Patterns in sedentary and exercise behaviors and associations with overweight in 9–14-year-old boys and girls - a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Before starting interventions addressing energy-balance related behaviors, knowledge is needed about the prevalence of sedentary behaviors and low physical exercise, their interrelationships, possible gender differences. Therefore this study aimed to describe gender differences in sedentary and physical exercise behaviors and their association with overweight status in children from nine European countries. Additionally, to identify clusters of children sharing the same pattern regarding sedentary and physical exercise behavior and compare these groups regarding overweight status. METHODS: Cross-sectional study among 11-year-old children in nine countries (n = 12538). Self-administered questionnaires assessed the time spent on TV viewing during dinner and during the day, PC use and on physical exercise. The parents reported children's weight and height. Descriptive statistics, cluster analyses, and logistic regression analyses were used for data analyses. RESULTS: Boys spent more time on sedentary behaviors but also more on physical exercise than girls. High TV viewing and low exercise behavior independently increased the risk of being overweight. Based on the behaviors, five clusters were identified. Among boys, clear associations with being overweight were found, with the most unhealthy behavior pattern having the highest risks of being overweight. Among girls, high TV viewers and high PC users had increased risk of being overweight. In girls sedentary behaviors seemed more important than physical exercise with regard to overweight status. CONCLUSION: Despite selective non-response on BMI and reliance on self-reports, the associations between clusters and overweight in boys were clear, and differences between boys and girls regarding the behaviors and risks for overweight are noteworthy. These differences need to be considered when developing tailored intervention strategies for prevention of overweight

EuropeaN Energy balance Research to prevent excessive weight Gain among Youth (ENERGY) project: Design and methodology of the ENERGY cross-sectional survey

Background: Obesity treatment is by large ineffective long term, and more emphasis on the prevention of excessive weight gain in childhood and adolescence is warranted. To inform energy balance related behaviour (EBRB) change interventions, insight in the potential personal, family and school environmental correlates of these behaviours is needed. Studies on such multilevel correlates of EBRB among schoolchildren in Europe are lacking. The ENERGY survey aims to (1) provide up-to-date prevalence rates of measured overweight, obesity, self-reported engagement in EBRBs, and objective accelerometer-based assessment of physical activity and sedentary behaviour and blood-sample biomarkers of metabolic function in countries in different regions of Europe, (2) to identify personal, family and school environmental correlates of these EBRBs. This paper describes the design, methodology and protocol of the survey. Method/Design: A school-based cross-sectional survey was carried out in 2010 in seven different European countries; Belgium, Greece, Hungary, the Netherlands, Norway, Slovenia, and Spain. The survey included measurements of anthropometrics, child, parent and school-staff questionnaires, and school observations to measure and assess outcomes (i.e. height, weight, and waist circumference), EBRBs and potential personal, family and school environmental correlates of these behaviours including the social-cultural, physical, political, and economic environmental factors. In addition, a selection of countries conducted accelerometer measurements to objectively assess physical activity and sedentary behaviour, and collected blood samples to assess several biomarkers of metabolic function. Discussion: The ENERGY survey is a comprehensive cross-sectional study measuring anthropometrics and biomarkers as well as assessing a range of EBRBs and their potential correlates at the personal, family and school level, among 10-12 year old children in seven European countries. This study will result in a unique dataset, enabling cross country comparisons in overweight, obesity, risk behaviours for these conditions as well as the correlates of engagement in these risk behaviours

Cigarette smoking and use of smokeless tobacco in Moshi rural district of Kilimanjaro region, northern Tanzania

No Abstract. East African Journal of Public Health Vol. 3 (1) April 2006: 24-2

Perceptions of AIDS risk and condom use among out-of-school adolescents in Moshi rural district, northern Tanzania

Objective: To determine the magnitude of perceived AIDS risk among out-of-school adolescents in Moshi rural district of Kilimanjaro region, northern Tanzania.Methods: A cross-sectional study involving face-to-face interviews with out-of-school adolescents in eleven rural villages in Moshi district, northern Tanzania.Results: We found that of the 668 adolescents (10-19 years of age) surveyed, 45.4% were sexually active and significantly more men than women reported being sexually active (55.85 versus 23.0%, OR = 0.24, 95% CI = 0.16 to 0.34). Adolescents who had travelled to Moshi town or out of Tanzania were significantly more likely to be sexually active compared with those who have never travelled. Despite perception of AIDS risk, a large majority (70.5%) of sexually active adolescents reported having multiple sexual partners. Adolescents who perceived being at AIDS risk were less likely to report having multiple sexual partners and were more likely to report having used a condom at the last sexual intercourse.Conclusion: These findings indicate that adolescents in this rural population are still practising high risk sexual behaviours suggesting the need for youth-targeted intervention programmes in rural Tanzania.Key words: Condom use, AIDS risk, Sexually Active, Moshi rural District, Tanzani

Food insufficiency in rural Kilimanjaro, Tanzania

No Abstract. East African Medical Journal Vol. 84 (4) 2007: pp. 163-17

Health services utilisation among secondary school students in Arusha region, Tanzania

(East African Medical Journal: 2001 78(6): 300-307