Dietary intake in post-menopausal women

Si has been suggested as an essential element, and may be important in optimal bone, skin and cardiovascular health. However, there are few estimates of dietary Si intakes in man, especially in a UK population. Following the development of a UK food composition database for Si, the aim of the present study was to investigate dietary intakes of Si amongst healthy women aged over 60 years and to identify important food sources of Si in their diet. Healthy, post-menopausal female subjects (>60 years of age; n 209) were recruited from the general population around Dundee, Scotland as part of an unrelated randomised controlled intervention study where dietary intake was assessed using a self-administered, semi-quantitative food-frequency questionnaire at five time-points over a 2-year period. Food composition data on the Si content of UK foods was used to determine the Si content of food items on the food-frequency questionnaire. Mean Si intake was 18·6 (sd 4·6) mg and did not vary significantly across the 2 years of investigation. Cereals provided the greatest amount of Si in the diet (about 30%), followed by fruit, beverages (hot, cold and alcoholic beverages combined) and vegetables; together these foods provided over 75% about Si intake. Si intakes in the UK appear consistent with those reported previously for elderly women in Western populations, but lower than those reported for younger women or for men.

Meat consumption among 18-month-old children participating in the Childhood Asthma Prevention Study

Objective: To document meat consumption among 18-month-old children, for use in refining population dietary assessment methods and dietary guidance for young children.

Design: A secondary analysis of data collected in 1998-2000 from the 18 months follow up of the Childhood Asthma Prevention Study: an intervention trial of omega-3 oil supplementation and house-dust mite reduction, from birth to five years.

Subjects and setting: Pregnant women whose unborn children had an atopic family history were recruited from antenatal clinics of six hospitals in western Sydney. Carers of 429 18-month-old children (80% response) satisfactorily completed three-day weighed food records.

Main outcome measures: Mean and median intakes per day and portion sizes of various meats and meat products.

Statistical analyses: T-tests for comparing gender differences; Pearson correlation and one-way analysis of variance for relationships between meat and nutrient intake.

Results: During the recording period 94% of the children ate meat. McDonald's Chicken McNuggets^TM, beef mince, and beef sausages were the most frequently consumed meats. Median portion sizes ranged from 20-50 g, and were considerably smaller than 'usual' portions specified on food frequency questionnaires in common use. Higher meat diets in this age group were not associated with higher intakes of iron or zinc per MJ.

Conclusion: The marginally low intakes of iron and zinc in this age group could be improved by greater use of cuts of red meat appropriately prepared for toddlers.

Sexual sites, seminal attitudes : sexualities, masculinities, and culture in South Asia

This book situates current research into the sexual cultures of South Asia within a cross-cultural perspective. The book argues that in societies undergoing rapid social and cultural change, the construction of sexuality and the discourses that gather around it have a fundamental connection with an entire range of processes - social, cultural, economic, political and global - with which people must engage. The contributors have studied sexuality as a site around which social and cultural ideas may be expressed.

Is dog ownership or dog walking associated with weight status in children and their parents?

Issue addressed: Several studies have shown that dog owners do more physical activity than non-owners; however, associations with weight status are unknown. This study examined associations between dog ownership, frequency of dog walking and weight status among children and their parents. Methods: Height and weight were measured for 281 children aged 5-6 years and 864 children aged 10-12 years. One parent reported their own and their partner's height and weight (n=1,108), dog ownership, usual frequency their child walks a dog, and usual frequency of walking the dog as a family. Logistic regression analyses were adjusted for sex (children only), physical activity, education, neighbourhood SES, parental weight status (children only) and clustering by school. Results: Dog ownership ranged from 45-57% in the two age groups. Nearly one in four 5-6 year-olds and 37% of 10-12 year- olds walked a dog at least once/week. Weekly dog walking as a family was reported by 24-28% of respondents. The odds of being overweight or obese were lower among younger children who owned a dog (OR=0.5, 95% CI 0.3-0.8) and higher among mothers whose family walked the dog together (OR--1.3, 95% CI 1.0-1.7). Conclusions: Dog ownership may offer some protection from overweight among young children. It is important that families with a dog are encouraged to walk or play with it regularly. Associations with weight status may depend on the type of dog owned, length of ownership and the nature of walks or interaction.

Does weight status influence associations between children's fundamental movement skills and physical activity?

This study sought to determine whether weight status influences the association among children's fundamental movement skills (FMS) and physical activity (PA). Two hundred forty-eight children ages 9-12 years participated. Proficiency in three object-control skills and two locomotor skills was examined. Accelerometers objectively assessed physical activity. Body mass index was calculated to determine weight status. Correlations between physical activity and FMS proficiency were evident among boys and girls. No significant interaction was apparent when examining FMS proficiency scores, PA variables, and weight status. Future studies should examine a broader range of skills and types of activities to better characterize this relationship and to inform the promotion of movement skill proficiency and PA.

