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Correlates of Children's Eating Attitude Test scores among primary school children

Shariff ZM, Yasin ZM

Percept Mot Skills, 2005 Apr;100(2):463-72.
PMID: 15974357

A total of 107 Malay primary school girls (8-9 yr. old) completed a set of measurements on eating behavior (ChEAT, food neophobia scales, and dieting experience), the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, body shape satisfaction, dietary intake, weight, and height. About 38% of the girls scored 20 and more on the ChEAT, and 46% of them reported dieting by reducing sugar and sweets (73%), skipping meals (67%), reducing fat foods (60%) and snacks (53%) as the most frequent methods practiced. In general, those girls with higher ChEAT scores tended to have lower self-esteem (r=.39), indicating they were more unwilling to try new foods (food neophobic) (r=.29), chose a smaller figure for desired body size (r=-.25), and were more dissatisfied with their body size (r=.31).
Obesity and household food insecurity: evidence from a sample of rural households in Malaysia

Shariff ZM, Khor GL

Eur J Clin Nutr, 2005 Sep;59(9):1049-58.
PMID: 16015271

The study examined nutritional outcomes related to body fat accumulation of food insecurity among women from selected rural communities in Malaysia.
Fulltext Nutritional status of primary school children from low income households in Kuala Lumpur

Shariff ZM, Bond J, Johson N

Malays J Nutr, 2000 Mar;6(1):17-32.
PMID: 22692389 MyJurnal

Growth status was examined in relation to gender and age factors in urban primary school children (6-10 years old) from low income households in Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan. The sample consisted of 4212 boys (53%) and 3793 girls (47%). Data on weight and height data were obtained from two sources - investigator's and teachers' measurements of the school children. This study defined mildly and significantly underweight, stunted or wasted as z-score below minus one and below minus two of the NCHS/CDC reference median, respectively. Approximately 52% (n = 4149), 50% (n = 3893) and 30% (n = 2568) of the school children were underweight, stunted and wasted, respectively. However, the majority of these undernourished children were in the mild category. Prevalence of overweight (> 2 SD of NCHS/WHO reference median) was found in 5.8% of the sample. For both, prevalence of undernutrition and overnutrition, more boys than girls were found to be underweight stunted wasted and overweight. Compared to girls, boys had lower mean z-scores for the variables height-for-age (p<0.05) and weight-for-height (p<0.01). Older children had significantly lower mean z-scores for height-for-age (p<0.001) but higher mean z-scores for weight-for-height (P<0.001) than younger children. This finding indicates that with increasing age, stunting is associated with improved weight-for-height or that the children's weights have been adapted to their short statures. In conclusion, results demonstrate a high prevalence of underweight, stunting and wasting and an increasing prevalence of overweight among these low-income school children. Efforts recommended to address health and nutrition problems among school children should include health and nutrition monitoring (e.g. growth monitoring using the existing growth data collected by schools) and interventions.
Fulltext Do not neglect the indigenous peoples when reporting health and nutrition issues of the socio-economically disadvantaged populations in Malaysia

Khor GL, Shariff ZM

BMC Public Health, 2019 Dec 16;19(1):1685.
PMID: 31842826 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-019-8055-8

The purpose of this correspondence is to express our disappointment with the coverage of the BMC Public Health supplement: Vol 19 (4) titled "Health and Nutritional Issues Among Low Income Population in Malaysia", which neglected to include the fundamental health and nutrition issues that are adversely affecting the lives and livelihood of the indigenous peoples. The Supplement comprised 21 papers. Two of these papers included indigenous peoples as study subjects. These two papers addressed peripheral, albeit important health issues, namely visual impairment and quality of life, and not the persistent and rising health concerns impacting this population. We will provide evidence from research and reports to justify our critique that the Supplement missed the opportunity to spotlight on the serious extent of the health and nutritional deprivations of the indigenous peoples of Malaysia. As researchers of the indigenous peoples, we ought to lend our voice to the "silenced minority" by highlighting their plight in the media including scientific journals.
Fulltext Household food insecurity and coping strategies in a poor rural community in Malaysia

