Eating Habits Of Children Research Articles

Food intake and inflammation in European children: the IDEFICS study.

This cross-sectional study assesses the relationship between consumption frequencies of food items and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) in European children. Out of the baseline sample (N=16.228) of the IDEFICS study, 6.403 children (1.315 boys aged 2 to <6, 1.908 boys aged 6 to <10, 1.204 girls aged 2 to <6 and 1.976 girls aged 6 to <10years) had hs-CRP measured and the Children's Eating Habits Questionnaire filled, including a food frequency questionnaire. Logistic regression adjusted for body mass index z-score, education of the mother, breast-feeding and self-reported hours of physical activity in a sport club per week was conducted. Mean frequency intake of raw vegetable was lower in boys (p=0.022 in young and p=0.020 in old) and older girls (p=0.026) with high hs-CRP concentration, while in younger girls (p=0.008) the same occurred with the cooked vegetables. The probability of having higher hs-CRP concentration was significantly associated with having low consumption frequency of vegetables (p=0.004 in older boys, raw vegetables; and p=0.0032 in younger girls, cooked vegetables). Also, honey/jam intake decreased the probability of having higher concentration of hs-CRP, whereas soft drinks with sugar, mayonnaise and cereals milled increased this probability. Out of all food items associated with hs-CRP, frequency intake of vegetables presented more associations across all the analysis. Findings suggest that a high-frequency intake of vegetables is inversely related to an inflammatory status in children. More studies are needed to assess the association between diet and inflammation.

Prevalence of malnutrition and eating habits in children under 5 years of age in indigenous communities in Azote'y and Yby Yau, 2011

Introduccion: La infancia es una etapa trascendental en el desarrollo evolutivo del hombre, para lo cual es fundamental una adecuada nutricion. La desnutricion infantil no es solo un problema de falta de alimentos, es un conflicto social mas profundo. La prevalencia de desnutricion en menores de 5 anos del pais es de 5,9% segun datos del Instituto Nacional de Alimentacion y Nutricion. Objetivo : Determinar la prevalencia de desnutricion y habitos alimentarios en ninos menores de 5 anos de las comunidades indigenas de Yby Yau y Azote’y. Materiales y Metodos: Estudio descriptivo, transversal, realizado de enero a abril del 2011, que identifico la prevalencia de desnutricion infantil en ninos indigenas de las etnias Pa'i Tavytera y Mbya Guarani de 11 comunidades indigenas de Yby Yau y Azote’y. Fueron examinados 349 menores de 5 anos de edad. Para la evaluacion del estado nutricional se utilizo la curva de crecimiento de la OMS. Los ninos/as fueron pesados/as en balanzas mecanicas. Para la medida de la altura, los mayores de dos anos fueron medidos con el tallimetro y los menores de 2 anos con cinta metrica. Resultados: Se observo desnutricion en 53 ninos que equivale al 15% de la muestra. De estos 60,4% padecian de desnutricion moderada y 39,6% desnutricion grave. El mayor porcentaje de desnutricion se encontro en el grupo de edad de 0 a 24 meses con 71,6%. El 77% de los ninos tenian desnutricion cronica. Conclusiones: La prevalencia de desnutricion en indigenas en Yby Yau y Azote’y es de 15%, lo que sobrepasa los indices de desnutricion en menores de 5 anos del pais.

The Impact of Family Rules on Children's Eating Habits, Sedentary Behaviors, and Weight Status.

Family rules may be influential in helping children to modify their dietary and sedentary behaviors, which are important modifiable risk factors for childhood obesity. However, data examining family rules in relation to children's health behaviors and weight status are limited. This cross-sectional study examined differences in family rules by demographic characteristics of students enrolled in the HEROES (Healthy, Energetic, Ready, Outstanding, Enthusiastic Schools) Initiative, a school-based childhood obesity prevention program. It also investigated the relationship between eating and screen time family rules and six eating and screen time behaviors: fast food consumption; soft drink consumption; fruit and vegetable intake; television viewing; computer use; and video game use, in addition to the association between family rules and children's weight status. Measures included self-reported behavioral data and anthropometric data from students in fourth to eighth grade at 16 schools (N=2819) in a tri-state area of the United States in spring 2012. Approximately one-third of students had each of the family rules examined. Whereas the profile of students who had specific rules varied, in general, younger, female, white, and low socioeconomic status students were more likely to have rules than their counterparts. Family rules were associated with healthier outcomes for each of the six behaviors examined (p<0.001), even after controlling for demographics (p<0.001). However, family rules were not associated with children's weight status. This study demonstrates that family rules are an underutilized strategy to promote healthier eating habits and reduce children's screen time hours and may serve as an intermediary mechanism to curb childhood obesity.

