Healthy Eating Behaviors Research Articles

Eating behaviour of homeless people aged 35–40 in Warsaw

The aim of this study was to assess the eating behaviour of homeless people who make use of emergency shelters or charitable food services and to compare them to the practices of people with a permanent residence. The research was carried out in Warsaw using a questionnaire consisting 50 questions among 600 participants aged 35–40; 300 of them were homeless, and 300 had a permanent residence. The eating behaviour of homeless people were significantly less healthy than those of the permanent residents in almost all aspects. Moreover, homeless participants only rarely paid attention to: food hygiene, believed that diet could affect their health, attempted to eat a healthy diet or paid attention to the nutritional value of food. On the positive side, they added salt to meals during cooking less frequently than permanent residents, and they also ate their main meals regularly at the same time every day. Though it seems possible that these two healthy eating behaviour may result from the constraints arising from reliance on external food services. Healthy eating behaviour among the homeless were accompanied by: having the correct weight, being female, and originating from the capital city. The questionnaire developed for the study was validated as a simple and precise tool for assessing the eating behaviour of homeless people.

P43 Partnering with 4-H and High School Culinary Club to Provide School-Based Nutrition Education to Engage Latino Youth in Teaching Cooking Classes to Younger Youth and Adapting Healthy Eating Behaviors

ObjectiveTo implement Teens as Teachers Cooking Academy Program (TAT CAP) to underrepresented adolescents and explore their experiences in teaching younger youth and how the experience influences their attitudes and behaviors around healthy eating.Use of Theory or ResearchHaving adolescents serve as teachers of younger children is a promising approach to support positive youth behaviors. Research showed that teenagers improved their teaching skills, social and emotional learning during cross-age teaching by role modeling and hands-on cooking experience. It empowers youth to make healthy food choices by increasing their self-efficacy. A limited program has been implemented and evaluated among Latino adolescents in a high school setting.Target AudienceLow-income Latino high school (HS) students who participated in Culinary Art Club.Program DescriptionThe TAT CAP was developed through the partnership between University of California (UC) 4-H, CalFresh, and a local HS. UC Extension staff and HS chef gave trainings to 25 Latino HS students for them to use evidence-based cooking curriculum to teach the elementary students how to cook. During the sessions, teen teachers went over nutrition-related topics, cooking demonstrations, and gave younger youth hands-on culinary experience.Evaluation MethodsA post-program teen teacher survey assessed their attitudes and behaviors towards healthy eating, self-efficacy in cooking and teaching, and their experience of being teen teachers.ResultsTwenty-five HS students attended TAT CAP program and 19 completed the post-program survey. Over 50% of participants reported they paid attention to how many fruits and vegetables they were eating, ate breakfast most of the days, and ate meals with families after the program; 78% had given their family ideas of healthy meals and snack; and 100% participants said they learned healthy food choices. On average, over 90% of youth were confident in safe cooking behaviors, making change to a recipe, and being a teen leader.ConclusionsTAT program suggested an engaging way for Latino teenagers to learn nutrition and empower them to role model healthy eating behaviors to younger youth. To implement Teens as Teachers Cooking Academy Program (TAT CAP) to underrepresented adolescents and explore their experiences in teaching younger youth and how the experience influences their attitudes and behaviors around healthy eating. Having adolescents serve as teachers of younger children is a promising approach to support positive youth behaviors. Research showed that teenagers improved their teaching skills, social and emotional learning during cross-age teaching by role modeling and hands-on cooking experience. It empowers youth to make healthy food choices by increasing their self-efficacy. A limited program has been implemented and evaluated among Latino adolescents in a high school setting. Low-income Latino high school (HS) students who participated in Culinary Art Club. The TAT CAP was developed through the partnership between University of California (UC) 4-H, CalFresh, and a local HS. UC Extension staff and HS chef gave trainings to 25 Latino HS students for them to use evidence-based cooking curriculum to teach the elementary students how to cook. During the sessions, teen teachers went over nutrition-related topics, cooking demonstrations, and gave younger youth hands-on culinary experience. A post-program teen teacher survey assessed their attitudes and behaviors towards healthy eating, self-efficacy in cooking and teaching, and their experience of being teen teachers. Twenty-five HS students attended TAT CAP program and 19 completed the post-program survey. Over 50% of participants reported they paid attention to how many fruits and vegetables they were eating, ate breakfast most of the days, and ate meals with families after the program; 78% had given their family ideas of healthy meals and snack; and 100% participants said they learned healthy food choices. On average, over 90% of youth were confident in safe cooking behaviors, making change to a recipe, and being a teen leader. TAT program suggested an engaging way for Latino teenagers to learn nutrition and empower them to role model healthy eating behaviors to younger youth.

