Articles

Describing objectively measured physical activity levels, patterns, and correlates in a cross sectional sample of infants and toddlers from South Africa

Physical activity is considered to have health benefits across the lifespan but levels, patterns, and correlates have not been well described in infants and toddlers under the age of two years.

Authors: Alessandra Prioreschi, Soren Brage, Kylie D. Hesketh, Jill Hnatiuk, Kate Westgate and Lisa K. Micklesfield

A randomized controlled trial of exercise during pregnancy on maternal and neonatal outcomes: results from the PAMELA study

Women are encouraged to be physically active during pregnancy. Despite available evidence supporting antenatal physical activity to bring health benefits for both the mother and child, the most effective way t...

Authors: Shana Ginar da Silva, Pedro Curi Hallal, Marlos Rodrigues Domingues, Andréa Dâmaso Bertoldi, Mariângela Freitas da Silveira, Diego Bassani, Inácio Crochemore Mohnsam da Silva, Bruna Gonçalves Cordeiro da Silva, Carolina de Vargas Nunes Coll and Kelly Evenson

Socio-cultural determinants of physical activity across the life course: a ‘Determinants of Diet and Physical Activity’ (DEDIPAC) umbrella systematic literature review

Regular physical activity (PA) reduces the risk of disease and premature death. Knowing factors associated with PA might help reducing the disease and economic burden caused by low activity. Studies suggest th...

Authors: Lina Jaeschke, Astrid Steinbrecher, Agnes Luzak, Anna Puggina, Katina Aleksovska, Christoph Buck, Con Burns, Greet Cardon, Angela Carlin, Simon Chantal, Donatella Ciarapica, Giancarlo Condello, Tara Coppinger, Cristina Cortis, Marieke De Craemer, Sara D’Haese…

Harmonising data on the correlates of physical activity and sedentary behaviour in young people: Methods and lessons learnt from the international Children’s Accelerometry database (ICAD)

Large, heterogeneous datasets are required to enhance understanding of the multi-level influences on children’s physical activity and sedentary behaviour. One route to achieving this is through the pooling and...

Authors: Andrew J. Atkin, Stuart J. H. Biddle, Stephanie T. Broyles, Mai Chinapaw, Ulf Ekelund, Dale W. Esliger, Bjorge H. Hansen, Susi Kriemler, Jardena J. Puder, Lauren B. Sherar and Esther M. F. van Sluijs

Maternal restrictive feeding and eating in the absence of hunger among toddlers: a cohort study

Restrictive feeding by parents has been associated with greater eating in the absence of hunger (EAH) among children, a risk factor for obesity. However, few studies have examined the association between restr...

Authors: Katherine W. Bauer, Jess Haines, Alison L. Miller, Katherine Rosenblum, Danielle P. Appugliese, Julie C. Lumeng and Niko A. Kaciroti

The impact of interpretive and reductive front-of-pack labels on food choice and willingness to pay

This study examined how front-of-pack labels and product healthfulness affect choice and willingness to pay across a range of foods. It was hypothesized that: (i) product choice and (ii) willingness to pay wou...

Authors: Zenobia Talati, Richard Norman, Simone Pettigrew, Bruce Neal, Bridget Kelly, Helen Dixon, Kylie Ball, Caroline Miller and Trevor Shilton

Methodological considerations for observational coding of eating and feeding behaviors in children and their families

Behavioral coding of videotaped eating and feeding interactions can provide researchers with rich observational data and unique insights into eating behaviors, food intake, food selection as well as interperso...

Authors: Megan H. Pesch and Julie C. Lumeng

Correlates of occupational, leisure and total sitting time in working adults: results from the Singapore multi-ethnic cohort

Evidence on the health risks of sitting is accumulating. However, research identifying factors influencing sitting time in adults is limited, especially in Asian populations. This study aimed to identify socio...

Authors: Léonie Uijtdewilligen, Jason Dean-Chen Yin, Hidde P. van der Ploeg and Falk Müller-Riemenschneider

Capturing health and eating status through a nutritional perception screening questionnaire (NPSQ9) in a randomised internet-based personalised nutrition intervention: the Food4Me study

National guidelines emphasize healthy eating to promote wellbeing and prevention of non-communicable diseases. The perceived healthiness of food is determined by many factors affecting food intake. A positive ...

