Age-related decreases in the prevalence of myopia: longitudinal change or cohort effect? (49/2452)

PURPOSE: The prevalence of myopia shows a decline with age in cross-sectional studies. This pattern may represent an increase in the prevalence of myopia in younger generations, possibly through increased exposure to near work, or an intrinsic age-related decline in myopia prevalence. Data were analyzed from published studies to determine which of these two alternatives better explains the data: a cohort effect of changing prevalence by decade or a longitudinal effect of changing prevalence as a function of age. METHODS: Prevalence data were taken from three studies conducted in the late 1980s and compared with those obtained indirectly from a national survey conducted in the early 1970s. The prevalence of myopia was then plotted as a function of age and year of birth. RESULTS: The pattern of change in the prevalence of myopia as a function of age was consistent across all studies when data were scaled relative to the prevalence of myopia at age-range midpoints from 44.5 to 49.5 years. The pattern of change was not consistent as a function of year of birth. When the data were scaled relative to the prevalence of myopia among those with years of birth from 1940 to 1942 and plotted by year of birth, results from the early 1970s were offset from those of later studies by approximately 18 years. CONCLUSIONS: The decline in the prevalence of myopia in older adults between the early 1970s and the late 1980s can be better explained by age than by year of birth. The prevalence of myopia appears to decrease because of an intrinsic age-related decrease in the amount of an individual's myopia rather than because of a cohort effect of increasing prevalence over time. The hypothesis that increasing environmental exposures to near work in recent decades have changed the prevalence of myopia is not supported by this analysis.  (+info)

Nutritional survey of hospitalized pediatric patients. (50/2452)

A nutrition survey in a pediatric referral center revealed one-third of patients had evidence of acute malnutrition. Weight for height was below 90% of standard in 46 of 129 (36%), arm muscle area was below the 15th percentile in 67 of 180 (37%), triceps skinfold was below the 15th percentile in 34 of 181 (19%), and total lymphocyte count was below 1500 in 26 of 137 (19%) subjects. Protein-energy malnutrition may be an important contributor to prolonged hospitalization and hospital-acquired morbidity amond United States pediatric patients.  (+info)

Incidence of hypertension and educational attainment: the NHANES I epidemiologic followup study. First National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. (51/2452)

Previous research has demonstrated the association between cardiovascular disease and education. However, few studies have described the incidence of hypertension, a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, by education or other socioeconomic status indicators. To examine the association between hypertension incidence and education, the authors analyzed data from the First National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES I) Epidemiologic Followup Study (NHEFS) (1971-1984). The relative risk of hypertension incidence (blood pressure > or =160/95 and/or using antihypertensive medication) by education was calculated for non-Hispanic Whites (aged 25-64 years) and non-Hispanic Blacks (aged 25-44 years) normotensive at baseline using Cox proportional hazards models. The age-adjusted relative risk of hypertension incidence among persons with less than 12 years of education compared with those with more than 12 years was significant among non-Hispanic Whites aged 25-44 years (men: relative risk (RR) = 2.14, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.29, 3.54; women: RR = 2.06, 95% CI: 1.39, 3.05) but not among non-Hispanic Blacks (RR = 1.16, 95% CI: 0.63, 2.14). Relative risks for non-Hispanic White men remained stable after adjusting for age, systolic blood pressure, body mass index, and region of residence; relative risks for non-Hispanic White women were reduced but remained significant. Non-Hispanic White men and women aged 45-64 years with less than 12 years of education were not at higher risk of developing hypertension compared with their more educated counterparts. These results demonstrate a significant interaction between age and education with an independent association between education and hypertension incidence among younger but not older non-Hispanic White men and women.  (+info)

Living arrangements affect dietary quality for U.S. adults aged 50 years and older: NHANES III 1988-1994. (52/2452)

The number and proportion of older U.S. adults who live alone have increased dramatically in the past three decades, and there is concern that these individuals may have particularly poor dietary quality. We examined the association of four living arrangements (living with a spouse only, with a spouse plus someone else, with someone other than a spouse or living alone) with dietary quality (the number of low nutrients out of a possible 15, with low defined as <67% of the recommended dietary allowance) among 6525 U.S. adults aged 50-64 y and those >/=65 y in the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III 1988-1994). Among non-Hispanic Caucasian adults, those who lived with a spouse only had better dietary quality, with significant differences ranging from 0.8 to 1.5 fewer low nutrients compared with those with other living arrangements. Effects of living arrangements on dietary quality were also seen among non-Hispanic African-Americans, Mexican-Americans, and those of "other" races, but differences were significant only for African-American men aged >65 y living with a spouse plus others (1.6 additional low nutrients compared with those living with a spouse only). Energy intake was strongly associated with dietary quality, but did not account for the associations between living arrangements and dietary quality. Although middle-aged and older adults with living arrangements other than living with a spouse only (including those living alone) tended to have poorer dietary quality, the effects varied substantially across age, gender and ethnic categories.  (+info)

Regulation of energy intake may be impaired in nutritionally stunted children from the shantytowns of Sao Paulo, Brazil. (53/2452)

