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  1. Dai J, Zulkefli NF, Moy FM, Keene D, Humphries D
    Curr Dev Nutr, 2019 Jun;3(Suppl 1).
    PMID: 31224508 DOI: 10.1093/cdn/nzz034.P10-024-19
    Objectives: Malaysia is currently experiencing the nutrition transition, with an increased consumption of refined carbohydrates and fats paralleling an increase in prevalence of obesity and chronic disease. These dietary changes have occurred despite 90% of urban women reporting awareness of the health risks posed by obesity. This study sought to characterize how working women, an understudied population at risk for diet-related chronic disease, navigate food decisions. As Malaysia is a multiethnic nation, we aimed to explore the sociocultural determinants of eating behavior in this unique population.

    Methods: A purposive design in combination with a convenience sampling approach was used to recruit 24 women ages 26 to 55 of Malay, Indian, and Chinese descent across 15 university departments in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Audio recordings of the individual semi-structured interviews were transcribed and analyzed using grounded theory.

    Results: Women identified two important life transitions, getting married and having children, as particularly influential in changing eating behavior. Women reported a desire to eat healthier that was in tension with pressures to cater to the taste preferences of their household members and to accommodate their work schedules. Persistent social norms of eating in group settings and difficulty in accessing foods perceived as nutritious were reported as barriers to changing individual eating behavior. Regardless of education level and marital status, women agreed that the act of eating was closely connected with cultural values and embodied important meanings that took precedence over eating as a health-promoting behavior. While all participants expressed a desire to eat healthier, many reported limited confidence in their ability to consistently give up familiar and tasty foods for healthier alternatives. Shifts in eating behavior such as trying new healthy recipes and adopting a more restrictive diet were reported as most feasible and personally applicable after learning about a family member's declining health.

    Conclusions: In this urban, multiethnic population, increasing the accessibility of nutritious foods and changing cultural perceptions of the relationship between food and nutrition may be important for enabling healthy eating behaviors.

    Funding Sources: Yale Sustainable Food Program, Yale School of Public Health.

  2. Waid JL, Sinharoy SS, Ali M, Stormer AE, Thilsted SH, Gabrysch S
    Curr Dev Nutr, 2019 Apr;3(4):nzy091.
    PMID: 30993255 DOI: 10.1093/cdn/nzy091
    BACKGROUND: The government of Bangladesh has implemented multiple policies since 1971 to provide the population with more diverse and nutritious diets.

    OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to examine the drivers of dietary change over time and the roles agriculture and economic development have played.

    METHODS: We used principal component analysis to derive dietary patterns from 7 cross-sectional rounds of the Bangladesh Household [Income and] Expenditure Survey. We then used linear probability models to estimate associations of adherence to dietary patterns with socio-economic characteristics of households, and with agricultural production on the household and regional level. For dietary patterns that increased or decreased over time, Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition was used to assess factors associated with these changes.

    RESULTS: Seven dietary patterns were identified: modern, traditional, festival, winter, summer, monotonous, and spices. All diets were present in all survey rounds. In 1985, over 40% of households had diets not associated with any identified pattern, which declined to 12% by 2010. The proportion of the population in households adhering to the modern, winter, summer, and monotonous diets increased over time, whereas the proportion adhering to the traditional diet decreased. Although many factors were associated with adherence to dietary patterns in the pooled sample, changes in observed factors only explained a limited proportion of change over time due to variation in coefficients between periods. Increased real per capita expenditure was the largest driver of elevated adherence to dietary patterns over time, whereas changes in the agricultural system increased adherence to less diverse dietary patterns.

    CONCLUSIONS: These findings highlight the need for both diversified agricultural production and a continued reduction in poverty in order to drive dietary improvement. This study lays the groundwork for further analysis of the impact of changing diets on health and nutrition.

