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Objective: The study aimed to compare dietary patterns in preadolescents in urban areas with different physical activity and socioeconomic profiles in Nairobi, Kenya., Design: Cross-sectional., Participants: Preadolescents aged 9-14 years (n = 149) living in low- or middle-income areas in Nairobi., Variables Measured: Sociodemographic characteristics were collected using a validated questionnaire. Weight and height were measured. Diet was assessed using a food frequency questionnaire and physical activity by accelerometer., Analysis: Dietary patterns (DP) were formed through principal component analysis. Associations of age, sex, parental education, wealth, body mass index, physical activity, and sedentary time with DPs were analyzed with linear regression., Results: Three DPs explained 36% of the total variance in food consumption: (1) snacks, fast food, and meat; (2) dairy products and plant protein; and (3) vegetables and refined grains. Higher wealth was associated with higher scores of the first DP (P < 0.05)., Conclusions and Implications: Consumption of foods often deemed unhealthy (eg, snacks and fast food) was more frequent among preadolescents whose families were wealthier. Interventions that seek ways to promote healthy lifestyles among families residing in urban areas of Kenya are warranted., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Although sociodemographic differences in dietary intake have been widely studied, the up-to-date evidence on the corresponding variations in motives for food selection is limited. We investigated how sociodemographic characteristics and special diets in households are associated with the relative importance of various food motives., Methods: Participants were members of the S Group loyalty card program across Finland who consented to release their grocery purchase data to be used for research purposes and responded to a web-based questionnaire in 2018 (LoCard study). Self-reported information on sociodemographic factors (age, gender, marital status, living situation, education, household income), special diets in household and food motives (Food Choice Questionnaire) were utilized in the present analyses (N = 10,795). Age- and gender-adjusted linear models were performed separately for each sociodemographic predictor and motive dimension (derived by factor analysis) outcome. The importance of each sociodemographic predictor was evaluated based on an increase in R 2 value after adding the predictor to the age- and gender-adjusted model., Results: Age emerged as a central determinant of food motives with the following strongest associations: young adults emphasized convenience (∆R 2  = 0.09, P < 0.001) and mood control (∆R 2  = 0.05, P < 0.001) motives more than middle-aged and older adults. The relative importance of cheapness decreased with increasing socioeconomic position (SEP) (∆R 2  = 0.08, P < 0.001 for income and ∆R 2  = 0.04, P < 0.001 for education). However, the price item ("is good value for money") depicting the concept of worth did not distinguish between SEP categories. Considerations related to familiarity of food were more salient to men (∆R 2  = 0.02, P < 0.001) and those with lower SEP (∆R 2  = 0.03, P < 0.001 for education and ∆R 2  = 0.01, P < 0.001 for income). Respondents living in households with a vegetarian, red-meat-free, gluten-free or other type of special diet rated ethical concern as relatively more important than households with no special diets (∆R 2  = 0.02, P < 0.001)., Conclusions: We observed sociodemographic differences in a range of food motives that might act as barriers or drivers for adopting diets that benefit human and planetary health. Interventions aiming to narrow SEP and gender disparities in dietary intake should employ strategies that take into account higher priority of familiarity and price in daily food selection in lower-SEP individuals and males.

Background: To date, the evaluation of diet has mostly been based on questionnaires and diaries that have their limitations in terms of being time and resource intensive, and a tendency toward social desirability. Loyalty card data obtained in retailing provides timely and objective information on diet-related behaviors. In Finland, the market is highly concentrated, which provides a unique opportunity to investigate diet through grocery purchases., Objective: The aims of this study were as follows: (1) to investigate and quantify the selection bias in large-scale (n=47,066) loyalty card (LoCard) data and correct the bias by developing weighting schemes and (2) to investigate how the degree of loyalty relates to food purchases., Methods: Members of a loyalty card program from a large retailer in Finland were contacted via email and invited to take part in the study, which involved consenting to the release of their grocery purchase data for research purposes. Participants' sociodemographic background was obtained through a web-based questionnaire and was compared to that of the general Finnish adult population obtained via Statistics Finland. To match the distributions of sociodemographic variables, poststratification weights were constructed by using the raking method. The degree of loyalty was self-estimated on a 5-point rating scale., Results: On comparing our study sample with the general Finnish adult population, in our sample, there were more women (65.25%, 30,696/47,045 vs 51.12%, 2,273,139/4,446,869), individuals with higher education (56.91%, 20,684/36,348 vs 32.21%, 1,432,276/4,446,869), and employed individuals (60.53%, 22,086/36,487 vs 52.35%, 2,327,730/4,446,869). Additionally, in our sample, there was underrepresentation of individuals aged under 30 years (14.44%, 6,791/47,045 vs 18.04%, 802,295/4,446,869) and over 70 years (7.94%, 3,735/47,045 vs 18.20%, 809,317/4,446,869), as well as retired individuals (23.51%, 8,578/36,487 vs 31.82%, 1,414,785/4,446,869). Food purchases differed by the degree of loyalty, with higher shares of vegetable, red meat & processed meat, and fat spread purchases in the higher loyalty groups., Conclusions: Individuals who consented to the use of their loyalty card data for research purposes tended to diverge from the general Finnish adult population. However, the high volume of data enabled the inclusion of sociodemographically diverse subgroups and successful correction of the differences found in the distributions of sociodemographic variables. In addition, it seems that food purchases differ according to the degree of loyalty, which should be taken into account when researching loyalty card data. Despite the limitations, loyalty card data provide a cost-effective approach to reach large groups of people, including hard-to-reach population subgroups., (©Anna-Leena Vuorinen, Maijaliisa Erkkola, Mikael Fogelholm, Satu Kinnunen, Hannu Saarijärvi, Liisa Uusitalo, Turkka Näppilä, Jaakko Nevalainen. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (http://www.jmir.org), 15.07.2020.)