Investigation of Eating Behaviors in Young Wrestlers

The aim of this study is investigate the behaviors of young wrestlers. The scale of eating behavior was completed by 210 young wrestlers. T-test was used for statistical procedures. Average age of females were 17.52 and males were 17.90 in young wrestlers who participated in the study. There were statistically significant differences between both healthy eating behavior scores and unhealthy eating behavior scores of female and male wrestlers according to gender (p <0.05). According to gender, female and male students' eating behaviors find statistically different (p< 0.05). Significant differences were found in healthy and unhealthy eating behavior scores of young wrestlers according to their weight reduction status (p <0.001). Healthy eating behavior scores were significantly higher in those who sometimes lost weight in research than those who often lost weight. Unhealthy eating behavior is higher in those who frequently lose weight. Eating behaviors were sometimes 168.14 in those who lost weight and 143.32 in those who often lost weight. Healthy and unhealthy eating behaviors of young wrestlers change according to gender. Eating behaviors of those who have frequently lost weight are sometimes found to be worse than those who have lost weight. Support should be given to nutrition of young wrestlers, especially during the stages of weight reduction.

O21 Initial Evaluation of Louisiana's “Small Changes/Healthy Habits” Pilot Program

Objective To conduct an initial evaluation of the effectiveness of the Small Changes/Healthy Habits (SCHH) community-based nutrition education curriculum on key food and physical activity behaviors among adults in Louisiana. Use of Theory or Research The SCHH curriculum is designed to influence the initiation and transition of small, healthy behavior goals into routine automatic behaviors (habits). It utilizes principles of the Transtheoretical Model and of habit formation models. Target Audience The evaluation targeted adults from all regions of Louisiana, who participated in the SCHH pilot and agreed to participate in the program evaluation. Program Description The SCHH curriculum is a four-part, hands-on series covering small goal setting and habit formation techniques; the home food environment; food labels and grocery store tour; and food preparation (knife/cooking skills). It was developed through the LSU AgCenter and piloted by AgCenter nutrition agents. Evaluation Methods For this section of the evaluation, a pre/post survey was developed and used to track short-term changes in eating, food-related, and physical activity behaviors of participants. Data is self-reported. Results Pre/post surveys were collected from 47 participants. This group was 86% White, 14% Black; 89% rural; 83% female; and 90% >50 years. Using the behavior improvement index, this group reported increases in consumption of vegetables (0.44), fruits (1.15), whole grains (0.17), and decreased soda intake (0.17). There were increases in frequency of label reading (29%), confidence to prepare healthy food (36%), and a decrease in consumption of meals prepared outside the home (27%). Participants increased physical activity by 9 minutes/day. All participants rated the program as “very good” or “excellent” and would recommend it to others. Conclusion The SCHH evaluation suggests that the program effectively influences healthy eating and physical activity behaviors. A larger pilot and longer-term evaluation will help predict influence on development of healthier lifestyles within our communities. Funding None.

