Family and Personal Predictors of Early Adolescent Eating Patterns

Many early adolescents report consuming less than the recommended five servings of fruits and vegetables a day, and up to one-third report skipping breakfast. Recent research suggests that children consider parents to be the gatekeepers of food choices, and that parents are important role models for children’s eating behaviors. This study examined perceived control over food choices, familial communication regarding healthy eating, and preferred sources of information about healthy eating in relation to eating behaviors. Data were obtained from 959 early adolescents attending health programs in the Midwest. Early adolescents who reported more frequent family discussions were more likely to report eating two or more vegetables per day (AOR=1.4, p<.05), three or more fruits per day (AOR=1.6, p<.05), and five or more vegetables and/or fruits per day (AOR=1.9, p<.05) than early adolescents who reported less family discussions. Those exposed to more frequent family discussions were also more likely to report usually eating breakfast (AOR=1.8, p<.05). Older children were less likely to report eating breakfast (AOR=0.2 for ages 12 and13 compared to age 9, p<.05). Although healthy eating behaviors decline with age, children and adolescents whose families reinforce healthy eating patterns appear more likely to maintain healthy patterns

In-class cycling to augment college student academic performance and reduce physical inactivity: Results from an RCT

Most college students sit 14 hours per week on average, excluding sedentary study time. Researchers observing workplace and elementary school settings with active workstations to combat sedentary behavior have shown enhanced cognition without distraction. Until now, incorporating active workstations in college classroom settings remained relatively unexplored. This study’s purpose was to assess academic performance using in-class stationary cycle desks during a semester-long lecture course. Twenty-one college students (19–24 years) enrolled in a lecture course volunteered and were split into traditional sit (SIT) and stationary cycle (CYC) groups randomly, matched on a calculated factor equal to a physical activity (PA) score (0–680) multiplied by grade point average (GPA; 4.0 scale). CYC pedaled a prescribed rate of perceived exertion (RPE) of less than 2 out of 10 during a 50-min lecture, 3 × week for 12 weeks. CYC averaged 42 min, 7.9 miles, and 1.7 RPE during class throughout the semester. No significant differences (p \u3e 0.05) were observed between CYC and SIT on in-class test scores or overall course grades. Although statistically insignificant, CYC had higher mean test scores and overall course grades vs. SIT (i.e., B+ vs. B, respectively). Low intensity cycling during a college lecture course maintained student academic performance and possibly reduced weekly sedentary behavior time

A study of assessing knowledge and health beliefs about cardiovascular disease among selected undergraduate university students using Health Belief Model.

Background: In the United States, Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death for both men and women. According to National Vital Statistics Report (2009), heart disease was the number one killer in the United States and it can be prevented. The primary purpose of this study was to determine knowledge and health beliefs about CVD among selected undergraduate university students and find out the potential risk of developing CVD in this population. The secondary purpose was to assess the relationship between knowledge, health beliefs, and personal risks; the tertiary purpose was to determine the factors that predict the relationship between demographic variables and cardiovascular risk factors among these students. Methods: A cross-sectional, descriptive, and correlational survey design was used in this quantitative study. An existing knowledge and health belief instrument was adapted with the permission from the authors. In the 2012 Spring semester, over 600 undergraduates from Foundation of Human Health, First Aid and CPR, Medical Terminology, Math, History, and Geography classes at a mid-western university were surveyed to access knowledge and health beliefs about CVD. The Health Belief Model provided the theoretical framework for this study. Results: Demographic data provided descriptive overview of the participants in this study. Majority of the participants were whites, lived off campus, and were domestic students. Results from data analysis revealed that overall knowledge about cardiovascular disease was low among these university students. Individual health beliefs such as perceived susceptibility, severity, and barriers regarding CVD were low; however perceived benefits of preventing CVD were found high. Most of the undergraduate university students were at potential risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Smoking and stress causing CVD were lesser known among undergraduate university students. Time to cook healthy meals and unaffordability of buying healthy foods were significant barriers in protecting cardiovascular health among university students. There was a positive statistically significant correlation between CVD knowledge, knowledge subtypes, and health belief subscales. Correlations between knowledge and health beliefs were weaker while comparing to correlation between CVD knowledge and knowledge subtypes. Race/ethnicity, age, family history, international/national, live on/off campus, and number of health classes were the better predictors of cardiovascular knowledge, while perceived barrier was the strongest predictor of health belief about CVD among undergraduate university students

