Dietary supplement use in 3–6-year-old children

Johdanto: Viimeisimmän tutkimustiedon mukaan 3–6-vuotiaiden suomalaislasten mikroravintoaineiden saanti on riittävää lukuun ottamatta rautaa ja D-vitamiinia, jota lapsille suositellaan annettavan ravintolisänä ympäri vuoden. Muihin ravintolisiin neuvotaan turvautumaan vain silloin, kun tietyn ravintoaineen saanti ruokavaliosta on riittämätöntä ruoka-allergian tai erityisruokavalion vuoksi. Ravintolisiä ei tulisi käyttää korvaamaan monipuolista ruokavaliota. Lasten ravintolisien käyttöä on tutkittu Suomessa melko vähän, ja etenkin päiväkoti-ikäisten lasten ravintolisien käyttöä ja siihen yhteydessä olevia tekijöitä on tarpeellista tutkia. Tavoitteet: Pro gradu -tutkielman tavoitteena oli selvittää suomalaisten päiväkoti-ikäisten lasten ravintolisien käyttöä ja vitamiinien sekä kivennäisaineiden saantia ravintolisistä. Lisäksi tutkimuksessa oli tavoitteena selvittää sosiodemografisten tekijöiden, erityisruokavalioiden ja ravintolisien käytön yhteyttä. Aineisto ja menetelmät: Lasten ravitsemusta tutkittiin poikkileikkausasetelmassa vuonna 2014 käynnistyneessä DAGIS-hankkeessa. Tukittavat 3–6-vuotiaat lapset (n=864) rekrytoitiin 66 päiväkodista kahdeksasta kunnasta Uudellamaalla ja Etelä-Pohjanmaalla. Vanhemmat raportoivat lasten ravintolisien käytöstä ja täyttivät perheen sosiodemografisia tekijöitä kuvaavan taustatietolomakkeen. Tässä tutkielmassa aineistona olivat tutkittavat, jotka olivat vastanneet ravintolisiä koskevaan kysymykseen (n=822). Lasten ravintolisien käyttöä edellisen kuukauden ajalta kartoitettiin valmisteen kauppanimen, pitoisuuden sekä käyttötiheyden tasolla. Ravintolisistä koostettiin valmistetietokanta, joka sisältää jokaisen käytetyn ravintolisävalmisteen ravintosisällön. Ravintolisävalmisteet luokiteltiin analyysia varten seitsemään luokkaan: D-vitamiini, muu yksittäinen vitamiini, kivennäisaine, monivitamiini-monikivennäisaine, probiootti, rasvahappo ja muu valmiste. Lisäksi tarkasteltiin kaikkia D vitamiinia sisältäviä valmisteita. Eri ravintolisien käyttöä ikäryhmittäin testattiin χ2-testillä. Ravintolisien käyttöä tarkasteltiin logistisen regression avulla suhteessa taustatekijöihin. Tilastollinen analyysi suoritettiin IBM SPSS Statistics -ohjelmistolla (versio 25). Tulokset: Tutkittavista 84 % käytti ainakin yhtä ravintolisää säännöllisesti edellisen kuukauden aikana. D vitamiini (58 %) ja monivitamiini-kivennäisaine (30 %) olivat käytetyimmät valmisteet kaikissa ikäluokissa. D vitamiinia sisältävää valmistetta käytti 83 % lapsista. Eri ravintolisien käytössä ei havaittu tilastollisesti merkitsevää eroa eri ikäluokkien välillä (p>0,05). Tutkittavat saivat ravintolisistä 20 eri mikroravintoainetta. Ravintolisiä käyttäneet lapset saivat lisistä D-vitamiinia keskimäärin 14 µg, D-vitamiinin käyttösuosituksen ollessa 7,5 µg. 17 % lapsista ei käyttänyt lainkaan D-vitamiinia sisältävää valmistetta ja D-vitamiinin turvallisen saannin yläraja ylittyi kuudella lapsella. Perheen tulot olivat positiivisesti yhteydessä ravintolisien käyttöön. D-vitamiinia sisältävän valmisteen käyttö oli yhteydessä perheen korkeampiin tuloihin ja mittausvuodenaikaan. Useamman kuin yhden valmisteen käyttö oli yhteydessä asuinalueeseen ja lapsen korkeampaan ikään sekä perheen lasten lukumäärään. Useamman kuin yhden valmisteen käyttö oli todennäköisempää Etelä-Pohjanmaalla kuin Uudellamaalla ja yksilapsisissa perheissä verrattuna useampilapsisiin perheisiin. Johtopäätökset: Ravintolisien käyttö vaihteli ei-käyttäjistä lapsiin, jotka käyttivät kuutta eri valmistetta. Kaikille lapsille suositellun D-vitamiinin käyttö oli yleistä, mutta silti lähes viidennes tutkittavista ei käyttänyt D-vitamiinivalmistetta lainkaan edellisen kuukauden aikana. Neuvolan merkitys D-vitamiinilisän käytön tärkeydestä viestimisessä on keskeinen. Kaikkien