Cardiovascular risk factors are present in the final-year students of the School of Medicine, University of Nis. It is necessary to insist on decreasing obesity prevalence, cigarette and alcohol consumption, and on increasing physical activity of students in order to prevent cardiovascular diseases.
Background: Objective of the study was to determine the differences in distribution of the most important nutritional risk factors for cancer among healthy population of Niš, men and women, in order to carry out adequate measures of prevention. Methods: 388 people were involved in the study, randomly selected and they completed the authorized questionnaire concerning their eating habits, marital status and smoking habits. Body mass index was determinated also. Participants' nutritive profile concerning risk factors was determined by giving points to each factor such as number of daily portions of fruits, vegetables, and cereal, daily intakes of red meat, table salt, and alcohol and obesity. 2-test was applied to determine if there is statistically significant difference among risk factors concerning sex and marital status. Student t-test was applied to determine if there is statistically significant difference among medium values of points of risk concerning sex and marital status. Results: According to the results, the population of Niš is at medium risk for cancer. The number of points between 18 and 27 was considered medium risk. Women are at lower risk to develop cancer than men (t= 6.66, p>0.01), regarding nutritional risk factors, the some for singles (t = 2.38, p>0.01). Vegetables (2 = 3.29, p<0.01) and salt (2 = 2.15, p<0.01) intake was not statistically different among men and women, while cereal (2 = 10.96, p<0.01), alcohol (2 = 13.48, p<0.01), and table salt (2 = 29.01, p<0.01), intake was higher among singles. Singles were of heavier weight than married ones (2 = 19.66, p<0.01). Conclusion: Prevention of cancer should be based on higher intake of fruit and lower intake of red meat, as well as, giving up smoking and alcohol and regulating weight.
The research results have shown that the frequency of anemia (OR = 6.76; 95% CI = 1.28-7.72), upper respiratory symptoms (OR = 9.53; 95% CI = 1.32-3.8) and bleeding (OR = 20.5; 95% CI = 2.03-6.97) was significantly higher in pregnant women exposed to outdoor air pollution as compared with the control group. The occurrence of upper respiratory symptoms (OR = 40.42; 95% CI = 2.96-8.91) and bleeding (OR = 53.21; 95% CI = 4.3-15.73) was significantly higher in pregnant women who had been exposed to fossil fuel smoke. Exposure to passive smoking had significant influence on the development of upper respiratory symptoms (OR = 34.58; 95% CI = 3.05-11.66).
Exposure of pregnant women to outdoor and indoor air pollutants can have negative influence on the occurrence of low birth weight.
Fortification is defined as adding of one or more essential elements to food article, regardless of whether it has been already added to food or not, in order to prevent or correct deficiency of one or more nutrients in the general population or specific population group. Food fortification with minerals and vitamins helps eliminate diseases such as goiter, rickets, beriberi, and pellagra. Significant results have been also achieved in prevention of anemia and vitamin A deficiency. The aforementioned deficiencies can be prevented and eliminated by means of appropriate and diverse nutrition and supplementation of deficient micronutrients, but on the national level, food fortification is the best solution. Two basic conditions for the application of fortification are the following: that the food article is in wide use and that it is cheap (available). The purpose of our paper was to show the results achieved by means of fortification in various countries in order to build up the basis for similar propositions in our country (Serbia and Montenegro). Owing to fortification in Asia, the number of cretinism cases has been reduced by half while sugar fortification significantly reduced the number of children with vitamin A deficiency. For more than 50 years, flour fortification with iron in order to prevent its deficiency and anemia, has been successfully applied in the United States and Canada, and as of recently in some countries of Africa and South America. The analysis of the results leads to the conclusion that food fortification has had beneficial health effects in the communities where it has been applied.
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