Ancient West African foragers in the context of African population history.

Our knowledge of ancient human population structure in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly prior to the advent of food production, remains limited. Here we report genome-wide DNA data from four children-two of whom were buried approximately 8,000 years ago and two 3,000 years ago-from Shum Laka (Cameroon), one of the earliest known archaeological sites within the probable homeland of the Bantu language group1-11. One individual carried the deeply divergent Y chromosome haplogroup A00, which today is found almost exclusively in the same region12,13. However, the genome-wide ancestry profiles of all four individuals are most similar to those of present-day hunter-gatherers from western Central Africa, which implies that populations in western Cameroon today-as well as speakers of Bantu languages from across the continent-are not descended substantially from the population represented by these four people. We infer an Africa-wide phylogeny that features widespread admixture and three prominent radiations, including one that gave rise to at least four major lineages deep in the history of modern humans.

Eating preferences and behaviors of older immigrants in Oslo: A qualitative study.

Norway's population of older, first-generation immigrants is expected to almost triple by the year 2060 due to decreased mortality and continued immigration. Studies indicate that older immigrants in Norway have a higher rate of non-communicable disease than older non-immigrants. Eating a health-supporting diet is important for reducing disease risk and maintaining independence in older adults. The purpose of this study was to increase understanding of the eating preferences and behaviors of older, home-dwelling, first-generation immigrants in Oslo, and to identify influences on their eating preferences and behaviors. This qualitative study took a phenomenological approach to understand older immigrants' shared experience of changing eating behaviors with aging. Fourteen home-dwelling, older immigrants were recruited using a combination of purposeful random sampling and snowball sampling. In-depth interviews were conducted then analyzed according to reflexive thematic analysis. Study findings indicate that older immigrants eat a bi-cultural diet pattern. In addition, they seek out information about nutrition, and incorporate many health-supporting eating habits for disease management and prevention. In this way, older immigrants in Oslo share much in common with older non-immigrants. Hopes and worries for the future motivate older immigrants to eat more healthfully in order to maintain independence and cultural identity as long as possible. These results can be useful for designing culturally tailored programs which support eating habits for health maintenance and disease prevention among older immigrants.

Madrid immigrants' perceptions of urban food environments and their dietary behaviours.

Large cities are home to several groups of immigrants who undergo important changes in their environmental conditions and lifestyles that significantly modify their risk of chronic diseases. Quantitative evidence indicates that both their health and diet worsen over time; much less is known about the qualitative mechanisms that cause these changes. The aim of this article is to understand how immigrants in the city of Madrid perceive the relation between the urban food environment and dietary behaviour. Based on a Social Ecological Framework, we conducted a secondary qualitative analysis derived from data from 41 immigrant residents, collected in eight focus groups (FGs), conducted in two neighbourhoods in the city of Madrid. We identified the following main categories: 1) Transnational identity and dietary behaviour in the neighbourhood; 2) Transitions in dietary behaviour; and 3) Societal/structural factors determining dietary behaviour in the neighbourhood. The participants in the FGs mentioned that they try to maintain traditional dietary customs and perceive that the taste of their typical dishes is better than those of Spanish dishes. Contradictorily, some participants considered their traditional dietary patterns to be less healthy than Mediterranean ones (consuming olive oil, vegetables, fish). Some participants acknowledged having adapted to the latter voluntarily or through dietary negotiations with their children. Immigrant families with two working parents have difficulties cooking homemade food and resort to less healthy options, such as eating fast food or ready-made meals. Due to their low purchasing power, they buy both ethnic products and other products, as well as considering the prices and offers in supermarkets. Our study highlights several structural mechanisms connecting the physical and social urban food environment with dietary behaviours among immigrant residents of a large city.

Weight stigma is uniquely tied to maladaptive eating across different racial, ethnic, and gender groups.

