J Am Diet Assoc
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Review Clinical Trial
Research methods in nutrition and dietetics: design, data analysis, and presentation.
Most problems in practice may be addressed through research. To show the applicability of research to all areas of nutrition and dietetics, seven types of research designs are discussed in this article: qualitative research; case series and surveys--both categorized as descriptive research; and experimental design, quasiexperimental design, cohort (follow-up) studies, and case-control studies--the four of which are categorized as analytical research because each design tests hypotheses of causal relationships. Sample size, subject selection, and statistical analysis and interpretation are discussed as appropriate to each research design. ⋯ Each section and subsection is numbered so that the article can serve easily as a reference and its component parts can be accessed readily. Research provides answers to questions and, generally, raises further questions that future research can address. Among the benefits of well-designed research are answers to clearly stated research questions, useful comparisons between options, information to guide evaluations of protocols, and data to document and support one's professional activities and one's staff.
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In spite of larger worldwide food harvests in recent years, the number of people in underdeveloped countries without enough food to eat is increasing. Those most likely to suffer from undernutrition are the traditionally vulnerable groups, especially the rural poor. In many underdeveloped countries, the average farm size is smaller, the number of landless farm workers is larger, and the number of rural poor families without land on which to grow food or money to buy it for home consumption is greater than ever before. ⋯ Since unavailability of food is usually the most limiting factor in improving nutritional status of the poor, all agencies dealing with the food chain from production to consumption should be involved. An educational partnership between health, nutrition, and agriculture may be the most important alliance that could be brought into being to ensure enough food for the nutritional well-being of the world's population. This article presents the rationale for education in nutrition in the preparation of agriculturalists and reviews some of the past efforts and present activities of national and international organizations to meld nutrition into agricultural world development programs.
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Alcohol is commonly used in almost all parts of the world, and its adverse effects on the liver, central nervous system, and other organs are widely recognized. Less well known are the deleterious actions of alcohol on nutrient metabolism. The purpose of this article is to call attention to the way in which alcohol intake influences the absorption and metabolism of carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids.