Health Habits Of Children Research Articles

Impact of social media as a risk factor of increased fast-food consumption and increased bad health habits in children and adolescents in Saudi Arabia

Impact of social media as a risk factor of increased fast-food consumption and increased bad health habits in children and adolescents in Saudi Arabia

Introduction of a conversation starter tool to improve health habits in young children

BackgroundChildhood overweight and obesity rates in the United States continue to climb. Providers must identify feasible interventions to improve health habits to prevent and treat obesity in children. MethodsParents (n = 91) of four-to eight-year-old children were recruited and surveyed regarding their child’s current health habits and perception of their child’s weight status. A conversation starter tool was developed and utilized to improve health habits in children ages four-to-eight over a period of four-to-six weeks. FindingsHealth habits in children improved in the comparison and intervention groups. There was a 42% improvement in health habits in the intervention group who chose a specific goal to work on compared to 30% improvement in the comparison group. There was no statistically significant relationship between health habit adherence and the assigned group when assessing the health habits individually. DiscussionOverall, 42% of the selected goals were met, according to parent report at the follow-up survey; however, use of the conversation starter tool did not demonstrate statistically significant improvement in health habits. Parental perception of children’s weight status remained unchanged. Health habits in children improved in the comparison and intervention groups. Further studies should enroll a larger sample to assess differences between these two groups. Application to practiceThe conversation starter tool was designed to be implemented into practice without the need for any specific training. The tool can be used on all children to promote improved health habits.

Children's Health Habits and COVID-19 Lockdown in Catalonia: Implications for Obesity and Non-Communicable Diseases.

Lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic imposed changes in children’s daily routine that could lead to changes in behavior patterns. Using a survey targeted at children under 17 years of age, we described dietary (adherence to Mediterranean diet, AMD) and sleeping habits (disorders of initiating and maintaining sleep) after the implementation of lockdown, and examined the probability of the inadequate frequency of physical activity (PA) and use of TV and electronic devices (TV-ED) before and after lockdown through generalized estimating equation models, accounting for age and gender differences. From 3464 children included, 53.2% showed optimal AMD; 79.2% referred to delayed bedtime; and 16.3% were suspected of sleeping disorders after the implementation of lockdown. Delay in bedtime was more frequent among children older than 6 years, and inadequate sleeping hours among those younger than 11 years. There were no gender differences in AMD or sleeping habits. The odds of inadequate frequency of PA and TV-ED use were greater after lockdown, with a greater risk for TV-ED use. Boys were at greater risk of inadequate PA frequency and TV-ED use. Odds ratio of inadequate PA was greater at older ages. Lockdown could influence changes in children’s habits that could lead to risk factors for non-communicable diseases during adulthood if such behaviors are sustained over time.

The role of parental education in the dental health behavior of Turkish secondary school children

Background/Aim: Parents are usually the major factor influencing children's development of routine oral health behavior. A higher education level of the parents is generally associated with having a more positive influence on their children's health habits and motivation to maintain healthy dentition. From this perspective, the aim of the present study was to investigate the frequency of certain habits influencing dental health, such as toothbrushing, regular visits to the dentist, and changing toothbrushes, in a group of Turkish secondary school children, and to explore its relation to the education level of their mothers and fathers. Material and Methods: The study consisted of the use of a questionnaire designed to collect demographic information, oral health behavior of the children, and the parents' education level. Demographic characteristics and oral health behavior of the children were asked of the children in a face-to-face interview by one investigator. Only the parents' education level was asked of the children's parents. Results: The mean age of the 444 children was 11.66 ± 0.98. According to chi-square testing applied, there was a statistically significant correlation between the parents' education level and their children's dental visit frequency (p< 0.05), whereas there was no statistically significant link between the parents' education level and the frequency of the children's toothbrushing and replacing their toothbrushes (p> 0.05). Conclusions: Irrespective of the education level of their parents, positive oral health attitudes and behavior were not observed in Turkish secondary school children.

