex, residence), anthropometric (weight, height, Mid Upper Arm Circumference (MUAC), and clinical characteristics (HIV status, admission type, nutritional status, and infant feeding practice) were extracted from the integrated nutrition register and analyzed using STATA version 17. Descriptive statistics summarized demographic and clinical characteristics. Bivariate analysis assessed associations with treatment default. Variables with p < 0.20 or theoretical relevance were included in multivariable logistic regression. Adjusted Odds Ratios (AORs) with 95% Confidence Intervals (CIs) were reported, with p < 0.05 considered statistically significant.

Results: Of the 411 children included, the median age was 18 months (IQR: 12-25); 57.2% were male, 66.2% were under 24 months, over half weighed < 7 kg, and 67.6% had SAM without edema at admission The treatment default rate was 24.8%. Bivariate analysis showed significant associations between default and HIV status (p = 0.01), lower median admission weight (median = 6.4 kg; IQR 5.5-8.1 vs. 7.0 kg; IQR 6.0-8.2; p = 0.02), and weight < 7 kg (p = 0.03). In multivariable analysis, none of the variables remained statistically significant; however, admission weight < 7 kg showed a positive, non-significant association with default (AOR = 1.52; p = 0.12).

Conclusions: Default from OTC remains high at GRRH, particularly among younger and underweight children. Targeted interventions should include strengthened follow-up systems to enhance treatment completion in OTC programs.

Background: More studies are needed to show the significance of carbohydrate quantity and quality, given the rising global incidence of fatty liver disease and its effects on health. Consequently, in a case-control investigation, we evaluated the relationship between non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), the low-carbohydrate diet score (LCDS), and the carbohydrate quality index (CQI).

Methods: In the case-control study (121 participants with NAFLD and 119 participants without NAFLD), we employed a validated quantitative 168-item food frequency questionnaire. We evaluated CQI and LCDS at baseline. The ultimate scores were utilized to categorize the participants into tertiles. Blood tests were performed to measure selected blood markers. Demographic, anthropometric, and socioeconomic status data were recorded.

Results: Patients with NAFLD had a higher mean age (38.0 vs. 35.6 years, p = 0.037), body mass index (BMI) (28.6 vs. 23.2 kg/m², p < 0.001), and fasting blood sugar (FBS) (114.2 vs. 97.8 mg/dL, p < 0.001), as well as elevated liver enzymes (alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST), both p < 0.001) compared with controls. In the crude model, participants in the highest tertile of CQI had significantly lower odds of NAFLD (odds ratio [OR] = 0.24; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.12-0.50; p-trend < 0.001), and those in the highest tertile of LCDS also showed reduced odds (OR = 0.30; 95% CI: 0.15-0.59). In the fully adjusted model, the likelihood of NAFLD remained lower among participants in the upper tertile of CQI (OR = 0.22; 95% CI: 0.08-0.54). Moreover, each one-unit increment in CQI score was associated with higher total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and lower ALT, FBS, and malondialdehyde (MDA) (all p < 0.05). Each one-unit increment in LCDS was also linked to a significant reduction in FBS (p < 0.05).

Conclusions: Our results demonstrate a strong inverse association between higher quality dietary carbohydrate consumption and the development of NAFLD, as well as lower ALT, FBS, and MDA levels. This indicates that preventive strategies for NAFLD should prioritize the quality of this macronutrient.