Authors: Rodrigo San-Cristobal, Santiago Navas-Carretero, Carlos Celis-Morales, Katherine M. Livingstone, Barbara Stewart-Knox, Audrey Rankin, Anna L. Macready, Rosalind Fallaize, Clare B. O’Donovan, Hannah Forster, Clara Woolhead, Marianne C. Walsh, Christina P. Lambrinou, George Moschonis, Yannis Manios, Miroslaw Jarosz…

Changes in physical activity during the retirement transition: a series of novel n-of-1 natural experiments

Existing evidence about the impact of retirement on physical activity (PA) has primarily focused on the average change in PA level after retirement in group-based studies. It is unclear whether findings regarding...

Authors: Suzanne McDonald, Rute Vieira, Alan Godfrey, Nicola O’Brien, Martin White and Falko F. Sniehotta

A spatial analysis of dietary patterns in a large representative population in the north of The Netherlands – the Lifelines cohort study

Diet is an important modifiable risk factor for chronic diseases. In the search for effective strategies to improve dietary patterns in order to promote healthy ageing, new approaches considering contextual fa...

Authors: Louise H. Dekker, Richard H. Rijnks, Dirk Strijker and Gerjan J. Navis

Objectively-assessed physical activity and weight change in young adults: a randomized controlled trial

Reductions in physical activity (PA) are common throughout young adulthood and low PA is associated with weight gain. The SNAP Trial previously reported that two self-regulation approaches to weight gain preve...

Authors: Jessica L. Unick, Wei Lang, Samantha E. Williams, Dale S. Bond, Caitlin M. Egan, Mark A. Espeland, Rena R. Wing and Deborah F. Tate

Designing healthy communities: creating evidence on metrics for built environment features associated with walkable neighbourhood activity centres

Evidence-based metrics are needed to inform urban policy to create healthy walkable communities. Most active living research has developed metrics of the environment around residential addresses, ignoring othe...

Authors: Lucy Dubrelle Gunn, Suzanne Mavoa, Claire Boulangé, Paula Hooper, Anne Kavanagh and Billie Giles-Corti

Intervention fidelity in the definitive cluster randomised controlled trial of the Healthy Lifestyles Programme (HeLP) trial: findings from the process evaluation

The Healthy Lifestyles Programme (HeLP) was a novel school-located intervention for 9–10 year olds, designed to prevent obesity by changing patterns of child behaviour through the creation of supportive school...

Authors: Jenny Lloyd, Sarah Dean, Siobhan Creanor, Charles Abraham, Melvyn Hillsdon, Emma Ryan and Katrina M. Wyatt

Do hedonic- versus nutrition-based attitudes toward food predict food choices? a cross-sectional study of 6- to 11-year-olds

Implicit and explicit attitudes are potential precursors of food choices and combine affective and cognitive components that can vary in their relative dominance. Yet, the affective and cognitive components of...

Authors: Lucile Marty, Maud Miguet, Marie Bournez, Sophie Nicklaus, Stéphanie Chambaron and Sandrine Monnery-Patris

How to get a nation walking: reach, retention, participant characteristics and program implications of Heart Foundation Walking, a nationwide Australian community-based walking program

Community-based walking programs represent a low-cost, accessible approach to increasing physical activity among inactive adults. However, recruiting participants from vulnerable and hard-to-reach groups remai...

Authors: Kylie Ball, Gavin Abbott, Michelle Wilson, Melanie Chisholm and Shannon Sahlqvist

Physical activity and calorie intake mediate the relationship from depression to body fat mass among female Mexican health workers

Depression is a foremost cause of morbidity throughout the world and the prevalence of depression in women is about twice as high as men. Additionally, overweight and obesity are major global health concerns. ...

Authors: Amado D. Quezada, Nayeli Macías-Waldman, Jorge Salmerón, Tessa Swigart and Katia Gallegos-Carrillo

What happened in the ‘Move for Well-being in School’: a process evaluation of a cluster randomized physical activity intervention using the RE-AIM framework

The aim of this study was to address the gap in the translation of research into practice through an extensive process evaluation of the Move for Well-being in School programme using the RE-AIM framework. The pur...

Authors: Søren Smedegaard, Ruben Brondeel, Lars Breum Christiansen and Thomas Skovgaard

Systematic literature review of built environment effects on physical activity and active transport – an update and new findings on health equity

Evidence is mounting to suggest a causal relationship between the built environment and people’s physical activity behaviours, particularly active transport. The evidence base has been hindered to date by rest...