Super Healthy: A Healthy Diet Card Game

Background and context: The Portuguese League Against Cancer works with schools in cancer prevention for 30 years and since the very beginning tried to offer attractive strategies to get children engagement. Knowing that card games are again on the top strategies for children we develop the Super Healthy Card Game. Aim: To promote health habits in children (6-10 years old), namely in what concerns their lunch and snacks options. Strategy/Tactics: We have created a card game in which each card represents a healthy and important food (e.g., carrot, broccoli, milk, beans, fish) with specific powers like resistance or defense, for instance. There are 15 cards in total; children get the first 5 for free in the beginning of the program and then, to get the other 10, they have to eat the food defined by the card, either at lunch (school canteens have them available on predated days) or at midmorning and midafternoon snacks (children and their parents have to prepare it at home). Program/Policy process: To have success we have articulated with three main institutions on a national and governmental levels: General Health Committee; General Education Committee and National Nutrionists Association. Then, we have publicized the game in schools and asked for their registrations for the materials. Thousands of games were send to schools free of charge. The program has involved all school community because the school canteens have to cook the meals, parents have to prepare healthier snacks, teachers have to monitor the entire process and children have to play the card game. Outcomes: With this methodology many children tasted for the first time some foods and parents reflected on the importance of healthy snacks. Besides that, after getting the cards, children played with it and learned a little bit more about what they eat and its effects on their health. What was learned: This kind of strategy is very challenging because it implies the coordination of various partners. Also, nutrition is a transversal theme and different institutions stress unique aspects so it was important to assure that all partners feel their message is respected. Nevertheless, we find this strategy to be empowering and really successful.

Variables nutricias asociadas con la ansiedad y la autopercepción corporal en niñas y niños mexicanos de acuerdo con la presencia de sobrepeso/obesidad

Resumen Introducción. La obesidad infantil se ha asociado con la ingesta de alimentos densamente energéticos, con el sedentarismo y con indicadores de salud mental como la ansiedad manifiesta y la percepción de la imagen corporal. En México no se ha reportado la relación entre dichas variables en población infantil. Objetivo. Evaluar la auto-percepción corporal y el riesgo de ansiedad, de acuerdo con la presencia de sobrepeso u obesidad, controlando las variables dietéticas y los hábitos de salud en niños en edad escolar. Método. Clasificados por su Índice de Masa Corporal (IMC) se compararon 259 niños y niñas sin sobrepeso/obesidad vs. 326 quienes presentaron dicha condición, en tres escuelas públicas del Estado de México. El IMC se obtuvo por medición directa del peso y la estatura. Se exploró la relación del consumo de alimentos (dieta) y el estilo de vida con la presencia de ansiedad (cuestionario CMAS-R), auto-percepción y satisfacción corporal (test–SC). Resultados. El 43% de los escolares presentan riesgo cardiovascular y 7.7% riesgo de síndrome metabólico. Los participantes sin sobrepeso/obesidad presentaron mayor satisfacción con su imagen corporal (68.3%). No se encontraron diferencias entre el IMC y la ansiedad total, ni con cada una de sus dimensiones. Discusión y conclusión. No se reportaron diferencias en la ansiedad de acuerdo con el IMC. La auto-percepción de la imagen corporal fue menos favorable, en zonas específicas del cuerpo en niñas y niños con sobrepeso u obesidad.

The "Happy Heart" educational program for changes in health habits in children and their families: protocol for a randomized clinical trial.

BackgroundThe prevalence of childhood obesity increased worldwide in recent decades and is associated with risk factors for the development of chronic diseases in adulthood. Strategies for health promotion directed at an early age, with recommendation for healthy habits, can achieve good results. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of an innovative, simple and cost effective educational program to improve eating habits, physical activity and the knowledge about healthy habits in children, as well as in their families, as compared to routine outpatient care.Methods/DesignThe study is designed as a randomized clinical trial. Sample size is estimated to include 37 children, aged between 7 and 11 years, and their guardians, randomized for an intervention or a control group. The intervention will consist of 11-weekly group meetings of nutritional education and distribution of explanatory material, with orientation about healthy food and family habits and physical activity. Recreational, simple and low cost resources, carefully designed for the presentation of contents to the children and parents, will be used in all meetings. The control group will receive standard outpatient care based in individual clinical practice guidelines. The primary outcomes will be changes in dietary habits, knowledge and physical activity of children and adults. The secondary outcomes will be changes of body mass index, waist circumference, systolic and diastolic blood pressure and laboratory tests, in children and adults.DiscussionThe Happy Heart Study offers a playful and low-cost approach for the prevention and control of obesity and cardiovascular disease in children. Although this program is being planned for implementation in Brazil, the method can be adapted to many other countries.Registry of protocolProtocol registered on the site ensaiosclinicos.gov.br: RBR-8ttw64.

