Development and evaluation of image-series for portion size estimation in dietary assessment among adults

AbstractPortion size images are advantageous in dietary assessment. The aim of the present study was to develop and validate new culturally specific image-series for portion size estimation to be used in a new Norwegian version of a British web-based dietary assessment tool (myfood24). Twenty-three image-series of different foods, each containing seven portion size images, were created and validated in a group of adults (n41, 58 % female) aged 19–44 (median 23), out of which 63 % had higher (tertiary) education. The participants compared 46 portions of pre-weighed foods to the portion size images (1886 comparisons in total). Portion size estimations were either classified as correct, adjace…

Differences in formal education among Norwegian Home Economics teachers

Many Norwegian teachers in Food and Health (Home Economics) do not have any formal subject-specific education. This study aims to explore potential differences between teachers with formal versus no formal Food and Health education. In 2018, Food and Health teachers in all primary and lower secondary schools in Norway were invited to answer a web-based questionnaire. In total, 1170 Food and Health teachers completed the questionnaire. We found several differences between the groups. Most importantly, 49% of the teachers at the secondary school level had formal Food and Health education despite national requirements. Also, a higher proportion of the formally educated group showed more conten…

Effectiveness of a digital dietary intervention program targeting young adults before parenthood: protocol for the PREPARED randomised controlled trial.

IntroductionThe importance of preconception health for lifelong physical and mental health in the next generation has gained increasing recognition in recent years. Preconception paternal and maternal risk factors such as obesity and inadequate diet affect the metabolic and cardiovascular health of their offspring later in life. This highlights the importance of diet and dietary behaviour in the years before parenthood. In our project, PREPARED, we will evaluate the effectiveness of a digital intervention targeting young adults. Our primary aim is to improve participants’ preconception diet, and our secondary aim is to improve preconception quality of life and maternal and child perinatal o…

Alcohol consumption among students and its relationship with nutritional intake: a cross-sectional study

AbstractObjective:Excessive alcohol consumption during reproductive years may impact the integrity of developing eggs and sperm, potentially affecting the life-long health of future children. Inadequate diets could aggravate these preconception effects of alcohol. The aim of the present study was to assess the prevalence of excessive alcohol consumption and explore whether weekly alcohol intake is associated with energy and nutrient intake and adequacy of micronutrient intake among students.Design:Cross-sectional survey using a validated and reproducibility-tested FFQ.Setting:University of Agder, Norway, in 2018.Participants:622 students (71 % female).Results:More than 80 % reported having …

The mismatch between teaching practices and curriculum goals in Norwegian Home Economics classes : a missed opportunity

DOI 10.1080/20004508.2020.1816677 Current curriculum guidelines emphasise the importance of both nutrition education and the development of practical cooking skills in the school subject Food and Health (FH). This study aimed to explore teachers’ and students’ perspectives and experiences of current classroom practices in FH. Focus group discussions (FGDs) with teachers and students at three schools in Southern Norway were conducted and thematically analysed. Our findings suggest there is a mismatch between curriculum guidelines and teaching practices. Although teachers understood the benefits of nutrition education, practical cooking activities were prioritised. Three key themes were ident…

Establishing the representativeness of available surface water scenarios for plant protection products in environmental risk assessment Opinion of the Panel on Plant protection Products of the Norwegian Scientific Committee for Food and Environment (VKM)in Norway -

Risk assessment of dioxins, furans, and dioxin-like PCBs in food in Norway - Scientific Opinion of the Panel on Contaminants of the Norwegian Scientific Committee for Food and Environment

Hentet fra: https://vkm.no/risikovurderinger/allevurderinger/dioksinerimatentildennorskebefolkningen.4.413ea92416707dc4375a0a18.html Dioxins and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (dl-PCBs) are lipophilic chemicals with long half-lives in the environment. Dioxins include both polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDD) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDF). Several congeners of PCDDs and PCDFs may occur, with varying number and positions of chlorine atoms in the molecules. Seventeen of these congeners are relatively persistent in animals and humans and exert similar toxicity. A subgroup of 12 out of 209 possible polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners show toxicological properties simil…

Risikovurdering av kombinasjonseffekter av plantevernmiddelrester i stikkprøver fra importerte rosiner, druer, pærer og norske jordbær -Vitenskapelig uttalelse fra faggruppen for plantevernmidler i Vitenskapskomiteen for mat og miljø

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Creatine as a Promising Component of Paternal Preconception Diet

Male fertility has been declining globally over the past several decades, advancing from a personal issue to a public health problem. Beyond any doubt, a reduction in fertility (often characterized by low sperm count or motility) can severely threaten reproductive health and lifecourse framework in a long-term fashion. Aside from uncovering the currently unknown etiology of modern-day male infertility, the scientific and medical community faces a double burden: finding an efficient biomarker of impaired fertility and exploring any intervention that can act to enhance fertility. A plethora of nutritional compounds have been recognized as possible modulators of semen quality, and specific die…

StudentKost: a cross-sectional study assessing college students' diets: reason for concern?

Abstract College students constitute a significant proportion of the young adult population in Norway. They are in their reproductive years, which is of interest regarding diet and preconception health. Our objective was to assess young college students’ diet and nutrient intake in relation to national dietary recommendations and assess the probability of inadequate micronutrient intake for both genders using the Nordic Nutrition Recommendations, and also to evaluate its consequences on preconception health and create a groundwork for future interventions on this group. At the University of Agder (UiA), we enrolled 622 students aged 18–40 years for a cross-sectional study of student's diet,…

Improving Brain Creatine Uptake by Klotho Protein Stimulation: Can Diet Hit the Big Time?

Creatine plays a pivotal role in cellular bioenergetics, acting as a temporal and spatial energy buffer in cells with high and fluctuating energy requirements (1). Jeopardizing delicate creatine homeostasis can be detrimental to many energy-demanding tissues, including the brain. For instance, cerebral creatine hypometabolism accompanies various neurological conditions, including a number of developmental disorders (2, 3), neurodegenerative and cerebrovascular diseases (4, 5), and brain cancer (6). A reduced creatine availability in the brain has been thus recognized as an apposite therapeutic target, and supplying exogenous creatine to compensate for a disease-driven shortfall emerged as a…

Eating at restaurants, at work or at home. Is there a difference? A study among adults of 11 European countries in the context of the HECTOR* project

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: To compare macronutrient intakes out of home-by location-to those at home and to investigate differences in total daily intakes between individuals consuming more than half of their daily energy out of home and those eating only at home.SUBJECTS/METHODS: Data collected through 24-h recalls or diaries among 23766 European adults. Participants were grouped as 'non-substantial', 'intermediate' and 'very substantial out-of-home' eaters based on energy intake out of home. Mean macronutrient intakes were estimated at home and out of home (overall, at restaurants, at work). Study/cohort-specific mean differences in total intakes between the 'very substantial out-of-home' and…

Effect of Ending the Nationwide Free School Fruit Scheme on the Intake of Fruits, Vegetables, and Unhealthy Snacks in Norwegian School Children Aged 10–12 Years

The Norwegian authorities started a nationwide free school fruit program in 2007, implemented in all secondary schools (grades 8–10) and combined schools (grades 1–10) in Norway. The program ended in 2014. This study evaluates the effect of ending the nationwide free school fruit program on the consumption of fruit, vegetables, and unhealthy snacks among Norwegian sixth and seventh graders. The study sample consists of pupils at 18 schools that participated in all data collections in the Fruits and Vegetables Make the Marks project (FVMM), initiated in 2001, with new data collections in 2008 and 2018. Four of the schools were combined schools, therefore children in sixth and seventh grade a…