lasten tulisi käyttää D-vitamiinilisää, sosioekonomisesta asemasta tai asuinalueesta huolimatta ympäri vuoden.Introduction: Recent studies in 3–6-year-old children indicate that micronutrient intake from the diet is adequate apart from iron and vitamin D. Therefore, the recommended vitamin D supplementation is necessary all year round for children under the age of 18. The use of other supplements is necessary only in cases of food allergy or special diet or if the diet in unbalanced for some other reason and dietary supplements should not be used to replace a balanced diet. There are little studies on dietary supplement use in Finnish children, especially aged 3–6-years. Therefore, there is a need for a study on supplement use and sociodemographic factors associated with it. Aims: The aim of this study was to examine the use of dietary supplements and micronutrient intake from the supplements in 3–6-year-old children. Additionally, this study aimed to investigate the association between sociodemographic factors, special diets and dietary supplement use. Materials and methods: The data in this thesis is from the cross-sectional study of DAGIS -research project. 3–6-year-old participants (n=864) were recruited from 66 daycare centers from Uusimaa and South Ostrobothnia. Parents reported the supplement use of the child and filled in a background questionnaire. 822 of 864 families completed the FFQ-form and formed the study population of the thesis. The supplement use during the previous month, including brand name, dose, and frequency was surveyed. Dietary supplement database containing the nutritional content of 678 different supplements was compiled. Dietary supplements were categorized in to seven categories for the analysis: vitamin D, other single vitamin, single mineral, multivitamin-mineral, probiotics, fatty acids, and other supplements. In addition, the use of all supplements containing vitamin D were examined. The dietary supplement use in different age groups was tested with χ2-test. The association between dietary supplement use and sociodemographic factors was analyzed with logistic regression. The statistical analysis was conducted with IBM SPSS Statistics (version 25). Results: 85% of the children used at least one dietary supplement during the previous month. Vitamin D (58%) and multivitamin-multimineral (30%) supplements were the most used supplements in all age groups. 83% of the children used any supplement containing vitamin D. There was no statistically significant difference between the age groups in the use of different types of dietary supplements (p0.05). The children received 20 different micronutrients from the supplements. The mean daily intake of vitamin D from supplements in supplement users was 14 µg. Compared with the recommended 7.5 µg per day the intake from supplements was adequate. However, 17% of the children did not use vitamin D supplement and on the other hand, six children received vitamin D more than the upper tolerable level. Household income was positively associated with supplement use. The vitamin D use was associated with a higher household income and time of year. The use of more than one supplement was associated with the area of residence but also with higher age and having less children in the family. The use was more likely in South Ostrobothnia than in Uusimaa. Conclusions: The supplement use varied from non-users to children using six different supplements. The prevalence of recommended vitamin D supplement use was high but still there were children who did not receive any vitamin D from the supplements. Child Health Clinics play an important role in making the importance on vitamin D supplement use known. Every child should use vitamin D supplement all year round, despite the socioeconomic status or the area of residence