Weight stigma, racism, and sexism (social devaluation due to body weight, race or ethnicity, and sex or gender), have been linked to increased maladaptive eating behaviors; however, no research has investigated the unique associations between different forms of stigma and eating concurrently. We analyzed within-group (by race/ethnicity and sex) effects of different forms of stigma on maladaptive eating behaviors to test whether there is some unique relationship between weight stigma and maladaptive eating across identities. Additionally, we explored differences by racial/ethnic group and sex, as well as BMI category, in levels of reported weight stigma, racism, sexism, and maladaptive eating. Participants (N = 1051) were recruited so that there were approximately even numbers of participants identifying as Black (33.3%), Hispanic or Latino (32.8%), and White (33.9%). Overall, participants reported similar amounts of weight stigma by race/ethnicity and sex, but different levels of racism and sexism. Weight stigma, but not racism or sexism consistently predicted binge eating and eating to cope across groups, controlling for education, income, BMI, and age. Restricted dieting, however, was only predicted by weight stigma for Hispanic/Latino and Black men. These findings suggest that weight stigma is a unique predictor of maladaptive eating, even when considering the effects of racism and sexism. This study provides evidence of a more focused model of weight stigma and eating outcomes, rather than a more general model of the effect of stigma on eating outcomes due to overall stress. Future research should investigate when and why weight stigma drives restricted dieting, since this relationship seems strongest in men, going against many common inclinations about weight stigma.

Ethnic differences in meat consumption attitudes, norms and behaviors: A survey of White, South Asian and Black ethnic groups in the UK.

A reduction in meat consumption is necessary to mitigate negative impacts of climate change and adverse health outcomes. The UK has an increasingly multi-ethnic population, yet there is little research on meat consumption habits and attitudes among ethnic groups in the UK. We ran a survey (N = 1014) with quota samples for ethnic groups and analyzed attitudes, behaviors and norm perceptions of White, South Asian and Black British respondents. Most respondents believe overconsumption of red and processed meat has negative impacts on health (73.3%) and the environment (64.3%).South Asian respondents were statistically significantly less likely to be meat eaters than White respondents (OR = 0.44, 95% CIs: 0.30-0.65, t = -4.15, p = 0.000), while there was no significant difference between White and Black respondents (OR = 1.06, 95% CIs: 0.63-1.76, t = 0.21, p = 0.834). Both South Asian (OR = 2.76, 95% CIs: 1.89-4.03 t = 5.25, p = 0.000) and Black respondents (OR = 2.09, 95% CIs: 0.1.30-3.35, t = 3.06, p = 0.002) were significantly more likely to express being influenced by friends and family in their food choices than White respondents. South Asian (OR = 3.24,95% CIs: 2.17-4.84, t = 5.74, p = 0.000) and Black (OR = 2.02,95% CIs: 1.21-3.39, t = 2.69, p = 0.007) respondents were also both significantly more likely to report they would want to eat similarly to their friends and family than White respondents. Statistical analyses suggested some gender and socioeconomic differences across and among ethnic groups, which are reported and discussed. The differences in meat consumption behaviors and norm conformity between ethnic groups raises the prospect that interventions that leverage social norms may be more effective in South Asian groups than Black and White groups in the UK.

Eating Behaviors and Diet Quality in Chinese Preschoolers with and without Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Case-Control Study.

OBJECTIVES: To compare mealtime behaviors and diet quality in Chinese preschoolers with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and typically developing preschoolers in Hong Kong. STUDY DESIGN: This case-control study included a community sample of 65 families with preschoolers with ASD aged 3-6 years and 65 families with typically developing preschoolers matched for age and sex. Preschoolers' eating behaviors were assessed using the Brief Autism Mealtime Behaviour Inventory and the Preschoolers' Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (CPEBQ). Preschoolers' usual diet and nutrient intake were assessed using a validated food frequency questionnaire. Diet quality and diversity were generated using the Chinese Children Dietary Index total score and diet variety score. Between-group differences in various scales and dietary variables were examined using multivariate linear or logistics regression models adjusting for baseline demographic differences. RESULTS: Compared with the typically developing group, the ASD group had greater scores in the Brief Autism Mealtime Behaviour Inventory food refusal domain (P < .001), the CPEBQ food fussiness (P = .001) and eating habit (P = .001) domains, and lower CPEBQ exogenous eating score (P = .003) and initiative eating score (P < .001). The Chinese Children Dietary Index total score (P = .001) and diet variety score (P = .005) and intake of soy and soy products (P = .001) were lower in the ASD group compared with the typically developing group. CONCLUSIONS: Preschoolers with ASD showed more eating and mealtime problems, and lower diet quality and diversity than their typically developing counterparts. Our findings highlight the need for regular monitor and early identification of mealtime behavioral and nutrition problems among preschoolers with ASD.

