Approach to Food and Nutrition issues in Teaching Materials in Elementary School: interface with food and nutritional security and national curriculum parameters

Food and Nutrition Security (FNS) must be ensured to everybody. The school environment is favorable to the formation of healthy habits and citizenship. The National Curriculum Parameters (PCNs) guide the promotion of health concepts in a transversal way in the school curriculum. This study aimed to identify and analyze the approach used for food and nutrition themes in Fundamental Education's teaching material and its interface with the concept of FNS and the PCNs. Documental research was conducted on the teaching material from 5th to 8th grades of Fundamental Education in Public School of the state of Sao Paulo. The diffuse presence of food and nutrition themes was found in most disciplines in all bimesters in the four series, which shows the interdisciplinarity in health. It was found that the PCNs are related to the concept of SAN in its various aspects and that most subjects include topics that approach this relationship. In the correlation between themes, there is emphasis to health promotion and food production. The methodology used in the teaching material presents the theme, but not the correspondent content, what made the analysis of its suitability impossible. We conclude that there is the approach of the issues related to food and nutrition in the teaching material, some of them in an inconsistent way; it is the educators' task to select the contents and the appropriate strategy, doing an effort of constant update. This isbeing proposed by the State, however it is not accessible to all professionals and therefore still depends on the initiative of each teacher.

Intervention Based Exclusively on Stage- Matched Printed EducationalMaterials Regarding Healthy Eating Does Not Result in Changes to Adolescents' Dietary Behavior

Purpose. To assess the impact of a six-month stage-based intervention on fruit and vegetable intake, regarding perceived benefits and barriers, and self-efficacy among adolescents. Design. Randomized treatment-control, pre-post design. Subjects/ Setting. Schools were randomized between control and experimental groups. 860 adolescents from ten public schools in Bras ' ilia, Federal District, Brazil were evaluated at baseline; 771 (81%) completed the study. Intervention. Experimental group received monthly magazines and newsletters aimed at promotion of healthy eating. Measures. Self-reported fruit and vegetable intake, stages of change, self-efficacy and decisional balance scores were evaluated at baseline and post-intervention in both groups. Analysis. The effectiveness of the intervention was evaluated using the analysis of covariance model (ANCOVA) and repeated measurement analysis by means of weighted least squares. Comparison between the proportions of adolescents who advanced through the stages during the intervention was performed using the Mantel-Haenszel chi-square test. Results. After adjusting for sex and age, study variables showed no modifications through the proposed intervention. There was no statistical difference in participant mobility in the intervention and control groups between the stages of change, throughout the study. Conclusion. A nutritional intervention based exclusively on distribution of stage-matched printed educational materials was insufficient to change adolescents' dietary behavior.

Ayurvedic Concept of Food and Nutrition

Ayurveda places special emphasis on Ahar (diet) and Anna (food) and believes that healthy nutrition nourishes the mind, body and soul. Ayurveda does not discriminate food to be good, or bad, instead it emphasizes various factors that influence food, such as its biological properties, origin, environmental factors, seasons, preparation, freshness, and provides a logical explanation of how to balance food according to one's dosha and physical needs.

The Portuguese National Programme for the Promotion of Healthy Eating: 2012–2015

This paper describes the first 4-year period (2012–2015) of implementation of the Portuguese National Programme for the Promotion of Healthy Eating (PNPAS). PNPAS was approved in 2012 and emerged as a preventive programme for noncommunicable diseases, aiming to improve the nutritional status of the population; it represents the first national strategy in Portugal for the promotion of healthy eating. To accomplish its mission, and taking into account its overall principles, PNPAS has five main goals: (i) to increase knowledge about the food intake of the Portuguese population and about its determinants and consequences; (ii) to modify the availability of certain foods (high in sugar, salt and fat), in schools, workplaces and public spaces; (iii) to inform and empower the population for the purchase, preparation and storage of healthy food, especially the most vulnerable groups; (iv) to identify and promote crosssectoral actions that encourage the consumption of foods of good nutritional quality in an articulate and integrated way with other sectors, namely agriculture, sport, environment, education, social security and local authorities; and (v) to improve the qualifications and conduct of the different professionals who, owing to their roles, may influence nutritional knowledge, attitudes and behaviours. The design of PNPAS followed the latest strategic lines suggested by WHO and the European Commission, proposing a crosssectoral mix of interventions to ensure physical and economic access to healthy eating by creating healthy environments and empowering individuals and communities. Several actions were implemented at different levels during the first 4-year period of implementation of PNPAS; two were especially relevant. The first concerned the empowerment of citizens regarding healthy eating, where the most important aspect was introduction of a digital strategy through development of a website and a blog dedicated to healthy eating. The second concerned the development of documents for health care and other professionals, including several guidelines in new areas, such as anthropometric measures and intervention in preobesity. Process and output indicators were defined to monitor and evaluate the programme. Among those considered as output indicators were the evaluation of childhood obesity, salt consumption and intake of breakfast by school-aged children.

