Evaluating bidirectional, longitudinal associations between adolescent executive control and eating behaviors.

Fruit and Vegetable Intake in Adults with Sickle Cell Disease

The relationship between Fruit and vegetable intake and frailty: Data from NHANES 2007–2018

Eating Pattern Analyses: The Whole Is More than the Sum of Its Parts

ObjectiveTo examine the effects of different nutritional intervention strategies in the school setting on anthropometric and quality of diet outcomes by comparing and ranking outcomes in a network meta-analysis.DesignSystematic review...

Longitudinal associations of fiber, vegetable, and fruit intake with quality of life and fatigue in colorectal cancer survivors up to 24 months posttreatment

Simple screening tools to identify intake of fruit, vegetables and fat are necessary to design effective public health intervention strategies in order to increase intake of fruit and vegetable and to reduce fat intake. 108 men recorded their food intake for 14 days and filled in a 27-item food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) 1.5-2 months later. Estimates of fruit, vegetables and fat intake from the FFQ were compared with those from the weighed records. Mean intake of vegetables and fruit estimated from the diet records increased with increasing categories for frequency of intake assessed by the FFQ. Spearman correlation coefficient between frequency of intake of vegetables and fruit from the FFQ and amount of these food items estimated from the weighed records was 0.46 and 0.66, respectively. The ability of the FFQ to predict those having inadequate intake of fruits and vegetables based on weighed record data, was more than 90%. Almost 95% who reported use of fat spreads by the FFQ also reported this by the records. The correlation coefficient between the amount of fat used on bread from the two methods was 0.79. The correlation between fat intake estimated from both methods was 0.36 and for saturated fat intake the correlation was 0.38. The FFQ could be used to screen for low consumers of fruit, vegetable and fat spread in intervention programmes. However, the ability of the FFQ to identify persons with high (or low) intake of fat and saturated fat was not good.

BackgroundMulti-factorial intervention studies have been found to be successful in the initiation of lifestyle changes. However, little is known about the longer-term maintenance of health behavior improvements. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether improvements in physical activity and dietary habits achieved in a population-based multi-factorial lifestyle intervention of five years duration were maintained five years after intervention activities have ended.MethodsThe study was a population-based randomized controlled trial, Inter99 (1999–2006), Copenhagen, Denmark. Over five years, all participants in the intervention group (n = 6,091) received individual lifestyle counseling; participants at high risk of ischemic heart disease – according to pre-specified criteria – were also offered group-based counseling. The control group (n = 3,324) was followed by questionnaires. Both groups were followed one, three, five, and ten years after baseline. Changes in physical activity and dietary habits (intake of vegetables, fruit, fish, and saturated fat) during and after the intervention were investigated using random-coefficient models.ResultsFive years after the intervention, women in the intervention group reported greater improvements in the intake of fruit (MΔ = 90.2 g/week, p = 0.041) and less intake of saturated fat (OR = 0.30, 95% CI: 0.17–0.54) than the control group. Men in the intervention group reported greater improvements in physical activity (MΔ = 19.6 min/week, p = 0.003) and less intake of saturated fat (OR = 0.31, 95% CI: 0.17–0.56) than the control group. Improvements in the intake of vegetables and fish achieved during the intervention were not maintained in the longer-term.ConclusionsScreening and lifestyle counseling had sustained effects on physical activity and dietary habits five years after its discontinuation. The patterns of long-term changes in lifestyle differed across behaviors and between men and women.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov (NCT00289237)

The objective of the present study was to assess to what extent fruit and vegetable intakes track over a 24-year time period and to assess longitudinal associations between fruit and vegetable intakes and (change in) BMI and sum of skinfolds. Dietary intake and anthropometrics were repeatedly assessed for 168 men and women between the ages of 12 and 36 years. Linear general estimating equations analyses were applied (1) to estimate tracking coefficients, (2) to estimate predictability for meeting the national recommendation for fruit and vegetable intake and for being in the highest quartile for fruit and vegetable intake, and (3) to estimate the association between fruit and vegetable intake and BMI and sum of skinfolds. We found that tracking coefficients were 0.33 (P < 0.001) for fruit intake and 0.27 (P < 0.001) for vegetable intake. Mean fruit intake decreased over a 24-year period. For fruit intake, predictability was higher in men than in women (OR 6.02 (P < 0.001) and 2.33 (P = 0.001) for meeting the recommendation for men and women respectively). After adjustment, fruit intake was not associated with BMI, but being in the lowest quartile of fruit intake was significantly associated with a lower sum of skinfolds. Women in the lowest quartiles of vegetable intake had significantly higher BMI and sum of skinfolds and also greater positive changes in these parameters. In conclusion, tracking and predictability for fruit and vegetable intake appear to be low to moderate, which might indicate that fruit and vegetable promotion should be started at an early age and continued into adulthood. Despite the fact that we only observed beneficial weight-maintaining effects of vegetable intake in women, promoting vegetables is important for both sexes because of other positive properties of vegetables. No evidence was found for promoting fruit intake as a means of weight maintenance.

