Exploring Differences in Dietary Diversity and Micronutrient Adequacy between Costa Rican and Mexican Adolescents.

Diet diversity becomes especially relevant during adolescence to satisfy the adequate micronutrient intake. Diet diversity (DD) and micronutrient probability of adequacy (PA) were studied in 818 Costa Rican (CR) and 1202 Mexican (MX) adolescents aged 13-18 years. DD was compared using the Minimum Dietary Diversity (MDD) score.

A Landscape of Micronutrient Dietary Intake by 15- to 65-Years-Old Urban Population in 8 Latin American Countries: Results From the Latin American Study of Health and Nutrition.

Background: Latin American countries have shifted from traditional diets rich in micronutrients to a Westernized diet rich in high energy-dense foods and low in micronutrients.

Objective: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of adequate micronutrient intakes in urban populations of 8 Latin American countries.

Method: Micronutrient dietary intake data were collected from September 2014 to August 2015 from 9216 men and women aged 15.

Reducing dietary intake of added sugars could affect the nutritional adequacy of vitamin A in adolescents: the Costa Rica case.

Background: In countries where sugar fortification with vitamin A is mandatory, strategies to reduce the prevalence of overweight/obesity in adolescents that involve lowering added sugar intake could lead to vitamin A inadequate intakes, since vitamin A-fortified sugar for home consumption contributes to a high proportion of this vitamin intake in the adolescent diet.

Methods: The study employed a hierarchical linear model to perform a mediation analysis on a cross-sectional sample of adolescents (13-18 years old) in the province of San José, Costa Rica.

Results: Lowering the total energy intake derived from added sugars to less than 10% significantly increases the prevalence of vitamin A inadequate intake in adolescents by 12.

Exploratory Analysis of Social Networks Linked to the Provision of Beverages in Costa Rican Schools.

Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) are implicated in weight gain and adverse cardiometabolic heath. Social networks of stakeholders involved in providing potable water and sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) in high schools in Costa Rica were studied using social analysis network. In public and private schools, the interactions between the stakeholders in charge of providing beverages are fragmented and their role in preventing the availability of SSBs is weak.

Association between Fathers' and Mothers' Parenting Styles and the Risk of Overweight/Obesity among Adolescents in San José Province, Costa Rica.

Parenting styles are a risk factor for adolescents overweight/obesity worldwide, but this association is not well understood in the context of Latin America. This study examines the association between the parenting styles of mothers and fathers and the risk of overweight/obesity among Costa Rican adolescents. Data are cross-sectional from a sample of adolescents (13-18 years old) enrolled in ten urban and eight rural schools ( = 18) in the province of San José, Costa Rica, in 2017.

Role of Residence Area on Diet Diversity and Micronutrient Intake Adequacy in Urban and Rural Costa Rican Adolescents.

Dietary diversity might be essential to meet nutritional demands during adolescence. Diet diversity among 818 urban and rural Costa Rican adolescents aged 13−18 years was studied using the Minimum Dietary Diversity Score for Women. The Nutrient Adequacy Ratio (NAR) was calculated for 11 nutrients to estimate the nutrient adequacy of the diet.

How providing a low-cost water filter pitcher led Latino parents to reduce sugar-sweetened beverages and increase their water intake: explanatory qualitative results from the Water Up!@Home intervention trial.

Objective: This study sought to explain results of the Water Up!@Home randomised controlled trial where low-income parents were randomised to receive an educational intervention +a low-cost water filter pitcher or only the filter. Parents in both groups had reported statistically significant reductions in sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) and increases in water intake post-intervention.

Design: Qualitative explanatory in-depth interviews analysed thematically and deductively.

Association between Parental Feeding Styles and Excess Weight, and Its Mediation by Diet, in Costa Rican Adolescents.

Background: Whereas parental feeding styles (PFS) influence children's diet, less is known about this relationship in adolescents.

Methods: A cross-sectional study in 686 Costa Rican adolescents (13-18 years) evaluated 4 validated PFS scores: healthy eating verbal encouragement; scolding; directly controlling diet; instrumental/emotional. Diet was evaluated through 3-day food records, deriving a Traditional Costa Rica Adolescents Diet Score (TCRAD).

Dietary Intake and Sources of Added Sugars in Various Food Environments in Costa Rican Adolescents.

Consumption of added sugars, especially from sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), has been associated with several negative health outcomes during adolescence. This study aimed to identify dietary intake and food sources of added sugars in the home, school, and neighborhood environments of Costa Rican adolescents. Dietary intake of added sugars was determined using 3-day food records in a cross-sectional study of 818 adolescents aged 12 to 19 and enrolled in rural and urban schools in the province of San José.

Lessons Learned for Emergency Feeding During Modifications to 11 School Feeding Programs in Latin America and the Caribbean During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background: School feeding programs (SFPs) can play a crucial role in the emergency food and nutrition response, but there is a dearth of information on how SFPs operate during emergencies.

Design And Methods: A rapid comparative assessment of 11 SFPs throughout Latin America and the Caribbean during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data from (1) systematic document search and (2) surveys with key informants (n = 23) about barriers/facilitators to modifications were systematically analyzed using a multiple case study approach.

A Traditional Costa Rican Adolescents' Diet Score Is a Valid Tool to Capture Diet Quality and Identify Sociodemographic Groups With Suboptimal Diet.