WITHDRAWN: Determination of Mothers’ Attitude Towards Adopting Preschool Children Eating Habits

WITHDRAWN: Determination of Mothers’ Attitude Towards Adopting Preschool Children Eating Habits

Food habits, physical activities and sedentary lifestyles of eutrophic and obese school children: a case-control study.

BackgroundCivilization has produced lifestyle changes; currently, people ingest more calories than are expended, resulting in obesity. This study assessed the association between dietary habits, physical activities, and sedentary behaviors and the risk of obesity in schoolchildren in Mexico City.MethodsOf 1,441 children (6–12 years old) screened in elementary schools, 202 obese (BMI ≥95th pc) and 200 normal-weight children (BMI 25th- 75th pc), as defined by the 2000 CDC criteria, were included in a case–control study. The children’s eating, physical activity and sedentary lifestyle habits were recorded using validated questionnaires. The quantity and quality of the foods were obtained, and the energy that was expended was transformed into METs. Sedentary behavior was assessed in hours. Logistic regression models were used to determine the risks of certain habits and their association with obesity.ResultsObese children ingested around of 270 Kcal less than eutrophic children. However, compared with the eutrophic children, obese children had significantly worse lifestyle habits; the children with healthy dietary habits (eating breakfast at home, bringing a school lunch, and not bringing money to purchase food) had a lower risk of obesity (OR 0.59, CI 0.46; 0.75). The quality of the eaten food was associated with a risk of obesity. Consuming fruit demonstrated an inverse association with risk of obesity (p Trend = 0.01); consumption of sweetened beverages (p Trend < 0.04) and refined carbohydrates with added fat (p Trend = 0.002) were associated with an increased risk of obesity. Children who were more physically active at school had an OR of 0.37 (CI 0.16; 0.89), those who had 3–4 televisions at home had an OR of 2.13 (CI 1.20; 3.78), and the risk of developing obesity was independent of caloric intake.ConclusionsPoorer eating habits as well as less physical activity were associated with the risk of obesity. An obesogenic environment could change if teachers and parents worked together to form healthy food intake and physical activity habits.

An intervention for improving the lifestyle habits of kindergarten children in Israel: a cluster-randomised controlled trial investigation.

To assess the effectiveness of an intervention programme to improve kindergarten children's eating and leisure habits in Israel. A cluster-randomised controlled trial. Six full-day kindergartens in Israel were randomly divided into three groups. Group A received the full intervention programme, which included lessons on good eating habits and daily physical exercise. Group B received a partial intervention of lessons only. Group C, the reference group, did not receive any intervention. Children aged 4-6 years (n 204) were recruited for the study. Objective data for weight and height were collected to calculate BMI Z-scores. Activity, sedentary time, sleeping hours and daily energy intake were assessed via a parental questionnaire. Nutritional knowledge was assessed by a single dietitian using a questionnaire addressed to the children. Assessments were done at baseline and at the end of the intervention. After adjustment for baseline levels we observed a significant reduction in daily energy intake for the full intervention group A (P = 0.03). A positive intervention effect was demonstrated on nutritional knowledge in the partial intervention group B (P = 0.03), although no significant change was demonstrated for BMI Z-score. The study supports the incorporation of education on healthy lifestyle habits and physical activity into the curricula of kindergartens.

