Doha, Qatar: The Department of Nutrition Sciences at the College of Health Sciences at Qatar University (QU) hosted the final thesis defense presentations for MSc in Nutrition students. The event marked an important academic milestone for the graduating cohort and highlighted research addressing important public health and nutrition priorities at both national and international levels.
The presented theses reflected the diversity of research conducted within the MSc in Nutrition programme, covering chronic disease epidemiology, maternal and infant nutrition, and dietary assessment. The studies demonstrated a high standard of scientific rigor and emphasised the development of evidence-based approaches relevant to Qatar and the wider global health community.
Student Shalima Latheif presented her thesis titled ‘Association Between Circadian Syndrome and Asthma Among Adults: Evidence from China, USA, and UK,’ under the supervision of Dr. Zumin Shi and committee members Dr. Shufa Du, Dr. Giridhara Rathnaiah Babu, and Dr. Ala Rajabi. This study aimed to examine the relationship between circadian syndrome and asthma among adults using population-based data from the United States, China, and the United Kingdom.
The findings revealed that circadian syndrome was positively associated with both current and incident asthma and demonstrated stronger predictive ability for asthma compared to metabolic syndrome. In addition, the study also identified a dose-response relationship between meal skipping and asthma risk, suggesting the possible role of circadian health and lifestyle behaviours in respiratory disease prevention and management.
Student Yasmine Attia presented her thesis titled ‘Maternal Determinants of Minerals and Pesticide Residues in Preterm Human Milk in Qatar,’ under the supervision of Dr. Maya Bassil and committee members Dr. Tareq M. Osaili, Dr. Mohammad Ahmad Al-Ghouti, Dr. Layal Karam. The study examined maternal determinants of mineral composition and pesticide residues in preterm human milk among mothers residing in Qatar.
The findings demonstrated that maternal dietary patterns and clinical characteristics were associated with variations in certain mineral concentrations, particularly magnesium levels. A vegetarian dietary pattern was positively associated with magnesium concentrations, while a Western dietary pattern showed an inverse association. No detectable pesticide residues were identified in the analyzed milk samples, providing important local evidence related to maternal and infant nutrition as well as environmental exposure.
Student Yasmen Khial presented her thesis titled ‘Development and Validation of a Quantitative Food Frequency Questionnaire to Assess Dietary Intake in a Representative Sample of Children and Adolescents Aged 6-14 Years Old Living in Qatar,’ under the supervision of Dr. Reema Tayyem and committee members Dr. Simone Perna, Dr. Nivein Hashem Abu Rmilah, Dr. Maya Bassil.
The study developed and validated the first culturally adapted quantitative food frequency questionnaire designed to assess habitual dietary intake among school-aged children and adolescents in Qatar. The questionnaire demonstrated acceptable validity and good-to-excellent reproducibility in ranking nutrient intake among participants.