The role of executive functioning on the intention-behaviour relationship of health behaviours: a temporal self-regulatory perspective

Objective The current study employed the Temporal Self-Regulation theory (TST) to determine if self-regulatory capacity and prepotent behaviour moderate the relationship between intention and health behaviours (i.e., physical activity, and healthy eating) in college students. Design 220 students were surveyed across two time points to assess past/intended behaviour (Time 1) and follow-up behaviour (Time 2). Main Outcome Measures To address limitations in previous research, self-regulatory capacity was assessed using an ecologically valid rating scale (Barkley Deficits in Executive Functioning Scale). Multi-item assessment measures were utilised for physical activity (International Physical Activity Questionnaire) and healthy eating (All-Day Screener) behaviours. Results A link between intention and follow-up behaviour was established and executive functioning (EF) and past behaviours were positively associated with follow-up behaviour. EF had no unique moderation effects on health behaviours, but combinations of Low, Moderate, and High levels of past behaviour and EF demonstrated moderation for physical activity and healthy eating. Conclusion This study demonstrated the utility of the TST in predicting health behaviour and emphasised the mutual necessity of EF and past behaviour in understanding the intention-behaviour relationship. Findings can be used to formulate studies and interventions that reduce barriers to health behaviours, therefore, lessening the need for high self-regulatory abilities.

Prediction of the Influential Factors on Eating Behaviors: A Hybrid Model of Structural Equation Modelling-Artificial Neural Networks.

The importance of eating behavior risk factors in the primary prevention of obesity has been established. Researchers mostly use the linear model to determine associations among these risk factors. However, in reality, the presence of nonlinearity among these factors causes a bias in the prediction models. The aim of this study was to explore the potential of a hybrid model to predict the eating behaviors. The hybrid model of structural equation modelling (SEM) and artificial neural networks (ANN) was applied to evaluate the prediction model. The SEM analysis was used to check the relationship of the emotional eating scale (EES), body shape concern (BSC), and body appreciation scale (BAS) and their effect on different categories of eating behavior patterns (EBP). In the second step, the input and output required for ANN analysis were obtained from SEM analysis and were applied in the neural network model. 340 university students participated in this study. The hybrid model (SEM-ANN) was conducted using multilayer perceptron (MLP) with feed-forward network topology. Moreover, Levenberg–Marquardt, which is a supervised learning model, was applied as a learning method for MLP training. The tangent/sigmoid function was used for the input layer, while the linear function was applied for the output layer. The coefficient of determination (R2) and mean square error (MSE) were calculated. Using the hybrid model, the optimal network happened at MLP 3-17-8. It was proved that the hybrid model was superior to SEM methods because the R2 of the model was increased by 27%, while the MSE was decreased by 9.6%. Moreover, it was found that BSC, BAS, and EES significantly affected healthy and unhealthy eating behavior patterns. Thus, a hybrid approach could be suggested as a significant methodological contribution from a machine learning standpoint, and it can be implemented as software to predict models with the highest accuracy.

Pilot test of an interactive obesity treatment approach among employed adults in a university medical billing office

BackgroundThere is a need for workplace programs promoting healthy eating and activity that reach low-wage employees and are scalable beyond the study site. Interventions designed with dissemination in mind aim to utilize minimal resources and to fit within existing systems. Technology-based interventions have the potential to promote healthy behaviors and to be sustainable as well as scalable. We developed an interactive obesity treatment approach (iOTA), to be delivered by SMS text messaging, and therefore accessible to a broad population. The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate participant engagement with, and acceptability of, this iOTA to promote healthy eating and activity behaviors among low-wage workers with obesity.MethodsTwenty participants (self-reporting body mass index ≥ 30 kg/m2) of a single workgroup employed by a university medical practice billing office had access to the full intervention and study measures and provided feedback on the experience. Height and weight were measured by trained research staff at baseline. Each participant was offered a quarterly session with a health coach. Measured weight and a self-administered survey, including dietary and activity behaviors, were also collected at baseline, 3, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months. Participant engagement was assessed through responsiveness to iOTA SMS text messages throughout the 24-month pilot. A survey measure was used to assess satisfaction with iOTA at 3 months. Due to the small sample size and pilot nature of the current study, we conducted descriptive analyses. Engagement, weight change, and duration remaining in coaching are presented individually for each study participant.ResultsThe pilot was originally intended to last 3 months, but nearly all participants requested to continue; we thus continued for 24 months. Most (14/20) participants remained in coaching for 24 months. At the 3-month follow-up, eight (47%) of the remaining 17 participants had lost weight; by 24 months, five (36%) of the remaining 14 participants had lost weight (one had bariatric surgery). Participants reported very high satisfaction.ConclusionsThis pilot provides important preliminary results on acceptability and participant engagement with iOTA, which has significant potential for dissemination and sustainability.

