Public definitions of success in weight management

Objective: To examine perceptions of success in weight control and future weight-control intentions in a community sample. Design: Cross-sectional postal survey. Subjects: There were 1500 adults randomly selected from the Electoral Roll of Victoria (47% response). Setting: Community. Main outcome measures: Retrospective weight change over previous 12 months; perceived weight-control success; future weight-control intentions. Statistical analyses: Pearson\u27s &chi;&sup2; tests were used to compare perceived weight-control success by sex, and by age, education level, initial BMI, amount of weight change and weight-loss behaviour within sex. ANOVA was used to compare mean weight change associated with perceived weight control success within sex, and within age, education, body mass index and weight-loss behaviour by sex. The distribution (frequency) of weight-control intentions are reported within perceived weight-control success and amount of weight change. Results: One in two (53%) reported maintaining their weight within 1kg in the preceding 12 months, 26% of men and 21% of women reported weight gain and 20% of men and 26% of women reported weight loss. Almost one-third (30%) of those who maintained their weight considered themselves unsuccessful. A majority of those who lost weight considered themselves successful at controlling their weight. However, more than 45% of men who gained weight also considered themselves successful. Those who considered themselves unsuccessful experienced less weight loss (1.1 &plusmn; 3.9kg) than those who considered themselves quite successful (-1.4 &plusmn; 4.5 kg, P &lt; 0.001) or very successful (-1.3 &plusmn; 7.8 kg, P &lt; 0.001). Conclusion: Public views of what constitutes successful weight control may need to be reoriented to be consistent with public health goals. <br /

Safety in numbers: Does perceived safety mediate associations between the neighborhood social environment and physical activity among women living in disadvantaged neighborhoods?

The aim of this study is to examine associations between the neighborhood social environment and leisure-time physical activity (LTPA)(1) and walking among women, and whether these associations are mediated by perceived personal safety

Un Análisis de los Factores Determinantes de la Innovación: El Estudio de Caso de las Empresas Familiares con Sede en Singapur

Family businesses play an important role in the growth of global economy, and while they are arguably perceived as a conservative form of organization with high risk aversion and reluctance to change, counterintuitive empirical evidence show that they are most effective in ideation and commercialization of innovation projects. In the current business environment of rapid change in work patterns, fast adoption of enabling technologies for seamless collaborations across industry and geography, along with intense competition and high uncertainty, enterprises have no choice but to maximize returns on innovation investments. Therefore, they are increasingly dependent on an ecosystem-based approach to innovation management, which has shown greater likelihood to create radical innovations and enable profit generation. The objective of this paper is to analyse determinants of open innovation practices in family-owned enterprises in consideration of the joint effect of in-company enablers and external factors. Drawing on a sample of 33 Singapore based family-owned firms, our findings confirmed the key drivers such as family and business culture, access to external funds, government supported initiatives, market dynamics, partnership, network, family capital, and external network. &nbsp;Managerial implications about the necessity to leverage both environmental determinants and internal innovation capabilities to foster novel business ideas are also highlighted in the conclusion of the paper.Las empresas familiares desempeñan un papel importante en el crecimiento de la economía global, y aunque posiblemente se las perciba como una forma conservadora de organización con alta aversión al riesgo la evidencia empírica muestra que son más efectivas creando y comercializando proyectos de innovación. En el entorno empresarial actual de cambio rápido en los patrones de trabajo, la adopción rápida de tecnologías habilitadoras para colaboraciones fluidas en toda la industria y la geografía, junto con la intensa competencia y la alta incertidumbre, las empresas no tienen más remedio que maximizar los rendimientos de las inversiones en innovación. Por lo tanto, dependen cada vez más de un enfoque basado en el ecosistema para la gestión de la innovación, que ha demostrado una mayor probabilidad de crear innovaciones radicales y permitir la generación de ganancias. El objetivo de esta investigación es analizar los determinantes de las prácticas de innovación en las empresas familiares en consideración del efecto conjunto de los facilitadores internos y los factores externos. Basándose en una muestra de 33 empresas familiares con sede en Singapur, nuestros hallazgos confirmaron los impulsores clave como la cultura familiar y empresarial, el acceso a fondos externos, las iniciativas respaldadas por el gobierno, la dinámica del mercado, la asociación, la red, el capital familiar y la red externa. Las implicaciones gerenciales sobre la necesidad de aprovechar los determinantes ambientales y las capacidades de innovación interna para fomentar nuevas ideas de negocio también se destacan en la conclusión del artículo

