Articles

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

Item response modeling: a psychometric assessment of the children’s fruit, vegetable, water, and physical activity self-efficacy scales among Chinese children

This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of four self-efficacy scales (i.e., self-efficacy for fruit (FSE), vegetable (VSE), and water (WSE) intakes, and physical activity (PASE)) and to invest...

Authors: Jing-Jing Wang, Tzu-An Chen, Tom Baranowski and Patrick W.C. Lau

Financial incentives and purchase restrictions in a food benefit program affect the types of foods and beverages purchased: results from a randomized trial

This research evaluated the effects of financial incentives and purchase restrictions on food purchasing in a food benefit program for low income people.

Authors: Simone A. French, Sarah A. Rydell, Nathan R. Mitchell, J. Michael Oakes, Brian Elbel and Lisa Harnack

Effect of a mobile app intervention on vegetable consumption in overweight adults: a randomized controlled trial

Mobile applications (apps) have been heralded as transformative tools to deliver behavioral health interventions at scale, but few have been tested in rigorous randomized controlled trials. We tested the effec...

Authors: Sarah Mummah, Thomas N. Robinson, Maya Mathur, Sarah Farzinkhou, Stephen Sutton and Christopher D. Gardner

The international food unit: a new measurement aid that can improve portion size estimation

Portion size education tools, aids and interventions can be effective in helping prevent weight gain. However consumers have difficulties in estimating food portion sizes and are confused by inconsistencies in...

Authors: T. Bucher, M. Weltert, M.E. Rollo, S.P. Smith, W. Jia, C.E. Collins and M. Sun

Food parenting practices for 5 to 12 year old children: a concept map analysis of parenting and nutrition experts input

Parents are an important influence on children’s dietary intake and eating behaviors. However, the lack of a conceptual framework and inconsistent assessment of food parenting practices limits our understandin...

Authors: Teresia M. O’Connor, Louise C. Mâsse, Andrew W. Tu, Allison W. Watts, Sheryl O. Hughes, Mark R. Beauchamp, Tom Baranowski, Truc Pham, Jerica M. Berge, Barbara Fiese, Rebecca Golley, Melanie Hingle, Stef P. J. Kremers, Kyung E. Rhee, Helen Skouteris and Amber Vaughn

Perceived fussy eating in Australian children at 14 months of age and subsequent use of maternal feeding practices at 2 years

Concerns about fussy eating are common amongst parents of young children. However, studies of the long-term impact of fussy eating show mixed results with regard to adequacy of dietary intake and child growth....

Authors: Rebecca Byrne, Elena Jansen and Lynne Daniels

Self-reported eating rate is associated with weight status in a Dutch population: a validation study and a cross-sectional study

Observational studies performed in Asian populations suggest that eating rate is related to BMI. This paper investigates the association between self-reported eating rate (SRER) and body mass index (BMI) in a ...

Authors: Janet H.W. van den Boer, Jentina Kranendonk, Anne van de Wiel, Edith J.M. Feskens, Anouk Geelen and Monica Mars

Impact of the Supporting Physical Activity in the Childcare Environment (SPACE) intervention on preschoolers’ physical activity levels and sedentary time: a single-blind cluster randomized controlled trial

Physical activity levels among preschoolers in childcare are low and sedentary time high. The Supporting Physical Activity in the Childcare Environment (SPACE) intervention had three components: 1. portable play ...

Authors: Patricia Tucker, Leigh M. Vanderloo, Andrew M. Johnson, Shauna M. Burke, Jennifer D. Irwin, Anca Gaston, Molly Driediger and Brian W. Timmons

The role of self-regulatory skills and automaticity on the effectiveness of a brief weight loss habit-based intervention: secondary analysis of the 10 top tips randomised trial

Habit-interventions are designed to promote the automaticity of healthy behaviours and may also enhance self-regulatory skills during the habit-formation process. A recent trial of habit-based advice for weigh...

Authors: Nathalie Kliemann, Victoria Vickerstaff, Helen Croker, Fiona Johnson, Irwin Nazareth and Rebecca J. Beeken

Predictors of screen viewing time in young Singaporean children: the GUSTO cohort

Higher screen viewing time (SVT) in childhood has been associated with adverse health outcomes, but the predictors of SVT in early childhood are poorly understood. We examined the sociodemographic and behavior...

Authors: Jonathan Y. Bernard, Natarajan Padmapriya, Bozhi Chen, Shirong Cai, Kok Hian Tan, Fabian Yap, Lynette Shek, Yap-Seng Chong, Peter D. Gluckman, Keith M. Godfrey, Michael S. Kramer, Seang Mei Saw and Falk Müller-Riemenschneider

The development and validation of measures to assess cooking skills and food skills

With the increase use of convenience food and eating outside the home environment being linked to the obesity epidemic, the need to assess and monitor individuals cooking and food skills is key to help interve...

Authors: Fiona Lavelle, Laura McGowan, Lynsey Hollywood, Dawn Surgenor, Amanda McCloat, Elaine Mooney, Martin Caraher, Monique Raats and Moira Dean

Social ecological correlates of workplace sedentary behavior

To identify social ecological correlates of objectively measured workplace sedentary behavior.

