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Introduction: Clinical dietitians play a crucial role in the nutritional support of patients at risk of malnutrition in primary care settings. The study aimed to evaluate the effect of an individualized nutritional intervention on clinically relevant outcomes for patients with chronic disease at nutritional risk., Methods: A longitudinal evaluation study was conducted in two Slovenian primary health centres. We used pre-test and post-test design. Patients with chronic disease were screened using the Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool and additional risk factors (≥70 years and BMI <22 kg/m 2 ; lower food intake in the last five days). Patients at nutritional risk were referred to a clinical dietitian for individual nutritional intervention. The effect of the nutritional intervention was assessed six months after the patients' first visit with a clinical dietitian., Results: The sample included 94 patients. Nutritional risk was reduced significantly in high-risk and moderate-risk patients. In a subgroup of patients with a MUST score ≥1 (77 patients), body weight, BMI, Fat-Free Mass Index (FFMI), energy intake, and protein intake increased significantly (p<0.001). At the same time, the phase angle significantly increased (p<0.001), but there were no statistically significant changes in the improvement of grip strength. In a subgroup of patients with MUST score 0 (17 patients), we observed an increase in their median daily energy intake (p<0.001) and median protein intake (p=0.003)., Conclusion: Nutritional intervention delivered by a clinical dietitian improved patients' nutritional intake and nutritional and functional status., Competing Interests: CONFLICTS OF INTEREST The authors declare that no conflicts of interest exist., (© 2024 Denis Mlakar-Mastnak et al., published by Sciendo.)

Introduction: Teachers in Slovenia have been noticing the increased consumption of energy drinks among pupils. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate habits that contribute to the frequency of energy drink consumption., Method: 36 teens participated in the study: elementary school pupils (6th and 8th grades), general upper secondary school pupils, and secondary technical school pupils (1st and 3rd year). In the course of the study 6 group interviews were held to help investigate young people's habits and their reasons for energy drink purchase and consumption. Moreover, we investigated the influence of age on the consumption and knowledge about energy drink ingredients, as well as their influence on the body., Results: Interview analysis showed that energy drink consumers are predominantly secondary school pupils. Their choice most frequently depends on the price, their taste, or the brand. What influences elementary school pupils' purchasing decisions are price, packaging, and advertisements, while secondary school pupils choose their drinks according to the lack of energy and how tired they feel. The predominant factors preventing energy drink consumption are health problems among family members and friends. Secondary school pupils know more about energy drink ingredients than elementary school pupils., Conclusion: On the basis of these findings, we will design a survey questionnaire for Slovenian teenagers and teachers, didactic material, and suggestions for improving educational programmes., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest The authors declare that no conflict of interest exist., (© 2021 National Institute of Public Health, Slovenia, published by Sciendo.)

Introduction: Receiving a cancer diagnosis is an important moment in anyone's life. Consequently, many patients are prepared to change their everyday habits and begin to look for advice from a wide range of sources. Women with breast cancer are particularly motivated and committed to making changes to their lifestyle and diet. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the changes in nutritional and other lifestyle habits following breast cancer diagnosis in Slovenia. A further goal was to estimate the proportion of breast cancer patients using dietary supplements and alternative diets or ascertain their desire to attend a consultation with a dietician., Methods: A link to an online questionnaire was sent to the email addresses of members of Europa Donna and posted on their website (www.europadonna-zdruzenje.si) and Facebook page., Results: A total of 102 patients were included in the study. We found that a majority of breast cancer patients changed their eating habits (68.6%) and/or physical activity level (53.9%) following diagnosis. On average, they increased their fruit and vegetable intake and reduced their intake of sugar, red meat and fat. Alternative diets were used by 29.4% of patients, with a high proportion of patients (75.5%) consuming dietary supplements. More than a half of the patients (69.6%) expressed a desire for a consultation with a dietician., Conclusions: Nutritional support during cancer treatment is part of medical treatment and has an important role to play in secondary and tertiary cancer prevention activities. More dieticians should therefore be incorporated into the health system., Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest The authors declare that no conflicts of interest exist., (© 2021 Karmen Grašič Lunar, Nada Rotovnik Kozjek, Milena Blaž Kovač, published by Sciendo.)