Shariff ZM, Khor GL

Nutr Res Pract, 2008;2(1):26-34.
PMID: 20126362 DOI: 10.4162/nrp.2008.2.1.26

This cross-sectional study assessed household food insecurity among low-income rural communities and examined its association with demographic and socioeconomic factors as well as coping strategies to minimize food insecurity. Demographic, socioeconomic, expenditure and coping strategy data were collected from 200 women of poor households in a rural community in Malaysia. Households were categorized as either food secure (n=84) or food insecure (n=116) using the Radimer/Cornell Hunger and Food Insecurity instrument. T-test, Chi-square and logistic regression were utilized for comparison of factors between food secure and food insecure households and determination of factors associated with household food insecurity, respectively. More of the food insecure households were living below the poverty line, had a larger household size, more children and school-going children and mothers as housewives. As food insecure households had more school-going children, reducing expenditures on the children's education is an important strategy to reduce household expenditures. Borrowing money to buy foods, receiving foods from family members, relatives and neighbors and reducing the number of meals seemed to cushion the food insecure households from experiencing food insufficiency. Most of the food insecure households adopted the strategy on cooking whatever is available at home for their meals. The logistic regression model indicates that food insecure households were likely to have more children (OR=1.71; p<0.05) and non-working mothers (OR=6.15; p<0.05), did not own any land (OR=3.18; p<0.05) and adopted the strategy of food preparation based on whatever is available at their homes (OR=4.33; p<0.05). However, mothers who reported to borrow money to purchase food (OR=0.84; p<0.05) and households with higher incomes of fathers (OR=0.99; p<0.05) were more likely to be food secure. Understanding the factors that contribute to household food insecurity is imperative so that effective strategies could be developed and implemented.
A case-control study on the association of abdominal obesity and hypercholesterolemia with the risk of colorectal cancer

Ulaganathan V, Kandiah M, Shariff ZM

J Carcinog, 2018;17:4.
PMID: 30294246 DOI: 10.4103/jcar.JCar_2_18

BACKGROUND: Obesity has frequently been associated with the dyslipidemic state and with the risk of various chronic diseases.
OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between obesity and blood lipids with a risk of colorectal cancer (CRC).
METHODOLOGY: Histologically confirmed CRC patients from five local hospitals were matched with cancer-free controls for age, gender, and ethnicity (n = 140: 280). The study participants underwent physical assessment for the presence of obesity and 10 mL of fasting blood was drawn for blood lipid analysis.
RESULTS: In this study, abdominal obesity significantly doubled the risk of CRC (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] =1.69, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1-2.83). Hypercholesterolemia and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) increased the risk of CRC more than twofolds (AOR = 2.6, 95% CI = 1.7-3.9 and AOR = 3.8, 95% CI = 2.3-6.3, respectively). Abdominal obesity and hypercholesterolemia synergically doubled the risk of CRC (AOR = 2.0, 95% CI = 1-4). Low-HDL has shown no synergic association with other dyslipidemic states with an increased CRC risk.
CONCLUSION: Improving abdominal obesity, hypercholesterolemia, and low HDL may be a clinically relevant strategy to reduce the risk of CRC among Malaysians.
Fulltext Nutrition and educational achievement of urban primary schoolchildren in Malaysia

