Studies on the independent role of parity in long-term body weight change in economically developing countries are scarce and inconclusive, and only a few studies have taken into account patterns of breast-feeding. This association was examined in a national cross-sectional survey representative of Brazilian parous women.

The survey conducted in 1996 measured women's height and weight in the household and data on weight prior to the first pregnancy, parity and breast-feeding were recalled.

A sample of 2338 parous women, 15 to 49 years of age, 29 months after last delivery on average, had current body mass index (BMI, in kg m−2) modelled through hierarchical multiple linear regression analysis. Explanatory variables included parity, days of predominant breast-feeding, BMI pre-pregnancy, socio-economic, geographic, demographic and other reproductive variables.

Prevalences of overweight (BMI=25.0–29.9 kg m−2) and obesity (BMI<=30.0 kg m−2) were 25.2% and 9.3%. The overall mean weight gain per year after the first pregnancy was 0.90 kg for an average time since first pregnancy of eight years. BMI pre-pregnancy modified the association between current BMI and parity. Therefore, weight change attributed to parity calculated for a woman of average height (1.56 m) was 0.60 kg greater for primiparous women with a BMI pre-pregnancy of 30 kg m−2, compared with women with BMI pre-pregnancy of 25 kg m−2. This greater weight retention among obese women was 1.21 kg for women with two children and 1.82 kg for women with three or more children. Parity reduced the effect of weight loss associated with lactation (1.75 kg for six months of lactation among primiparous women and 0.87 kg among women with three or more children). For the sub-sample of 793 primiparous women, a weight decrease of 300 g was associated with each month of predominant breast-feeding for all prior BMI levels.

In this study, weight change associated to reproduction was highly dependent on BMI previous to pregnancy and the effects of parity and lactation were small.

To study the ecological variation of intake of cassava foods and dietary cyanide load.

Ecological study design.

Five communities in south-western Nigeria where tropical ataxic neuropathy (TAN) was described as endemic (area A), 11 communities in south-western Nigeria where TAN was described as absent (area B), and five communities in northern Nigeria (area C).

Subjects were randomly sampled from selected communities. Intake of cassava foods was estimated from dietary history and dietary cyanide load was estimated from urine thiocyanate concentrations. Residual cyanogens in cassava food samples from the community markets were determined.

In total, 1272 subjects from 21 communities – 238 from area A, 659 from area B and 375 from area C – were selected. Intake of cassava food per person per week was 17 meals in area A, 10 meals in area B, and one meal in area C. Geometrical mean urine thiocyanate concentrations were 73 μmol l−1, 51 μmol l−1 and 17 μmol l−1 in areas A, B and C, respectively. Mean residual cyanogen content in cassava food samples was 16 mg HCN eq kg−1 (confidence interval (CI) 13–18) in area A, and 13 mg HCN eq kg−1 in area B (CI 11–14).

This study shows that the intake of cassava foods and dietary cyanide load is high in several communities in south-western Nigeria, predominantly in communities where TAN has been reported. Dietary cyanide load in these communities appears to be determined by the combination of frequency of intake and cyanogen content of cassava foods. Measures to improve the effectiveness of removal of cyanogen from cassava roots during processing are needed in the affected communities.

An outbreak of contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP) in the northern part of Botswana in 1996 was contained through eradication of all heads of cattle in Ngamiland district (Ngami East and West) in the period April 1996 to February 1997. This disaster posed a serious threat to those who depended on the livestock sector for sustenance and to the nutrition security of the population, especially the under five's.

The aim of this study was to assess the impact of the cattle eradication on the nutritional status of children.

A secondary analysis of existing data from the Botswana National Nutrition Surveillance System enabled us to study the impact of this disaster on malnutrition in the under five's by comparing quarterly malnutrition rates for Ngami East with national figures for the period of January 1995 to March 1998.

While the risk for malnutrition among under five's in Ngami East increased from 0.046 to 0.105 during the study period, giving a relative risk of 2.299, the increase in risk for Botswana was from 0.133 to 0.139, giving a relative risk of 1.048. The attributable risk for cattle eradication impact on malnutrition was 4.6% for Botswana and 54.4% for Ngami East.

The cattle eradication impacted seriously on the food and nutrition security of the under five's in Ngami East, compared with the country as a whole.

To document the consumption during pregnancy of pulque, a traditional central Mexican alcoholic beverage, and its relationship to subsequent infant size, physical growth and performance on the Bayley Scales of Infant Development.

Prospective cohort study.

Six villages in rural, central Mexico in 1984–1985.

Seventy mother–infant pairs.

Most women (72.9%) consumed pulque during pregnancy, and 28.6% consumed more than 150 g ethanol week−1 from the beverage. Individuals who consumed pulque showed no compensating decrease in energy obtained from other foods. Pulque consumption possessed curvilinear relationships with both infant length (at 1 and 6 months) and Bayley mental performance (at 6 months). Heavy pulque intakes were associated with smaller infant size and poorer mental performance. In modest quantities, pulque consumption may have been beneficial due to its micronutrient content.

Intakes of alcohol from pulque were common among pregnant women in these rural, central Mexican villages. Given current scientific knowledge of the adverse effects of ethanol on foetal development, public health interventions are needed to reduce heavy pulque consumption during pregnancy in some areas of rural Mexico.

The risk of many important diseases can be reduced by consuming a diet rich in vegetables and fruit. For this reason the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends a daily intake of more than 400 g person−1. The pattern of both the supply and intake of vegetables and fruit and the potential health gain achieved by increasing intake in the European Union (EU) and three accession countries are presented in this paper.

Patterns of supply and dietary intake were assessed using (1) FAO food balance sheets, which allow comparison between the levels of supply in countries but do not reflect actual intake; and (2) survey data reflecting dietary intake. Using WHO mortality data for coronary heart and cerebrovascular disease and major cancers up to age 65 years, the number of preventable deaths is estimated, assuming vegetable and fruit consumption were levelled up to that of the highest consuming group, and assuming relative risks of 0.5, 0.7 or 0.9.

Vegetable and fruit consumption varies considerably between EU Member States. The populations of about half (seven) of the EU Member States have a mean daily intake of less than 275 g. Using the best current estimates of relative risk, over 26,000 deaths before the age of 65 years would be prevented annually in the EU if intake was levelled up to the highest consumption levels (and about double this number of deaths before the age of 75 years).

Increasing the intake of vegetables and fruit is feasible and could result in considerable improvements in public health within the EU. Priority should be given to developing methods that demonstrate the burden of disease caused by too low intakes of vegetables and fruit. This would enable the appropriate social, cultural and economic policies to be developed within the EU.

To assess the relative ability of principal components analysis (PCA)-derived dietary patterns to correctly identify cases and controls compared with other methods of characterising food intake.

Participants in this study were 232 endometrial cancer cases and 639 controls from the Western New York Diet Study, 1986–1991, frequency-matched to cases on age and county of residence.

Usual intake in the year preceding interview of 190 foods and beverages was collected during a personal interview using a detailed food-frequency questionnaire. Principal components analysis identified two major dietary patterns which we labelled ‘healthy’ and ‘high fat’. Classification on disease status was assessed with separate discriminant analyses (DAs) for four different characterisation schemes: stepwise DA of 168 food items to identify the subset of foods that best discriminated between cases and controls; foods associated with each PCA-derived dietary pattern; fruits and vegetables (47 items); and stepwise DA of USDA-defined food groups (fresh fruit, canned/frozen fruit, raw vegetables, cooked vegetables, red meat, poultry, fish and seafood, processed meats, snacks and sweets, grain products, dairy, and fats).

In general, classification of disease status was somewhat better among cases (54.7% to 67.7%) than controls (54.0% to 63.1%). Correct classification was highest for fruits and vegetables (67.7% and 62.9%, respectively) but comparable to that of the other schemes (49.5% to 66.8%).

Our results suggest that the use of principal components analysis to characterise dietary behaviour may not provide substantial advantages over more commonly used, less sophisticated methods of characterising diet.

To study the knowledge, attitude and practice of pregnant women regarding periconceptional folic acid (FA) intake.

