Meeting the 5 A Day recommendation was more likely in subjects aged 50 years and older, higher education levels, nonsmokers, moderate alcohol drinkers and in women engaging in regular physical activity. This is based on 4,282 24-hour dietary recalls.
2,479 people were recruited from 22 family doctors practices in North Carolina. Some prevalent perceptions about contextual factors related to dietary intake included taste-bud fatigue (boredom with commonly eaten foods), life stresses, lack of forethought in meal planning, current health status, economic status, the ability to garden, lifetime dietary exposure, concerns about food safety, contradictory nutrition messages from the media, and variable work schedules.
2,516 US adolescents were followed for 5 years from 1999 through 2004. The data show continued and, in some cases, increasing socioeconomic disparities in risk for overweight. Youth from low-SES backgrounds are at increased risk for overweight and are more likely to remain overweight (boys) or become overweight (girls). Designing obesity prevention and treatment interventions that reach and address the unique needs of youth and families from less-advantaged socioeconomic backgrounds is a public health priority.
Urban 8th- and 11th-grade students reported the lowest prevalence of PA. Suburban or rural schools were significantly more likely than their urban counterparts to report higher school-based sports team participation in 8th graders; higher vigorous PA and strengthening exercise in 11th-grade boys; and higher physical education attendance in 4th and 11th graders. The researchers observed few significant geographic differences in prevalence of television watching and video game playing.
Perceptions of neighborhood characteristics and reported use of facilities were related to physical activity, with stronger associations for women than for men. Interventions to increase levels of PA among Texans should be informed by multilevel assessments including environmental characteristics.
Predictors of Increased PA
Dec 16
1,963 participants from 9 community-based organizations in the US took part in a 6-month telephone-based or a 20-week group-based behavioral physical activity program. The least active group improved the most, which suggests that the programs worked especially well for participants most in need.
Inactivity among active kids
Dec 16
Data was collected from 25,060 Canadian students in grades 9 through 12 from 76 secondary schools in Ontario. Low active-high sedentary boys were 60% more likely to be overweight than high active-low sedentary boys. Girls who were low active-high sedentary had more than double the risc of high active-low sedentary girls to be overweight. Sedentary behavior may moderate the relationship between physical activity and overweight. Developing a better understanding of sedentary behavior in relation to physical activity and overweight is critical for preventing and reducing overweight among youth.
According to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research, people who choose from a large variety of menu items are more likely to make healthy choices than people who choose from shorter lists.
To examine the effect of point-of-purchase calorie information and value size pricing on fast food meal choices a randomized 2×2 factorial experiment was conducted in which participants ordered a fast food meal from one of four menus that varied with respect to whether calorie information was provided and whether value size pricing was used. Study participants included 594 Minnesota adolescents and adults who regularly ate at fast food restaurants. No significant differences in the energy composition of meals ordered or eaten were found between menu conditions. The average energy content of meals ordered by those randomized to a menu that included calorie information and did not include value size pricing was 842 kcals compared with 827 kcals for those who ordered their meal from a menu that did not include calorie information but had value size pricing (control menu). Oh my Good.
7 age-stratified focus groups were undertaken with Australian men aged 18-40 years. The participants discussed factors influencing their consumption of F&V, and identified potential approaches to promote these foods to young men. Factors affecting the consumption of F&V included taste and satiety, perishability, ‘invincibility’ to health risk, passive consumption of foods, and the low ranking of F&V in men’s culture. The younger men (18-25 years) were more likely to report socio-cultural barriers. Their recommendations include product revamping and packaging for fruit.