Nutritional Education and Promotion of Healthy Eating Behaviors Among Mexican Children Through Video Games: Design and Pilot Test of FoodRateMaster

BackgroundChildhood obesity has risen dramatically in recent decades, reaching epidemic levels. Children need guidance on and support for maintaining a healthy diet and physical activity to ensure that they grow appropriately and develop healthy eating habits. Serious video games have shown positive effects on promoting the nutritional knowledge, and eating attitudes and behaviors of children; however, research about the usefulness of such games with younger children (8-10 years old) is sparse.ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to design and test the serious video game FoodRateMaster targeting children between 8 and 10 years old. The game includes nutritional information and behavior change techniques to help children improve their knowledge of healthy and unhealthy foods, increase their intake of healthy food, and reduce their intake of ultraprocessed food. In addition, FoodRateMaster was designed as an active game to promote physical activity.MethodsAn interdisciplinary team developed FoodRateMaster following an iterative methodology based on a user-centered design. A total of 60 participants (mean age 9 years, SD 0.8; 53% male) completed 12 individual gaming sessions in 6 weeks. A food knowledge questionnaire and a food frequency questionnaire were completed before and after game play. In addition, 39 of the participants’ parents answered a parent perception questionnaire after the game play.ResultsParticipants showed increased food knowledge from pregame (mean 56.9, SD 10.7) to postgame play (mean 67.8, SD 10.7; P<.001). In addition, there was a greater self-reported frequency in the consumption of cauliflower and broccoli (P<.001) and corn quesadillas (P<.001). They also indicated a lower self-reported intake of 10 unhealthy foods, including french fries (P=.003), candy and chocolate (P<.001), sweet soft cakes (P=.009), and soft drinks (P=.03). Moreover, most of the parents who answered the parent perception questionnaire agreed that their children showed greater interest in explaining why they should avoid some unhealthy foods (67%, 26/39), in distinguishing between healthy and unhealthy foods (64%, 25/39), and in the intake of fruits (64%, 25/39) and vegetables (59%, 23/39). Finally, 14 parents stated that they introduced some changes in their children's diet based on the comments and suggestions they received from their children.ConclusionsIn an initial evaluation, children between 8 and 10 years old indicated an increased level in nutritional knowledge and their self-reported frequency intake of two healthy foods, and a decreased level in their self-reported intake of 10 unhealthy foods after playing FoodRateMaster. Moreover, the participants’ parents agreed that FoodRateMaster positively influenced their children’s attitudes toward several healthy eating behaviors. These results support that health games such as FoodRateMaster are viable tools to help young children increase their food knowledge and improve dietary behaviors. A follow-up randomized controlled trial will be conducted to assess the medium- and long-term effects of FoodRateMaster.

Development and piloting of a Checklist for healthy eating And Physical Activity in the Workplace (CEPAW).

To develop and pilot a tool that assesses the infrastructure and policy workplace environment characteristics that may influence employee healthy eating and physical activity behaviours. A checklist was developed with reference to prior tools and piloted at eight worksites. Piloting of the tool demonstrated that it was generally feasible to use, took 1-2 hours to complete and appeared sensitive to differences between workplace environment characteristics. Refinement of the tool occurred after piloting. The final 21-item checklist contains sub-scores capturing policy, infrastructure, healthy eating and physical activity characteristics. This new checklist overcomes some limitations of pre-existing tools as it explicitly considers policy and is short, inexpensive and can be used by workplaces for self-assessment and by health promotion professionals in evaluation studies or as an intervention tool.

