Children\u27s after-school activity : associations with weight status and family circumstance

This study investigated children\u27s after-school activity and associations with body mass index (BMI) and family circumstance. One thousand two hundred thirty-four parents and 854 children (age 8-13 years) completed activity diaries for the 2 hours after school. Parents reported children as more active than children reported themselves. Boys were reported to be more active than girls. Activity levels were generally not associated with BMI or family circumstance with the exception of cultural background. Parent-reported mean child METs were higher for mothers born in Australia (3.3 vs. 3.0; p = .02). Child-reported mean METs were higher for fathers born in Australia (2.9 vs. 2.6; p = .04) and where English was their main language (2.9 vs. 2.3, p = .003).<br /

Mediators of the relationship between maternal education and children\u27s TV viewing

Background: Maternal education is consistently found to be inversely related to children&rsquo;s television viewing and is associated with aspects of the family television environment. This study investigates whether family television environment mediates the relationship between maternal education and children&rsquo;s television viewing.Methods: Parents of 1484 children reported maternal education, time their child spends watching television, and 21 aspects of the family television environment (potential mediators) during 2002 and 2003. Separate regression analyses were conducted in 2006 for each potential mediator that met two initial conditions for mediation (associated with both maternal education and children&rsquo;s television viewing (p&lt;0.10)), to assess whether inclusion reduced the association between maternal education and children&rsquo;s television viewing. Multivariable regression assessed the combined impact of all mediators.Results: Twelve of 21 potential mediators met the initial conditions for mediation. Inclusion of each resulted in decreased &beta; values (3.2% to 15.2%) for the association between maternal education and television viewing. Number and placement of televisions in the home appeared to have the greatest mediating effect, followed by frequency of eating dinner in front of the television with the child and rules about television viewing during mealtimes. Together, the 12 mediators accounted for more than one-third of the association between maternal education and children&rsquo;s television viewing time.Conclusions: This study suggests the strong inverse relationship between maternal education and children&rsquo;s television viewing is partly mediated by aspects of the family television environment.<br /

Parental correlates of young children\u27s dietary intakes : a review

Evidence suggests that parental modeling, use of feeding strategies, nutrition knowledge, self-efficacy for providing healthy foods and food availability are all likely to be important correlates in determining the dietary habits of young children. This paper reviews the literature regarding parental correlates of the dietary intakes of young children and provides insights regarding areas which may be important in early life but have as yet not been well researched.<br /

Children's television viewing and objectively measured physical activity: associations with family circumstance

BACKGROUND: The contribution of family circumstance to physical activity and television viewing has not been widely investigated in pre-adolescents, and available information is inconsistent. This study examines whether television viewing and objectively measured physical activity vary by different indicators of family circumstance. METHODS: Data from the 2001 Children's Leisure Activity Study and the 2002/3 Health, Eating and Play Study, involving Australian children in Grades Prep (mean age 6y) and 5–6 (mean age 11y), were combined. Children wore accelerometers for six consecutive 24 hour periods. Average min/day in low-intensity activity (1.0–1.9 METs) and moderate-to-vigorous-intensity activity (≥3 METs) were calculated. Parents reported children's television viewing and family circumstance. Linear regression analyses were conducted separately for young girls, young boys, older girls and older boys. RESULTS: Complete data were available for 2458 children. Parental education and, to a lesser extent, employment level were inversely associated with television viewing. Children in single-parent families, those whose fathers were not in paid employment, and those without siblings tended to spend more time in low-intensity activity than their peers. Children with siblings spent more time in moderate-to-vigorous-intensity activity; associations were stronger for girls. Maternal education was positively associated with moderate-to-vigorous-intensity activity for younger children. Maternal employment was positively associated with moderate-to-vigorous-intensity activity for older children. Multivariable models did not demonstrate a cumulative explanatory effect. CONCLUSION: Individual measures of family circumstance were differentially associated with television, low-intensity activity and moderate-to-vigorous-intensity activity and associations were often not consistent across age-by-gender groups. Interventions may need to be tailored accordingly

Key Messages in an Early Childhood Obesity Prevention Intervention : Are They Recalled and Do They Impact Children's Behaviour?

Knowledge of the impact of health messages as an intervention strategy is sparse. The aim of this study was to explore recall and use of health behaviour messages among mothers, and whether recall is associated with child health behaviours. Intervention group data from the 15 months Melbourne Infant Feeding, Activity and Nutrition Trial (InFANT) were used (n = 127, children 4 months at commencement). Mothers recalled (unprompted then prompted) at 2 and 3.5 years post-intervention six key messages used in the program, and reported whether they had used them. Children's food intake was measured by three days of 24-h recall; physical activity by accelerometers; and television viewing by parent report. Unprompted recall ranged between 1-56% across messages and follow-up points, and 37-90% for prompted recall. The most commonly recalled messages "tap into water", "parents provide, kids decide" and "color every meal with fruit and veg" were also most commonly used. There were few associations between recall and children's health behaviours. Given the association between recall and reported use, it is important to plan messages so they resonate well with the target group and its needs. Messages should be used as one of multiple strategies within health promotion programs.Peer reviewe

Children\u27s physical activity and screen time : qualitative comparison of views of parents of infants and preschool children