Shariff ZM, Bond JT, Johnson NE

Asia Pac J Clin Nutr, 2000 Dec;9(4):264-73.
PMID: 24394502

The relationship between nutrition, health and educational achievement of school-age population in less developed countries has been of interest to many researchers due to the frequent observation that many children did not complete primary school and those who completed, did not do as well as children in the developed countries. Nevertheless, nutritional and health status by itself is not the only variable affecting educational achievement, since biological, psychological, socioeconomic and cultural factors could directly or indirectly affect both nutrition, health status and educational achievement. The mechanism by which health and nutrition influence educational achievement is not well established, but poor health and malnutrition in early childhood may affect cognitive abilities, necessary for learning process and consequently educational achievement. A study was conducted in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to investigate the relationship between nutritional status and educational achievement among primary schoolchildren from low income households (n = 399). A high percentage of them were mild-significantly underweight (52%), stunted (47%) and wasted (36%) and increasingly overweight (6%). In general, more boys than girls were found to experience some form of malnutrition. While weight-for-height did not differ significantly according to family, child and school factors, weight-for-age and height-for-age differed significantly by gender. Also, height-for-age was significantly related to household income. This indicates that stunting may be a consequence of prolonged socioeconomic deprivation. Educational achievement was measured based on test scores for Malay language (ML), English language (EL) and mathematics (MT). While a majority of the schoolchildren obtained optimum scores (>75) for ML and MT, the majority of them had insufficient scores (<50) for EL. Children's total score (TS) for the three subjects was significantly associated with household socioeconomic status, gender, birth order and heightfor- age. Even after controlling for household socioeconomic status, significant association between TS and height-for-age persisted. In this sample of schoolchildren, household income, gender, birth order and height-forage were significant predictors of TS. The finding that height-for-age is related to educational achievement agrees with other studies, which have reported that height-for-age, compared to weight-for-height or weight-forage is linked to educational achievement. Height-for-age reflects the accumulation of nutritional deprivation throughout the years, which may consequently affect the cognitive development of the children.
Fulltext Confirmatory factor analysis of the Malay version comprehensive feeding practices questionnaire tested among mothers of primary school children in Malaysia

Shohaimi S, Wei WY, Shariff ZM

ScientificWorldJournal, 2014;2014:676174.
PMID: 25538958 DOI: 10.1155/2014/676174

Comprehensive feeding practices questionnaire (CFPQ) is an instrument specifically developed to evaluate parental feeding practices. It has been confirmed among children in America and applied to populations in France, Norway, and New Zealand. In order to extend the application of CFPQ, we conducted a factor structure validation of the translated version of CFPQ (CFPQ-M) using confirmatory factor analysis among mothers of primary school children (N = 397) in Malaysia. Several items were modified for cultural adaptation. Of 49 items, 39 items with loading factors >0.40 were retained in the final model. The confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the final model (twelve-factor model with 39 items and 2 error covariances) displayed the best fit for our sample (Chi-square = 1147; df = 634; P < 0.05; CFI = 0.900; RMSEA = 0.045; SRMR = 0.0058). The instrument with some modifications was confirmed among mothers of school children in Malaysia. The present study extends the usability of the CFPQ and enables researchers and parents to better understand the relationships between parental feeding practices and related problems such as childhood obesity.
Fulltext Factors associated with quality of life among hemodialysis patients in Malaysia

Md Yusop NB, Yoke Mun C, Shariff ZM, Beng Huat C

PLoS One, 2013;8(12):e84152.
PMID: 24358336 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0084152

Although hemodialysis treatment has greatly increased the life expectancy of end stage renal disease patients, low quality of life among hemodialysis patients is frequently reported. This cross-sectional study aimed to determine the relationship between medical history, hemodialysis treatment and nutritional status with the mental and physical components of quality of life in hemodialysis patients. Respondents (n=90) were recruited from Hospital Kuala Lumpur and dialysis centres of the National Kidney Foundation of Malaysia. Data obtained included socio-demography, medical history, hemodialysis treatment and nutritional status. Mental and physical quality of life were measured using the Mental Composite Summary (MCS) and Physical Composite Summary (PCS) of the Short-Form Health Survey 36-items, a generic core of the Kidney Disease Quality of Life Short Form. Two summary measures and total SF-36 was scored as 0-100, with a higher score indicating better quality of life. Approximately 26 (30%) of respondents achieved the body mass index (24 kg/m(2)) and more than 80% (n=77) achieved serum albumin level (>35.0 mg/dL) recommended for hemodialysis patients. The majority of respondents did not meet the energy (n=72, 80%) and protein (n=68,75%) recommendations. The total score of SF-36 was 54.1 ± 19.2, while the score for the mental and physical components were 45.0 ± 8.6 and 39.6 ± 8.6, respectively. Factors associated with a higher MCS score were absence of diabetes mellitus (p=0.000) and lower serum calcium (p=0.004), while higher blood flow (p=0.000), higher serum creatinine (p=0.000) and lower protein intake (p=0.006) were associated with a higher PCS score. To improve the overall quality of life of hemodialysis patients, a multidisciplinary intervention that includes medical, dietetic and psychosocial strategies that address factors associated with mental and physical quality of life are warranted to reduce further health complications and to improve quality of life.
Use of complementary and alternative medicine among breast cancer survivors