Cognitive Restructuring vs. Defusion: Impact on craving, healthy and unhealthy food intake

Coping with food cravings is crucial for weight management. Individuals tend to use avoidance strategies to resist food cravings and prevent overeating, but such strategies may not result in the benefits sought. This study compared the effects of two cognitive techniques (Restructuring vs. Defusion) for dealing with food cravings in terms of their impact on healthy vs. unhealthy eating behavior (i.e., consumption of chocolate and/or carrots following the intervention). Sixty-five participants (Mage = 19.65 years) received either a 30-minute face-to-face instruction on cognitive restructuring (CR) or cognitive defusion (CD) along with 15 min of practice, or 45 min of obesity education and discussion (control). To examine craving and eating choices following the intervention, participants received bags of chocolate and carrots and were asked to carry these with them at all times over the next week, exchanging the bags every 2 days. Participants in the CD group ate fewer chocolates (M = 11.74) compared to CR (M = 17.06) and Control groups (M = 29.18) during the experimental week. The groups did not differ in number of carrot pieces eaten, though the CD group ate more carrots than chocolates. CD resulted in fewer self-reported cravings compared to CR and CO groups. At a final taste test, both CD and CR groups ate significantly fewer chocolates compared to the CO group. CD appears to be an effective technique in managing food craving and to present some advantages over CR.

The US Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program - Education improves nutrition-related behaviors.

The aim of this study was to measure whether participating in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program - Education (SNAP-Ed) interventions is associated with changes in meeting recommendations for healthy eating and food resource management behaviours, such as shopping, among low-income children, adolescents, and adults in eight states in the US Southeast. The study used a one-group pre-test post-test design, analysing aggregate data on nutrition and shopping behaviours collected during Federal Fiscal Year 17 from SNAP-Ed direct education in community settings. Twenty-five implementing agencies in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee provided aggregated data on program participants. Because survey questions differed, agencies followed standard recoding guidelines. The number of participants varied depending on the indicator; the maximum number was n 43 303 pre-tests, n 43 256 post-test. Participants were significantly more likely to consume more than one kind of fruit (pooled relative risk (RR), 1⋅10; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1⋅09-1⋅11) and more than one kind of vegetable (pooled RR, 1⋅14; 95% CI, 1⋅12-1⋅15) after the intervention than before. On average, participants consumed 0⋅34 cups more of fruit per day (95% CI, 0⋅31-0⋅37), and 0⋅22 cups more of vegetables per day (95% CI, 0⋅19-0⋅25) after the intervention, compared to before. About 701 policy, systems, and environmental changes for nutrition supports were reported. This study suggests that SNAP-Ed direct education is associated with positive behaviour changes in the US Southeast. It provides a methodology that can inform data aggregation efforts across unique SNAP-Ed programs or other similar nutrition education programs to report on the collective impact.

The equitable reach of a universal, multisector childhood obesity prevention program (Live Life Well @ School) in Australian primary schools.

The Live Life Well @ School program aims to establish, reinforce and support primary school students (aged 5-11 years) and their families to adopt healthy eating and physical activity behaviours through the implementation of an evidence-based program that focuses on the school curriculum, the school food and physical activity environment, and teacher professional development. This paper examines Live Life Well @ School monitoring data to provide practical insights into program adoption and changes in primary school environments across NSW, particularly in schools characterised as disadvantaged. Type of program: The Live Life Well @ School program provides a universally delivered, state-wide approach to childhood obesity prevention in the primary school setting. The program is a joint initiative between health and education sector agencies. The program includes health promotion strategies for primary schools relating to physical activity and nutrition. Adoption of the program is indicated by achievement of evidence-based desirable practices, which are monitored routinely by local health promotion staff using a purpose-built online Population Health Information Management System. Monitoring data are used to provide feedback to schools and identify a staged approach to achieving more desirable practices. Health promotion staff tailor support locally to suit school and community needs, and have additional funding to support socio-economically disadvantaged schools. The program has achieved high reach to schools (82.7%percnt; of the 2570 schools in New South Wales, Australia). Adoption of desirable practices within schools participating in 2017 was 72.9%percnt;. Equitable reach was achieved for schools in areas of socio-economic disadvantage, schools in remote areas and schools with a high propotion of Aboriginal students, who are likely to have higher rates of childhood overweight and obesity. Curriculum-based strategies were more frequently adopted; environmental changes and teacher professional development components were less well adopted. The desirable practice approach allows health promotion officers to tailor support by building on school strengths and taking a staged approach to change. Ongoing monitoring of the program provides useful insights that inform quality improvements to the program and implementation process, as well as information on progress towards outcomes. State-wide program targets were adjusted to strengthen impact and focus on desirable practices that were less well achieved. Intentional targeting and tailoring in areas of disadvantage are required to achieve equitable adoption of such a universal health promotion program. Strong relationships at the local level between school champions (teachers and principals) and health promotion staff characterise success.

