Unhealthy Dietary Behaviors Research Articles

Abstract PO-010: Clustering of prostate cancer risk behaviors in West African men: The familial cohort study

Abstract Background: The risk of developing prostate cancer (CaP) is higher in Black Africans compared to non-Hispanic whites. Smoking, alcohol consumption, Unhealthy dietary behavior (consumption of high fat, sugar and salt diets) and chronic exposure to pesticides have been strongly associated with the risk of CaP. However, there is scarcity of information on clustering pattern of these risk behaviors among African men. Specific Aim(s)/Methods: Cross-sectional data of 500 West-African Black men representative from the Prostate Cancer Familial Cohort Study was analyzed. Two- step cluster analysis was used to identify cluster groups and multinomial logistic regression analysis was used to determine the association between behavioral risk factors and socio-demographic data. Results: The mean (95% CI) age and years spent in school were 47.93(47.05, 48.82) and 14.11(13.41, 14.80). The prevalence of smoking, alcohol drinking, chronic pesticide exposure and unhealthy diet was 26.2%, 44.7%, 39.0% and 82.4% respectively. Men of ages 35-34 years consumed High fat, sugar and salt (HFSS) diet most frequently. Most (96.6%) of the respondents were involved in at least one CaP risk behavior. Eleven clusters were identified in the clustering analysis, 3.4% had no risk, 24.4% had single risk behavior, 48.8% had double risk behaviors and 23.4% had multiple risk behaviors. Men with uncompleted college education were more likely to have multiple risk behaviors. Nigerian men were more likely to smoke or consume alcohol in addition to HFSS dietary intake. Men with Chronic exposure to pesticide consuming HFSS diet and/or smoking were more likely to have low body mass index. Cameroon men were more likely to have chronic exposure to pesticide in addition to HFSS diet intake and/or smoking. Conclusion: Policies and Behavior change interventions focused on double and multiple risk behaviors for CaP with consideration for socio-demoographic differences is essential for reducing the risk of CaP in Black men. Citation Format: Oluwafunke Akinbule, Catherine Oladoyinbo, Opeyemi Bolajoko. Clustering of prostate cancer risk behaviors in West African men: The familial cohort study [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Virtual Conference: Thirteenth AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2020 Oct 2-4. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2020;29(12 Suppl):Abstract nr PO-010.

Personalized nutrition approach in pediatrics: a narrative review.

Dietary habits represent the main determinant of health. Although extensive research has been conducted to modify unhealthy dietary behaviors across the lifespan, obesity and obesity-associated comorbidities are increasingly observed worldwide. Individually tailored interventions are nowadays considered a promising frontier for nutritional research. In this narrative review, the technologies of importance in a pediatric clinical setting are discussed. The first determinant of the dietary balance is represented by energy intakes matching individual needs. Most emerging studies highlight the opportunity to reconsider the widely used prediction equations of resting energy expenditure. Artificial Neural Network approaches may help to disentangle the role of single contributors to energy expenditure. Artificial intelligence is also useful in the prediction of the glycemic response, based on the individual microbiome. Other factors further concurring to define individually tailored nutritional needs are metabolomics and nutrigenomic. Since most available data come from studies in adult groups, new efforts should now be addressed to integrate all these aspects to develop comprehensive and-above all-effective interventions for children. IMPACT: Personalized dietary advice, specific to individuals, should be more effective in the prevention of chronic diseases than general recommendations about diet. Artificial Neural Networks algorithms are technologies of importance in a pediatric setting that may help practitioners to provide personalized nutrition. Other approaches to personalized nutrition, while promising in adults and for basic research, are still far from practical application in pediatrics.

