Consumer knowledge and utilization of food labels on prepackaged food products in Lagos State

Objectives: Consumption of pre-packaged food products which are a risk factor for non-communicable diseases, is on the increase in many developing countries. This study sought to determine the knowledge and utilization of food labels among consumers of pre-packaged food products in Lagos State.Method: This was a descriptive, cross-sectional study among adults in Lagos, Nigeria. Multi-stage random sampling method was used to select 420 respondents. Only adults who consume pre-packaged foods were included in the study. Data was collected using structured interviewer administered questionnaires and analysis was done using Epi Info 7 statistical software. Level of significance was set at p<0.05.Results: Only 21 (5.0%) respondents had good level of knowledge of food label information. There was a significant association between level of knowledge of food label information and age in this study, level of knowledge increased with increasing age (p<0.05). Less than one third of the respondents, 123 (29.2%)made good use of food label information. There was a positive significant association between income and use of food labels. (p<0.05).Conclusion: Levels of knowledge and use of food label information were poor among consumers of prepackaged food products in Lagos State. There is a need for increased nutrition education of the study population to improve their nutritional knowledge and use of food label information.Keywords: Food labels, food labelling, consumer knowledge, knowledge of food labels, utilization of food labels, prepackaged food product

Knowledge of fruits and vegetables, consumption pattern and associated factors among adults in Lagos State, Nigeria

Objective: Low fruit and vegetable consumption is a major global risk  factor for morbidity (associated with micronutrient deficiencies) and  premature mortality; meanwhile, little is known about the adequacy and consumption pattern in Lagos, Nigeria. This study therefore determined knowledge, patterns, adequacy and factors associated with fruits and vegetables consumption among adults in Lagos, Nigeria.Methods: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study that employed a multistage sampling method to select 330 adults from one local  government area in Lagos State. Data was collected using structured interviewer-administered questionnaires. Questions on knowledge were scored and the total obtainable score was 13. The percentage of the score obtained out of the total obtainable score (13) was used in grading the level of knowledge. Adequacy of fruit and vegetable intake was regarded as consuming an average of at least five (5) servings of fruits and vegetables per day within the previous one week before the study. Data was analyzed using Epi info version 7 and Chi-square was used to determine associations between categorical variables.Results: Majority of the respondents were males (60.6%), between age 19 to 38 years (69.4%) and had at least secondary school education (93%). Only 24.9% of respondents had a 'good' level of knowledge while 27.0% consumed 'adequate' amount of fruits and vegetables. Orange and pumpkin were the most frequently consumed fruit and vegetable  respectively. Educational status, income, female gender and marriage were associated with adequate intake of fruits and vegetables (p<0.05).Conclusion: Knowledge and prevalence of adequate intake of fruits and vegetables were low especially among young unmarried men who are of low socio-economic status in Lagos. Orange and pumpkin were the most frequently consumed fruit and vegetable. Efforts to increase public  awareness about fruits and vegetables should be targeted towards younger unmarried males of low socioeconomic status.Keywords: Fruit, vegetables, knowledge, consumption pattern, adequac

Tuberculosis incidence correlates with sunshine : an ecological 28-year time series study

Birmingham is the largest UK city after London, and central Birmingham has an annual tuberculosis incidence of 80 per 100,000. We examined seasonality and sunlight as drivers of tuberculosis incidence. Hours of sunshine are seasonal, sunshine exposure is necessary for the production of vitamin D by the body and vitamin D plays a role in the host response to tuberculosis. Methods: We performed an ecological study that examined tuberculosis incidence in Birmingham from Dec 1981 to Nov 2009, using publicly-available data from statutory tuberculosis notifications, and related this to the seasons and hours of sunshine (UK Meteorological Office data) using unmeasured component models. Results: There were 9,739 tuberculosis cases over the study period. There was strong evidence for seasonality, with notifications being 24.1% higher in summer than winter (p<0.001). Winter dips in sunshine correlated with peaks in tuberculosis incidence six months later (4.7% increase in incidence for each 100 hours decrease in sunshine, p<0.001). Discussion and Conclusion: A potential mechanism for these associations includes decreased vitamin D levels with consequent impaired host defence arising from reduced sunshine exposure in winter. This is the longest time series of any published study and our use of statutory notifications means this data is essentially complete. We cannot, however, exclude the possibility that another factor closely correlated with the seasons, other than sunshine, is responsible. Furthermore, exposure to sunlight depends not only on total hours of sunshine but also on multiple individual factors. Our results should therefore be considered hypothesis-generating. Confirmation of a potential causal relationship between winter vitamin D deficiency and summer peaks in tuberculosis incidence would require a randomized-controlled trial of the effect of vitamin D supplementation on future tuberculosis incidence