Objectives: This observational follow-up study investigated the associations of nutrition and body composition with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors, including pro-inflammatory biomarkers, in soldiers during a 6-month deployment., Material and Methods: Thirty-five male soldiers were assessed at months 0, 3 and 6, and their parameters, i.e., M±SD, were as follows: age 30.0±8.7 years, height 179±6 cm, and BMI 24.2±2.5 kg/m 2 . Three-day food diaries were used for monitoring macronutrient intake. Body composition was estimated using bioimpedance. Fasting blood samples for lipids and pro-inflammatory biomarkers were collected, and blood pressure measurements were performed., Results: Carbohydrate intake increased and protein intake decreased at month 3 (p = 0.034, p < 0.001), while body composition remained stable. Systolic blood pressure increased at month 6, while other CVD risk factors remained within the reference values. Fat mass and body fat percentage were associated positively with total and low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol concentrations at all measurement points. A negative association was found between the change in fiber intake vs. the change in total (r = -0.36, p = 0.033) and LDL cholesterol (r = -0.39, p = 0.019)., Conclusions: Lower fiber intake and a greater amount of body fat were associated with high total and LDL cholesterol concentrations. Nevertheless, the measured CVD risk factors remained within the reference values, except for the higher systolic blood pressure. A regular screening of body composition and a higher consumption of fiberrich foods may promote cardiometabolic health in soldiers. Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2020;33(4):457-66., (This work is available in Open Access model and licensed under a CC BY-NC 3.0 PL license.)

A physically active lifestyle and a diet rich in vegetables and fruits have a central role in promoting health. This study examined the associations between leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) trajectories and fruit and vegetable consumption (FVC) from childhood to middle age. The data were drawn from the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study with six age cohorts. Participants were 9 to 18 years ( n = 3536; 51% females) at baseline in 1980 and 33 to 48 years at the last follow-up in 2011. LTPA and FVC were self-reported. LTPA trajectories were identified using latent profile analyses, after which the mean differences in FVC across the trajectories were studied. Active, low-active, decreasingly and increasingly active trajectories were identified for both genders. An additional trajectory describing inactivity was identified for females. Those who were persistently active or increased their LTPA had higher FVC at many ages when compared to their inactive or low-active counterparts ( p < 0.05). In females prior to age 42 and in males prior to age 24, FVC was higher at many ages in those with decreasing activity than in their inactive or low-active counterparts ( p < 0.05). The development of LTPA and FVC from childhood to middle age seem to occur in tandem., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results.

