Characteristics and Cluster of Lifestyle Factors in Neurological Outpatients

Objective: Neurological disorders are increasing, because of demographic and epidemiologic changes occurring in both developed and developing countries. This study was aimed at examining and clustering lifestyle factors in an Italian sample of neurological outpatients. Material and Methods: A total of 153 subjects were recruited from the ambulatory Unit Operative Complex of neurology, of S. Eugenio Hospital in Rome. This study was conducted from January, 2017 to May, 2019. Body Mass Index (general obesity) and Waist Circumference (abdominal obesity) were used as outcome measures. Lifestyle behaviours were assessed via questionnaires. Results: The percentage of overweight/obesity was74.0% (77.0% in males and 70.0% in females); whereas, the percentage of subjects with abdominal obesity (67.0%) was significantly higher in females than in males (76.0% vs 60.0%, p-value= 0.038). Also, among patients suffering from neurological diseases there was a significant prevalence of: (i) males, (ii) subjects with low education levels, iii) elderly adults (aged over 75), and iv) people having a significantly lower percentage of appropriate hours of sleep. Three clusters were identified for males and four for females, according to lifestyles. The ‘unhealthy habits’ cluster, dominant among males (38.4%), was characterized by high prevalence of overweight/obese, and abdominal obese subjects; high prevalence of wine and alcoholic beverages consumers, high prevalence of inactive subjects; especially in females and high prevalence of neurological diseases among males. Conclusion: The clusters were identified according to lifestyles, and the main, important findings showed a high prevalence of unhealthy lifestyle clustering was dominant among male, elderly people with neurological diseases

Geographic and socioeconomic diversity of food and nutrient intakes: a comparison of four European countries

Purpose: Public health policies and actions increasingly acknowledge the climate burden of food consumption. The aim of this study is to describe dietary intakes across four European countries, as baseline for further research towards healthier and environmentally-friendlier diets for Europe. Methods: Individual-level dietary intake data in adults were obtained from nationally-representative surveys from Denmark and France using a 7-day diet record, Italy using a 3-day diet record, and Czech Republic using two replicates of a 24-h recall. Energy-standardised food and nutrient intakes were calculated for each subject from the mean of two randomly selected days. Results: There was clear geographical variability, with a between-country range for mean fruit intake from 118 to 199 g/day, for vegetables from 95 to 239 g/day, for fish from 12 to 45 g/day, for dairy from 129 to 302 g/day, for sweet beverages from 48 to 224 ml/day, and for alcohol from 8 to 15 g/day, with higher intakes in Italy for fruit, vegetables and fish, and in Denmark for dairy, sweet beverages and alcohol. In all countries, intakes were low for legumes ( 80 g/day). Within countries, food intakes also varied by socio-economic factors such as age, gender, and educational level, but less pronounced by anthropometric factors such as overweight status. For nutrients, intakes were low for dietary fibre (15.8–19.4 g/day) and vitamin D (2.4–3.0 µg/day) in all countries, for potassium (2288–2938 mg/day) and magnesium (268–285 mg/day) except in Denmark, for vitamin E in Denmark (6.7 mg/day), and for folate in Czech Republic (212 µg/day). Conclusions: There is considerable variation in food and nutrient intakes across Europe, not only between, but also within countries. Individual-level dietary data provide insight into the heterogeneity of dietary habits beyond per capita food supply data, and this is crucial to balancing healthy and environmentally-friendly diets for European citizens

Beverage consumption habits in italian population: Association with total water intake and energy intake

