Knowledge, attitude and practice towards eating and physical activity among primary school children in Brunei: a cross-sectional study

Author(s):  
Zaidah Rizidah Murang ◽  
NAA Tuah ◽  
Lin Naing

Abstract Background Childhood obesity has become a global public health crisis. Many studies have been conducted to explore the knowledge, attitude and practices towards eating and physical activity amongst parents and healthcare workers. However, very little is known amongst children. It is imperative to understand these factors as they have been associated with obesity among children. Objective This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitude and practices of Bruneian children towards eating and physical activity, in order to identify the factors that influence the development of obesity. Methods The study involved 353 children from four primary schools in Brunei. The data collection tool used was modified validated questionnaires with sections on demographic characteristic, knowledge about obesity, eating habits and physical activity. Results The majority of children (>60%) had good knowledge of obesity and intake of healthy food, but, 84.2% lacked knowledge on the required daily servings of fruits and vegetables. 68.8% purchased food and beverages from their school canteen. 93.8% were aware about the health benefits of physical activity and 70.2% spent only 1–2 h of screen time per day, however, 46.9% did not meet the recommended amount of physical activity although they reported to have performed enough. This suggested that a comprehensive education on food intake requirements and physical activity are necessary in order to better educate children. Conclusion Health educators and public health professionals may find our findings useful in order to plan and develop tailored interventions for children, as well as better promotion of a healthy lifestyle to children and their families.

Retos ◽  
2015 ◽  
pp. 48-52
Author(s):  
Joaquín Reverter Masià ◽  
Dani Plaza Montero ◽  
María del Carmen Jové Deltell ◽  
Vicenç Hernández González

En los últimos años se está creando un importante problema de sedentarismo en la infancia. A la hora de diseñar programas de intervención para fomentar la práctica de actividad física es necesario obtener información precisa sobre los niveles de práctica de la población infantil así como de los posibles determinantes de la práctica. Para ello se ha diseñado un estudio donde se evalúan los niveles de práctica de niños y niñas de 6 a 12 años de actividad física. Las conclusiones que se desprenden del estudio realizado son: un alto porcentaje de sujetos no realizan ejercicio físico (34,4%), observándose diferencias entre niños y niñas; se puede afirmar que las niñas practican menos que los niños (35,4% versus 24,9%). Por otro lado, el porcentaje de sujetos físicamente activos es de un 31,2% cuando se considera la recomendación más extendida, de tres o más horas a la semana. Los resultados obtenidos confirman la necesidad de incentivar programas de intervención en niños y jóvenes, aconsejando la práctica de actividad física, prestando especial interés a las chicas.Palabras clave: Salud. Actividad física. Deportes. Niños y adolescentes.Abstract: In recent years, is creating a major problem of physical inactivity in childhood. To design intervention programs that promote physical activity is necessary to obtain accurate information about levels of practice of the child population as well as the possible determinants of the practice. This was carried out a cross-sectional and descriptive. The sample is representative of students attending school in the city of Torrevieja and was selected by a pro rata basis. Participants in the study were 1248 students from thirteen primary schools offering primary education in the city of Torrevieja. The study evaluated physical activity levels of children aged 6 to 12 years. The instrument used in this study is a questionnaire (Latorre, 2006). The version used shows adequate factorial structure (Latorre, 2006). It is an instrument designed to assess the variables of healthy lifestyle among young people and teenagers. The results confirm the need to provide adequate education about healthy lifestyles and enhance the development of intervention programs for children and youth, counseling on diet and physical activity with particular interest in the girls, who are less physically active group and increased risk of disorders.Keywords: Health. Physical activity. Sports. Children and adolescents.


2020 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Alecia Leonard ◽  
Tessa Delaney ◽  
Kirsty Seward ◽  
Rachel Zoetemeyer ◽  
Hannah Lamont ◽  
...  

