scholarly journals Diet and physical activity in pre-school children: a pilot project for surveillance in three regions of Italy

2012 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 616-624 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudia Carletti ◽  
Anna Macaluso ◽  
Paola Pani ◽  
Margherita Caroli ◽  
Mariano Giacchi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Breast Feeding ◽  
School Children ◽  
Surveillance System ◽  
Vigorous Physical Activity ◽  
Pilot Project ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Sweetened Beverages ◽  
Italian Regions ◽  
Diet And Physical Activity

AbstractObjectiveTo test a surveillance system on diet and physical activity based on data gathered at well-child visits.DesignCross-sectional data collection on growth, diet, physical activity and sociodemographic variables.SettingOffices of 179 paediatricians in three Italian regions.Subjects26 898 children for a total of 32 915 well-child visits at 1, 3, 5–6, 8–9, 12, 18, 24, 36 and 60–72 months of age.ResultsThe BMI Z-score was lower than the WHO standard at 1 and 3 months but higher from 8–9 months onwards. The rates of breast-feeding at 1, 3, 5–6, 8–9 and 12 months were 88 %, 75 %, 64 %, 52 % and 32 %, respectively, with 5 % and 3 % continuing up to 24 and 36 months. Exclusive breast-feeding was 64 %, 54 % and 20 % at 1, 3 and 5–6 months, respectively; 57 % at 5 months and 85 % at 6 months were given complementary foods. Only 8 % and 10 % of children were taking five portions of fruit and vegetables daily, while 47 % and 51 % were consuming sugar-sweetened beverages at 36 and 60–72 months, respectively. At 60–72 months, less than 10 % reported at least 1 h of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity on 5–7 d/week, and 32 % watched television or played videogames for more than 2 h/d, every day. The majority of paediatricians rated the surveillance system as reliable and feasible.ConclusionsSurveillance for diet and physical activity in pre-school children, with data gathered during well-child visits, is feasible and potentially useful to plan and evaluate activities for the prevention of obesity.

Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity During Physical Education, Recess, and Class Time Among Elementary School Children in Qatar

2020 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Lena Zimmo ◽  
Fuad Almudahka ◽  
Izzeldin Ibrahim ◽  
Mohamed G. Al-kuwari ◽  
Abdulaziz Farooq
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Elementary School ◽  
Physical Education ◽  
School Children ◽  
Elementary School Children ◽  
Vigorous Physical Activity ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Class Time ◽  
School Based ◽  
School Day

Purpose: Schools provide opportunities for children to accumulate recommended daily moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA). This study aimed to determine physical activity (PA) across the school day among elementary school children in Qatar. Methods: This cross-sectional study recruited 181 Grade 1 (5.8 ± 0.4 years) and Grade 4 (9.0 ± 0.5 years) children. Participants wore wrist-based accelerometers for 5 days to assess school-based PA. MVPA during physical education, recess, and class time were compared across sex, grade, and body mass index using general linear models. Results: Only 39.0% of this cohort met the recommended 30 min of MVPA during school hours. Fewer girls (23.2%) than boys (58.1%) achieved the school-based PA guidelines (p < .001). The children engaged in 19.0 ± 12.3%, 19.3 ± 8.6%, and 6.2 ± 3.4% of the designated physical education, recess, and class time in MVPA, respectively. Conclusion: Elementary school children in Qatar engage in inadequate MVPA during the school day, especially girls. Enhancing PA opportunities during physical education and recess is crucial.

scholarly journals Lifestyle Factors and Metabolically Unhealthy Obesity in Youth. Findings from the OSPEL Study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammed S. Ellulu ◽  
Alex Brito ◽  
Carine De Beaufort ◽  
Torsten Bohn ◽  
Benjamin Guinhouya ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Vigorous Physical Activity ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Lifestyle Factors ◽  
Cardiometabolic Health ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Sweetened Beverages ◽  
Pediatric Clinic ◽  
Metabolically Unhealthy Obesity ◽  
The Relationship

