Nutrition and Health

This paper compromises a short literary review of the adverse consequences of tobacco smoking on reproduction, as well as on infant and adult health. Furthermore, attention is drawn to the bad effects of smoking on the nutritional status.

Eating patterns of 549 Mexican American mothers were identified using dietary data from the United States Hispanic Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. These eating patterns were then used to investigate the relationship between maternal diet and infant birth weight. Principle components factor analysis was used to determine the structure of the maternal eating patterns. Seven distinct eating patterns were identified: nutrient dense, traditional, transitional, nutrient dilute, protein rich, high fat dairy, and mixed dishes. Stepwise multiple regression analysis was used to identify those eating patterns associated with birth weight. In addition to eating patterns, regression variables included body mass index, hemoglobin, gestational age at delivery, maternal age, infant gender, acculturation, marital status, income, education, and smoking during pregnancy. Regression results indicated that the nutrient dense (fruits, vegetables, low fat dairy, etc.) and protein rich (low fat meats, processed meats, and dairy desserts, etc.) eating patterns were associated with increased birth weight and that the transitional eating pattern (fats and oils, breads and cereals, high fat meats, sugar, etc.) was associated with decreased birth weight. Study findings suggest that the eating pattern methodology may be an appropriate tool for analyzing food frequency data in the investigation of diet and health relationships and for targeting dietary interventions.

Objective: To monitor the effects of low, fixed incomes on the dietaries and nutritional wellbeing of elderly people.

Methods: A questionnaire gathered data from a ‘high income’ sample (HIS) and a ‘low income’ sample (LIS) on income, eating and shopping patterns and nutritional awareness. A dietary diary provided the data required for a nutritional analysis of the foodstuffs consumed by the sample and inadequacies were identified by comparing nutrient intake to the Dept. of Health's (1991) Dietary Recommended Values (DRVs).

Results: The dietaries of the low income sample showed substantial shortfalls from those officially recommended and these are presented as the result, primarily, of income poverty and not the consequence of ignorance or mental decline. The older poor know what healthy eating entails; in most cases, they simply cannot afford and indeed, the dietaries are often inferior to the ‘general poor’, because of the idiosyncracies of their nutritional requirements.

Conclusion: The inability of the older poor to purchase a healthy dietary cannot be solved merely by health education or budgeting skills. Primarily, they need more money.

This is a discussion paper which generates some important research questions for educationalists. The teaching of food skills are at danger of being lost from the school curriculum by changes imposed by the National Curriculum. This sinister (i.e., unexplained/undefended) development generates potential problems for the teaching of cookery and for the food and eating traditions of British society. The central concern for nutrition educationalists is that cooking is becoming more and more de-domesticated and consequently will become more systemised, more mass produced; in which case, young people need not be educated in basic cooking skills.

The food and nutrient intake and the proportion of these supplied by street foods was studied in a group of 142 adolescent Nigerians, using structured questionnaire, 24-hour recall and weighed intake protocols.

The results show that all the major groups of foods are represented in the menu and street food providing, overall, the major sources of dairy, meat, fish and egg.

Mean intake of energy was 10.85 MJ for the cohort with street foods contributing almost 25%. For male subjects, 21% of the energy came from street foods while for females, the proportion was 29%. Also out of the mean intake of 62g total protein, street foods supplied over 50% for both male and female. The proportion was even higher for calcium (64%) and vitamin A (almost 60%). For all the other minerals and vitamins examined, street foods supplied over 50% of the intake.