The Impact of Alcohol Consumption on Food Choice Among College Students

Although the associations between the consumption of alcohol, unhealthy foods, and obesity are known, there is no consensus on the mechanisms involved. Previous research demonstrates that the type of foods available during the peak times for alcohol consumption differ from those available at other times. Advertisements targeting college students indicate an awareness of increased cravings for “junk foods” following alcohol consumption, however there is no previous research on how alcohol consumption affects actual dietary choices differentially by type of food, in comparison to non-alcohol related food consumption. The current study demonstrates that college students’ food cravings increase, consumption of fruits and vegetables is lower, and consumption of junk foods is higher with alcohol consumption than at other times. Respondents reported eating something that they were craving the majority (57%) of the time; however, on average they ate something healthier than what they were craving 27% of the time. These findings help to clarify the behavioral mechanisms underlying the relationship between alcohol consumption, unhealthy dietary behaviors, and obesity.

Adolescents' views on high school food environments.

This study explored adolescents' views on high school food environments and potential strategies to help them to make informed food choices. Fifteen focus groups were conducted with 131 adolescents aged 12-17years from three high schools in South East Queensland, Australia. Adolescents were asked how their school food environment (dis)encouraged them to eat healthy and what schools could do to help them eat healthier. All focus groups were audio recorded. Data were analysed using content and thematic data analysis methods. Four major themes emerged: food availability and affordability; food related policy and regulations; nutrition education; and attitudes, preferences and practices. Adolescents stated that nutrition education within the school curriculum and positive role modelling by peers and school staff in healthy eating were the major factors in helping them to make informed food choices. In contrast, high availability, affordability, fundraising, peer pressure, positive attitudes and negative role modelling towards unhealthy foods impacted unhealthy dietary behaviours. Emerging results indicate that adolescents do not perceive the current high school food environments as helping them to make healthy food choices. Adolescents suggested limiting unhealthy foods in high schools by implementing strict food and beverage policies, compulsory nutrition education classes and changing attitudes towards healthy foods as strategies to improve high school food environments. SO WHAT?: This study highlights the importance of high school food environments in impacting adolescents' food choices. Strategies identified by adolescents inform public health practitioners and school authorities on how high school food environments could be tailored to help them in making better food choices.

Urban environment and dietary behaviours as perceived by residents living in socioeconomically diverse neighbourhoods: A qualitative study in a Mediterranean context

Scholars have determined that low socioeconomic status (SES) is associated with unhealthy dietary behaviours and that local food environments shape food inequality. Less is known about how residents' perceptions of their food environment affect their dietary behaviours. We conducted 37 semistructured interviews and 29 focus groups in three socioeconomically distinct neighbourhoods in Madrid. We identified the following main categories related to social and physical food environments: (a) perceptions of healthy and unhealthy dietary behaviours, (b) children's relationships with food, (c) precariousness and (d) residential food retailer types. Older adults were perceived as healthier consumers, whereas younger people were identified as fast-food consumers. In the low- and middle-SES neighbourhoods, residents saw home-cooked legume-based stews as healthy food. In the high-SES neighbourhood, television cooking programs were highlighted as a positive influence. In the low- and middle-SES neighbourhoods, grandparents played an essential role in the transmission of healthy eating habits to their grandchildren. In the high-SES neighbourhood, children's diets at home were determined by school menus. In the low- and middle-SES neighbourhoods, participants talked about a black market where food could be purchased. Food retailers with low-quality foods were also highlighted. In all neighbourhoods, residents missed traditional food stores, and in the low- and middle-SES neighbourhoods, immigrant-run food stores were not well accepted. Our study presents the concepts shaping how neighbourhood SES differences affect dietary behaviours according to residents of a large Mediterranean city.

Lifestyle behaviors changes during the COVID-19 pandemic quarantine among 6,881 Brazilian adults with depression and 35,143 without depression