New-onset vegetarian diet shows differences in fatty acid metabolites in European American and African American women.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The type of fat consumed in animal-based western diets, typically rich in the saturated fat palmitate, has been implicated in cardiometabolic disease risk. In contrast, the most abundant mono- and polyunsaturated fats, more typical in a vegetarian or plant-based diet, potentiate less deleterious effects. This study determined differences in plasma and urine metabolites when switching from omnivorous to vegetarian diet, including metabolites involved in fatty acid utilization. METHODS AND RESULTS: A prospective cohort of 38 European (EA) and African American (AA) omnivorous females were matched by age (25.7 ± 5.3y) and BMI (22.4 ± 1.9 kg/m2). Pre-intervention samples were collected while subjects consumed habitual animal-based diet. Changes in metabolites were assessed by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectroscopy (Metabolon, Inc.) upon completing four days of novel vegetarian diet provided by the Vanderbilt Metabolic Kitchen. Changes in several diet-derived metabolites were observed, including increases in compounds derived from soy food metabolism along with decreases in metabolites of xanthine and histidine. Significant changes occurred in metabolites of saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids along with significant differences between EA and AA women in changes in plasma concentrations of acylcarnitines, which reflect the completeness of fatty acid oxidation (versus storage). CONCLUSION: These data suggest improvements in fatty acid metabolism (oxidation vs storage), a key factor in energy homeostasis, may be promoted rapidly by adoption of a vegetarian (plant-based) diet. Mechanistic differences in response to diet interventions must be understood to effectively provide protection against the widespread development of obesity and cardiometabolic disease in population subgroups, such as AA women.

Sugar sweetened beverages and increasing prevalence of type 2 diabetes in the Indigenous community of Australia.

AIMS: The aim of this viewpoint was to discuss a profound health gap in type 2 diabetes that exists between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. DATA SYNTHESIS: In Australia, type 2 diabetes is ranked as the fastest growing chronic condition, with the rates of type 2 diabetes higher among Indigenous than non-Indigenous Australians. Improvements to diet could aid in reducing overweight and obesity in the Indigenous community, with sugar sweetened beverages (SSBs) examples of discretionary foods that contain a high amount of sugar. The marked increase in type 2 diabetes, obesity and consumption of SSBs in the Indigenous community may suggest that type 2 diabetes may result from weight gain caused by SSB consumption. Recent evidence suggests that higher consumption of SSBs was associated with greater incidence of type 2 diabetes independent of adiposity. Some determinants influencing increased SSBs consumption in the Indigenous population include advertising, marketing, availability and affordability. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence rates of type 2 diabetes continue to be higher among Indigenous than non-Indigenous Australians and overall, a link between SSBs and risk of type 2 diabetes is reported. Three solutions to high SSBs consumption in Indigenous communities include increased availability, affordability, and accessibility of healthy food and drink, engagement of Indigenous people in offering solutions including discussion of a sugar tax on SSBs framed with Indigenous input, and the provision of clean community water supply and water bubblers.