We tested the hypothesis that nutritionally stunted children have impaired regulation of energy intake (EI), a factor that could help explain the increased risk of obesity associated with stunting in developing countries. A 3-d residency study was conducted in 56 prepubertal boys and girls aged 8-11 y from the shantytowns of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Twenty-seven of the subjects were stunted and 29 were not stunted; weight-for-height Z-scores were not significantly different between the groups. Parents of the two groups had equivalent heights and body mass indices. Measurements were made of voluntary EI from a self-selection menu, resting energy expenditure (REE) and body composition. In addition, a 753-kJ yogurt supplement was administered at breakfast on one study day (with an equal number of children receiving the supplement on each of the 3 study days) and its effect on daily EI assessed. There was no change in EI over time in either group (P: = 0.957), and no significant difference in EI between stunted and nonstunted children, even though the stunted children weighed 10% less. Energy intake per kilogram body weight was significantly higher in the stunted children (278 +/- 89 (SD), vs. 333 +/- 67 kJ/kg, P: < 0.05) and EI/REE was also significantly higher (1.91 +/- 0.34 vs. 1.68 +/- 0.38, P: < 0.05). However, the relationship between EI and body weight was not significantly influenced by stunting (P: = 0.12). There was no significant effect of the breakfast supplement on daily EI in either group although the absolute difference in EI between supplement and control days was greater in stunted than in nonstunted children (DeltaEI: +460 +/- 1574 vs. -103 +/- 1916 kJ/d, P: = 0.25). These data provide preliminary evidence consistent with the suggestion that stunted children tend to overeat opportunistically, but further studies are required to confirm these results in a larger study.  (+info)

Co-occurrence of nutrition problems in Honduran children. (54/2452)

We used data from the 1996 Honduras National Micronutrient Survey to investigate the co-occurrence of vitamin A deficiency (VAD), anemia and stunting in a representative sample of Honduran children 1-5 y old. Observed frequencies of co-occurrence were compared with frequencies expected by chance in children 12-35.9 mo old (n = 633) and 36-59.9 mo old (n = 610) for the three possible two-way combinations of the problems and the three-way combination. Observed frequencies were greater than expected frequencies for all eight comparisons, and all comparisons except for that of stunting and anemia in younger children were significant. The observed frequency of the three-way co-occurrence was 8.4% compared with an expected co-occurrence of 8.1% in younger children (P: < 0.05) and 4.8% compared with 4.2%, respectively, in older children (P: < 0.001). Although there was statistical evidence for co-occurrence, differences between expected and observed prevalences were small for most comparisons. Our findings suggest that having one or two problems does not appreciably increase the probability of having another. The efficiency of nutrition interventions aimed at these conditions would not be improved by targeting children with any one of the conditions; rather, the three conditions should be treated as virtually independent when designing programs. Replication of this study in other settings is warranted.  (+info)

Frequency of food consumption and lipoprotein serum levels in the population of an urban area, Brazil. (55/2452)

OBJECTIVE: To identify the association between food group consumption frequency and serum lipoprotein levels among adults. METHODS: The observations were made during a cross-sectional survey of a representative sample of men and women over 20 years old living in Cotia county, S. Paulo, Brazil. Data on food frequency consumption, serum lipids, and other covariates were available for 1, 045 adults. Multivariate analyses adjusted by age, gender, body mass index, waist-to-hip ratio, educational level, family income, physical activity, smoking, and alcohol consumption were performed. RESULTS: Consumption of processed meat, chicken, red meat, eggs and dairy foods were each positively and significantly correlated with LDL-C, whereas the intake of vegetables and fruits showed an inverse correlation. Daily consumption of processed meat, chicken, red meat, eggs, and dairy foods were associated with 16.6 mg/dl, 14.5 mg/dl, 11.1 mg/dl, 5.8 mg/dl, and 4.6 mg/dl increase in blood LDL-C, respectively. Increases of daily consumption of fruit and vegetables were associated with 5.2 mg/dl and 5.5 mg/dl decreases in LDL-C, respectively. Alcohol beverage consumption showed a significant positive correlation with HDL-C. CONCLUSIONS: Dietary habits in the study population seem to contribute substantially to the variation in blood LDL and HDL concentrations. Substantially CHD risk reduction could be achieved with dietary changes.  (+info)

Differences in energy, nutrient, and food intakes in a US sample of Mexican-American women and men: findings from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1988-1994. (56/2452)

As Mexican-American women and men migrate to the United States and/or become more acculturated, their diets may become less healthy, increasing their risk of cardiovascular disease. Data from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1988-1994) were used to compare whether energy, nutrient, and food intakes differed among three groups of Mexican-American women (n = 1,449) and men (n = 1,404) aged 25-64 years: those born in Mexico, those born in the United States whose primary language was Spanish, and those born in the United States whose primary language was English. Percentages of persons who met the national dietary guidelines for fat, fiber, and potassium and the recommended intakes of vitamins and minerals associated with cardiovascular disease were also compared. In general, Mexican Americans born in Mexico consumed significantly less fat and significantly more fiber; vitamins A, C, E, and B6; and folate, calcium, potassium, and magnesium than did those born in the United States, regardless of language spoken. More women and men born in Mexico met the dietary guidelines or recommended nutrient intakes than those born in the United States. The heart-healthy diets of women and men born in Mexico should be encouraged among all Mexican Americans living in the United States, especially given the increasing levels of obesity and diabetes among this rapidly growing group of Americans.  (+info)