Dog ownership, dog walking and children\u27s and parents\u27 physical activity

This study aimed to determine cross-sectional associations of dog ownership, dog walking, and physical activity (PA) among children and their parents. Objective measures of PA were obtained for children ages 5-6 and 10-12 years from 19 primary schools across Melbourne, Australia. Parents self-reported their PA, dog ownership, and frequency of dog walking: 53% of families owned a dog, 41% of children who owned a dog did not walk their dog at all, and 32% reported never or rarely walking their dog as a family. Dog ownership was associated with an additional 29 min/day in PA among younger girls, and 70 and 59 min/week more in PA among mothers of younger boys and older girls, respectively. Among mothers of older girls, dog owners were 1.6 times as likely to meet PA guidelines. Mothers with older boys and girls, and fathers with younger boys, who reported walking the dog regularly as a family, spent more time in PA (105, 90, and 158 more min/week, respectively). Promoting dog ownership and dog walking among children and as a family are potential strategies for increasing PA participation in some families.<br /

Understanding environmental influences on nutrition and physical activity behaviors: where should we look and what should we count?

Research interest in the influence of environmental factors on nutrition and physical activity behaviors has surged internationally in recent years. This is evident from a rapidly expanding literature and facilitated by advances in methodological and analytical approaches to assessing multiple levels of influence on health behaviors. However, a number of conceptual challenges complicate research endeavours in this field. The purpose of this paper is to provide a 'state of the science' overview of evidence regarding environmental influences on nutrition and physical activity behaviors. We focus particularly on a number of key conceptual and methodological issues, including: a consideration of how the environment is defined; the selection and operationalization of environmental exposures; and the importance of integrating existing understanding of individual influences on behavior with the emerging data on the role of the environment. We draw on examples from the published literature including our own research studies to illustrate these issues. We conclude by proposing a research agenda to progress understanding of the influences of the environment on population nutrition and physical activity behaviors

Parental concerns about childhood obesity and the strategies employed to prevent unhealthy weight gain in children.

Objectives: To describe parental concerns about their child&rsquo;s weight, to determine the proportion of parents taking preventive action to avoid obesity in their children and the predictors of taking preventive action, and to describe the strategies adopted by parents.Design: A cross-sectional survey was conducted. Children&rsquo;s heights and weights were measured, and parents completed a questionnaire that included measures of their own weight status, perceptions of their child&rsquo;s weight, concerns about their child&rsquo;s current weight and future weight as an adolescent and adult, and the strategies used to prevent obesity.Setting: The study was conducted in Melbourne, Australia.Subjects: A total of 291 families of children aged 5&ndash;6 years and 919 families of children aged 10&ndash;12 years participated.Results: Eighty-nine per cent of parents of overweight 5&ndash;6-year-olds and 63% of parents of overweight 10&ndash;12-year-olds were unaware their child was overweight. Seventy-one per cent of parents of overweight 5&ndash;6-year-olds and 43% of parents of overweight 10&ndash;12-year-olds were not concerned about their child&rsquo;s current weight. Although 31% of parents of 5&ndash;6-year-olds and 43% of parents of 10&ndash;12-year-olds were taking action to prevent unhealthy weight gain in their children, less-educated parents were less likely to do so.Conclusions: Public health programmes are required to raise parental recognition of childhood overweight and of related risk behaviours, and to provide parents with practical strategies to prevent unhealthy weight gain in their children.<br /

A qualitative exploration of perspectives of physical activity and sedentary behaviour among Indian migrants in Melbourne, Australia: how are they defined and what can we learn?

BackgroundAlthough perceptions of what constitutes physical activity (PA) may vary between culturally diverse populations, very little research has explored the perceptions of PA among Indian migrants. This study aimed to identify how PA and sedentary behaviour (SB) are defined and describe how these definitions are shaped by cultural background and migration among a sample of Indian migrants living in Australia.MethodsUsing an exploratory qualitative approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted with twenty-one Indian migrants living in Melbourne (10 men and 11 women; age range: 18 to 65 years). Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data were coded and analysed inductively using thematic analyses.ResultsData revealed two emerging themes: 1) Holistic perspectives related to PA, where although the majority of participants described PA as "any sort of movement", or "physical exercise", several of these descriptions had interwoven ideas related to the mind (mind-body connect), social, cultural, and to the outdoor environment; 2) Broader perspectives for SB, where descriptions of SB as "not having movement", "doing nothing" or "being lazy", were shaped with ideas of purpose and duration. Women spoke about how their perspectives of PA and SB may be shaped by native Indian experiences, particularly the gender roles, social caste, and regional subcultural norms which they perceived were important to consider among women who migrate to western settings.ConclusionsCultural background is important in shaping the perspectives of PA and SB among Indian migrants in Australia. Practitioners and researchers should consider the varying perspectives of PA to communicate and promote PA among migrant populations more effectively