Dietary intake and lipid levels in Norwegian and Spanish children with familial hypercholesterolemia.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Both the Nordic and Mediterranean diets claim to have a beneficial effect on lipid metabolism and cardiovascular prevention. The objective of this study was to compare diets consumed by children with FH at the time of diagnosis in Norway and Spain and to study their relationship with the lipid profile. METHODS AND RESULTS: In this cross-sectional study, we appraised the dietary intake in children (4-18 years old) with (n = 114) and without FH (n = 145) from Norway and Spain. We compared Nordic and Mediterranean diet composition differences and determined the association between food groups and lipid profiles. RESULTS: The Spanish FH group had a higher intake of total fats (mainly monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs)), cholesterol and fibre, but a lower intake of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) compared to the Norwegian FH group. The Norwegian children consumed more rapeseed oil, low-fat margarine and whole grains and less olive oil, eggs, fatty fish, meat, legumes and nuts. In the Norwegian FH group, fat and MUFAs were directly correlated with total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and apolipoprotein B and inversely correlated with high-density lipoprotein (HDL-C). In Spanish children with FH, the intake of fats (mainly MUFAs) was directly associated with HDL-C and apolipoprotein A1. CONCLUSIONS: Despite a similar lipid phenotype, diets consumed by children with FH in Norway and Spain have significant differences at time of diagnosis. Nutrition advice should be more adapted to local intake patterns than on specific nutrient composition.

Tackling the question of micronutrients intake as one of the main levers in terms of Inuit food security.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The Inuit population living in North Canada is facing a drastic change in lifestyle, which has brought about a dramatic nutrition transition characterized by a decrease in the traditional foods consumption and an increasing reliance on processed, store-bought foods. This rapid dietary shift leads to a significant public health concern, as wild-harvested country foods are rich in many micronutrients including vitamins, trace elements and minerals while the most frequently eaten Western foods mainly provide energy, fat, carbohydrates and sodium. This review addresses the emerging strategies to tackle food insecurity in this population. RECENT FINDINGS: Recent studies indicate that diets with a higher fraction of traditional foods (and a lower fraction of ultra-processed foods) exhibit a better Healthy Eating Index. This provides a basis to develop new dietary policies anchored in contemporary food realities. SUMMARY: In Northern remote communities, improving food security requires holistic approaches. A mixed strategy that targets the revitalization of traditional foods systems and local food production initiatives seems the most promising strategy, to meet the dietary needs in terms of micronutrients, with respect to the cultural identity of local populations.

Validity and Reproducibility of a Food Frequency Questionnaire for Estimating Macro- and Micronutrient Intakes Among Pregnant Women in Jordan.

Objectives: Assessing the relationship between maternal diet and pregnancy outcomes is a crucial issue that requires valid dietary assessment tools in this critical period. This study aimed to develop and assess the validity and reproducibility of a culture-specific quantitative food frequency questionnaire (QFFQ) to evaluate the dietary intake of macro- and micronutrients from food in a sample of Jordanian pregnant women.Methods: A QFFQ was validated against three repeated 24-hour dietary recalls (24-hr recalls). The QFFQ was administered twice one month apart. A total of 131 Jordanian pregnant women participated in the validation study. Thirty women took part in the reproducibility phase, which was repeated in a time frame of one month.Results: The intra-class correlation coefficients of QFFQ1 and QFFQ2 for energy were 0.79 and for macronutrients ranged from -0.27 for insoluble fiber to 0.81 for dietary fiber, indicating adequate (0.51) reproducibility. The intra-class correlation coefficients between two QFFQs for micronutrients ranged from 0.19 for selenium to 0.85 for vitamin C. The average of correlation coefficient was 0.58 for micronutrients. Energy-adjusted and de-attenuated Pearson correlation coefficients between QFFQ1 and 24-hr dietary recall for macronutrients ranged from 0.13 for soluble fiber and trans fat to 0.90 for cholesterol and for micronutrients from 0.01 for sodium to 0.78 for magnesium.Conclusions: The newly developed QFFQ could facilitate the assessment of the nutrient intake among Jordanian pregnant women. Using this QFFQ will help in evaluating the nutritional status of pregnant women, aiming at improving maternal and newborn health.

Where we eat is who we are: a survey of food-related travel patterns to Singapore's hawker centers, food courts and coffee shops.