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate total water intake (TWI) from water, beverages and foods among Italian adults and the elderly. Methods: Data of 2607 adults and the elderly, aged 18-75 years from the last national food consumption survey, INRAN-SCAI 2005-06, were used to evaluate the TWI. The INRAN-SCAI 2005-06 survey was conducted on a representative sample of 3323 individuals aged 0.1 to 97.7 years. A 3-day semi-structured diary was used for participants to record the consumption of all foods, beverages and nutritional supplements. Results: On average, TWI was 1.8 L for men and 1.7 L for women. More than 75% of women and 90% of men did not comply with the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) Adequate Intake. The contribution of beverages to the total energy intake (EI) was 6% for the total sample. Water was the most consumed beverage, followed by alcoholic beverages for men and hot beverages for women. Conclusion: According to the present results, adults and elderly Italians do not reach the adequate intake for water as suggested by the EFSA and by the national reference level of nutrient and energy intake. Data on water consumption should also be analyzed in single socio-demographic groups in order to identify sub-groups of the population that need more attention and to plan more targeted interventions.91,4763,55Q1Q2SCI

Improvement of Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet through a Nutrition Education Teaching Pack for Teachers within the “School Fruit Scheme” Program: An Italian Long-Term Trial in School Children

A previous short time span study related to the effectiveness of a teaching pack (TP) in improving the adherence to the Mediterranean Diet (MD) showed positive results. The present study was aimed at investigating and confirming those results, with a follow up data collection, in the same sample, a year after the baseline intervention. Pre- and post-intervention assessments were conducted. Weight and height were measured. Eating patterns/lifestyle were assessed by the KIDMED test and questionnaires. Thirteen schools in three areas with low, medium and high prevalence of overweight/obesity (North, Center and South respectively) were involved, with a representative baseline cluster sample of 494 fourth class children (8–10 years old) in 2015. An intervention group and a control group were recruited in each school; the intervention group (n = 395) got the intervention, the control group (n = 99) did not. The children’s KIDMED score changes were the main outcome measures. Differences in percentages of adherence and in yes/no answers on the KIDMED test, at baseline and after one year, for both the intervention and the control groups, were assessed through contingency tables and statistical tests. Improvements in the high and low adherence rates to MD were observed (high adherence: 24.4% to 43.3%; low adherence: 15.0% to 3.9%, p < 0.0001). The percentages of subjects with optimal adherence improved in both sexes (females: 25.5% to 49.5%, p < 0.0001; males: 23.1% to 36.6%, p < 0.0001) in all the geographical areas and ponderal status classes. Accompanying free distribution of fruit and vegetables with a nutritional intervention led by trained teachers with a cross-curricular approach can be successful in promoting healthy eating in children

Characteristics and Cluster of Lifestyle Factors in Neurological Outpatients

Objective: Neurological disorders are increasing, because of demographic and epidemiologic changes occurring in both developed and developing countries. This study was aimed at examining and clustering lifestyle factors in an Italian sample of neurological outpatients. Material and Methods: A total of 153 subjects were recruited from the ambulatory Unit Operative Complex of neurology, of S. Eugenio Hospital in Rome. This study was conducted from January, 2017 to May, 2019. Body Mass Index (general obesity) and Waist Circumference (abdominal obesity) were used as outcome measures. Lifestyle behaviours were assessed via questionnaires. Results: The percentage of overweight/obesity was74.0% (77.0% in males and 70.0% in females); whereas, the percentage of subjects with abdominal obesity (67.0%) was significantly higher in females than in males (76.0% vs 60.0%, p-value= 0.038). Also, among patients suffering from neurological diseases there was a significant prevalence of: (i) males, (ii) subjects with low education levels, iii) elderly adults (aged over 75), and iv) people having a significantly lower percentage of appropriate hours of sleep. Three clusters were identified for males and four for females, according to lifestyles. The ‘unhealthy habits’ cluster, dominant among males (38.4%), was characterized by high prevalence of overweight/obese, and abdominal obese subjects; high prevalence of wine and alcoholic beverages consumers, high prevalence of inactive subjects; especially in females and high prevalence of neurological diseases among males.Conclusion: The clusters were identified according to lifestyles, and the main, important findings showed a high prevalence of unhealthy lifestyle clustering was dominant among male, elderly people with neurological diseases.</jats:p