BackgroundWhile parents are central to the development of behaviours in their young children, little is known about how parents view their role in shaping physical activity and screen time behaviours.MethodsUsing an unstructured focus group design, parental views and practices around children&prime;s physical activity and screen time (television and computer use) were explored with eight groups of new parents (n=61; child age &lt;12 months) and eight groups of parents with preschool-aged (3&ndash;5 year old) children (n=36) in Melbourne, Australia.ResultsParents generally believed children are naturally active, which may preclude their engagement in strategies designed to increase physical activity. While parents across both age groups shared many overarching views concerning parenting for children&prime;s physical activity and screen time behaviours, some strategies and barriers differed depending on the age of the child. While most new parents were optimistic about their ability to positively influence their child&prime;s behaviours, many parents of preschool-aged children seemed more resigned to strategies that worked for them, even when aware such strategies may not be ideal.ConclusionsInterventions aiming to increase children&prime;s physical activity and decrease screen time may need to tailor strategies to the age group of the child and address parents&prime; misconceptions and barriers to optimum parenting in these domains.<br /

Stability of television viewing and electronic game/computer use in a prospective cohort study of Australian children: relationship with body mass index

BackgroundWhile much cross-sectional data is available, there have been few longitudinal investigations of patterns of electronic media use in children. Further, the possibility of a bi-directional relationship between electronic media use and body mass index in children has not been considered. This study aimed to describe longitudinal patterns of television viewing and electronic game/computer use, and investigate relationships with body mass index (BMI).MethodsThis prospective cohort study was conducted in elementary schools in Victoria, Australia. 1278 children aged 5&ndash;10 years at baseline and 8&ndash;13 years at follow-up had their BMI calculated, from measured height and weight, and transformed to z-scores based on US 2000 growth data. Weight status (non-overweight, overweight and obese) was based on international BMI cut-off points. Weekly television viewing and electronic game/computer use were reported by parents, these were summed to generate total weekly screen time. Children were classified as meeting electronic media use guidelines if their total screen time was &le;14 hrs/wk.ResultsElectronic media use increased over the course of the study; 40% met guidelines at baseline but only 18% three years later. Television viewing and electronic game/computer use tracked moderately and total screen time was positively associated with adiposity cross-sectionally. While weaker relationships with adiposity were observed longitudinally, baseline z-BMI and weight status were positively associated with follow-up screen time and baseline screen time was positively associated with z-BMI and weight status at follow-up. Children who did not meet guidelines at baseline had significantly higher z-BMI and were more likely to be classified as overweight/obese at follow-up.ConclusionElectronic media use in Australian elementary school children is high, increases with age and tracks over time. There appears to be a bi-directional association suggesting that interventions targeting reductions in either screen time or adiposity may have a positive effect on both screen time and adiposity.<br /

Early childhood physical activity, sedentary behaviors and psychosocial well-being: a systematic review

ObjectivesLittle is known about how health behaviors such as physical activity (PA) and sedentary behaviors (SB) may be associated with psychosocial well-being during the crucial early childhood period. The aim of this study was to undertake a systematic review of associations between PA, SB and psychosocial well-being during early childhood.MethodsIn February 2013, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, SPORTDiscus and Embase electronic databases were searched. Inclusion criteria were: 1. peer-reviewed publication since 1980 in English; 2. children aged birth&ndash;5 years; 3. PA or SB measured during early childhood; 4. an indicator of child psychosocial well-being; and 5. association between PA/SB and psychosocial well-being reported. Studies could be observational or interventions. Data were extracted by one author and entered into a standardized form in February and March 2013.Results19 studies were identified: four examined PA, 13 examined SB and two examined PA and SB. No interventions met the inclusion criteria; all included studies were observational. In total, 21 indicators of psychosocial well-being were examined, 13 only once with the remaining eight reported in more than one study. Some dose&ndash;response evidence was identified suggesting that PA is positively, and SB inversely, associated with psychosocial well-being.ConclusionsToo few studies exist to draw conclusions regarding associations. Future high-quality cohort and intervention studies are warranted particularly investigating dose&ndash;response associations

Preschool and childcare center characteristics associated with children\u27s physical activity during care hours: an observational study

Background: Preschools and childcare settings offer opportunities to promote adequate levels of physical activity. Research is needed to identify the key features of these settings to optimize young children\u27s activity. The aims of this study were to determine if differences existed in preschool children\u27s physical activity during care hours compared with outside care hours and to examine a comprehensive range of potential center-based correlates of physical activity for preschool boys and girls. Methods: Data are from the Healthy Active Preschool and Primary Years study: 71 childcare centers, 65 preschools and 1002 preschool children. Percent of time in total (light- to vigorous-intensity) physical activity was measured using Actigraph GT1M accelerometers. Center physical environment characteristics, policies and practices were assessed by trained research staff using comprehensive audit tools. Data were collected in 2008/9 and were analyzed separately for boys and girls in Stata using multilevel mixed effects models. Results: Boys and girls were less active during care than outside care hours (51.1 % vs. 52.4 %, p = 0.01; 48.0 % vs. 51.5 %, p \u3c 0.0001, respectively). In the final adjusted models, number of outdoor spaces with natural ground coverings was associated with boys\u27 physical activity (coeff = 0.477, 95 % CI 0.089, 0.867) and the amount of time girls spent indoors before going outdoors was inversely associated with their physical activity (coeff = −0.035, 95 % CI −0.065, −0.004). The models explained 12 and 10 % of boys\u27 and girls\u27 physical activity during care hours, respectively. Conclusions: This study identified that children are significantly less active during than outside care hours. Few center-based correlates of preschool children\u27s physical activity were identified. Future research should explore other aspects of centers, such as what children actually do while they are outside, and broader potential influences on children\u27s behaviours including social, cultural and policy contexts within which centers operat