Substantial scientific evidence firmly advocates consumption of vegetables and fruits for maintenance of overall health and protection against chronic diseases, such as obesity. However, prevalence of fruit and vegetable intake among adolescents in Malaysia remains low, whereas the data on factors associated with vegetable and fruit intake among adolescents were limited. This study aims to determine the prevalence of fruit and vegetable intake and the factors that influence the Malaysian adolescents' consumption of fruits and vegetables. A cross-sectional study was conducted from November 2021 to August 2022 by distribution of an online validated questionnaire on various platforms to recruit school-going adolescents aged 13 to 17 years old (Form 1-5) in Selangor. Respondents were screened and data of eligible participants were included as subjects. Descriptive statistics, chi square analysis, and generalized linear model with Poisson-loglinear distribution and the robust estimator were employed for data analysis. A total of 277 adolescents participated in this study. Overall, low prevalence of adequate vegetable consumption was observed (23.5%). Of the participants surveyed, 14.8% of adolescents with thinness, 25.2% and 15.0% of adolescents with overweight and obesity, and 27.1% of normal-weight adolescents met the recommended daily intake (>3 servings), whereas 64.1% of adolescents with overweight and obesity and 65% of normal-weight participants consumed at least two servings of fruits a day. The findings revealed significant association between BMI-for-age (X 2 (1, N = 277) = 5.236, p = 0.022) and adolescent fruit intake. On the other hand, overweight and obese adolescents reporting positive intention (PR: 1.146, 95% CI: 1.002, 1.310, p = 0.047) and parental allowance (PR: 1.125, 95% CI: 1.011, 1.252, p = 0.030) were observed to have 14.6% and 12.5% higher prevalence of fruit consumption, respectively, while availability at home (PR: 0.849, 95% CI: 0.731, 0.987, p = 0.033) showed significantly lower prevalence of fruit intake with more reports of home availability. The study suggests that personal, social-environmental, and physical-environmental factors influence vegetable and fruit intake among adolescents, particularly fruit intake consumption behaviors among overweight and obese adolescent population in Selangor. The enunciation of these intake correlates could potentially be incorporated in future development of intervention strategies to effectively promote fruit and vegetable intake.

Predictors of Nutritional Adequacy in Mother–Toddler Dyads from Rural Families with Limited Incomes

Resemblance of dietary intakes of snacks, sweets, fruit, and vegetables among mother–child dyads from low income families

Food Insecurity Is a Common Problem Affecting Dietary Quality in a Clinic-Based Pediatric Sickle Cell Disease Sample

