Weight status and diets of children aged 1-12 years attending a tertiary public paediatric outpatient clinic

Knowledge and Beliefs on Osteoporosis among African Postmenopausal Women in a Kenyan Semi-Rural County of Kiambu

BACKGROUND

Assessing people's knowledge and beliefs about osteoporosis is fundamental to the formulation of preventive strategies for this condition. To our knowledge, no randomized community survey has been conducted using Facts on Osteoporosis Quiz (FOOQ) and Osteoporosis Health Belief Scale (OHBS) exclusively in the postmenopausal women in Kenya. This study aimed to assess postmenopausal women's knowledge and beliefs concerning osteoporosis in semirural Kiambu County, Kenya.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study involving face-to-face interviews with 254 African postmenopausal women was conducted between October 2017 and February 2018. The questionnaire explored the socio-demographic characteristics; FOOQ was used to evaluate the knowledge these women had about osteoporosis, while OHBS was used to assess their beliefs.

RESULTS

The mean age of the participants was 64.6±10.7 years. About 26.4% (67/254) of the participants had no formal education, while 3.1% (8/254) were in formal employment. About 54.3% (138/254) of the women were married, and 51.2% (130/254) were in the lowest and lower wealth quintile. FOOQ had a mean score of 8.6 (standard deviation±1.8; range, 0-17). OHBS revealed a low level of perceived susceptibility to osteoporosis. Perceived benefits of exercising and calcium intake as well as perceived seriousness of osteoporosis as a disease were at moderate levels. The level of health motivation was also moderate.

CONCLUSIONS

The women in this study demonstrated limited knowledge about osteoporosis. The low susceptibility score makes the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis in this population challenging. We recommend public health education for all postmenopausal women in this setting.

Diet quality of children in the United States by body mass index and sociodemographic characteristics

OBJECTIVE

The primary objective was to use the Healthy Eating Index-2015 (HEI-2015) to describe diet quality by categories of body mass index (BMI) and by sociodemographic characteristics within categories of BMI using a nationally representative sample of US children.

METHODS

Dietary datasets from three cycles of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2009-2014) were analysed for children 2 to 18 years of age (N = 8894). Using the population ratio method, mean and 95% confidence intervals for HEI-2015 total and component scores were computed by BMI (underweight, normal weight, overweight, and obese) and by age (2-5, 6-11, and 12-18 y), gender, race/ethnicity (non-Hispanic black, non-Hispanic white, Mexican American, other Hispanic, and other race), and family poverty to income ratio (below and at/above poverty threshold).

RESULTS

HEI-2015 mean total scores were 50.4, 55.2, 55.1, and 54.0 out of 100 points for children with underweight, normal weight, overweight, and obesity, respectively, and were not significantly different. Within BMI categories, significant differences in total and mean component scores were present for age and race/ethnicity groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Total and most components of diet quality did not significantly differ among child populations classified by BMI status. Within BMI categories, significant diet quality differences were found for age and race/ethnicity groups, although scores were low for all child groups. Researchers may need to address or target specific dietary components with low quality in various child populations to have the greatest effect on improving nutrition nationwide.