Nutrition and health status among Kazakh residents of Shawan county in Xinjiang

Objective To investigate dietary and nutritional status of Kazakh residents in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region(Xinjiang),and to find out influencing factors of nutrition and health status for improving nutritional status in Kazakh residents.Methods A three-day survey including 24-hour food intake recall and weighting method and physical examination were conducted among 1 628 permanent Kazakh inhabitants over 18 years old residing in a rangeland in Shawan county of Xinjiang.Results The residents had a cereals-based diet composition,with excessive intake of salt,low intake of fruits and vegetables,and rare intake of beans,eggs and fish.The energy intake per day among the residents was 11 762.5 kJ.The intakes of protein,fat,and carbohydrate per day were 103.8 g,50.3 g,and 485.0 g,accounting for 14.2%,16.2%,and 69%of total energy per day,respectively.For the residents,the intake of dietary fiber and micronutrients were less than 90%of the recommended amount,with the intake of animal protein accounting for 33.5% of whole protein and the intake of animal fat for 54.2% of total fat,respectively.The incidence rate of hypertension,over-weight,and obesity were 39.7%,26.2%,and 27.7%,respectively.Conclusion The Kazakh residents have an unreasonable diet pattern and excessive energy intake and deficient intakes of some micronutrients are important risk factors for hypertension,over-weight and obesity.The results suggest nutritional intervention and health education should be strengthened in the residents for the prevention of nutrition-related diseases.