THE INFLUENCE OF TELEVISION ON THE EATING HABITS OF BRAZILIAN NORTHEAST CHILDREN

Objetivo: o objetivo deste estudo é aprofundar a compreensão sobre a influência da televisão noshábitos de alimentares de crianças a partir da análise da percepção dos cuidadores – mãe, pai e avó. Método: 14 entrevistas semi-estruturadas foram aplicadas em cuidadores – mãe, pai e avó, de 29 crianças escolares com idade entre 7 e 9 anos, matriculadas na 2ª Série do Ensino Fundamental deuma Escola Pública da periferia urbana de um município do Nordeste Brasileiro.As entrevistas foramgravadas e transcritos os discursos. Os resultados foram apresentados em quadros temáticos deanálises e analisados à luz da teoria sócio-histórica, com base nas contribuições de Vygotsky (1984)e Bakhtin (2001).Resultados: cuidadores frequentemente identificaram a influencia das propagandas de alimentosveiculadas pela televisão nas demandas e nos critérios de escolha dos alimentos e dos brinquedosdas crianças. Também perceberam que as decisões de compra da família passam a ser reguladaspelas solicitações das crianças motivadas pelas propagandas televisivas. E que as preferênciasalimentares – a estrutura e o ritmo das refeições das crianças sofreram modificações devido àinfluência deste veículo midiático.Conclusão: os cuidadores identificam a influência da televisão nos hábitos de consumo alimentar dascrianças, mas não conseguem entender a magnitude dessa influência na vida das crianças por elescuidadas. Entender essa magnitude é um desafio que nos é colocado a partir deste estudo.

Relative validity of the Children's Eating Habits Questionnaire-food frequency section among young European children: the IDEFICS Study.

To compare, specifically by age group, proxy-reported food group estimates obtained from the food frequency section of the Children's Eating Habits questionnaire (CEHQ-FFQ) against the estimates of two non-consecutive 24 h dietary recalls (24-HDR). Estimates of food group intakes assessed via the forty-three-food-group CEHQ-FFQ were compared with those obtained by a computerized 24-HDR. Agreement on frequencies of intakes (equal to the number of portions per recall period) between the two instruments was examined using crude and de-attenuated Pearson's correlation coefficients, cross-classification analyses, weighted kappa statistics (κ w) and Bland-Altman analysis. Kindergartens/schools from eight European countries participating in the IDEFICS (Identification and prevention of Dietary- and lifestyle-induced health EFfects In Children and infantS) Study cross-sectional survey (2007-2008). Children aged 2-9 years (n 2508, 50·4% boys). The CEHQ-FFQ provided higher intake estimates for most of the food groups than the 24-HDR. De-attenuated Pearson correlation coefficients ranged from 0·01 (sweetened fruit) to 0·48 (sweetened milk) in children aged 2-<6 years (mean = 0·25) and from 0·01 (milled cereal) to 0·44 (water) in children aged 6-9 years (mean = 0·23). An average of 32% and 31% of food group intakes were assigned to the same quartile in younger and older children, respectively, and classification into extreme opposite quartiles was ≤12% for all food groups in both age groups. Mean κ w was 0·20 for 2-<6-year-olds and 0·17 for 6-9-year-olds. The strength of association estimates assessed by the CEHQ-FFQ and the 24-HDR varied by food group and by age group. Observed level of agreement and CEHQ-FFQ ability to rank children according to intakes of food groups were considered to be low.

Mineral Concentrations in Hair of Belgian Elementary School Girls: Reference Values and Relationship with Food Consumption Frequencies

Although evidence suggests that hair elements may reflect dietary habits and/or mineral intake, this topic remains controversial. This study therefore presents age-specific reference values for hair concentrations of Ca, Cu, Fe, Na, Mg, P and Zn using the LMS method of Cole, and investigates the relationship between dietary habits (i.e. food consumption frequencies) and hair mineral concentrations in 218 Belgian elementary school girls by reduced rank regression (RRR). Hair minerals were quantitatively determined via inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry after microwave-assisted acid digestion of 6-cm long vertex posterior hair samples. The Children's Eating Habits Questionnaire-Food Frequency Questionnaire was used to obtain information on food consumption frequency of 43 food items in the month preceding hair collection. The established reference ranges were in line with data for other childhood or adolescent populations. The retained RRR factors explained 40, 50, 45, 46, 44 and 48% of the variation of Ca, Cu, Fe, Mg, P and Zn concentrations in hair, respectively. Although this study demonstrated that a large proportion of hair mineral variation may be influenced by food consumption frequencies in elementary school girls, a number of food groups known to be rich sources of minerals did not show a relation with certain hair minerals. Future research should focus on mechanisms and processes involved in mineral incorporation and accumulation in scalp hair, in order to fully understand the importance and influence of diet on hair minerals.