Saibul N, Shariff ZM, Rahmat A, Sulaiman S, Yaw YH

Asian Pac J Cancer Prev, 2012;13(8):4081-6.
PMID: 23098520

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use is prevalent among individuals with cancer, especially breast cancer survivors. This study was conducted among 394 breast cancer survivors in selected regions of Peninsular Malaysia to identify the pattern and factors associated with CAM use. About 51% of the respondents reported CAM use as complementary treatment. Vitamins (47.2%), spiritual activities (33.2%) and other dietary supplements (30.7%) were the most commonly used CAM therapies. Common reasons for CAM use were to increase the body's ability to perform daily activities (70.9%), enhance immune function (58.3%) and improve emotional well-being (31.7%). Users obtained CAM information mainly from friends and family members (62.5%), physicians (25.0%) and mass media (13.9%). Ethnicity and years of education were significantly associated with CAM use. Although no adverse effects of CAM were reported, breast cancer survivors should discuss their CAM use with health professionals to prevent potential adverse effects of these therapies.
Eating behaviour, body image, and self-esteem of adolescent girls in Malaysia

Soo KL, Shariff ZM, Taib MN, Samah BA

Percept Mot Skills, 2008 Jun;106(3):833-44.
PMID: 18712205 DOI: 10.2466/pms.106.3.833-844

This cross-sectional study was undertaken with 489 secondary school girls, ages 15-17 years, to examine disordered eating behaviours of adolescent girls in Malaysia and to estimate associations with body weight, body-size discrepancy, and self-esteem. Dietary restraint, binge eating, body image, and self-esteem were assessed using the Restrained Eating scale of the Dutch Eating Behaviour Questionnaire, the Binge Scale Questionnaire, the Contour Drawing Rating Scale, and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, respectively. Pearson correlations estimated associations between variables. There were 3.1% underweight, 9.8% at risk of being overweight, and 8.6% overweight girls. A total of 87.3% were dissatisfied with their own body size. Dietary restraint and binge eating were reported by 36.0% and 35.4%, respectively. Body Mass Index (r = .34, p < .01) and body-size dissatisfaction (r = .24, p < .01) were significantly associated with dietary restraint and binge eating, but self-esteem (r = -.20, p < .001) was significantly associated only with binge eating.
Fulltext Dietary patterns and risk of colorectal cancer in Tehran Province: a case-control study

Safari A, Shariff ZM, Kandiah M, Rashidkhani B, Fereidooni F

BMC Public Health, 2013;13:222.
PMID: 23497250 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2458-13-222

Colorectal cancer is the third and fourth leading cause of cancer incidence and mortality among men and women, respectively in Iran. However, the role of dietary factors that could contribute to this high cancer incidence remains unclear. The aim of this study was to determine major dietary patterns and its relationship with colorectal cancer.
Fulltext Nutrition Indicators, Physical Function, and Health-Related Quality of Life in Breast Cancer Patients

Lu Shin KN, Mun CY, Shariff ZM

Asian Pac J Cancer Prev, 2020 Jul 01;21(7):1939-1950.
PMID: 32711419 DOI: 10.31557/APJCP.2020.21.7.1939