Background Despite the health benefits, children’s fruit and vegetable intake is below that recommended. This thesis focuses on the role of parental strategies, children’s cognitive development and properties of food in order to develop new approaches to increase fruit and vegetable preferences and intake in 4 to 12-year-old children. Methods First, we conducted a qualitative study (N=28) with three age groups representing different cognitive developmental stages, and a parental survey study (N=242). These studies indicated that texture was more important for 4-5-year-old children’s food preferences than for 11-12-year olds and that the parental strategy of ‘Choice’ was positively related to both children’s fruit and vegetable intake. Subsequently, in three intervention studies, the focus was on vegetables only, because previous approaches have been less effective for vegetable intake than for fruit intake. We investigated three approaches for their effectiveness in increasing children’s vegetable acceptance: 1. Varying the preparation method (4-12y; N=94): Carrots and French beans were prepared in six ways: mashed, boiled, steamed, grilled, stir-fried and deep-fried. 2. Flavour-nutrient learning (7-8y; N=19): During a 14-day learning period, vegetable flavours were combined with energy (maltodextrin) or without energy in a drink. 3. Choice-offering (4-6y; N=303): Children had no choice, a choice before a meal, or a choice during a meal regarding which vegetable out of two they were going to eat. Results Varying the preparation method demonstrated that steamed and boiled were preferred over the other preparations (p<0.05). Positive predictors of vegetable liking were a uniform surface, the typical vegetable taste and crunchiness, whereas brown colouring and a granular texture negatively predicted liking. Due to insufficient consumption of the vegetable drinks (≈3 grams of 150 grams), flavour-nutrient learning could not take place. The pure vegetable taste was too intense. In the choice-offering study, the children appreciated a choice before the meal, but the three conditions did not differ for vegetable liking (p=0.43) or intake (≈52 gram; p=0.54). In the no-choice condition, high reactant children consumed less vegetables than low reactant children (Δ=28 grams; p=0.04). Conclusion To encourage children’s vegetable liking and intake, the following approaches may be most promising: 1) serve vegetables as crunchy as possible without brown colouring or a granular texture; 2) provide children with choice during vegetable eating; 3) stimulate a positive vegetable-eating context. Finally, serving vegetables in mixed dishes is a good way to facilitate flavour-flavour and flavournutrient learning, but the effectiveness of flavour-nutrient learning for increasing children’s vegetable acceptance needs to be determined in future research.

Studies have shown that postmenopausal breast cancer survivors are more likely to be sedentary and have poorer diet quality than their non‐cancer counterparts, contributing to weight gain. In addition, they are more likely to have increased levels of psychological stress. Heightened mindfulness is associated with healthier eating behaviors, lower BMI, and reduced stress. However, little is known about the effect of mindful eating on these lifestyle factors in overweight and obese postmenopausal breast cancer survivors. The objective of the study was to examine the effect of a mindful eating intervention on lifestyle factors, including mindfulness, stress, and nutritional intake in overweight and obese postmenopausal breast cancer survivors. Participants were recruited through local physician's offices, cancer support centers, and newspaper advertisements in 2016. Participants completed 8 weekly 2‐hour Mindful Eating Workshop© group sessions, led by a certified mindfulness instructor. The workshop addressed mindless, stress‐related, or emotional related eating, and disordered eating patterns through mindfulness meditation and group discussion. Data were collected at the University of Georgia Clinical and Translational Research Unit at 2 time points: baseline and follow‐up (week 12). Nutritional intake was assessed using the 2014 Block Food Frequency Questionnaire. Mindfulness was assessed using the Mindful Attention and Awareness Scale, and stress was assessed using the Perceived Stress Scale. Paired t‐tests and Wilcoxon signed rank test were used to compare outcomes pre‐ and post‐intervention. The analytic sample included 10 postmenopausal breast cancer survivors in remission with a BMI of ≥ 25 kg/m2 who completed the intervention. Mean age was 64.4 ± 6.0 years, 90.0% were non‐Hispanic white, 50.0% were married, and 50.0% had an annual household income of more than $80,000. All participants significantly lost weight (mean weight change: −0.8 ± 0.8 kg; p= 0.015). There was a trend towards increased mindfulness (mean change= 8.4% ± 0.5; p=0.090); but perceived stress did not change over the course of the intervention. At baseline and follow‐up, participants underreported energy consumption (1,237.7 ± 304.2 and 1,094.0 ± 319.4 kcal/ day, respectively), marking no significant change in caloric intake post‐intervention. Mean fat and saturated fat intake at baseline were 40.7 ± 3.8% and 13.8 ± 1.9% of daily energy, respectively. Participants reduced overall fat intake by −10.6 + 7.1 grams/ per day (p=0.002), and saturated fat by −3.56 ± 3.0 grams/ day (p=0.008) without significantly changing protein or carbohydrate intake. In addition, participants reduced intake of sweets by 2.5 ± 1.9% of daily energy (p=0.003). Despite not meeting current dietary recommendations, intake of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains were not altered. Findings of this study suggest that a mindful eating intervention may lead to improvements in fat, saturated fat, and sweets intake, but not other lifestyle factors, in overweight and obese postmenopausal breast cancer survivors. Larger, more adequately powered studies are needed to confirm the findings and examine effects if the intervention is carried over long‐term.Support or Funding InformationThe study was funded through the University of Georgia Clinical and Translational Research Unit seed grant.

Home environment predictors of vegetable and fruit intakes among Australian children aged 18 months