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Nutrition and Lifestyle Interventions for Improved Child Health
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Nutrition and Lifestyle Interventions for Improved Child Health

A special issue of Healthcare (ISSN 2227-9032). This special issue belongs to the section "Nutrition and Public Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2024 | Viewed by 13426

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Rowena Merritt

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Centre for Health Services Studies, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
Interests: nutrition; social behaviour change; behavioural science; public health
Dr. Sarah Hotham

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Centre for Health Services Studies, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
Interests: public health; obesity; eating behaviours; health behaviours

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Nutrition is a vital part of health and development. Better nutrition is related to improved infant, child and maternal health, stronger immune systems, safer pregnancy and childbirth, lower risk of non-communicable diseases (such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease), and longevity.

Rates of malnutrition are continuing to rise, due to the nutrition transition that many developing countries are experiencing, where undernutrition remains alongside micronutrient deficiencies and rapidly growing overweight/obesity rates. This double burden of malnutrition is especially high in low- and middle-income countries, where the poorest and most marginalized communities are the most affected. However, malnutrition is preventable, mostly through the consumption of a healthy diet containing diverse foods. 

Achieving the SDG 2 and a world with Zero Hunger cannot be achieved without supporting individuals, wider communities, and policymakers to make meaningful, long-term changes to their behavior. Therefore, nutrition, lifestyle and social and behavior change interventions are critical in reducing all forms of malnutrition.

Dr. Rowena Merritt
Dr. Sarah Hotham
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Healthcare is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • nutrition
  • social and behavior change
  • health behaviors
  • overweight
  • obesity
  • wasting
  • micronutrient deficiencies