Our aim was to analyze the association between previously diagnosed lifetime depression and changes in physical activity (PA), TV-viewing, consumption of fruits and vegetables as well as frequency of ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption. Data of 41,923 Brazilian adults (6,881 with depression and 35,042 without depression) were used. Participants reported PA (≥ 150 min/week), TV-viewing (≥ 4 h/day), frequency of eating fruits or vegetables (≤ 4 days/week) and UPF (≥ 5 days/week). For incidence indicators, we only considered participants without the risk behavior before the quarantine. People without and with depression presented, respectively, incidence of physical inactivity [70.1% (95%CI: 67.4-72.8) vs 76.3 (70.3-81.5)], high TV-viewing [31.2 (29.6-32.8) vs 33.9 (30.5-37.4)], low frequency of fruit or vegetable consumption [28.3 (25.8-31.0) vs 31.5 (26.1-37.5)] and elevated frequency of UPF consumption [9.7 (8.9-10.7) vs 15.2 (13.0-17.7)]. Participants with depression were more likely to present elevated frequency of UPF consumption incidence [OR:1.49 (95%CI:1.21-1.83)]. Thus, participants with previous diagnosis of depression were at risk for incidence of unhealthy diet behaviors.

Gender differences in dietary behaviors among Japanese adolescents.

Unhealthy dietary behaviors in adolescence are an important public health problem. Gender differences in dietary behaviors have already appeared during adolescence. However, few studies have assessed a variety of adolescent dietary behaviors in Japan. We aimed to clarify gender differences in unhealthy dietary behaviors among Japanese adolescents. The participants consisted of 84,988 participants from seventh to 12th grades. Unhealthy dietary behaviors were defined according to the National Health and Nutrition Survey. Multivariable logistic regression was used to analyze a nationally representative sample of Japanese adolescents from the 2014 to 2015 Lifestyle Survey. The effective response rate was 51.4%. The prevalence of unhealthy dietary behaviors (skipping breakfast, snacking, eating out, skipping meals, eating alone at dinner, and subjectively poor diet quality) among boys and girls was 14.2% versus 12.4%, 19.6% versus 14.1%, 10.6% versus 7.0%, 7.9% versus 5.6%, 13.3% versus 12.1%, and 12.3% versus 15.8%, respectively. Compared with boys, girls were more negatively associated with skipping breakfast [OR=0.76 (95% CI 0.73-0.79)], snacking [OR=0.67 (95% CI 0.65-0.70)], eating out [OR=0.62 (95% CI 0.59-0.66)], skipping meals [OR=0.61 (95% CI 0.58-0.65)], and eating alone at dinner [OR=0.79 (95% CI 0.76-0.83)]. However, girls were more positively associated with subjectively poor diet quality [OR=1.19 (95% CI 1.14.1.24)]. The findings suggest that gender differences existed in dietary behaviors. Gender differences in dietary behaviors suggest opportunities for tailoring interventions related to dietary education in schools.

Dissatisfaction with Body Weight among Polish Adolescents Is Related to Unhealthy Dietary Behaviors.

The aims of the study were to determine the socio-demographic factors that may affect body weight dissatisfaction and to analyze the relationship between eating habits and dissatisfaction with body weight among a national random sample of Polish adolescents aged 13–19 years. Data on gender, age, level of education, body weight status, screen time, body weight satisfaction and selected nutritional behaviors were collected using a questionnaire. Body mass status was assessed based on weight and height measurements. A total of 14,044 students from 207 schools participated in the study. A significant effect of gender, age, level of education, body weight status and screen time status on the participants’ dissatisfaction with the body weight was observed. The greater prevalence of body weight satisfaction was observed among boys, younger subjects, secondary school students, adolescents with normal body weight status and those with screen time up to 2 h. Whereas girls, older study participants (17–19 years old), overweight/obese adolescents and subjects with screen time over 4 h were more often dissatisfied with body weight. Furthermore, it has been shown that participants dissatisfied with their body weight less often met dietary recommendations. These findings can help dietitians, nutritionists and healthcare professionals to provide age-specific and gender-specific nutrition strategies to promote healthy lifestyle among school-going adolescents.

