Risk factors for low physical activity levels in preschool-aged children in urban Bangladesh

Physical activity (PA) is a known determinant of health and is important in the development of young children. Risk factors for PA may be different in low- and middle-income countries, such as urban Bangladesh, where the environment is densely populated and nutritional deficits are common. We aimed to describe the PA levels of preschoolers in Dhaka, Bangladesh, as well as estimate the associations between preschooler PA levels and household and nutritional factors. We conducted a cross-sectional, observational study, collecting accelerometry, hemoglobin concentration, socioeconomic status, anthropometry, and data on the home built environment. Linear mixed-effects models were used to assess the associations between PA and the exposures of interest. The entire sample were found to meet Canadian preschooler PA guidelines for daily activity. There were no associations between PA and characteristics of the built environment of the home, nor hemoglobin concentration, suggesting a need for further exploration of potential influential factors.M.Sc.2020-11-15 00:00:0

Food parenting practices and their association with child nutrition risk status: comparing mothers and fathers

In Canada, little is known about how food parenting practices are associated with young children’s dietary intakes and no studies have examined food parenting practices of Canadian fathers. This study aimed to examine associations between food parenting practices and preschool-age children’s nutrition risk. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of 31 two-parent families; 31 mothers, 31 fathers and 40 preschool-age children. Parents completed an adapted version of the Comprehensive Feeding Practices Questionnaire. We calculated children’s nutrition risk using their NutriSTEP® score. To account for sibling association, we used generalized estimating equations, adjusting for child age, sex, household income, and parental BMI. Both mothers’ and fathers’ involvement of children in meal preparation were associated with lower child nutrition risk (mother β=-3.45, p=0.02; father β=-1.74, p=0.01), as were their healthy home environment scores (mother β=-8.36, pThe accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author