Diseño y validación de un cuestionario de hábitos de vida de alimentación y actividad física para escolares de 8-12 años

Introducción: El sobrepeso y la obesidad son actualmente un serio problema de salud pública en México, principalmente en la etapa infantil, según la Encuesta Nacional de Salud y Nutrición (ENSANUT, 2012). La obesidad es una enfermedad multifactorial, en la cual se involucran aspectos genéticos, ambientales y de estilo de vida. Para prevenir y tratarla deben modificarse los hábitos de vida, mediante promoción y educación para la salud. Para cambiar los hábitos de la población primero se debe conocer cuáles son, posteriormente crear estrategias para modificarlos. No existen cuestionarios para identificar los hábitos de vida saludables en niños escolares en nuestro medio. Objetivo: Diseñar y evaluar la fiabilidad y validez del cuestionario. Métodos: Se aplicó en 417 escolares. Se usaron medidas de tendencia central y dispersión para los dominios y grupos; consistencia interna mediante alpha de Cronbach y correlación interescalar. Resultados: Se encontró que los 27 ítems en los dos dominios superaron el estándar propuesto de fiabilidad (α de Cronbach) mayor a 0.50. Se encontró correlación aceptable, en las diferentes dimensiones del cuestionario (total vs. dominios). La estabilidad test-retest es superior a 0.75 en las dos dimensiones; en los análisis de validez efectuados (de contenido y constructo) los resultados son satisfactorios. Conclusiones: La versión del cuestionario reúne los criterios de consistencia interna y validez de contenido y constructo. Dichos resultados ponen de manifiesto que el cuestionario propuesto pueda ser utilizado como una herramienta para valorar los hábitos de vida en escolares.

Effects of undergoing multiplex genetic susceptibility testing on parent attitudes towards testing their children.

Parents may pursue common disease risk information about themselves via multiplex genetic susceptibility testing (MGST) for their children. To prospectively assess whether parents who received MGST disclosed their test results to their child, intended to change the child's health habits, or have the child tested. Eighty parents who opted for free MGST completed an online survey about a child in their household before undergoing MGST and a follow-up telephone survey 3months after receiving results. Few parents (21%) disclosed results to the child. Undergoing MGST was unrelated to intentions to change the child's health habits but did increase parental willingness to test the child. Greater willingness to test a child was associated with positive attitudes toward pediatric genetic testing and intentions to change the child's health habits. The experience of receiving MGST had little impact on parents' perceptions or behaviors related to their minor child.

Oral health-related quality of life among children undergoing cancer therapy.

e12006 Background: Despite much interest in oral complications in cancer patients and studies reporting their prevalence, aetiology and management, there has been little understanding of how they affect the patients and the family. The aim of this study was, therefore, to assess the impact of oral complications on life quality for children undergoing cancer therapy. Methods: Seventy 6 - 14 years old paediatric patients undergoing cancer therapy in the Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong participated in this study. A clinical examination of the dentition and oral soft tissues was performed using criteria suggested by the World Health Organization. Clinical examination evaluated the status of: i) dental caries (DMFT/dmft Index), ii) periodontal health (CPI Index), iii) infection, such as herpes and candidiasis, iv) thrombocytopathy in the form of oral petechiae and spontaneous gingival bleeding, v) xerostomia, and vi) mucositis (WHO Mucositis Scale). Two questionnaires were filled by the children and their parents: i) the Child Perceptions Questionnaire (CPQ), and ii) a questionnaire contained simple closed questions to collect the information of oral health habits of children and demographic data from the parents. Results: Higher CPQ scores were found in children with mucositis (p < 0.001), dental caries (p < 0.001), children who were born in mainland China (p < 0.05), or parents of lower education or income level (p < 0.05). In multiple regression analyses, mucositis and dental caries were the significant predictors (p < 0.001) of the higher CPQ scores among the various parents and children characteristics collected in this survey. Conclusions: The findings of this study showed that paediatric cancer patients with mucositis and dental caries had poorer oral health-related quality of life.

Views of parents, teachers and children on health promotion in kindergarten - first results from formative focus groups and observations

The aim of the study was to capture the views of children, parents and teachers on the topic of physical activity in kindergarten through observation and focus group interviews. The study was conducted in the kindergartens from the sampling group in the Danish part of PERISCOPE. 1(st) methodology: Children interviewed inside by the researcher on preferable movements and settings and then observed outside during their playtime. 2(nd) methodology: Children asked to draw themselves playing their most preferred physical activity. Parents and kindergarten teachers interviewed in two different groups, using an identical guide. Children are skilled in taking advantage of the space and facilities available for physical activity; girls need more support than boys to initiate physical activity; children are happy with the facilities and the toys available in the kindergarten. Teachers feel an increasing pressure to take more responsibility and initiatives for the children's health habits. Parents state that if more physical activity is initiated in the kindergarten, it could make children request domestic activity. Physical activity and movement concept are too abstract for children of this age to talk about: they quickly lose their focus and concentration. The new methodology of videotaping gives the researcher the chance to interpret facial expressions to capture movement, talk and actions, and to make a distinction among children, as they tend to interrupt each other. However, this method contains a weakness, if used alone, by the fact that the shooting is only a reflection of what the video camera has recorded.

