Browsing by Subject "Nutritional status"

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    Assessing the effects of autarchic policies on the biological well-being: Analysis of deviations in cohort male height in the Valencian Community (Spain) during Francoist regime
    (Elsevier, 2021-02-12) Cámara, Antonio D.; Puche, Javier; Martínez Carrión, José Miguel; Economía Aplicada
    This article aims to assess the impact of autarchic policies on the biological dimensions of human well-being during Francoist regime in Spain. This is done by examining the nutritional status of the population through the study of male adult heights. Our case study is the Valencian Community with the focus on the period 1940–59 which witnessed the implementation of such policies. The heights of 21-year old draftees born between 1900 and 1954 from nine municipalities (N = 87,510) were analyzed in the light of inter-cohort deviations from a secular trend established for cohorts that were not exposed to autarchy-related hardships. Height was regressed on infant mortality as a way to control for infection and therefore approach the net effect of nutrition on height outcomes. Contrarily to what was displayed by cohort height trends in themselves, the results reveal a significant worsening of the nutritional status of the male population at the time. Deviations from the expected height trend across municipalities ranged between −0.5 and −3.4 mm per year. The effects of malnutrition are found to be larger among cohorts born in the period 1920–34 in coherence with a longer exposure to autarchy hardships during adolescence. Pre-autarchy nutrition levels observed among the cohorts of 1900–14 were not regained until the cohorts 1945–49. The results also show that malnutrition had an unequal impact with the large industrial towns of our sample experiencing the poorest height outcomes. Overall, these results invite to revise conclusions obtained from the sole evidence of height trends and they question the efficiency of intervention policies implemented in Spain during the 1940s.
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    Body Compositionin Children and Adolescents Residing in Southern Europe: Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity Accordingto Different International References
    (Frontiers Media, 2019-02-19) López Sánchez, Guillermo Felipe; Sgroi, Maurizio; Díaz Suárez, Arturo; D’Ottavio, Stefano; González-Víllora, Sixto; Veronese, Nicola; Smith, Lee; Ciencias Sociosanitarias
    The objectivewastoanalyzebodycompositioninchildrenandadolescentsofSouthern Europetoidentifyprevalenceofoverweightandobesity.Thisinvestigationinvolved512 girls and488boysbetween7-to19-years.VariablesevaluatedwereBodyMassIndex (BMI) andFatMass(FM;electricalbioimpedance).Thereferencesusedtoestablish prevalenceaccordingtoBMIwerethoseoftheWorldHealthOrganization(WHO) and theInternationalObesityTaskForce(IOTF);inthecaseofFM,theChildGrowth Foundation (CGF)referencewasused.Thereweresignificantdifferences(p < 0.05) in theprevalenceofoverweightandobesitybetweenthethreeclassifications(32.3% accordingtoIOTF,37.3%accordingtoWHO,and39.8%accordingtoCGF),being higher inmales.WHO-IOTFconcordancewassubstantial(kappa=0.793),whereas concordancesWHO-CGF(kappa=0.504)andIOTF-CGF(kappa=0.447)were moderate. Theauthorsrecommendevaluatingoverweightandobesitynotonlywith BMI, butalsowithFM,andalwaysspecifythereferencesused
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    Effects of COVID-19 lockdown on nutritional, functional and frailty biomarkers of people living in nursing homes. a prospective study
    (SAGE Publications, 2023-05-15) Oliveira, Adriana C. De Souza; Gómez Martínez, Carmelo; López Mongil, Rosa; Moreno Molina, Jorge; Hernández Morante, Juan José; Echevarría Pérez, Paloma; Gómez Gallego, María; Atención Sociosanitaria
    Abstract Background: Nursing home residences suffered a lockdown from the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The present study prospectively evaluates the frailty, functional, and nutritional statuses of nursing home residents. Methods: Three hundred and one residents from three nursing homes took part in the study. Frailty status was measured using the FRAIL scale. Functional status was evaluated using the Barthel Index. Additionally, Short Physical Performance Batter (SPPB), SARC-F, hand grip strength, and gait speed were also evaluated. Nutritional status was determined using the mini nutritional assessment test (MNA) and several anthropometrical and biochemical markers. Results: Mini Nutritional Assessment test scores decreased in 20% throughout the confinement (p < .001). Barthel index, SPPB and SARC-F scores also decreased, although to a lesser extent, reflecting a decrease in functional capacity. However, both anthropometric parameters, hand grip strength and gait speed, remained stable throughout confinement (p > .050 in all cases). Morning cortisol secretion significantly decreased by 40% from baseline to post-confinement. A significant reduction in daily cortisol variability was observed, which may suggest increased distress. Fifty-six residents died during the period of confinement (81.4% survival rate). Sex, FRAIL and Barthel Index scores were significant predictors of resident survival. Conclusion: After the first COVID-19 blockade, several alterations in residents’ frailty markers were observed, which were small and potentially reversible. However, many of the residents were pre-frail after the lockdown. This fact highlights the need for preventive strategies to reduce the impact of future social and physical stressors on these vulnerable individuals.