Socioeconomic status, social capital, health risk behaviors, and health-related quality of life among Chinese older adults

BackgroundThere is limited knowledge on the mediating role of different health risk behavior on the relationship between social capital, socioeconomic status (SES), and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in Chinese older adults. We conducted this study to (a) investigate the condition of health risk behaviors of the Chinese elderly, and (b) assess the relationship between SES, social capital, health risk behaviors, and HRQoL.MethodsA sample of 4868 adults aged 60 years and older were included in this study, from the China’s Health-related Quality of Life Survey for Older Adults 2018. Participants’ demographic characteristics, SES (education level, family income), health risk behaviors (smoking, alcohol consumption, physical inactivity, unhealthy dietary behavior, unhealthy weight, and sleep disorder) were collected. Social capital and HRQoL were assessed by the 16-item Personal Social Capital Scale (PSCS-16) and WHOQOL-Old, respectively. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was applied to examine the associations between variables.ResultsThe proportion of smoking, alcohol consumption, physical inactivity, unhealthy dietary behavior, unhealthy weight, and sleep disorder were 32.1, 36.3, 62.5, 45.7, 31.8, and 45.5%, respectively. Significant differences were observed in education level, family income, and social capital between elderly individuals with and without each of the six health risk behavior (all p-values < 0.05). Elderly individuals who reported smoking, physical inactivity, unhealthy dietary behavior, and sleep disorder had significantly lower HRQoL than those without these unhealthy behaviors (all p-values < 0.05). SEM analysis showed that SES and social capital positively associated with alcohol consumption. Social capital negatively associated with smoking, physical inactivity, unhealthy dietary behavior, and sleep disorder. SES negatively associated with smoking, physical inactivity, unhealthy dietary behavior, unhealthy weight, and sleep disorder. Smoking, physical inactivity, unhealthy dietary behavior, and sleep disorder correlated with poorer HRQoL.ConclusionsChinese older adults demonstrated a high incidence of health risk behaviors, especially for physical inactivity (62.5%) and unhealthy dietary behavior (45.7%). Social capital and SES were correlated with the elderly’s HRQoL, as well as with the health risk behaviors. Health risk behaviors played potential mediating role on the relationship between social capital, SES, and HRQoL in Chinese older adults.

'They deserve a treat': the nature and antecedents of parental licensing surrounding children's physical activity.

Little is known about parents' compensatory health beliefs (CHB) surrounding their children's engagement in physical activity (PA). Our aim was to provide evidence regarding the nature of, and factors underpinning, parents' PA-related compensatory beliefs for their children. A qualitative descriptive approach and thematic content analysis were employed. Parents were recruited from community sport and PA programmes. Eighteen parents aged 32-52 years (mean age = 40·8 (sd 5·4) years; six males; twelve females). Analyses indicated that parents compensate through 'passive' or 'active' means. Among parents who compensated, most described their provision of 'treat' foods/drinks and a minority described allowing extended sedentary time to their children. Parents' reasons underpinning these beliefs related to their child's general physical/health status and psychological characteristics, and their own motivation and mood state. These findings provide the first evidence of unhealthy dietary and sedentary behaviour CHB that parents may hold regarding their children's involvement in PA.

Attitudes toward sweetened soft drinks and consumption patterns among Saudi women: A cross-sectional study

Although sweetened soft drink consumption (SDC) has negative consequences on health, this dietary habit is common among the Saudi population (Saudi Arabia). Food selection and consumption are complex behaviors and associated with several constructs described by social cognitive theory. This study assessed the pattern of sweetened SDC and its associated behavioral and theoretical factors, with focus on attitude and expectations related to SDC among Saudi women. Participants (n = 773) answered an online questionnaire on SDC patterns (frequency of consumption and quantity) and attitudes influencing those patterns. Association of attitudes with frequency of sweetened SDC was assessed using Spearman's test that revealed a positive and significant association between frequency and quantity of SDC (Spearman's rho = 0.34, df = 771, p < .0001). Highest correlations were observed between frequency of consumption and positive attitudes toward the perception of sweetened soft drinks as indispensable while eating, enjoyable, and value indispensable during social gathering (Spearman's rho = 0.58, 0.55 and 0.40, respectively, df = 771, p < .0001). Multiple regression analysis of attitudes showed considering soft drinks enjoyable and essential at eating were positively associated with consumption. Saudi Women are consuming soft drinks at high rates despite self-reporting this behavior as unhealthy. Social cognitive factors could potentially be predictors of unhealthy dietary behaviors among Saudi women. Designing nutrition education campaigns and culture-tailored information is warranted.

