National Center of Public Health and Analyses

In this study, a new organic-inorganic hybrid copolymer (P(MAA-MPTS)/Sil) was synthesized, characterized, and applied as a sorbent for s-triazines. The P(MAA-MPTS)/Sil was prepared by coupling free radical copolymerization of methacrylic acid and methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane and sol-gel processing, using tetramethoxysilane as a cross-linker. Scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and nitrogen adsorption-desorption measurements were used for the characterization of the copolymer particles. The extraction efficiency of hybrid copolymer toward s-triazines was studied by batch procedure. High recoveries for all studied compounds (ametryne, atrazine, propazine, simazine, simetryn, and terbuthylazine) were achieved in the pH range 7 - 8 within 30 min. Quick quantitative desorption was achieved using a mixture of methanol and acetic acid. An analytical procedure based on solid-phase extraction of s-triazines on newly synthesized hybrid copolymer and HPLC measurements was developed for their quantification in surface waters. Experiments performed with different types of waters (tap, lake, river) and determination limits achieved demonstrated the successful applicability of P(MAA-MPTS)/Sil in monitoring programs for quality control of tap and surface waters.

The aim of the present study is to investigate the dietary intake of vitamin D in normal-weight and overweight individuals, establishing its correlation with specific food groups. Two hundred and sixty-four individuals were studied, of which 41.3% men and 58.9% women between 19 and 60 years of age. Nutritional assessment was carried out applying 24-h recall in the months January to April in 2014 and 2015. Nutritional status was assessed by means of anthropometric indicators – anthropometric indicators and indices, whereas weight and body composition were measured by professional bioelectrical impedance using a Tanita 420 BC MA device. It was established that the average daily intake of vitamin D for the entire group of studied individuals was 6.6 µg/day (women – 5.6 µg/day and men – 10.4 µg/day). Main dietary sources of vitamin D in the diet of adults were meat and meat products, fish and fish products, eggs and milk and dairy products. In the groups based upon BMI category of participants, meat and meat products were found to be the main source of vitamin D in all groups. Average daily intake of vitamin D has values significantly below the recommended average daily intake. A policy to promote the consumption of foods rich in vitamin D in order to reduce the relative share of individuals not meeting the recommendations is required.

In the version of this article originally published, the Global Dietary Database consortium was missing from the author list. The consortium is now listed as an author, with a list of members and their affiliations appearing online. The error has been corrected in the HTML and PDF versions of the article.

Abstract Asthma is a multifaceted inflammatory disease of the airways, which takes a heavy toll on public health and quality of life in Bulgaria. The present study aimed to investigate the short-term effects of air pollution on hospital admission for asthma in the city of Sofia.Daily admission counts and air pollutant concentrations (PM2.5, PM10, NO2, SO2, CO, and O3) were obtained for Sofia in the period January 1, 2009 to December 31, 2018. Their associations were analyzed using negative binomial regressions with air pollution lagged over 0–7 days.In the child population, at some lags, 10 µg/m3 increase in NO2 increased the risk of hospital admission by up to 6%, SO2 by 13%, and PM2.5 by 3%. Results for O3 were conflicting, even though at some lags the risk reached 5% per 10 µg/m3. At lag0, CO increased the risk of hospitalization in the group 0–4 years by 7.4%, which reached an IRR of 2.53 (95% CI: 1.27, 5.07) in the distributed lag models. It was estimated that approximately 6% of the admissions in children (5–14 years old) could be attributable to short-term PM2.5 ≥ 15 µg/m3 and NO2 ≥ 25 µg/m3.Overall, short-term increases in some air pollutants in Sofia increased the risk of hospital admissions, more clearly among asthmatic children, over the following week. A small but non-trivial proportion of admissions in 5–14 years old children was attributable to air pollution.KeywordsAir pollutionRespiratory healthShort-term effects

Evidence on what people eat globally is limited in scope and rigour, especially as it relates to children and adolescents. This impairs target setting and investment in evidence-based actions to support healthy sustainable diets. Here we quantified global, regional and national dietary patterns among children and adults, by age group, sex, education and urbanicity, across 185 countries between 1990 and 2018, on the basis of data from the Global Dietary Database project. Our primary measure was the Alternative Healthy Eating Index, a validated score of diet quality; Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension and Mediterranean Diet Score patterns were secondarily assessed. Dietary quality is generally modest worldwide. In 2018, the mean global Alternative Healthy Eating Index score was 40.3, ranging from 0 (least healthy) to 100 (most healthy), with regional means ranging from 30.3 in Latin America and the Caribbean to 45.7 in South Asia. Scores among children versus adults were generally similar across regions, except in Central/Eastern Europe and Central Asia, high-income countries, and the Middle East and Northern Africa, where children had lower diet quality. Globally, diet quality scores were higher among women versus men, and more versus less educated individuals. Diet quality increased modestly between 1990 and 2018 globally and in all world regions except in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa, where it did not improve.

BackgroundPhysical activity is key for preventing obesity and development of noncommunicable diseases later in life. Previous research suggests that socioeconomic factors, such as parental education or income, may influence a child’s risk of obesity. However, previous research on this has provided heterogeneity in results. Our aim was to investigate the socioeconomic disparities between physical activity, sedentary behaviour and sleep patterns in school-aged children aged 6 to 9 years in 24 European countries, using a large nationally-representative sample of children from 24 countries (Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, France, Georgia, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Lithuania, Latvia, Malta, Montenegro, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation – only Moscow, San Marino Republic, Spain, Tajikistan, Türkiye and Turkmenistan).MethodsCOSI collected information on physical activity patterns of children, sedentary behaviour and sleep duration through a questionnaire filled by parents. Among these, the paper focused on the following behaviours: Transportation to and from schools, Time spent on practising sports, Time spent on actively/vigorously playing, Time spent watching TV or using electronic devices and Hours of sleep per night. For the paper purpose, countries were grouped in 4 macro-regions according to United Nations “Standard Country or Area Codes for Statistical Use”.ResultsFindings indicated that a high prevalence of motorized school transport among children of employed parents in Southern Europe. The highest prevalence of insufficient sports and active play was among families from West-Central Asia who meet the end of the month with troubles, the highest prevalence of excessive screen time is among families from Eastern Europe, where both parents have a low level of education and the highest prevalence of insufficient sleep is among families from West-Central Asia where both parents have a high level of education.ConclusionsThere are important differences in the socioeconomic determinants of PA, sleep and screen related behaviours both between countries and sub-regions across the WHO European Region. This analysis of results from the COSI survey provides important insights that can help guide policy makers to take action to address the childhood obesity epidemic.

<p>14-th Scientific Conference of Bulgarian FP of EFSA - Book</p>

Establishment of the WHO European Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative (COSI) has resulted in a surveillance system which provides regular, reliable, timely, and accurate data on children's weight status-through standardized measurement of bodyweight and height-in the WHO European Region. Additional data on dietary intake, physical activity, sedentary behavior, family background, and school environments are collected in several countries. In total, 45 countries in the European Region have participated in COSI. The first five data collection rounds, between 2007 and 2021, yielded measured anthropometric data on over 1.3 million children. In COSI, data are collected according to a common protocol, using standardized instruments and procedures. The systematic collection and analysis of these data enables intercountry comparisons and reveals differences in the prevalence of childhood thinness, overweight, normal weight, and obesity between and within populations. Furthermore, it facilitates investigation of the relationship between overweight, obesity, and potential risk or protective factors and improves the understanding of the development of overweight and obesity in European primary-school children in order to support appropriate and effective policy responses.