Healthy eating in Indian country.

Mode of access: Internet.

Social and individual influences on eating in preadolescents:the role of friends’ eating behaviours and individual anxiety and depression

Background: Friends are important role models for the formation of social norms and behaviour comparisons, particularly in children. This study examined the similarities between pre-adolescent children’s own eating behaviours with the eating behaviours of those in their friendship group. It also evaluated whether symptoms of anxiety and depression were related to eating behaviours in this age group. Methods: Three hundred and forty three children (mean age 8.75 years) completed questionnaires designed to measure dietary restraint, emotional eating and external eating, as well as general and social anxiety, and symptoms of depression. Children also provided details about their friendship groups. Results: Pre-adolescents’ dietary restraint was positively predicted by the dietary restraint of members of their friendship groups, and their individual levels of anxiety and depression. The levels of general anxiety exhibited by pre-adolescents predicted emotional and external eating behaviours. Younger children were significantly more likely to report higher levels of emotional and external eating than older children, and boys were more likely to report more external eating behaviours than girls. Conclusions: These results suggest that greater dieting behaviours in pre-adolescents are related to their friends’ reports of greater dieting behaviours. In contrast, greater levels of eating governed by emotions, and eating in response to external hunger cues, are related to greater symptoms of anxiety in pre-adolescent children. Such findings underline the importance of friends’ social influences on dieting behaviours in this age group and highlight the value of targeting healthy eating and eating disorder prevention interventions at pre-adolescents.

An Evaluation of Three Nutrition Labeling Formats for Restaurant Menus

This study evaluated three menu nutrition labeling formats: calorie only information, a healthy symbol, and a nutrient list. Daily sales data for a table-service restaurant located on a university campus were recorded during a four-week period from January to February 2013 to examine changes in average nutritional content of the entrees purchased by customers when different nutrition labels were provided. A survey was conducted to assess the customers’ use of nutrition labels, their preferences among the three labeling formats, their entree selections, their cognitive beliefs with regard to healthy eating, and their demographic characteristics. A total of 173 questionnaires were returned and included in data analysis. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and regression analyses were performed using SAS. The results showed that favorable attitudes toward healthy eating and the use of nutrition labels were both significantly associated with healthier entrée selections. Age and diet status had some effects on the respondent’s use of nutrition labels. The calorie only information format was the most effective in reducing calories contained in the entrees sold, and the nutrient list was most effective in reducing fat and saturated fat content of the entrees sold. The healthy symbol was the least effective format, but interestingly enough, was most preferred by respondents. The findings provide support for future research and offer implications for policy makers, public health professionals, and foodservice operations.

Habitual chocolate consumption and risk of cardiovascular disease among healthy men and women

Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Habitual chocolate consumption and risk of cardiovascular disease among healthy men and women

Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Habitual chocolate consumption and the risk of incident heart failure among healthy men and women

Acknowledgments The authors would like to thank the participants of the EPIC-Norfolk cohort. We thank the nutritionist team and data management team of the EPIC-Norfolk cohort. The EPIC-Norfolk study was supported by grants from the Medical Research Council and Cancer Research UK. Funders had no role in study design or interpretation of the findings.

Habitual chocolate consumption and the risk of incident heart failure among healthy men and women

Acknowledgments The authors would like to thank the participants of the EPIC-Norfolk cohort. We thank the nutritionist team and data management team of the EPIC-Norfolk cohort. The EPIC-Norfolk study was supported by grants from the Medical Research Council and Cancer Research UK. Funders had no role in study design or interpretation of the findings.

[the Use Of Fish On Buccal Smear To Investigate Mosaicism With A 45,x Cell Line: Study On Healthy Men And Patients With Disorders Of Sex Development].

To verify whether fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) of cells from the buccal epithelium could be employed to detect cryptomosaicism with a 45,X lineage in 46,XY patients. Samples of nineteen 46,XY healthy young men and five patients with disorders of sex development (DSD), four 45,X/46,XY and one 46,XY were used. FISH analysis with X and Y specific probes on interphase nuclei from blood lymphocytes and buccal epithelium were analyzed to investigate the proportion of nuclei containing only the signal of the X chromosome. The frequency of nuclei containing only the X signal in the two tissues of healthy men did not differ (p = 0.69). In all patients with DSD this frequency was significantly higher, and there was no difference between the two tissues (p = 0.38), either. Investigation of mosaicism with a 45,X cell line in patients with 46,XY DSD or sterility can be done by FISH directly using cells from the buccal epithelium.

[factors That Influence Bone Mass Of Healthy Children And Adolescents Measured By Quantitative Ultrasound At The Hand Phalanges: A Systematic Review].

To analyze the main factors that influence bone mass in children and teenagers assessed by quantitative ultrasound (QUS) of the phalanges. A systematic literature review was performed according to the PRISMA method with searches in databases Pubmed/Medline, SciELO and Bireme for the period 2001-2012, in English and Portuguese languages, using the keywords: children, teenagers, adolescent, ultrasound finger phalanges, quantitative ultrasound of phalanges, phalangeal quantitative ultrasound. 21 articles were included. Girls had, in QUS, Amplitude Dependent Speed of Sound (AD-SoS) values higher than boys during pubertal development. The values of the parameters of QUS of the phalanges and dual-energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DXA) increased with the increase of the maturational stage. Anthropometric variables such as age, weight, height, body mass index (BMI), lean mass showed positive correlations with the values of QUS of the phalanges. Physical activity has also been shown to be positively associated with increased bone mass. Factors such as ethnicity, genetics, caloric intake and socioeconomic profile have not yet shown a conclusive relationship and need a larger number of studies. QUS of the phalanges is a method used to evaluate the progressive acquisition of bone mass during growth and maturation of individuals in school phase, by monitoring changes that occur with increasing age and pubertal stage. There were mainly positive influences in variables of sex, maturity, height, weight and BMI, with similar data when compared to the gold standard method, the DXA.

Ortorexia nervosa: reflexões sobre um novo conceito

Ortorexia nervosa é o termo descrito para o comportamento obsessivo patológico caracterizado pela fixação por saúde alimentar. O quadro ainda não foi oficialmente reconhecido como um transtorno alimentar, mas discute-se o conceito, suas características, interações e sintomas. No presente trabalho foi realizada uma revisão dos vinte e um artigos publicados desde 1997, quando o comportamento da ortorexia nervosa foi inicialmente descrito. Foram apontadas semelhanças e diferenças entre o comportamento alimentar observado na ortorexia nervosa e nos transtornos alimentares mais frequentes (anorexia e bulimia nervosa). Um instrumento foi desen-volvido e validado para detecção do quadro ortoréxico. Os estudos apontam alguns grupos vulneráveis à orto-rexia nervosa: estudantes de medicina, médicos, nutricionistas, pessoas com sintomas de ansiedade, obsessivo-compulsivos e aqueles que supervalorizam o corpo perfeito. A ortorexia nervosa é situada a partir de uma análise dos conceitos de atitude alimentar e alimentação saudável, procurando um foco biopsicossocial para a alimentação adequada e não apenas um foco fisiológico. Não existem estudos investigativos sobre a ortorexia nervosa no Brasil, mas o tema deve ser discutido para alertar os profissionais da área da saúde sobre a existência desse comportamento inadequado e suas possíveis consequências não só para a saúde física e emocional, mas também para a visão de alimentação saudável.