Metabolically unhealthy obesity (MUO) was associated with increased cardiometabolic risk. However, it is not fully understood which lifestyle factors are associated with MUO in youth. We aimed to investigate the relationship between MUO and lifestyle patterns in youth. 7-17 years old youth with overweight (N=48; 60.4% girls) and obesity (N=71; 56.3% girls) were recruited in the Pediatric Clinic, Luxembourg (cross-sectional study). Eating and sedentary habits, moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and vigorous physical activity (VPA) were assessed. 72.3% of the participants had MUO. Multivariable logistic regressions showed that MUO is most likely to be associated with moderate to low weekly levels of MVPA [OR: 2.09 (95% CI: 1.07 &ndash; 4.09; p = 0.030)] and moderate to high weekly soda and lemonade drinks consumption [OR: 2.92 (95% CI: 1.32 &ndash; 6.48; p = 0.008)]. After adjustment for age, gender and Tanner stages, MUO was most likely to be associated with moderate to high soda and lemonade drinks consumption [OR: 2.72 (95% CI: 1.21&ndash; 6.12; p = 0.016)] and with Tanner stages [OR: 2.06 (95% CI: 1.08&ndash; 3.94; p = 0.029)]. We support the promotion of MVPA and the moderation in the sugar-sweetened beverages consumption to manage cardiometabolic health in youth with obesity.

scholarly journals Association of screen time with physical activity and BMI in middle school children at Tamil Nadu, India

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 78
Author(s):  
S. Santha Kumar ◽  
S. Alph Shirley
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Middle School ◽  
School Children ◽  
Screen Time ◽  
Tamil Nadu ◽  
Healthy Lifestyle ◽  
Vigorous Physical Activity ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Middle School Children ◽  
Cross Sectional

Background: The objective of this study was to find the association of screen time with physical activity and BMI in middle school children in the age group of 11 to 13 years in Tamil Nadu, India.Methods: This cross-sectional observational study was conducted among 139 middle school children aged 11 to 13 years at the state of Tamil Nadu, India from June 2019 to August 2019. Data regarding screen time and physical activity were collected from the children using a predesigned questionnaire and anthropometric measurements done. The data collected were analyzed with suitable statistical methods using SPSS 25 software.Results: Of the 139 children, 46(33.1%) were 11 years, 48(34.5%) were 12 years and 45(32.4%) were 13 years old. 74(53.2%) were male and 65(46.8%) were female. Majority of the study subjects (52.5%) had an average daily screen time of >120 minutes followed by 61 to 120 minutes (28.8%) and ≤60 minutes (18.7%). Of the 139 children studied, only 31.7% (44 children) followed the WHO recommendations of moderate to vigorous physical activity of at least 60 minutes per day, 57.5% of the children had normal BMI, 10.8 % had thinness, 25.2% were overweight and 6.5% were obese. Physical activity was found to decrease with increasing screen time, and this was found to be statistically significant. No statistically significant correlation between screen time and BMI was found. There was statistically significant correlation between physical activity and BMI.Conclusions: There is a significant correlation of screen time with physical activity in this study. Urgent measures need to be taken to decrease screen time and promote a healthy lifestyle.

scholarly journals Validation of self-reported physical activity by accelerometry in Tanzanian primary school children

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Vincent Mosha ◽  
Elizabeth Kasagama ◽  
Philip Ayieko ◽  
Jim Todd ◽  
Sia Msuya ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Primary School ◽  
School Children ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Vigorous Physical Activity ◽  
Reference Method ◽  
Primary School Children ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Self Reports

Abstract Background: Insufficient physical activity is a serious public health concern. Assessing physical activity accurately in children remains a challenge and valid tools for its assessment in African children are needed. This study compares self-reports versus accelerometry-captured physical activity.Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 51 primary school children aged 9 – 11 years from four primary schools in Kilimanjaro region were enrolled. Children were asked to complete a self-reported questionnaire on physical activity and wore an accelerometer for seven consecutive days. Accelerometry was used as a reference method to assess for child reporting accuracy.Results: Spearman correlation between self-reports and accelerometry was moderate (r=0.41, p=0.002). Children who reported walking to school had higher moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) for both accelerometry and self- reports compared to their counterparts (p < 0.001). Intra-class correlation (ICC) showed that 32% of the variations in accelerometry weekly total MVPA was contributed by the differences in activities between children.Conclusions: Objective measures of physical activity such as accelerometers can be used to accurately measure physical activity in children where feasible. Self-reports have limited validity, and therefore more research is needed to develop better self-reported measures with specific activities which can easily be recalled by children.

scholarly journals The Role of Family Time Together in Meeting the Recommendation for Physical Activity among Primary School Children

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (11) ◽  
pp. 3970 ◽  
Author(s):  
Agata Korcz ◽  
Jana Krzysztoszek ◽  
Marlena Łopatka ◽  
Mateusz Ludwiczak ◽  
Paulina Górska ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Primary School ◽  
School Children ◽  
Vigorous Physical Activity ◽  
Leisure Activities ◽  
Total Sample ◽  
Correlation Effect ◽  
Primary School Children ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Family Time

