Acculturation, weight status, and eating habits among Chinese-American preschool children and their primary caregivers: a pilot study

UNSTRUCTURED Panic attacks are an impairing mental health problem that affects more than 11% of adults every year. Panic attacks are episodic, and it is difficult to predict when or where they may occur, thus they are challenging to study and treat. To this end, we present PanicMechanic, a novel mobile health (mHealth) application that captures heartrate-based data and delivers biofeedback during panic attacks. We leverage this tool to capture profiles of real-world panic attacks in a largest sample to date and present results from a pilot study to assess the feasibility and usefulness of PanicMechanic as a panic attack intervention. Results demonstrate that heart rate fluctuates by about 15 beats per minute during a panic attack and takes about 30 seconds to return to baseline from peak, cycling 4 to 5 times during each attack and that anxiety ratings consistently decrease throughout the attack. Thoughts about health were the most common trigger during the observed panic attacks, and potential lifestyle contributors include slightly worse stress, sleep, and eating habits, slightly less exercise, and slightly less drug/alcohol consumption than typical. The pilot study revealed that PanicMechanic is largely feasible to use, but would be made more so with simple modifications to the app and particularly the integration of consumer wearables. Similarly, participants found PanicMechanic useful, with 94% indicating that they would recommend PanicMechanic to a friend. These results point toward the need for future development and a controlled trial to establish effectiveness of this digital therapeutic for preventing panic attacks.

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Understanding the influence of 24-hour movement behaviours on the health and development of preschool children from low-income South African settings: the SUNRISE pilot study

South African Journal of Sports Medicine ◽

10.17159/2078-516x/2020/v32i1a8415 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 32 (1) ◽

pp. 1-7 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Catherine Draper ◽

Simone A Tomaz ◽

Caylee J Cook ◽

Sasha S Jugdav ◽

Candice Ramsammy ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Preschool Children ◽

Pilot Study ◽

Sedentary Behaviour ◽

South African ◽

Motor Skills ◽

Low Income ◽

Screen Time ◽

Early Years ◽

Gross Motor

Background: The International Study of Movement Behaviours in the Early Years, SUNRISE, was initiated to assess the extent to which young children meet movement behaviour guidelines (physical activity, sedentary behaviour, screen time, sleep). Objective: The South African SUNRISE pilot study assessed movement behaviours in preschool children from two low-income settings, and associations between these movement behaviours, adiposity, motor skills and executive function (EF). Methods: Preschool child/parent pairs (n = 89) were recruited from preschools in urban Soweto and rural Sweetwaters. Height and weight were measured to assess adiposity. Physical activity was assessed using accelerometers while sedentary behaviour, screen time and sleep were assessed via parent report. Fine and gross motor development were measured using the Ages and Stages Questionnaire-3, and EF was assessed using the Early Years Toolbox. Results: The proportion of children meeting the physical activity guideline was 84% , 66% met the sleep guideline ,48% met the screen time guideline , and 26% met all three guidelines. Rural children were more active, but spent more time on screens compared to urban children. Most children were on track for gross (96%) and fine motor (73%) development, and mean EF scores were in the expected range for all EF measures. EF was negatively associated with screen time, and gross motor skills were positively associated with physical activity. Conclusion: The South African SUNRISE study contributes to the growing literature on 24-hour movement behaviours in SA preschool children, and highlights that these behaviours require attention in this age group.

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The Investigation Effects of Sample Pilot Study Program on Postur of Preschool Children

Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences ◽

10.1016/j.sbspro.2012.05.568 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 46 ◽

pp. 2806-2810

Author(s):

Fatma Celik Kayapinar ◽

Sami Mengutay ◽

Selda Uzun

Keyword(s):

Preschool Children ◽

Pilot Study ◽

Study Program

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Observations of food consumption in a daycare setting

Young Consumers Insight and Ideas for Responsible Marketers ◽

10.1108/yc-05-2015-00531 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 16 (4) ◽

pp. 420-437 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Regina Ahn ◽

Michelle R. Nelson

Keyword(s):