The predominance of non-communicable diseases and unhealthy eating patterns

Abstract. Khariri, Andriani L. 2020. The predominance of non-communicable diseases and unhealthy eating patterns. Pros Sem Nas Masy Biodiv Indon 6: 624-627. Indonesia in the last decade has a double burden, namely infectious and non-communicable diseases. This is related to the slow decline in the incidence of infectious diseases and even tends to persist, but on the other hand the incidence of non-communicable diseases is moving fast enough and more dominating its impact. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that nearly two-thirds of deaths worldwide are caused by non-communicable diseases. The mortality rate due to non-communicable diseases is expected to continue to increase worldwide with the largest increases occurring in low and middle-income countries. The main risk factors for non-communicable diseases include unhealthy community dietary behavior. This paper examines several types of non-communicable diseases that are affected due to unbalanced and unhealthy consumption behavior as a risk factor. In the results of the Basic Health Research (Riskesdas), several non-communicable diseases found a high prevalence such as stroke, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, heart disease, cancer and chronic kidney failure. In the list of diseases that are the highest causes of death in Indonesia, non-communicable diseases dominate the treats, whereas infectious diseases are only tuberculosis, which still plays the second highest cause of death after stroke. The burden faced by the Indonesian people in tackling health problems is increasing with the existence of an epidemiological transition marked by a shift in causes of death for all ages from infectious diseases to non-communicable diseases.

P33 Assessment of Dietary Behaviors and Weight Status Among Adolescents from Multicultural Families and Non-Multicultural Families in Korea

<h3>Background</h3> As Korean adolescents in multicultural families (MF) might experience health disparities, assessing their specific nutritional health status is necessary to design effective and tailored nutrition education programs. <h3>Objectives</h3> This study was the first step to develop a nutrition education program for the Korean adolescent in MF. The aim of this study was to identify nutritional health problems of MF' adolescents through comparing dietary and lifestyle behaviors and weight status among Korean adolescents from MF and non-multicultural families (non-MF). <h3>Study Design, Setting, Participants</h3> This study included 111,067 adolescents aged 12–18 years (MF = 1,751, non-MF = 109,316) from the 2017–2018 Korea Youth Risk Behavior Surveys. <h3>Measurable Outcome/Analysis</h3> Data on dietary and lifestyle behaviors were self-reported using a web-based questionnaire and included foods consumption, alcohol drinking, smoking, physical activity, weight control efforts, and perceived health status. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated using the self-reported height and weight (kg/m²). Weight status was determined based on the 2017 Korean National Growth Chart: underweight (weight-for-age <5th percentiles), overweight (85th≤ BMI-for-age <95th percentiles), and obesity (BMI-for-age ≥95th percentiles). <h3>Results</h3> Using a multiple logistic regression after adjustment for sex, school level, residence, and household income, adolescents from MF showed higher odds ratios (ORs) for having underweight (OR = 1.60, 95% CI = 1.29–1.99) and obesity (OR = 1.22, 95% CI = 1.03–1.43) compared to those from non-MF. Adolescents from MF were less likely to intake fruit ≥5 times/week (OR = 0.86, 95% CI = 0.76–0.96) compared to adolescents from non-MF. Boys in MF showed a lower OR for having vegetable ≥5 times/week (OR = 0.74, 95% CI = 0.60–0.92) than boys in non-MF. Compared to non-MF' adolescents, the OR for engaging in physical activity ≥3 days/week was 0.83 (95% CI = 0.74–0.94) in MF' adolescents. <h3>Conclusions</h3> Korean adolescents in MF showed higher risks for having underweight and obesity as well as unhealthy dietary behaviors compared to those in non-MF. Our findings can be used to develop nutrition education programs for adolescents from MF.