Association of School Nutrition Policy and Parental Control With Childhood Overweight

Schools and parents may play important roles in preventing childhood obesity by affecting children's behaviors related to energy balance. This study examined how school nutrition policy and parental control over children's eating and physical activity habits are associated with the children's overweight/obesity (hereafter overweight) status. Data were analyzed from a total of 246 pairs of children and parents who were recruited in the 2008-2009 academic year from 10 randomly selected public secondary schools in Indiana (school response rate = 66.7%; participant response rate = 73.5%). Logistic regression analyses were performed to examine odds ratios of different levels of school nutrition policies and parental control with and without adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics. Children who attended schools where soda pop (OR = 3.79, p < .01) and non-low-fat salty snacks (OR = 2.46, p = .05) could be purchased were more likely to be obese than those at schools where such items were not sold. Children whose parents rarely or never ensured that their child was avoiding eating too many sweets (OR = 2.33, p = .08), avoiding spending too much time watching TV (OR = 2.24, p = .06), or engaging in physical activity (OR = 2.35, p = .09) were more likely to be obese than children whose parents did so always or most of the time. School nutrition policy and parental control over children's eating and physical activity habits are associated with the children's overweight status.

How Fathers Influence Children's Eating Habits

Professor Alex McIntosh is the lead author of a study focused on children’s use of and time spent in fastfood and full-service restaurants. A result of the research was the fathers’ prevailing influence on where children ate—presumably from eating with the children in restaurants as well as modeling the behavior. Prof. McIntosh describes the study methods employed as well as why the researchers came to point to fathers in particular as an influence. Your recently published study 1 explores the influence of parental styles and work schedules on children’s use of and time spent in fast-food and full-service restaurants, could you give us a brief background on the study? Our study attempted to examine the impact of fathers’ and mothers’ income and time use over 2 days and employment experiences, parenting styles, and fam ily meal rituals on children’s eating habits, dietary intake over 3 days and risk of obesity. We also measured chil

Validation of a Food Frequency Questionnaire Designed for Children 10-12 Years: The Panacea-FFQ

Background and aims: The aim of the present work was to evaluate the validity of a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) that could be used for children aged 10-12 years living in urban areas in Greece. Methods: The semi-quantitative FFQ included questions regarding the frequency of consumption of the main food groups and beverages typically consumed in Greece, as well as questions regarding eating habits of children. During 2007, 125 children 10-12 years old recruited from randomly selected schools from Athens (overall mean age: 10.9±1.2 yrs, 38% boys) were studied. FFQs were completed by the children's parents and were compared with the 3-day dietary diary (3DD) records recorded also by them. Agreement of the FFQ with 3DD was evaluated using the Bland-Altman method, cross-classification analysis and Kendall's tau-b. Results: High percentage of agreement (i.e., >91%) between FFQ and 3DD according to the Bland and Altman method was found. Low but still significant agreement for refreshments /juices (tau-b=0.29, p=0.004),dairy products (tau-b=0.26, p< 0.001), starchy products (tau-b=0.13, p=0.057), vegetables (tau-b=0.23, p=0.006), fruits (tau-b=0.19, p=0.017), sweets/snacks (tau-b=0.14, p=0.057) and toasts/pizzas (tau-b=0.19, p=0.017) was also observed. Stratified analysis by gender and obesity status confirmed the high agreement of the two methods. Cross classification analysis of the FFQ and 3DD demonstrate moderate to very good percentages of correct classification ( range: 49% to 90.2%). Conclusions: The suggested FFQ seems to be a reasonably valid measure of dietary intake and can be used in children aged 10-12 years living in urban areas in Greece.

Eating and activity habits of overweight children on weekdays and weekends.