Erratum to: systematic review and meta-analysis of the effect of increased vegetable and fruit consumption on body weight and energy intake

There were some errors in the original published article [1]. Firstly relating to the calculation of the confidence intervals for four of the studies included in the meta-analysis, [2, 3, 4, 5] which are detailed below. Secondly one of the papers, Whybrow et al. was incorrectly cited as being published in 2007, when it was published in 2006 [2]

Vitamin D Deficiency and Tuberculosis Progression

To assess the association between vitamin D deficiency and tuberculosis disease progression, we studied vitamin D levels in a cohort of tuberculosis patients and their contacts (N = 129) in Pakistan. Most (79%) persons showed deficiency. Low vitamin D levels were associated with a 5-fold increased risk for progression to tuberculosis

SARS-CoV-2 sero-prevalence in the workforces of three large workplaces in South Wales: a sero-epidemiological study

Background Sero-prevalence studies quantify the proportion of a population that has antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, and can be used to identify the extent of the COVID-19 pandemic at a population level. The aim of the study was to assess the sero-prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in the workforce at three workplaces: a food factory, non-food factory and call-centre. Methods Nine hundred ninety-three participants were recruited from three workplaces in South Wales. Participants completed a questionnaire and had a lateral flow point-of-care SARS-CoV-2 antibody test administered by a healthcare professional. The data were analysed using multivariable logistic regression, both using complete records only and following multiple imputation. Results The sero-prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies ranged from 4% (n = 17/402) in the non-food factory to 10% (n = 28/281) in the food factory (OR 2.93; 95% CI 1.26 to 6.81). After taking account of confounding factors evidence of a difference remained (cOR comparing food factory to call centre (2.93; 95% CI 1.26 to 6.81) and non-food factory (3.99; 95% CI 1.97 to 8.08) respectively). The SARS-CoV-2 antibody prevalence also varied between roles within workplaces. People working in office based roles had a 2.23 times greater conditional odds (95% CI 1.02 to 4.87) of being positive for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies than those working on the factory floor. Conclusion The sero-prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies varied by workplace and work role. Whilst it is not possible to state whether these differences are due to COVID-19 transmission within the workplaces, it highlights the importance of considering COVID-19 transmission in a range of workplaces and work roles

Dietary habits and metabolic risk factors for non-communicable diseases in a university undergraduate population

Background: Unhealthy dietary patterns are associated with metabolic changes and increased risk of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), but these associations have not been investigated in representative populations of university undergraduates in low-to-middle income countries (LMICs). Methods: This study was conducted in the three universities in Lagos State, Nigeria to assess the dietary pattern and metabolic risk factors of NCDs among university undergraduate population. Multistage sampling technique was used to select 506 undergraduates from the universities. Pre-tested questionnaire was used to obtain data on sociodemographic characteristics and dietary patterns. Body mass index and metabolic risk factors (abdominal obesity, dyslipidemias, high blood pressure and hyperglycemia) were assessed following standard procedures. SPSS (version 20) was used for data entry and analysis. Association between variables was determined using chi-square and Fisher\u2019s exact tests. Results: The mean age was 20.3 \ub1 3.5 years; 54.7% of them were female. More than one third (37.6%) had no consistent source of income or received less than N10, 000 ($31.7) per month. Less than one third (31.0%) ate three daily meals, 23. 0% ate breakfast regularly, and only 2% consumed the recommended daily amount of fruits and vegetables. Almost half (44.0%) ate pastry snacks daily. Refined rice was the commonest cereal (28.2%) consumed while meat was more commonly consumed daily (32.0%) than milk (14.0%) and fish (10.0%). Twenty-nine (29.0%) and 6.2% of the population daily consumed carbonated soft drinks and alcohol, respectively. Prevalence of abdominal obesity (based on waist circumference) was 5% (1.3% in males and 8.4% in females), dyslipidemias (57.3%), pre-hypertension (8.2%), hypertension (2.8%), and pre-diabetes (1.0%). Obesity was positively associated with consumption of alcohol (\u3c72 = 13.299, p &lt; 0.001). Conclusion: Unhealthy diets and metabolic risk factors of non-communicable diseases are prevalent in the undergraduate population studied. Well-recognized recommendations regarding adequate consumption of fruits, vegetables, fish, and whole grains should be emphasized in a targeted manner in this population. Carbonated soft drinks and alcohol consumption should be discouraged to stem a rising tide of metabolic risk factors for non-communicable diseases among undergraduate students