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 1333 KiB  
Article
Associated Factors of Dietary Patterns among Adolescents in the Rural Northern Region of Thailand: A Community-Based Cross-Sectional Study
by Penprapa Siviroj, Jukkrit Wungrath and Krongporn Ongprasert
Healthcare 2024, 12(12), 1215; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12121215 - 18 Jun 2024
Viewed by 864
Abstract
This cross-sectional study aims to explore the dietary patterns and associated factors of adolescents, which are often overlooked in nutrition data systems. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with 304 participants aged 10 to 19 in rural northern Thailand, utilizing both open recall and list-based [...] Read more.
This cross-sectional study aims to explore the dietary patterns and associated factors of adolescents, which are often overlooked in nutrition data systems. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with 304 participants aged 10 to 19 in rural northern Thailand, utilizing both open recall and list-based 24 h recall techniques, with the data recorded online. Dietary diversity (DD) was assessed using ten food groups as per the Food and Agricultural Organization guidelines. We employed binary logistic regression and multivariable logistic regression analyses. Most participants consumed items from the grains, white roots, and tubers food group, while the nuts, seeds, and pulses food group was the least consumed. The mean number of food groups consumed was 5.23 ± 0.12, with no significant differences across gender and age groups, and participants reporting no influence of mass media on food choices were more likely to have inadequate DD (AOR = 2.94; 95% CI 1.38–6.28). Conversely, those not influenced by social media when choosing food (AOR = 0.45; 95% CI 0.21–0.96), who felt relaxed during meals (AOR = 0.33; 95% CI 0.19–0.59), and with no role in family meal decisions (AOR = 0.55; 95% CI 0.31–0.95) were less likely to have inadequate dietary diversity. We suggest that assisting adolescents with mealtime management and involving them in selecting healthy menus could improve their dietary variety. Moreover, future research should further investigate these mechanisms to inform strategies for improving DD in this age group. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutrition and Lifestyle Interventions for Improved Child Health)
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13 pages, 1507 KiB  
Article
Growing Up Unequal: Disparities of Childhood Overweight and Obesity in Indonesia’s 514 Districts
by Wahyu Sulistiadi, Dian Kusuma, Vilda Amir, Dwi Hapsari Tjandrarini and Made Agus Nurjana
Healthcare 2023, 11(9), 1322; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11091322 - 5 May 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2095
Abstract
Background: Childhood obesity is a major public health concern as it increases the risk of premature death and adult disability. Globally, the latest estimates showed that more than 340 million children and adolescents between the ages of 5 and 19 were overweight or [...] Read more.
Background: Childhood obesity is a major public health concern as it increases the risk of premature death and adult disability. Globally, the latest estimates showed that more than 340 million children and adolescents between the ages of 5 and 19 were overweight or obese in 2016. This study aimed to investigate the disparities in childhood overweight and obesity across 514 districts in Indonesia, based on geographic and socioeconomic factors. Methods: Geospatial and quantitative analyses were performed using the latest Indonesian Basic Health Survey data from 2018. Dependent variables were rates of overweight and obesity among children aged 5–17 years including by gender. Results: This study found that the rates of overweight were 17.2%, 17.6%, and 16.8% among all children, boys, and girls, while the rates of obesity were 7.0%, 7.9%, and 6.1%, respectively. Boys were 1.30 times more likely to be obese than girls, while overweight was similar between both sexes. Urban cities had significantly higher prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity compared with rural districts by up to 1.26 and 1.32 times, respectively. In addition, the most developed region had significantly higher prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity than the least developed region by up to 1.37 and 1.38 times, respectively. With regard to socioeconomic factors, our analysis demonstrated a notable disparity in the prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity across income quintiles. Specifically, the wealthiest districts exhibited a 1.18 times higher prevalence of overweight and obesity among all children compared with the poorest districts. This association was particularly pronounced among boys; in the richest quintile, the prevalence of overweight and obesity was 1.24 and 1.26 times higher, respectively, in comparison to the poorest income quintile. In contrast, district-level education appears to exhibit an inverse relationship with the prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity, although the findings were not statistically significant. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutrition and Lifestyle Interventions for Improved Child Health)
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15 pages, 571 KiB  
Article
Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of Pregnant Women and Healthcare Providers in Bangladesh regarding Multivitamin Supplements during Pregnancy
by Klaus Kraemer, Kalpana Beesabathuni, Sufia Askari, Rudaba Khondker, Toslim Uddin Khan, Moshiur Rahman, Sarah Gibson, Rowena Merritt, Madhavika Bajoria, Srujith Lingala, Moniruzzaman Bipul and Puja Peyden Tshering
Healthcare 2023, 11(5), 713; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11050713 - 28 Feb 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 4467
Abstract
Micronutrient deficiencies are widespread among pregnant women in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) and lead to potentially adverse effects for mother and baby. In Bangladesh, maternal malnutrition remains a severe problem, with high rates of anemia (49.6% of pregnant women and 47.8% of [...] Read more.
Micronutrient deficiencies are widespread among pregnant women in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) and lead to potentially adverse effects for mother and baby. In Bangladesh, maternal malnutrition remains a severe problem, with high rates of anemia (49.6% of pregnant women and 47.8% of lactating women are anemic) and other nutritional deficiencies. A Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices (KAP) study was conducted to assess Bangladeshi pregnant women’s perceptions and related behaviors, as well as awareness and knowledge among pharmacists and healthcare professionals concerning prenatal multivitamin supplements. This was done in both rural and urban areas across Bangladesh. A total of 732 quantitative interviews were conducted (330 with providers and 402 with pregnant women, with an equal split between urban and rural areas for both sets of audiences; 200 women were users of prenatal multivitamin supplements, while 202 women were aware non-users). The study identified a few findings that can guide further research or market-based interventions to reduce micronutrient deficiencies. These include most pregnant women not knowing the right time to start multivitamin supplements (56.0%, [n = 225], stating that a woman should start taking supplements ‘after the first trimester’), not knowing their benefits, and how they help both the mother and baby–only 29.5% [n = 59] stated that they believed the supplements helped their baby to grow well). Further, barriers to taking the supplements include women believing a nutritious diet is a substitute (88.7% [n = 293]), and a perceived lack of support from other family members (21.8%, [n = 72]). This suggests that there is a need for further awareness-raising among all pregnant women, their family members, and providers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutrition and Lifestyle Interventions for Improved Child Health)
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Review

