Review report : health and dietary diversity in Yemen; traditional Yemeni rural diets and local food systems: enhancing contributions to health and environment

Some text in ArabicThe project successfully met its objectives: diverse important knowledge has been produced, policy has been informed with the research results, capacity has been built and the project has provided important networking opportunities with the outside world, most notably with teams like the one in Lebanon (American University of Beirut) working on a similar research topic and other nutrition, health and environment specialists. The review proposes that project documents be provided in the Arabic language. This would provide a more accurate account of the work by different co-investigators and would allow all those who contributed to the project to gain ownership of project outputs

Oceans and human health : navigating changes on Canada’s coasts

Ocean conditions can affect human health in a variety of ways that are often overlooked and unappreciated. Oceans adjacent to Canada are affected by many anthropogenic stressors, with implications for human health and well-being. Climate change further escalates these pressures and can expose coastal populations to unique health hazards and distressing conditions. However, current research efforts, education or training curriculums, and policies in Canada critically lack explicit consideration of these ocean–public health linkages. The objective of this paper is to present multiple disciplinary perspectives from academics and health practitioners to inform the development of future directions for research, capacity development, and policy and practice at the interface of oceans and human health in Canada. We synthesize major ocean and human health linkages in Canada, and identify climate-sensitive drivers of change, drawing attention to unique considerations in Canada. To support effective, sustained, and equitable collaborations at the nexus of oceans and human health, we recommend the need for progress in three critical areas: (i) holistic worldviews and perspectives, (ii) capacity development, and (iii) structural supports. Canada can play a key role in supporting the global community in addressing the health challenges of climate and ocean changes

Applying systems thinking to identify enablers and challenges to scale-up interventions for hypertension and diabetes in low-income and middle-income countries: protocol for a longitudinal mixed-methods study.

INTRODUCTION: There is an urgent need to reduce the burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), particularly in low-and middle-income countries, where the greatest burden lies. Yet, there is little research concerning the specific issues involved in scaling up NCD interventions targeting low-resource settings. We propose to examine this gap in up to 27 collaborative projects, which were funded by the Global Alliance for Chronic Diseases (GACD) 2019 Scale Up Call, reflecting a total funding investment of approximately US$50 million. These projects represent diverse countries, contexts and adopt varied approaches and study designs to scale-up complex, evidence-based interventions to improve hypertension and diabetes outcomes. A systematic inquiry of these projects will provide necessary scientific insights into the enablers and challenges in the scale up of complex NCD interventions. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: We will apply systems thinking (a holistic approach to analyse the inter-relationship between constituent parts of scaleup interventions and the context in which the interventions are implemented) and adopt a longitudinal mixed-methods study design to explore the planning and early implementation phases of scale up projects. Data will be gathered at three time periods, namely, at planning (TP), initiation of implementation (T0) and 1-year postinitiation (T1). We will extract project-related data from secondary documents at TP and conduct multistakeholder qualitative interviews to gather data at T0 and T1. We will undertake descriptive statistical analysis of TP data and analyse T0 and T1 data using inductive thematic coding. The data extraction tool and interview guides were developed based on a literature review of scale-up frameworks. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The current protocol was approved by the Monash University Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC number 23482). Informed consent will be obtained from all participants. The study findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications and more broadly through the GACD network

Wild edible plants : promoting dietary diversity in poor communities of Lebanon

Meeting: Regional Workshop : "Biodiversity as Food", Beirut, 3-5 February, 2006PowerPoint presentatio

Sociocultural determinants of traditional food intake across indigenous communities in the Yukon and Denendeh

Chronic non-communicable diseases related to excessive or unbalanced dietary intakes are on the rise among some Indigenous populations in Canada. Nutritional problems of Indigenous peoples arise in the transition from a traditional diet to a market diet characterised by highly processed foods with reduced nutrient density. This study used food frequency and 24-hour recall questionnaires to quantify traditional food intake in 18 communities in Denendeh (Western Northwest Territories) and the Yukon. These data allowed comparisons between the two regions (Yukon and Denendeh) and the two seasons of data collection (summer and winter, perceived to be the seasons of highest and lowest traditional food intake, respectively). Food choice in general is affected by a multitude of factors determined by individual, societal and environmental influences. In this study, individual, household, and community correlates of traditional food intake were assessed in order to construct a multivariate statistical model to describe the correlates of the quantity and diversity of traditional food intake in the Western Canadian Arctic. The variables used in this study reflected household demography, market food affordability, access to traditional food, individual characteristics such as age and gender, and perceptions about traditional food. The analysis of the associations between the traditional food correlates and traditional food intake in terms of quantity and diversity allowed for the description of the profile of men and women who are high consumers of traditional food in both regions. This study described and used a tool to measure traditional food diversity, which may be an appropriate indicator of the process of dietary change experienced by Indigenous Peoples in Denendeh and the Yukon

Traditional Lebanese recipes based on wild plants : an answer to diet simplification?

Appendix 32 of final reportSome text in ArabicBackground. The challenge posed by the nutrition transition occurring throughout the world is enormous: rates of chronic disease, particularly overweight and obesity and cardiovascular disease, have reached alarming levels—often occurring in parallel with high levels of micronutrient deficiencies. Lebanon is no exception. And yet this Mediterranean country enjoys a rich biodiversity, with thousands of endemic species and an equally rich culinary history, largely based on its local biodiversity, including wild edible plants. // Objectives. To record traditional Lebanese recipes based on wild edible plants and to investigate their potential to contribute to a more diversified diet. // Methods. A series of nine focus group meetings was conducted with key informants knowledgeable in wild edible plant identification, harvesting, and use. // Results. Common recipes based on wild edible plants were collected and standardized from rural communities where collection of wild edible plants is common. Nutrient analysis and food-composition analysis were performed, including comparisons with processed dishes that are increasingly common in the Lebanese diet, revealing that the wild edible plant–based dishes offered a healthier alternative. // Conclusions. Since traditional recipes often use items from several food groups in one dish, they can be a good model for diet diversification. The promotion of the collection and use of wild edible plants and their derived products can lead to improved nutrition

A study is 21 times more likely to find unfavourable results about the nutrition label Nutri-Score if the authors declare a conflict of interest or the study is funded by the food industry

Many scientists and health professionals consider that scientific evidence that supports front-of-pack nutrition labelling, such as ‘Nutri-Score’, becomes mandatory in Europe to help consumers make healthier choices at the point of purchase. Politicians and political parties, food manufacturers and some agricultural sectors are opposed to nutrition labelling such as ‘Nutri-Score’ as they claim that scientific studies insufficiently support making it into a policy. The findings of 83% of studies published in peer-reviewed journals support nutrition labelling such as ‘Nutri-Score’. The probability for an article to show results that are not favourable to nutrition labelling such as ‘Nutri-Score’ is 21 times higher if the authors declare a conflict of interest or if the study is funded by the food industry. </p