Traditional diet indices may capture diet quality according to local food culture. Higher adherence to traditional diet scores may help prevent disease, yet evidence in adolescents is limited. This cross-sectional study aimed to develop and validate a Traditional Costa Rica Adolescents Diet Score (TCRAD) and determine its association with sociodemographic characteristics, under the hypothesis that girls, adolescents from rural areas, and with low socioeconomic status, have a more traditional healthy diet.

Intersectionality between parenting styles, area of residence and gender on food group consumption among Costa Rican adolescents.

Little is known about how parenting styles can influence the adolescent's consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB), fruits and vegetables (FV) and beans in Latin America. This study uses hierarchical moderated regression models to examine such association by area of residence, sex of the parent and of the adolescent in Costa Rica. Results showed that fathers' authoritarian style was significantly associated with lower intake of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) among boys (b = -0.

Gender-based food intake stereotype scale (GBFISS) for adolescents: development and psychometric evaluation.

The study aimed to develop and test the validity and reliability of a gender-based food intake stereotype scale (GBFISS) to further the understanding of gender stereotype influences on food intake. Two cross-sectional studies were conducted among adolescents. In the first one (= 611), exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were performed on subsamples to identify and cross-validate the scale's structure.

The social environment and childhood obesity: Implications for research and practice in the United States and countries in Latin America.

The environments of children influence their risk for childhood obesity through, among other factors, a child's weight-related behaviors (i.e., diet and physical activity).

Measurement challenges for childhood obesity research within and between Latin America and the United States.

Childhood obesity is a major public health challenge across Latin America and the United States. Addressing childhood obesity depends on valid, reliable, and culturally sensitive measurements. Such progress within and between countries of the Americas could be enhanced through better measurement across different age groups, different countries, and in sending and receiving communities.

Gender-based eating norms, the family environment and food intake among Costa Rican adolescents.

Objective: To examine the association between family environment variables (parenting styles, family meal atmosphere), gender-based stereotypes and food intake in Latin American adolescents.

Design: Structural equation modelling applied to cross-sectional data, 2017.

Setting: Urban and rural sites of San José, Costa Rica.

Modelling Longitudinal Directional Associations Between Self-regulation, Physical Activity, and Habit: Results from a Cross-lagged Panel Model.

Background: The directionality of associations between self-regulatory variables, behavior, and automaticity is seldomly tested. In this study, we aimed to examine a volitional, self-regulatory sequence of variables proposed in the Health Action Process Approach framework (intention → action plans → action control → behavior) and its relationship with the construct of automaticity of the physical activity habit.

Methods: Longitudinal data was collected from high school students (N = 203, M = 15.

Changes in Dietary Intake of Major Nutrients and Food Sources among Costa Rican Adolescents in the Last 20 Years.

Background: Adolescence offers a window of opportunity to prevent adult obesity and noncommunicable disease risk factors. With the rising prevalence of adolescent obesity over the last 20 y, identifying any changes in dietary risk factors is crucial.

Objectives: We aimed to assess the dietary intake of major nutrients and their food sources in Costa Rican adolescents from 1996 to 2017.

Re-evaluating the self-report habit index: the cases of physical activity and snacking habits.

: The Self-Report Habit Index (SRHI) was originally reported as one-dimensional; however, habit has been described as characterised by several features. Moreover, one-dimensional models for the SRHI have demonstrated poor fit. Therefore, we aimed to compare multidimensional models with a one-dimensional model in both snacking and physical activity habits, besides examining further instrument characteristics.

Progress towards elimination of trans-fatty acids in foods commonly consumed in four Latin American cities.

Objective: To assess progress towards the elimination of trans-fatty acids (TFA) in foods after the 2008 Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) recommendation of virtual elimination of TFA in Latin America.

Design: A descriptive, comparative analysis of foods that were likely to contain TFA and were commonly consumed in four cities in Latin America.

Setting: San José (Costa Rica), Mexico City (Mexico), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Buenos Aires (Argentina).

Influence of sensory and cultural perceptions of white rice, brown rice and beans by Costa Rican adults in their dietary choices.

Little is known about the distinct perceptions towards rice and beans that may shape the consumption of these main staple foods among Costa Ricans. We aimed to identify barriers and motivators that could change the current staple into a healthier one, and assess the sensory perceptions of these foods in this population. Focus group discussions and sensory tastings of 8 traditional white or brown rice and beans preparations were conducted in 98 Costa Ricans, aged 40-65 years.

Impact of WHO recommendations to eliminate industrial trans-fatty acids from the food supply in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Background: The World Health Organization (WHO) has deemed that there is enough evidence to recommend the elimination of industrially produced trans-fatty acids (TFA) from the food supply. This article evaluates government-led public health strategies in countries in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), and factors perceived to affect following WHO's recommendation to eliminate industrially produced TFA.

Methods: Descriptive, prospective multiple case studies integrated data from open-ended questionnaires to representatives of ministries of health, and systematic review of internal and publicly available documents in 13 LAC countries.

Psychosocial factors influencing the frequency of fast-food consumption among urban and rural Costa Rican adolescents.

Objective: The aim of this study was to identify psychosocial factors that influence fast-food consumption in urban and rural Costa Rican adolescents.

Methods: A self-administered questionnaire designed for the study asked about sociodemographic information, frequency of fast-food consumption, meaning of "fast food," location of purchase, and psychosocial correlates. Five psychosocial factors were extracted by using principal components analysis with Varimax rotation method and eigenvalues.