Abstract Objective: To assess differences between traditional paper bag ordering and online ordering from primary school canteens in terms of menu, usage and lunch order characteristics. Design: A cross-sectional study. Setting: New South Wales (NSW) primary schools that offered both paper bag and online canteen ordering. Participants: Students (aged 5–12 years) with a lunch order on the day of the observation. Results: Across the six school canteens, 59–90 % of all available items were listed on both the online and paper menus, with no significant differences in the nutritional quality (‘Everyday’/‘Occasional’) or nutritional content (kJ/saturated fat/sugar/sodium) of menu items. In total, 387 student lunch orders were placed, containing 776 menu items. Most orders (68 %) were placed online. There were no significant differences between order modality in the quantity of items ordered or the cost of orders, or the nutritional quality of orders based on the classification system of the NSW Healthy School Canteen Strategy (‘Everyday’/’Occasional’). However, nutritional analysis revealed that paper bag orders contained 222 fewer kJ than online orders (P = 0·001), 0·65 g less saturated fat (P = 0·04) and 4·7 g less sugar (P < 0·001). Conclusions: Online canteens are commonly used to order canteen lunches for primary school children. This is the first study to investigate differences between traditional paper bag ordering and online ordering in this setting. Given the rapid increase in the use of online ordering systems in schools and other food settings and their potential to deliver public health nutrition interventions, additional research is warranted to further investigate differences in ordering modalities.


2010 ◽  
Vol 14 (7) ◽  
pp. 1312-1314 ◽  
Author(s):  
Florentine M Hilty ◽  
Michael B Zimmermann

AbstractObjectiveTo investigate the iodine status of schoolchildren in the Principality of Liechtenstein.DesignA representative, cross-sectional principality-wide screening of iodine level in household salt and urinary iodine concentrations (UIC) in primary-school children. Data were compared with the WHO criteria and with 2009 iodine survey data from Switzerland, a neighbouring country that supplies most of the salt used in Liechtenstein.SettingsPrincipality of Liechtenstein.SubjectsSchoolchildren (n228) aged 6–12 years from five different primary schools representing 11·4 % of the children at this age.ResultsThe median UIC was 96 (range: 10–446) μg/l; 11 %, 56 % and 1 % of children had a UIC <50, <100 and >300 μg/l, respectively. In all, 79 % of households were using adequately iodised salt (≥15 ppm). The median UIC was 20 % lower than that in children at comparable age in Switzerland (120 μg/l;P< 0·05).ConclusionsAccording to the WHO criteria, schoolchildren in Liechtenstein are mildly iodine deficient and household iodised salt coverage is inadequate. Public health measures to increase iodine intakes in the Principality should be considered.


Retos ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 43 ◽  
pp. 979-987
Author(s):  
Yisel Pinillos Patiño ◽  
Enny Oviedo Argumedo ◽  
Roberto Rebolledo Cobos ◽  
Yaneth Herazo Beltrán ◽  
Patricia Valencia Fontalvo ◽  
...  

  El estilo de vida es concebido como un comportamiento cotidiano y que permanece en el tiempo, el cual evidencia los patrones individuales de conducta de una persona; además, y está determinado por factores sociales, culturales y personales. La etapa universitaria se constituye en este sentido, en una oportunidad para promover la modificación de hábitos por conductas saludables. El objetivo del estudio fue determinar los estilos de vida en estudiantes universitarios y las diferencias según el sexo y el estatus socioeconómico. Se realizó un estudio cuantitativo, descriptivo de corte transversal con 508 universitarios a quienes se les aplicó una encuesta auto administrada sobre sus condiciones sociodemográficas, mientras que los estilos de vida fueron evaluados mediante el cuestionario de Perfil del Estilo de Vida de Pender II (PEVP-II). Se observó que solo el 24,02% (n=122) de la muestra controla frecuentemente los niveles de azúcares y de grasas el 21,85% (n=111), en su alimentación; más del 20% (n=102) no realiza actividad física, entre el 20 (n=102) y 30% (n=152) no regulan los azúcares o incluyen frutas y vegetales en sus dietas; los promedios inferiores al 60%(n=305) en los factores asociados contemplados en el estudio, infieren que los encuestados no mantienen un estilo de vida saludable. En el período de la vida universitaria, el estilo de vida está influenciado por cambios de comportamientos asociados a la formación personal, al entorno familiar y al contexto cultural y social en que desarrolla cada individuo. Los bajos niveles de práctica de actividad física y la presencia de hábitos considerados riesgosos en la dimensión nutricional, pueden estar relacionados con los estilos de vida, y propiciar el desarrollo de enfermedades no transmisibles que conllevan a incrementar la morbilidad y mortalidad en las etapas del curso de la vida del ser humano.  Abstract. Lifestyles are everyday behaviors that show an individual's way of life and are usually maintained over time. The university stage is an important period to establish healthy habits for the rest of life. The objective of the study was to determine the lifestyles of university students and the differences according to sex and socioeconomic status. A cross-sectional study was carried out in 508 university students to whom a self-administered survey was applied on their sociodemographic conditions, while their lifestyles were evaluated using the PEVP-II questionnaire. It was observed that only 24.02% of the sample frequently controlled the levels of sugars and fats, 21.85%, in their diet; more than 20% do not perform physical activity, between 20 and 30% do not regulate sugars or include fruits and vegetables in their diets; the averages lower than 60% in the associated factors contemplated in the study, infer that the respondents do not maintain a healthy lifestyle. Finally, it is concluded that low levels of physical activity practice and the presence of habits considered risky in the nutritional dimension, may be related to lifestyles, making this identification in the university environment can help decision-making for design of intervention strategies supported in the well-being of students.


