Household Food Insecurity is Associated with Undernutrition among Primary School Children in Aden Governorate, Yemen

Food insecurity is typically linked with undernutrition. However, there is little published data available on the association between household food insecurity and undernutrition status of the primary school children aged 6–12 years in Aden, Yemen. The purpose of this research was to analyse the association between household food insecurity and the undernutrition status of the children. A cross-sectional study was carried out among primary school children from grades I to VI in the government schools (n=525). A simple questionnaire, face-to-face interview with parents, and Radimer/Cornell hunger and food insecurity tool were utilized for the data collection. Anthropometric measurements (weight & height) of the children were also recorded. Upon analysis, 70% of the surveyed children came from a food secure household, whilst 30% experienced some type of food insecurity. Education level of the father (p<0.03), employment of the mother (p<0.00), overall household income (p<0.01), income per capita (p<0.01) and number of working persons per household (p<0.00) were all significant variables associated with food insecurity among these households. Results also showed that the frequency of underweight, stunting and wasting among the children was 19%, 17% and 10%, respectively. Significant associations were found between household food insecurity and the state of being underweight, stunting and wasting. Importantly, the association between household food insecurity and undernutrition status continued even after adjustment for significant variables. In conclusion, household food insecurity was significantly associated with undernutrition status of the primary school children in Aden’s Governorate, Yemen

Nutritional and physical activity status among adults living in low-cost housing area in Selangor

This study aimed to assess the nutritional and physical activity status among adults living in low-cost housing area. This cross-sectional study involved 115 adults aged from 18 to 59 years old (46 male and 69 female). Anthropometric and body composition measurements of height, weight, body fat percentage, waist and hip circumference were taken. Biochemical measurements included blood glucose, blood cholesterol and blood pressure. Dietary intake was evaluated by interviewing subjects using Food Frequency Questionnaires (FFQ). Physical activity status was determined by interviewing subjects using International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). Most of the subjects were found to be mainly on low socioeconomic status and working as blue collar workers. The mean body mass index (BMI) for men and women were 27.3 ± 6.3 kg/m2 and 28.5 ± 5.3 kg/m2, respectively. The waist-hip ratio of men and women were 0.92 ± 0.07 and 0.86 ± 0.06, respectively. Mean blood pressure observed was 128.8 ± 18.8 mmHg (systolic) and 78.2 ± 12.1 mmHg (diastolic). Mean blood glucose was reported to be 6.6 ± 3.2 mmol/L while the mean blood cholesterol was 5.2 ± 1.0 mmol/L. Overall energy intake was 2705 ± 603 kcal with the contribution of 53.4% carbohydrate, 13.5% protein and 32.5% fat to overall energy intake. The nutrients that did not achieve Malaysia’s Recommended Nutrient Intake (RNI) were calcium (73.1%), thiamine (70.5%), folate (25.0%) and vitamin A (19.6%). The mean physical activity of subjects was 6739.8 ± 8135.6 MET-min/week (high physical activity). In conclusion, the adults living in low-cost housing have unsatisfactory nutritional status yet they have good physical activity level which might be contributed by their occupation

Bone Health Status among Thalassemia Children.

Low bone mineral density is a significant problem in children with Thalassemia which may lead to increased risk for fragility fractures and suboptimal peak bone mass. This cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the bone health status of Thalassemia children Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre and Paediatrics Insititute Kuala Lumpur Hospital. A total of 81 respondents diagnosed with transfusion dependant beta Thalassemia (41 boys and 40 girls) aged between 7 to 19 years old completed the study. The data collected were demographic information, anthropometric measurements, dairy frequency questionnaires, dietary habits of the respondents and their parents, dietary intakes and bone densitometry using Ultrasound Bone Densitometer. For Quantitative Ultrasound (QUS) parameters, T-score of 9.8% participants were lower than -1.0 and 30.9% of the participants had lower Speed of Sound(SOS) than healthy SOS. This study showed there was no difference in bone density by sex (p>0.05). The median bone density of boys was 1616.00 m/ sec (IQR= 39.00) and girls’ was 1579.00 m/ sec (IQR= 116.00). SOS was not increased with age, height and weight; but girls’ Body Mass Index (BMI). Malay children had significantly higher SOS than non-Malay children. This study highlights a need of proper intervention for the high risk group to achieve optimal bone health

Kepercayaan terhadap amalan pemakanan dalam kalangan penjaga kanak-kanak leukemia dan kumpulan profesional kesihatan di Hospital Kuala Lumpur –kajian kualitatif