Authors: Sarah L. Mullane, Meynard J.L. Toledo, Sarah A. Rydell, Linda H. Feltes, Brenna Vuong, Noe C. Crespo, Mark A. Pereira and Matthew P. Buman

Effect and process evaluation of a kindergarten-based, family-involved cluster randomised controlled trial in six European countries on four- to six-year-old children’s steps per day: the ToyBox-study

The ToyBox-intervention is a theory- and evidence-based intervention delivered in kindergartens to improve four- to six-year-old children’s energy balance-related behaviours and prevent obesity. The current st...

Authors: Marieke De Craemer, Maïté Verloigne, Ilse De Bourdeaudhuij, Odysseas Androutsos, Violeta Iotova, Luis Moreno, Berthold Koletzko, Piotr Socha, Yannis Manios and Greet Cardon

Effect of classroom-based physical activity interventions on academic and physical activity outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Physical activity is associated with many physical and mental health benefits, however many children do not meet the national physical activity guidelines. While schools provide an ideal setting to promote chi...

Authors: Amanda Watson, Anna Timperio, Helen Brown, Keren Best and Kylie D. Hesketh

The impact of financial incentives on participants’ food purchasing patterns in a supermarket-based randomized controlled trial

The impacts of supermarket-based nutrition promotion interventions might be overestimated if participants shift their proportionate food purchasing away from their usual stores. This study quantified whether p...

Authors: Dana Lee Olstad, David A Crawford, Gavin Abbott, Sarah A McNaughton, Ha ND Le, Cliona Ni Mhurchu, Christina Pollard and Kylie Ball

Family-based childhood obesity prevention interventions: a systematic review and quantitative content analysis

A wide range of interventions has been implemented and tested to prevent obesity in children. Given parents’ influence and control over children’s energy-balance behaviors, including diet, physical activity, m...

Authors: Tayla Ash, Alen Agaronov, Ta’Loria Young, Alyssa Aftosmes-Tobio and Kirsten K. Davison

Reducing calorie sales from supermarkets – ‘silent’ reformulation of retailer-brand food products

Food product reformulation is seen as one among several tools to promote healthier eating. Reformulating the recipe for a processed food, e.g. reducing the fat, sugar or salt content of the foods, or increasin...

Authors: Jørgen Dejgård Jensen and Iben Sommer

Development of a dynamic framework to explain population patterns of leisure-time physical activity through agent-based modeling

Despite the increasing body of evidences on the factors influencing leisure-time physical activity, our understanding of the mechanisms and interactions that lead to the formation and evolution of population p...

Authors: Leandro M. T. Garcia, Ana V. Diez Roux, André C. R. Martins, Yong Yang and Alex A. Florindo

Association of parents’ and children’s physical activity and sedentary time in Year 4 (8–9) and change between Year 1 (5–6) and Year 4: a longitudinal study

Parents could be important influences on child physical activity and parents are often encouraged to be more active with their child. This paper examined the association between parent and child physical activ...

Authors: Russell Jago, Emma Solomon-Moore, Corrie Macdonald-Wallis, Janice L. Thompson, Deborah A. Lawlor and Simon J. Sebire

Frequency of eating home cooked meals and potential benefits for diet and health: cross-sectional analysis of a population-based cohort study

Reported associations between preparing and eating home cooked food, and both diet and health, are inconsistent. Most previous research has focused on preparing, rather than eating, home cooked food; used smal...

Authors: Susanna Mills, Heather Brown, Wendy Wrieden, Martin White and Jean Adams

Which physical and social environmental factors are most important for adolescents’ cycling for transport? An experimental study using manipulated photographs

Ecological models emphasize that cycling for transport is determined by an interplay between individual, physical and social environmental factors. The current study investigated (a) which physical and social ...

Authors: Hannah Verhoeven, Ariane Ghekiere, Jelle Van Cauwenberg, Delfien Van Dyck, Ilse De Bourdeaudhuij, Peter Clarys and Benedicte Deforche

Comparison of an alternative schedule of extended care contacts to a self-directed control: a randomized trial of weight loss maintenance

Behavioral interventions for obesity produce clinically meaningful weight loss, but weight regain following treatment is common. Extended care programs attenuate weight regain and improve weight loss maintenan...

Authors: Gareth R. Dutton, Marissa A. Gowey, Fei Tan, Dali Zhou, Jamy Ard, Michael G. Perri and Cora E. Lewis

The feasibility and RE-AIM evaluation of the TAME health pilot study

Conducting 5 A’s counseling in clinic and utilizing technology-based resources are recommended to promote physical activity but little is known about how to implement such an intervention. This investigation a...

Authors: Zakkoyya H Lewis, Kenneth J Ottenbacher, Steve R Fisher, Kristofer Jennings, Arleen F Brown, Maria C Swartz, Eloisa Martinez and Elizabeth J Lyons

Using computer, mobile and wearable technology enhanced interventions to reduce sedentary behaviour: a systematic review and meta-analysis

High levels of sedentary behaviour (SB) are associated with negative health consequences. Technology enhanced solutions such as mobile applications, activity monitors, prompting software, texts, emails and web...

Authors: Aoife Stephenson, Suzanne M. McDonough, Marie H. Murphy, Chris D. Nugent and Jacqueline L. Mair