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate how nutrition indicators and physical function may influence Health-related Quality of Life (HRQoL) of breast cancer patients undergoing treatment.
METHODS: This was a cross sectional study among a total of 163 breast cancer patients. Series of measurements including anthropometry, biochemical, and dietary were employed to assess patients' nutritional status while physical function was assessed by handgrip strength. HRQoL of patients was determined using European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer quality of life questionnaire Core 30 (EORTC-QLQ-C30) version 3.0. Multiple linear regression was used to identify factors associated with HRQoL.
RESULTS: Breast cancer patients perceived moderately their overall quality of life (QoL), with the mean global health status (GHS) score of 69.12. Emotional functioning was the poorest functional scale while fatigue was the most distressing symptom presented by the patients. Approximately 20% of patients had low corrected arm muscle area while more than half had low hemoglobin level. More than 90% of patients did not meet the overall dietary recommendation and had poor handgrip strength. Mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) was associated with GHS (β: 0.906; 95% CI: 0.22, 1.56) and cognitive functioning (β: -1.543; 95% CI: -3.07, -0.01). Handgrip strength was positively associated with most of HRQoL outcomes.
CONCLUSIONS: Breast cancer patients reported overall good nutritional status and moderate QoL during treatment. Being well-nourished improved HRQoL and handgrip strength could be a potential proxy for functional outcomes as well as overall QoL.
Fulltext Effect of Family-Based REDUCE Intervention Program on Children Eating Behavior and Dietary Intake: Randomized Controlled Field Trial

Ahmad N, Shariff ZM, Mukhtar F, Lye MS

Nutrients, 2020 Oct 08;12(10).
PMID: 33049909 DOI: 10.3390/nu12103065

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of a family-based intervention program (REDUCE) on children's eating behaviors and dietary intake. A two-arm randomized controlled field trial was conducted among parents and children of 7 to 10 years old who were either overweight or obese. The intervention was conducted via face-to-face sessions and social media. The child eating behaviors were assessed using the child eating behaviors questionnaire (CEBQ), while their dietary consumption of vegetables and unhealthy snacks was assessed using a parental report of three days unweighted food. The generalized linear mixed modelling adjusted for covariates was used to estimate the intervention effects with alpha of 0.05. A total of 122 parents (91% response rate) completed this study. At the six-month post-training, there were statistically significant mean differences in the enjoyment of food (F(6481) = 4.653, p < 0.001), fruit and vegetable intake (F(6480) = 4.165, p < 0.001) and unhealthy snack intake (F(6480) = 5.062, p < 0.001) between the intervention and wait-list groups; however, it was not clinically meaningful. This study added to the body of knowledge of family-based intervention that utilized social media and assessed the effect in children's eating behavior using the CEBQ and children's dietary intake.
Fulltext Family-based intervention using face-to-face sessions and social media to improve Malay primary school children's adiposity: a randomized controlled field trial of the Malaysian REDUCE programme

Ahmad N, Shariff ZM, Mukhtar F, Lye MS

Nutr J, 2018 08 02;17(1):74.
PMID: 30071855 DOI: 10.1186/s12937-018-0379-1

BACKGROUND: Social media may be an effective medium by which parents could be trained to promote healthy eating behaviour and physical activity for their children. This trial evaluates the effectiveness of a family-based intervention using social media in combination with face-to-face sessions - the REDUCE (REorganise Diet, Unnecessary sCreen time and Exercise) programme - on adiposity of Malay children.
METHODS: Five primary schools in an urban area in Selangor, Malaysia participated in this two-arm randomized controlled field trial. Participants were parents (n = 134) and their primary school-going children 8-11 years of age who were either overweight or obese. These parent-child dyads were randomly allocated to intervention and wait-list control groups and were blinded to group assignment. The intervention was a four-week training programme using two face-to-face sessions and two Facebook sessions followed by weekly booster sessions over a three-month period using WhatsApp. The primary outcome was body mass index (BMI) z-score. Height, body weight, waist circumference and percentage of body fat were measured by blinded assessors. Data were collected at baseline (T1), immediately post-training (T2) and at three- (T3) and six-month post training (T4) and were analysed using generalized linear mixed modelling adjusted for covariates to estimate the intervention effects. Subgroup analysis was conducted for overweight and obese children.
RESULTS: Ninety-one percent of parents completed the study, 64 in intervention group and 58 in wait-list group. At the sixth month post-training, BMI z-scores were significantly reduced in the intervention group compared to the wait-list group, for the all children (overweight and obese children) and within the obese subgroup ((F(6, 517) = 2.817, p = 0.010) and (F(6, 297) = 6.072, p
Fulltext Does Food Insecurity Contribute towards Depression? A Cross-Sectional Study among the Urban Elderly in Malaysia