BMJ Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. e034586
Author(s):  
Anne C Grunseit ◽  
Blythe Jane O'Hara ◽  
Bradley Drayton ◽  
Vincent Learnihan ◽  
Louise L Hardy ◽  
...  

ObjectivesTo examine the relationship between school playground size and total physical activity (PA), fitness and fundamental movement skills (FMS) of primary school students.DesignCross-sectional ecological analysis.Setting43 primary schools in New South Wales, Australia.ParticipantsData were from 5238 students, aged 5 to 12 years, participating in the Schools Physical Activity and Nutrition Survey.Outcome measuresSelf (for age ≥11 years) and parent (for age <11 years) report of PA (meeting PA recommendations and number of days meeting recommendations), objectively measured FMS and cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness.ResultsAssociations between playground space and measures of PA and fitness were mostly non-linear and moderated by loose equipment. Students in schools with no loose equipment showed a weak association between space and meeting PA recommendations (self-report). In schools with equipment, students’ predicted probability of meeting PA recommendations increased sharply between 15 m2 and 25 m2 per student from 0.04 (95% CI: 0.01 to 0.08) to 0.30 (95% CI: 0.14 to 0.46), but at 30 m2 returned to levels comparable to students in schools with no equipment (0.18, 95% CI: 0.07 to 0.28). For cardiorespiratory fitness, in schools with no loose equipment, probabilities for being in the healthy cardiovascular fitness zone varied between 0.66 and 0.77, showing no consistent trend. Students in schools with loose equipment had a predicted probability of being in the healthy fitness zone of 0.56 (95% CI: 0.41 to 0.71) at 15 m2 per student, which rose to 0.75 (95% CI: 0.63 to 0.86) at 20 m2 per student. There was no relationship between space and FMS.ConclusionsSchool space guidelines need to incorporate sufficient playground space for students. Our study provides evidence supporting better PA outcomes with increasing space up to 25 m2 per student, and access to loose equipment, however further research is required to determine precise thresholds for minimum space. Intersectoral planning and cooperation is required to meet the needs of growing school populations.


2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement 2) ◽  
pp. 17s-17s
Author(s):  
L.M. Lotrean

Background: Healthy lifestyle promotion represents an important component of cancer prevention. The habits formed during youth have short term and long term influences on health promotion and disease prevention, while it is very probable that they will continue also during adulthood. Aim: The aim of this study is the assessment of knowledge, attitudes and behavior related to healthy lifestyle and cancer prevention among Romanian university students. Methods: A cross sectional study was performed in 2017 among 400 university students from the 4 main universities from Cluj-Napoca, a big university city situated in northwest Romania. It used anonymous questionnaires which investigated several issues related to smoking, nutritional habits, physical activity and weight management of students. Results: More than 80% of the students were aware about the relationship between the risk for cancer and smoking as well as physical activity related activity. Two thirds of the students knew the effect on cancer risk of overweight and consumption of fruits and vegetables, while one third were aware of the effects of red meat consumption. One out of five students were overweight or obese, while 37% were smokers (smoked in the last month). The majority did not meet the recommendations of eating 400 g of fruits and vegetables daily, while almost one third declared eating more than 500 g of red meat weekly. Conclusion: Future studies should focus on development, implementation and evaluation of educational programs for healthy lifestyle promotion and cancer prevention among Romanian university students.


BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. e051574
Author(s):  
Michaela James ◽  
Emily Marchant ◽  
Margaret Anne Defeyter ◽  
Jayne Woodside ◽  
Sinead Brophy

ObjectivesThis study aimed to explore the relationship between initial school closures and children’s health by comparing health and well-being outcomes collected during school closures (April–June 2020) via HAPPEN (the Health and Attainment of Pupils in a Primary Education Network) with data from the same period in 2019 and 2018 via the HAPPEN Survey.SettingThe study was conducted online with 161 primary schools across Wales involved in the ‘HAPPEN At Home’ Survey.ParticipantsData were collected via the ‘HAPPEN At Home’ Survey capturing the typical health behaviours of children aged 8–11 years from 1333 participants across Wales. These data were compared with data in 2018 and 2019 also collected between April and June, from HAPPEN (2019 (n=1150) and 2018 (n=475)).Primary and secondary outcome measuresPrimary outcomes included validated measures of physical activity, screen time, diet and dental health, as well as well-being, competency and autonomy. Free school meal (FSM) status was used as a proxy for socioeconomic deprivation. Analyses were repeated stratifying by FSM.ResultsComparing responses between April–June in 2020 (n=1068), 2019 (n=1150) and 2018 (n=475), there were improvements in physical activity levels, sleep time, happiness and general well-being for children during school closures compared with previous years. However, children on FSM ate fewer fruits and vegetables (21% less at five or more portions of fruits and vegetables (95% CI: 5.7% to 37%)) and had lower self-assessed school competence compared with 2019. Compared with those not on FSM, they also spent less time doing physical activity (13.03%, 95% CI: 3.3% to 21.7%) and consumed more takeaways (16.3%, 95% CI: 2% to 30%) during school closures.ConclusionsThis study suggests that schools are important in reducing inequalities in physical health. The physical health (eg, physical activity and diet) of children eligible for FSM may be affected by prolonged school closures.


2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
E Paulik ◽  
E Horváth ◽  
A Szabó ◽  
E Polanek ◽  
Z Gyurkovits ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Dietary supplements are recommended for pregnant women who cannot meet the daily dose through food intake, or who are at higher risk of deficiencies because of a substance abuse (e.g. smoking). Today, the preventive effect of folic acid (FoA) in the periconceptional period is evidence based, and there are studies about the positive effects of omega-3 fatty acids (n-3 FAs) during pregnancy. The aim of this study was to determine the association between FoA and n-3 FAs supplementation and health behavior - diet, physical activity, smoking - of pregnant women. Methods The cross-sectional study was conducted among women having their babies at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology (N = 1548). Data collection was based on self-administered questionnaire and health documentation. Uni- and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed with IBM SPSS 26.0; the results are expressed in odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results Mean age of women was 31 years, most of them had university degree, nearly 90% of them lived in partnership. The prevalence of smoking during pregnancy was 6.5%, 39.8% did not consume fruits/vegetables daily, 58.5% ate fish less than weekly, 47.9% were physically inactive; 67.6% took FoA, and 30.6% n-3 FAs. FoA and n-3 FAs taking were more likely among those who ate fruits and vegetables every day (OR/CI: 1.30/1.01-1.66; 1.47/1.15-1.89) and among non-smokers (OR/CI: 1.73/1.06-2.83; 4.80/1.69-13.61), while FoA consumption associated with physical activity (OR/CI: 1.37/1.07-1.74) and n-3 FAs with fish consumption (OR/CI: 1.35/1.06-1.72). Conclusions Our results showed that a high proportion of pregnant women did not follow a healthy lifestyle, and the unhealthy behavior was significantly associated with the less frequent use of dietary supplementation. The results call the attention for the importance of counseling on healthy lifestyle and appropriate supplement use before and during pregnancy. Key messages Use of dietary supplementation is higher among pregnant women following a healthy way of lifestyle. The results reinforce the importance of lifestyle counseling during pregnant care.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Vincent Mosha ◽  
Elizabeth Kasagama ◽  
Philip Ayieko ◽  
Jim Todd ◽  
Sia Msuya ◽  
...  

