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Table 1 Variables considered for clustering at age 2 and 5 in each behavioral domain

From: Clusters of diet, physical activity, television exposure and sleep habits and their association with adiposity in preschool children: the EDEN mother-child cohort

Input variables

Categories/units

Diet

 27 food groups from FFQ: Dairy yogurt and cottage cheese, dairy puddings/ice cream, cheese, rice/pasta/semolina, potatoes, French fries (chips), pizza/pie, legumes, cooked vegetables, raw vegetables, ham/poultry, red meat, processed meat, high fat fish, low fat fish, eggs, fresh fruit, stewed fruit, fruit juice, soft drinks, diet soft drinks, breakfast cereals, bread, biscuits (cookies), chocolate/candy, potato chips (crisps), milk (only at age 5)

Never, < 1 time/month, 1–3 times/month, 1–3 times/week, 4–6 times/week, 1 time/day, several times/day

 Milk intake (only at age 2)

Never, 1 bottle/day, 1–2 bottles/day, 2–3 bottles/day, > 3 bottles/day

 Sweetened beverages usually consumed at mealtimes

yes/no

 Breakfast daily intake

yes/no (age 2) or never, sometimes, often, always (age 5)

 Ready-prepared baby foods consumersa (only at age 2)

yes/no

 Snacking outside meals (only at age 5)

≥ 2 times/day, 1 time/day, 2–3 day/week, less often, never

Television exposure

 TV and DVD watching timeb

0 min/day, >  0 min/day- ≤ 30 min/day, > 30 min/day- ≤ 1 h/day, > 1 h/day (age 2) or continuous variable in min/day (age 5)

 Having TV on during meals

never, sometimes, often, always

Physical activity

 Outdoor play timeb (standardized by seasonc)

Continuous variable in min/day

 Means of transport for walks (only at age 2)

‘on foot’, ‘in a stroller’, ‘about the same on foot and in a stroller’

 Regular swimming pool attendance

yes/no (age 2) or never, < 1 time/month, 1 time/month, 2–3 times/month, ≥1 time/month (age 5)

 Frequency of physical activities done with mother/father (only at age 2): Going out to walk with father/mother, Playing ball with father/mother

Never, < 1 time/week, 1–2 times/week, 3–5 times/week, daily

 Walking timeb (only at age 5)

Continuous variable in min/day

 Participation in organized sportive activity (only at age 5)

yes/no

Sleep

 Sleep durationd

Continuous variable in hours/day

 Difficulties falling asleep

‘every evening’, ‘often’, ‘every other night’, ‘sometimes’, ‘never’

 Regular bedtime (only at age 2)

yes/no

 Regular wake-up time (only at age 2)

yes/no

 Intake of bottle of milk at bedtime (only at age 2)

yes/no

  1. Data were managed similarly at 2 and 5 years of age and for outdoor play time and walking time
  2. Abbreviations: FFQ Food frequency questionnaire, min minute
  3. aconsumption of baby-specific foods sold commercially
  4. bassessed from the responses to three questions depending on the day of the week, described elsewhere in detail [25]
  5. cto take seasonal variations in outdoor physical activity into account
  6. dTotal sleep duration (night and nap) at age 2 and night sleep duration at age 5
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International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity

ISSN: 1479-5868

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