BACKGROUND: The development of empirically-grounded policies to change the obesogenic nature of urban environment has been impeded by limited, inconclusive evidence of the link between food environments, dietary behaviors, and health-related outcomes, in part due to inconsistent methods of classifying and analyzing food environments. This study explores how individual and built environment characteristics may be associated with how far and long people travel to food venues,that can serve as a starting point for further policy-oriented research to develop a more nuanced, context-specific delineations of 'food environments' in an urban Asian context. METHODS: Five hundred twenty nine diners in eight different neighborhoods in Singapore were surveyed about how far and long they travelled to their meal venues, and by what mode. We then examined how respondents' food-related travel differed by socioeconomic characteristics, as well as objectively-measured built environment characteristics at travel origin and destination, using linear regression models. RESULTS: Low-income individuals expended more time traveling to meal destinations than high-income individuals, largely because they utilized slower modes like walking rather than driving. Those travelling from areas with high food outlet density travelled shorter distances and times than those from food-sparse areas, while those seeking meals away from their home and work anchor points had lower thresholds for travel. Respondents also travelled longer distances to food-dense locations, compared to food-sparse locations. CONCLUSION: Those seeking to improve food environments of poor individuals should consider studying an intervention radius pegged to typical walking distances, or ways to improve their transport options as a starting point. Policy-focused research on food environments should also be sensitive to locational characteristics, such as food outlet densities and land use.

Social jetlag, eating behaviours and BMI among adolescents in the USA.

There is a lack of research on associations of social jetlag with eating behaviours and obesity among adolescents. We examined the associations of social jetlag with eating behaviours and BMI in adolescents before and after adjustment for potential confounders. Self-report data were collected from 3060 adolescents (48·1 % female, mean age 15·59 (sd 0·77) years) from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study. In regression models, social jetlag predicted odds of consumption of breakfast, fruits/vegetables, fast food and sweetened drinks and BMI percentile. Primary models adjusted for school night sleep duration, sex, age, household income and youth living arrangements; secondary models further adjusted for race/ethnicity. In fully adjusted models, greater social jetlag was associated with lower odds of consumption of breakfast (OR = 0·92, P = 0·003) and fruits/vegetables (OR = 0·92, P = 0·009) and higher odds of consumption of fast food (OR = 1·18, P < 0·001) and sweetened drinks (OR = 1·18, P < 0·001). Social jetlag was positively associated with BMI percentile after additional adjustment for eating behaviours (b = 0·84, P = 0·037), but this relationship was attenuated after adjustment for race/ethnicity (b = 0·72, P = 0·072). Ethnoracial differences in social jetlag may attenuate the association of social jetlag with BMI and should be considered in future studies of circadian misalignment, eating behaviours and obesity markers.

To the hunter go the spoils? No evidence of nutritional benefit to being or marrying a well-reputed Hadza hunter.

OBJECTIVES: The incentives underlying men's hunting acquisition patterns among foragers are much debated. Some argue that hunters preferentially channel foods to their households, others maintain that foods are widely redistributed. Debates have focused on the redistribution of foods brought to camp, though the proper interpretation of results is contested. Here we instead address this question using two nutritional variables, employed as proxies for longer-term food access. We also report on broader patterns in nutritional status. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We measured male hunting success, hemoglobin concentration and body fatness among bush-living Hadza. Hunting success was measured using an aggregated reputation score. Hemoglobin concentration, a proxy for dietary red meat, was measured from fingerprick capillary blood. Body fatness, a proxy for energy balance, was measured using BMI and bioelectrical impedance. RESULTS: We find no statistically significant relationship between a hunter's success and any measure of his nutritional status or that of his spouse. We further find that: women are, as elsewhere, at greater risk of iron-deficiency anemia than men; men had slightly lower BMIs than women; men but not women had significantly lower hemoglobin levels than in the 1960s. DISCUSSION: The absence of an association between hunting reputation and nutritional status is consistent with generalized food sharing. Null results are difficult to interpret and findings could potentially be a consequence of insufficient signal in the study measures or some confounding effect. In any event, our results add to a substantial corpus of existing research that identifies few nutritional advantages to being or marrying a well-reputed Hadza hunter.

Eating and physical activity behaviours among ethnic groups in Queensland, Australia.

