Webinar’s effect on nutritional knowledge to enhance immunity during COVID-19 pandemic

Introduction: As of 31st December 2021, there have been 4,262,540 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 144,088 death cases in Indonesia. COVID-19 pandemic has affected the nutrition aspect, as an increasing number of undernutrition children also increases risk of obesity. Our group conducts webinars with the purpose of increasing public knowledge and awareness regarding general well-being: importance of adequate nutrition to increase immunity in the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of the study is to examine webinar participants' knowledge before and after webinar. Method: The webinar conducted through a zoom meeting for 2 hours consists of 1 hour education and 1 hour question and answer session. The participants asked to fill a pretest before the webinar session and posttest after the webinar session. The results were statistically examined to determine the difference between pretest and posttest score. Results: The webinar participant’s demographic characteristics were dominated by 17-45 years old age group, high school graduates, and female participants. There is a significant difference (p<0.05) between pre and post-test score evaluated using Wilcoxon signed-rank test. After the webinar, there is a decreased number of participants with low-level nutritional knowledge from 31 to 23 participants. Conclusion: There is an increase in knowledge about the importance of adequate nutrition to increase immunity in the COVID-19 pandemic from pre and post-test data. Thus, this webinar contributes to providing knowledge to participants in supporting the strengthening of socialization of adequate nutrition during COVID-19 pandemic.

Determinan kejadian stunting di Puskesmas Alue Bilie Kabupaten Nagan Raya

Background: Stunting is condition a child's nutritional status that is not ideal which can Stunting is state of nutritional status children who are not ideal that can inhibit growth and development. Stunting events are influenced by various factors, namely birth length, exclusive breastfeeding history, family income, maternal education, maternal height nutrition knowledge, parity and parenting.Objective: Purpose this study is find the determinant stunting events in Alue Bilie Health Center of Nagan Raya Regency of Aceh Province.Method: The research design used is an observational comparative study with a case control approach. The population of this research is all mothers who have toddlers in Kuta Trieng Village. The number of samples is that all mothers have stunting toddlers as many as 42 people and toddlers who do not suffer from stunting as many as 42 people. Data was collected by interview using a questionnaire and anthropometric measurements of TB and age. Height using microtoise. Stunting was processed based on PMK no 2 of 2020. The data were analyzed using the Chi-Square test and Multiple Logistics Regression at a significance level of 95%.Results: Based on the results of the study found that there a relationship of exclusive breast milk history with stunting (ρ= 0.000), there a relationship of maternal nutritional knowledge with stunting (ρ= 0.000), there a income relationship with stunting (ρ= 0.024), there a relationship of maternal education with stunting (ρ= 0.034), exist parity relationship with stunting (ρ= 0.000), there a relationship of maternal height with stunting (ρ= 0.000) and there a parenting relationship with stunting (ρ= 0.003). Determinant factors that most affected stunting incidence were maternal height with an OR score of 24.8Conclusion: Factors that have a relationship with the incidence of stunting in toddlers in the work area of the Alue Bilie Health Center, Nagan Raya Regency, Aceh Province, namely the mother's education level, parity, exclusive breastfeeding, mother's level of knowledge, family income, mother's height and parenting patterns. The main determinant factors are parity, knowledge and maternal height.

Consumers’ Knowledge and Use of Nutritional Labelling Information in Lagos, Nigeria

Nutrition labelling is a topical issue, being a vital aid that shapes consumers’ food choices and could be an efficient tool for the prevention of consumer vulnerability to diet-related diseases such as cancer, high blood pressure, hypertension, and obesity. However, data on the public use of nutritional labels as an information source on nutritional properties of foods and health claims, especially as it relates to Nigeria, are not popular in the literature. This study seeks to examine consumers’ use of labelling information: knowledge; attitude, and practice. A cross-sectional study with the aid of a survey elicited information from 374 randomly selected shoppers in five shopping malls in Lagos State. Data were analysed using the T-test method. Findings show that while the majority of the respondents (70.6%) read the nutritional information, only 64.9% understand the information presented on food labels. The study also reveals that the majority of the respondents (57.5%) do not know that information on food labels should be presented in the English language before any other language as recommended by the National Agency Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC). While 57.9% of consumers have a positive attitude towards using food labels, 58% of the respondents’ buying decisions are influenced by food labels. The study concludes that consequent upon the importance of nutritional knowledge and wellbeing, consumers of Fast Moving Goods in Nigeria are beginning to consciously pay attention to nutritional labels. The study recommends that producers of Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) products in Nigeria should adopt the total disclosure of ingredients and nutritional content of their products. Also, regulatory bodies in charge of pre-packaged food products in Nigeria (NAFDAC) should go the whole way and make nutritional labelling mandatory.