Factors affecting oral health habits among children with cerebral palsy: Pilot study

The aim of the present study was to investigate the factors affecting the oral health habits of children with spastic-type cerebral palsy (CP). A total of 35 children with CP and their mothers were randomly selected for this cross-sectional study. Data regarding their sociodemographic characteristics and their oral health habits were collected during face-to-face interviews. Logistic regression analysis indicated that mothers' irregular brushing habits were a risk factor for their children's lack of regular brushing habits (odds ratio: 6.4, P = 0.048). Additionally, a significant association was observed between the mother's length of time between dental visits and the length of time between children's dental visits (R(2)= 0.11, P = 0.046). Mothers' oral health habits, including brushing habits and frequency of dental visits, are important factors in promoting healthy and beneficial oral health habits in children with CP in Turkey.

Transgenerational persistence of education as a health risk: findings from the Women Physicians' Health Study.

Whereas the effect of socioeconomic status (SES) on morbidity and mortality is well known, little is known about its transgenerational persistence. We studied SES and health data from the U.S. Women Physicians' Health Study (WPHS). WPHS studied 4,501 women physicians, a group with relatively homogeneously high income, occupational prestige, and educational attainment. In logistic regression models controlling for age and ethnicity, those with better educated mothers ate more fruits and vegetables and were less likely to have a gun in their home; those with better educated fathers were more likely to have a regular physician. There was no significant difference by parents' educational levels in exercise habits, fat consumption, compliance with prevention recommendations, current health status, or history of smoking, hypertension, or dyslipidemia. Parents' (especially mothers') educational levels affect their adult children's health habits and outcomes, even if those adult children are physicians. However, at least among physicians, this differential is small after only one generation of improved SES.

The Development of Scales to Measure Knowledge and Preference for Diet and Physical Activity Behavior in 4??? to 8-Year-Old Children

Although there is a sizable literature on determinants of health-related habits in adults, relatively little attention has been paid to influences on health habits in children. The purpose of this study was to (a) develop practical, reliable, and valid measures of knowledge of and preference for cardiovascular disease-related diet and exercise behaviors in children, and (b) assess parental influences on children's knowledge and preference. Eighty-one 4- to 8-year-old children from diverse ethnic backgrounds and their parent or legal guardian participated. Children were presented with 15 attractive photo-pairs of foods. One photograph was of a "healthful" food or activity, and the other was "unhealthful." They were asked to identify which food/activity of the pair they preferred, and which one they thought was more healthy. Children were retested after 1 week to determine test-retest reliability. Validity of the preference tests was determined by giving the child actual choices of the same activity and food pairs. Validity of knowledge tests was determined by testing children after an educational intervention session. The alpha coefficients, test-retest reliabilities, and validity data generally indicated that food preference and knowledge tests had adequate psychometric properties, but the physical activity scales did not. Very few parental influences on health-related behavior were detected.

Relationships among children's health-related behaviors: A multivariate, developmental perspective

Considerable evidence documents the aggregation of cardiovascular risk factors in children; yet, very little is known about the covariation of children's health practices. Accordingly, using a multivariate and developmental perspective, the present research examines the interrelationships among multiple health behaviors (i.e., physical activity, eating habits, smoking, alcohol use, and stress-related behaviors) in 1,092 predominantly low-socioeconomic status, rural schoolchildren (ages 11–18, grades 6–12). Our data provide support for a multidimensional view of children's health habits and suggest that patterns of interrelationships may vary at different developmental levels. Implications of these results are discussed and directions for future research are highlighted.

An Elementary-School Health Project

The project here described was directed by the principal and teachers of the Columbia School, Seattle, Washington, for the purpose of improving the children's health habits. Furthermore, its influence was expected to reach throughout the community tributary to the school. In a word, the community attitude toward the vital question of health was to be improved. An additional challenge came from a new course of study in hygiene. The keynote of this course is the formation of proper health habits.