Peak expiratory flow rate shows a gender-specific association with vitamin D deficiency

Context: To our knowledge, no previous studies examined the longitudinal relationship between vitamin D status and pulmonary function in a population-based sample of older persons. Objective: Our objective was to examine the cross-sectional as well as the longitudinal relationship between vitamin D status and peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) in a representative sample of the Dutch older population. Design, Setting, and Participants: Participants included men and women in the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam, an ongoing cohort study in older people. Main Outcome Measure: PEFR was measured using the mini-Wright peak flow meter. Results: Men with serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OHD) levels below 10 ng/ml (25 nmol/liter) had a significantly lower PEFR in the cross-sectional analyses, and men with serum 25-OHD levels below 20 ng/ml (50 nmol/liter) had a significantly lower PEFR in the longitudinal analyses as compared with men with serum 25-OHD levels above 30 ng/ml (75 nmol/liter) (cross-sectional: β = -47.0, P = 0.01 for serum 25-OHD<10 ng/ml; longitudinal: β = -45.0, P<0.01 for serum 25-OHD<10 ng/ml; and β = -20.2, P = 0.03 for serum 25-OHD = 10-20 ng/ml in the fully adjusted models). Physical performance (β = -32.5, P = 0.08 for serum 25-OHD<10 ng/ml) and grip strength (β = -40.0, P = 0.03 for serum 25-OHD <10 ng/ml) partly mediated the cross-sectional associations but not the longitudinal associations. In women, statistically significant associations between 25-OHD and PEFR were observed in the cross-sectional analyses after adjustment for age and season of blood collection but not in the fully adjusted models or in the longitudinal analyses. Conclusions: A strong relationship between serum 25-OHD and PEFR was observed in older men, both in the cross-sectional as well as longitudinal analyses, but not in older women. The association in men could partly be explained by physical performance and muscle strength. Copyright © 2012 by The Endocrine Society

Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) for phantom pain and stump pain following amputation in adults.

BACKGROUND: This is the first update of a Cochrane review published in Issue 5, 2010 on transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) for phantom pain and stump pain following amputation in adults. Pain may present in a body part that has been amputated (phantom pain) or at the site of amputation (stump pain), or both. Phantom pain and stump pain are complex and multidimensional and the underlying pathophysiology remains unclear. The condition remains a severe burden for those who are affected by it. The mainstay treatments are predominately pharmacological, with increasing acknowledgement of the need for non-drug interventions. TENS has been recommended as a treatment option but there has been no systematic review of available evidence. Hence, the effectiveness of TENS for phantom pain and stump pain is currently unknown. OBJECTIVES: To assess the analgesic effectiveness of TENS for the treatment of phantom pain and stump pain following amputation in adults. SEARCH METHODS: For the original version of the review we searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, AMED, CINAHL, PEDRO and SPORTDiscus (February 2010). For this update, we searched the same databases for relevant randomised controlled trials (RCTs) from 2010 to 25 March 2015. SELECTION CRITERIA: We only included RCTs investigating the use of TENS for the management of phantom pain and stump pain following an amputation in adults. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two review authors independently assessed trial quality and extracted data. We planned that where available and appropriate, data from outcome measures were to be pooled and presented as an overall estimate of the effectiveness of TENS. MAIN RESULTS: In the original review there were no RCTs that examined the effectiveness of TENS for the treatment of phantom pain and stump pain in adults. For this update, we did not identify any additional RCTs for inclusion. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: There were no RCTs to judge the effectiveness of TENS for the management of phantom pain and stump pain. The published literature on TENS for phantom pain and stump pain lacks the methodological rigour and robust reporting needed to confidently assess its effectiveness. Further RCT evidence is required before an assessment can be made. Since publication of the original version of this review, we have found no new studies and our conclusions remain unchanged