Editorial: Women and work

Abstract

When compared to day workers, night-shift workers report that they eat fewer meals, have poorer appetites, are less satisfied with their eating habits, and eat at different times of the day. When demographic variables are held constant, there do not appear to be any significant differences between experienced day and night-shift workers in caffeine or alcohol consumption. Exceptions to and variations in these findings are probably due to the background influences of social and cultural variables. Eating and drinking behaviours do effect human performance and mood, but little relevant data have been gathered from experienced night-shift workers. There are no shiftworker data evaluating the effectiveness of the special diets or dietary recommendations that have been proposed for use by night-shift workers. Thus, attempts to manipulate night-shift worker eating and drinking habits require experimental test.     

Midwife readiness to provide woman-centred weight gain support: Exploring perspectives across models of care

ProblemMore than half of women start pregnancy above a healthy weight and two-thirds gain excess weight during pregnancy, increasing the risk of complications.BackgroundLittle research has examined the influence model of care has on weight-related outcomes in pregnancy.AimTo explore how continuity vs non-continuity models of midwifery care influence perceived readiness to provide woman-centred interventions with women supporting pregnancy weight gain, healthy eating and physical activity.MethodsFocus groups were conducted with midwives working in either continuity or non-continuity models of care at a tertiary hospital in Queensland, Australia. Focus group questions elicited elements around practices, the healthcare environment and woman-centred care skills. Findings were analysed using the Framework Approach to qualitative research.FindingsFour focus groups, involving 15 participants from the continuity of care model and 53 from the non-continuity model, were conducted. Continuity of care participants reported greater readiness to provide woman-centred interventions than those from non-continuity models. Barriers faced by both groups included gaps in communication training, education resources and multidisciplinary support.DiscussionMidwives across models of care require greater support in this area, in particular training in communication and better multidisciplinary service integration to support women.ConclusionThe care model appears to influence capacity to deliver person/woman-centred interventions, highlighting the need for tailored training for the healthcare setting. The roles of other health professionals in delivering weight management interventions during pregnancy also need to be examined.     

Benefit-of-the-doubt aggregation and the diet problem

In this note we show that the diet problem and the benefit-of-the-doubt (BoD) aggregation are linear programming duals. That is, the primal (dual) formulation of the diet problem is equivalent to the dual (primal) formulation of the BoD model as long as food prices are set equal to one. In addition, we show that the diet problem and the inverted BoD model are linear programming equivalent as long as the nutritional requirements are set equal to one.     

中国北方游牧民族的饮食卫生保健与饮食理论

中国北方游牧民族由于所处的草原环境,形成独特的生产和生活方式,过着游而不定的动荡生活,最初根本不注意饮食卫生,更无饮食保健的观念。随着与中原文化的交往,开始注重饮食的卫生与保健,并在生产和生活的实践中形成一套独具特色的饮食理论。     

Understanding the relative influence of attitudes and societal norms on dietary intentions among African-Caribbean women

This study applies the theory of reasoned action (TRA) to understand the relative influence of personal attitude (AT) toward three chronic diseases (diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension), and social normative (SN) groups (family, friends, and church), toward intention to engage in dietary behaviors associated with obesity and chronic disease risk. The sample consists of N = 183 women, aged 18–55 years, in Barbados, West Indies, selected through a stratified cluster sample technique. The instrument includes demographic and anthropometric variables and components of the TRA. Analyses using structural equation modeling (SEM) indicate that the TRA explains 22%, 35% and 19% of the variances in intention to consume high-fat foods, alcohol, and fruits, nuts and vegetables, respectively. SN is a predictor of all three dietary intentions, while AT predicts only intention to eat fruit, nuts, and vegetables. In the models, social pressure from family is relatively more important than friends and church in influencing dietary intentions. It can be concluded that social normative influences have a stronger effect on intentions to consume fatty foods, alcohol, and fruit, nuts and vegetables than do personal attitudes.     

Preliminary observations on habitat, support use and diet in two non-native primates in an urban Atlantic forest fragment: The capuchin monkey (Cebus sp.) and the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus) in the Tijuca forest, Rio de Janeiro

Space is an important dimension of the ecological niche. Differentiation in the use of vertical strata of the forest is related to species body size, and explains in part species coexistence at a local scale. Large neotropical primates dwell in the canopy, moving quadrupedally on large branches, whereas smaller species leap between narrow branches in the understory. We tested this general pattern by observing focal individuals of the capuchin monkey (Cebus sp.) and the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus), both non-native species, living in a forest fragment within the Rio de Janeiro city. Results were in accordance with the pattern for neotropical primates. Vertical use of the forest seems to be related with ecological interactions, especially for C. jacchus restricted to the lower strata due to aerial predation. Preliminary observations on diet corroborate the omnivory of Cebus and the gum feeding characteristic of C. jacchus. For Cebus sp. the exotic jack-fruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) was the most important food item. Predation of both primates on vertebrates, especially by C. jacchus on passerines, could cause an uncommon impact on prey populations. In spite of anthropogenic impact, these non-native primates maintain the general pattern of habitat, support use and diet of the same or similar species in native neotropical communities.     

饮食民俗谫论

饮食民俗是物质生活民俗之一。由于受经济、政治、地域和气候、宗教信仰和语言等因素的影响,中国的饮食民俗形成了特有的民族风格。除了饮食的次数、主食与副食搭配以外,中国饮食民俗结构中的饮食过程、饮食俗信和禁忌有着自己的鲜明个性。中国的饮食民俗主要分为日常食俗、节日食俗和宗教食俗三大类。     

试论藏族的食物禁忌

藏族作为少数民族,有着自己的饮食传统,其中禁忌不乏,这不仅体现了藏族的文化,同时在保护生态环境、促进人类和谐方面留下了重要的启示。本文主要通过对藏民忌吃狗、马、鱼等为个案进行分析,找出其中的原因,并得出其对当今和谐社会的发展和保护自然的重要意义。