Journal of School of Public Health and

---

Obesity is excessive body fat on a scale that adversely affects health. Childhood obesity is increasing world-wide and is an important risk factor for many chronic diseases. In order to explore the association between childhood obesity and putative risk factors among primary school girls, the present study was carried out. In this study, all the obese students (according to Iranian references) from a sample of 835 school girls aged 8-11y were considered as the case group (n=134). 134 control students with normal weight (5th percentile < BMI ≤ 85th Percentile) were chosen randomly and obese children were matched with non–obese children by age, school and classroom. For each subject, we interviewed the mother and filled 3 questionnaires covering potential risk factors for obesity. Results showed that obese children had significantly higher probability of having obese parents compared to controls. Daily energy and macronutrient intake and frequency of consuming fast foods and fizzy drinks were higher in the case group. Compared to normal children, obese ones spent more time in front of the TV or the computer non-obese children the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05). The duration of daily physical activity, energy and macronutrient intake per kilogram body weight, and parental education were all significantly higher in the control group (P<0.05). Most obese girls were born in winter or autumn while non–obese girls were born mostly in spring and summer (P<0.015). Obesity is a multi-factorial syndrome involving genetic, environmental and behavioral alterations. In this study, daily energy and macronutrient intake, physical activity, parental education, season of birth, frequency for eating fast-foods and fizzy drinks and time spent watching T.V. and videos or working with computers turned out to be risk factors.

---

  Background and Aim: The role of nutritional quality of the diet in the development and progression of multiple sclerosis (MS) is not yet well understood. The aim of the present study was to determine the association between index of nutritional quality (INQ) and MS.

  Materials and Methods: In this case-control study, 70 patients with a definitive diagnosis of MS in the preceding year and 140 frequency-matched hospital controls were selected from among 20-50 year-old patients referred to Sina and Lolagar hospitals in Tehran. The subjects’ dietary intakes were assessed using a valid and reliable semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. INQs for all the nutrients were then calculated for every participant, and logistic regression analysis was used to calculate the odds ratios for having MS in relation to every nutrient’s INQ.

  Results: After adjusting for potential confounders, it was seen that subjects who had higher INQs for alpha-linolenic acid, vitamins A, D, K, B₁, B₂, B₅, B₆, folate, B₁₂, and C, and minerals calcium, phosphorus, zinc, and potassium were less likely (p<0.05) to have MS as compared to subjects with lower INQs for these nutrients.

  Conclusion: The findings of the present study show inverse associations between the INQ of many nutrients and risk of having MS. Therefore, it seems that overall improvement of the nutritional quality of the diet might be an appropriate approach for prevention of this disease.

---

Background and Aim: The present study aimed to determine the stages of changes and cognitive and behavioral processes (Transtheorical model) in the use of nutrients in overweight middle-aged women.
Materials and Methods: The present study was a descriptive-analytic. The research sample consisted of 281 middle-aged women with overweight referring to comprehensive health centers in Isfahan. Personal characteristics, stage of change and behavior and cognitive behavioral processes, and FFQ questionnaire (168-item) were completed by Questioning, and then the information entered the N4 and SPSS 18 software, and information was analyzed using descriptive and analytical tests.
Results: 57.7% of the people were inactive (pre-thinking, thinking, preparation) and 42.3% of them were in active phase. There was a significant difference between the different stages of change and the use of behavior change processes (p=0.001) And Benfrown's test shows the increasing use of cognitive and behavioral processes during the stage of change in use of nutrients (p<0.001).
Conclusion: The difference in the mean of changes processes during the stage of change show the impact of these processes on the nutritional individual's behavior, which is recommended to use stage of change and behavioral change processes for education nutrition behavioral.