To understand the dietary patterns of adults and explore their association with iodine nutritional levels and thyroid function in adults.

We randomly collected 5 ml of adult urine samples and measured urinary iodine concentration (UIC) by cerium arsenate-catalysed spectrophotometry. A serum sample of 5 ml was collected for the determination of free triiodothyronine, free thyroxine and thyrotropin, and diet-related information was collected through a FFQ. Dietary patterns were extracted by principal component analysis, and the relationship between dietary patterns and iodine nutrition levels and thyroid function was explored.

A cross-sectional study involving adults in Xinjiang, China, was conducted.

A total of 435 adults were enrolled in the study.

The overall median urinary iodine of the 435 respondents was 219·73 μg/l. The dietary patterns were PCA1 (staple food pattern), PCA2 (fruit, vegetable and meat pattern), PCA3 (fish, shrimp and legume pattern) and PCA4 (dairy-based protein pattern). The correlation analyses showed that PCA1 and PCA3 were positively correlated with the UIC. The results of the multivariable analysis showed that PCA1, Q1, Q2 and Q3 were associated with an increased risk of iodine deficiency compared with Q4 ((OR): 260·41 (95 % CI: 20·16, 663·70)), 59·89 (5·64, 335·81), and 2·01 (0·15, 26·16), respectively). In PCA2, Q3 was associated with an increased risk of iodine deficiency compared with Q4 (OR: 0·16 (0·05, 0·53)). In PCA3, Q3 was associated with an increased risk of iodine deficiency compared with Q4 (OR: 0·23 (0·06, 0·90)). In PCA4, Q1 was associated with an increased risk of iodine deficiency compared with Q4 (OR: 31·30 (4·88, 200·64)).

This study demonstrated that of the four dietary patterns, the least dependent staple food pattern (Q1) had a higher risk of iodine deficiency compared with the most dependent staple food pattern (Q4). However, the current evidence on the effect of dietary patterns on thyroid function needs to be validated by further longitudinal studies that include long-term follow-up, larger sample sizes and repeated measures.

To understand the characteristics of food environments in the Pacific region, and the broader economic, policy and sociocultural surroundings that influence food choices and interventions to improve food environments for Pacific communities.

Systematic searches were conducted for articles related to food environments or factors influencing food choices from 1993 to 2024 in five academic databases, Google, Google Scholar and relevant organisations’ websites. Studies were included if they meet the eligibility criteria. Two authors independently reviewed the title and abstract of identified articles. Full-text screening was conducted before data were extracted from eligible studies. A narrative analysis was informed by an existing food environments framework.

Pacific Island countries or territories that are a member of the Pacific Community (SPC).

Not applicable.

From the sixty-six included studies (of 2520 records screened), it was clear that food environments in the Pacific region are characterised by high availability and promotion of ultra-processed unhealthy foods. These foods were reported to be cheaper than healthier alternatives and have poor nutritional labelling. Food trade and investment, together with sociocultural and political factors, were found to contribute to unhealthy food choices. Policy interventions have been implemented to address food environments; however, the development and implementation of food environment policies could be strengthened through stronger leadership, effective multisectoral collaboration and clear lines of responsibility.

Interventions focused on improving physical, economic, policy and sociocultural influences on food choices should be prioritised in the Pacific region to improve the food environment and mitigate barriers to healthy eating.

To investigate the relationship between violence and the nutritional status of pregnant women, and whether mental health could be a mediator in this relationship.

Cross-sectional study. Violence and mental health status were investigated using the following questionnaires: WHO-Violence Against Women (WHO-VAW), Abuse Assessment Screen (AAS), Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and General Health Questionnaire (GHQ). Demographic, socio-economic, obstetric and lifestyle factors (smoking/alcohol consumption) were also investigated. The nutritional status of the women was assessed by the BMI.

Data were collected from February 2021 to August 2022 in Araraquara city, Brazil.

Four hundred pregnant women recruited at thirty-four health units and the municipal maternity hospital.

Experience of violence was reported by 52·2 % of the women, and psychological violence in the last 12 months was the most prevalent type of domestic violence (19·5 %). Approximately 43 % of the women showed mental health changes and 59·7 % had a risk of major depression. Women with mental health changes had an increased risk (OR = 2·34) of obesity. Psychological violence in the last 12 months was associated with obesity (P = 0·01) when mediated by mental health changes. The mediation effect was significant (β = 0·708; 95 % bias-corrected and accelerated (BCa) CI = 0·004, 1·460), with mental health changes mediating 46·1 % of the relationship between psychological violence and obesity.

