Determination of the energy requirements in mechanically ventilated critically ill elderly patients in different BMI groups using the Harris-Benedict equation.

BACKGROUND: Due to studies on calorie requirement in mechanically ventilated critically ill elderly patients are few, and indirect calorimetry (IC) is not available in every intensive care unit (ICU). The aim of this study was to compare IC and Harris-Benedict (HB) predictive equation in different BMI groups. METHODS: A total of 177 mechanically ventilated critically ill elderly patients (≧65 years old) underwent IC for measured resting energy expenditure (MREE). Estimated calorie requirement was calculated by the HB equation, using actual body weight (ABW) and ideal body weight (IBW) separately. Patients were divided into four BMI groups. One-way ANOVA and Pearson's correlation coefficient were used for statistical analyses. RESULTS: The mean MREE was 1443.6 ± 318.2 kcal/day, HB(ABW) was 1110.9 ± 177.0 kcal/day and HB(IBW) was 1101.5 ± 113.1 kcal/day. The stress factor (SFA = MREE ÷ HB(ABW)) was 1.43 ± 0.26 for the underweight, 1.30 ± 0.27 for the normal weight, 1.20 ± 0.19 for the overweight, and 1.20 ± 0.31 for the obese. The SFI (SFI = MREE ÷ HB(IBW)) was 1.24 ± 0.24 for the underweight, 1.31 ± 0.26 for the normal weight, 1.36 ± 0.21 for the overweight, and 1.52 ± 0.39 for the obese. MREE had significant correlation both with REE(ABW) = HB(ABW) × SFA (r = 0.46; P < 0.0001) and REE(IBW) = HB(IBW) × SFI (r = 0.43; P < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: IC is the best accurate method for assessing calorie requirement of mechanically ventilated critically ill elderly patients. When IC is not available, using the predictive HB equation is an alternative choice. Calorie requirement can be predicted by HB(ABW) × 1.20-1.43 for critically ill elderly patients according to different BMI groups, or using HB(IBW) × 1.24-1.52 for patients with edema, ascites or no available body weight data.

Trends of ABC control 2006-2011: a National Survey of Diabetes Health Promotion Institutes in Taiwan.

AIMS: To understand the trends of ABC control in 5 years interval in Taiwan. METHODS: We compared two waves of nationwide surveys (n=7541 and n=5599, mainly type 2 diabetes) to examine the trends of ABC control across 5 years in accredited Diabetes Health Promotion Institutes in Taiwan. RESULTS: The percentages of subjects who had HbA1c lower than 7% (A), both SBP and DBP lower than 130/80 mmHg (B), and total cholesterol lower than 160 mg/dl or LDL cholesterol lower than 100mg/dl (C) increased by 6.5% (from 32.4% to 34.5%), 22.0% (from 30.9% to 37.7%), and 57.8% (from 35.3% to 55.7%), respectively, with a resulting total ABC attainment rate from 4.1% to 8.6%. A subgroup of 720 diabetic subjects who participated in both surveys showed the same pattern of changes in B and C but had a slight deterioration of glycemic control. Logistic regression analysis revealed that diagnosis of type 1 diabetes, lower BMI and individuals not requiring insulin were independently associated with attainment of ABC goals in 2006 and 2011. An accountabilities examination revealed that annular tests of HbA1c, BP and lipids were all above 90% in both surveys. CONCLUSIONS: We observed an improvement of individual and overall attainments of ABC goals across 5 years in Taiwan owing to recent implementation of several diabetes care models and initiatives. We anticipate that these improvements will translate into reductions of both macrovascular and microvascular complications.

Practice to introduce complementary foods to infants in Taiwan--changes from 1997 to 2008.

