Until now cooperation experiments in primates have paid little attention to how cooperation can emerge and what effects are produced on the structure of a social group in nature. I performed field experiments with three groups of wild vervet monkeys in South Africa. I induced individuals to repeatedly approach and ...

The number of famine prone regions in the world has been shrinking for centuries. It is currently mainly limited to sub-Saharan Africa. Yet the impact of endemic hunger has not declined and the early twenty-first century seems to be faced with a new threat: global subsistence crises. In this essay ...

Understanding how nonhuman animals such as swine respond to their environment and understanding how to provide them with a good quality of life involves using a range of experimental approaches. More and more, ethological researchers are turning to operant methods to answer some of these questions. Employing an operant such ...

Metabolic integration of nutrient sensing in the central nervous system has been shown to be an important regulator of adiposity by affecting food intake and peripheral energy expenditure. Modulation of de novo fatty acid synthetic flux by cytokines and nutrient availability plays an important role in this process. Inhibition of hypothalamic ...

The hypothalamic melanocortin system is known for its role in regulating energy homeostasis through it actions within hypothalamic brain centers. However, emerging evidence suggests that this system regulates addictive behaviors through signaling within mesolimbic neurons. Here, we hypothesized the melanocortin system modulates feeding behavior through its actions on mesolimbic neurons. ...

Circulating and tissue levels of the proinflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) are elevated in obesity. TNFα interferes with insulin signaling in many tissues and also plays a causal role in the anorexia that accompanies severe challenges to the immune system. The interactions between TNFα and insulin in the ...

In this qualitative study we aimed to describe how older women in a crowded urban community perceive the food insecurity experience and deal with it. In-depth interviews were conducted among 30 Thai older women. Results revealed that older women perceived their food insecurity experience as a negative effect of the ...

Bushmeat hunting is an activity integral to rural forest communities that provides a high proportion of household incomes and protein requirements. An improved understanding of the relationship between bushmeat hunting and household wealth is vital to assess the potential effects of future policy interventions to regulate an increasingly unsustainable bushmeat ...

The impact of local availability of healthy foods on dietary intake and health has been established. Interventions to local environments are being evaluated for their efficacy and sustainability. The aim of this paper is to provide an evaluation of a community-driven approach to transform neighborhood healthy food availability. The information ...

No truly effective drugs exist to treat obesity, which is reaching pandemic proportions. The search for new treatments has led to an interest into the homeostatic system of central appetite regulation. Key components of this system include the hypothalamus and brainstem, the gut, and adipose tissue. It is now recognized ...

In recent months, the FDA has begun a crackdown on misleading nutrition and health claims on the front of food packages by issuing warning letters to manufacturers and promising to develop stricter regulatory standards. Leading nutrition policy experts Marion Nestle and David Ludwig have called for an even tougher approach: ...

Abstract Objective. To examine the differences in exposure to food marketing on television between English children in Ontario, and French and English children in Quebec as each group is influenced by different advertising policies. Methods. In total, 428 children aged 10-12 completed television viewing diaries for 7 days. During the ...

Background Microcredit services-the awarding of small loans to individuals who are too poor to take advantage of traditional financial services-are an increasingly popular scheme for poverty alleviation. Several studies have examined the ability of microcredit programmes to influence the financial standing of borrowers, but only a few studies have examined ...

To describe the meaning of food in the family life of migrant farmworker mothers; specifically to describe their understanding of the relationship of dietary intake to health, the environmental contributors to their families' dietary intake, and the use of foods in the commemoration of family occasions. The PRECEDE-PROCEED self-management model ...

Research has shown elevated rates of diet-related health problems in Detroit, Michigan compared to state and national averages. Using 47 in-depth interviews of African American residents in two Detroit neighborhoods, I examine the interplay between agency and social structure in food acquisition. Participants discussed numerous difficulties obtaining food, including availability, ...

To evaluate differences between rural older adults with diabetes reporting the presence or absence of food insecurity with respect to meal planning, preparation, shopping, obesity, and glycemic control after receiving nutrition counseling through telemedicine. Food insecurity data were obtained by telephone survey (n=74). Group differences for continuous variables were measured ...

The feasibility of using a retailer fidelity card scheme to estimate food additive intake was investigated using the Swiss retailer MIGROS's Cumulus Card and the example of the food colour Sunset Yellow (E 110). Information held within the card scheme was used to identify a sample of households purchasing foods ...