Authors: Melody Smith, Jamie Hosking, Alistair Woodward, Karen Witten, Alexandra MacMillan, Adrian Field, Peter Baas and Hamish Mackie

Physical activity and the environment: conceptual review and framework for intervention research

Changing the physical environment is one way to promote physical activity and improve health, but evidence on intervention effectiveness is mixed. The theoretical perspectives and conceptual issues discussed o...

Authors: Jenna Panter, Cornelia Guell, Rick Prins and David Ogilvie

The dose of behavioral interventions to prevent and treat childhood obesity: a systematic review and meta-regression

A better understanding of the optimal “dose” of behavioral interventions to affect change in weight-related outcomes is a critical topic for childhood obesity intervention research. The objective of this revie...

Authors: William J. Heerman, Meghan M. JaKa, Jerica M. Berge, Erika S. Trapl, Evan C. Sommer, Lauren R. Samuels, Natalie Jackson, Jacob L. Haapala, Alicia S. Kunin-Batson, Barbara A. Olson-Bullis, Heather K. Hardin, Nancy E. Sherwood and Shari L. Barkin

Pathways through which higher neighborhood crime is longitudinally associated with greater body mass index

Although crime and perceived safety are associated with obesity and body mass index (BMI), the pathways are less clear. Two likely pathways by which crime and perceived safety may impact obesity are through di...

Authors: Andrea S. Richardson, Wendy M. Troxel, Madhumita Ghosh-Dastidar, Gerald P. Hunter, Robin Beckman, Natalie Colabianchi, Rebecca L. Collins and Tamara Dubowitz

Developing a systems-based framework of the factors influencing dietary and physical activity behaviours in ethnic minority populations living in Europe - a DEDIPAC study

Some ethnic minority populations have a higher risk of non-communicable diseases than the majority European population. Diet and physical activity behaviours contribute to this risk, shaped by a system of inte...

Authors: Michelle Holdsworth, Mary Nicolaou, Lars Jørun Langøien, Hibbah Araba Osei-Kwasi, Sebastien F. M. Chastin, F. Marijn Stok, Laura Capranica, Nanna Lien, Laura Terragni, Pablo Monsivais, Mario Mazzocchi, Lea Maes, Gun Roos, Caroline Mejean, Katie Powell and Karien Stronks

Subjectively and objectively assessed social and physical environmental correlates of preschoolers’ accelerometer-based physical activity

Overweight and low levels of physical activity (PA) in preschoolers are major public health concerns. However, to date only few studies have investigated subjective and objective correlates of PA across different...

Authors: Michael Eichinger, Sven Schneider and Freia De Bock

Determinants of diet and physical activity (DEDIPAC): a summary of findings

The establishment of the Determinants of Diet and Physical Activity (DEDIPAC) Knowledge Hub, 2013–2016, was the first action taken by the ‘Healthy Diet for a Healthy Life’ European Joint Programming Initiative...

Authors: Johannes Brug, Hidde P. van der Ploeg, Anne Loyen, Wolfgang Ahrens, Oliver Allais, Lene F. Andersen, Greet Cardon, Laura Capranica, Sebastien Chastin, Ilse De Bourdeaudhuij, Marieke De Craemer, Alan Donnelly, Ulf Ekelund, Paul Finglas, Marion Flechtner-Mors, Antje Hebestreit…

Food parenting and child snacking: a systematic review

While the role of parenting in children’s eating behaviors has been studied extensively, less attention has been given to its potential association with children’s snacking habits. To address this gap, we cond...

Authors: Rachel E. Blaine, Alexandria Kachurak, Kirsten K. Davison, Rachel Klabunde and Jennifer Orlet Fisher

Response to Farrokhi et al.’s statistical comments on ‘no seasonal variation in physical activity of Han Chinese living in Beijing’

Authors: G. Wang and J. R. Speakman

Statistical comments on “no seasonal variation in physical activity of Han Chinese living in Beijing”

Authors: Mehrdad Farrokhi and Nasser Shirian

Does home neighbourhood supportiveness influence the location more than volume of adolescent’s physical activity? An observational study using global positioning systems

Environmental characteristics of home neighbourhoods are hypothesised to be associated with residents’ physical activity levels, yet many studies report only weak or equivocal associations. We theorise that th...