Cooking skills related to potential benefits for dietary behaviors and weight status among older Japanese men and women: a cross-sectional study from the JAGES

BackgroundPoor cooking skills have been linked to unhealthy diets. However, limited research has examined associations of cooking skills with older adults’ health outcomes. We examined whether cooking skills were associated with dietary behaviors and body weight among older people in Japan.MethodsWe used cross-sectional data from the 2016 Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study, a self-report, population-based questionnaire study of men (n = 9143) and women (n = 10,595) aged ≥65 years. The cooking skills scale, which comprises seven items with good reliability, was modified for use in Japan. We calculated adjusted relative risk ratios of unhealthy dietary behaviors (low frequency of home cooking, vegetable/fruit intake; high frequency of eating outside the home) using logistic or Poisson regression, and relative risk ratios of obesity and underweight using multinomial logistic regression.ResultsWomen had higher levels of cooking skills, compared with men. Women with a moderate to low level of cooking skills were 3.35 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.87–3.92) times more likely to have a lower frequency of home cooking and 1.61 (95% CI: 1.36–1.91) times more likely to have a lower frequency of vegetable/fruit intake, compared with women with a high level of cooking skills. Men with a low level of cooking skills were 2.56 (95% CI: 2.36–2.77) times more likely to have a lower frequency of home cooking and 1.43 (95% CI: 1.06–1.92) times more likely to be underweight, compared with men with a high level of cooking skills. Among men in charge of meals, those with a low level of cooking skills were 7.85 (95% CI: 6.04–10.21) times more likely to have a lower frequency of home cooking, 2.28 (95% CI: 1.36–3.82) times more likely to have a higher frequency of eating outside the home, and 2.79 (95% CI: 1.45–5.36) times more likely to be underweight, compared with men with a high level of cooking skills. Cooking skills were unassociated with obesity.ConclusionsA low level of cooking skills was associated with unhealthy dietary behaviors and underweight, especially among men in charge of meals. Research on improving cooking skills among older adults is needed.

Evening chronotype, disordered eating behavior, and poor dietary habits in bipolar disorder.

Our aim was to evaluate the relationship between evening chronotype, a proxy marker of circadian system dysfunction, and disordered eating behavior and poor dietary habits in individuals with bipolar disorder (BD). In this cross-sectional study, we evaluated 783 adults with BD. Chronotype was determined using item 5 from the reduced Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire. The Eating Disorder Diagnostic Scale (EDDS) and the Rapid Eating Assessment for Participants-Shortened Version (REAP-S) were used to assess disordered eating behavior and dietary habits respectively. General linear models and logistic regression models were utilized to evaluate differences between chronotype groups. Two hundred and eight (27%) BD participants self-identified as having evening chronotypes. Compared to non-evening types, evening types were younger (P<0.01) and, after controlling for age, had higher mean EDDS composite z-scores (P<0.01); higher rates of binge-eating (BE) behavior (P=0.04), bulimia nervosa (P<0.01), and nocturnal eating binges (P<0.01); and a higher body mass index (P=0.04). Compared to non-evening types, evening chronotypes had a lower REAP-S overall score (P<0.01) and scored lower on the 'healthy foods' and 'avoidance of unhealthy food' factors. Evening types also skipped breakfast more often (P<0.01), ate less fruit (P=0.02) and vegetables (P=0.04), and consumed more fried foods (P<0.01), unhealthy snacks (P=0.02), and soft drinks (P=0.01). Our findings suggest that the circadian system plays a role in the disordered eating and unhealthy dietary behaviors observed in BD patients. The circadian system may therefore represent a therapeutic target in BD-associated morbidity that warrants further investigation.