To determine whether eating, sedentary, and physical activity behaviors differ on weekdays and weekends in a sample of children who are overweight and obese. Eighty-one children aged 6-9 years old who were overweight or obese and enrolled in a weight management program completed three-day food diaries and three-day Previous Day Physical Activity Recalls (PDPARs) for two weekdays and one weekend day. All data were obtained at baseline prior to intervention delivery. Children consumed a greater percentage of calories from fat (t = 2.15, p = 0.04) and fewer fruits (t = 6.83, p < 0.001), vegetables (t = 2.91, p = 0.002), non-nutrient dense (NND) snack foods (t = 5.58, p < 0.001), and sweetened drinks (t = 2.91, p = 0.005) on weekends. Children watched more television (t = 5.25, p < 0.001), expended more energy (t = 4.37, p < 0.001), and spent a greater percentage of time in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (p < 0.001) on weekends compared to weekdays. Findings demonstrate a number of differences in children's eating and activity habits on weekends and weekdays. They also suggest that attending to differences in food intake and activity habits on weekdays and weekends separately may help to identify periods of high risk, which could be modified with effective intervention approaches. NCT00259324, NCT00200265.

Impression management on reality TV: Emotion in parental accounts

Parental responsibility and blame are central issues in discussions of children's health. When parents are confronted about their children's unhealthy lifestyles—as they are by a nutrition expert at the beginning of each episode of an intervention-based reality television show about improving child wellbeing, Honey We’re Killing the Kids—they must negotiate responsibility for their children's poor eating and exercise habits while simultaneously protecting their identities as competent parents. Drawing on theorizing on impression management and social accountability, I examine how 25 parents appearing on the show are depicted as responding to the expert's presentation of computer-generated projections, or visual hypothetical narratives, that show their children physically developing into overweight, unhealthy adults. In their responses to these future-oriented narratives, the parents use excuses and apologies to take responsibility in ways that attempt to save parental face and thereby repair their damaged identities. Specific linguistic and paralinguistic devices used include response cries, future-oriented non-conclusive verbs, statements of one's emotions, and emotional displays like crying. This study contributes to identifying forms and functions of parental accounting strategies on reality TV, and especially the role of emotion, while also advancing our understanding of how identity work is accomplished through narrative responses.

In Practice

With childhood obesity becoming a serious problem in the UK, schools are an important environment to influence food intake and to challenge food-related behaviour. The Food for Life Partnership is one project that has capitalised on the potential of schools to address the issue of childhood obesity and encourage children to have a healthy relationship with food. School dinners took on a very different meaning when Jamie Oliver launched his 'Feed Me Better' campaign in 2005. The Channel 4 TV series, brought to the public's attention (and consequently to the forefront of the political agenda) the worrying eating habits of children. Since the airing of the series efforts to address the problems highlighted have been stepped up, none with less ambition than the Food for Life Partnership (FFLP). The partnership is funded until December 2011 by the Big Lottery Fund. It encompasses four food focused charities who are committed to working together to transform food culture across a network of schools and communities in England. Led by the Soil Association, the UK's leading food charity, the scheme builds upon their Food for Life enterprise, founded in 2003, which was transformed after Jamie Oliver's influence on government policy. The partnership now also includes the Health Education Trust, Focus on Food Campaign and Garden Organic. All four organizations are focused on improving children's relationship with food in English schools. Food, health and education are intrinsically linked. Habits are developed from a young age and schools are captive environments which have the potential to shape the behaviour of every individual, regardless of social background. With current figures showing that one in four children aged between 2-10 years are overweight or obese and with The British Medical Association suggesting that by 2020 this will rise to one quarter of children being obese in the UK; the spotlight is now on schools to do something to reverse these worrying statistics. The FFLP has therefore been developed to ensure that schools are equipped to provide children with the healthiest possible start in life. The FFLP is a programme and award scheme to aid healthy and sustainable food choices. The award scheme has 3 levels (bronze, silver and gold) which schools can work towards to improve areas such as food quality and provenance, and food education. The scheme requires a school to have a food policy; an action plan; and a School Nutrition Action Group (SNAG), which is a steering group that includes representatives from the whole school community. Schools will then have access to help, advice and expertise and online resources. The FFLP aims to get children thinking positively about food, through teaching them how to cook; establishing farm links so that children understand where the food they eat comes from; and by encouraging children to grow their own food at school. Having a whole school approach means food education is covered across the entire curriculum. The Soil Association also works closely with school caterers and has established the Food for Life Catering Mark which ensures that school meals are fresh, wholesome and healthy, and form part of a balanced diet. The link between socioeconomic status and eating habits cannot be ignored and the project is also keen to ensure that children from deprived backgrounds are eating a nutritious and balanced diet. Of the children entitled to a free school meal in England, 20% choose not to have them. In FFLP schools, free school meal take-up has increased by 13 percentage points in two years in primary schools, and 20 percentage points in secondary schools.1 This is a particularly significant achievement since half of all FFLP schools are in areas with high levels of deprivation. FFLP is therefore closing the gap on social disadvantage through helping those who need it the most. So far the scheme has been a huge success with 3,800 schools currently enrolled on the programme. …

