Is overweight and obesity in 9-10-year-old children in Liverpool related to deprivation and/or electoral ward when based on school attended?

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether weight problems in children (overweight, obesity and overweight or obesity) were related to deprivation indices when attributed only according to electoral ward of the school attended. To determine whether children with weight problems were more likely to be found in some wards rather than others, and to compare the distribution for boys and girls. DESIGN: Retrospective, cross-sectional, observational study. SETTING: One hundred and six primary schools from all parts of Liverpool city. SUBJECTS: Five cohorts of 9-10-year-old children between 1998 and 2003. Main outcome measures: Body mass index (BMI) for each child to estimate proportions overweight, obese and overweight or obese according to international criteria. RESULTS: Between January 1998 and March 2003, the heights and weights of 7902 boys and 7514 girls were measured and BMI calculated. The prevalence of boys and girls categorised as overweight or obese was very high (1620, 20.6% and 1909, 25.7%, respectively). Prevalence was not related to deprivation and varied between wards only for the girls; some wards had very different prevalence rates for boys and girls (Picton: 59 boys, 23.4%; 106 girls, 36.6%). The most deprived ward did not have a remarkable prevalence of overweight or obesity (Speke: 32 boys, 15.3%; 40 girls, 19.8%). CONCLUSIONS: Obesity is a major problem and requires urgent action but targeting intervention on the basis of administrative areas may be very wasteful. Different factors seem to lead to obesity in boys and girls, and attention should be paid to the role of the physical environment.     

Is overweight a risk factor for wheezing in pre-school children? A study in 14 Brazilian communities

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association between overweight and wheezing in pre-school children in 14 small Brazilian communities. METHODS: Cross-sectional epidemiological study, conducted between 2001 and 2002. A sample of 3453 children under 5 years of age was taken from nine communities in the state of Bahia and five in the state of S?o Paulo. Data on housing, family and children were obtained by applying structured questionnaires in loco. Weight and height for each child were also measured. The association between wheezing and overweight was assessed by unconditional logistic multivariate regression models. RESULTS: Overweight children had a greater frequency of wheezing and an odds ratio of 2.57 (95% confidence interval 1.51-4.37) was estimated after controlling for several potential confounding variables. The magnitude of the risk was not affected by several different model specifications. CONCLUSION: Excess weight is associated with increased risk for wheezing in this population of children below 5 years of age.     

Does the diet of the Balearic population, a Mediterranean-type diet, ensure compliance with nutritional objectives for the Spanish population?

OBJECTIVES: To assess the dietary habits of Balearic Islands' consumers who are successful in meeting current nutritional recommendations, to find clues for the development of future food-based dietary guidelines (FBDG) that would be relevant to this population. DESIGN: Cross-sectional nutritional survey carried out in the Balearic Islands between 1999 and 2000. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Dietary habits were assessed by means of 24-hour recall (two non-consecutive days: warm and cold season) and a food-frequency questionnaire in a random sample (n=1200, aged 16-65 years) living in private households. Differences in percentage of compliers with the intermediate nutritional objectives for the Spanish population and differences in food consumption patterns between genders and between high (above the upper quartile of intake) and low (below the lower quartile of intake) consumers of fat, saturated fatty acids (SFA), fibre, and fruit and vegetables were analysed. RESULTS: Gender differences were observed in nutrient and energy intakes, as well as in attainment of the recommendations. Less than 25% of the population reached the intermediate nutritional recommendations for iodine, fruit, carbohydrates, SFA, fibre and vegetables. Low fat/SFA and high fruit and vegetables/fibre consumers kept a diet in line with the traditional Balearic diet and prevailing dietary pyramids, which ensured better compliance with the nutritional goals. CONCLUSIONS: The intermediate nutritional objectives for the Spanish population could be achieved through maintenance of the traditional Balearic diet, a Mediterranean-type diet in the Balearic population. Therefore, this dietary model could be used to develop FBDG relevant to this population.     

Is rhamnolipid biosurfactant useful in cadmium phytoextraction?

Purpose  

Successful chelant-assisted phytoextraction requires application of an eco-friendly metal-complexing agent which enhances metal uptake but does not pose a significant risk of off-site movement of metals. Rhamnolipid biosurfactant has been used to enhance cadmium (Cd) removal from contaminated soil by washing. It has a strong affinity for Cd compared to some other hazardous metals, suggesting that rhamnolipid could be useful in Cd phytoextraction. This study investigated the potential use of rhamnolipid to enhance Cd phytoextraction.     

Is risk-based,sustainable sediment management consistent with European policy?

