Policy Councils on Food, Nutrition and Physical Activity: the UK as a case study

AbstractObjective:To evaluate daily eating frequency (main meals and snacks) in relation to weight status in children aged 3–9 years, representative of the Portuguese population.Design:Cross-sectional study. Dietary intake was estimated as the mean of two non-consecutive days of food diaries, followed by face-to-face interviews. Weight and height were measured by trained observers. Eating occasions (EO) were defined by the children’s caregiver; an EO was considered separate if the time of consumption was different from other EO and it provided at least 209 kJ (50 kcal). Main meals defined as ‘breakfast’, ‘lunch’ and ‘dinner’ could be selected only once per day. The remaining EO were considered snacks. The association between eating frequency and overweight/obesity was evaluated through logistic regressions weighted for the population distribution.Setting:National Food, Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey of the Portuguese population, 2015–2016.Participants:Portuguese children aged 3–9 years with complete dietary data and anthropometric measurements (n 517).Results:Overall, the number of daily EO ranged from 3·5 to 11, and on average children had 5·7 daily EO. After adjustment for child’s sex, age and total energy intake, and considering only plausible energy intake reporters, having < 3 snacks/d was positively associated with being overweight/obese (OR = 1·98; 95 % CI 1·00, 3·90), compared with having ≥ 3 snacks/d.Conclusions:Lower daily frequency of EO was associated with increased odds of being overweight or obese in children. A higher eating frequency, maintaining the same energy intake, seems to contribute to a healthy body weight in children.

Download Full-text

The Second World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research Expert Report. Food, Nutrition, Physical Activity, and the Prevention of Cancer: A Global Perspective

Proceedings of The Nutrition Society ◽

10.1017/s002966510800712x ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 67 (3) ◽

pp. 253-256 ◽

Cited By ~ 467

Author(s):

Martin Wiseman

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Cancer Research ◽

Global Perspective ◽

Health Goals ◽

Independent Panel ◽

Food Nutrition ◽

Nutrition And Physical Activity ◽

Prevention Of Cancer ◽

Randomised Controlled ◽

International Experts

It has been estimated by various authorities that about one-third of cancers in Western high-income societies are attributable to factors relating to food, nutrition and physical activity. Identifying with confidence specific associations between dietary patterns, foods, body composition or individual nutrients is not simple because of the long latent period for cancer development, its complex pathogenesis and the challenge of characterising the multidimensional aspects of diet and activity over a lifetime. Reliable conclusions must therefore be drawn not only from randomised controlled trials but from a variety of methodological approaches, judged within a classic framework for inferring causality. Using a newly-developed method with a protocol for standardising the literature search and for analysis and display of the evidence, nine independent academic centres have conducted systematic reviews addressing the causal associations between food, nutrition and physical activity and risk of development of seventeen cancers, as well as of weight gain and obesity. A review has also examined the efficacy of such interventions in subjects with cancer. The reviews have been assessed by an independent Panel of twenty-one international experts who drew conclusions with grades of confidence in the causality of associations and made recommendations. Recommendations are given as public health goals as well as for individuals.

Download Full-text

Policies and Actions for Cancer Prevention: Food, Nutrition and Physical Activity

The Open Obesity Journal ◽

10.2174/1876823701002010081 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

pp. 81-94

Author(s):

Kirsty Beck ◽

Rachel L. Thompson ◽

Kate Allen ◽

Martin Wiseman ◽

Michael Marmot

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Cancer Prevention ◽

Food Nutrition ◽

Nutrition And Physical Activity

Download Full-text

Socio-demographic factors associated with physical activity and sitting time patterns in adults: An analysis based on the Portuguese Food, Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey

European Journal of Sport Science ◽

10.1080/17461391.2020.1736643 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-11 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

João Martins ◽

Adilson Marques ◽

Pedro J. Teixeira ◽

Jorge Mota ◽

Carla Lopes ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Demographic Factors ◽

Sitting Time ◽

Factors Associated ◽

Time Patterns ◽

Food Nutrition ◽

Nutrition And Physical Activity ◽

Socio Demographic Factors ◽

Activity Survey

Download Full-text

Developing Young Children's Understanding of Work as a Social Institution

Citizenship Social and Economics Education ◽

10.2304/csee.1998.3.2.81 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 3 (2) ◽

pp. 81-93

Author(s):

Nigel Hall ◽

Anne Robinson

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Young Children ◽

Police Officer ◽

Social Institution ◽

Social Phenomenon ◽

Economic Understanding ◽

The Uk ◽

Economic Transaction ◽

Socially Situated

In the UK very young children's experience of ‘work’ (as in adult paid activity) in school is usually restricted to activities which focus on the more concrete manifestations of a task: the police officer arrests, the baker bakes and the nurse takes temperatures. Learning about work as a socially situated activity is usually felt to be too difficult for children aged as young as five years. However, recent studies in childhood and literacy are showing that young children are able to exert agency and understanding in many complex situations. This papers details part of a case study focusing on five-year-olds in which through a series of activities related to sociodramatic play experiences they gained experience of work and bureaucracy, work and community, and work and economic transaction. Instead of finding these too difficult it was clear that the complexity fully engaged the children and that they began to understand that work was not simply a physical activity but was a social phenomenon which involved regulation, community relationships, and economic understanding.

Download Full-text

National Food, Nutrition, and Physical Activity Survey of the Portuguese General Population (2015-2016): Protocol for Design and Development (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.8990 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Carla Lopes ◽

Duarte Torres ◽

Andreia Oliveira ◽

Milton Severo ◽

Sofia Guiomar ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

General Population ◽

Nutritional Status ◽

Food Consumption ◽

Dietary Habits ◽

Computer Assisted ◽

Food Nutrition ◽

Nutrition And Physical Activity ◽

Activity Survey ◽

First Interview

BACKGROUND The assessment of food consumption data using harmonized methodologies at the European level is fundamental to support the development of public policies. Portugal is one of the countries with the most outdated information on individual food consumption. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to describe the design and methodology of the National Food, Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey, 2015-2016, developed to collect national and regional data on dietary habits, physical activity (PA), and nutritional status, in a representative sample of the Portuguese general population (3 months-84 years). METHODS Participants were selected by multistage sampling, using the National Heath Registry as the sampling frame. Data collection, during 12 months, was harmonized according to European guidelines (EU-MENU, European Food Safety Authority [EFSA]). Computer-assisted personal interviewing (CAPI) was performed on a specific electronic platform synchronized with nutritional composition data and considering the FoodEx2 classification system. Dietary assessment was performed using 24-hour recalls (two nonconsecutive, 8-15 days apart) or food diaries in the case of children aged <10 years, complemented with a food propensity questionnaire; PA data (International Physical Activity Questionnaire [IPAQ], the Activity Choice Index [ACI], and 4-days PA diaries); sociodemographic data, and other health-related data were also collected. RESULTS A sample of 6553 individuals completed the first interview, and 5811 participants completed two dietary assessments. The participation rate among eligible individuals was 33.38% (6553/19,635), considering the first interview, and 29.60% (5811/19,635) for the participants with two completed interviews (about 40% in children and adolescents and 20% in elderly individuals). Results of the survey will be disseminated in national and international scientific journals during 2018-2019. CONCLUSIONS The survey will assist policy planning and management of national and European health programs on the improvement of nutritional status and risk assessment related to food hazards, and the enhancement of PA. The infrastructures and data driven from this Survey are a solid basis to the development of a future national surveillance system on diet, PA, and other health behaviors reproducible over time.

Download Full-text