Reproducibility of food consumption frequencies derived from the Children's Eating Habits Questionnaire used in the IDEFICS study

To investigate the reproducibility of food consumption frequencies derived from the food frequency section of the Children's Eating Habits Questionnaire (CEHQ-FFQ) that was developed and used in the IDEFICS (Identification and prevention of dietary- and lifestyle-induced health effects in children and infants) project to assess food habits in 2- to 9-year-old European children. From a subsample of 258 children who participated in the IDEFICS baseline examination, parental questionnaires of the CEHQ were collected twice to assess reproducibility of questionnaire results from 0 to 354 days after the first examination. Weighted Cohen's kappa coefficients (κ) and Spearman's correlation coefficients (r) were calculated to assess agreement between the first and second questionnaires for each food item of the CEHQ-FFQ. Stratification was performed for sex, age group, geographical region and length of period between the first and second administrations. Fisher's Z transformation was applied to test correlation coefficients for significant differences between strata. For all food items analysed, weighted Cohen's kappa coefficients (κ) and Spearman's correlation coefficients (r) were significant and positive (P<0.001). Reproducibility was lowest for diet soft drinks (κ=0.23, r=0.32) and highest for sweetened milk (κ=0.68, r=0.76). Correlation coefficients were comparable to those of previous studies on FFQ reproducibility in children and adults. Stratification did not reveal systematic differences in reproducibility by sex and age group. Spearman's correlation coefficients differed significantly between northern and southern European countries for 10 food items. In nine of them, the lower respective coefficient was still high enough to conclude acceptable reproducibility. As expected, longer time (>128 days) between the first and second administrations resulted in a generally lower, yet still acceptable, reproducibility. Results indicate that the CEHQ-FFQ gives reproducible estimates of the consumption frequency of 43 food items from 14 food groups in European children.

Evaluation of the Children's Eating Habits Questionnaire used in the IDEFICS study by relating urinary calcium and potassium to milk consumption frequencies among European children

Measuring dietary intake in children is notoriously difficult. Therefore, it is crucial to evaluate the performance of dietary intake assessment methods in children. Given the important contribution of milk consumption to calcium (Ca) and potassium (K) intakes, urinary calcium (UCa) and potassium (UK) excretions in spot urine samples could be used for estimating correlations with milk consumption frequencies. The aim of this study was to evaluate the assessment of milk consumption frequencies derived from the Food Frequency Questionnaire section of the Children's Eating Habits Questionnaire (CEHQ-FFQ) used in the IDEFICS (Identification and prevention of dietary- and lifestyle induced health effects in children and infants) study by comparing with UCa and UK excretions in spot urine samples. This study was conducted as a setting-based community-oriented intervention study and results from the first cross-sectional survey have been included in the analysis. A total of 10,309 children aged 2-10 years from eight European countries are included in this analysis. UCa and UK excretions were measured in morning spot urine samples. Calcium and potassium urine concentrations were standardised for urinary creatinine (Cr) excretion. Ratios of UCa/Cr and UK/Cr were used for multivariate regression analyses after logarithmic transformation to obtain normal distributions of data. Milk consumption frequencies were obtained from the CEHQ-FFQ. Multivariate regression analyses were used to investigate the effect of milk consumption frequencies on UCa and UK concentrations, adjusting for age, gender, study centre, soft drink consumption and frequency of main meals consumed at home. A significant positive correlation was found between milk consumption frequencies and ratios of UK/Cr and a weaker but still significant positive correlation with ratios of UCa/Cr, when using crude or partial Spearman's correlations. Multivariate regression analyses showed that milk consumption frequencies were predictive of UCa/Cr and UK/Cr ratios, when adjusted for age, gender, study centre, soft drink consumption and frequency of main meals consumed at home. Mean ratios of UK/Cr for increasing milk consumption frequency tertiles showed a progressive increase in UK/Cr. Children consuming at least two milk servings per day had significantly higher mean UCa/Cr and UK/Cr ratios than children who did not. Large differences in correlations between milk consumption frequencies and ratios of UCa/Cr and UK/Cr were found between the different study centres. Higher milk consumption frequencies resulted in a progressive increase in UK/Cr and UCa/Cr ratios, reflecting the higher Ca and K intakes that coincide with increasing milk consumption, which constitutes a major K and Ca source in children's diet.

