Intergenerational changes in body height, body mass, and body mass index in an understudied population.

Objectives: Secular trends in body height have been proved indicative of socio-economic development of a country or a region, as well as of childhood and adolescent (mal)nutrition. Being taller has been associated with enhanced longevity, with several body height related factors involved. While basic anthropometric measurements, including body height, have long been performed in developed societies, primarily in men and children, far less data are available for adults and women in particular. The aim of the present cross-sectional study was to collect basic anthropometric data related to the assessment of nutritional status of adult population, both men and women, to establish normative anthropometric data, and provide intergenerational analysis for height, body mass, and body mass index (BMI) of adults of both genders. Subjects and methods: Body height and body mass data of the participating 845 volunteers were collected from March 2017 to April 2018 by trained interviewers during home visits. BMI and gender-related percentile values were calculated, and percentile curves constructed. The protocol of the study was approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of the Republic of Slovenia. Results: Eleven weighted percentile values (3, 5, 10, 15, 25, 50, 75, 85, 90, 95, and 97) for body height, body mass, and BMI are presented, as are the non-weighted percentile curves for these parameters for both, adult men and women. Secular trends and age-related height loss of the reported parameters are being discussed. Conclusion: The reported percentile values provide an insight into the secular trend of body height, mass, and BMI of an understudied population, i.e. adults of both genders in a transitional society. As such, they can be useful to researchers, ergonomic professionals, health programme coordinators, and policy makers.

Dietary Intakes of Slovenian Adults and Elderly: Design and Results of the National Dietary Study SI.Menu 2017/18.

Incomparable and insufficiently detailed information on dietary intakes are common challenges associated with dietary assessment methods. Being a European Union country, Slovenia is expected to conduct national food consumption studies in line with harmonised EU Menu methodology. The present study aimed to describe the methodology and protocols in the Slovenian nationally representative dietary survey SI.Menu 2017/18, and to assess population dietary habits with respect to food consumption and energy and macronutrient intakes. While the study targeted various population groups, this report is focused on adults. A representative sample of participants was randomly selected from the Central Register of Population according to sex, age classes and place of residency, following a two-stage stratified sampling procedure. Information on food consumption was collected with two non-consecutive 24-h dietary recalls using a web-based Open Platform for Clinical Nutrition (OPEN) software. Data were complemented with a food propensity questionnaire to adjust for usual intake distribution. Altogether, 364 adults (18-64 years) and 416 elderlies (65-74 years) were included in the data analyses. Study results highlighted that observed dietary patterns notably differ from food-based dietary guidelines. Typical diets are unbalanced due to high amounts of consumed meat and meat products, foods high in sugar, fat and salt, and low intake of fruits and vegetables and milk and dairy products. Consequently, the energy proportion of carbohydrates, proteins, and to some extent, free sugars and total fats, as well as intake of dietary fibre and total water deviates from the reference values. Age and sex were significantly marked by differences in dietary intakes, with particularly unfavourable trends in adults and men. Study results call for adoption of prevention and public health intervention strategies to improve dietary patterns, taking into account population group differences. In addition, all developed protocols and tools will be useful for further data collection, supporting regular dietary monitoring systems and trend analyses.

Total and Free Sugars Consumption in a Slovenian Population Representative Sample.

Excessive free sugars consumption is associated with poor health outcomes. Thus, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends limiting free sugars intake to no more than 10% of total energy intake. To evaluate current intakes of dietary sugars and monitor the adherence to the guidelines, the objective of this study was to comprehensively assess total and free sugars consumption of different age groups within the Slovenian population. The Slovenian national food consumption survey SI.Menu 2017/18 was conducted on representative samples of adolescents (10-17 years), adults (18-64 years), and the elderly (65-74 years) using two non-consecutive 24-hour dietary recalls. The analyses were carried out on a sample of 1248 study participants. Free sugars content in food was estimated based on previously established databases. The population weighted median free sugars intake accounted for 10.1% of total energy intake (TEI) among adolescents, 6.4% among adults, and 6.5% in the elderly population. Both total and free sugars consumption in the percentage of TEI were higher among women than men, in participants with lower education, and those with higher family net income. The main sources of free sugars in adolescents were beverages, cakes, muffins, pastry, and dairy products; for adults and the elderly, the key sources of free sugars were beverages, cakes, muffins, pastry, and sugars, honey, and related products. A total of 56% of adolescents, 84% of adults, and 81% of the elderly population adhered to the WHO free sugars guidelines. Additional measures will be required to further decrease free sugars consumption among the teenage population, in which dietary patterns are still of greatest concern.