Search

Background and Objectives: The need for updated competencies for nutrition scientists in Australia was identified. The aim of this paper is to describe the process of revising of these competencies for undergraduate nutrition science degrees in Australia.Methods and Study Design: An iterative multiple methods approach comprising three stages was undertaken: 1. Scoping study of existing competencies; 2. Exploratory survey; and, 3. Modified Delphi process (2 rounds) involving 128 nutrition experts from industry, community, government and academia. A ≥70% consensus rule was applied to Rounds 1 and 2 of the Delphi process in order to arrive at a final list of competencies.Results: Stage 1: Scoping study resulted in an initial list of 71 competency statements, categorised under six core areas. Stage 2: Exploratory survey-completed by 74 Nutrition Society of Australia (NSA) members; 76% agreed there was a need to update the current competencies. Standards were refined to six core areas and 36 statements. Stage 3: Modified Delphi process-revised competencies comprise five core competency areas, underpinned by fundamental knowledge, skills, attitudes and values: Nutrition Science; Food and the Food System; Nutrition Governance, Sociocultural and Behavioural Factors; Nutrition Research and Critical Analysis; and Communication and Professional Conduct; and three specialist competency areas: Food Science; Public Health Nutrition; and Animal Nutrition.Conclusions: The revised competencies provide an updated framework of nutrition science knowledge for graduates to effectively practice in Australia. They may be used to benchmark current and future nutrition science degrees and lead to improved employability skills of nutrition science graduates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past twenty years, obesity has become a major topic of concern. In particular, this paper estimates that the number of obese adults has risen from around 2.0 million in 1992/93 to about 3.1 million in 2005. With the prevalence of obesity on the rise, the associated economic cost is also increasing significantly. The annual cost of obesity in 1992-93 was estimated at around $840 million per year. This paper shows that the annual cost of obesity in Australia could now be as high as $1,721 million. With the cost of obesity rising, the ability to assess and compare alternative programs for reducing the current prevalence of obesity is very important. This involves weighing up the costs and benefits of the different strategies. So, in addition to providing an updated estimate of the potential cost of obesity in Australia, this paper uses a weight management program to illustrate the methodology used in assessing alternative intervention programs. For illustration, the expected benefit per enrollment in a weight loss program was calculated at $690. The associated cost of the program was $202 per enrollment. It should be noted that the estimate of the cost is more precise than the broad estimate of the average benefit. Nevertheless, the average benefit outweighs the cost by an overwhelming ratio of over three-to-one. So a more detailed analysis is unlikely to overturn the general conclusion that the average benefit clearly outweighs the cost, even if the precise ratio of benefits to costs is likely to change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: Current practices and available resources for nutrition therapy in paediatric intensive care units (PICUs) in the Asia Pacific-Middle East region are expected to differ from western countries. Existing guidelines for nutrition management in critically ill children may not be directly applicable in this region. This paper outlines consensus statements developed by the Asia Pacific-Middle East Consensus Working Group on Nutrition Therapy in the Paediatric Critical Care Environment. Challenges and recommendations unique to the region are described.Methods and Study Design: Following a systematic literature search from 2004-2014, consensus statements were developed for key areas of nutrient delivery in the PICU. This review focused on evidence applicable to the Asia Pacific-Middle East region. Quality of evidence and strength of recommendations were rated according to the Grading of Recommendation Assessment, Development and Evaluation approach.Results: Enteral nutrition (EN) is the preferred mode of nutritional support. Feeding algorithms that optimize EN should be encouraged and must include: assessment and monitoring of nutritional status, selection of feeding route, time to initiate and advance EN, management strategies for EN intolerance and indications for using parenteral nutrition (PN). Despite heterogeneity in nutritional status of patients, availability of resources and diversity of cultures, PICUs in the region should consider involvement of dieticians and/or nutritional support teams.Conclusions: Robust evidence for several aspects of optimal nutrition therapy in PICUs is lacking. Nutritional assessment must be implemented to document prevalence and impact of malnutrition. Nutritional support must be given greater priority in PICUs, with particular emphasis in optimizing EN delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper seeks to shed further light on the factors contributing to the emerging global food crisis by examining the reasons for an unusual downturn in dairy food production in Australia, from where 11% of the world trade in dairy foods originates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to examine the factors associated with the belief that vegetarian diets provide health benefits. A random population mail survey about food choice was conducted among a sample of 1000 South Australians. An additional (non-random) survey of 106 vegetarians and semi-vegetarians was also conducted, giving a total of 707 participants from both samples. The main predictors of the belief that vegetarian diets provide health benefits for all respondents were found to be the belief that meat is neither healthy nor necessary and frequent searching for information on healthy eating. However, there were differences between vegetarians, non-vegetarians and semi-vegetarians. In particular, health issues were relatively more important for semi-vegetarians and vegetarians, while knowledge and convenience issues were most important for non-vegetarians. The results have important implications for public health. Many South Australians perceive that health benefits are associated with eating a vegetarian diet, which may also apply to plant-based diets in general. However, if non-vegetarians are to obtain some of the health benefits associated with the consumption of a plant-based diet, they require information on the preparation of quick and easy plant-based meals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with the question: do some food systems engender a more positive social environment than others, and does this matter? The pressure to generate financial capital from food production is enormous, especially for a country like Australia, and financial imperatives clearly drive choice of food production methods. Many have argued that environmental costs of food production are hardly ever factored into the profitability equation and the notion of sustainable development represents a position where consideration is given to environmental concerns while at the same time maximizing economic returns. While the importance of choice of food system in order to benefit the natural environment has been argued for, another environment — that of the social environment — remains relatively underexplored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The joint food standards regulator for Australia and New Zealand is currently working on a proposal to allow nutrition, health and related claims to appear on the labelling of foods. This paper describes the policy within which this proposal is being developed and sets out the degree of substantiation that must be met before such a claim can be permitted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background -- The prevalence of obesity and diabetes have been increasing at a rapid rate over the last 20 years. Furthermore, coronary heart disease is still the leading cause of death in Australia despite declines in mortality. The reasons for these changes still remain relatively unclear and to date there is limited information to help clarify this. Furthermore, longitudinal data on predictors of obesity change are scarce. The Sydney Adventist Hospital, situated in a high socioeconomic area in Northern Sydney has a unique 30 year data set on biomedical, lifestyle and dietary factors related to heart health. To our knowledge no other data set in Australia contains such extensive information in such a long time series that is relevant to non communicable disease. Objective -- To examine the relationship between food consumption and BMI. In particular, as breakfast has often been claimed to be of influence on biomedical indices, this paper aims to investigate its possible influence on obesity. Design -- Self-reported questionnaires detailing demographic, lifestyle and dietary habits were completed by about 1000 individuals per year from 1976. Of these, a randomly selected sample of at least 300 questionnaires was taken for every alternate year for this study. Analyses included simple descriptive statistics, reliability analysis and univariate analysis of variance. Outcomes -- To date results are available for BMI from 1976 and 1986. Breakfast was found to be very important in the maintenance of body weight for males (P <0.001, 1976; P = 0.001, 1986) but not for females (P = 0.869, 1976; P = 0.772, 1986) for both years. Conclusions -- These results indicate that breakfast appear to be differentially related to BMI depending on sex. It remains to be seen if the relationship holds in later years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background -- National dietary survey data are widely used to estimate dietary inadequacy/excess without due regard either to the main limitations associated with such data -- usually short term, often single 24-hour self-report, in which respondents tend to forget all they have eaten. Objectives -- Firstly, we determine the impact of adjusting for within-person variance on the spread of nutrient intakes and the effect of excluding under-reporters on the mid-point and the spread of the distribution of nutrient intake. Secondly, we illustrate how allowing for both factors alters estimates of dietary inadequacy for nutrients. We selected nutrients for which it is possible to derive an estimated average requirement (EAR) based on the published background papers for the Australian RDIs. Design -- The unit record file data from the 1995 NNS provided by the ABS was analysed using adjustment factors for within-person variance to derive population weighted adjusted intake distributions. Stata (version 6) was used to derive both the adjusted distributions and to determine the proportion with intakes below relevant reference cut-offs for a range of age-sex groups. Outcomes -- The effect of adjustment for within-person variance in intake varied both with nutrient and with population sub-group. Typically, the adjusted 10-90 centile range was reduced to between 66 and 80% of the unadjusted range and the percentage below the EAR was reduced by as much as 20%. The exclusion of those with implausibly low energy intakes further reduced the proportion below the EAR to 50% or less of that obtained with the single-day unadjusted intakes. For example, using the single-day unadjusted data, 19% of boys and 43% of girls aged 12-15 had intakes below the EAR for zinc and these dropped to 0% and 18% respectively after adjustment and correction. Conclusions-. Calculated prevalence of low dietary intake in a population may be very misleading if the data are not adjusted for within-person variance and corrected for implausible energy values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is the second of two articles on challenges to future food security in the Asia Pacific region. It focuses on five mechanisms, which can be conceptualised as pathways by which pessimistic Malthusian scenarios, described in the first paper, may become manifest. The mechanisms are (1) climate change, (2) water scarcity, (3) tropospheric ozone pollution, (4) impending scarcity of phosphorus and conventional oil and (5) the possible interaction between future population displacement, conflict and poor governance. This article concludes that a sustainable improvement in food security requires a radical transformation in society's approach to the environment, population growth, agricultural research and the distribution of rights, opportunities and entitlements.