In-Class Cycling to Augment College Student Academic Performance and Reduce Physical Inactivity: Results from an RCT

Most college students sit 14 hours per week on average, excluding sedentary study time. Researchers observing workplace and elementary school settings with active workstations to combat sedentary behavior have shown enhanced cognition without distraction. Until now, incorporating active workstations in college classroom settings remained relatively unexplored. This study’s purpose was to assess academic performance using in-class stationary cycle desks during a semester-long lecture course. Twenty-one college students (19–24 years) enrolled in a lecture course volunteered and were split into traditional sit (SIT) and stationary cycle (CYC) groups randomly, matched on a calculated factor equal to a physical activity (PA) score (0–680) multiplied by grade point average (GPA; 4.0 scale). CYC pedaled a prescribed rate of perceived exertion (RPE) of less than 2 out of 10 during a 50-min lecture, 3 × week for 12 weeks. CYC averaged 42 min, 7.9 miles, and 1.7 RPE during class throughout the semester. No significant differences (p > 0.05) were observed between CYC and SIT on in-class test scores or overall course grades. Although statistically insignificant, CYC had higher mean test scores and overall course grades vs. SIT (i.e., B+ vs. B, respectively). Low intensity cycling during a college lecture course maintained student academic performance and possibly reduced weekly sedentary behavior time

Determining independence and associations among various cardiovascular disease risk factors in 9-12 years old school-children: a cross sectional study

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk assessment of children typically includes evaluating multiple CVD risk factors some of which tend to correlate each other. However, in older children and young adolescents, there are little data on the level of independence of CVD risk factors. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among various CVD risk factors to determine the level of independence of each risk factor in a sample of 5-grade public school students. METHOD: A cross-sectional analysis of 1525 children (856 girls and 669 boys; age: 9-12 years) who participated in baseline CVD risk assessment for the (S)Partners for Heart Health program from 2010 - 2018. Thirteen CVD risk factor variables were used in the analysis and included blood lipids [low-density lipoprotein (LDL), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), total cholesterol (TC), and triglycerides], resting systolic and diastolic blood pressure (BP); anthropometrics [height, weight, body mass index (BMI), % body fat, waist circumference (WC)]. Additionally, acanthosis nigricans (a marker insulin resistance and diabetes), and cardiorespiratory fitness (VO2 ml/kg) was estimated using the PACER. Descriptive statistics, bivariate Pearson correlations, and principal component analysis were used to determine the relationships among these variables and the independence. RESULTS: Parallel analysis indicated two components should be extracted. Among the two components extracted, WC, % body fat, and BMI loaded highest on component 1, which explained 34% of the total variance. Systolic BP and diastolic BP loaded predominantly on component 2 and accounted for 17% of the variance. Cardiorespiratory fitness, acanthosis nigricans, HDL, and triglycerides loaded highest on the first component (loadings between 0.42 and 0.57) but still suggest some non-shared variance with this component. Low-density lipoprotein had low loadings on each component. Factor loadings were stable across sex. CONCLUSION: Among the various CVD risk indicators, measures of adiposity loaded highest on the component that explained the largest proportion of variability in the data reinforcing the importance of assessing adiposity in CVD risk assessment. In addition, blood pressure loaded highest on the second component, suggesting their relative independence when assessing CVD risk. The data also provide support and rationale for determining what CVD risk factors to include- based on resource needs. For example, researchers or public health programs may choose to assess WC instead of lipid profile for cardiovascular related problems if ease of assessment and cost are considerations

Engineering anti-cancer nanovaccine based on antigen cross-presentation

10.1042/BSR20193220Bioscience Reports3910BSR2019322