Dietary Knowledge and Practices among Non-Medical Staff at Babcock University in Ogun State, Nigeria

Objective: Good nutrition is important in promoting health and is dependent on the quality of food eaten. Little has been researched on the dietary practices among the workforce in Nigeria. This study aimed at assessing the dietary knowledge, practices, and factors influencing dietary practices and work productivity among the non-medical staff of Universities. Methods: This is a descriptive cross-sectional survey of 398 non-medical staff of Babcock University who were selected using the multi-stage sampling technique. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS 21) to compute frequency distributions, means, and standard deviations. Nutritional knowledge, dietary practices, and barriers to work productivity were assessed. Inferential statistical analysis was conducted using Pearson’s correlation coefficient. Results: The mean age among respondents was 38.68±11.04, with the majority being female 54.6%. of the respondents (61.1%) of Yoruba origin, about three percentiles (66%) were members of staff while (34%) were faculty members. The computed level of knowledge and dietary-based practices scores were (2.57±0.61) and (3.64±1.44) respectively, indicating poor knowledge and dietary practices, while the barriers that influence work productivity among workers (11.34±5.286) were high at 87.2%. No significant association was found between nutritional knowledge and dietary practices of staff and faculty (p=.154), but a significant association was found between dietary practices and work productivity of staff and faculty (p=.019) Conclusion: Health education and promotion of good nutrition should be incorporated in the workplace, interventions that will improve work productivity among workers are also encouraged. This will culminate in a well-fed and healthy workforce.

Factors Associated with Self-Efficacy Toward Healthy Eating and Physical Activity among Kuwaiti Adolescent Girls

Factors that influence adolescents’ health-related behaviors in Kuwait are unclear. We hypothesized that self-efficacy would be negatively associated with a heavier weight status and positively associated with healthy eating-related behaviors. We aimed to measure healthy eating-related parameters in a sample of Kuwaiti girls and to assess the correlates of self-efficacy. The participants of this cross-sectional study were adolescent schoolgirls. The main outcome measures were self-efficacy, dietary habits, dietary beliefs, nutrition knowledge, physical activity, and weight status per body mass index (BMI) categories. Pearson’s correlation analysis was performed to determine the associations among the healthy behavior-related parameter scores. Independent samples t-test was used to examine the differences in scores between participants’ characteristics and self-efficacy score (SES). Only 19.9% of the participants had high self-efficacy toward healthy eating behaviors, 20.9% had “satisfactory eating habits,” 11.3% had a good comprehension of the meanings of healthy and unhealthy dietary habits and food, 16.3% had good nutrition knowledge, and 29.2% had an active lifestyle. SES is associated negatively with BMI, and positively with all the domains of healthy eating and with physical activity. However, SES was not associated with nutritional knowledge. Adolescent girls in Kuwait demonstrated a high level of self-efficacy toward healthy eating and behaviors with firm nutritional beliefs; however, they failed to practice them. Interventional school nutrition programs could help to improve healthy behaviors among adolescents.

Examination of Nutritional Knowledge Levels and Nutritional Attitudes of Badminton Athletes

Aim: This study aimed to examine the nutritional knowledge levels and nutritional attitudes of badminton athletes in Turkey. Method: The screening model was used in our research. After giving preliminary information about the survey to the participants, a total of 207 volunteer athletes (92 (44.4%) female and 115 (55.6%) male athletes) participated in the study voluntarily. In the research, a personal information form was used in the first part, and a nutrition questionnaire consisting of two main parts was applied in the nutrition-related part. The first part of the nutrition questionnaire measured the nutritional knowledge level of the participants, and the second part measured their nutritional attitudes. The data obtained for the research were first transferred to the computer environment and then analyzed through the SPSS 22.0 package program. Results: According to the results of the study, it was observed that the nutritional attitude values of the female participants were higher than the males, and this difference was found to be statistically significant (p<0.05). Considering the nutritional attitudes of the national athletes according to the being national athlete status variable of the participants, it was determined that the mean scores were higher than the non-national athletes and this situation was statistically significant (p<0.05). Conclusion: When the results were examined, it was observed that the athletes who took nutrition lessons had higher nutritional knowledge and attitudes than those who did not, and national athletes had higher nutritional knowledge and attitudes than non-national athletes. The fact that national athletes can be in the camp environment at an early age and work with experts was inevitably beneficial for their nutritional knowledge and attitude. Keywords: Badminton, Nutrition Knowledge and Attitude