Kepercayaan terhadap amalan pemakanan oleh ibu bapa dan penjaga memainkan peranan penting dalam pengambilan pemakanan kanak-kanak leukemia. Namun kajian tempatan yang mengkaji amalan dan kepercayaan pemakanan dalam kalangan penjaga pesakit leukemia sangat terhad. Kajian ini bertujuan untuk mengkaji kepercayaan terhadap amalan pemakanan dalam kalangan penjaga kanak-kanak yang menghidap leukemia ahli profesional kesihatan di Institut Pediatrik Hospital Kuala Lumpur (IPHKL), Malaysia. Kajian secara kualitatif ini dijalankan bagi menilai kepercayaan dan amalan terhadap sesuatu makanan dalam kalangan penjaga pesakit leukemia kanak-kanak. Seramai 30 orang subjek yang terdiri daripada 10 orang ahli profesional kesihatan dan 20 orang penjaga pesakit telah ditemu bual menggunakan kaedah temu duga semi-struktur. Temu duga ini ditranskripkan dan dianalisa menggunakan perisian kualitatif ATLAS.ti. versi 7.5.6 yang seterusnya membentuk beberapa tema. Lima tema yang telah ditemui dalam kajian ini iaitu: (1) kepercayaan terhadap makanan yang mampu menyembuhkan kanser, (2) kepercayaan mengenai pengambilan susu dan daging, (3) kepercayaan makanan yang mengandungi pestisid,(4) kepercayaan terhadap makanan yang menyebabkan kegatalan, dan (5) sumber maklumat pemakanan dan pengetahuan pemakanan dalam kalangan penjaga. Kajian ini menunjukkan wujudnya kepercayaan terhadap amalan pemakanan tertentu dalam kalangan penjaga pesakit dan kumpulan profesional kesihatan. Maklumat daripada hasil kajian ini boleh memberikan perspektif mengenai kepercayaan terhadap amalan pemakanan tertentu dalam kalangan penjaga kanak-kanak leukemia dan kumpulan profesional kesihatan. Perkara ini penting kepada ahli profesional kesihatan terutamanya semasa merancang strategi untuk memberi pendidikan pemakanan kepada penjaga untuk memperbaiki status pemakanan pesakit

Food Insecurity, Quality of Life, and Diet Optimization of Low Income University Students in Selangor, Malaysia

This study aim to determine the relationship between food security with quality of life and nutritional status among low income students in a public university in Selangor, Malaysia. A cross-sectional survey was carried out on 108 low income students who were chosen by convenient sampling method. Students were interviewed using a structured questionnaire to obtain information on their sociodemographic characteristics, food security status, quality of life, anthropometric data, and dietary intake. Results showed that 69.4% of students were food insecure with 50% reported low food security and 19.4% with very low food security. For quality of life, students scored highest in social relationship domain (68.60±14.53) while lowest in physical health domain (53.87±10.42). There was no significant association between food security and quality of life, ethnic, age, family income, financial assistance, CGPA, and food expenditure (p>0.05). Majority of students (59.2%) had normal Body Mass Index (BMI), followed by 20.4% were overweight, 10.2% were obese, and 10.2% were underweight. Therewas no significant correlation between nutritional status with food security status (p>0.05). To estimate the minimum daily food expenditure to fulfil all nutrient requirements, an optimum diet model was created by using linear programming model. Result showed that the minimum price of one day menu for male and female student was USD 4.90 and USD 5.20 each. The cost was higher than their average food expenditure (USD 2.90), indicating that students in the university have to spend more money on food sold at the university cafeteria to fulfill their nutrient recommendation. Hence, relevant authorities should take appropriate initiatives so that the food insecurity problem among low income university students can be managed to improve their quality of life and nutritional status

Nutrient Profiling Model Towards Recommendation of A Healthy Diet: A Scoping Review

The objective of this study is to identify the availability of Nutrient Profiling (NP) models worldwide and discuss their application. This scoping review is based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses Extension for the Scoping Review (PRISMA-ScR) and the Arksey and O’Malley framework. Articles related to NP among adults published from 2012 to 2022, written in English, were retrieved from the Web of Science, Science Direct, Scopus, and Pubmed databases. Mendeley software was used for database acquisition and MS Excel for the syntesis process. Only 17 articles out of 2,019 article titles identified met the inclusion criteria for the review. This review discovers that the applications of NP in nutrition policies include food labelling, Front-Of-Pack (FOP), and regulations on food marketing, health, and nutrition. Fibre is the nutrient that needs to be included in the NP application compared to saturated fats, fatty acids, sodium, and total sugar. This scoping review demonstrates the scientific basis of the NP model’s development in public health policy, leading to advocacy and the recommendation of healthy diets