Effect of Cooking Classes on Healthy Eating Behavior Among College Students

Many college students lack the ability to choose and/or prepare healthy meals, with consequences of convenient, but unhealthy food choices. The objective of this feasibility project was to determine whether cooking classes for college students would improve knowledge and behavior to eat healthfully and practice food safety. A series of 3 cooking classes was provided to students, focusing on simple, healthy recipes with inclusion of food safety education and nutrition instruction. Pre- and posttest surveys assessed nutrition knowledge; frequency of healthy eating; confidence, ability, and cooking frequency; and food safety knowledge. The classes were effective in increasing nutrition knowledge, cooking confidence, and ability, according to posttest surveys.

How Teachers Perceive Healthy Eating and Physical Activity of Primary School Children

Raising healthy individuals is a sine qua non of education. Healthy eating plays an important role in the development of children. Childhood is a key period for acquiring and sustaining lifelong healthy eating and physical activity habits. Hence, the main purpose of this study is to evaluate the healthy eating and physical activity behaviors of primary school children from the perspective of teachers. We use Bronfenbrenner's social ecological model as our conceptual framework to take into account the multi-layered structure of the issue at hand, examining the chronosystem, policies, institutions, interpersonal relationships and individual factors. Based on maximum diversity sampling, a total of 11 teachers were interviewed from six Turkish schools at different socio-economic levels. The data were analyzed using descriptive and content analysis methods. Attributes related to consumer society impact the implications of school policies. Even with mandated changes at the local and national policy levels to increase the availability of healthy food at school canteens, children have easy access to and an appetite for unhealthy foods. Policy decisions are closely related to school conditions as well as parental, peers and teacher profiles. The present study underscores the multi-dimensional nature of school health-promoting policies with a holistic perspective.

Effects of a behavioural approach on lifestyle habits: a before-after interventional study

Abstract The study aimed to offer a path of empowerment to promote adherence to healthy diets and physical activity for cancer prevention,according to the recommendations of the World Cancer Research Fund (2007): 5 servings per day of fruit / vegetables, protective food (EVO, green tea, cruciferous, turmeric, dried fruit), practicing at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity. Participants were volunteers between 18 - 70 years old divided in groups of 25/30 people. They followed a course of 7 theoretical and practical meetings (lifestyles, resilience and cooking workshops) and they signed a contract to comply with the promoted habits, which were verified through questionnaires administered during the engagement phase (T0), three months after the beginning of the course (T1) and one year after (T2). Six editions (2014-2017) were made for a total of 153 subjects involved (75% women, average age 54 years old). Of these, 116 eligible subjects (76%) were also evaluated at T1 and 63 volunteers (41.7%) at T2. With respect to the dropped out rate, 24% of the subjects left the study prior T1, while 45% of volunteers left it prior T2. The established goal (40% expected target) was accomplished and excided the expectation, since more than 80% of the subjects involved at T1 achieved an improvement in healthy diet (increased consumption of vegetables and fruit, daily consumption of at least one food with antioxidant action) and physical activity (at least 30 minutes a day). Furthermore the 77% of T1 compliants (50% expected goal) retained healthy eating and healthy motor behaviors even after a year (T2). The proposed path of empowerment positively affected nutrition and promotion of physical activity at 3 months after the intervention (T1) and were maintained even after a year. The latter result was partly scale down by a high drop out. The path of empowerment, appropriately adapted, can complete the diagnostic therapeutic pathways for breast cancer and colon cancer survivors. Key messages People are easier involved in empowerment paths aimed at fighting a single disease, for example cancer, but good results can be achieved simultaneously for all non-communicable diseases. Motivational communication for healthy eating, physical activity and stress prevention must become an integral part of the therapeutic diagnostic pathways of cancers and non-communicable diseases.

