The Prevalence of feeding disorders in healthy infants and children under 3 years of age based on a questionnaire study

Introduction and purpose Depending on the source, feeding disorders are common reasons to visit a pediatrician - reported in 2-60% of generally healthy children. This study was designed in order to assess the incidence of feeding difficulties in a group of healthy children aged 6-36 months from the Łódź region and to identify factors that may be related to feeding disorders. Material and method The research tool of this study was a questionnaire designed by the authors which consisted of 4 personal data questions, 9 questions about the perinatal and neonatal period, 36 feeding questions, 10 questions about child development and weight gain, 10 questions about previous medical history, 30 questions about symptoms, 8 questions about misbehavior during feeding and 14 sociodemographic questions. Results 215 parents completed questionnaires. However, 10 of them were rejected because those participants met the exclusion criteria. Finally, 205 children were enrolled in the study. The difficulties in feeding were confirmed by the parents of 66 participants. Children with feeding difficulties were more often attended to specialist ambulatories, had been diagnosed with food allergies, and underwent speech therapy and rehabilitation. Additionally, the analysis showed that feeding disorders in mothers and the occurrence of stressful situations in the family were more frequent in children whose parents reported feeding difficulties. Conclusions The incidence of feeding difficulties, in the group of healthy children aged 6-36 months from the Łódź region, was higher than reported in other studies. Therefore there is an urgent need to educate parents on feeding recommendations to modify eating behaviors and overcome feeding disorders, followed by some practical advice on appropriate diet adjustment

Dental awareness and oral health of pregnant women in Poland

Objectives: The level of dental awareness of a pregnant woman affects the sanitary condition of her own teeth and the health of the child to be born. Poor oral health is considered to be a probable risk factor for the pre-term birth or low birth weight. The aim of this work was to assess the level of oral health knowledge that determines oral health condition of pregnant women in Poland. Material and Methods: Empirical data were obtained from the National Monitoring of Oral Health and Its Determinants, financed by the Ministry of Health. This socio-epidemiological study assessed oral health status and dental health awareness, which affects that status. Study subjects included 1380 pregnant women at the age ranging from 15 to 44, randomly-selected from urban and rural environments. Dental health status was recorded in the clinical examination sheets supplied by the World Health Organization, and the socio-medical data were recorded in the questionnaire interview sheets. Results: Almost 3/4 of the pregnant women evaluated their dental health as unsatisfactory or poor. Over 60% of the pregnant women rated their knowledge and practical skills concerning care of their own teeth and of the child to be born as limited, inadequate or none. Only 40% of the pregnant women provided right answers to the questions about dental issues. Conclusions: Low oral health awareness results in poor oral health status of the study subjects. A statistical pregnant woman has a total of 13 teeth showing the symptoms of tooth decay or caries. Over 70% of the pregnant women developed gingivitis or periodontitis. There is an urgent need in Poland to make the European principle of treating pregnant women as a dentally vulnerable group obligatory

The association between night shift work and nutrition patterns among nurses: a literature review

The shift work system may affect the temporal distribution of eating and diet quality. The paper aimed at reviewing a body of research examining the associations between night shift work and dietary habits among nurses. Data from the PubMed and Google Schoolar databases, as well as references lists in selected papers were searched. The authors used the following keywords: nurses, shift work, diet, nutrition. Papers published in English or Polish were selected for the review, and as many as 19 papers published in 2000−2017 were eventually identified. The studies varied greatly with respect to the study size, subjects’ age and the duration of night shift work. The major problem was the heterogeneity of the tools used for dietary assessment. Self-administered questionnaires were used and analyses were rarely adjusted for confounders. Alcohol consumption was the most frequently analyzed aspect (N = 8 studies), followed by the total energy (N = 7), protein, fat (N = 6), and carbohydrate intake, coffee and fruit consumption (N = 5). The results showed quite a consistent association of night work with higher coffee (caffeine) consumption, as well as lower alcohol, and fruit and vegetables consumption. Few studies also reported more frequent snacks consumption, later time of the last meal, eating at night, meals irregularity, and a poorer diet quality among night shift nurses when compared to the reference. The review showed some poor nutritional habits among nurses working night shifts. However, the topic warrants further attention, owing to the relatively small number of the studies performed so far, and their numerous methodological limitations. Med Pr. 2019;70(3):363–7