OBJECTIVE: To examine differences in eating and physical activity behaviours among ethnic groups in Queensland, Australia, and differences in those behaviours due to the duration of residency in Australia. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study using baseline data collected for the Living Well Multicultural-Lifestyle Modification Program between October 2014 and June 2017. SETTING: Culturally and linguistically diverse communities (CALD), including Afghani, Somali, Burmese, Pacific and South Sea Islander, Sri Lankan, Sudanese and Vietnamese, living in Queensland, Australia. PARTICIPANTS: People were recruited if they were ≥18 years old and living in the targeted CALD communities. RESULTS: Burmese/Vietnamese, on average, had better eating scores in line with Australian dietary guidelines, compared with Afghani/Arabic-speaking (difference = 2·05 points, 95 % CI 1·39, 2·72), Somali/Sudanese (difference = 1·53 points, 95 % CI 0·79, 2·28) and Pacific Islander (difference = 1·46 points, 95 % CI 0·79, 2·13). Association between ethnicity and meeting the physical activity guideline was not significant. Those who stayed in Australia longer than a year were less likely to meet the physical activity guideline than those staying <1 year (OR = 0·51, 95 % CI 0·31, 0·84). There was no significant association between duration of residency in Australia and eating scores. CONCLUSIONS: Eating behaviours were significantly different among the ethnic groups in Queensland with Burmese/Vietnamese and Sri Lankan/Bhutanese having the healthiest diets. All ethnic groups were less likely to meet the physical activity guideline compared with the general Australian population. People with duration of residency of at least 1 year in Australia were less likely to meet the physical activity guideline compared with those who had shorter stays.

Socio-economic and racial prenatal diet quality disparities in a national US sample.

OBJECTIVE: To examine differences in prenatal diet quality by socio-economic status (SES) and race/ethnicity. DESIGN: A secondary, cross-sectional analysis. Race and SES were self-reported prenatally; SES was categorized into four groups: high-income, middle-income and low-income WIC (Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children) participant/non-participant. The Alternative Healthy Eating Index for Pregnancy (AHEI-P) measured diet quality, including four moderation and nine adequacy components (higher scores = healthier diet). Generalized linear models adjusted for covariates and post hoc testing with Tukey adjustment compared AHEI-P scores between groups, using a threshold of P < 0·05. SETTING: Infant Feeding Practices Study II, conducted in a national US convenience cohort. PARTICIPANTS: Women in their third trimester (n 1322) with dietary history. RESULTS: Participants were of 28·9 (se 5·6) years on average and predominantly non-Hispanic White (84 %); approximately one-third participated in WIC and 17 % were high-income. The mean AHEI-P score was 61·7 (se 10·8) of 130 points. High-income women had higher total (62·4 (se 1·0)) and moderation component AHEI-P scores than middle-income (60·1 (se 0·8), P = 0·02), low-income WIC participants (58·3 (se 0·8), P < 0·0001) and non-participants (58·9 (se 0·9), P = 0·001). Non-Hispanic Black participants had lower total (57·8 (se 1·4)) and adequacy scores than Other races (i.e. neither non-Hispanic Black nor White, 62·1 (se 0·9), P = 0·02). CONCLUSIONS: Disparities in prenatal diet quality were observed, with non-Hispanic Black women, low-/middle-income and WIC participants having lower diet quality. However, interventions are needed to improve prenatal diet quality broadly among US women.

Association between food insecurity and emotional eating in Latinos and the mediating role of perceived stress.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between food insecurity and emotional eating (EE) in US Latinxs and explore the mediating role of perceived stress. DESIGN: Cross-sectional analysis. Food insecurity was measured with the six-item US Department of Agriculture Household Food Security Scale; EE with the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire R18-V2; and perceived stress with Cohen's Perceived Stress Scale-10. Covariates included age, sex, education, marital status, household size and country of birth. Mediation was tested using the Baron and Kenny method and the mediated proportion was calculated. Analyses included multivariable linear regression and multinomial logistic regression. SETTING: A largely Latinx city in Massachusetts, USA. Participants were recruited from a community health centre serving a large portion of this Latinx community. PARTICIPANTS: Latinx individuals (n 580), aged 21-84 years. RESULTS: Overall, 34·4 % were food insecure and 33·8 % experienced High EE. Food insecurity was associated (adjusted OR; 95 % CI) with higher odds of High EE (1·96; 1·28, 3·02) but not Low EE (1·27; 0·82, 1·99). Food insecurity was associated (ß; 95 % CI) with higher perceived stress (5·69; 4·20, 7·19). Perceived stress was associated (adjusted OR; 95 % CI) with High EE (1·09; 1·06, 1·12) but not Low EE (1·00; CI 0·97, 1·02). When perceived stress was added in the main effects model, food insecurity was no longer associated (OR; 95 % CI) with High EE (1·31; 0·83, 2·07) and explained 69·9 % of the association between food insecurity and High EE. CONCLUSIONS: The association between food insecurity and high EE among Latinxs may be largely mediated by perceived stress. Longitudinal studies are needed.