Background, aims and scope  One issue that remains particularly problematic for integrated and sustainable sediment management is that sediment plays differing roles in various sectoral, regulatory and statutory objectives. This means that across Europe, the level of consideration afforded to sediment management has thus far been primarily left to the discretion of individual countries and agencies. One of the consequences of the complex way in which sediments are regulated in Europe, and a possible over-reliance on the precautionary principle, is that there appears to be less regulatory acceptance of risk-based (rather than mass-based or chemical threshold-based) sediment remedial decisions, and thus resistance to some of the risk-based and in situ remedial technologies currently favoured in North America; “presumptive remedies” are being pushed by a number of agencies, and in-place and risk-based management are meeting great resistance. This summary discusses some of the current and emerging European regulations and strategies and their implications for risk-based sediment management. Conclusions, recommendations and perspectives  There are numerous examples of ex situ remedial strategies in Europe, where sediments are either treated or contained (and increasingly, considered for beneficial use), but very few examples of in situ management. However, the risk-based evaluation of ALL remedial options is entirely consistent with European environmental policy. In fact, in some cases, presumptive removal of sediments can result in greater risks to human health and the environment than management in place, and thus a failure to meet Europe’s ambitious environmental objectives. Decisions that only address a single, sectoral regulatory driver (such as a desire to remove contaminants from a waterbody) may result in a net detriment to the environment. The European Commission has stated that decisions and policies should be continuously evaluated in the light of emerging science and experience, and, where possible, rigorous science-based risk evaluation should take the place of the application of conservative safety factors. Whilst not specifically addressing sediment management, various European Directives and initiatives set out principles for the selection of land-based remedial options that are consistent with a number of international consensus guidance documents on the site-specific, risk-based selection of contaminated sediment remedial options. Although there are numerous technical differences, the fundamental risk- and cost-based principles being applied to land management should be transferable to sediment management decision frameworks. However, whilst the use of risk-based decision criteria is now well-established (either in principle or in practice) in Europe for soil remedial decisions, these principles have not yet been translated to generally applied decision frameworks or guidance for contaminated sediment management in Europe. There is no reason, however, why they should not be.     

Is Oil-Well Produced Water Effective in Abating Road Dust?

Energy development in the Bakken and Three Forks formations of the USA has led to an increase in fugitive dust from unpaved roads. A dust abatement alternative that has been considered in this region is oil-well produced waters. The objectives of this study were to compare dust loading at sites abated with produced water to non-abated control sites and to determine if the elemental constituents in released dust are different compared to control roads. Three previously untreated unpaved roads were selected, and passive dust collectors were placed at 10, 20, 40, and 60 m from the road on the downwind side of the dominant prevailing wind in each mile section. Eighty-four days post-application, two sections treated with produced waters failed to reduce dust when compared to the controls. Dust elemental changes were found on two of the three roads. Elements that were found to have differences included Mo, Mn, Fe, As, Au, and Hg. Overall results indicated that oil-well produced water is not effective at controlling road dust. Results of this study are important to road managers who are contemplating the usage of produced waters to reduce dusts from unpaved roads.     

Which food-related behaviours are associated with healthier intakes of fruits and vegetables among women?

OBJECTIVE: To examine associations between shopping, food preparation, meal and eating behaviours and fruit and vegetable intake among women. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey. SETTING: Community-based sample from metropolitan Melbourne, Australia. SUBJECTS: A sample of 1136 women aged 18-65 years, randomly selected from the electoral roll. RESULTS: Food-related behaviours reflecting organisation and forward-planning, as well as enjoyment of and high perceived value of meal shopping, preparation and consumption were associated with healthier intakes of fruits and vegetables. For example, women who more frequently planned meals before they went shopping, wrote a shopping list, enjoyed food shopping, planned in the morning what they will eat for dinner that night, planned what they will eat for lunch, reported they enjoy cooking, liked trying new recipes and who reported they sometimes prepare dishes ahead of time were more likely to consume two or more servings of vegetables daily. Conversely, women who frequently found cooking a chore, spent less than 15 minutes preparing dinner, decided on the night what they will eat for dinner, ate in a fast-food restaurant, ate takeaway meals from a fast-food restaurant, ate dinner and snacks while watching television and who frequently ate on the run were less likely to eat two or more servings of vegetables daily. CONCLUSIONS: Practical strategies based on these behavioural characteristics could be trialled in interventions aimed at promoting fruit and vegetable consumption among women.     

Is yield enhancement by CO2 enrichment greater in genotypes with a higher capacity for nitrogen fixation?

Yield responsiveness to elevated CO₂ concentration [CO₂] was previously found to be greater when nitrogen (N) was supplied in adequate amounts; however, it remains unclear whether genotypic differences in N₂-fixing capacity affect yield responsiveness in soybean. We tested the hypothesis that yield responsiveness to elevated [CO₂] in soybean is greater in a genotype with a higher capacity for N₂ fixation. We used three near-isogenic genotypes with contrasting nodulation capacities: super-nodulating, normally nodulating and non-nodulating genotypes. Plants were subjected to two levels of [CO₂] (ambient or elevated: ambient + 200 μmol mol⁻¹) and two temperature regimes (low or high: low + ca. 4-5 °C) using temperature gradient chambers. The super-nodulating genotype exhibited a higher N content in leaves, regardless of [CO₂] and temperature. Photosynthetic rates were enhanced by CO₂ enrichment at earlier growth stages, but not at later growth stages, regardless of genotype. This photosynthetic acclimation was reflected in biomass production in all the genotypes examined. Yield responsiveness to elevated [CO₂] was greater in the nodulating genotypes than in the non-nodulating genotype, but the genotypic differences were obscured between the normally nodulating and super-nodulating genotype, thus our hypothesis was not fully verified.