The Prevalence of feeding disorders in healthy infants and children under 3 years of age based on a questionnaire study

Introduction and purpose Depending on the source, feeding disorders are common reasons to visit a pediatrician - reported in 2-60% of generally healthy children. This study was designed in order to assess the incidence of feeding difficulties in a group of healthy children aged 6-36 months from the Łódź region and to identify factors that may be related to feeding disorders. Material and method The research tool of this study was a questionnaire designed by the authors which consisted of 4 personal data questions, 9 questions about the perinatal and neonatal period, 36 feeding questions, 10 questions about child development and weight gain, 10 questions about previous medical history, 30 questions about symptoms, 8 questions about misbehavior during feeding and 14 sociodemographic questions. Results 215 parents completed questionnaires. However, 10 of them were rejected because those participants met the exclusion criteria. Finally, 205 children were enrolled in the study. The difficulties in feeding were confirmed by the parents of 66 participants. Children with feeding difficulties were more often attended to specialist ambulatories, had been diagnosed with food allergies, and underwent speech therapy and rehabilitation. Additionally, the analysis showed that feeding disorders in mothers and the occurrence of stressful situations in the family were more frequent in children whose parents reported feeding difficulties. Conclusions The incidence of feeding difficulties, in the group of healthy children aged 6-36 months from the Łódź region, was higher than reported in other studies. Therefore there is an urgent need to educate parents on feeding recommendations to modify eating behaviors and overcome feeding disorders, followed by some practical advice on appropriate diet adjustment

Dental awareness and oral health of pregnant women in Poland

Objectives: The level of dental awareness of a pregnant woman affects the sanitary condition of her own teeth and the health of the child to be born. Poor oral health is considered to be a probable risk factor for the pre-term birth or low birth weight. The aim of this work was to assess the level of oral health knowledge that determines oral health condition of pregnant women in Poland. Material and Methods: Empirical data were obtained from the National Monitoring of Oral Health and Its Determinants, financed by the Ministry of Health. This socio-epidemiological study assessed oral health status and dental health awareness, which affects that status. Study subjects included 1380 pregnant women at the age ranging from 15 to 44, randomly-selected from urban and rural environments. Dental health status was recorded in the clinical examination sheets supplied by the World Health Organization, and the socio-medical data were recorded in the questionnaire interview sheets. Results: Almost 3/4 of the pregnant women evaluated their dental health as unsatisfactory or poor. Over 60% of the pregnant women rated their knowledge and practical skills concerning care of their own teeth and of the child to be born as limited, inadequate or none. Only 40% of the pregnant women provided right answers to the questions about dental issues. Conclusions: Low oral health awareness results in poor oral health status of the study subjects. A statistical pregnant woman has a total of 13 teeth showing the symptoms of tooth decay or caries. Over 70% of the pregnant women developed gingivitis or periodontitis. There is an urgent need in Poland to make the European principle of treating pregnant women as a dentally vulnerable group obligatory

Prenatal polyunsaturated fatty acids and atopic dermatitis and food allergy in children from Polish Mother and Child Cohort study

Objectives Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are involved both in immune system regulation and inflammation. The aim of this prospective study was to evaluate the association between maternal dietary intake of PUFAs during pregnancy and atopic dermatitis (AD) and food allergy (FA) in their children up to 7–9 years of age. Material and Methods The study population consists of 557 mother–child pairs from the Polish Mother and Child Cohort (REPRO_PL). Based on the Food Frequency Questionnaire completed between the 20–24th weeks of pregnancy, n-3 and n-6 PUFAs as well as n-6:n-3 fatty acid ratio were estimated using food composition tables. Children’s health examinations at the age of 1, 2, and 7–9 years were performed by an allergist. Generalized estimating equations were performed in order to assess the prevalence of AD and FA at 3 time points. Independent variables in the equation were n-3, n-6 PUFAs and n-6:n-3 PUFAs ratio. In addition multivariate models were performed to assess the association of PUFAs with AD and FA. Results The prevalence of AD was 37%, 26% and 21% and FA 26%, 22% and 22% at age of 1, 2 and 7–9 years, respectively. Higher n-6:n-3 fatty acid ratio correlated with higher prevalence of AD at age of 7–9 years (p < 0.07). In multivariate model n-6 PUFAs were significantly associated with increased risk of persistent FA (OR = 1.5, 95% CI: 1.1–2.1). Conclusions These results may contribute to the existing knowledge on the impact of maternal diet during pregnancy on children’s optimal health, however further studies are needed before drawing conclusions and creating clinical practice guidelines. Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2023;36(3):428–3

