Breakfast frequency and fruit and vegetable consumption in Belgian adolescents a cross-sectional study

Purpose - Several cross-sectional studies reported that breakfast skipping and a poor consumption of fruits and vegetables are associated with overweight and obesity-related morbidities. In this respect healthy eating habits such as regular breakfast and a sufficient intake of fruit and vegetables are two important items to prevent childhood and adolescent obesity. The purpose of this study is to determine the breakfast frequency and the fruit and vegetable consumption in Belgian adolescents. Design/methodology/approach - A cross-sectional study using pupils contacted by nurses in schools during an information session about female hygiene. On that occasion all pupils (boys and girls) completed a questionnaire concerning their eating habits. Subjects were boys (n=1390) and girls (n=3610) between 12 and 15 years of age from the main three educational programmes (general, technical and occupational programme). Findings - Socio-economic status significantly influenced breakfast frequency with differences between the highest educational programme (general) and the lower technical- and occupational programmes. The use of daily breakfast was respectively 67 versus 49 and 48 per cent for the boys and 60 versus 42 and 39 per cent for the girls). For both sexes breakfast frequency decreased when comparing age groups from 12 with 15 years of age respectively from 67 to 55 per cent for the boys and from 61 to 47 per cent for the girls. Half of the subjects who declared to have overweight (self-image) did not take breakfast at a regular base. Twenty six per cent of the boys of the French speaking part and 19 per cent of the boys of the Flemish speaking part of Belgium declared to take only one or less than one portion of fruit and/or vegetables a day. For the girls the reported intake of one or less than one portion of fruit and/or vegetables was respectively 20 and 16 per cent. Only 13 per cent of the French speaking boys and 10 per cent of the Flemish speaking boys reported an intake of four or more fruits and/or vegetables a day. The percentage of girls reaching an intake of four or more a day was 15 per cent for the two language regions. Fruit and/or vegetable intake was influenced significantly by the educational programme and by the educational level of the mother. In conclusion, healthy eating habits among girls and boys in Belgium (as estimated by breakfast frequency and fruit and/or vegetable intake) are rather poor. These habits are influenced by age, educational programme, self-image and educational level of the mother. Originality/value - In the light of these findings action should be taken to improve the eating habits among Belgian children to prevent childhood obesity.SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Specialized edaphic niches of threatened copper endemic plant species in the D.R. Congo: implications for ex situ conservation

Background and aims: Copper (Cu) rich soils derived from rocks of the Katangan Copperbelt in the south-eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) support a rich diversity of metallophytes including 550 heavy metal tolerant; 24 broad Cu soil endemic; and 33 strict Cu soil endemic plant species. The majority of the plant species occur on prominent Cu hills scattered along the copperbelt. Heavy metal mining on the Katangan Copperbelt has resulted in extensive degradation and destruction of the Cu hill ecosystems. As a result, approximately 80 % of the strict Cu endemic plant species are classified as threatened according to IUCN criteria and represent a conservation priority. Little is known about the soil Cu tolerance optimum of the Cu endemic plant species. The purpose of this study was to quantify the soil Cu concentration (Cu edaphic niche) of four Cu endemic plant species to inform soil propagation conditions and microhabitat site selection for planting of the species in Cu hill ecosystem restoration. Methods: The soil Cu concentration tolerance of Cu endemic plant species was studied including Crotalaria cobalticola (CRCO); Gladiolus ledoctei (GLLE); Diplolophium marthozianum (DIMA); and Triumfetta welwitschii var. rogersii (TRWE-RO). The in situ natural habitat distributions of the Cu endemic plant species with respect to soil Cu concentration (Cu edaphic niche) was calculated by means of a generalised additive model. Additionally, the seedling emergence and growth of the four Cu endemic plant species in three soil Cu concentrations was tested ex situ and the results were compared to that of the natural habitat soil Cu concentration optimum (Cu edaphic niche). Results: CRCO exhibited greater performance on the highest soil Cu concentration, consistent with its calculated Cu edaphic niche occurring at the highest soil Cu concentrations. In contrast, both DIMA and TRWE-RO exhibited greatest performance at the lowest soil Cu concentration, despite the calculated Cu edaphic niche occurring at moderate soil Cu concentrations. GLLE exhibited equal performances in the entire range of soil Cu concentrations. Conclusions: These results suggest that CRCO evolved via the edaphic specialization model where it is most competitive in Cu hill habitat with the highest soil Cu concentration. In comparison, DIMA and TRWE-RO appear to have evolved via the endemism refuge model, which indicates that the species were excluded into (i.e., took refuge in) the lower plant competition Cu hill habitat due to their inability to effectively compete with higher plant competition on normal soils. The soil Cu edaphic niche determined for the four species will be useful in conservation activities including informing soil propagation conditions and microhabitat site selection for planting of the species in Cu hill ecosystem restoration. © 2016 Springer International Publishing Switzerlan

Socio-economic and lifestyle factors associated with overweight in Flemish adult men and women

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Changes in lifestyles and in the environment over the last decades are probably the most important cause of the overweight epidemic, but the findings are inconsistent among studies. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association of several socio-economic and lifestyle factors with overweight in Flemish adults, using BMI ≥ 25 kg/m², waist circumference (WC) ≥ 94 cm (men) or ≥ 80 cm (women) and the combination of BMI and WC for identifying overweight.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This cross-sectional epidemiological study was conducted by the Flemish Policy Research Centre Sport, Physical Activity and Health between October 2002 and February 2004 in 46 Flemish communities. A total of 4903 Flemish adults (2595 men and 2308 women), aged 18 to 75 years, from a population-based random sample were included in the analysis. Body weight, height and WC were measured, and socio-economic and lifestyle factors were reported by means of validated questionnaires.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The results of the logistic regressions revealed that age is positively associated with overweight in both genders. Alcohol consumption is associated with overweight only in men. Men smoking in the past and watching TV >11 h/week have significantly higher OR's for overweight, while men who participate in health related sports >4 h/week have significantly lower OR's for overweight. In women, watching TV >9 h/week was positively associated with overweight. Women who are current smokers or participate in health related sports >2.5 h/week or with a higher educational level have significantly lower odds for overweight. Different results are observed between the first (BMI) and the second model (WC) in both genders. In men, the models differ for education and health related sports, while in women they differ for smoking status and leisure time physical activity.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The present study confirms the contention that overweight is a multifactorial problem. Age and TV viewing are positively associated with overweight, while educational level and health related sports are negatively related to overweight in both genders. In men, alcohol consumption and smoking in the past are also among the lifestyle factors associated with overweight. This study also indicates that BMI and WC do not have the same discriminative function regarding different lifestyle factors.</p