Capacity building in dietary monitoring and public health nutrition in the Eastern Mediterranean Region Countries

与许多西方国家一样，东地中海地区(EMR)存在严重的肥胖问题和相关的公共卫生问题。世界卫生组织(世卫组织)一直在制定新的卫生政策，以减少糖、饱和脂肪、反式脂肪和盐的摄入量，目的是减少儿童和成年人患非传染性疾病(糖尿病、心血管疾病和肥胖症)的风险。为了成功地执行这些政策，必须拥有高质量的食物成分和食物摄入量数据，以支持对饮食与健康之间联系的研究，并使有效的饮食监测和政策制定成为可能。大多数EMR国家使用国际食物成分表，其中包括西方饮食中食用的营养成分不同的食物，特别是混合菜肴和传统菜肴。来自其他国家的这些数据中有一些是过时的，没有反映EMR国家目前消费的食物组成，这意味着计算的营养摄入量是不准确的。衡量膳食摄入量的方法也需要更新并使用适当的食物信息。该项目旨在为低收入国家的研究人员(主要是食品和营养专家)在EMR中提供技术和科学支持，并将提供使用改进的标准化方法来生产和管理食物成分和食物摄入量数据的培训，还将确定适当的食物营养价值和健康结果的生物标记物。将对LMIC的食物和营养摄入量进行审查，以根据世卫组织的新指南制定减少这些饮食中的糖类和脂肪食物的战略。旨在制定解决全球挑战的四边形生物科学研究所将与世卫组织EMR办公室合作，领导该项目。后者将有助于协调和共同协调区域活动，以确保有效地针对公共卫生优先事项。有三项主要活动将支持经济、社会和文化权利中心的能力建设，重点是10个目标小岛屿发展中国家(摩洛哥、突尼斯、埃及、约旦、巴勒斯坦、苏丹、黎巴嫩、巴基斯坦、伊朗和阿富汗)。该项目将建立在与世卫组织EMR现有联系的基础上，并将发展和扩大与LMIC在EMR中的活动。计划开展四项主要活动：(1)培训和知识交流讲习班；(2)研究人员的短期交流；(3)为试点样本收集、食物分析、数据生成和创建在线区域食物成分数据库制定和应用统一的协议；(4)制定可能的饮食和其他战略，以支持减少含糖和脂肪食物的摄入量。主要成果将是在LMIC建设能力和实用技能，以改进食物成分和膳食摄入量数据以及生物标志物的生产、管理和使用。在世卫组织的支持下，将向该区域的专家传播有关欧洲和国际标准的知识。该区域内的专门知识网络也将是一个重要成果，有助于加强协作和有效的数据共享。该项目将能够更有效地利用可用于研究、监测和政策制定的更高质量、特定地区、食物成分和摄入量的数据。这将提供数据和工具，鼓励减少糖、饱和脂肪、反式脂肪和盐，从而减少与饮食有关的疾病的发生率，从而使该区域的小岛屿发展中国家受益。

In common with many Western countries, the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) has a major problem with obesity and the associated public health issues. The World Health Organization (WHO) has been developing new health policies to lower intakes of sugar, saturated fats, trans fats and salt with the aim of reducing the risk of non-communicable diseases (diabetes, cardiovascular disease and obesity) in children and adults. To implement these policies successfully it is essential to have high quality food composition and food intake data to underpin research into the links between diet and health and to enable effective dietary monitoring and policy development. Most EMR countries use international food composition tables that include foods consumed in western diets with different nutrient composition, especially for mixed and traditional dishes. Some of these data from other countries are outdated and do not reflect the composition of foods currently consumed in EMR countries, meaning that calculated nutrient intakes are inaccurate. Methods of measuring dietary intake also need to be up-to-date and use appropriate food information.This project intends to provide technical and scientific support for researchers (mainly food and nutrition experts) in LMIC countries in the EMR, and will also provide training in the use of improved standardized methods for production and management of food composition and food intake data and also identify appropriate biological markers of food nutritional value and measurements of health outcomes. A review will be undertaken of food and nutrient intakes in the LMICs to develop strategies for reducing sugary and fatty foods in these diets based on new WHO guidelines.The Quadram Bioscience Institute, that aims to develop solutions to worldwide challenges in human health, food and infectious disease and non communicable disease, will lead the project in partnership with the WHO EMR office. The latter will help to coordinate and co-align regional activities to ensure public health priorities are targeted effectively. Three main activities will underpin capacity building in the EMR with a focus on 10 target LMICs (Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Jordan, Palestine, Sudan, Lebanon, Pakistan, Iran & Afghanistan). The project will build on existing links with the WHO EMR and will develop and extend activities with LMIC in the EMR. Four main activities are planned: (1) Training and knowledge exchange workshops; (2) Short-term exchanges of researchers; (3) Development and application of harmonised protocols for pilot sample collection, food analysis, data generation and creation of online regional food composition datasets; (4) Development of possible dietary and other strategies to support reduction in intake of sugary and fatty foods.The main outcomes will be to build capacity and practical skills in the LMIC to improve production, management and use of food composition and dietary intake data, and biomarkers. Knowledge of European and International standards will be disseminated, with support from WHO, to experts across the region. Networks of expertise within the region will also be an important outcome leading to increased collaboration and effective data sharing. The project will enable more efficient use of better quality, region specific, food composition and intake data that can be used for research, monitoring and policy development. This will benefit LMICs in the region by providing data and tools that can encourage reduction of sugar, saturated fat, trans fats and salt and thereby reduce the incidence of diet related disease.