Determination of athlete nutrition knowledge level of university students

The aim of the study is to determine the athlete nutrition knowledge level of the students educated at Hatay Mustafa Kemal University School of Physical Education and Sports. A total of 286 students, 156 male, and 130 female, between the ages of 18-25 participated in the study voluntarily. The Sports Nutrition Knowledge Questionnaire (NSKQ) was used to determine the athletes' nutrition knowledge levels of the students. The Independent T-test was used to compare the groups, and the One-Way ANOVA test was used to determine the difference between the departments. As a result of the analysis, both men and women were in the weak knowledge group in the classification of nutritional knowledge. No difference was found in the comparison of the nutritional knowledge scores according to the gender variable. In the comparison of the nutritional knowledge scores according to the status of taking a nutrition course, a significant difference was determined for both the total score and the sub-variables (weight control, macronutrients, micronutrients, sports nutrition, supplement, alcohol), and it was determined that the difference was in favor of the students who took the nutrition course. It was determined that this difference was in favor of the students who took nutrition lessons. It was also determined that there was a significant difference in the sub-dimension of macronutrients in the comparison of sports nutrition knowledge scores according to the departments, and the difference was in favor of the department of recreation. When comparing the nutritional knowledge scores of male and female students according to the department variable, it was determined that there was a difference in the sub-dimension of macronutrients and this difference was in favor of the department of recreation in men and in favor of teaching department students in women. As a result, it was revealed that the nutritional knowledge level of the students in the School of Physical Education and Sports was weak. In their professional lives, it is thought that increasing the hours of compulsory nutrition lessons will be beneficial for education to be at the desired level in nutrition. ​Extended English summary is in the end of Full Text PDF (TURKISH) file. Özet Çalışmanın amacı Hatay Mustafa Kemal Üniversitesi Beden Eğitimi ve Spor Yüksekokulunda (BESYO) eğitime-öğrenim gören öğrencilerin sporcu beslenme bilgi düzeylerinin belirlenmesidir. Çalışmaya 18-25 yaş arası 156 erkek, 130 kadın olmak üzere toplam 286 öğrenci, gönüllü olarak katılmıştır. Öğrencilerin sporcu beslenme bilgi düzeylerinin belirlenmesi için Sporcu Beslenme Bilgisi Ölçeği (SBBÖ) kullanılmıştır. Grupların karşılaştırılmasında Independent T testi, bölümler arasında farkın belirlemesinde ise One Way ANOVA testi kullanılmıştır. Analiz sonucunda hem erkekler hem de kadınlar beslenme bilgi sınıflandırılmasında zayıf bilgi grubunda yer almışlardır. Cinsiyet değişkenine göre beslenme bilgi puanlarının karşılaştırılmasında fark saptanmamıştır. Beslenme bilgi puanlarının beslenme dersi alma durumuna göre karşılaştırılmasında, hem toplam puan hem de alt değişkenler (ağırlık kontrolü, makro besin öğeleri, mikro besin öğeleri, sporcu beslenmesi, supleman, alkol) için anlamlı fark belirlenmiş, farkın beslenme dersi alan öğrenciler lehine olduğu tespit edilmiştir. Bölümlere göre sporcu beslenme bilgi puan karşılaştırılmasında makro besin öğeleri alt boyutunda anlamlı fark olduğu farkın rekreasyon bölümü lehine olduğu tespit edilmiştir. Erkek ve kadın öğrencilerin bölüm değişkenine göre beslenme bilgi puan karşılaştırılmasında makro besin öğeleri alt boyutunda fark olduğu farkın erkeklerde rekreasyon kadınlarda ise öğretmenlik bölümü öğrencileri lehine olduğu tespit edilmiştir. Sonuç olarak, BESYO’da öğrencilerin beslenme bilgi düzeylerinin zayıf olduğu, mesleki hayatlarında beslenme konusunda istenilen seviyelerde olmaları için zorunlu beslenme dersi saatlerinin arttırılmasının eğitime faydalı olacağı düşünülmektedir.