Mesbah SF, Sulaiman N, Shariff ZM, Ibrahim Z

Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2020 04 30;17(9).
PMID: 32365772 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17093118

With the aging of the population worldwide, there is an increasing concern for the mental health status as well as physical health. Depression is a common mental health problem among the elderly populations. Since the elderly are susceptible to food insecurity, this cross-sectional study is aimed to determine an association between food insecurity and depression among elderly people. A total of 220 elderly people- aged 60 years and above, residing in the Petaling district of Selangor, were included in this study. Face-to-face interviews were conducted to obtain the pertinent information on demographic background, food security status (six items USDA FSSM), functional status (IADL, EMS), psychosocial status (LSNS-6), and depression status (GDS-15). Binary logistic regression was used to assess the factors that were associated with depression. The median age of the elderly sample was 65.5 years. The prevalence of depression and food insecurity that was recorded were 13.2% and 19.5%, respectively. Social isolation (AOR = 5.882, 95% CI: 2.221, 15.576), food insecurity (AOR = 3.539, 95% CI: 1.350, 9.279), and unsafe mobility (AOR= 3.729, 95% CI: 1.302, 10.683) increased the odds of depression. In conclusion, social isolation, food insecurity, and unsafe mobility are factors associated with depression among the elderly people. Plans such as health interventions as well as grocery and financial aid among the qualifying elderly are suggested to improve this depression and food insecurity.
Fulltext Development of multi-dimensional body image scale for malaysian female adolescents

Chin YS, Taib MN, Shariff ZM, Khor GL

Nutr Res Pract, 2008;2(2):85-92.
PMID: 20126371 DOI: 10.4162/nrp.2008.2.2.85

The present study was conducted to develop a Multi-dimensional Body Image Scale for Malaysian female adolescents. Data were collected among 328 female adolescents from a secondary school in Kuantan district, state of Pahang, Malaysia by using a self-administered questionnaire and anthropometric measurements. The self-administered questionnaire comprised multiple measures of body image, Eating Attitude Test (EAT-26; Garner & Garfinkel, 1979) and Rosenberg Self-esteem Inventory (Rosenberg, 1965). The 152 items from selected multiple measures of body image were examined through factor analysis and for internal consistency. Correlations between Multi-dimensional Body Image Scale and body mass index (BMI), risk of eating disorders and self-esteem were assessed for construct validity. A seven factor model of a 62-item Multi-dimensional Body Image Scale for Malaysian female adolescents with construct validity and good internal consistency was developed. The scale encompasses 1) preoccupation with thinness and dieting behavior, 2) appearance and body satisfaction, 3) body importance, 4) muscle increasing behavior, 5) extreme dieting behavior, 6) appearance importance, and 7) perception of size and shape dimensions. Besides, a multidimensional body image composite score was proposed to screen negative body image risk in female adolescents. The result found body image was correlated with BMI, risk of eating disorders and self-esteem in female adolescents. In short, the present study supports a multi-dimensional concept for body image and provides a new insight into its multi-dimensionality in Malaysian female adolescents with preliminary validity and reliability of the scale. The Multi-dimensional Body Image Scale can be used to identify female adolescents who are potentially at risk of developing body image disturbance through future intervention programs.
Fulltext Parental body mass index is associated with adolescent overweight and obesity in Mashhad, Iran

