Relative validity of the food frequency questionnaire used to assess dietary intake in the Leiden Longevity Study

Abstract Background: Invalid information on dietary intake may lead to false diet-disease associations. This study was conducted to examine the relative validity of the food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) used to assess dietary intake in the Leiden Longevity Study. Methods: A total of 128 men and women participating in the Leiden Longevity Study were included in the present validation study. The performance of the FFQ was evaluated using the mean of three 24-hour recalls as the reference method. Evaluation in estimating dietary intake at the group level was done by paired t-tests. The relative validity of the individual energy adjusted level of intake was assessed with correlation analyses (Pearson's), with correction for measurement error. Results: On group level, the FFQ overestimated as well as underestimated absolute intake of various nutrients and foods. The Bland and Altman plot for total energy intake showed that the agreement between the FFQ and the 24-hour recalls was dependent of intake level. Pearson correlation coefficients ranged from 0.21 (alpha linolenic acid) to 0.78 (ethanol) for nutrients and from -0.02 (legumes, non-significant) to 0.78 (alcoholic beverages) for foods. Adjustment for energy intake slightly lowered the correlation coefficients for nutrients (mean coefficient: 0.48 versus 0.50), while adjustment for within-subject variation in the 24-h recalls resulted in higher correlation coefficients for both nutrients and foods (mean coefficient: 0.69 for nutrients and 0.65 for foods). Conclusions: For most nutrients and foods, the ability of the FFQ to rank subjects was acceptable to good

Mortality and life expectancy in relation to long‐term cigarette, cigar and pipe smoking: The Zutphen Study

Study objective: To study the effect of long-term smoking on all-cause and cause-specific mortality, and to estimate the effects of cigarette and cigar or pipe smoking on life expectancy. Design: A long-term prospective cohort study. Setting: Zutphen, The Netherlands. Participants: 1373 men from the Zutphen Study, born between 1900 and 1920 and studied between 1960 and 2000. Measurements: Hazard ratios for the type of smoking, amount and duration of cigarette smoking, obtained from a time-dependent Cox regression model. Absolute health effects of smoking are expressed as differences in life expectancy and the number of disease-free years of life. Main results: Duration of cigarette smoking was strongly associated with mortality from cardiovascular disease, lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, whereas both the number of cigarettes smoked as well as duration of cigarette smoking were strongly associated with all-cause mortality. Average cigarette smoking reduced the total life expectancy by 6.8 years, whereas heavy cigarette smoking reduced the total life expectancy by 8.8 years. The number of total life-years lost due to cigar or pipe smoking was 4.7 years. Moreover, cigarette smoking reduced the number of disease-free life-years by 5.8 years, and cigar or pipe smoking by 5.2 years. Stopping cigarette smoking at age 40 increased the life expectancy by 4.6 years, while the number of disease-free life-years was increased by 3.0 years. Conclusions: Cigar or pipe smoking reduces life expectancy to a lesser extent than cigarette smoking. Both the number of cigarettes smoked and duration of smoking are strongly associated with mortality risk and the number of life-years lost. Stopping smoking after age 40 has major health benefits

The Effects of the PLAYTOD Program on Children’s Physical Activity at Preschool Playgrounds in a Deprived Urban Area: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Interventions to improve children’s physical activity in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) settings are needed. This randomized controlled trial examines the effects of a preschool-based playground program for ECEC teachers in a deprived urban area. On intervention preschools, the PLAYgrounds for TODdlers program (PLAYTOD) was performed. It focused on teacher’s knowledge and skills in order to create a challenging outdoor environment in which young children (2.5 to 4 years old) are able to practice their motor skills. Observations were performed before and after the program with a modified version of the SOPLAY protocol. The activating role of teachers (score from 0 = inactive to 4 = participating), the number of different physical activities, and the quality of children’s physical activity on playgrounds were observed. The latter included the number of performed fundamental movement skills and the estimated physical activity intensity (score from 0 = sedentary to 3 = vigorous). Descriptive statistics and linear regression analyses were used to evaluate the effects of PLAYTOD. After the program, the activating role of teachers on intervention playgrounds improved. Moreover, the program and consecutively the changes made by teachers had a positive effect on the number of different activities and the quality of children’s physical activity. The results emphasize an important role for ECEC teachers in improving physical activity in young children

The Effects of the PLAYTOD Program on Children’s Physical Activity at Preschool Playgrounds in a Deprived Urban Area: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Interventions to improve children’s physical activity in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) settings are needed. This randomized controlled trial examines the effects of a preschool-based playground program for ECEC teachers in a deprived urban area. On intervention preschools, the PLAYgrounds for TODdlers program (PLAYTOD) was performed. It focused on teacher’s knowledge and skills in order to create a challenging outdoor environment in which young children (2.5 to 4 years old) are able to practice their motor skills. Observations were performed before and after the program with a modified version of the SOPLAY protocol. The activating role of teachers (score from 0 = inactive to 4 = participating), the number of different physical activities, and the quality of children’s physical activity on playgrounds were observed. The latter included the number of performed fundamental movement skills and the estimated physical activity intensity (score from 0 = sedentary to 3 = vigorous). Descriptive statistics and linear regression analyses were used to evaluate the effects of PLAYTOD. After the program, the activating role of teachers on intervention playgrounds improved. Moreover, the program and consecutively the changes made by teachers had a positive effect on the number of different activities and the quality of children’s physical activity. The results emphasize an important role for ECEC teachers in improving physical activity in young children

Weight development between age 5 and 10 years and its associations with dietary patterns at age 5 in the ABCD cohort

Background: Social inequalities in bodyweight start early in life and track into adulthood. Dietary patterns are an important determinant of weight development in children, towards both overweight and underweight. Therefore, we aimed to examine weight development between age 5 and 10 years by ethnicity, SES and thereafter by BMI category at age 5, to explore its association with dietary patterns at age 5. Methods: Participants were 1765 children from the Amsterdam Born Children and their Development (ABCD) cohort that had valid data on BMI at age 5 and 10 and diet at age 5. Linear mixed model analysis was used to examine weight development between age 5 and 10 years and to assess if four previously identified dietary patterns at age 5 (snacking, full-fat, meat and healthy) were associated with weight development. Analyses were adjusted for relevant confounders, stratified by ethnicity and SES and thereafter stratified per BMI category at age 5. Results: Overall, weight decreased in Dutch and high SES children and increased in non-Dutch and low/middle SES children. Across the range of bodyweight categories at age 5, we observed a conversion to normal weight, which was stronger in Dutch and high SES children but less pronounced in non-Dutch and low/middle SES children. Overall, the observed associations between weight development and dietary patterns were mixed with some unexpected findings: A healthy dietary pattern was positively associated with weight development in most groups, regardless of ethnicity and SES (e.g. Dutch B 0.084, 95% CI 0.038;0.130 and high SES B 0.096, 95% CI 0.047;0.143) whereas the full-fat pattern was negatively associated with weight development (e.g. Dutch B-0.069, 95% CI-0.114;-0.024 and high SES B-0.072, 95% CI-0.119;-0.026). Conclusions: We observed differential weight development per ethnic and SES group. Our results indicate that each ethnic and SES group follows its own path of weight development. Associations between dietary patterns and weight development showed some unexpected findings; follow-up research is needed to understand the association between dietary patterns and weight development