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The family environment influences food consumption and behaviours, which impact adolescent's eating habits, diet and health. Young individuals who frequently eat family meals are less likely to develop risk- and behaviour-related outcomes as obesity. To assess the relationship between the family meal environment and food and macronutrient consumption in European adolescents. 1,703 adolescents aged 12.5-17.5 years (46.5% male) from the European HELENA cross-sectional study were selected. Sociodemographic variables and dietary intake using two non-consecutive self-reported 24-hour dietary recalls were collected from all the included participants. The relationship between family meals' environment and food and macronutrient consumption was analized using analysis of covariance. Adolescents who used to take their main meals with their family were associated with high consumption of healthy foods and beverages (i.e. vegetables, fruit, milk, water) and low consumption of energy dense food and beverages as chocolate, savoury snacks, sugar or juices compared with those who used to eat alone, with friends or other people (p < 0.05). The company/people with whom adolescents consume their meal have an important influence on the adolescent's consumption of different types of food (especially at lunch). Family's environment during meals has been associated with a high consumption of healthy foods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Objectives: To assess dietary patterns (DPs) in European adolescents and to examine their relationship with healthy eating determinants. Subject/Methods: A total of 2205 European adolescents, aged 12.5–17.5 years, were measured. A self-reported questionnaire was completed and dietary intake was measured by 24 h-dietary recalls. Principal component analysis was performed to obtain DPs. Analyses of covariance was used to examine the associations. Results: Four DPs for boys and six DPs for girls were obtained. Boys with healthier DPs, i.e. "plant-based" and "breakfast", had lower availability of soft drinks at home, higher perception of benefits of healthy eating and higher awareness of what is a healthy diet. Girls with healthy DPs ("Mediterranean", "plant-based", "healthy breakfast") had significantly higher fruits and lower soft drinks availability, higher perception of benefits, lower perception of barriers for a healthy eating and higher awareness of what is a healthy diet. Conclusion: Healthier DPs were related with availability of healthy foods, perceived benefits and awareness of the diet. In contrast, those with other patterns had lower availability of fruits and higher availability of soft drinks at home, no perception of the benefits of healthy eating and they were aware that their diet was not healthy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aim of this study was to identify dietary patterns (DPs) in European adolescents and to examine the association between perceptions of healthy eating and the obtained DPs.Method: A multinational cross-sectional study was carried out in adolescents aged 12.5 to 17.5 years and 2,027 (44.9% males) were considered for analysis. A self-reported questionnaire with information on food choices and preferences, including perceptions of healthy eating, and two 24-hour dietary recalls were used. Principal component analysis was used to obtain sex-specific DPs, and linear analyses of covariance were used to compare DPs according to perceptions of healthy eating.Results: Three and four DPs for boys and girls were obtained. In boys and girls, there were significant associations between some perceptions about healthy food and the Breakfast-DP (p < 0.05). In boys, Breakfast-DP and Healthy Beverage-DP were associated with the perception of the own diet as healthy (p < 0.05). Healthy Beverage-DP was associated with those disliking fruits and vegetables (p < 0.05). Girls considering the own diet as healthy were associated with Mediterranean-DP, Breakfast-DP, and Unhealthy Beverage and Meat-DP (p < 0.05). The perception of snacking as a necessary part of a healthy diet was associated with Breakfast-DP in both genders (p < 0.05).Conclusions: In European adolescents, perceptions of healthy eating were mainly associated with a DP characterized by foods consumed at breakfast. Future studies should further explore these findings in order to implement health promotion programs to improve healthy eating habits in adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. We aimed to estimate the attributable fraction of systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) that can be explained by family socioeconomic factors (FSFs) in adolescents using two observational studies. Methods. Participants were recruited by multistage random cluster in two cross-sectional studies performed in Europe [Healthy Lifestyle in Europe by Nutrition in Adolescence (HELENA) study, n = 3308] and Brazil [Brazilian Cardiovascular Adolescent Health (BRACAH) study, n = 991]. SBP and DBP were measured, and FSFs (socioeconomic status and parental education) were self-reported in both studies. The correlations of SBP and DBP with FSFs were examined by multilevel linear regression through two different models (hierarchical and fully adjusted). The generalized attributable fractions of the FSFs were estimated by comparing the models. Results. Our results showed a significant inverse relationship between parental education (father and mother) and SBP in European boys. The higher generalized attributable fraction to SBP was observed in boys (13.2-22.4%). In girls, we found lower generalized attributable fractions to DBP (10.8-12.1% in Brazilian girls and 3.1-3.8% in European girls). Conclusions. Our findings revealed a significant inverse relationship between parental education and SBP in European boys. FSF also significantly influenced blood pressure in adolescents, mainly in Brazilian adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim was to assess the technical variability of a new wrist-worn accelerometer under controlled conditions with a shaker device and during normal daily physical activities (PAs). In the first experiment, 10 wrist-worn accelerometers (Vivago®Wellness, Paris, France) were attached to the shaker device. Variability was tested at five shaking frequencies (1.1, 2.1, 3.1, 4.1, and 10 Hz) for 10 min at each frequency. In the second experiment, 21 participants wore wrist-worn accelerometers and performed six consecutive 10-min periods of activity at increasing levels of intensity from sedentary to vigorous. Results from the first experiment show a modest inter- and intra-instrument reliability at low frequencies and that reliability improved as frequency increased. The inter-instrument coefficient of variation (CV) was 2.6–18.3%. The intra-instrument CV was 4.1–23.2%. Variability was similar in the second experiment with a CV inversely related to PA intensity. The inter- and intra-instrument CV varied from 24.2% and 19.9% for sedentary activities to 3.7% and 4.3% for vigorous PA, respectively. Results suggest that reliability was higher at high intensities, corresponding to moderate and vigorous PA, intensities generally recommended for public health purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]