Preschool Children ◽

Young Children ◽

Social Interactions ◽

Food Consumption ◽

Social Cognitive ◽

Cognitive Theory ◽

Eating Habits ◽

Participant Observation ◽

Content Type ◽

Healthy Eating Habits

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the behaviors and social interactions among preschool children and their teachers during food consumption at a daycare facility. Using social cognitive theory, the goal is to identify how role modeling, rules, behaviors and communication shape these young consumers’ health-related food consumption and habits. Design/methodology/approach – This study was conducted in a US daycare facility among preschool children (aged four years) over a three-month period. Qualitative ethnographic methods included participant and non-participant observation of meals and snack-time. Findings – Findings from the observations revealed that teachers’ food socialization styles and social interactions with peers cultivate children’s food consumption. In addition, commensality rules set by the childcare institution also help children learn other valuable behaviors (e.g. table manners and cleaning up). Research limitations/implications – The study was conducted in one location with one age group so the results may not be generalized to all children. As more young children spend time in preschools and daycare centers, the understanding of how these settings and the caregivers and peers influence them becomes more important. Preschool teachers can influence their young students’ food consumption through their actions and words. Training teachers and cultivating educational programs about ways to encourage healthy eating habits could be implemented. Originality/value – The paper offers observations of actual behaviors among young children in a naturalistic setting.

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Child Temperament, Maternal Feeding Practices, and Parenting Styles and Their Influence on Obesogenic Behaviors in Hispanic Preschool Children

The Journal of School Nursing ◽

10.1177/1059840518771485 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 35 (4) ◽

pp. 287-298 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Nancy Innella ◽

Diane McNaughton ◽

Michael Schoeny ◽

Christy Tangney ◽

Susan Breitenstein ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Preschool Children ◽

Parenting Style ◽

Parenting Styles ◽

Weight Status ◽

Feeding Practices ◽

Child Temperament ◽

Sedentary Behaviors ◽

Childhood Weight ◽

Permissive Parenting ◽

Obesogenic Behaviors

Although obesogenic behaviors (physical activity and/or sedentary behavior and dietary intake) are known predictors of childhood weight status, little is known about mother and child behaviors contributing to obesogenic behaviors and obesity in Hispanic preschool children, whose obesity rate is higher than in non-Hispanic Whites and non-Hispanic Blacks. The purpose of this cross-sectional, descriptive study was to examine relationships among child temperament, maternal behaviors (feeding practices and parenting style), child obesogenic behaviors, and child weight status in 100 Hispanic preschool children. Results showed that higher scores on the negative affectivity dimension of child temperament were associated with higher scores on the dimension of permissive parenting, and permissive parenting was associated with less time spent in sedentary behaviors ( B = −3.53, confidence interval [−7.52, −0.90]). Findings can guide school nurses in developing interventions that consider child temperament and parenting style to promote nonobesogenic behavior in Hispanic preschoolers.

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Caregivers’ Feeding Behavior, Children's Eating Behavior, and Weight Status among Children of Preschool Age in China

10.21203/rs.3.rs-51074/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Jing Yuan ◽

Xun Jiang ◽

Tongyu Zhu ◽

Yuhai Zhang ◽

Yue Wang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Preschool Children ◽

