Prevalence of Dietary Supplement Use in Korean Children and Adolescents: Insights from Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2007-2009

The purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence of dietary supplement (DS) use in Korean children and adolescents and to examine the related factors associated with DS use from the 4th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Total 6,131 participants aged between 2 and 18 yr were included in the analysis. We estimated the prevalence of DS use mainly from the DS questionnaire data of the Nutrition Survey. Reported supplements were classified according to the Health Functional Food Code. We also assessed the relationship between DS use and anthropometry, socioeconomic factors, health behaviors, and chronic diseases. Approximately 34% of Korean children and adolescent was taking DS. Younger age (P = 0.003), higher household income (P < 0.001), presence of chronic diseases (P = 0.05), regular meal consumption (P = 0.002), frequent snack consumption (P = 0.001), and normal body mass index rather than overweight (P = 0.10) or obesity (P = 0.03) were associated with the DS use after adjustment for related factors. Vitamin/mineral supplements (343.5/103 persons) were the most commonly taken DS in Korean children and adolescents, followed by Omega-3 (28.8), ginseng (18.3), colostrums (14.1) and chlorella/spirulina (10.0). In conclusion, DS use is common as much as in 34% of Korean children and adolescents and is associated with age, household income level, chronic diseases, meal regularity, and obesity status

Reasons for not using smoking cessation aids

© 2008 Gross et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licens

Perspectives and attitudes of breastfeeding women using herbal galactagogues during breastfeeding: a qualitative study

Some herbal galactagogues have gained reputation and recognition by the public and health professionals as alternative approaches to increase breast milk supply. This study explores the perspectives and attitudes of breastfeeding women towards the use of herbal galactagogues while breastfeeding, their experiences, and why and how they have chosen an alternative option over conventional treatments to enhance breastfeeding performance. This exploratory research was conducted through in-depth semi-structured interviews with women living in Perth, Western Australia, who were using one or more herbal galactagogues during breastfeeding. Purposeful and subsequent snowball sampling methods were employed to recruit participants. All interviews, facilitated by an interview guide, were audio-recorded, then transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis was used to analyse qualitative data to construct themes and subthemes.The perspectives and attitudes of the 20 participants are classified under three main headings: i) use of herbal medicines during breastfeeding, ii) available herbal medicines resources, and iii) level of breastfeeding support received. Throughout the interviews, participants described how their perseverance and determination to breastfeed, as well as concerns over breastfed infants’ safety with conventional treatments, influenced their choice of therapy. A sense of self-efficacy and autonomy over their own health needs was seen as influential to their confidence level, supported self-empowerment and provided reassurance throughout the breastfeeding journey. There was also a desire for more evidence-based information and expectations of health professionals to provide credible and reliable information regarding the use of herbal medicines during breastfeeding. This study has enhanced our understanding of the perspectives and attitudes of breastfeeding women towards the use of herbal medicines, in particular galactagogues, while breastfeeding. The positive attitudes of breastfeeding women identified in this study highlight the need for further research into evaluating the safety and efficacy of commonly used herbal galactagogues, whilst the negative views on breastfeeding education should be taken into consideration when implementing or improving breastfeeding-related health policies

Seasonal changes of commercial traits, proximate and fatty acid compositions of the scallop Flexopecten glaber from the Mediterranean Sea (Southern Italy)

This study provides information on biological (gonadosomatic index), commercial quality (condition index and meat yield) and biochemical aspects (proximate composition, fatty acids) of the soft tissues of Flexopecten glaber reared in suspended cages in the Ionian Sea. The results showed that condition index (CI) and meat yield (MY) peaked in December (60 and 30%, respectively) and in April, May and June (from 53 to 60% for CI and from 34 to 36% for MY). Gonadosomatic index showed three main peaks in winter, spring and summer months. Contents of protein 8.18–11.9 g/100 g), lipid (0,.78–1.18 g/100 g) and carbohydrate (1.19–3.30 g/100 g) varied significantly during the study period. Saturated fatty acids was the dominant group, except in December when polyunsaturated fatty acids showed the highest proportion (43% of total FAs). Fatty acids of the n3 group were dominant with docosahexaenoic and eicosapentaenoic acids. Highest n3/n6 ratios were recorded in spring-summer specimens, with values > of 5. The results showed a better nutritional quality of scallops in May, July and December

Physicians’ views and experiences of discussing weight management within routine clinical consultations: A thematic synthesis

Objective To systematically search and synthesise qualitative studies of physicians’ views and experiences of discussing weight management within a routine consultation. Methods A systematic search of four electronic databases identified 11,169 articles of which 16 studies met inclusion criteria. Quality was appraised using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme tool and a thematic synthesis conducted of extracted data. Results Four analytical themes were found: (1) physicians’ pessimism about patients’ weight loss success (2) physicians’ feel hopeless and frustrated (3) the dual nature of the physician-patient relationship (4) who should take responsibility for weight management. Conclusion Despite clinical recommendations barriers remain during consultations between physicians and patients about weight management. Many of these barriers are potentially modifiable