Cardiovascular Diseases Healthy Diet Related Knowledge among a Sample of the General Population in Egypt

BACKGROUND: Little is known about the extent of Egyptians’ awareness regarding the relationship between nutrition and cardiovascular health. AIM: This study seeks to evaluate people’s awareness through an online cross-sectional survey to determine the knowledge gaps. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted through an online survey using a convenience sampling technique. The participation required being an adult Egyptian (≥18 years old). A pre-tested electronic-questionnaire included three sections: Socio-demographic data, a self-reported history of chronic and cardiac diseases, and 15 questions addressing dietary risk factors and protective factors. Six hundred and thirty-two participants completed the questionnaire. RESULTS: The mean age was 28 ± 8 years. More than 80% of the participants were males. Of 632 participants, 233 had poor awareness. The median knowledge percent score was 62 with interquartile range (52, 71). About 85.4% of the participants were ready to change their eating habits and follow a healthy diet to maintain their health. The participants were interested in knowing more about healthy food and how to prepare healthy balanced meals (71.7% and 62.2%, respectively). Females, university-educated, employed, and Upper Egypt residents demonstrated deep awareness (p-value = 0.02, 0.011, 0.05, and 0.012, respectively). Intriguingly, friends and social media were the primary sources of nutritional knowledge. CONCLUSION: The participants’ knowledge is poor regarding the relation between nutrition and cardiovascular health. This study emphasizes the urgent need to raise public awareness as a precaution against cardiovascular diseases.

Assessment of Nutritional Status of Chronic Renal Failure Patients on Hemodialysis in Damanhour National Medical Institute in El-Beheira Governorate, Egypt

Background: Nutritional problems are of the most important risk factors of increasing mortality rates in chronic renal failure patients on hemodialysis and morbidity occurring from malnutrition significantly severely affects their quality of life. Aim: To assess the nutritional status of chronic renal failure patients on hemodialysis (HD) attending HD unit in Damanhur National Medical Institute. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out in the hemodialysis unit on 174 patients. Data collection was done via a specially designed questionnaire containing; socio-demographic and clinical data, anthropometric measurements, biochemical measurements, 24-hour recall list and questions for assessment of nutritional knowledge. Malnutrition inflammation score (MIS) was used for assessment of the nutritional status. Results: 65.5% of the patients were mildly malnourished, 24.7% were moderately malnourished and only 9.8% were normal and the level of malnutrition was significantly affected by duration of renal disease and hemodialysis duration. 44.3 % of patients had poor nutritional knowledge level, and only 4% had good nutritional knowledge and the nutritional knowledge level had a significant association with level of malnutrition. 96% did not attend any nutritional health education sessions, but they were willing to attend these sessions. Conclusions: Malnutrition was highly prevalent among the studied patients. There was a statistically significant relationship between levels of malnutrition (MN) and the level of nutritional knowledge of hemodialysis patients.

Assessment of the knowledge of nutritional recommendations and way of nutrition in vegetarians and vegans

Background. People following a vegetarian diet can obtain all the essential nutrients from a variety of foods. Among the nutrients, protein, iron, calcium, zinc, and vitamins B12 and D3 require special attention. Objective. To assess the knowledge of dietary recommendations among different groups of vegetarians and the diet they follow. Material and methods. The study involved a total of 390 subjects (360 women and 30 men), aged 18–60 years, who were following different vegetarian diets. The study was conducted in November 2020 via Facebook using the Computerassisted web interviewing (CAWI) method. Participation in the study was voluntary and anonymous, and sample selection was intentional (participants were members of groups for vegetarians in Facebook). Statistical analysis was carried out using the Chi2 test, using Statistica 13.3 (at p=0.05). Results. To develop the results, the respondents were divided into 4 groups according to their diet: vegan, pescovegetarian, lactovegetarian, and people following other types of diets. The body mass index of nearly 2/3 of the respondents was within the normal range, and more than 80% of the respondents rated their health as good or very good. An analysis of the frequency of consumption of food products showed that, regardless of the type of vegetarian diet they followed, the participants adhered to the principles of proper nutrition. The respondents who rated their nutritional knowledge as very good were more likely to consume vegetables, fruits, legumes, and whole-grain cereals, and rarely consumed sweet and salty snacks, alcoholic and energizing drinks, or fast food. Vegans more frequently consumed fruits, vegetables, legumes, vegetable fats, and vegetable substitutes for meat and dairy products compared to other vegetarians. In addition to plant products, pesco- and lactovegetarians included selected animal-derived products in their food rations, thus skillfully diversifying the diet. More than 80% of the vegetarians used dietary supplements, mainly vitamins D and B12. Conclusions. Regardless of the type of vegetarian diet followed, the participants seemed to be aware of how to balance their diet and the ingredients that should be supplemented, even though a vast majority of them did not consult a diet specialist.