The clustering of diet, physical activity and sedentary behaviour in children and adolescents: a review

Diet, physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior are important, yet modifiable, determinants of obesity. Recent research into the clustering of these behaviors suggests that children and adolescents have multiple obesogenic risk factors. This paper reviews studies using empirical, data-driven methodologies, such as cluster analysis (CA) and latent class analysis (LCA), to identify clustering patterns of diet, PA and sedentary behavior among children or adolescents and their associations with socio-demographic indicators, and overweight and obesity. A literature search of electronic databases was undertaken to identify studies which have used data-driven methodologies to investigate the clustering of diet, PA and sedentary behavior among children and adolescents aged 5–18 years old. Eighteen studies (62% of potential studies) were identified that met the inclusion criteria, of which eight examined the clustering of PA and sedentary behavior and eight examined diet, PA and sedentary behavior. Studies were mostly cross-sectional and conducted in older children and adolescents (≥9 years). Findings from the review suggest that obesogenic cluster patterns are complex with a mixed PA/sedentary behavior cluster observed most frequently, but healthy and unhealthy patterning of all three behaviors was also reported. Cluster membership was found to differ according to age, gender and socio-economic status (SES). The tendency for older children/adolescents, particularly females, to comprise clusters defined by low PA was the most robust finding. Findings to support an association between obesogenic cluster patterns and overweight and obesity were inconclusive, with longitudinal research in this area limited. Diet, PA and sedentary behavior cluster together in complex ways that are not well understood. Further research, particularly in younger children, is needed to understand how cluster membership differs according to socio-demographic profile. Longitudinal research is also essential to establish how different cluster patterns track over time and their influence on the development of overweight and obesity

Fattening foods - perceptions and misconceptions: a qualitative and quantitative exploration

Describes adults\u27 perceptions and beliefs about foods that are considered &quot;fattening&quot;. Use of qualitative and quantitative methods to determine the prevalence of the perceptions among adults; Range of factors that are considered when judging foods as &quot;fattening&quot;; Limitations in the public\u27s understandings of &quot;fattening foods&quot; which are inconsistent with dietary recommendations.<br /

Five-year changes in school recess and lunchtime and the contribution to children’s daily physical activity

Objective To investigate the longitudinal changes in children\u27s recess and lunchtime physical activity levels and in the contribution of recess and lunchtime to daily physical activity levels over 5 years among 5&ndash;6- and 10&ndash;12-year olds.Methods Data were drawn from two longitudinal studies that were conducted in metropolitan Melbourne, Australia. Boys and girls (n=2782) aged 5&ndash;6 years and 10&ndash;12 years participated in baseline (T0) measures. Physical activity (n=2490) was measured every 60 s for eight consecutive days using hip-mounted accelerometry. Subsequent measurements were taken at 3-year (T1; n=773) and 5-year (T2; n=634) follow-up. Physical activity intensities were derived using age-adjusted cut-points. Sedentary time was defined as 100 counts/min. Longitudinal data were analysed using three-level (time, child, school) multilevel analyses, stratified by sex and cohort, and adjusted for potential confounding variables.Results Significant decreases in recess and lunchtime moderate and vigorous physical activity were observed (p&lt;0.001), with larger decreases occurring in the older cohort. Associated increases were observed in sedentary time over time (p&lt;0.01). Although the contribution of recess to daily moderate intensity physical activity increased in the younger cohort over time (p&lt;0.001), significant decreases were observed in the older cohort (p&lt;0.001).Conclusion Physical activity levels during recess and lunchtime decreased in both cohorts over time. Decreases in the contribution of recess and lunchtime to older children\u27s daily physical activity were also observed. Interventions are needed in both primary and secondary schools to promote physical activity levels during recess and lunchtime, particularly during the early years of secondary school.<br /