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Body weight has a long history of functioning as a symbol of one’s beauty, social status, morality, discipline, and health. It has also been a standard inflicted much more intensely on women than men. While US culture has long idealized thinness for women, even at risky extremes, there is growing evidence that weight standards are broadening. Larger bodies are becoming more visible and accepted, while desire for and approval of a thin ideal has diminished. However, the continued widespread prevalence of anti-fat attitudes and stigma leaves uncertainty about just how much weight standards are changing. This study used an online survey (n = 320) to directly compare evaluations of thin, fat, and average size women through measures of negative stereotypes, prejudicial attitudes, and perceptions about quality of life. Results indicated that, as hypothesized, thin women were perceived less favorably than average weight women. However, fat women were perceived less favorably than both average and thin women. Men were harsher than women in their evaluations of only fat women. Additionally, participants being underweight or overweight did not produce an ingroup bias in their evaluations of underweight and overweight targets, respectively. That is, participants did not rate their own group more favorably, with the exception of overweight participants having lower prejudice toward overweight targets. These findings add to the emerging evidence that women’s weight standards are in transition, marked by an increasingly negative perception of thin women, though not necessarily growing positivity toward fat women. This evidence further points toward the need for more extensive research on attitudes of people across the entire weight spectrum.

This study aims to examine whether inmate’s social support network is related to changes in anthropometric data among individuals in Canadian correctional facilities.

Methods: A total of 754 participants in federal correctional facilities who had been incarcerated for at least six months responded to the questionnaire by interview regarding their social support network. Chi-square tests and non-parametric tests for median comparison were used to measure changes in anthropometric data [weight and body mass index (BMI)] between the date of admission into custody and the date of the interview. Subsequently, a multivariate regression analysis for BMI change was conducted to adjust for covariates such as sex, age and ethnicity.

Results: Participants who received more than two visits per month had significantly lower weight gain (2.6 kg) than those who received less than one visit per month (7.1 kg, p = 0.02). Similar results were observed for the average change in BMI (p = 0.01). The influence of an external social support network on BMI change remained significant after adjusting for covariates. Conclusions: An individual's external social support network (outside the prison environment) may protect against weight gain in correctional facilities. Given how social support will vary based on the prison context by country and jurisdiction, individual and organizational strategies should be considered to maintain a healthy social support network and increase the number of visits (at every stage of incarceration) to counteract this weight gain and its adverse health consequences.

The social support network outside the prison environment may protect against weight gain in correctional facilities. Strategies should be considered to maintain a healthy social support network and increase the number of visits to counteract this weight gain and its adverse health consequences.

This chapter covers two behaviors that greatly affect college students’ mental health and wellbeing: eating and sleeping. The chapter begins with a definition of eating disorders and distinguishes clinically disordered eating from other forms of problematic eating. The chapter describes common eating disorders among college students: anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, avoidant restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) and binge eating disorder. The chapter then discusses measures of problematic eating among college students, including the SCOFF, the Eating Disorder Inventory and the Eating Concerns subscale of the Counseling Center Assessment of Psychological Symptoms (CCAPS). Next, the chapter discusses the prevalence of problematic eating among college students. Cultural considerations are described, with particular attention paid to gender, sexual orientation and ethnicity. Causes of problematic eating among college students are discussed, and the consequences of problematic eating are explored, from shame to medical complications to death. Treatment options are detailed, as are barriers to seeking professional help. The chapter follows a similar structure in covering healthy and problematic sleep behaviors among college students. In particular, the chapter explores measures of sleep quality, the prevalence of problematic sleep among college students, their causes and consequences, as well as strategies for correcting poor sleep and interventions for promoting healthy sleep habits.

The phase angle (PhA) measured by bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) is associated with nutritional status and cellular health, and it is a clinically important parameter used to assess the risk of various diseases. It remains unclear whether PhA is associated with nonalcoholic fatty liver. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between the BIA parameter PhA and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

This cross-sectional study was conducted with 300 adults aged 20–64 years (NAFLD: 196, normal: 104). Some biochemical findings of the participants were collected, and whole-body and segmental PhAs were measured using Tanita (MC-780) at 50 kHz.

The PhA values of the whole body (p = 0.003), trunk (p < 0.001), right and left legs (p < 0.001 for both) were found to significantly differ according to the degrees of fatty liver. It was observed that the highest PhA values were in normal individuals. Logistic regression analysis showed that the reduction in PhAs of the whole body (p = 0.038), right (p = 0.019) and left legs (p = 0.049) and trunk (p = 0.001) after adjusting for all confounding factors increased the risk of NAFLD. Additionally, whole body PhA was significantly associated with age (year, p = 0.02), BMI (kg/m²; p < 0.001), fat mass (kg; p = 0.001), fat mass (%; p < 0.001), albumin (g/L; p < 0.001) and CRP (mg/dL; p = 0.001).

The results of this study showed that PhA can be used in the management of NAFLD. To identify potential mechanisms in the relationship between the angle of the liver and NAFLD, large-scale prospective studies are needed.

Past research has shown there is a relationship between body image, sexual behavior, and pleasure. However, the majority of this research has centered on heterosexual participants. In this analysis, the author considers how this relationship between body image, sexual behavior, and pleasure may look within women and genderqueer individuals who are all AFAB (assigned female at birth) with 26 out of 30 participants identifying as LGBTQIA+. The author examines perceptions of body size, body hair, and genitals to consider how intersections of social structures – specifically internalized sexism, racism, and misogyny – influence the participants’ experience of sexual interactions. Both resistance and embodiment of traditional gender norms, even as queer women and genderqueer individuals, were examined in these narratives. The majority of the moments where traditional gender norms are examined describe situations when the participants were sexually interacting with cis-gendered men.