Feeding Behavior ◽

Eating Behavior ◽

Emotional Eating ◽

Weight Status ◽

Overweight And Obesity ◽

Preschool Age ◽

Weight Concerns ◽

Feeding Behaviors ◽

Cross Sectional

Abstract Background Childhood overweight and obesity have become significant public health challenges worldwide. This study aimed to explore whether caregivers’ feeding behavior and children’s eating behavior were associated with the weight status of preschool children in China.Methods A cross-sectional questionnaire was administered to 912 caregivers of preschool children from April to July 2016. Caregivers’ feeding behaviors were assessed by the Chinese Preschooler’s Caregiver Feeding Behavior Scale (CPCFBS). Children’s eating behaviors were evaluated using the Chinese Preschooler’s Eating Behavior Questionnaire (CPEBQ). After controlling for demographic characteristics, multiple linear regression and logistic regression analyses were performed to evaluate the relationship between caregivers’ feeding behavior, children's eating behavior, and children's body mass index (BMI). Results The results showed that weight concerns on the part of caregivers (β=0.53) and food responsiveness on the part of children (β=0.93) were positively correlated with children’s BMI, whereas caregivers’ responsibility for feeding (β=-0.68) and children’s external eating (β=-0.53) were negatively correlated with BMI. Among caregiver feeding behaviors, weight concerns (OR=4.54, P<0.001) and behavior-restricted feeding (OR=0.29, P<0.001) were positively correlated with children’s BMI. A child’s food responsiveness (OR=4.04, P<0.001) was also positively correlated with his/her BMI, while the child’s satiety responsiveness (OR=0.42, P<0.001) and emotional eating habits (OR=0.56, P<0.001) were negatively correlated with overweight/obesity status. Conclusions Our study demonstrated that children’s eating behavior and caregivers’ feeding behavior were associated with weight status among preschool children in China. Behavior interventions on caregivers as well as their children may prevent or reduce weight problems in preschool children. Trial registration This study was not a clinical experiment.

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Policies and Practices to Promote Physical Activity

Advances in Early Childhood and K-12 Education - Physical Education Initiatives for Early Childhood Learners ◽

10.4018/978-1-7998-7585-7.ch017 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 306-321

Author(s):

Linda Saraiva ◽

Fernando Santos ◽

Ana Ferreira ◽

César Sá

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Preschool Children ◽

Pilot Study ◽

Motor Development ◽

Preschool Education ◽

Policy Assessment ◽

Program Staff ◽

Observation Instrument ◽

Children’S Physical Activity

This chapter presents a pilot study that sought to examine the practices and policies that can encourage children's physical activity in preschool settings located at Viana do Castelo, Portugal. The Environment and Policy Assessment and Observation instrument was used to measure the quality of the physical activity environment. The findings show that preschool settings present multiple limitations that may hinder children's physical activity and motor development. It should also be noted that policies are practically non-existent as there is a clear absence of physical activity content within the guiding documents in preschool education contexts. Further, there were no education opportunities provided to program staff. It is paramount to engage policymakers and other stakeholders in discussions that provide quality environments to encourage physical activity among preschool children.

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Implementation Monitoring of a Promotora-Led, Home-Based Obesity Prevention Pilot Study With Latino Preschool Children and Their Mothers

International Quarterly of Community Health Education ◽

10.1177/0272684x20970375 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 0272684X2097037

Author(s):

Sharon E. Taverno Ross ◽

Ivonne Smith Tapia ◽

Ruth P. Saunders ◽

Patricia I. Documet ◽

Russell R. Pate

Keyword(s):

Preschool Children ◽

Pilot Study ◽

Obesity Prevention ◽

Implementation Fidelity ◽

Logic Model ◽

Multiple Data ◽

Home Based ◽

Prevention Interventions ◽

Racial Ethnic ◽

Large Randomized Trial

Background Latino preschool children have higher rates of obesity than children from other racial/ethnic backgrounds. Few effective, culturally-tailored obesity prevention interventions exist that have focused on Latino preschool children, and even fewer have published results of the process evaluation. The purpose of this paper was to monitor reach, fidelity, and completeness of implementation to determine whether ANDALE, a promising promotora-led, home-based pilot study to prevent obesity in Latino preschool children, was implemented as planned. Methods Guided by a logic model, we assessed reach, implementation fidelity and completeness through descriptive analyses of multiple data sources. Reach was assessed through attendance records. Fidelity was assessed via observation checklist and completeness was assessed via survey with both parents and promotoras in a subsample of 12 families. Results Promotoras recruited participants primarily through their own social networks and delivered the intervention to 50 families (mother-child dyads); the majority were of Mexican-origin, low-acculturation, dual-parent households. Nearly all (98%) families completed the whole 10-week intervention. Results demonstrated completeness and fidelity of implementation were acceptable in a subsample of 12 families. In sum, 75% of families in the subsample met the criteria (≥75%) for overall implementation of essential program elements (i.e., reach, completeness, and fidelity). Conclusion Evidence suggests that ANDALE was delivered with high levels of completeness and fidelity in this sample of Latino families with preschool-aged children. These results support implementation of ANDALE in a large, randomized trial.

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