Authors: Emma Coombes, Andy Jones, Ashley Cooper and Angie Page

Obstacles to preventing obesity in children aged 2 to 5 years: Latino mothers’ and fathers’ experiences and perceptions of their urban environments

The prevalence of obesity among Latino children is alarmingly high, when compared to non-Latino White children. Low-income Latino parents living in urban areas, even if they are well-educated, face obstacles t...

Authors: Carlos Penilla, Jeanne M. Tschann, Emma V. Sanchez-Vaznaugh, Elena Flores and Emily J. Ozer

Physical chronic conditions, multimorbidity and sedentary behavior amongst middle-aged and older adults in six low- and middle-income countries

Sedentary behavior (SB) is, irrespective of a person’s physical activity levels, associated with a wide range of deleterious outcomes such as diabetes, stroke and associated premature mortality. There are no n...

Authors: Davy Vancampfort, Brendon Stubbs and Ai Koyanagi

Associations of the perceived and objective neighborhood environment with physical activity and sedentary time in New Zealand adolescents

There is accumulating evidence supporting the association between neighborhood built environments and adults’ physical activity (PA) and sedentary time (ST); however, few studies have investigated these associ...

Authors: Erica Hinckson, Ester Cerin, Suzanne Mavoa, Melody Smith, Hannah Badland, Tom Stewart, Scott Duncan and Grant Schofield

Is sedentary behaviour just physical inactivity by another name?

The relationship between sedentary behaviour and physical activity and their role in the development of health conditions is an ongoing topic of research. This debate paper presents arguments in favour and aga...

Authors: Hidde P. van der Ploeg and Melvyn Hillsdon

Randomized trial comparing group size of periodic in-person sessions in a remotely delivered weight loss intervention

Few randomized studies have examined differential effects of group size in behavioral weight control, especially in hybrid programs that include Internet treatment approaches.

Authors: Deborah F. Tate, Carmina G. Valle, Melissa M. Crane, Brooke T. Nezami, Carmen D. Samuel-Hodge, Karen E. Hatley, Molly Diamond and Kristen Polzien

An evaluation of transport mode shift policies on transport-related physical activity through simulations based on random forests

Physical inactivity is widely recognized as one of the leading causes of mortality, and transport accounts for a large part of people’s daily physical activity. This study develops a simulation approach to eva...

Authors: Ruben Brondeel, Yan Kestens and Basile Chaix

Trends in domain-specific physical activity and sedentary behaviors among Chinese school children, 2004–2011

Dramatic increases in child overweight have occurred in China. A comprehensive look at trends in physical activity and sedentary behaviors among Chinese youth is needed. The study aimed to examine trends in do...

Authors: Tracy Dearth-Wesley, Annie Green Howard, Huijun Wang, Bing Zhang and Barry M. Popkin

The weight of work: the association between maternal employment and overweight in low- and middle-income countries

Maternal employment has increased in low-and middle-income countries (LMIC) and is a hypothesized risk factor for maternal overweight due to increased income and behavioral changes related to time allocation. ...

Authors: Vanessa M. Oddo, Sara N. Bleich, Keshia M. Pollack, Pamela J. Surkan, Noel T. Mueller and Jessica C. Jones-Smith

The impact of an innovative web-based school nutrition intervention to increase fruits and vegetables and milk and alternatives in adolescents: a clustered randomized trial

The increase in overweight and obesity in adolescents and its health-related consequences highlight the need to develop strategies, which could help them adopt healthy eating habits. The objective of this stud...

Authors: Karine Chamberland, Marina Sanchez, Shirin Panahi, Véronique Provencher, Jocelyn Gagnon and Vicky Drapeau

The effect of a weight gain prevention intervention on moderate-vigorous physical activity among black women: the Shape Program

Rates of physical inactivity are high among Black women living in the United States with overweight or obesity, especially those living in the rural South. This study was conducted to determine if an efficacio...

Authors: Mary L. Greaney, Sandy Askew, Sherrie F. Wallington, Perry B. Foley, Lisa M. Quintiliani and Gary G. Bennett

Does replacing sedentary behaviour with light or moderate to vigorous physical activity modulate inflammatory status in adults?

Sedentary behaviour, obesity and insulin resistance are associated with pro-inflammatory status. Limited data on whether physical activity modulates inflammatory status and counteracts obesity and insulin resi...

