From the editor.

We begin 2006 with a celebration of our very significant link between Australian and New Zealand Dietitians through the Editorial from the two presidents of the respective Associations. Developments in basic science, reflected through the nutrigenomics era, and in public health nutrition through the declaration of a 'new nutrition science', present exciting new challenges for the future of the profession. Combining regional efforts in publishing Nutrition & Dietetics research is a very important step in supporting the profession through these developments.

One of the most significant issues facing both countries is the monitoring of community nutrition profiles that drive much of dietetic practice. In this issue we have an excellent range of studies that inform us of nutrition and dietary practices within our respective populations. The nutritional status of our Indigenous populations remains a primary concern and data in papers from both Australia and New Zealand are informative in this respect. Nutrition in early childhood warrants special attention given the imprint it leaves on health and opportunity in later life.

Appropriately then, the leading article refers to a study from Binns and colleagues regarding breastfeeding rates among Aboriginal mothers, in this case from a cohort in Perth. In total, 425 women attending six public hospitals completed a questionnaire on breastfeeding practices. Although the results were consistent with a survey on 1994, Binns reports that despite increased rates of Caesarean sections, low maternal age (mean 21.8 years) and an increased need for special care nursery, a high rate of breastfeeding was achieved on discharge (89.4%), which was higher than the non-Aboriginal comparison group, if lower than the highest socioeconomic sector of that group. Unfortunately, this achievement was not accompanied with a rate of exclusive breastfeeding at six months commensurate with WHO recommendations. The data are informative for practice, and indeed, the authors suggest a target of 80% breastfeeding at six months as a reasonable next step.

Although breastfeeding is arguably the most important nutritional start to life, developing healthy eating patterns during childhood must come next. The study of breakfast eating patterns of 5- to 14-year-old New Zealand children by Wilson and colleagues is very informative in this regard. Taken from the national cross-sectional survey of 3275 children, 'breakfast' was defined as foods consumed between 6 and 9 a.m. reported in a 24-hour recall interview. The importance of breakfast was confirmed, as overall nutrient intakes were best found in those who consumed breakfast, and cereal was the most commonly consumed food. The carefully worked details of this paper outline directions for improvement that could be targeted by practice, again with differences between ethnic groups, an important consideration.

Developing healthy lifestyles in children is dependent on the provision of suitable foods and opportunities for activity, an issue taken up in the paper by Thompson et al. when they studied out of school hours care in 426 centres in Victoria. The results of a questionnaire sent to coordinators in 1100 programs for children aged 5-12 years showed that core foods are routinely offered (fruit, bread, cereal and milk/dairy foods in 80% of cases), but so were foods such as cakes, biscuits and chips (offered in one-third of cases) and cordial/soft drinks (24%) compared with water (17%). Active games were undertaken in 62% of programs, including sports (36%), but sedentary activities were common (37-51%). These data highlight the opportunities that out of school hours care programs might present with to develop appropriate diet and activity in children, including areas that could be targeted for health promotion programs.

The young and the old are major at risk groups for nutritional intervention, so it is appropriate that the next article addresses the nutrition environment of older people. The paper by Temple examines household expenditure data from a national cross-sectional survey of 1898 Australian households to identify factors associated with the purchase of a varied diet in the over 55 year age group. Food diversity was addressed using a Dietary Variety Score based on 110 food items, and a statistical model was applied to test the relationships under study. Living arrangements, age and level of education were all found to be associated with dietary diversity. Low dietary diversity was associated with living alone, not having a secondary education and being older than 75 years. These findings provide clear direction for services that target the nutritional health of older people in the community.

The studies of population groups reported in this issue of the Journal are all very good examples of observational methodology informing direction for practice. In each case, an area of focus is identified through the analysis of data. The final paper focuses on methodology for developing dietary advice schemes for meeting nutritional targets. In this paper, Gillen and Tapsell identify foods that are likely to have an impact on macronutrient targets when consumed in the context of an overall diet. A systematic categorisation of foods based on knowledge of both their primary and secondary macronutrient compositions is presented. The result is a greater differentiation between foods, especially those delivering fatty acids, for use in dietary advice schemes that target a shift from one to the other.

The March issue of the Journal finishes with the value-added features of continuing education, book reviews and conference reports, all of which are important contributions for keeping up-to-date. It is with sadness that we also publish an obituary for Fay McDonald, an outstanding dietitian of her time, who made very significant professional contributions, in particular to the food service area. Finally, and most importantly this issue sees a consolidation of the combined efforts of Australian and New Zealand dietitians in taking the profession forward, something that will continue to grow in strength and value as we address the challenges of the future together.

Linda C. Tapsell, PhD, FDAA 

Editor