The Mediator and/or Moderator Role of Complexity of Knowledge about Healthy Eating and Self-Regulated Behavior on the Relation between Family's Income and Children's Obesity.

Childhood obesity rates have been increasing over the years and is considered one of the most serious public health problems of the century. Low socioeconomic status has been associated with a higher body mass index. However, the pathways underlying this complex relationship are poorly understood. This study aimed to evaluate the possible mediation and/or moderation effects of complexity of knowledge about healthy eating, and self-regulation processes towards healthy eating, in the association between family’s income and weight of elementary school age children. The results showed that complexity of knowledge does not mediate the relationship between socioeconomic status and weight. Still, whenever the levels of complexity of knowledge and self-regulation are high, there is a moderation effect of complexity of knowledge on the relationship between family’s income and weight, conditioned by self-regulation scores. These promising findings support the idea that knowledge about healthy eating in isolation could be insufficient for practicing a healthy diet and underline the relevance of combining transmission of knowledge with training in specific competences (e.g., self-regulation strategies). Considering that complexity of knowledge about healthy eating and self-regulation strategies are interrelated and can be both improved, future preventive interventions could consider incorporating both in their design to mitigate childhood obesity.

Primary caregiving grandmothers’ perspectives of grandchildren's healthy lifestyle behaviours: a qualitative study

ABSTRACT Primary caregiving grandparents can play an important role in young children's development including the development of healthy lifestyle behaviours. This study aimed to gain insight into the perspectives of primary caregiving grandparents regarding the promotion of healthy eating and activity behaviours in their 1–7-year-old grandchildren. Semi-structured interviews (45–90 min) were conducted with primary caregiving grandmothers (n = 7). Interviews investigated grandmothers' beliefs, knowledge, perception of their capacity, confidence, ability, and the barriers and facilitators to promoting healthy lifestyle behaviours in their grandchildren. Thematic analysis revealed four themes: (1) Influence of past experiences on grandparenting; (2) Grandparenting role and responsibility; (3) Intrinsic drivers of grandparenting; and (4) Confidence and capacity to grandparent. Grandmothers adopted a different and improved parenting approach with their grandchildren based on their life experiences and high sense of responsibility to improve their grandchildren's wellbeing. They expressed a high perceived level of knowledge and confidence in their ability to promote healthy lifestyle behaviours in their grandchildren, and demonstrated positive attitudes and practices towards healthy eating and physical activity. Additional support was inconsistently desired. Further research is necessary to identify priorities and suitable intervention strategies supported by policy development to enhance the health and wellbeing of grandparent carers and their grandchildren.

A Digital Intervention for Australian Adolescents Above a Healthy Weight (Health Online for Teens): Protocol for an Implementation and User Experience Study.

