Frequency of sweet and salty snack consumption among children in relation to their mothers' education level.

Aim To investigate the frequency of consumption of sweet and salty snacks among children aged 2-18 years in relation to their mothers' education level. Methods A descriptive epidemiological study was conducted in five dental practices at the School of Medicine of the University of Mostar from May to October 2022. The data were collected from medical records. Results: Out of a total of 477 children, 172 (36.1%) had mothers with a high school education, while 305 (63.9%) had mothers with a university degree. In the group of preschool children (aged 2-6 years), there were 42 mothers with high school education and 105 with university degree. In the group of school children (age 7-18 years) there were 130 mothers with high school education and 200 with university degree. The difference in the consumption of sweetened beverages among children of mothers with high school and university was not statistically significant. Similar results were found for the consumption of salty snacks, lollipops, caramels and candies. The frequency of the consumption of biscuits, chocolate and cakes (several times a day) was statistically significantly higher among the children of mothers with high school education (p=0.04), especially among school children. Eating habits of children, regardless of the level of education of their mothers, differed significantly only in the consumption of lollipops, caramels, and candies (p=0.03), which were consumed once a day by 79 (63.7%) schoolchildren and 45 (36.3%) of pre-schoolers. Conclusion A higher level of education among mothers does not necessarily equate to proper nutritional knowledge.

Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis in a Three-Year-Old Girl in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

OBJECTIVE: To present a rare disease, and to point out that clinical manifestations treated for a long period of time without an adequate response to therapy may be a manifestation of a rare disease. CASE REPORT: We present the case of a 3-year-old girl who had been drinking a large amount of water for the previous ten days with frequent urination, and who experienced the worsening of symptoms of scalp dermatitis that had been treated for a year without success. Physical examination revealed a maculopapular rash on the scalp, neck and both ear shells, and exophthalmos of the right eye with periorbital edema. Magnetic resonance imaging of the orbits showed extensive lesions of the skull bones. Further diagnostic evaluation revealed similar lesions in other bone structures. Biopsy of the affected region, microscopic and immunohistochemical analysis led to diagnosis of Langerhans cell histiocytosis. CONCLUSION: Langerhans cell histiocytosis mostly occurs in the first three years of life. The incidence is 4-5 patients per million children under 15 years of life. The clinical presentation is highly variable, and can range from isolated, self-healing skin and bone lesions to life-threatening multisystem diseases. Due to the diverse clinical picture, that is often unrecognized, these patients are often referred to other specialists, resulting in the treatment of individual symptoms rather than the underlying disease.