Non-participation is the foremost screening-related risk factor for cervical cancer. We studied the effectiveness and costeffectiveness of an intervention to increase participation in the context of a well-run screening program. Telephone contact with non-attendees, offering an appointment to take a smear, was compared with a control group in a population-based randomized trial in western Sweden. Of 8,800 randomly selected women aged 30-62, without a registered Pap smear in the two latest screening rounds, 4,000 were randomized to a telephone arm, another 800 were offered a high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) self-test by mail (not reported in this article) and 4,000 constituted a control group. Endpoints were frequency of testing, frequency of abnormal smears and further assessment of abnormal tests. Participation during the following 12 months was significantly higher in the telephone arm than in the control group, 718 (18.0%) versus 422 (10.6%) [RR: 1.70, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.52-1.90]. The number of detected abnormal smears was 39 and 19, respectively (RR: 2.05, 95% CI: 1.19-3.55). The respective numbers of further assessed abnormalities were 34 and 18 (RR: 1.89, 95% CI: 1.07-3.34). Twice as many high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN21) were detected and treated in the telephone arm: 14 and 7, respectively. Telephone contact with women who have abstained from cervical cancer screening for long time increases participation and leads to a significant increase in detection of atypical smears. Cost calculations indicate that this intervention is unlikely to be cost-generating and this strategy is feasible in the context of a screening program.Cervical cancer is considered to be a preventable disease. Screening by Papanicolaou (Pap) smear has markedly reduced incidence and mortality. [2][3][4] Vaccines to prevent infection with specific oncogenic human papillomavirus (HPV), the main cause of cervical cancer, 5 are available but it will be long before effects on cancer will be measurable. 6,7 At least until then, screening programs will remain the key defense against this disease.8 A recent audit of the Swedish screening program, in which all cases of invasive cervical epithelial carcinoma during 3 years were evaluated, showed that

Vitamin D and calcium are essential nutrients with a range of biological effects of public health relevance. This study aimed to validate a short food frequency questionnaire (SFFQ) against a three-day food record (3D record), assessing the intake of vitamin D and calcium in Swedish children during wintertime. In a double-blinded, randomized food-based intervention study on the effect of feeding different daily doses of vitamin D supplement to 5–7-year-old children (n = 85), 79 (93%) participants completed SFFQ1 at baseline and SFFQ2 after the intervention, and 72 were informed to fill in a 3D record. The 28 (39%) children who completed the 3D record were included in this validation study. The baseline level of serum-25 hydroxy vitamin D [S-25(OH)D] was used as a biomarker. The correlation between all three instruments were moderate to strong. SFFQ2 and the 3D record correlated moderately to S-25(OH)D. Bland-Altman analysis showed that SFFQ2 overestimated vitamin D intake by on average 0.6 μg/day, (limits of agreement (LOA) 5.7 and −4.6 μg/day), whereas the intake of calcium was underestimated by on average 29 mg/day, (LOA 808 and −865 mg/day). Finally, the validity coefficient calculated for vitamin D using the method of triad was high (0.75). In conclusion, this SFFQ, assessed by a dietician, is a valid tool to assess dietary vitamin D and calcium intake in groups of young children.

The objective of the study was to evaluate the intestinal tolerance of a newly developed food containing Lactobacillus plantarum 299v, in children. The effects of consumption of the product on the children's nutrient intake were also followed, in a separate study. The tolerance study was parallel, double-blind, and included 69 children between 6 months and 3 years of age, randomized into two groups. One of the groups consumed a fermented oat product (1)/10 9 cfu L. plantarum 299v/g) for 3 weeks, while the other group consumed a placebo product.We analysed the subjects by intention to treat and also carried out an analysis of subjects who had a mean intake of /100 g study product per day. After consumption for 3 weeks, the content of L. plantarum 299v in faeces increased significantly in the test group compared with the placebo group (p B/0.001) and mean log 10 cfu/g was 8.7 (intention to treat analysis). Also, the total content of lactobacilli increased and was significantly higher compared with the placebo group (p B/0.001). The same result was also obtained when the data for the subjects who had a higher consumption of the study products were analysed. There were no differences in reported gastrointestinal function between the groups. The effects of the fermented oat product on the children's nutrient intake were followed in 12 children aged 1 Á/3 years. Inclusion of the fermented oat product that was enriched with iron and ascorbic acid led to a significantly higher intake of several nutrients like energy, carbohydrates (g, E%), dietary fibre, iron and zinc. In conclusion, the children tolerated the fermented oat product well, the faecal microflora was positively altered and the children's nutritional intake was improved.

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