Associations Between Leisure-Time Sedentary Behaviors with Unhealthy Dietary Behaviors and Leisure-Time Physical Activity Among Chinese Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract Objectives Evidence that sedentary behaviors were correlated with unhealthy diet and physical activity were mostly among children and adolescents, but still limited for adults. The aim of this study was to examine the associations between screen-based leisure-time sedentary behaviors (LTSB) including television time and computer time with unhealthy dietary behaviors, and leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) among Chinese adults. Methods Participants (n = 10,108, aged 18–59 years) from a recent cross-sectional study of CHNS (China Health and Nutrition Survey) conducted in 2015 were analyzed. Time spent in LTSB and LTPA were collected from questionnaire. Unhealthy dietary behaviors were collected from three consecutive 24-hour food recalls and the food frequency method. Multivariable logistic regression models were produced to study the odds ratios for unhealthy dietary behaviors and LTPA as the function of the quintile of LTSB. Results Versus the lowest quartile, the OR(95%CI) of the highest quintile of computer time for insufficient vegetable intake (&amp;lt; 300 g/d) was 1.4(1.0,2.0) for male and 1.5(1.1,2.2) for female; the OR(95%CI) for excessive snack intake (≥1 time/day) was 1.6(1.0,2.3) for male and 1.7(1.3,2.4) for female; the OR(95%CI) for excessive western fast food intake (≥1 time/week) was 2.4(1.2,4.4) for male and 2.7(1.4,4.9) for female. The OR(95%CI) of the highest quintile of television time for no LTPA group (0 Mets.h/w) was 1.8(1.3,2.6) for male and 1.5(1.1,2.0) for female; the OR(95%CI) for sufficient LTPA group (≥8 Mets.h/w) was 0.5(0.4,0.8) for male and 0.7(0.5,0.9) for female. The OR(95%CI) of the highest quintile of computer time for no LTPA group (0 Mets.h/w) was 0.4(0.3,0.6) for male and 0.5(0.4,0.7) for female; the OR(95%CI) for sufficient LTPA (≥8 Mets.h/w) group was 2.4(1.7,3.3) for male and was 2.1(1.5,2.9) for female. Conclusions LTSB were associated with unhealthy dietary behaviors and mixed LTPA among Chinese adults. The patterns of “Television time-less LTPA” and “Computer time-unhealthy diet-more LTPA” for Chinese adults were principal associations. Our findings suggest the need for different behavior preventive intervention on different types of screen-based LTSB among Chinese adults. Funding Sources The survey received funding from NIH and from Ministry of Finance of the People's Republic of China.

Dietary diversity and food intake of urban preschool children in North-Western Sri Lanka.

Childhood malnutrition, associated with poor diet, is a clear public health threat in Sri Lanka, with high rates of under‐nutrition and micronutrient deficiencies coupled with the growing risk of overweight/obesity in urban locations. This study explored the dietary diversity and food intake of urban living Sri Lankan preschool children. A cross‐sectional analysis of the baseline data from a cohort study was conducted with parents/caregivers of children aged 2–6 years, from 21 preschool centres in Kurunegala District, Sri Lanka. Demographic and socio‐economic factors, dietary diversity score (DDS) (n = 597) and food intake (n = 458) (using a food frequency questionnaire) were assessed. Children had a mean DDS of 4.56 ± 0·85 out of 9, with most (91.1%) in the medium DDS category (DDS of 3.1–6.0), consuming rice as most common food. Lentils were consumed more than any meat or alternative food groups at all DDS levels. Child DDS differs with parent/caregiver age and ethnicity. Mean daily intakes of fruit (1.02) and vegetables (0.84) servings align with approximately half of national recommendations, with less than 20% of children meeting daily recommendations. More than one‐third consumed sugary snacks and confectionaries daily and 1 in 10 had them twice a day. Around 40% reported watching television while eating the evening meal. Despite the majority having reasonable DDSs (medium category), findings highlighted inadequate intakes of fruits and vegetables, excessive intakes of sugary snacks and unhealthy dietary and social behaviours, suggests the need for population‐based interventions to promote healthier dietary habits.

Impact of Stress Levels on Eating Behaviors among College Students.