Nonaccidental Violence Among Elite Athletes in Finland : Associations With Sport Conditions and Mental Well-Being and Ill-Being

The aim of this research was to study the prevalence of nonaccidental violence among elite athletes in Finland, the predisposing factors to violence, and its consequences for mental well-being and ill-being. A total of 2,045 Finnish athletes participated in the study. Logistic and linear regression analyses were used to analyze the associations. The results indicated that 38.8% had experienced psychological abuse, 14.7% bullying, 13.3% gender-based harassment, and 5.5% sexual harassment. Female and younger athletes reported more violent experiences than male and older athletes. A team’s safe atmosphere and readiness to act protected athletes from nonaccidental violence, whereas the coach did not play a role. Nonaccidental violence, particularly psychological abuse, was associated with reduced mental well-being and increased ill-being. Our results suggest that it is worth investing in the team’s mutual relationships and safe cooperation when ensuring appropriate behavior and preventing nonaccidental violence among athletes.Peer reviewe

Ravinnevisio : Selvitys Pirkanmaan puhdistamolietteiden ja biojätteiden ravinteista ja niiden potentiaalisesta käytöstä

Loppuraportti201

The Way of Distance Teaching Is Related to Adolescent Students’ Health and Loneliness during the School Closure in Finland

The COVID-19 pandemic enforced countries to close schools and rapidly transfer to distance teaching without preparation. Little is known about how different distance teaching practices influenced students’ wellbeing. We studied this during the period of school closures in Finland. Wellbeing was measured by health complaints and perceived loneliness, and distance learning was measured in terms of structure and dialogue of teaching, functioning of internet and digital equipment, difficulty of given tasks, and support for studies. All lower secondary schools were invited, and 29,898 students from 340 schools (grades 7–9) participated. A digital survey was distributed through schools just when these were reopened in May 2020. The main results were that the distance learning practices were related to adolescent health complaints and loneliness, so that less structure and dialogue in teaching, more problems with digital devices and internet, more difficult tasks and less support for studies were associated with higher health complaints and loneliness. From the point of view of students’ wellbeing, it matters how the distance learning is organised, how digital communication works, and if enough support for studies is available. These results of our research on distance learning practices during the present pandemic may guide schools in future crises and pandemic situations when distance learning is needed

The Way of Distance Teaching Is Related to Adolescent Students’ Health and Loneliness during the School Closure in Finland

The COVID-19 pandemic enforced countries to close schools and rapidly transfer to distance teaching without preparation. Little is known about how different distance teaching practices influenced students’ wellbeing. We studied this during the period of school closures in Finland. Wellbeing was measured by health complaints and perceived loneliness, and distance learning was measured in terms of structure and dialogue of teaching, functioning of internet and digital equipment, difficulty of given tasks, and support for studies. All lower secondary schools were invited, and 29,898 students from 340 schools (grades 7–9) participated. A digital survey was distributed through schools just when these were reopened in May 2020. The main results were that the distance learning practices were related to adolescent health complaints and loneliness, so that less structure and dialogue in teaching, more problems with digital devices and internet, more difficult tasks and less support for studies were associated with higher health complaints and loneliness. From the point of view of students’ wellbeing, it matters how the distance learning is organised, how digital communication works, and if enough support for studies is available. These results of our research on distance learning practices during the present pandemic may guide schools in future crises and pandemic situations when distance learning is needed

A slow road from meat dominance to more sustainable diets: An analysis of purchase preferences among Finnish loyalty-card holders

Achieving a sustainable and healthy diet requires increased replacement of red meat with more sustainable foods. There is a call for novel methodologies to assess the potential of different interventions and policies in enhancing the transition from the current to more sustainable choices. We aimed to characterize consumer clusters with similar preferences in protein sources, to compare the purchase prices of these foods, and to identify ongoing transitions from one protein source to another. Grocery purchase data with individual attributes on 29,437 consenting loyalty card holders were analyzed over 2.3 year period. We designed a sequence analysis to group participants to clusters with similar purchase preferences over the follow-up period and to estimate transition probabilities between preferences. We studied the determinants of prevalent purchase profiles by ordinal logistic models. We identified six participant profiles with similar preferences in four protein sources: red meat, poultry, fish, and plant-based foods. Red meat dominated the purchase preferences and showed the highest persistence over time. The majority (70%) of the participants demonstrated somewhat mixed purchase profiles. A step-by-step transition from red meat towards plant-based food preference seems most likely via poultry and fish. Overall, low income was not a barrier to a more sustainable purchase profile, while price may deter the purchase of fish. The most important resources in choosing more sustainable profiles were education and stage of family life. Societal incentives for sustainable food choices seem most crucial at transition stages of life course and for the less educated. Here, we also demonstrate that grocery purchase data offer a valuable tool for monitoring the progressive transition towards a healthy and sustainable food system.Peer reviewe

Smoking status and abdominal obesity among normal- and overweight/obese adults : Population-based FINRISK study

Peer reviewe

Contamination by Norovirus and Adenovirus on Environmental Surfaces and in Hands of Conscripts in Two Finnish Garrisons

This study investigated the presence of norovirus and adenovirus, especially enteric adenovirus, on the environmental surfaces (n = 481) and military conscripts' hands (n = 109) in two Finnish garrisons (A and B) in 2013 and 2014. A questionnaire study was conducted to reveal possible correlations between viral findings on the conscripts' hands and their acute gastroenteritis symptoms. In addition to the swab samples, 14 fecal samples were obtained for viral analysis. In total, norovirus was present in 9.0 % of the surface swabs in 2013, whereas enteric adenovirus was present in 0.0 % and non-enteric adenovirus in 9.4 %. In the same year, 2.6 % of the hand swabs contained norovirus, 2.6 % enteric adenovirus, and 40.3 % non-enteric adenovirus. Norovirus GI.6 was continually detected on the surfaces of garrison A, and identical virus was detected in some of the fecal samples. In garrison B, two slightly different norovirus GII.4 strains were present on the surfaces. The questionnaires revealed no recent acute gastroenteritis cases in garrison A, but in garrison B, where the norovirus-positive hand swabs were collected, 30.6 % of the conscripts reported of recent symptoms. In 2014, norovirus was rarely detected, but adenovirus was again frequently present, both on the surfaces and hands. Taken together, our results suggest that gastroenteritis outbreaks occurred in 2013, but not in 2014. Due to the low number of hand swabs positive for enteric viruses, no conclusions about associations between viral findings and gastroenteritis symptoms could be drawn. This study increased our understanding of the possible transmission of viruses via contaminated environment and hands.Peer reviewe