Suchergebnisse

<p><strong>Background: </strong>The HealthKick (HK) study showed that educators (teachers) had a high prevalence of risk factors for the develop­ment of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Little data are available on parents or other primary caregivers of learners from disadvan­taged schools.</p><p><strong>Aim: </strong>The aim of our study was to determine modifiable risk factors for the development of NCDs in a sample of caregivers of schools included in the HK intervention program.</p><p><strong>Participants: </strong>Caregivers of grade 4 children from 25 schools were invited to take part in the study and 175 participated. Caregivers were Black Africans and of mixed ethnic origin.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Dietary intake was measured using a validated frequency questionnaire. Physical activity was measured by completing the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ). Caregivers described their smoking habits and alcohol usage. Weight and height were measured for each participant and body mass index (BMI) was calculated.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Eighty percent women and 50% men had a BMI ≥25 (overweight or obese). The most frequently consumed categories of foods were processed foods, energy-dense foods, and high-fat foods represent­ing unhealthy food choices. More than half of the total group (81.7%) and both males and females were meeting physical activity recommendations of 600 METs/week. Many caregivers, particularly men (53%), smoked cigarettes and reportedly consumed alcohol during the week and on weekends.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Caregivers of children in the HK study population presented with a large number of modifiable health risk behaviors. These results highlight the importance of engaging caregivers, as part of a whole school intervention, to promote healthy eating and physical activity.</p><p><em>Ethn Dis. </em>2018;28(2):93-98; doi:10.18865/ed.28.2.93</p>

Overweight and obesity are growing concerns in adolescents, particularly in females in South Africa. The aim of this study was to evaluate the food and nutrition environment in terms of government policy programs, nutrition education provided, and foods sold at secondary schools in the Eastern Cape province. Sixteen schools and grade 8–12 learners (N = 1360) were randomly selected from three health districts comprising poor disadvantaged communities. Based on age and sex specific body mass index (BMI) cut-off values, 13.3% of males and 5.5% of females were underweight, while 9.9% of males and 36.1% of females were overweight or obese. The main food items purchased at school were unhealthy energy-dense items such as fried flour dough balls, chocolates, candies, and crisps/chips. Nutrition knowledge scores based on the South African food-based dietary guidelines (FBDGs) were poor for 52% to 23.4% learners in Grades 8 to 12, respectively. Female learners generally had significantly higher nutrition knowledge scores compared to their male counterparts (p = 0.016). Questions poorly answered by more than 60% of learners, included the number of fruit and vegetable portions required daily, food to eat when overweight, foods containing fiber, and importance of legumes. It was noted that the majority of teachers who taught nutrition had no formal nutrition training and their responses to knowledge questions were poor indicating that they were not familiar with the FBDGs, which are part of the curriculum. Nutrition assessment as part of the Integrated School Health Program was done on few learners. Overall however, despite some challenges the government national school meal program provided meals daily to 96% of learners. In general, the school food and nutrition environment was not conducive for promoting healthy eating.