title: Food Choices and Consequences for the Nutritional Status: Insights into Nutrition Transition in an Hospital Community.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Although economic development is generally accompanied by improvements in the overall nutritional status of the country's population the 'nutritional transition' often involves a shift to high energy diets and less exercise with negative consequences. This pilot study was done to examine if education of parents operates at the household level to influence dietary choices and the nutritional status of children in a small community of hospital workers.
  
  
  METHODS
  3 groups of persons with varying skill and education levels participated. Weighed food logs were used in all households to calculate 'adult equivalent' per-capita-consumption. Nutrients were calculated using nutrients calculator software. BMI was used to classify children as underweight, normal weight and overweight.
  
  
  RESULTS
  128 individuals participated from 30 families included 47 children. 10 children (21%) were underweight, 29 (62%) were normal and 8 (17%) were overweight. Energy consumption was highest in families with overweight children 2692 +/-502 compared to 2259 +/-359 in families with normal weight and 2031+/-354 in the family of underweight children. These differences were statistically significant. 42% underweight children belonged to Class 1 at the lowest skill level and there were no overweight children in this group. Most of the overweight children belonged to Class 2. In Class 3 there were no underweight children and the majority was normal weight children.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Underweight children came from the poorer households. Per capita intake of the family as a whole correlated well with BMI in the children. There was increased obesity in middle income families belonging to Class 2-probably in families who move up the scale from deprivation. Nutritional status in children correlated mostly with maternal education status.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, St Stephens Hospital, Delhi, 110054, India.
authors.forename: Jitendra
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Piple
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, St Stephens Hospital, Delhi, 110054, India.
authors.forename: Ranjeet
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gora
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, St Stephens Hospital, Delhi, 110054, India.
authors.forename: Pragati
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Purbiya
authors.affiliation: DocuBuzz Computer Solutions 02-12/25, The Franklin, 118223, Singapore.
authors.forename: Ashish
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Puliyel
authors.affiliation: Statistician Department of Research, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Parul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Chugh
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, St Stephens Hospital, Delhi, 110054, India.
authors.forename: Pinky
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bahl
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, St Stephens Hospital, Delhi, 110054, India.
authors.forename: Jacob
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Puliyel
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002755:Choice Behavior; D004032:Diet; D005518:Food Preferences; D006764:Hospitals, Community / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D009752:Nutritional Status; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000458:organization & administration; D010865:Pilot Projects