Prenatal polyunsaturated fatty acids and atopic dermatitis and food allergy in children from Polish Mother and Child Cohort study

Objectives Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are involved both in immune system regulation and inflammation. The aim of this prospective study was to evaluate the association between maternal dietary intake of PUFAs during pregnancy and atopic dermatitis (AD) and food allergy (FA) in their children up to 7–9 years of age. Material and Methods The study population consists of 557 mother–child pairs from the Polish Mother and Child Cohort (REPRO_PL). Based on the Food Frequency Questionnaire completed between the 20–24th weeks of pregnancy, n-3 and n-6 PUFAs as well as n-6:n-3 fatty acid ratio were estimated using food composition tables. Children’s health examinations at the age of 1, 2, and 7–9 years were performed by an allergist. Generalized estimating equations were performed in order to assess the prevalence of AD and FA at 3 time points. Independent variables in the equation were n-3, n-6 PUFAs and n-6:n-3 PUFAs ratio. In addition multivariate models were performed to assess the association of PUFAs with AD and FA. Results The prevalence of AD was 37%, 26% and 21% and FA 26%, 22% and 22% at age of 1, 2 and 7–9 years, respectively. Higher n-6:n-3 fatty acid ratio correlated with higher prevalence of AD at age of 7–9 years (p &lt; 0.07). In multivariate model n-6 PUFAs were significantly associated with increased risk of persistent FA (OR = 1.5, 95% CI: 1.1–2.1). Conclusions These results may contribute to the existing knowledge on the impact of maternal diet during pregnancy on children’s optimal health, however further studies are needed before drawing conclusions and creating clinical practice guidelines

Sociodemographic, Lifestyle, Environmental and Pregnancy-Related Determinants of Dietary Patterns during Pregnancy

Background: Characterization of dietary patterns represents a valid and meaningful measure of overall diet quality and nutrient intake. The study aims at evaluating the sociodemographic, lifestyle, environmental, and pregnancy-related determinants of maternal dietary patterns during pregnancy. Methods: The analysis was conducted on a group of pregnant women from the Polish Mother and Child Cohort (REPRO_PL). During the second trimester of pregnancy, 1306 women filled in a modified version of the validated food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Dietary patterns were estimated using an exploratory factor analysis. Potential dietary determinants were assessed via a questionnaire or biomarker measurements (saliva cotinine level). Results: Two dietary patterns were identified. The Prudent dietary pattern was characterized by high consumption of fruit, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, poultry, and low-fat dairy products, while the Western dietary pattern included high intake of refined grains, processed meat, potatoes, and very low intake of whole grains. Clear sociodemographic, environmental, lifestyle, and pregnancy-related determinants of diet quality were established. Older age (&beta; = 0.2; p &lt; 0.01), higher educational level (&beta; = 0.3; p &lt; 0.01), and socioeconomic status (SES) (&beta; = 0.2; p &lt; 0.01), overweight/obesity before (&beta; = 0.3; p &lt; 0.01), as well as physical activity during pregnancy (&beta; = 0.2; p = 0.01) were positive determinants of a healthier diet (increasing Prudent&ndash;Western difference in dietary pattern scores). On the other hand, parity (&beta; = &minus;0.2; p = 0.04) and living in small cities (&beta; = &minus;0.3; p = 0.02) were significantly related to a rather Western dietary pattern. Conclusions: The current study presents evidence on specific factors influencing dietary patterns. They need to be accounted for in educational programs and interventions focused on healthy diet recommendations during pregnancy