Risk Factors for Malnutrition in Older Adults: A Systematic Review of the Literature Based on Longitudinal Data.

The present systematic review critically examines the available scientific literature on risk factors for malnutrition in the older population (aged ≥65 y). A systematic search was conducted in MEDLINE, reviewing reference lists from 2000 until March 2015. The 2499 papers identified were subjected to inclusion criteria that evaluated the study quality according to items from validated guidelines.

Unsatisfactory knowledge and use of terminology regarding malnutrition, starvation, cachexia and sarcopenia among dietitians.

Background & Aims: Clinical signs of malnutrition, starvation, cachexia and sarcopenia overlap, as they all imply muscle wasting to a various extent. However, the underlying mechanisms differ fundamentally and therefore distinction between these phenomena has therapeutic and prognostic implications. We aimed to determine whether dietitians in selected European countries have 'sufficient knowledge' regarding malnutrition, starvation, cachexia and sarcopenia, and use these terms in their daily clinical work.

Trends from 2002 to 2010 in Daily Breakfast Consumption and its Socio-Demographic Correlates in Adolescents across 31 Countries Participating in the HBSC Study.

Breakfast is often considered the most important meal of the day and children and adolescents can benefit from breakfast consumption in several ways. The purpose of the present study was to describe trends in daily breakfast consumption (DBC) among adolescents across 31 countries participating in the HBSC survey between 2002 to 2010 and to identify socio-demographic (gender, family affluence and family structure) correlates of DBC. Cross-sectional surveys including nationally representative samples of 11-15 year olds (n = 455,391).

Lower Pre-Treatment T Cell Activation in Early- and Late-Onset Tuberculosis-Associated Immune Reconstitution Inflammatory Syndrome.

Background: Tuberculosis-associated immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (TB-IRIS) is an inflammatory complication in HIV-TB co-infected patients receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART). The role of disturbed T cell reconstitution in TB-IRIS is not well understood. We investigated T cell activation and maturation profiles in patients who developed TB-IRIS at different intervals during ART.

Trends in toothbrushing in 20 countries/regions from 1994 to 2010.

Background: For maintaining good oral health, twice-a-day toothbrushing routine is recommended world-wide. As an association between oral diseases and the main non-communicable diseases is confirmed, the importance of brushing is rising. The aim of this article is to describe trends in more-than-once-a-day toothbrushing frequency in 20 countries/regions participating in five consecutive HBSC Surveys between 1994 and 2010.

Fruit and vegetable consumption trends among adolescents from 2002 to 2010 in 33 countries.

Background: Fruit and vegetable consumption is linked to many positive health outcomes, nevertheless many adolescents do not consume fruit and vegetables on a daily basis.

Methods: Data of 488,951 adolescents, aged 11-, 13- and 15- years, from 33 mainly European and North American countries/regions participating in the cross-sectional Health Behaviour in School-aged Children surveys in 2002, 2006 and 2010, were used to investigate trends in daily fruit and vegetable consumption between 2002 and 2010.

Results: Multilevel logistic regression analyses showed an increase in daily fruit and vegetable consumption between 2002 and 2010 in the majority of countries for both genders and all three age groups.

Comparison of different approaches to calculate nutrient intakes based upon 24-h recall data derived from a multicenter study in European adolescents.

Purpose: The European "Healthy Lifestyle in Europe by Nutrition in Adolescence" (HELENA) project evaluated two different approaches to harmonize the matching procedures between 24-h recall data and food composition databases. In the first approach, the 24-h recall data were linked to the local/national food composition databases using standardized procedures, while in the second approach, the 24-h recall data were linked to the German BLS database which includes a larger food list. The aim of this paper was to compare the intakes of energy and eight nutrient components calculated via both approaches.

Dietary animal and plant protein intakes and their associations with obesity and cardio-metabolic indicators in European adolescents: the HELENA cross-sectional study.

Background: Previous studies suggest that dietary protein might play a beneficial role in combating obesity and its related chronic diseases. Total, animal and plant protein intakes and their associations with anthropometry and serum biomarkers in European adolescents using one standardised methodology across European countries are not well documented.

Objectives: To evaluate total, animal and plant protein intakes in European adolescents stratified by gender and age, and to investigate their associations with cardio-metabolic indicators (anthropometry and biomarkers).