Family time may have an influence on children’s physical activity (PA) participation or may contribute to increased sedentary behaviour. The aim of this paper was to examine whether spending family time is associated with the PA of children aged 10–11. Cross-sectional data on 158 primary school children (80 girls and 78 boys) with a mean age of 10.6 ± 0.49 years were collected. Weight and height were used to calculate body mass index. The level of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) was determined with a physical activity screening measure. Participants wore a Vivofit® wrist band activity tracker to measure their daily number of steps. The Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children questionnaire was used to obtain information from children about the frequency of activities undertaken by the family. Analyses entailed descriptive statistics of the total sample and by gender, t-test, and the Mann–Whitney U-test to examine the gender differences and Spearman’s correlation coefficients. It was found that 32.3% of the children did not accomplish at least 60 min per day on ≥5 of the seven days and more than 75.9% of them did not accumulate at least 12,000 or more steps daily. More boys than girls tended to be sufficiently active and met the guideline of at least 60 min per day on ≥5 of the seven days (70.5% and 65.0%, respectively) or 12,000 steps per day (25.8% and 10.0%, respectively). The number of steps during the weekday was significantly and inversely associated both in girls and in boys with active family time (r = −0.27 and r = −0.25, respectively), and with total family time (r = −0.28) and non-active family time (r = −0.25) only in boys. Average MVPA was also inversely correlated with active family time (r = −0.31), non-active family time (r = −0.24), and total family time (r = −0.29) in boys. The correlation effect size values ranged between small to medium significant differences for these measures. The findings underscore the need for community-based PA programmes designed for whole families to meet the recommended PA of children and also to develop and promote active leisure activities among families.

scholarly journals Weekly variation in diet and physical activity among 4–75-year-old Danes

2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (8) ◽  
pp. 1350-1361 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matilda Nordman ◽  
Jeppe Matthiessen ◽  
Anja Biltoft-Jensen ◽  
Christian Ritz ◽  
Mads F Hjorth
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Dietary Intake ◽  
Health Behaviours ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Step Counts ◽  
Sweetened Beverages ◽  
National Representation ◽  
Gender And Age ◽  
Diet And Physical Activity

AbstractObjective:To compare dietary intake and physical activity (PA) between days of the week in a large sample of the Danish population; furthermore, to investigate the influence of gender and age as determinants for weekly variation.Design:Analysis was based on cross-sectional data from the Danish National Survey of Diet and Physical Activity 2011–2013. Dietary intake and PA were assessed by 7 d of pre-coded food diaries and pedometer-determined step counts. Dietary intake and PA on weekdays (Monday–Thursday), Friday, and weekend days (Saturday and Sunday) were compared using linear mixed models.Setting:Survey with national representation, conducted in Denmark between 2011 and 2013.Participants:A random sample of 4–75-year-old Danes, n 3934 and n 3530 in analysis of dietary intake and PA, respectively.Results:Energy intake during Friday and weekend days was 7–20 % higher compared with weekdays, while step counts were 10 and 17 % lower on Saturday and Sunday, respectively (all P < 0·001). Energy density of liquids and solids, consumption of added sugar, alcohol, discretionary foods, beer, wine and sugar-sweetened beverages were substantially higher, and consumption of dietary fibre, vegetables, fruit and wholegrain products were lower, during Friday and weekend days compared with weekdays (all P < 0·001). The observed patterns were present across gender and age, although weekly variation was most pronounced among children and relatively modest among the elderly.Conclusions:Weekend health behaviours of Danes display less favourable eating and PA behaviour compared with weekdays, making the weekend an important target for public health interventions aiming to improve dietary intake and PA behaviour.

scholarly journals Description and comparison of physical activity from self-reports and accelerometry among primary school children in Kilimanjaro, Tanzania: a pilot study

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 40
Author(s):  
Mary Vincent Mosha ◽  
Elizabeth Kasagama ◽  
Philip Ayieko ◽  
Jim Todd ◽  
Sia E. Msuya ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Primary School ◽  
School Children ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Vigorous Physical Activity ◽  
Primary School Children ◽  
Rank Test ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Self Reports ◽  
Positive Significant Correlation

