Timing and types of fluids and foods first introduced in a representative sample of toddlers attending day care programs across Lebanon: Are parents following international recommendations?

Background: Current WHO's recommendation for optimal infant feeding advises exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months. After this initial period, infants should receive nutritionally adequate and safe complementary food starting from the age of 6 months with continued breastfeeding up to 2 years of age or beyond.

Purpose: This study examined the timing and types of fluids and foods first introduced in a representative sample of toddlers (n = 1051) from 79 daycares across Lebanon.

Determinants of Exclusive and Mixed Breastfeeding Durations and Risk of Recurrent Illnesses in Toddlers Attending Day Care Programs Across Lebanon.

Purpose: Breastfeeding rates continue to decrease in Lebanon. Studies addressing the relationship between breastfeeding duration and health outcomes in Middle Eastern countries are scarce. This study is the first in Lebanon to have investigated the determinants of both exclusive and mixed breastfeeding durations and the relationship with health in infants and toddlers.

Assessment of Dietary Intake Patterns and Their Correlates among University Students in Lebanon.

Introduction: Unhealthy dietary habits are major risk factors for chronic diseases, particularly if adopted during early years of adulthood. Limited studies have explored the food consumption patterns among young adults in Lebanon. Our study aimed to examine common dietary patterns and their correlates among a large sample of university student population in Lebanon, focusing on correlation with gender and body mass index (BMI).

The Young Adults' Cigarette Dependence (YACD) score: an improved tool for cigarette dependence assessment in university students.

Background: Cigarette smoking induces dependence in young smokers.

Purpose: The primary objective of this work was to validate the use of the Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND) in young Lebanese university students, and to improve it eventually by adding new items covering DSM-IV and ICD-10 dependence components.

Methods: We used data from a cross-sectional study on university students.

Obesity associated behavior in adolescents of private schools in Lebanon.

Objective: Since adolescence obesity is becoming an international concern, our objective was to evaluate obesity-related behavior in Lebanese adolescents.

Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study in 19 Lebanese private schools, using a random multistage cluster sampling process. Dietary and physical activity behaviors were assessed in 1933 adolescents aged 12 to 18 years, stressing on differences between boys and girls and obesity categories.

The shortest way to reach nutritional goals is to adopt Mediterranean food choices: evidence from computer-generated personalized diets.

Background: Dietary guidelines can be derived from dietary patterns known to be healthy such as the traditional Mediterranean diet. They can also be deduced by translating a set of nutrient recommendations into food combinations. However, the latter may vary depending on the decisions made by different expert committees.

The nutrient profile of traditional Lebanese composite dishes: comparison with composite dishes consumed in France.

Primary Objective: To estimate the overall nutritional quality of traditional Lebanese dishes by calculating their nutrient profile.

Methods: Fifty traditional Lebanese composite dishes (LD) were compared with 50 composite dishes consumed in France (FD), based on the SAIN (score of nutritional adequacy of individual foods) and LIM (score of nutrients to be limited) nutrient profiling system. Each dish was attributed to one of four nutrient profiling classes based on their SAIN and LIM values.