Puberty Predicts Approach But Not Avoidance on the Iowa Gambling Task in a Multinational Sample

According to the dual systems model of adolescent risk taking, sensation seeking and impulse control follow different developmental trajectories across adolescence and are governed by two different brain systems. The authors tested whether different underlying processes also drive age differences in reward approach and cost avoidance. Using a modified Iowa Gambling Task in a multinational, cross‐sectional sample of 3,234 adolescents (ages 9–17; M = 12.87, SD = 2.36), pubertal maturation, but not age, predicted reward approach, mediated through higher sensation seeking. In contrast, age, but not pubertal maturation, predicted increased cost avoidance, mediated through greater impulse control. These findings add to evidence that adolescent behavior is best understood as the product of two interacting, but independently developing, brain systems

Food-based dietary guidelines of Arabic-speaking countries: a culturally congruent profile

Objective Dietary guidelines for food groups, types and portion sizes are common practice at the national level. As the relationship between nutrition and disease and the influence of cultural identity on individual behaviour become clearer, dietary guidelines necessarily evolve. Today, the Arabic-speaking region is experiencing a dual burden of undernutrition and increasing rates of overweight and obesity. Cultural congruency among dietary guidelines in the Arabic-speaking region and how they affect health education, health promotion, and nutrition programme planning or individual dietary behaviours have yet to be examined. The present work provides dietitians and public health professionals a narrative review of proposed food guidelines for the Arabic-speaking region. Design The current review examined five established dietary guidelines within the Arabic-speaking region, namely the Arab Food Dome (Arab Gulf states), the Healthy Food Palm (Saudi Arabia), the Lebanese Dietary Guidelines, the Omani Guide to Healthy Eating and the Qatar Dietary Guidelines, and compared findings with the regional Eastern Mediterranean guidelines developed by the WHO. Individual guideline recommendations are tabled for comparative review. Setting The Arabic-speaking region. Participants Respective Arabic-speaking populations. Results Health educators, community health practitioners and nutrition professionals can benefit from the cultural contexts associated with dietary guidelines in this region. Conclusions Community-level policy and individual behaviour change will benefit from cultural sensitivity; health communication and behaviour change programming require cultural competence provided in the present review; and programme evaluation efforts (prior to and after implementation) should include a detailed understanding of how culture shapes regional policy and individual nutrition behaviours

Patient satisfaction and wait times following outpatient manual vacuum aspiration compared to electric vacuum aspiration in the operating room: a cross-sectional study

Background Outpatient manual vacuum aspiration (MVA) is a safe and equally effective alternative to electric vacuum aspiration (EVA) in the operating room. This project was conducted to determine whether outpatient MVA expedites care while maintaining patient satisfaction. Methods A cross-sectional study of a convenience sample of patients undergoing surgical management of spontaneous abortion, induced abortion, or retained products of conception with either outpatient MVA under local anesthesia or EVA in the operating room was conducted. Of 138 women completing surveys, 48 (34.8%) underwent outpatient MVA and 90 (65.2%) underwent EVA in the operating room. Procedure length, time from decision to procedure, and patient satisfaction were assessed through a self-administered questionnaire completed post-procedure. Results Most (77%) patients in the MVA group reported waiting fewer than 2 h from the time of their decision to the procedure, while most (74%) EVA patients reported waiting over 12 h (P < 0.001); the MVA group reported higher satisfaction with time to procedure (P = 0.02). The median procedure length was significantly shorter in the EVA group (10 vs. 20 min, P < 0.001). There was no significant difference between groups in overall satisfaction with the procedure (P = 0.16). Conclusion Outpatient MVA under local anesthesia is a suitable alternative to operating room-based EVA for management of spontaneous abortion, induced abortion, and retained products of conception. Outpatient MVA is associated with shorter decision-to-procedure time and is highly acceptable to patients. Integration of outpatient MVA into clinical settings can add time- and resource-saving options for uterine evacuation while maintaining a positive patient experience

Perspectives of Environmental Health Promotion and the Mediterranean Diet: A Thematic Narrative Synthesis

A thematic narrative synthesis was conducted to identify literature exploring the Mediterranean Diet (MDiet) and its impact on the environment in terms of land and water use, Greenhouse Gas emissions, fossil fuels, affordability, and acceptability. The MDiet is a sustainable diet that can reduce some environmental impacts of food production while improving both the health of the population and world, diet acceptability, cost, cultural, and socio-economic factors should be considered when determining appropriateness of a recommended dietary pattern to a regional or global population