Predictors of vitamin D status and its association with parathyroid hormone in young New Zealand children.

BACKGROUND: Despite increased awareness of the adverse health effects of low vitamin D status, few studies have evaluated 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] status in young children. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to assess vitamin D status on the basis of 25(OH)D and its relation with parathyroid hormone (PTH) and to identify possible predictors of 25(OH)D status in young children living in a country with minimal vitamin D fortification. DESIGN: Serum 25(OH)D and PTH concentrations were measured in a cross-sectional sample of children aged 12-22 mo [n = 193 for 25(OH)D, n = 144 for PTH] living in Dunedin, New Zealand (latitude: 45 degrees S). Anthropometric, dietary, and sociodemographic data were collected. RESULTS: The majority of children sampled in the summer (94%; 47 of 50) had 25(OH)D >50 nmol/L; however, nearly 80% of children sampled in the winter (43 of 55) had serum concentrations 60-65 nmol/L, a plateau in PTH was evident. CONCLUSIONS: Seasonal variation in 25(OH)D concentration implies that postsummer vitamin D stores were insufficient to maintain status >50 nmol/L year-round. Examination of the predictors of 25(OH)D in our model shows few modifiable risk factors, and thus effective dietary strategies may be required if future research determines that children with 25(OH)D concentrations <50 nmol/L are at significant health risk. This trial was registered at www.actr.org.au as ACTRN12605000487617

Red meat and a fortified manufactured toddler milk drink increase dietary zinc intakes without affecting zinc status of New Zealand toddlers.

Evidence suggests that New Zealand (NZ) children are mildly zinc deficient and may respond to dietary change. A 20-wk randomized intervention trial was therefore conducted to determine whether an increased intake of red meat or consumption of a fortified manufactured toddler milk drink (FTMD, fortified with zinc and other micronutrients) would increase dietary zinc intakes and improve the biochemical zinc status of 12- to 20-mo-old NZ toddlers. Toddlers were randomized to a red meat intervention (n = 90), FTMD intervention (n = 45), or nonfortified milk placebo (n = 90). Study foods were provided. Adherence was assessed via monthly 7-d meat or milk recording diaries. Hair and serum zinc concentrations, and length and weight were measured at baseline and postintervention. Nutrient intakes were assessed via 3-d weighed food records at baseline, wk 4, and wk 18. At baseline, 38% of participants had low serum zinc concentrations despite seemingly adequate dietary zinc intakes (<4% below the Estimated Average Requirement). Dietary zinc intakes significantly increased by 0.8 mg/d (95% CI: 0.5, 1.1) in the meat group and 0.7 mg/d (95% CI: 0.2, 1.1) in the FTMD group compared with a decrease of -0.5 (95% CI: -0.8, -0.2) mg/d in the placebo group. No corresponding increases in serum or hair zinc concentrations were observed. Dietary zinc intakes achievable via interventions based on red meat or a FTMD are unlikely to improve biochemical zinc status in NZ toddlers. These results also question cutoffs used to define zinc deficiency in toddlers

Erratum to: “Copula-based mixed models for bivariate rainfall data: an empirical study in regression perspective”

This paper argues that direct control of the early years literacy curriculum recently exercised by politicians in England has made the boundaries between research, policy and practice increasingly fragile. It describes how policy came to focus most effort on the use of synthetic phonics programmes in the early years. It examines why the Clackmannanshire phonics intervention became the study most frequently cited to justify government policy and suggests a phonics research agenda that could more usefully inform teaching. It argues that, whilst academics cannot control how their research is eventually used by policymakers, learned societies can strengthen their ethics policies to set out clearer ground-rules for academic researchers working across knowledge domains and with policymakers. A stronger framework to guide the ethical interpretation of research evidence in complex education investigations would allow more meaningful conversations to take place within and across research communities, and with research users. The paper suggests some features for such a framework

Social engagement, setting and alcohol use among a sample of older Australians

The harms associated with risky alcohol consumption have long been researched and recognised in the health field. However, little available research has focused on older people or extended analysis of alcohol use by this segment of the population beyond a biomedical perspective. With the rapid ageing of the global population, research that investigates alcohol use among older people from a social perspective is important. This article reports on research with a group of older women and men, to identify and explain factors that influence alcohol consumption. In-depth interviews were conducted in Perth, Western Australia with 20 men and 22 women aged 65–74 years who were living in either private residences or retirement villages. The study findings indicated that alcohol use was linked with social engagement in activities across both settings, and that moderate alcohol use appeared to serve an important function as a ‘social lubricant’. The major facilitating factors for alcohol use included the frequency of opportunities for social engagement and access to a ready- made social group in retirement villages. The major constraining factor across both settings was driving. Interestingly, health was not viewed as a major facilitating or constraining factor for alcohol consumption. Conclusions from the research were that alcohol serves an important role in enhancing social engagement, and there appear to be important associations between residential setting and alcohol use