Shafaghi K, Shariff ZM, Taib MN, Rahman HA, Mobarhan MG, Jabbari H

Asia Pac J Clin Nutr, 2014;23(2):225-31.
PMID: 24901091 DOI: 10.6133/apjcn.2014.23.2.11

OBJECTIVE: This cross-sectional study was carried out to determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity among secondary school children aged 12 to 14 years in the city of Mashhad, Iran and its association with parental body mass index.
METHODS: A total of 1189 secondary school children (579 males and 610 females) aged 12- 14 years old were selected through a stratified multistage random sampling. All adolescents were measured for weight and height. Household socio-demographic information and parental weight and height were self-reported by parents. Adolescents were classified as overweight or obese based on BMI-for age Z-score. Multivariable logistic Regression (MLR) determined the relationship between parental BMI and adolescent overweight and obesity.
RESULTS: The overall prevalence of overweight and obesity among secondary school children in Mashhad was 17.2% and 11.9%, respectively. A higher proportion of male (30.7%) than female (27.4%) children were overweight or obese. BMI of the children was significantly related to parental BMI (p<0.001), gender (p= 0.02), birth order (p<0.01), parents' education level (p<0.001), father's employment status (p<0.001), and family income (p<0.001). MLR showed that the father's BMI was significantly associated with male BMI (OR: 2.02) and female BMI (OR: 1.59), whereas the mother's BMI was significantly associated with female BMI only (OR: 0.514).
CONCLUSION: The high prevalence of overweight/obesity among the research population compared with previous studies in Iran could be related to the changing lifestyle of the population. The strong relationship with parental BMI was probably related to a combination of genetic and lifestyle factors. Strategies to address childhood obesity should consider the interaction of these factors.
Diet and physical activity in relation to weight change among breast cancer patients

Yaw YH, Shariff ZM, Kandiah M, Weay YH, Saibul N, Sariman S, et al.

Asian Pac J Cancer Prev, 2014;15(1):39-44.
PMID: 24528062

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to provide an overview of lifestyle changes after breast cancer diagnosis and to examine the relationship between dietary and physical activity changes with weight changes in breast cancer patients. Women with breast carcinomas (n=368) were recruited from eight hospitals and four breast cancer support groups in peninsular Malaysia. Dietary and physical activity changes were measured from a year preceding breast cancer diagnosis to study entry. Mean duration since diagnosis was 4.86±3.46 years. Dietary changes showed that majority of the respondents had decreased their intake of high fat foods (18.8-65.5%), added fat foods (28.3-48.9%), low fat foods (46.8-80.7%), red meat (39.7%), pork and poultry (20.1-39.7%) and high sugar foods (42.1-60.9%) but increased their intake of fish (42.7%), fruits and vegetables (62.8%) and whole grains (28.5%). Intake of other food groups remained unchanged. Only a small percentage of the women (22.6%) had increased their physical activity since diagnosis where most of them (16.0%) had increased recreational activities. Age at diagnosis (β= -0.20, p= 0.001), and change in whole grain (β= -0.15, p= 0.003) and fish intakes (β= 0.13, p= 0.013) were associated with weight changes after breast cancer diagnosis. In summary, the majority of the women with breast cancer had changed their diets to a healthier one. However, many did not increase their physical activity levels which could improve their health and lower risk of breast cancer recurrence.
Validation of the Malaysian Coping Strategy Instrument to measure household food insecurity in Kelantan, Malaysia

Sulaiman N, Shariff ZM, Jalil RA, Taib MN, Kandiah M, Samah AA

Food Nutr Bull, 2011 Dec;32(4):354-64.
PMID: 22590969

Food insecurity occurs whenever people are not able to access enough food at all times for an active and healthy life or when adequate and safe food acquired by socially acceptable ways is not available.

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