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.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Konstantinou ◽  
X.D. Andrianou ◽  
A. Constantinou ◽  
A. Perikkou ◽  
E. Markidou ◽  
...  

SummaryBackgroundSchool closures were part of a series of non-pharmacological intervention (NPI) measures addressing the COVID-19 pandemic in Cyprus. We aimed to study changes in the environment, diet, behavior, personal hygiene, contacts, lifestyle choices and the degree of compliance to NPI measures by primary school children in Cyprus at school and at home for two periods, i.e., before lockdown and during the school re-opening using the methodological context of the human exposome.MethodsDuring June 2020, an online survey questionnaire was forwarded to parents of primary school children through schools’ administrations, with questions about the children’s lifestyle/behaviours for two periods; school re-opening, following the population-wide lockdown (May 21-June 26, 2020), and the school period before lockdown (before March 2020). Descriptive statistics and exposome wide association analysis were implemented to agnostically assess associations of demographic, lifestyle and behavioral parameters with the degree of compliance to NPI measures.FindingsA total of 1509 children from more than 180 primary schools (out of 330 schools) in Cyprus were included. Median number of contacts per day at home, school and other places during weekdays was lower (p<0.001) in the post-lockdown period compared to the pre-lockdown period (5 vs 12, 10 vs 29 and 6 vs 14, respectively). Vulnerable contacts with children also decreased from 2[1, 3] in the pre-lockdown to 1[0, 2] in the post-lockdown period (p<0.001). Differences in sugary and ready-made food consumption, physical activity, screen time, digital communication and hand hygiene were noted between the two periods. More than 72% of children complied with the NPI measures, with the exception of the decrease in number of vulnerable contact(s) indicator (48%). Eating meat more frequently post-lockdown and doing less physical activity during school break post-lockdown were positively associated with increased time spent at home post-lockdown. Furthermore, the odds of compliance, as indicated by the time spent at home post-lockdown were lower with days elapsing from school re-opening, living in smaller town and using antiseptic more frequently pre-lockdown.InterpretationIn this national survey, children showed a high degree of compliance to most NPI measures for the community and primary school settings in Cyprus. The initial NPI measures may have affected the children’s exposome profile in the following months, by altering their diet, physical activity, sedentary lifestyle and hand hygiene habits.FundingThe study was partially funded by the EXPOSOGAS project, H2020 under grant agreement #810995Panel: Research in contextEvidence before this studyWe searched PubMed for studies published until September 30, 2020 using the search terms: COVID-19, children and lifestyle. Only six peer-reviewed, English-language studies were retrieved on the effect of COVID-19 measures on children’s lifestyle. The impact of non-pharmacological intervention (NPI) measures on children’s health during the pandemic period has been sporadically studied by focusing on a few risk factors at a time without using the exposome’s methodological framework, which is defined as the comprehensive characterization of all environmental exposures during one’s lifetime.Added value of this studyA survey targeted all primary schools of Cyprus to comprehensively study the impact of the initial population-wide NPI measures (lockdown) (March 13-May 4) on the children’s exposome during the school re-opening period (May 21 – June 26). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study looking at the post-confinement (lockdown) exposome profile changes of children during schools’ re-opening, after the initial population-wide NPI measures of COVID-19 response. The comprehensive and agnostic description of the children’s exposome profile may help to comprehensively account for both known and possibly unknown effects of NPI measures on children’s health and for delineating the children’s degree of compliance to infection prevention and control protocols at school and at home.Implications of all the available evidenceThis dataset could inform COVID-19 risk-based public health response strategies targeted for school settings. Future response strategies to epidemic waves shall consider elements of promoting a healthy lifestyle for children at school and at home. Public health policy could ultimately benefit from the inclusion of the human exposome methodological framework and its tools towards the improved identification of susceptible sub-population groups and to facilitate the deployment of site-tailored public health measures; this may be particularly relevant for children and their potential to spread the disease to vulnerable groups.


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