The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning has largely promoted the emergence of “autonomous decision-making” (ADM). This paper aims to establish a personalized artificial intelligent housekeeper (AIH) that knows more about our hobbies, habits, personality traits, and shopping needs than ourselves and can replace us to do some habitual purchasing behavior.

We propose an AI decision-making method based on machine learning algorithm, a novel framework for personalized customer preference and purchase. First, the method uses interactive big data to predict a potential consumer’s decision possibility. Then, the method mines the correlation between consumer decision possibility and various factors affecting consumer behavior. Finally, the machine learning algorithm is used to estimate the consumer’s purchase decision according to the comprehensive influencing factors data of the target consumer.

The experimental results show that the method can predict the regular consumption behavior of consumers in advance and make accurate decision-making behavior. It can find correlations from a large amount of data to help predict many simple purchase decisions in our life, and become our AIH.

This study introduces a new approach that not only has the auxiliary decision-making function but also has the decision-making function. These findings contribute to the research on automated decision-making process of AI and on human–technology interaction by investigating how data attributes consumer purchase decision to AI.

This study aims to evaluate the relationship between the estimated levels of diet advanced glycation end products (dAGEs) intake and obesity in university students.

This cross-sectional study included 301 university students aged 18–30 years. dAGEs was estimated using a food frequency questionnaire, for 549 routinely consumed food items and were reported by dividing total energy intake. Dietary intake and sociodemographic data were collected using validated questionnaires, and the anthropometric characteristics were measured. The relationship between anthropometric measurements and dAGEs intake was examined by binary logistic regression.

A total of 43.2% of the participants had high levels of dAGEs. A significant decreasing trend was found in the percentage of carbohydrate intake compared to the increasing trend in dAGEs consumption (p = 0.005). The percentage of fat intake and meat consumption were significantly higher in participants with the highest consumption, compared with the lowest consumption of dAGEs (p = 0.006). According to the dAGEs classification of participants, body mass index, waist circumference and energy intake were found to be significantly related in all model groups. Accordingly, the increase in body mass index, waist circumference and energy intake were determined as a risk factor in those with high dAGEs intakes.

The findings of this study emphasized that higher intake of dAGEs was associated with an increased risk of obesity parameters in college students.

This paper aims to examine the association between the dietary inflammatory index, the consumption of Enteral Nutrition Supplemented with probiotics with certain serum inflammation markers and gastrointestinal complications among individuals diagnosed with COVID-19.

This cross-sectional investigation involved 100 COVID-19 patients who were admitted to intensive care units in hospitals. These patients were administered two different types of Enteral Nutrition, so the dietary inflammatory index (DII), gastrointestinal complications and some serum inflammation markers have been compared between two groups.

The mean DII scores in all patients were significantly pro-inflammatory (probiotic formula 2.81 ± 0.01 vs usual formula group 2.93 ± 0.14 p = 0.19). The probiotic formula consumption had an inverse association with High-sensitivity C-reactive Protein concentration (coef = −3.19, 95% CI −1.25, −5.14 p = 0.001) and lead to a reduction of 2.14 mm/h in the serum level of Erythrocyte sedimentation rate compared to normal formula. The incidence of diarrhea, abdominal pain and vomiting in probiotic formula patients was respectively 94%, 14% and 86% less than in usual formula patients (p = 0.05).

In this cross-sectional study for the first time, the authors found that probiotic formula consumption was inversely associated with serum inflammation markers and gastrointestinal complications incidence. The high DII leads to more gastrointestinal complications incidence and inflammation markers. More studies are needed to prove this relationship.

The purpose of this study is to nutritionally evaluate dams exposed to caloric restriction or cafeteria diets during the lactation period.

Twenty-four female Wistar rats (n = 8/group) and their respective litters received during lactation: Control (CTRL) – received standard chow; Caloric restriction (CR) – received 50% of the ratio of the CTRL group; Cafeteria diet (CAF) – received cafeteria diet. Weighing of the mother rats and their respective litters occurred weekly and the diets were daily. At weaning, levels of glucose, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and triglycerides were evaluated. Abdominal adipose tissue was removed and weighed. Liver tissue was removed to determine the lipid profile.

CR dams showed lower food (p < 0.01), caloric (p < 0.01) and all macronutrients (p < 0.01) intake. This group also observed intense weight loss (p < 0.01), in addition to low litter weight (p < 0.01). CAF dams had higher caloric intake (p < 0.05) and increased consumption of lipids (p < 0.01). The CAF group also reported greater accumulation of abdominal adipose tissue (p = 0.01), elevated levels of LDL (p < 0.01) and hepatic lipids (p < 0.01), as well as a litter with higher weaning weight (p < 0.01).

Few studies have evaluated the effects of different models of malnutrition focusing on dams. CR dams showed severe weight loss, which may have caused their pups to be underweight. On the other hand, the CAF diet during lactation led to a higher consumption of lipids and accumulation of adipose tissue, which generated a high weight of the litter.

Taking the Mamá Fit memes and other social media eruptions as a starting point and delving deeper into popular print media, this chapter traces the racialized and gendered practices that constitute fitness in El Salvador in a diasporic context. Importantly, the word fit is now often expressed in English, captured in the names of commercial gyms and diet advertisements; the use of this word signals an important cultural change in conventional understandings of the body in a Spanish-speaking society. By charting the emergence of this new health/beauty norm in a transnational domain, this chapter explores the relationship between shifting patterns of gendered body discipline and changes in El Salvador’s location within the global political economy. This chapter argues that fitness discourse has become a subtle, but powerful, conduit for coloniality during a renegotiation of the meaning of gender to fit a neoliberal reality. The argument ends by pointing in the direction of future research to explore how this discourse is experienced in embodied practice with potentially contradictory impacts in Salvadoran society.