Dietary fiber intake and its association with indicators of adiposity and serum biomarkers in European adolescents: the HELENA study.

Purpose: To evaluate total, energy-adjusted dietary fiber (DF), water-soluble fiber (WSF), and water-insoluble fiber (WIF) intakes in European adolescents and to investigate their association with indicators of adiposity and serum biomarkers.

Methods: This study, conducted from 2006 to 2007, included 1804 adolescents aged 12.5-17.

Changes in children's food group intake from age 3 to 7 years: comparison of a FFQ with an online food record.

Few studies have investigated the relative validity of FFQ in young children and no study has investigated the relative validity of changes in children's food intake in a longitudinal context. The aim of the present study was to compare the FFQ of the longitudinal Family Influences on Food Intake study, assessing children's food intake in the previous 3 months, with a 3 d online food record when children were 3 and 7 years old, as well as to investigate the relative validity of changes in food group intake over a 4-year period. Parents (n 89) completed the FFQ and an online food record over three non-consecutive days on two separate occasions (January-April 2008 and 2012).

Children's food intake: a comparison of children's and parents' reports.

Purpose: In longitudinal studies, parents are the most accurate source of information on young children's dietary intake; for older children, questioning children themselves may be more appropriate. However, if parental reports for young children and self-reports of older children are to be used in the same analyses, the measures must be comparable.

Methods: During school hours, fourth and sixth graders in 14 Flemish (Belgium) primary schools completed an online 15-item food frequency questionnaire with a retest questionnaire one to two weeks later; parents completed a paper-and-pencil or online questionnaire.

Risk factors for childhood overweight: a 30-month longitudinal study of 3- to 6-year-old children.

Objective: The increasing prevalence of childhood overweight is an important health issue. There is a need for longitudinal research among children in order to identify risk factors for childhood overweight. The objective of the present research was to identify potential sociodemographic and behavioural risk factors for development of childhood overweight among 3- to 6-year-old children.

Trends in thinness prevalence among adolescents in ten European countries and the USA (1998-2006): a cross-sectional survey.

Objective: To describe the prevalence of 'graded thinness' in children aged 11, 13 and 15 years in eleven developed countries and to identify trends in the prevalence of 'thinness' (BMI < 17 kg/m2 at age 18 years) by age and gender.

Design: Cross-sectional study using data collected through self-reported questionnaires.

Setting: Data were taken from the 1997/1998, 2001/2002 and 2005/2006 surveys of the Health Behaviours in School-aged Children (HBSC) Study.

Formative evaluation of the dietary assessment component of Children's and Adolescents' Nutrition Assessment and Advice on the Web (CANAA-W).

Background: The increased availability of computers and the efficiency and user-acceptability of computer-assisted questioning have increased the attractiveness of computer-administered querying for large-scale population nutrition research during the last decade. The Young Adolescents' Nutrition Assessment on Computer (YANA-C), a computer-based 24-h dietary recall, was originally developed to collect dietary data among Belgian-Flemish adolescents. A web-based version was created to collect parentally reported dietary data of preschoolers, called Young Children's Nutrition Assessment on the Web (YCNA-W), which has been improved and adapted for use in young adolescents: Children and Adolescents' Nutrition Assessment and Advice on the Web (CANAA-W).

Health promotion in individuals with mental disorders: a cluster preference randomized controlled trial.

Background: The existing literature on weight management interventions targeting physical activity and healthy eating in mental health care appears to provide only limited evidence. The aim of the study was to examine the effectiveness of a 10-week health promotion intervention, followed by a 6-month follow-up period in individuals with mental disorders living in sheltered housing in the Flanders region (Belgium).

Methods: The study had a cluster preference randomized controlled design.

Physical activity and beverage consumption in preschoolers: focus groups with parents and teachers.

Background: Qualitative research is a method in which new ideas and strategies can be discovered. This qualitative study aimed to investigate parents' and teachers' opinions on physical activity and beverage consumption of preschool children. Through separate, independent focus groups, they expressed their perceptions on children's current physical activity and beverage consumption levels, factors that influence and enhance these behaviours, and anticipated barriers to making changes.