  3. Tharmabalan RT
    Curr Dev Nutr, 2023 Apr;7(4):100054.
    PMID: 37304850 DOI: 10.1016/j.cdnut.2023.100054
    BACKGROUND: An essential dietary strategy to address the rapidly increasing risk of the double burden of malnutrition among indigenous populations around the world is to improve nutritional and food diversity utilizing varieties of traditional plant-based foods.

    OBJECTIVES: The objective of this research was to identify wild edible plants (WEPs) frequently consumed by the Semai and analyze their proximate and mineral composition to improve the adequacy of the local population's nutritional intake.

    METHODS: This study was conducted among 24 informants from 3 Semai settlements utilizing semistructured, ethnobotanical appraisal methods, proximate, and mineral analysis.

    RESULTS: This research first documents the common names, ethnobotanical names, and uses of 4 WEPs commonly consumed by the Semai: Sayur manis/pucuk manis [Sauropus androgynus (L.) Merr.], Pucuk ubi (Manihot esculenta Crantz), Saya/aying (Strobilanthes crispa Blume), and snegoh [Diplazium esculentum (Retz.) Sw.]. The nutritional content ranged from 3.2 to 7.7 g/100 g (ash), 2.9 to 7.2 g/100 g (protein), 1.5 to 6.2 g/100 g (carbohydrate). The mineral analysis showed that these plants contain considerable calcium, iron, potassium, and magnesium content, ranging from 176 to 243 mg/100 g, 0.7 to 2.8 mg/100 g, 295 to 527 mg/100 g, 32 to 97 mg/100 g. A comparative analysis was done with commercial market produce: Ipomoea aquatica, Brassica rapa subsp. Chinensis and Brassica oleracea var. alboglabra. The nutrient content for the 3 produce ranged from 1.2 to 2.6 g/100 g (protein), 2.18 to 4.67 g/100 g (carbohydrate), and 0.59 to 1.67 mg/100 g (iron). The results showed that Manihot esculenta had the highest carbohydrate, calcium, potassium, and magnesium content, whereas the highest ash and protein content was found in Diplazium esculentum.

    CONCLUSIONS: These findings show that these WEPs had higher nutritional and mineral concentrations than select market produce and can be used to strengthen food and nutrition security among the Semai. However, additional information regarding antinutrient, toxic compounds, methods of preparation, and consumption is required to determine how much they contribute to nutritional outcomes before these vegetables may be adopted as new crops. Curr Dev Nutr 2023;x:xx.

  4. Hairudin KF, Mohd Fahmi Teng NI, Juliana N
    Curr Dev Nutr, 2023 Jan;7(1):100009.
    PMID: 37181125 DOI: 10.1016/j.cdnut.2022.100009
    BACKGROUND: Chrononutrition studies how biological rhythms and nutrition are associated with human health. However, a validated assessment in Malaysia is still absent.

    OBJECTIVES: To create a translation of the Chrononutrition Profile Questionnaire (CPQ), test its validity and reliability, and determine the general chrononutrition behaviors among Malaysian young adults.

    METHODS: The Malay-CPQ was distributed to respondents through online platforms (n = 110), and data analyses were performed. The data were analyzed for their validity using content validity index (CVI) and face validity index (FVI), whereas intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was used to determine test-retest reliability.

    RESULTS: Our results showed both CVI and FVI of Malay-CPQ were 1, indicating excellent content translation, while the ICC values ranged from moderate to good (0.50-0.90). The Cronbach α values for all items ranged from moderate to good (0.50-0.90), and the Bland-Altman analysis showed a P value >0.05, indicating agreement of the item between repeated measurements. The chrononutrition behaviors among Malaysian young adults presented fair to good scores for all behavior patterns: eating window, breakfast skipping, evening eating, night eating, and largest meal, except evening latency, being mostly at the poor score (>80% responses).

    CONCLUSIONS: The Malay-CPQ is a valid and reliable tool to assess the Malaysian chrononutrition profile. However, further testing on Malay-CPQ should be conducted in a different setting in Malaysia for cross-validation studies.

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