The relationship between psychological violence and obesity during pregnancy was mediated by changes in mental health. This original study shows that nutritional status is not limited to biological factors and highlights the importance of social, mental and psychological factors.

To evaluate whether changes in starch intake (in terms of amount and food sources) were associated with increments in dental caries among adults.

This is an 11-year longitudinal study (2000–2011) with duplicate assessments for all variables. A 128-item FFQ was used to estimate intake of starch (g/d) and six starch-rich food groups (potatoes, potato products, roots and tubers, pasta, wholegrains and legumes). Dental caries was assessed through clinical examinations and summarised using the number of decayed, missing and filled teeth (DMFT score). The relationship between quintiles of starch intake and DMFT score was tested in linear hybrid models adjusting for confounders.

Northern and Southern regions of Finland.

922 adults, aged 30–88 years.

Mean starch intake was 127·6 (sd: 47·8) g/d at baseline and 120·7 (55·8) g/d at follow-up. Mean DMFT score was 21·7 (6·4) and 22·4 (6·2) at baseline and follow-up. Starch intake was inversely associated with DMFT score cross-sectionally (rate ratio for highest v. lowest quintile of intake: –2·73, 95 % CI –4·64, –0·82) but not longitudinally (0·32, 95 % CI –0·12, 0·76). By food sources, the intakes of pasta (–2·77, 95 % CI –4·21, –1·32) and wholegrains (–1·91, 95 % CI –3·38, –0·45) were negatively associated with DMFT score cross-sectionally but not longitudinally (0·03, 95 % CI –0·33, 0·39 and –0·10, 95 % CI –0·44, 0·24, respectively).

Changes in the amount and sources of starch intake were not associated with changes in dental caries. Further studies should be conducted in different settings and age groups while focusing on starch digestibility and specific sources of starch.

Undernutrition among children under the age of five years is a prevalent global issue, especially in Bangladesh. This study aimed to explore the relationships of household environmental conditions (HECs) with child undernutrition in Bangladesh, with a specific focus on rural–urban variations.

We analysed children’s data from the 2017/18 Bangladesh Demographic Health Survey. The outcome variable considered were measures of child undernutrition, including stunting, wasting and underweight. The primary exposure variables considered were indicators of HEC. We used a hierarchical multilevel mixed-effect generalized linear models (GLM) modified with a Poisson regression to explore the association between outcomes and exposures, adjusting for potential confounders.

Nationally representative cross-sectional survey.

8,057 under-5 children.

The prevalence of stunting, wasting and underweight in Bangladesh was 31%, 8%, and 22%, respectively, with notable urban–rural variations. Under-5 children who lived in houses constructed with unimproved materials (aRR: 1·17), exposed to household air pollution (aPR: 1·37), had unimproved drinking water sources (aPR: 1·28) or had poor handwashing facilities (aPR: 1·24) had a greater likelihood of stunting compared to their counterparts. Similar associations were observed for underweight. The likelihood of stunting and underweight increased with increasing scores of poor HECs, with variations in the effect size across urban–rural areas.

The high prevalence of stunting and underweight in Bangladesh is linked to poor HECs, therefore, integrated approaches should be adopted to address these environmental factors collectively. Policies and programmes should prioritse enhancing housing quality to achieve sustainable improvements in child nutritional outcomes.

Growth faltering is widespread in many low- and middle-income countries, but its effects on childhood bone mass accrual are unknown. The objective of this study was to estimate associations between length (conditional length-for-age z-scores, cLAZ) and weight (conditional weight-for-age z-scores, cWAZ) gain in three age intervals (ages 0–6, 6–12 and 12–24 months) with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry-derived measures of bone mass (total body less head (TBLH) bone mineral content (BMC), areal bone mineral density (aBMD) and bone area) at 4 years of age.

Associations between interval-specific growth parameters (cLAZ and cWAZ) and bone outcomes were estimated using linear regression models, adjusted for maternal, child and household characteristics.

Data collection occurred in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

599 healthy children enrolled in the BONe and mUScle Health in Kids Study.

cLAZ in each age interval was positively associated with TBLH BMC, aBMD and bone area at 4 years; however, associations attenuated towards null upon adjustment for concurrent height-for-age z-scores (HAZ) at age 4 years and confounders. cWAZ from 0 to 6 and 6 to 12 months was not associated with bone mass, but every sd increase in cWAZ between 12 and 24 months was associated with greater BMC (7·6 g; 95 % CI: 3·2, 12·0) and aBMD (0·008 g/cm2; 95 % CI: 0·003, 0·014) after adjusting for concurrent WAZ, HAZ and confounders.