Weight gain is a common phenomenon among college students, especially those in their first year of university. Transitioning from high school to the college environment might increase perceived stress levels, thus affecting dietary behaviors and metabolism to promote overweight and obesity. The purpose of this study was to investigate the physical activities and dietary behaviors of college students in the context of their perceived stress levels. In addition, the demographic characteristics of the students were compared to ascertain their impact on dietary behaviors. Self-reported questionnaires were distributed to college students on campus in Korea. Perceived stress was measured by the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), the scores for which were evaluated by independent t-tests to compare the dietary behaviors of the high- and low-perceived stress groups. Exploratory factor analysis was performed and Cronbach’s alphas were computed to assess the validity and internal consistency of the PSS-10 measurement items. Differences in the physical activities and dietary behaviors of the college students based on demographics such as sex, academic year, and residence type were found. Several dietary behaviors were significantly different between students with low and high perceived stress levels. Students with high perceived stress levels exhibited increased unhealthy dietary behaviors such as ready-prepared meal consumption (p < 0.001). These results suggest that stress management should be offered to college students. In addition, programs should be provided to help first-year students adjust to the college environment in order to promote healthy dietary behaviors.

Body-related discrimination and dieting and substance use behaviors in adolescence

Unfair treatment on the basis of a physical characteristic, such as body weight, is associated with unhealthy dieting behaviors in adolescence and adulthood and has also been implicated in substance use. Peer victimization is likewise associated with these health-risk behaviors. It is unclear, however, whether body discrimination is associated with these behaviors independent of peer victimization. The present research uses data from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC) to test the relation between body discrimination and dieting and substance use behaviors in adolescence and test whether the associations are independent of peer victimization, as well as depressive symptoms which are associated with both forms of victimization and health-risk behaviors. Participants (N = 2955) reported on body discrimination, dieting behaviors, and substance use at ages 14–15. Participants who experienced body discrimination were more likely to report fear of gaining weight, losing control over eating, going without eating, using medicine or vomiting to control their weight, engaging in restrained eating, and exercising to control their weight. They also had tried nicotine, alcohol, and marijuana. The associations with eating and alcohol use were independent of peer victimization, whereas the associations with smoking and marijuana were reduced when peer victimization was included in the model. All associations were also independent of depressive symptoms. Overall, the findings suggest that body discrimination is associated with harmful health behaviors at least as early as age 14.

Advancing the evidence base for public policies impacting on dietary behaviour, physical activity and sedentary behaviour in Europe: The Policy Evaluation Network promoting a multidisciplinary approach

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are the leading cause of global mortality. As the social and economic costs of NCDs have escalated, action is needed to tackle important causes of many NCD’s: low physical activity levels and unhealthy dietary behaviours. As these behaviours are driven by upstream factors, successful policy interventions are required that encourage healthy dietary behaviours, improve physical activity levels and reduce sedentary behaviours of entire populations. However, to date, no systematic research on the implementation and evaluation of policy interventions related to these health behaviours has been conducted across Europe. Consequently, no information on the merit, gaps, worth or utility of cross-European policy interventions is available, and no guidance or recommendations on how to enhance this knowledge across European countries exists. As part of the Joint Programming Initiative “A Healthy Diet for a Healthy Life” (JPI HDHL), 28 research institutes from seven European countries and New Zealand have combined their expertise to form the Policy Evaluation Network (PEN). PEN’s aim is to advance tools to identify, evaluate, implement and benchmark policies designed to directly or indirectly target dietary behaviours, physical activity, and sedentary behaviour in Europe, as well as to understand how these policies increase or decrease health inequalities. Using well-defined evaluation principles and methods, PEN will examine the content, implementation and impact of policies addressing dietary behaviour, physical activity levels and sedentary behaviour across Europe. It will realise the first steps in a bespoke health policy monitoring and surveillance system for Europe, and refine our knowledge of appropriate research designs and methods for the quantification of policy impact. It will contribute to our understanding of how to achieve successful transnational policy implementation and monitoring of these policies in different cultural, demographic or socioeconomic settings. PEN will consider equity and diversity aspects to ensure that policy actions are inclusive and culturally sensitive. Finally, based on three policy cases, PEN will illustrate how best to evaluate the implementation and impact of such policies in order to yield healthy diets and activity patterns that result in healthier lives for all European citizens.