Beverage Consumption Habits in Italian Population: Association with Total Water Intake and Energy Intake

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate total water intake (TWI) from water, beverages and foods among Italian adults and the elderly. Methods: Data of 2607 adults and the elderly, aged 18–75 years from the last national food consumption survey, INRAN-SCAI 2005-06, were used to evaluate the TWI. The INRAN-SCAI 2005-06 survey was conducted on a representative sample of 3323 individuals aged 0.1 to 97.7 years. A 3-day semi-structured diary was used for participants to record the consumption of all foods, beverages and nutritional supplements. Results: On average, TWI was 1.8 L for men and 1.7 L for women. More than 75% of women and 90% of men did not comply with the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) Adequate Intake. The contribution of beverages to the total energy intake (EI) was 6% for the total sample. Water was the most consumed beverage, followed by alcoholic beverages for men and hot beverages for women. Conclusion: According to the present results, adults and elderly Italians do not reach the adequate intake for water as suggested by the EFSA and by the national reference level of nutrient and energy intake. Data on water consumption should also be analyzed in single socio-demographic groups in order to identify sub-groups of the population that need more attention and to plan more targeted interventions

An Italian Case Study for Assessing Nutrient Intake through Nutrition-Related Mobile Apps

National food consumption surveys are crucial for monitoring the nutritional status of individuals, defining nutrition policies, estimating dietary exposure, and assessing the environmental impact of the diet. The methods for conducting them are time and resource-consuming, so they are usually carried out after extended periods of time, which does not allow for timely monitoring of any changes in the population’s dietary patterns. This study aims to compare the results of nutrition-related mobile apps that are most popular in Italy, with data obtained with the dietary software Foodsoft 1.0, which was recently used in the Italian national dietary survey IV SCAI. The apps considered in this study were selected according to criteria, such as popularity (downloads &gt; 10,000); Italian language; input characteristics (daily dietary recording ability); output features (calculation of energy and macronutrients associated with consumption), etc. 415 apps in Google Play and 226 in the iTunes Store were examined, then the following five apps were selected: YAZIO, Lifesum, Oreegano, Macro and Fitatu. Twenty 24-hour recalls were extracted from the IV SCAI database and inputted into the apps. Energy and macronutrient intake data were compared with Foodsoft 1.0 output. Good agreement was found between the selected apps and Foodsoft 1.0 (high correlation index), and no significant differences were found in the mean values of energy and macronutrients, except for fat intakes. In conclusion, the selected apps could be a suitable tool for assessing dietary intake.</jats:p

An Italian Case Study for Assessing Nutrient Intake through Nutrition-Related Mobile Apps

National food consumption surveys are crucial for monitoring the nutritional status of individuals, defining nutrition policies, estimating dietary exposure, and assessing the environmental impact of the diet. The methods for conducting them are time and resource-consuming, so they are usually carried out after extended periods of time, which does not allow for timely monitoring of any changes in the population’s dietary patterns. This study aims to compare the results of nutrition-related mobile apps that are most popular in Italy, with data obtained with the dietary software Foodsoft 1.0, which was recently used in the Italian national dietary survey IV SCAI. The apps considered in this study were selected according to criteria, such as popularity (downloads &gt; 10,000); Italian language; input characteristics (daily dietary recording ability); output features (calculation of energy and macronutrients associated with consumption), etc. 415 apps in Google Play and 226 in the iTunes Store were examined, then the following five apps were selected: YAZIO, Lifesum, Oreegano, Macro and Fitatu. Twenty 24-hour recalls were extracted from the IV SCAI database and inputted into the apps. Energy and macronutrient intake data were compared with Foodsoft 1.0 output. Good agreement was found between the selected apps and Foodsoft 1.0 (high correlation index), and no significant differences were found in the mean values of energy and macronutrients, except for fat intakes. In conclusion, the selected apps could be a suitable tool for assessing dietary intake