While improvement in agricultural technology had enabled the production of abundant food, it has thus far failed to eliminate hunger. Malnutrition is expected to reach an all time high. Evidences have suggested that animal based diet has put immense pressure on the already fragile food system, contributing to problems in terms of global food security, health security, and environmental sustainability. Plant based dietary approaches may therefore, target some of these problems from the roots, and may be a solution to improving ethical issues and equity in the current food system. This paper examines how meat production and consumption contributed to the current crises in the food system through the lens of ethics--the moral compass--to find directions on how the present generation should eat, and how the food system could be maintained for a better future.

This is the first of two articles on the steepening challenges which confront global agriculture, food security and hence nutrition and population health. The recent deterioration in global food security has caught most experts by surprise. While the Asia Pacific region as a whole has so far fared reasonably well, there should be no complacency about medium to long term food security in the region, whether or not food security improves in the near future. The first paper places this debate in the context of the long-standing arguments between Malthusianists and optimists. The apparent reversal of position in the last decade of two leading agricultural experts is discussed. Their recent writings reflect intensified Malthusian concerns curbed in their writings from the 1990s. The paper concludes that far more credence needs to be given to the pessimistic position in order to avoid it becoming reality. The second paper focusses on five interrelated challenges to future food security in the Asia Pacific. These may be conceptualised as pathways by which pessimistic Malthusian scenarios become manifest. The mechanisms are (1) climate change, (2) water scarcity, (3) tropospheric ozone pollution, (4) impending scarcity of phosphorus and conventional oil and (5) the possible interaction between future population displacement, conflict and poor governance. The article concludes that a sustainable improvement in food security requires a radical transformation in society's approach to the environment, population growth, agricultural research and the distribution of rights, opportunities and entitlements.