Associations of linear growth (birth to 2 years) with bone mass at age 4 years were explained by concurrent HAZ. Weight gain in the second year of life may increase bone mass independently of linear growth in settings where growth faltering is common.

This study examined the relationship between reformulation and food price in Canadian packaged foods and beverages between 2017 and 2020.

Matched foods and beverages in the University of Toronto Food Label Information and Price 2017 and 2020 databases were analysed (n 5774). Price change by food category and by retailer were compared using Wilcoxon signed-rank tests. The proportion of products with changes in calories and nutrient levels were determined, and mixed-effects models were used to examine the relationship between reformulation and price changes. The Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) nutrient profiling model was applied to calculate nutritional quality scores, and mixed-effects models were used to assess if changes in nutritional quality score were associated with price changes.

Large grocery retailers by market share in Canada.

Foods and beverages available in 2017 and 2020.

Food price changes differed by retailer and by food category (e.g. increased in Bakery, Snacks, etc; decreased in Beverages, Miscellaneous, etc.). Nutrient reformulation was minimal and bidirectional with the highest proportion of products changing in sodium (17·8 %; 8·4 % increased and 9·4 % decreased). The relationship between nutrient reformulation and price change was insignificant for all nutrients overall and was not consistent across food categories. Average FSANZ score did not change (7·5 in both years). For Legumes and Combination dishes, improvements in nutritional quality were associated with a price decrease and increase, respectively.

Stronger policies are required to incentivise reformulation in Canada. Results do not provide evidence of reformulation impacting food prices.

To investigate the association between food insecurity (FI) and diet quality in private sector service workers.

Data were collected via electronic questionnaires (2019) and the national register data (2018–2019). FI was measured using the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) and diet quality using an FFQ and a modified Healthy Food Intake Index (mHFII). The associations between HFIAS and mHFII were studied using ANOVA and ordinal regression analysis.

Cross-sectional survey and register data for all municipalities in Finland in 2018–2019.

Individuals (n 6435) belonging to the Finnish Service Union United. The members are predominantly women and work mainly in retail trade, tourism, restaurant and leisure services, property maintenance and security services.

Overall diet quality, measured by mHFII, was significantly lower in those experiencing severe FI than in those who were food secure (8·0 v. 9·1). Additionally, those with severe FI were less likely to have higher (more optimal) scores in sugar-sweetened beverages (OR: 0·67), fibre-rich grains (OR: 0·79), vegetables (OR: 0·54), fruits and berries (OR: 0·61), vegetable oil (OR: 0·80), fish (OR: 0·65), milk (OR: 0·89) and nuts and seeds (OR: 0·66) than food-secure participants. Severe FI was associated with higher odds for less frequent consumption of red and processed meat (OR: 1·15, a higher score represents less frequent consumption).

Severe FI was linked to both lower overall diet quality and suboptimal consumption of several food groups. Individuals experiencing severe FI may be predisposed to accumulating dietary risk factors for chronic diseases.

This study examined changes food and drink purchasing during the first 3 months of the COVID-19 pandemic in England, and if changes varied by population subgroups.

We investigated changes in take-home food and drink purchasing and frequency of out-of-home (OOH) purchasing using an interrupted time series analysis design. The start of pandemic restrictions (the intervention) was defined as 16 March 2020, when first announced in the UK.

London and the North of England.

1245 households reporting take-home and 226 individuals reporting OOH purchases between January 2019 and mid-June 2020 from the GB Kantar Fast Moving Consumer Goods Panel.

The marginal mean estimate of total take-home energy purchased was 17·4 % (95 % CI 14·9, 19·9) higher during the pandemic restriction period compared with the counterfactual. Increases of 35·2 % (95 % CI 23·4, 47·0) in take-home volume of alcoholic beverages and 1·2 % (95 % CI 0·1, 2·4) in foods and drinks high in fat, salt and sugar were observed. Reductions in purchased energy from fruit and vegetables (–7·3 %, 95 % CI –10·9, –3·6), ultra-processed foods (–4·0 %, 95 % CI –5·2, –2·8) and in OOH purchasing frequency (–44·0 %, 95 % CI –58·3, –29·6) were observed. Changes in chocolate and confectionery, soft drink and savoury snack purchases levelled off over time. Changes in all studied outcomes varied by sociodemographic characteristics and usual purchasing.