The purpose of the study was to understand present infant complementary foods eating and compare trends over the past 10 years in Taiwan. We investigated the methods used to introduce infants to complementary foods, difficulties encountered, sources of information and the principle caregiver's knowledge about infant feeding. This study focused on findings from the 2005-2008 Nutrition and Health Survey in Taiwan (NAHSIT) and compared with those from the 1997-1999 Child NAHSIT. Interviews in both surveys were carried out by trained interviewers. In 2005-2008 survey, 50% of infants aged 7-12 months had started eating baby cereals or juice at age 4-6 months as recommended. The proportions of infants aged 10-12 months who were introduced to particular complementary foods at recommended periods varied from biscuits (51.1%) to tofu (1.1%). The proportions were higher in 2005-2008 than in 1997-1999 for only 3 items. In both survey, more than 80% of mothers were the one who made the decision to introduce their children to complementary foods. More than 75% of caregivers fed baby cereals to their babies from milk bottles. In 2005-2008, the most commonly encountered problem was that the child wouldn't eat. Nutrition knowledge of the caregivers have improved since 1999, but still needs fostering. The timing to introduce complementary foods become later than ten years ago. Whether the delay will affect the normal dietary intakes of children after one year of age needs attention. The government should not only promote breastfeeding, but also reevaluate current evidence-based recommendation on complementary food introduction time.

The effects of physical activity, body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) on glucose intolerance in older people: a nationwide study from Taiwan.

We investigated the gender-specific effects of physical activity, BMI and WC on glucose intolerance in an elderly Taiwanese population (n=1344) aged 65 and above, who participated in the Elderly Nutrition and Health Survey in Taiwan in 1999-2000. In this cross-sectional study, physical activity was assessed using the Modified Baecke Questionnaire for Older Adults (MBQOA). Categories of physical activity level were defined by tertiles of MBQOA scores. Glucose intolerance in subjects not previously diagnosed with diabetes was categorized according to 2003 American Diabetes Association criteria. After adjustment for potential confounders, physical activity was significantly inversely associated with the presence of undiagnosed type 2 diabetes and impaired fasting glucose (IFG) in older women. In older men, the association was less clear. BMI and WC were significantly positively associated with the presence of undiagnosed diabetes in men and were significantly associated with IFG in both sexes. In older women, undiagnosed diabetes was strongly associated with increased WC, but not with BMI. Our findings highlight that older women with low physical activity or high WC, and older men with high BMI or WC are important target populations for interventions to prevent glucose intolerance.

From dietary guidelines to daily food guide: the Taiwanese experience.

In early 1980's, the first edition of dietary guidelines for Taiwanese was established by the Department of Health (DOH), Executive Yuan. The main purposes of the guidelines were to guide nutritional professionals and dieticians to plan diet for preventing general population from diseases. Besides the amount of daily cholesterol intake, the percentages of calories from carbohydrate, protein, and fat was recommended. Dietary guidelines were revised concurrently as the results of national nutrition survey showed dietary or nutrient deficits of Taiwanese population. The recent dietary guidelines were then revised for general public and consist of 8 items, including: maintain ideal body weight, eat well-balanced meals from all food groups, eat whole grains as staples for main meals, eat more high-fiber foods, eat less fat, less salt, and less sugar, consume plenty of high calcium content foods, drink plenty of water, if you drink alcohol, do so in moderation. In addition to these qualitative guidelines, a daily food guide was also established to instruct the general public to consume portions from six food groups. The suggested portions for food groups were calculated and based on basic balanced meal principles and the recommended energy, protein for different age groups from DRIs. The pictorial representation of the daily food guide was plum blossom which is the national flower. Leaflets, posters, and slides were developed for nutrition education. As the eating behavior and disease patterns may change, the governments and nutrition societies should keep revising dietary guidelines and daily food guides to encourage population health.

Prevalence of overweight and obesity and its associated factors: findings from National Nutrition and Health Survey in Taiwan, 1993-1996.

BACKGROUND: To report the overall and regional prevalence of obesity/overweight in Taiwan and to study its associated risk factors. METHODS: A total of 3046 adults > or = 20 years of age collected in National Nutrition and Health Survey in Taiwan, 1993-1996. RESULTS: Prevalence rates of overweight and obesity were 21.1 and 4.0% under the current WHO definition. The prevalence rates of overweight and obesity, using the Taiwanese definition (BMI = 24-26.99 kg/m(2) and > or = 27 kg/m(2), respectively), were 22.9 and 10.5% for males and 20.3 and 13.2% for females, respectively. The highest prevalence rates of obesity were found in the mountainous areas. In addition to age and residing location, education level in women and metabolic equivalent (MET) score and alcohol consumption in men were correlates of obesity. Effects of nutrition/health-related behaviors might be in part explained by education level and residing location of the subjects. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of obesity defined by WHO criteria among people in Taiwan was moderate, with considerable regional variation. The regional differences in obesity prevalence could not be completely accounted for by the sociodemographic and lifestyle factors studied.