Systematic literature review of instruments that measure the healthfulness of food and beverages sold in informal food outlets.

BACKGROUND: Informal food outlets, defined as vendors who rarely have access to water and toilets, much less shelter and electricity, are a common component of the food environment, particularly in many non-Western countries. The purpose of this study was to review available instruments that measure the quality and particularly the healthfulness of food and beverages sold within informal food outlets. METHODS: PubMed, LILACS, Web of Science, and Scopus databases were used. Articles were included if they reported instruments that measured the availability or type of healthy and unhealthy foods and beverages by informal food outlets, were written in English or Spanish, and published between January 1, 2010, and July 31, 2020. Two trained researchers reviewed the title, abstract and full text of selected articles; discrepancies were solved by two independent researchers. In addition, the list of references for selected articles was reviewed for any additional articles of relevance. The quality of published articles and documents was evaluated using JBI Critical appraisal checklist for analytical cross-sectional studies. RESULTS: We identified 1078 articles of which 14 were included after applying the selection criteria. Three additional articles were considered after reviewing the references from the selected articles. From the final 17 articles, 13 measurement tools were identified. Most of the instruments were used in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). Products were classified as healthy/unhealthy or produce/non-produce or processed/unprocessed based on availability and type. Six studies reported psychometric tests, whereas one was tested within the informal food sector. CONCLUSIONS: Few instruments can measure the healthfulness of food and beverages sold in informal food outlets, of which the most valid and reliable have been used to measure formal food outlets as well. Therefore, it is necessary to develop an instrument that manages to measure, specifically, the elements available within an informal one. These actions are extremely important to better understand the food environment that is a central contributor to poor diets that are increasingly associated with the obesity and Non-communicable disease (NCD) pandemic.

Development and Validation of the Mexican Public Open Spaces Tool (MexPOS).

Public open spaces (POS) are "publicly owned spaces such as parks, green areas, squares, marketplaces, streets and highways which are of public access". Some attributes could increase or decrease participants' attendance. Thus, reliable and valid audit tools are needed in order to measure these attributes. This study aimed to develop and validate a tool to assess POS features within the Mexico City context. The Mexican Public Open Spaces Tool (MexPOS) was developed based on (1) two validated POS audit tools, (2) several visits to the POS, (3) pilot testing, and (4) multiple work sessions with a group of specialists. The original tool included 181 items divided into nine sections. Trained personnel visited and evaluated 944 POS in Mexico City. An exploratory factor analysis was performed to examine the construct validity of the items and the relationship between the subscales. The final model resulted in seven factors: (1) Food and Wellness Environment (α = 0.15), (2) Maintenance (α = 0.81), (3) Amenities (α = 0.72), (4) Legibility (α = 0.59), (5) Security (α = 0.48), (6) Perceived Environment (α = 0.65), and (7) Urban Environment (α = 0.58). Our study highlights the relevance of using a validated tool to measure POS characteristics related to participants' attendance to help assess infrastructure improvements and identify priority areas for changing socio-urban environments for physical activity.

Características del síndrome nefrótico primario en edades no habituales en un hospital pediátrico de tercer nivel en Guadalajara, Jalisco, México / Characteristics of idiopathic nephrotic syndrome at an unusual age in a tertiary-level pediatric hospital in Guadalajara, Jalisco, México

Introducción. El síndrome nefrótico se diagnostica con base en cuatro criterios: proteinuria masiva, hipoalbuminemia, edema e hipercolesterolemia. Generalmente se presenta entre los 2 y los 10 años de edad. Este trabajo se realizó para conocer las características de los pacientes con síndrome nefrótico en edades no habituales. Métodos. Se realizó un estudio retrospectivo en el servicio de Nefrología del Hospital de Pediatría, Centro Médico Nacional de Occidente, de enero de 2007 a junio de 2009. Se obtuvieron los datos clínicos, bioquímicos e histopatológicos, el manejo médico y la evolución clínica de 23 pacientes con síndrome nefrótico primario en edades no habituales. Resultados. Se analizaron 10 pacientes < 2 años y 13 pacientes > 10 años (11 de sexo femenino y 12 de sexo masculino). Se reportó glomerulonefritis con proliferación mesangial difusa en 7 pacientes (30.4%), hipertensión arterial diastólica en 16 (69.5%), hematuria en 15 (65.2%), inmunofluorescencia IgM positiva en biopsia renal en 13 (56.5%) y falta de remisión del cuadro en 13 (56.5%). Conclusiones. El síndrome nefrótico primario en edades no habituales no presenta predominio de género y la lesión histopatológica más frecuentemente asociada es la glomerulonefritis con proliferación mesangial difusa.

Background. Nephrotic syndrome (NS) is diagnosed by the presence of massive proteinuria, hypoalbuminemia, edema and hypercholesterolemia. The usual onset is between 2 and 10 years of age. This study was conducted to determine the features of idiopathic NS in patients at an unusual age. Methods. A retrospective study was carried out in the Nephrology Department at the Pediatrics Hospital, Centro Medico Nacional de Occidente, Guadalajara, Mexico from January 2007-June 2009. Twenty three cases were analyzed to evaluate clinical features, biochemical parameters and histopathological spectrum. Medical management and outcome were established. Results. We analyzed 10 patients <2 years of age and 13 patients >10 years of age. There were 11 females and 12 males. Mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis was found in seven (30.4%) patients, diastolic hypertension in 16 (69.5%) patients, hematuria in 15 (65.2%) patients, and positive IgM immunofluorescence in renal biopsy in 13 (56.5%) patients. There were 13 patients who did not achieve remission (56.5%). Conclusions. There was no gender predominance in idiopathic NS patients with unusual age presentation. Mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis was the most common histopathological subtype.