Pandemic restrictions were associated with positive and negative changes in food and drink purchasing, which differed by individual characteristics. Future research should ascertain if changes persist and translate into changes in health.

Orthorexia has been widely studied, but recently, a new conceptualisation was proposed to distinguish its healthy characteristics from its pathological ones. The objective of this study was to differentiate healthy orthorexia (HeOr) from orthorexia nervosa (OrNe) by exploring their sociodemographic, psychological, health and dietary characteristics using comparative and correlational statistical methods.

Cross-sectional analysis. Participants completed an online, self-administered questionnaire assessing their sociodemographic characteristics, orthorexia, exercise dependence, personality, health anxiety, food choice motives, emotional competences and eating disorders (ED).

Data were collected between May 2021 and September 2022.

1515 French females (meanage = 37·67). Responses from men were excluded.

While OrNe was mainly associated with weight control motives in food choices (r = 0·42), HeOr was more strongly correlated with natural content (r = 0·60) and health motives (r = 0·49). In relation to exercising, OrNe showed its highest association with weight control (r = 0·41). Health anxiety was more strongly associated with OrNe than with HeOr. Both OrNe and HeOr were related to diet adherence and regular exercise, but the association was stronger for the latter. Orthorexia scores, mainly OrNe, were higher in participants at the risk of ED. Participants who were afraid to gain weight showed higher OrNe scores.

HeOr seems to be part of a healthy lifestyle in general. In contrast, OrNe falls into the category of an ED and is associated with more problematic psychological functioning. Particular attention should be given to individuals who are beginning to control and reduce their food intake to prevent them from developing OrNe.

School-based interventions encouraging children to replace sugar-sweetened beverages with water show promise for reducing child overweight. However, students with child food insecurity (CFI) may not respond to nutrition interventions like children who are food-secure.

The Water First cluster-randomised trial found that school water access and promotion prevented child overweight and increased water intake. This secondary analysis used mixed-effects regression to evaluate the interaction between the Water First intervention and food insecurity, measured using the Child Food Security Assessment, on child weight status (anthropometric measurements) and dietary intake (student 24-h recalls, beverage intake surveys).

Eighteen elementary schools (serving ≥ 50 % children from low-income households), in which drinking water had not been previously promoted, in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Students in fourth-grade classes (n 1056).

Food insecurity interacted with the intervention. Among students with no CFI, the intervention group had a lower prevalence of obesity from baseline to 7 months (–0·04, CI –0·08, 0·01) compared with no CFI controls (0·01, CI –0·01, 0·04) (P = 0·04). Among students with high CFI, the intervention group had a pronounced increase in the volume of water consumed between baseline and 7 months (86·2 %, CI 21·7, 185·0 %) compared with high CFI controls (–13·6 %, CI –45·3, 36·6 %) (P = 0·02).

Addressing food insecurity in the design of water promotion interventions may enhance the benefit to children, reducing the prevalence of obesity.

We aimed to analyse the evolving trends in macronutrient intake and dietary composition among Korean children and adolescents over a 10-year period.

We utilised cross-sectional data from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) spanning the years 2010–2020. Overall, the study included 11 861 participants aged 6–18 years who completed the 24-h dietary recall survey. Subsequently, we assessed trends in energy consumption and macronutrient intake across population subgroups, including age, sex and obesity status. Survey-weighted linear regression was employed to determine the β coefficient and P-value for trends in dietary nutrient consumption, treating the survey year as a continuous variable.

KNHANES from 2010 to 2020.

11 861 children and adolescents aged 6–18 years.

Total energy intake significantly decreased across the 10-year survey period, with a corresponding decline in the percentage of energy intake from carbohydrates. Conversely, the proportion of energy intake from fat increased during the same period. Subgroup analysis revealed changes in the composition of energy intake across age, sex and obesity status, with a consistent increase in total fat intake observed across all subgroups. Upon analysing data on dietary fibres, total sugars and fat subtypes intake, we found insufficient dietary fibre intake and increased intake of all fat subtypes.

This study underscores the gradually changing dietary intake patterns among Korean children and adolescents. Our findings revealed that these transitions in dietary nutrient consumption may pose potential risks of diet-related diseases in the future.