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34 pages, 1386 KiB  
Review
Change in Growth Status and Obesity Rates among Saudi Children and Adolescents Is Partially Attributed to Discrepancies in Definitions Used: A Review of Anthropometric Measurements
by Essra A. Noorwali, Abeer M. Aljaadi and Hala H. Al-Otaibi
Healthcare 2023, 11(7), 1010; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11071010 - 1 Apr 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3569
Abstract
Anthropometric measurements are the first step in determining the health status in children and adolescents. Clinicians require standardized protocols for proper assessment and interpretation. Therefore, this study aims to review the literature of international and Saudi national guidelines and studies previously conducted in [...] Read more.
Anthropometric measurements are the first step in determining the health status in children and adolescents. Clinicians require standardized protocols for proper assessment and interpretation. Therefore, this study aims to review the literature of international and Saudi national guidelines and studies previously conducted in Saudi children and adolescents to provide recommendations to establish Saudi guidelines in line with the Saudi 2030 Vision. Systematic search was conducted in several databases: Medline, PubMed, Saudi Digital Library and Google Scholar from January 1990 to January 2021. Further, 167 studies measured anthropometrics in Saudi children/adolescents; 33 of these studies contributed to the establishment/adjustment of Saudi growth charts or specific cutoffs or studied the trend of growth in representative samples or adjusted the international curves to be used in Saudis. This review warrants updating growth charts and establishing the standard cutoffs of Saudi adolescent anthropometrics to avoid over/underreporting. This review provides insights and recommendations regarding the resources that can be used to establish national guidelines in anthropometric measurements for Saudi children/adolescents. This review will help policymakers and the Ministry of Health to establish standardized protocols to be used in Saudi Arabia for anthropometric measurements that may assist in detecting malnutrition. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutrition and Lifestyle Interventions for Improved Child Health)
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Other

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16 pages, 587 KiB  
Protocol
Co-Design of a Reusable Learning Object (RLO) to Address Caregiver Responsive Infant Feeding Behaviours (CRIB) to Prevent Childhood Obesity: A Mixed-Method Protocol
by Lucy Porter, Karen Matvienko-Sikar, Heather Wharrad, Helen Spiby, Aloysius Niroshan Siriwardena, Ciara Howitt, Katie Green and Sarah Redsell
Healthcare 2024, 12(1), 29; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12010029 - 22 Dec 2023
Viewed by 1563
Abstract
Responsive infant feeding is a key strategy for childhood obesity prevention. Responsive feeding involves caregivers responding to infant hunger and satiety cues in a timely and developmentally appropriate manner. There is a dearth of evidence-based information and guidance for caregivers on how to [...] Read more.
Responsive infant feeding is a key strategy for childhood obesity prevention. Responsive feeding involves caregivers responding to infant hunger and satiety cues in a timely and developmentally appropriate manner. There is a dearth of evidence-based information and guidance for caregivers on how to responsively feed their infants. The aim of this research is to co-design a Reusable Learning Object (RLO) and guidance infographic to improve caregiver awareness, understanding and use of responsive infant feeding behaviours. The Capability, Opportunity, Motivation and Behaviour (COM-B) model of behaviour change and the Aim, Storyboarding, Populate specification, Implement media, Review and release prototype, and Evaluate (ASPIRE) approach for digital intervention co-design will be utilised. Four co-design workshops with caregivers of infants and healthcare professionals (HCPs) will determine priority RLO content. Content analysis will enable RLO development and process reporting. Formative and summative surveys will be conducted to evaluate the usability of the RLO, its impact on caregivers and its potential implementation into NHS care pathways. The output will be a RLO on responsive feeding for caregivers and an infographic for HCPs/support workers which will contribute to a future obesity prevention intervention. The findings will be disseminated to stakeholders and submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutrition and Lifestyle Interventions for Improved Child Health)
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