Questionnaire-based prospective study.

Antenatal clinic of a District General Hospital.

Three-hundred pregnant women in an antenatal clinic.

Nearly all (298/300) had heard of FA. A majority (275/300, 91%) knew that FA could prevent neural tube defects, and married women (P <0.001), those with higher education (P <0.001), those of Social Classes 1–3 (P <0.01) and women over 30 years of age (P <0.05) were more likely to be thus aware. Knowledge about the correct timing of FA intake was seen in 76% and was more likely in those with higher education (P <0.001), married women (P <0.001) and women age over 30 years (P <0.05). Intake of FA in the periconceptional period was seen in 134/300 (44.6%) women and was most likely in the married, Social Classes 1–3, women with higher education (all P <0.001), non-smokers (P <0.01), women with a planned pregnancy and women aged 30 years and over (P <0.05).

The knowledge of the correct timing of FA intake was present in only 76%. Less than half (44.6%) had taken FA in the periconceptional period, and this was far more common in the more ‘privileged’ classes. Low socio-economic status, age less than 30 years, lower educational status and unplanned pregnancy were high risk factors for not taking FA. The challenge to the medical profession for targeting this group cannot be over-emphasised.

To assess and contrast awareness of the link between dietary fibre and folate and their major food sources (fruit, vegetables, bread and cereals).

Mailed questionnaire investigating changes made to dietary intake of fibre, folate, fruit, vegetables, bread and cereals in the previous six months.

The survey was conducted between June and November 1998 in the Australian Capital Territory.

One thousand one hundred and twenty-six adults randomly selected from the electoral roll.

More women than men in both older (50 + years) and younger (18–49 years) age groups reported increasing their consumption of folate, fibre, fruit and vegetables in the prior six months. In contrast, more men than women reported increased consumption of bread, cereals, rice and pasta in the previous six months. For food categories and fibre, less than 4% of respondents were unsure about changes in these food habits. However, 26% of men and women were ‘not sure’ about changes to folate intake. Similar proportions of men and women (about 33%) reported consuming more fruit, vegetables or cereal-based foods over the prior six months, yet only 6% of these men and 14% of these women reported consuming more folate. In contrast, 44% of men and 51% of women who reported consuming more plant foods also reported consuming more dietary fibre.

The results suggested that subjects, particularly the younger age group, had a poor understanding of the relationship between folate intake and its major food sources. The understanding of the relationship between fibre intake and its food sources appeared substantial, but confusion about specific food sources was still evident. These outcomes question the effectiveness of nutrition education used to date, particularly for the current priority of increasing folate intake in younger women in the new, ‘health claims’ environment.

The aims of the present study were (1) to evaluate the degree to which underreporting of energy intake by repeated 24-hour recalls was related to gender, age, weight status, day of interview, educational level, smoking habits and area of living, and (2) to compare the dietary characteristics of underreporters with those of others.

Cross-sectional study. Ten 24-hour recalls were performed during a one-year period.

The Västerbotten intervention programme of cardiovascular disease and diabetes in Northern Sweden.

Ninety-four men and 99 women in four age groups: 30, 40, 50 and 60 years.

The prevalence of men and women with a food intake level (FIL; reported energy intake divided by estimated basal metabolic rate) below 1.2 was 44% and 47%, respectively. The youngest age group had higher FIL values than the oldest age group for both men (1.5 versus 1.1) and women (1.4 versus 1.1). The prevalence and magnitude of underreporting were directly related to body mass index (BMI; correlation coefficient: -0.47 (men) and -0.55 (women)). Smokers had a lower FIL value (1.1) than non-smokers (1.3). The nutrient density was lower for the group with high FIL values for protein and calcium and higher for fat and sucrose. The upper FIL group often had higher intake frequencies and larger portion sizes than the lower FIL group.

Underreporting of energy intake is prevalent when 24-hour recalls are used, but the prevalence differs between sub-groups in the population. BMI was the main predictor of underreporting but also old age and smoking seem to contribute in this aspect. Socially desirable food items were not underreported to the same extent as socially undesirable food items. The intake frequencies and portion sizes partly explained the differences in FIL.