The indigenous food environment, dietary intake and nutritional status of women in the Santhal tribal community of Jharkhand were assessed. Contribution of indigenous foods to nutritional status and nutrient intakes was explored.

Exploratory cross-sectional study with a longitudinal dietary intake assessment component. Household and dietary surveys were conducted to elicit information on socio-economic and demographic profile and food consumption patterns at household level. A 24 h dietary recall for two consecutive days (repeat surveys in two more seasons) and anthropometric assessments were carried out on one woman per household.

Households (n 151) with at least one woman of reproductive age in four villages of Godda district of Jharkhand, India.

Women aged 15–49 years.

Almost all households owned agricultural land and grew fruits and vegetables in backyards for household consumption. A wide variety of indigenous foods were reported but dietary recalls revealed low intake. Women consumed adequate energy and protein but micronutrient intake was inadequate (less than 66 % of recommended) in the majority (more than 50 %) for Ca, Fe, vitamin B2, folate and vitamin B12. Women consuming indigenous foods in the past 2 d had significantly higher intakes of Ca (P=0·008) and Fe (P=0·010) than those who did not. Varying degrees of underweight were observed in 50 % of women with no significant association between underweight and consumption of indigenous foods.

Promotion of preferential cultivation of nutrient-dense indigenous food sources and effective nutrition education on their importance may facilitate better micronutrient intakes among women in Santhal community of Jharkhand.

The present study aimed to: (i) examine associations between food store patronage and diet and weight-related outcomes; and (ii) explore consumer motivations for visiting different types of food store.

A stratified probability sample of residents completed household and individual-level surveys in 2009/2010 on food purchasing patterns and motivations, dietary intake, waist circumference (WC), weight and height. Diet quality was calculated using the Healthy Eating Index for Canada from a subset of participants (n 1362). Generalized estimating equations were created in 2015 to examine how frequency of patronizing different types of food store was associated with diet quality, intake of fruits and vegetable, mean intake of energy (kcal) sodium and saturated fat, WC and BMI.

Three mid-sized urban municipalities in Ontario, Canada.

A representative sample of residents (n 4574).

Participants who shopped frequently at food co-ops had significantly better diet quality (β=5·3; 99 % CI 0·3, 10·2) than those who did not. BMI and WC were significantly lower among those who frequently shopped at specialty shops (BMI, β=−2·1; 99 % CI −3·0, −1·1; WC, β=−4·8; 99 % CI −7·0, −2·5) and farmers’ markets (BMI, β=−1·4; 99 % CI −2·3, −0·5; WC, β=−3·8; 99 % CI −6·0, −1·6) compared with those who did not. Relative importance of reasons for food outlet selection differed by large (price, food quality) v. small (proximity, convenient hours) shopping trip and by outlet type.

Findings contribute to our understanding of food store selection and have implications for potentially relevant retail food intervention settings.

It is generally thought that causes of undernutrition are multifactorial, butthere are limited quantitative studies performed. We therefore examined awide range of potential factors associated with undernutrition incommunity-dwelling older adults.

Cross-sectional study.

Community-dwelling older adults (≥65 years) receiving home care in theNetherlands.

Data on potential factors associated with (risk of) undernutrition werecollected among 300 older adults. Nutritional status was assessed by theSNAQ65+ instrument. Undernutrition was defined asmid-upper arm circumference <25 cm or unintentional weight loss of≥4 kg in 6 months. Being at risk of undernutrition was defined ashaving poor appetite and inability to walk up and down stairs of fifteensteps, without resting.

Of all participants, ninety-two (31·7 %) were undernourishedand twenty-four (8·0 %) were at risk of undernutrition. Basedon multivariate logistic regression analyses, the statistically significantfactors associated with (risk of) undernutrition(P<0·05) were: unable to go outside(OR=5·39), intestinal problems (OR=2·88),smoking (OR=2·56), osteoporosis (OR=2·46),eating fewer than three snacks daily (OR=2·61), dependency inactivities of daily living (OR=1·21), physical inactivity(OR=2·01), nausea (OR=2·50) and cancer(OR=2·84); a borderline significant factor was depressionsymptoms (OR=1·83,P=0·053).

The study suggests that (risk of) undernutrition is a multifactorial problemand that associated factors can be found in several domains. These findingsmay support the development of intervention trials for the prevention andtreatment of undernutrition in community-dwelling older adults.