Energy Intake, Expenditure and Body Composition of Adolescent Boys and Girls in Public Boarding Secondary Schools in Umuahia, Nigeria

This was a cross sectional study conducted to determine the energy intake, expenditure and body composition of adolescent boys and girls aged 11-18 yrs in Umuahia, Abia State, Nigeria. A multistage sampling technique was used to select a total of 416 subjects  consisting of 208 boys and 208 girls from six boarding secondary schools. The subjects were further stratified into 11-14 and 15-18 years age groups. Energy expenditure was  estimated by factorial method, body composition by anthropometry and energy intake by weighed inventory over a seven day period inclusive of a weekend day. The results showed that in the general group (11-18yrs), the adolescent boys were taller and heavier than the girls. The BMI was normal for both sexes, however, there was significant difference in the BMI of boys (19.9+2.6kg/m2) and girls (23.02+3.9kg/m2) in the 15-18 years age group. Generally, the adolescent girls had significantly higher body fat than boys (p<0.05). Over 80% of food energy was derived from starchy foods for both sexes. The boys had higher energy intake and expenditure than the girls (P<0.05). Energy intake and expenditure were below standards in both sexes. When compared with FAO/UNU/WHO standards the adolescents fell into the sedentary lifestyle group. Energy intake and expenditure were below standards in both sexes. The study showed that both sexes fell short of their energy requirements. Keywords: Energy intake, expenditure, adolescents, body composition, school

Obesity and associated factors in young adults attending tertiary institutions in south-eastern Nigeria

Objective: To assess prevalence of overweight/obesity and associated factors in a group of university undergraduates in south-east Nigeria.Design: Cross-sectional survey.Setting: Five tertiary institutions in south-east Nigeria.Methods: A total of 1610 undergraduates were selected using multistage sampling. A validated questionnaire on sociodemographic, dietary and lifestyle factors was used. Variables studied included body mass index (BMI), waist:hip ratio (WHR) and blood pressure (BP). Descriptive statistics and Chi square test were used for data analyses.Results: Prevalence of obesity and overweight were 6.5% [4.2% males; 8.4% females (p < 0.05)] and 13.4% [8.4% males; 17.7% females (p < 0.05)], respectively. A higher prevalence of central obesity and abdominal obesity was found in the females (15.7% and 27.2%, respectively) compared to the males (1.1% and 2.4%, respectively) (p < 0.05). Consumption of unhealthy snack foods (X2 = 13.39), being a female (X2 = 47.91), first year student (X2 = 41.82), and having high systolic (X2 = 88.18) and diastolic (X2 = 10.17) BP were associated with obesity (p < 0.05).Conclusions: Prevalence of obesity was high in the studied population and, if left unchecked, portends deleterious consequences, especially with respect to the development of cardiovascular diseases.Keywords: association, obesity, overweight, socio-demographic factors, young adult

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

Hypertension and associated factors among community-dwelling rural adults in Abia State, Nigeria

Background: Hypertension is a growing public health problem in developing countries contributing to morbidity and mortality of billions of adults worldwide. Objective: The study aimed to assess the prevalence and factors associated with hypertension among adults in rural communities of Ikwuano, Abia State, Nigeria. Methods: A community-based descriptive cross-sectional survey in rural communities was conducted among 429 apparently healthy adults aged 20 to 59 years using cluster sampling technique.  Sociodemographic information was obtained using a validated questionnaire. Blood Pressure (BP) and anthropometric measurements were carried out following standard procedures. Hypertension was defined as systolic blood pressure (SBP) equal or greater than 140mmHg and/or diastolic BP (DBP) equal or greater than 90mmHg. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to assess risk factors associated with hypertension. Results: The prevalence of hypertension was 51.0% (58.1% in males and 43.1% in females). Hypertension was significantly associated with age, gender, marital status and BMI. In the adjusted model, older age >40 years) (OR=1.96; 95% CL1.03 to 3.72; p<0.04) and over weight/obesity (OR=2.55; 95% CL1.50 to 4.34; p<0.001) were associated with higher odds of having hypertension. Females gender was associated with lower odds of hypertension compared to males (OR=0.32; 95% CI 0.20 to 0.52; p<0.001). Conclusion: The study showed a high prevalence of hypertension among rural community dwelling adults, underscoring the need for routine screening of adults for early hypertension diagnosis

Food Systems, Value Chains and Covid-19 Pandemic: a Review of Current Situation in Low and Middle Income Countries

Background: The food value chain is very important in driving the economy of every country. It ensures food availability by deploying the science, technology and expertise needed for crop production, food processing, storage and distribution. Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic no doubt had unprecedented short-and long-term impact on the food value chain. The literature is characterised by a gap on how to deal with the impact of COVID-19 outbreak especially in low- and middle-income countries.Methods: This article reviewed the impact of the pandemic on selected food value chains such as staple cereals and livestock. Measures on how best to respond to the COVID-19 impact on food value chains, and the importance of developing the food value chains were discussed.Results: Systematic literature review highlights the abrupt impact of the pandemic on food value chains and reveals several challenges which include loss of earnings, restricted movements, panic buying, shift in eating patterns, depression and quarantines. The review also showed that within the supply chains, there was food availability at the onset of the outbreak but this depreciated over time due to panic buying and lockdown measures. Panic buying resulted in an increase in demand, upsurge in food prices and possibly, reduced purchase in the future, while unavailability of agricultural labour, transport delays and cancellations hampered food access.Conclusion: Well organized and coordinated effort is required to establish long term measures that will contain the virus, recover the economy, as well as restore food production and access to food post pandemic