Formative evaluation of the feedback component of Children's and Adolescents' Nutrition Assessment and Advice on the Web (CANAA-W) among parents of schoolchildren.

Objective: The aim of the paper is to describe the formative evaluation of the feedback component of an online nutrition tailoring instrument, the Children's and Adolescents' Nutrition Assessment and Advice on the Web (CANAA-W), among parents of schoolchildren.

Design: Parents of pre-primary and primary-school children recorded their child's food intake over 3 d with CANAA-W and completed the evaluation questionnaire online. A subsample participated in focus group discussions.

Validation of the Diet Quality Index for Adolescents by comparison with biomarkers, nutrient and food intakes: the HELENA study.

Food-based dietary guidelines (FBDG) aim to address the nutritional requirements at population level in order to prevent diseases and promote a healthy lifestyle. Diet quality indices can be used to assess the compliance with these FBDG. The present study aimed to investigate whether the newly developed Diet Quality Index for Adolescents (DQI-A) is a good surrogate measure for adherence to FBDG, and whether adherence to these FBDG effectively leads to better nutrient intakes and nutritional biomarkers in adolescents.

Test-retest reliability and agreement between children's and parents' reports of a computerized food preferences tool.

Objective: To investigate test-retest reliability of primary-school children's reports of food preferences and to investigate agreement with parental reports.

Design: Children completed an online test and retest, one to two weeks later, during school hours; parents completed a paper-and-pencil or an online questionnaire at home. The children's preferences questionnaire contained 148 food items, reduced to twelve scales; the parental questionnaire contained seventy-eight items reduced to nine scales.

Development and test-retest reliability of a nutrition knowledge questionnaire for primary-school children.

Objective: To evaluate a web-based nutritional knowledge questionnaire for primary-school children.

Design: Children's nutritional knowledge was assessed in five domains: healthy choices (twenty-seven items), estimated recommended portions/servings (eight items), nutrient content (five items), main food function (five items) and categorization of food items (eight items).

Setting: The questionnaires were completed in school.

Breakfast consumption and CVD risk factors in European adolescents: the HELENA (Healthy Lifestyle in Europe by Nutrition in Adolescence) Study.

Objective: To examine the association between breakfast consumption and CVD risk factors in European adolescents.

Design: Cross-sectional. Breakfast consumption was assessed by the statement ‘I often skip breakfast’ and categorized into ‘consumer’, ‘occasional consumer’ and ‘skipper’.

Parental socioeconomic status and soft drink consumption of the child. The mediating proportion of parenting practices.

The hypothesis of this study is twofold and states that parental socioeconomic status has an effect on the soft drink consumption of the child, and that this effect is mediated by the soft drink related parenting practices. One thousand six hundred and thirty-nine parents of 2.5-7 year old children from 34 Flemish pre-primary and primary schools, completed a self-administered questionnaire on sociodemographic characteristics, soft drink consumption and soft drink related parenting practices.

Effects of a 2-year healthy eating and physical activity intervention for 3-6-year-olds in communities of high and low socio-economic status: the POP (Prevention of Overweight among Pre-school and school children) project.

Objective: The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effects of a school-based, 2-year, multi-component intervention on BMI, eating and physical activity behaviour in Flanders, Belgium, targeting children aged 3-6 years in communities of high and low socio-economic status (SES).

Design: Cluster-randomized controlled trial.

Setting: Thirty-one pre-primary and primary schools in three different intervention communities and three paired-matched (on SES profile) control communities in Flanders, Belgium.

Breakfast habits among European adolescents and their association with sociodemographic factors: the HELENA (Healthy Lifestyle in Europe by Nutrition in Adolescence) study.

Objective: To describe breakfast habits at food group level in European adolescents and to investigate the associations between these habits and sociodemographic factors.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Setting: Secondary schools from nine European cities participating in the HELENA (Healthy Lifestyle in Europe by Nutrition in Adolescence) Study.

Correlates of energy balance-related behaviours in preschool children: a systematic review.

Childhood overweight is a multifactorial health problem influenced by several factors. The interaction of behaviours such as physical activity, sedentary behaviour and eating behaviour determines whether or not a positive energy balance or weight gain is experienced. Knowing the correlates of these behaviours in 4- to 6-year-old children is of major interest for intervention development.