BackgroundMore than one-fourth of Australian adolescents are overweight or obese, with obesity in adolescents strongly persisting into adulthood. Recent evidence suggests that the mid-teen years present a final window of opportunity to prevent irreversible damage to the cardiovascular system. As lifestyle behaviors may change with increased autonomy during adolescence, this life stage is an ideal time to intervene and promote healthy eating and physical activity behaviors, well-being, and self-esteem. As teenagers are prolific users and innate adopters of new technologies, app-based programs may be suitable for the promotion of healthy lifestyle behaviors and goal setting training.ObjectiveThis study aims to explore the reach, engagement, user experience, and satisfaction of the new app-based and Web-based Health Online for Teens (HOT) program in a sample of Australian adolescents above a healthy weight (ie, overweight or obese) and their parents.MethodsHOT is a 14-week program for adolescents and their parents. The program is delivered online through the Moodle app–based and website-based learning environment and aims to promote adolescents’ lifestyle behavior change in line with Australian Dietary Guidelines and Australia’s Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour Guidelines for Young People (aged 13-17 years). HOT aims to build parental and peer support during the program to support adolescents with healthy lifestyle behavior change.ResultsData collection for this study is ongoing. To date, 35 adolescents and their parents have participated in one of 3 groups.ConclusionsHOT is a new online-only program for Australian adolescents and their parents that aims to reduce cardiovascular disease risk factors. This protocol paper describes the HOT program in detail, along with the methods to measure reach, outcomes, engagement, user experiences, and program satisfaction.Trial RegistrationAustralian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12618000465257; https://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=374771International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)DERR1-10.2196/13340

Nutritious or Delicious?

Unhealthy eating habits involving the consumption of highly-palatable energy-dense foods are a major contributor to weight gain its associated health conditions. Consumption of these “unhealthy” items continues to be common despite ongoing efforts for promoting healthy-eating behavior. However, relatively little is known about the factors that lead to the consumption of unhealthy foods. Prior research has shown that states of hunger influence the desire to eat without changing the perception or enjoyment of food items. The present study utilized an online-survey which asked participants to rate foods according to the items’ palatability, likelihood of being consumed, and healthiness. Demographic and bodily state information was also collected. The results of this study demonstrate that, in college students, a state of hunger biases the selection (“wanting”) of foods toward highly-palatable (“tasty”) food items. However, this finding was not observed in data gathered from a sample of older adults affiliated with a health and fitness organization. Collectively, this may suggest that age, education, or increased health-awareness can influence the preference for high-palatable foods that occurs when individuals are hungry.&#x0D;

A randomized controlled trial for overweight and obesity in preschoolers: the More and Less Europe study\xa0- an intervention within the STOP project

BackgroundChildhood overweight and obesity is a serious public health issue with an increase being observed in preschool-aged children. Treating childhood obesity is difficult and few countries use standardized treatments. Therefore, there is a need to find effective approaches that are feasible for both health care providers and families. Thus, the overall aim of this study is to assess the acceptance and effectiveness of a parent support program (the More and Less, ML) for the management of overweight and obesity followed by a mobile health (mHealth) program (the MINISTOP application) in a socially diverse population of families.Methods/designA two-arm, parallel design randomized controlled trial in 300 2-to 6-year-old children with overweight and obesity from Romania, Spain and Sweden (n = 100 from each). Following baseline assessments children are randomized into the intervention or control group in a 1:1 ratio. The intervention, the ML program, consists of 10-weekly group sessions which focus on evidence-based parenting practices, followed by the previously validated MINISTOP application for 6-months to support healthy eating and physical activity behaviors. The primary outcome is change in body mass index (BMI) z-score after 9-months and secondary outcomes include: waist circumference, eating behavior (Child Eating Behavior Questionnaire), parenting behavior (Comprehensive Feeding Practices Questionnaire), physical activity (ActiGraph wGT3x-BT), dietary patterns (based on metabolic markers from urine and 24 h dietary recalls), epigenetic and gut hormones (fasting blood samples), and the overall acceptance of the overweight and obesity management in young children (semi-structured interviews). Outcomes are measured at baseline and after: 10-weeks (only BMI z-score, waist circumference), 9-months (all outcomes), 15- and 21-months (all outcomes except physical activity, dietary patterns, epigenetics and gut hormones) post-baseline.DiscussionThis study will evaluate a parent support program for weight management in young children in three European countries. To boost the effect of the ML program the families will be supported by an app for 6-months. If the program is found to be effective, it has the potential to be implemented into routine care to reduce overweight and obesity in young children and the app could prove to be a viable option for sustained effects of the care provided.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT03800823; 11 Jan 2019.