Authors: Catherine M. Phillips, Christina B. Dillon and Ivan J. Perry

Children’s everyday exposure to food marketing: an objective analysis using wearable cameras

Over the past three decades the global prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity has increased by 47%. Marketing of energy-dense nutrient-poor foods and beverages contributes to this worldwide increase. P...

Authors: L. N. Signal, J. Stanley, M. Smith, M. B. Barr, T. J. Chambers, J. Zhou, A. Duane, C. Gurrin, A. F. Smeaton, C. McKerchar, A. L. Pearson, J. Hoek, G. L. S. Jenkin and C. Ni Mhurchu

The association between ambient fine particulate air pollution and physical activity: a cohort study of university students living in Beijing

Air pollution has become a substantial environmental issue affecting human health and health-related behavior in China. Physical activity is widely accepted as a method to promote health and well-being and is ...

Authors: Hongjun Yu, Miao Yu, Shelby Paige Gordon and Ruiling Zhang

Externalizing behavior is prospectively associated with intake of added sugar and sodium among low socioeconomic status preschoolers in a sex-specific manner

High intake of added sugar and sodium is a public health concern for preschool-aged children living in the US. Externalizing behavior may predict higher consumption of added sugar and/or sodium; however, previ...

Authors: Erica C. Jansen, Alison L. Miller, Julie C. Lumeng, Niko Kaciroti, Holly E. Brophy Herb, Mildred A. Horodynski, Dawn Contreras and Karen E. Peterson

Equity effects of children’s physical activity interventions: a systematic scoping review

Differential effects of physical activity (PA) interventions across population sub-groups may contribute to inequalities in health. This systematic scoping review explored the state of the evidence on equity e...

Authors: Rebecca E. Love, Jean Adams and Esther M. F. van Sluijs

Citizen science applied to building healthier community environments: advancing the field through shared construct and measurement development

Physical inactivity across the lifespan remains a public health issue for many developed countries. Inactivity has contributed considerably to the pervasiveness of lifestyle diseases. Government, national and ...

Authors: Erica Hinckson, Margaret Schneider, Sandra J. Winter, Emily Stone, Milo Puhan, Afroditi Stathi, Michelle M. Porter, Paul A. Gardiner, Daniela Lopes dos Santos, Andrea Wolff and Abby C. King

Energy balance components in persons with paraplegia: daily variation and appropriate measurement duration

Despite obesity being highly prevalent in persons with spinal cord injury (SCI), our current understanding of the interactions between energy balance components, which may contribute to this, is limited. The p...

Authors: Tom E. Nightingale, Sean Williams, Dylan Thompson and James L. J. Bilzon

Relationship between mean daily energy intake and frequency of consumption of out-of-home meals in the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey

Out-of-home meals have been characterised as delivering excessively large portions that can lead to high energy intake. Regular consumption is linked to weight gain and diet related diseases. Consumption of ou...

Authors: Louis Goffe, Stephen Rushton, Martin White, Ashley Adamson and Jean Adams

Appetitive traits associated with higher and lower body mass index: evaluating the validity of the adult eating behaviour questionnaire in an Australian sample

The aims of this study were to evaluate the factor structure of the newly developed Adult Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (AEBQ) (Hunot et al., Appetite 105:356-63, 2016) in an Australian sample, and examine as...

Authors: Kimberley M. Mallan, Alison Fildes, Xochitl de la Piedad Garcia, Jayne Drzezdzon, Matthew Sampson and Clare Llewellyn

Erratum to: Effects of a physical activity and nutrition program in retirement villages: a cluster randomised controlled trial

Authors: Jonine Jancey, Anne-Marie Holt, Andy Lee, Deborah Kerr, Suzanne Robinson, Li Tang, A. S. Anderson, Andrew P. Hills and Peter Howat

Investigating the importance of the local food environment for fruit and vegetable intake in older men and women in 20 UK towns: a cross-sectional analysis of two national cohorts using novel methods

Local neighbourhood environments can influence dietary behavior. There is limited evidence focused on older people who are likely to have greater dependence on local areas and may suffer functional limitations...

Authors: S. Hawkesworth, R.J. Silverwood, B. Armstrong, T. Pliakas, K. Nanchahal, C. Sartini, A. Amuzu, G. Wannamethee, J. Atkins, S.E. Ramsay, J.P. Casas, R.W. Morris, P.H. Whincup and Karen Lock