Which aging group prone to have inadequate nutrient intake?: TUA study

Older adults quite often had an inadequate diet leading to micronutrient deficiencies and impaired immune response with subsequent development of degenerative diseases. This study aimed to determine the adequacy of energy and nutrient intake and its distribution among three aging groups i.e. successful aging (SA), usual aging (UA) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). This is a cross-sectional study involving a large sample size (n = 2322) of older adults recruited through multistage random sampling from four states of Malaysia. An interview was conducted to measure dietary intake, neurocognitive status and functional status by using the Diet History Questionnaire (DHQ), Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Rey Auditory Learning Test (RAVLT), Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), Instrumental Activity of Daily Living (IADL) and Quality of Life Questionnaire. For comparison of dietary intake, a sub-sample of 173 respondents from each aging groups were matched and selected using a comparative cross-sectional approach. Women in SA group had the highest mean intake of vitamin A, calcium (p <0.05), vitamin C, riboflavin and iron (p<0.001). The same aging group also achieved the highest RNI percentage for the same nutrients. More than 80% of respondents for all aging groups did not met the recommended nutrient intake (RNI) for vitamin E, thiamin, niacin, folate, calcium and zinc. In women, MCI respondents were more likely to have an inadequate intake of vitamin A, C, riboflavin and iron followed by UA and SA. Inadequate vitamin E, niacin, folate and calcium were prevalent among all gender and aging groups. There is a need to further distinguish specific dietary patterns associated with these three aging groups to promote optimal nutrient intake for cognitive health

Construction of Healthy and Palatable Diet for Low Socioeconomic Female Adults using Linear Programming

Differences in socioeconomic profile may influences healthy food choices, particularly among individuals with low socioeconomic status. Thus, high-energy dense foods become the preferences compared to high nutritional content foods due to their cheaper price. The present study aims to develop healthy and palatable diet at the minimum cost based on Malaysian Dietary Guidelines 2010 and Recommended Nutrient Intake 2005 via linear programming. A total of 96 female adults from low socioeconomic families in Johor, South East Malaysia have been recruited for the present study. Anthropometric measurement; weight and height, socio-demographic information and 3-days food record have been collected from the subjects. In addition, data on food prices have also been collected. Then, a linear programming model has been developed to select the cheapest food combinations that could fulfil all the nutritional recommendations and palatable constraints in order to capture common dietary habit of the locals. Subsequently, healthy seven-days menus have been created using the optimal food servings estimated from the linear programming model. Dietary data have shown that the average energy intake among low-income adult women (1871 ± 317 kcal/day) is less than the nutrient recommendation. Thus, from the linear programming analysis, the minimum food cost has been estimated at RM6.55 (2.15 USD) for the total energy intake of 2000 kcal per day for a female adult which meets the recommendation of MDG 2010 and RNI 2005. In conclusion, linear programming may be a useful tool to develop healthy and palatable diets at a minimal cost in managing dietary problems among low socioeconomic groups where food expenditure becomes an important restraining factor. Eventually, low socioeconomics female adults would improve their nutritional intake by making wiser food choices to meet all the nutritional requirements, which lead to healthier life

Uncaria gambir (W. Hunter) Roxb: From phytochemical composition to pharmacological importance

Purpose: To present an overview of the ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry, and pharmacological effects of the ‘wonder’ plant, Uncaria gambir (W. Hunter) Roxb.Methods: The literature search for information on phytochemical composition and pharmacological importance of U. gambir was undertaken using diverse electronic search engines, including Google, Scopus, Web of Science, scientific literature, and databases (Pubmed, Springer and Science Direct). Other relevant literature sources include books, book chapters, conference papers, theses, and other scientific publications.Results: Uncaria gambir Roxb possesses significant medicinal potentials as an antioxidant, anthelmintic, antibacterial, anti-diabetic, and for the management of osteoarthritis. Interest has increased among researchers for the utilization of this plant in complementary medicine, for example, to relieve sore throat, spongy gum, and dysentery, to treat atherosclerosis and obesity, and to prolong sexual intercourse.Conclusion: Uncaria gambir demonstrates significant pharmacological properties. This review will be useful for prospective research and development of this ethnomedicinal plant into potentially valuable health products. Keywords: Anthelmintic, Antibacterial,Anti-Diabetic, Osteoarthritis, Uncaria gambi

Bone Health Status among Thalassemia Children

ABSTRACT Receive