Public Health Nutrition

Abstract Objective: A front-of-pack nutrition logo on products with relatively favourable product compositions might help consumers to make more healthful choices. Studies investigating actual nutrition label use in point-of-purchase settings are scarce. The present study investigates the use of the 'Choices' nutrition logo in Dutch supermarkets. Design: Adults were asked to complete a validated questionnaire about motivation for food choice and their purchased products were scored for the Choices logo after they had done their shopping. Setting: Nine supermarkets in The Netherlands. Subjects: A total of 404 respondents participated. Results: Of the respondents, 62 % reported familiarity with the logo. The motivations for food choice that were positively associated with actually purchasing products with the logo were attention to 'weight control' and 'product information'. The food choice motive 'hedonism' was negatively associated with purchasing products with the logo. Conclusions: This is the first study to investigate actual use of the Choices logo. In order to stimulate consumers to purchase more products with a favourable product composition, extra attention should be paid to hedonistic aspects such as the tastefulness and the image of healthy products

Measured sedentary time and physical activity during the school day of European 10- to 12-year-old children: the ENERGY project

Objectives: This study aims to describe the time devoted to sedentary and physical activities at school in five European countries and to examine differences according to country, sex, ethnicity, parental education and weight status. Design: cross-European cross-sectional survey. Methods: Primary schoolchildren (n = 1025) aged 10–12 years in Belgium, Greece, Hungary, the Netherlands, and Switzerland wore accelerometers for at least six consecutive days. Only weekdays were used for this study to calculate the percentages of school-time spent in sedentary activities and moderate to vigorous intensity activity. Trained research assistants measured height and weight. Sex and date of birth were self-reported by the child and parental education and ethnicity were parent-reported. Results: European schoolchildren spent on average 65% of their time at school in sedentary activities and 5% on moderate to vigorous intensity activities, with small differences between countries. Girls spent a significant larger amount of school-time in sedentary activities (67%) than boys (63%; p < 0.0001), and spent less time in moderate to vigorous intensity activities (4% versus 5%; p < 0.001). Overweight children spent significantly less time in moderate to vigorous intensity activities (4%) that normal weight children (45%, p < 0.01). Parental education or ethnicity were not associated with time spent in sedentary or physical activities. Conclusions: European schoolchildren spend a small amount of their school-time in moderate to vigorous intensity activities and a large amountin sedentary activities, with small but significant differences across countries. Future interventions should target more physical activities and less sedentary time at school particularly in girls

Corrigendum to: "Measured sedentary time and physical activity during the school day of European 10- to 12-year-old children: The ENERGY project" [J. Sci. Med. Sport 17 (2014) 201-206]

Objectives: This study aims to describe the time devoted to sedentary and physical activities at school in five European countries and to examine differences according to country, sex, ethnicity, parental education and weight status. Design: cross-European cross-sectional survey. Methods: Primary schoolchildren (n = 1025) aged 10–12 years in Belgium, Greece, Hungary, the Netherlands, and Switzerland wore accelerometers for at least six consecutive days. Only weekdays were used for this study to calculate the percentages of school-time spent in sedentary activities and moderate to vigorous intensity activity. Trained research assistants measured height and weight. Sex and date of birth were self-reported by the child and parental education and ethnicity were parent-reported. Results: European schoolchildren spent on average 65% of their time at school in sedentary activities and 5% on moderate to vigorous intensity activities, with small differences between countries. Girls spent a significant larger amount of school-time in sedentary activities (67%) than boys (63%; p < 0.0001), and spent less time in moderate to vigorous intensity activities (4% versus 5%; p < 0.001). Overweight children spent significantly less time in moderate to vigorous intensity activities (4%) that normal weight children (45%, p < 0.01). Parental education or ethnicity were not associated with time spent in sedentary or physical activities. Conclusions: European schoolchildren spend a small amount of their school-time in moderate to vigorous intensity activities and a large amountin sedentary activities, with small but significant differences across countries. Future interventions should target more physical activities and less sedentary time at school particularly in girls