More than 14% of the American population is food insecure, or at risk of going hungry because of an inability to afford food. Food-insecure (FI) adults often reduce food intake or substitute inexpensive, energy-dense carbohydrates for healthier foods. We hypothesized these behaviors would predispose FI adults with diabetes to hypoglycemia ...

Food insecurity is associated with a wide variety of adverse health conditions in adults and children, but its relationship to asthma outcomes in children has not been described. The objectives of this study were to assess and characterize the food security status of an inner-city asthmatic population and to determine ...

The purpose of the present study was to analyse the evolution of the Spanish population's global and regional adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MD) since 1987. A cross-sectional study was conducted analysing food consumption from the Spanish Household Consumption Surveys administered by the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. ...

To examine perspectives on food habits, acculturation, and health among Hmong women with young children in northern California. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 15 Hmong mothers with young children in a low-income community of northern California. The interviews were transcribed and coded based on the principles of grounded theory. The ...

The number of urban poor is increasing quickly in West Africa, yet food security early warning systems still do not include urban areas. One reason is the lack of appropriate and internationally agreed-upon indicators to measure urban household food insecurity. Our objective was to assess the performance of the household ...

To examine whether acculturation and social networks influence household food insecurity in an inner-city Puerto Rican community. A survey was administered to 200 low-income female Puerto Rican caregivers with at least 1 child 12-72 months old living in Hartford, CT. Food insecurity was measured with the Radimer/Cornell Hunger Scale. Multivariate ...

The creation of health promoting sports clubs may support the promotion and adoption of healthy behaviours by children. Sponsorship is one aspect of clubs, with potential influence on clubs and their participants. In particular, sponsorship influences brand awareness and attitudes, so that the sponsorship of children's sport by unhealthy food ...

Past research has demonstrated a higher incidence of overweight children in migrant farm-worker (MFW) families than in the general U.S. population. This study provided descriptive data on MFWs' acculturation, household food security, and general self-efficacy, and children's food patterns and body mass index. Convenience samples of 60 parent-child dyads were ...

To examine how factors related to the home food environment and individual characteristics are associated with healthy food purchasing among low-income African American (AA) youth. A total of 206 AA youth (ninety-one boys and 115 girls), aged 10-14 years, and their primary adult caregivers. Fourteen Baltimore recreation centres in low-income ...

With the increase in multi-cultural families, Korea is seeing a rapid increase in immigrated housewives, who are closely related to food culture. However, studies for the diet of multi-cultural families, which is most closely related to our lives have not been sufficiently researched. With this background, this study conducted research ...

To determine whether a cash-for-work programme during the annual food insecurity period in Bangladesh improved nutritional status in poor rural women and children. The panel study involved a random sample of 895 households from over 50,000 enrolled in a cash-for-work programme between September and December 2007 and 921 similar control ...

Although gender inequality in nutritional status has been consistently reported in several parts of South Asia, in sub-Sahara Africa there is a paucity of data and conflicting conclusions. We conducted a study to assess if gender inequality in food intake and nutritional status is present in rural Eastern Kenya. This ...

This study aimed to document whether food insecurity was associated with beliefs and attitudes towards exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) among urban Kenyan women. We conducted structured interviews with 75 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-affected and 75 HIV-status unknown, low-income women who were either pregnant or with a child ≤24 months and residing in ...

This paper surveys the theoretical literature on the relationship between income distribution and food demand, and identifies main gaps of current food modelling techniques that affect the accuracy of food demand projections. At the heart of the relationship between income distribution and food demand is Engel's law. Engel's law establishes ...

Frequent consumption of cariogenic foods and bacterial infection are risk factors for early childhood caries (ECC). This study hypothesized that a short diet survey focused on frequency of foods, categorized by putative cariogenicity, would differentiate severe ECC (S-ECC) from caries-free children. Children's diets were obtained by survey and plaque bacteria ...

Abstract Introduction. This study evaluated the impact of the Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) self-regulatory initiative on unhealthy food marketing to children, introduced in January 2009. The study compared patterns of food advertising by AFGC and non-AFGC signatory companies in 2009, 2007 and 2006 on three Sydney commercial free-to-air ...

Introduction: The wealth index is a commonly-used measure of socio-economic position (SEP) in low- and middle-income settings, but there is concern that it is strongly influenced by community-level as well as household-level factors. Subjective SEP indicators are infrequently used in health research. We use data from 11 280 households included in ...