Background: Self-reports are commonly used to assess physical activity in children. Existing self-reports for physical activity have not been validated for use among primary school children in, Tanzania. In order to understand if primary school children can accurately report their physical activity, we examined the validity of self-reported physical activity against accelerometer measured physical activity. Methods: A community based cross-sectional study was conducted from May to July, 2018. Four primary schools were conveniently selected in Moshi municipal and Moshi rural districts in Kilimanjaro, Tanzania and from these 51 children aged 9 – 11 years were randomly selected. Self-reported questionnaire was used to collect physical activity related variables. In addition, children wore accelerometers for seven consecutive days to capture physical activity movements. Spearman’s rank test and Bland Altman plots were used for assessing validity and agreement between self-reports and accelerometer moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Results: The mean age of the study participants was 10 (SD=0.8) years and 32 (63%) were girls. A positive significant correlation was found between self-reports and accelerometer MVPA (rho=0.36, p=0.009). Accelerometer had higher mean MVPA 408 (SD = 66) compared to self-reports 261 (SD = 179). Children who reported walking to school had higher MVPA for both accelerometer and self- reports compared to children who use other means of transport to school, e.g. school buses (p < 0.001). Conclusions: This study found a positive significant correlation between self-reports and accelerometers. Self-reports are prone to errors due to recall bias, and this interferes their validity. More research is needed to develop better self-reported measures with specific activities which can easily be recalled by children. Also, researchers have to be aware of self-reports validity limitation.

scholarly journals The Positive Relationship between Moderate-to-Vigorous Physical Activity and Bone Mineral Content Is Not Mediated by Free Leptin Index in Prepubertal Children: The PANIC Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (10) ◽  
pp. 5365
Author(s):  
Annie M. Constable ◽  
Josie E. Porter ◽  
Danielle Benger ◽  
Dimitris Vlachopoulos ◽  
Alan R. Barker ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Bone Mineral Content ◽  
Bone Mineral ◽  
Mineral Content ◽  
Vigorous Physical Activity ◽  
Normal Weight ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Prepubertal Children ◽  
Total Body ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose: Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) positively influences bone mineral content (BMC) in prepubertal children, but it is unknown whether this relationship is partially mediated by free leptin index. The aim of this study was to examine whether the relationship between MVPA and total body less head (TBLH) BMC is mediated or moderated by free leptin index in prepubertal children. Methods: We performed a cross-sectional analysis on 401 children (194 girls) from baseline examinations of the Physical Activity and Nutrition in Childhood Study. We applied the four-way decomposition mediation analysis method to assess whether free leptin index, measured from fasted blood samples, mediated the relationship between accelerometer-measured MVPA and TBLH BMC measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Results: MVPA had a positive controlled direct effect on TBLH BMC in girls and boys (β = 0.010 to 0.011, p < 0.05). There was no mediation or interaction between MVPA, free leptin index and TBLH BMC in girls or boys (β = −0.000 to 0.001, p > 0.05). Conclusion: Our study indicates that MVPA positively influences TBLH BMC through pathways not related to free leptin index in predominantly normal-weight prepubertal children, likely primarily through mechanical loading. The relationships between MVPA, free leptin index and TBLH BMC may be influenced by other factors such as pubertal status and adiposity, so it is unknown whether these observations extend to overweight and obese children at different stages of puberty.

scholarly journals Social support, adherence to Mediterranean diet and physical activity in adults: results from a community-based cross-sectional study

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elpiniki Laiou ◽  
Iro Rapti ◽  
Georgios Markozannes ◽  
Luisella Cianferotti ◽  
Lena Fleig ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Social Support ◽  
Mediterranean Diet ◽  
Emotional Support ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Network Support ◽  
Diet And Physical Activity ◽  
Social Network Support

Abstract There is a growing recognition that social support can potentially exert consistent or opposing effects in influencing health behaviours. The present paper presents a cross-sectional study, including 2,064 adults from Italy, Spain and Greece, who were participants in a multi-centre randomised controlled trial (C4H study), aiming to examine whether social support is correlated with adherence to a healthy Mediterranean diet and physical activity. Social support data were available for 1,572 participants. The majority of the sample reported emotional support availability (84·5 %), financial support availability (72·6 %) and having one or more close friends (78·2 %). Mediterranean diet adherence was significantly associated with emotional support (P = 0·009) and social network support (P = 0·021). No statistically significant associations were found between participant physical activity and the social support aspects studied. In conclusion, emotional and social network support may be associated with increased adherence to the Mediterranean diet. However, further research is needed to evaluate the role of social support in adherence to healthy Mediterranean diet.

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