The effect of diet on children's mental performance: a study of the attitudes, knowledge and perceptions of UK parents

Nutrition is one of many factors that affect development of the brain and hence the mental performance of children; the latter term being used to describe a great variety of different brain-mediated functions and processes. The brain develops throughout childhood and an adequate diet is required for its optimal functioning and development(1). Consequently undernutrition has been associated with problems of cognition and behaviour, both on a short-term and long-term basis(2). To remain metabolically active the brain requires a constant supply of glucose as well as a range of other nutrients and both the nature of children’s diets and pattern of meal consumption may influence mental performance. Parents are responsible for the provision of food within the home and as such play a key role in the development of children’s food choices and eating behaviours(3,4). There is little published research on parent’s perceptions of the relationship between a child’s diet and their mental performance. The aim of the present qualitative study was to explore the attitudes, knowledge and perceptions of parents of the effect of diet on children’s development. Parents were recruited through a number of primary schools in the Guildford area. A semistructured interview schedule was used; topics included the effect of food on children’s wellbeing and development, the physical and mental effects of food and the short- and long-term effects of children’s diets. Further questions were asked about possible effects of specific foods, meals and supplements as well as the impact of what children eat in school on their performance. Analysis of the interviews identified a number of themes including the overarching relationship between diet and health. Parents spoke of the effects of diet in terms of physical, mental and behavioural outcomes, clearly distinguishing between what they perceived as positive and negative foods: ‘I’ve seen children’s behaviour different when they’ve eaten certain foods, like they get hyper when they have sweet stuff and drink sugary stuff and eat sweets and cakes’. Concentration was the aspect of mental performance most discussed by parents, being affected both by particular foods and by feelings of hunger: ‘I would imagine that if they’re hungry they will be tired, they’re not going to concentrate, they’re not going to do as well as they could do’. Parents attested to the importance of establishing good eating habits in childhood, as these habits would continue into adult life with implications for future health. The present study provides evidence of parents’ views on the effects of food on children’s performance. Further research is needed to examine the views of others with insights in relation to children’s development (e.g. teachers). This research is funded by the European Community’s 7th Framework Programme (FP7/2008–2013) under grant agreement no. 212652 (NUTRIMENTHE Project ‘The effect of diet on the mental performance of children’).

A Comparative Study of Parental Behaviors and Children's Eating Habits

Childhood obesity poses a serious threat to the health of our nation. Specifically, the preschool years (3-5 years of age) have been identified as a crucial time to study the determinants of childhood nutrition and obesity. This study investigated the body mass index (BMI) of children ages 3 to 5 years, as well as parenting behaviors and parenting styles and how they possibly influenced children's eating habits and overall BMIs. Results indicated there was a significant difference between parenting styles and children's eating habits, with authoritative parents labeling their children's eating habits as either very good or good and permissive parents labeling their children's eating habits as fair. In addition, results indicated a significant difference between parents' educational levels and personal BMIs. As parents' educational level increased, their BMI levels decreased.

Shortened Sleep Duration Is Associated With Pediatric Overweight

Increasing attention is being focused on potential risk factors that may lead to overweight in children and adolescents and that may, therefore, be important targets for intervention. Historically, children's eating and activity habits have received considerable attention in programmatic research targeted at prevention and treatment of overweight. However, more recent research has found that additional factors may play a role in this growing epidemic. Of particular interest is children's sleep duration. The goal of this article is to review research that has assessed the association between children's sleep duration and overweight risk in an attempt to uncover the potential role of sleep in the growing obesity epidemic. Although shortened sleep duration is associated with increased overweight in children, additional research is needed prior to recommending that children's sleep be increased as a means to address the current obesity epidemic.