"We have to keep it a secret" - The dynamics of front and backstage behaviours surrounding meat consumption in India.

Meat consumption is on the rise in India. However, most studies on meat consumption have been conducted among Western audiences and there are relatively few insights into meat consumption in emerging markets, especially India, which tends to be stereotyped as a vegetarian nation. The aim of this qualitative study was to explore meat consumption practices among urban Indians aged 23-45 years. The sample comprised mainly Mumbai residents. The research methodology used constructivist grounded theory. Semi-structured face-to-face in-depth interviews was the main mode of data collection and the research used an iterative study design along with an inductive analysis approach. A key finding was that while meat consumption is on the rise, there are social stigmas still associated with it. This has led to discrepancies between consumption behaviours occurring in public (frontstage behaviours) and those carried out in private (backstage behaviours). Using Goffman's theory of self-presentation, the study provides insights into various ways in which backstage meat consumption occurs in collectivist Indian society today. The backstage setting can comprise places outside the home, such as restaurants, and in some instances, segregated 'safe' spaces within the home itself. Within these spaces, the study explores how certain consumption taboos are quietly broken while actions are taken to present appropriate frontstage appearances before various audiences. This study contributes to the relatively sparse literature on meat consumption in India while also using Goffman's theory to highlight the discrepancies between public and private consumption behaviours within the collectivist Indian context.

Youth involvement in food preparation practices at home: A multi-method exploration of Latinx youth experiences and perspectives.

Youth are frequently involved in preparing meals for themselves and family members. Latinx youth may be more likely to be involved in food preparation compared to youth from other ethnic backgrounds. Involvement in food preparation has been linked to various positive health outcomes, such as better diet quality and higher self-esteem. However, little is known about how youth come to be involved in food preparation at home. In addition, previous research has failed to explore the perspectives of youth regarding their role in food preparation. The objective of the present study was to qualitatively explore the food preparation practices of youth from im/migrant Latinx families. A multi-method study consisting of participatory focus groups embedded within an ethnographic fieldwork period was conducted. Participatory focus groups with Latinx youth featured inclusive discussions and participatory techniques, such as draw-write-tell activities, photo-elicitation activities, a decision-making chart activity, and listing activities. Twenty-three youths ages 9-17 years participated in this study. A thematic analysis uncovered themes related to gender norm expectations, specific cooking skills bound by age and food type, and food preparation as an important household contribution. Findings illustrate the diverse experiences of Latinx youth in food preparation. The investigation of youth involvement in food preparation in the home environment may identify potential targets for obesity prevention and dietary health promotion.

Exploring dietary patterns in a Mexican adolescent population: A mixed methods approach.

To explore dietary patterns within the context of the nutrition transition among Mexican adolescents, we employed a mixed-methodology that included survey data from a cohort of 550 adolescents and direct ethnographic observations of six families. From the cohort study, we found that diet tended to cluster into 3 patterns. Interpreting the patterns using the ethnographic observations showed that the dietary clustering likely reflected differences in meal organization driven by socioeconomic status (SES). In particular, families of higher SES could afford to prepare larger home-cooked meals on a regular basis while lower SES households had less-stable patterns and greater reliance on processed food. These findings provide a more nuanced interpretation of dietary patterns observed in the Mexico population than is afforded by the food items alone (i.e. a "healthy" or "prudent" pattern versus "unhealthy" or "Westernized").