It is the position of the American Dietetic Association that systematic and sustained action is needed to achieve food and nutrition security for all in the United States. To eliminate food insecurity, interventions are needed, including adequate funding for and increased utilization of food and nutrition assistance programs, inclusion of ...

BACKGROUND: Small-scale poultry production has the potential to increase animal-source food consumption, improve household income, and reduce food insecurity. OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact of a chicken Newcastle disease vaccination program on consumption of chicken and eggs among women and children, income, and food insecurity in rural Tanzanian households. METHODS: ...

Observance of the hunger-obesity paradox in urban Minnesota has ignited interest in the quality of low-income households' food purchases. This cross-sectional study investigated low-income, urban Minnesotan women's past-month food purchases and their associations with race, homelessness, and aspects of the food system, including food shelf (ie, food pantry) and food ...

The purpose is to discuss the concept of food insecurity (FI) and its impact on current global health policy and nursing practice. Food insecurity. Literature review. FI means a nonsustainable food system that interferes with optimal self-reliance and social justice. Individuals experiencing FI lack nutritionally adequate and safe foods in ...

A 2004 UNICEF/UNAIDS/USAID survey in Blantyre, Malawi, examined methods to improve monitoring and evaluation of interventions aimed at orphans and vulnerable children. A derivative of this larger study, the present study utilized the household data collected to assess differences in food security status among orphan households with the aim of ...

Latinas experience high rates of poverty, household food insecurity and prenatal depression. To date, only one USA study has examined the relationship between household food insecurity and prenatal depression, yet it focused primarily on non-Latina white and non-Latina black populations. Therefore, this study examined the independent association of household food ...

The authors examined the role of food insecurity in the etiology of children's cognitive and mental health problems. Data from a prospective longitudinal study of 1,116 United Kingdom families with twins (sample constructed in 1999-2000) were used to test associations among household food insecurity; income; maternal personality; household sensitivity to ...

Public assistance programmes may increase risk of obesity among adults. The current study assessed whether participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP; formerly the Food Stamp Program), Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or California Work Opportunities and Responsibilities to Kids (CalWorks) was associated with obesity, independent of socio-economic status and ...

Konzo is an upper motor neuron disease characterized by sudden-onset and irreversible spastic paraparesis occurring in nutritionally compromised people. It is associated with consumption of insufficiently processed cyanogenic-toxic cassava. Cassava, the main caloric source in the Democratic Republic of Congo, has been safely consumed for decades in the Eastern Province ...

The objective of this study was to examine food insecurity among psychiatric patients and as a concern for mental health practitioners. Food security and psychological distress were measured among 113 patients hospitalized in a psychiatric emergency unit. Of 113 respondents 67 (59.3%) enjoyed food security and 46 (40.7%) lacked food ...

Among affluent countries, those with market-liberal welfare regimes (which are also English-speaking) tend to have the highest prevalence of obesity. The impact of cheap, accessible high-energy food is often invoked in explanation. An alternative approach is that overeating is a response to stress, and that competition, uncertainty, and inequality make ...

The main objective of this study was to test an explanatory model predicting preschool girls' and boys' body weight from certain child variables (food intake, sedentary behaviors, and eating habits), as well as family variables (interaction during mealtime and level of family financial resources allocated to meeting children's eating needs). ...

Food frequencies and 24h diet recall were registered from 487 randomly selected heads of household in Popokabaka (Bandundu Province, DRC) where the first cases of konzo were reported more than seventy years ago. Konzo is still occurring in this area with a prevalence of 1.4%. High prevalence of konzo was ...

We compared television food advertising to children in several countries. We undertook a collaboration among 13 research groups in Australia, Asia, Western Europe, and North and South America. Each group recorded programming for 2 weekdays and 2 weekend days between 6:00 and 22:00, for the 3 channels most watched by ...

We aimed to develop, test and describe the Exhaustive Home Food Inventory (EHFI), which measures foods in the home using scanning of the universal product code (UPC) and EHFI software to link codes to food identities and energy values. Observational design with up to three repeated measures in each household ...

To provide an overview of the household dietary diversity score and the food consumption score, two indicators used for food security assessment and surveillance, and compare their performance in food security assessments in three countries. Cross-sectional cluster sampling design using an interview-administered structured questionnaire on household food security, including household-level ...