This was the first study that examined familial and parental characteristics of children with ADHD as potential risk factors for the condition. Such psychosocial factors could be employed to further the development of more proficient preventative measures and remedial services.

Background -The traditional diet of Oman which comprises primarily of dates, milk, rice,

No abstract

Background: The prevalence of overweight and obesity is high in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. Half of the Region's adult women (50.1%) and more than two in five men (43.8%) are overweight or obese, and 6.9% of children aged under five years in the Region are already overweight, which is higher than the global average of 6.2%. Aims: This rapid assessment aimed to examine marketing techniques of foods and non-alcoholic beverages targeting children and assessed implementation of food restrictions in schools as part of the national effort to address obesity in Oman. Methods: Trained reviewers assessed Arabic TV satellite stations, local radio and print media, a random sample of schools, and a convenience sample of grocery stores, cafes and convenience stores between November 2015 and October 2016. Results: A majority of TV advertisements (71%) were for follow-up milk formula and used a variety of methods to attract children. A large portion of radio advertisements (44%) were for savoury snacks; all included children and used sounds/ words to attract children. Few print media advertisements promoted snacks; however, a large majority of the sugary snack advertisements (13% of print media) used pictures/words and incentives (awards) to attract children. In schools, most beverages purchased by children had added sugars. Conclusions: Establishing a comprehensive regulatory framework under the national Child Law and the Convention of the Rights of the Child should be complemented by systematic monitoring of their impact on child health, and increasing food and beverage literacy among principals, teachers, canteen managers and the wider community.

A national cross-sectional survey was conducted to estimate the prevalence of anaemia, micronutrient deficiencies, haemoglobin disorders and over- and undernutrition in children and women of reproductive age in Oman. Wasting and stunting were found in 9.3% and 11.4% of children aged 0–59 months, respectively, while 4.2% were overweight or obese. In addition, 23.8% were anaemic and 10.2%, 9.5% and 10.6% had iron, vitamin A and vitamin D deficiencies, respectively. Sickle cell and β-thalassaemia genetic traits were present in 5.3% and 4.2% of children and 4.7% and 2.8% of women, respectively. Overall, 9.1% of Omani women were underweight and 59.2% were overweight or obese. The prevalence of anaemia was 27.8%, while iron, folate, vitamin B12 and vitamin D deficiencies affected 24.8%, 11.6%, 8.9% and 16.2%, respectively. Anaemia among both children and women and the prevalence of overweight and obesity in women are the most concerning nutritional problems in Oman.Keywords: Nutrition Disorders; Malnutrition; Micronutrients; Iron-Deficiency Anemia; Avitaminosis; Vitamin D Deficiency; Vitamin B 12 Deficiency; Oman.

Objectives: Less than a quarter of Omani infants < 6 months are exclusively breastfed. Therefore, this study aimed to examine individual barriers and supports to exclusive breastfeeding and identify potential policy and programmatic interventions in Oman. Methods: A cross-sectional Barrier Analysis was carried out among a purposive sample of Omani women - 45 “Doers” (who exclusively breastfed their infants) and 52 “Non-Doers” (who do not) – who were selected and interviewed by trained enumerators in health clinics in various parts of the country. A barrier analysis tool, adapted for the Omani context, covered 12 common determinants of behavior adoption using open-ended questions regarding participants’ perceptions about exclusive breastfeeding including positive and negative consequences, self-efficacy and social norms. Qualitative analysis involved coding and tabulating as well as thematic analysis. Results: Mothers report that motivation for exclusive breastfeeding include the perception that it leads to healthier children, is easy, readily available and therefore convenient and that mothers report an elevated level of family support for breastfeeding. Barriers included perceived milk insufficiency and mother’s employment. Conclusion: To achieve the 2025 exclusive breastfeeding target of 50%, public health action should focus on emphasizing the benefits and convenience of exclusive breastfeeding and building women’s confidence in their ability to produce sufficient milk. These efforts will require increasing the knowledge and skills of community and health care workers and establishing monitoring mechanisms. Expanding paid maternity leave and supportive workplace policies are necessary to encourage working women to exclusively breastfeed. Keywords: Breastfeeding, Breastfeeding barriers, Breastfeeding support, Exclusive breastfeeding, Nutrition policy, Oman, Health Promotion.

Iron deficiency is the most common known form of nutritional deficiencies. Its prevalence is highest among young children and women in the child bearing age, and pregnant women. In children, iron deficiency causes developmental delay and behavioral disturbances, while in pregnant women; it increases the risk of preterm delivery and low birth weight babies. Nutritional anemia refers to a condition in which the hemoglobin content of the blood is lower than normal as a result of a deficiency of one or more essential nutrients (usually iron, less frequently folate or vitamin B12). The national anemia control program in Oman has been in operation for many years. Pregnant women are provided by iron and folic acid supplement such as Fefol, Fersolate and folic acid and/or multivitamin tablets in the natal period (three whole 3 trimesters) and in the postnatal period. A new approach for the control of iron deficiency in pregnancy could be the weekly administration of iron and folic acid supplements, which has been proved very effective and has no side-effects.

Dietary habits of Omani population particularly of children and young adults have changed significantly. Consumption of imported calorie-dense foods, vegetable oils, milled and polished grains and carbonated beverages have become the norm. Concomitantly, there has been an exponential increase in the prevalence of non-communicable diseases. The impact of the westernisation of eating habits on children has not been evaluated. We have investigated blood fatty acid profile of male (n = 125) and female (n = 160) children aged 9 and 10 (9.8 ± 0.4) years enrolled from three state-funded schools. The schools, which are homogenous with respect to socio-economic background of their pupils, were randomised into fish oil (n = 98), oily fish (n = 82) or control (n = 105) group. Subsequently, the children were given during morning tea break for 12 weeks: 1. DHA-enriched re-esterified triacylglycerol fish oil capsule with cheese/salad sandwich (fish oil group), 2. Lightly grilled oily fish with salad (fish group) or 3. Cheese/salad sandwich (control group). At baseline, the males had higher myristic, palmitic and oleic and lower adrenic acids than the females (p < 0.05). There was no difference in n-3 fatty acid index (4.86 ± 1.95 vs. 5.12 ± 1.67, p > 0.05) or AA (14.6 ± 1.9 vs. 14.9 ± 1.8, p > 0.05) between the genders. There was no difference in any of the fatty acids between the three groups at baseline. Post-intervention, the oily fish group had lower n-3 fatty acid index (EPA + DHA, 6.03 ± 1.39 vs. 6.60 ± 1.63, p < 0.05) and higher AA (15.2 ± 1.8 vs. 13.7 ± 2.0, p = 0.0001) and n-3 DPA (1.40 ± 0.27 vs. 1.07 ± 0.22, p = 0.0001) compared with those who received fish oil capsules. In both the fish oil and oily fish groups, fatty acid index correlated positively with AA (r = 0.394, p = 0.0001; r = 0.231, p = 0.038) and negatively with total saturated (r = - 0.816, p = 0.0001; r = - 0.439, p = 0.0001) and total mono-unsaturated (r = - 0.431, p = 0.0001; r = - 0.231, p = 0.037) fatty acids. Although seafood is an integral part of traditional Omani cuisine the children had a low level of n-3 fatty acids index. There is a need to address this nutritional insufficiency through school feeding programme, targeted intervention with n-3 fatty acid enriched food products and/or family education programme.