Weight status and perception barriers to healthy physical activity and diet behavior

Background : Physical inactivity and insufficient fruit and vegetable consumption are key risk factors for obesity and noncommunicable diseases. Weight perceptions may affect physical activity and diet behaviors. We report current prevalence estimates of Australian adults meeting recommended levels of leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) (150 min/week or more of at least moderate-intensity physical activity (including walking) on 5 days/week) and fruit (2 servings/day) and vegetable (5 servings/day) consumption for health benefits, by weight status and perceptions.
Methods : We conducted a cross-sectional survey analysis of data for 16 314 adults from the Australian National Health Survey 2004–2005. All variables were collected by self-report. Weighted estimates were age- and gender-specific, and data were analyzed using logistic regression with acceptable weight referent categories, adjusting for covariates.
Results : Among acceptable, overweight and obese adults, the prevalence of LTPA was 26.8, 26.1 and 19.3% for men, and 27.7, 23.7 and 19.7% for women, respectively. Approximately 55 and 15% of adults consumed sufficient fruit servings/day and vegetable servings/day, respectively, and less than 5% of adults met combined LTPA and diet guidelines. Overweight decreased the odds ratio for LTPA among women but not men, and obesity decreased the odds ratio for LTPA among both men and women. Overweight perception conferred odds ratios of 0.83 (95% CI 0.70–0.97, P=0.021) for overweight men, and of 0.74 (95% CI 0.62–0.88, P=0.001) and 0.69 (95% CI 0.59–0.80, P<0.001) for obese men and women, respectively; for LTPA, whereas no significant associations were found for acceptable weight perception. No consistent associations between weight status or perceptions and diet behaviors were found.
Conclusions : Overweight perception may be another barrier to physical activity participation among men and women with excess body weight. Public health strategies might need to focus on overcoming weight perception as well as weight status barriers to adopting healthy physical activity behaviors.

Nuclear rivalry in South Asia : an examination of post Cold War nuclear arms control initiatives

South Asia has emerged in the post-Cold War era as a region where ongoing nuclear rivalry has the potential to result in a nuclear exchange between India and Pakistan. The United States, together with the global community, is devoting considerable effort to prevent the further development and deployment of nuclear weapons by India and Pakistan. This thesis analyses the underlying reasons for the ongoing nuclear rivalry between India and Pakistan, details post-Cold War initiatives to end the nuclear rivalry and examines the prospect of United States efforts to cap, reduce and eventually eliminate the nuclear arsenals of India and Pakistan. The thesis finds that historical factors form the basis of the continuing hostility and animosity between the two nations. The two nations have been bitter rivals since the time of partition in 1947 and the disputed territory of Kashmir continues to be the manifestation of deep seated antagonism and hostility. Pakistan's geography leaves it extremely vulnerable to conventional Indian attack and possession of nuclear weapons is seen as a means to redress the imbalance. Strong domestic support together with fervent nationalism and international prestige will continue to drive the nuclear programs of each nation. This thesis concludes that the nuclear rivalry between India and Pakistan is regional in nature and the end of the Cold War has done little to improve the prospects for nuclear disarmament in the region. United States led efforts have failed to persuade India or Pakistan to either accede to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) or dismantle their nuclear weapons. The thesis also notes that the United States has failed to take account of China as a significant regional power and it's impact on the nuclear programs of India and Pakistan. A fresh approach (to include China) with more emphasis on regional dialogue is suggested as a first step to ending the nuclear rivalry.

Interdependence and dynamic linkages between the emerging stock markets of South Asia

The present article examines the dynamic linkages between the stock markets
of Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka using a temporal Granger causality
approach by binding the relationship among the stock price indices within a
multivariate cointegration framework. We also examine the impulse response
functions. Our main finding is that in the long run, stock prices in Bangladesh,
India and Sri Lanka Granger-cause stock prices in Pakistan. In the short run
there is unidirectional Granger causality running from stock prices in Pakistan
to India, stock prices in Sri Lanka to India and from stock prices in Pakistan to
Sri Lanka. Bangladesh is the most exogenous of the four markets, reflecting its
small size and modest market capitalization.

Central bank independence and governance in the South Asia

This paper constructs the central bank independence and governance (CBIG) index for eight South Asian countries and examines their relationship with inflation. This CBIG index is constructed following the unique model developed by Ahsan, Skully and Wickramanayake (2006). This index consists of total 26 variables; all variables together form the overall index and different sub-sets of these variables construct sub-indices (eg. legal; political; price stability objectives; exchange rate policy; monetary policy and deficit financing; and accountability and transparency).
Several countries have improved their CBIG in last fifteen years. The war torn Afghanistan have established a new central bank act in 2003 which has improved the standard of CBIG in the region. In recent time Nepal has made remarkable improvement in its ranking by allowing improved independence to its central bank. Bangladesh has taken lead in term of gradual CBIG improvement in last fifteen years. Sri Lanka, Indian and Pakistan are three countries always maintained a standard level of CBIG. Bhutan and Maldives showed less improvement among the countries. This paper also examines the statistical relationship between CBIG indices and inflation. The results indicate that there is a positive relationship between CBIG and inflation in the region which in contrary to normal expectation that inflation is one of the robust proxy of actual CBIG.

Consumer loyalty in South Asia: A double edged sword?

Within the growing literature on corporate social responsibility (CSR) in developing countries, almost no attention has been paid to the link between consumer awareness about their rights, adoption of socially responsible (SR) practices by small scale individual entrepreneurs (SIEs) and how these impact on consumer loyalty in a developing country context thus leaving a significant knowledge gap. This paper builds on the work of Azmat and Samaratunge (2009) on SIEs to address this gap in literature in the context of South Asia. South Asia as a region is growing rapidly and is moving to become a new powerhouse of economic development, yet the responsible business practices of SIEs who form a significant proportion of businesses operating in this region remain severely under-researched. We draw upon the existing literature to develop a comprehensive framework which presents a set of propositions specifying the relationship between consumer awareness, socially responsible business practices adopted by SIEs and consumer loyalty. The framework offers insight into understanding consumer loyalty in the context of developing countries.