"The Nordic diet" is an umbrella term that encompasses any interpretation that combines Food-Based Dietary Guidelines (FBDGs) with local Nordic foods. The five Nordic countries have collaborated on Nordic Nutrition Recommendations for forty years, including FBDGs, so their national guidelines are similar. The countries also share similar public health issues, including widespread nonconformity to the guidelines, although in different ways. The aim of this concept paper is to discuss environmental sustainability aspects of the Nordic diet, describe the status of and make suggestions for the inclusion of sustainability in future work on the Nordic diet. We exploit the sustainability-health synergy. A food intake more in line with the current FBDGs, which emphasises more plant-based and less animal-based foods, is necessary for high environmental sustainability. In turn, sustainability is an important motivator for health-promoting dietary shifts. Policy development requires long-term efforts. Since the Nordic diet can be considered a further development and improvement of old, traditional diets, there is huge potential to formulate a Nordic diet that benefits both human and planetary health. It is time for concerted engagement and actions-a new Nordic nutrition transition., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Background: Whether outdoor time is linked to dietary patterns of children has yet to be empirically tested. The objective of this study was to examine the association between outdoor time and dietary patterns of children from 12 countries around the world., Methods: This multinational, cross-sectional study included 6229 children 9-11 years of age. Children self-reported the time that they spent outside before school, after school and on weekends. A composite score was calculated to reflect overall daily outdoor time. Dietary patterns were assessed using a food frequency questionnaire, and two components were used for analysis: healthy and unhealthy dietary pattern scores., Results: On average, children spent 2.5 h outside per day. After adjusting for age, sex, parental education, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, screen time and body mass index z-score, greater time spent outdoors was associated with healthier dietary pattern scores. No association was found between outdoor time and unhealthy dietary pattern scores. Similar associations between outdoor time and dietary patterns were observed for boys and girls and across study sites., Conclusions: Greater time spent outside was associated with a healthier dietary pattern in this international sample of children. Future research should aim to elucidate the mechanisms behind this association.

Background: Dietary habits have a great influence on physiological health. Even though this fact is generally recognized, people do not eat as healthily as they know they should. The factors that support a healthy diet, on the other hand, are not well known. It is supposed that there is a link between personal traits and dietary habits. Personal traits may also partially explain why some people manage to make healthy dietary changes while some fail to do so or are not able to try to make changes even when they desire to do so. There is some information suggesting that dispositional optimism plays a role in succeeding in improving dietary habits. The aim of this study was to determine the role of optimism and pessimism in the process of dietary changes., Methods: Dispositional optimism and pessimism were determined using the revised Life Orientation Test in 2815 individuals (aged 52-76 years) participating in the GOAL study in the region of Lahti, Finland. The dietary habits of the study subjects were analysed. After 3 years, the subjects' dietary habits and their possible improvements were registered. The associations between dispositional optimism and pessimism, dietary habits at baseline, and possible changes in dietary habits during the follow-up were studied with logistic regression. We also studied if the dietary habits or certain lifestyle factors (e.g. physical exercising and smoking) at baseline predicted success in improving the diet., Results: Pessimism seemed to correlate clearly negatively with the healthiness of the dietary habits at baseline - i.e. the higher the level of pessimism, the unhealthier the diet. Optimism also showed a correlation with dietary habits at baseline, although to a lesser extent. Those who managed to improve their dietary habits during follow-up or regarded their dietary habits as healthy enough even without a change were less pessimistic at baseline than those who failed in their attempts to improve their diet or did not even try, even when they recognized the need for a change., Conclusions: Pessimistic people are more likely to eat an unhealthy diet than others. Pessimism reduces independently the possibilities to improve dietary patterns.

Objective: To examine the relationships between objectively measured sleep patterns (sleep duration, sleep efficiency and bedtime) and sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption (regular soft drinks, energy drinks, sports drinks and fruit juice) among children from all inhabited continents of the world., Design: Multinational, cross-sectional study., Setting: The International Study of Childhood Obesity, Lifestyle and the Environment (ISCOLE)., Subjects: Children (n 5873) 9-11 years of age., Results: Sleep duration was 12 min per night shorter in children who reported consuming regular soft drinks 'at least once a day' compared with those who reported consuming 'never' or 'less than once a week'. Children were more likely to sleep the recommended 9-11 h/night if they reported lower regular soft drink consumption or higher sports drinks consumption. Children who reported consuming energy drinks 'once a week or more' reported a 25-min earlier bedtime than those who reported never consuming energy drinks. Children who reported consuming sports drinks '2-4 d a week or more' also reported a 25-min earlier bedtime compared with those who reported never consuming sports drinks. The associations between sleep efficiency and SSB consumption were not significant. Similar associations between sleep patterns and SSB consumption were observed across all twelve study sites., Conclusions: Shorter sleep duration was associated with higher intake of regular soft drinks, while earlier bedtimes were associated with lower intake of regular soft drinks and higher intake of energy drinks and sports drinks in this international study of children. Future work is needed to establish causality and to investigate underlying mechanisms.

Background: Studies investigating dietary resemblance between parents and their children have gained mixed results, and the resemblance seems to vary across nutrients, foods, dietary-assessment tools used, and parent-child pairs. We investigated parent-child dietary resemblance using a novel approach in applying statistical analysis, which allowed the comparison of 'whole-diet' between parents and their children. Additionally, we sought to establish whether sociodemographic factors or family meals were associated with dietary resemblance and whether parent-child dietary resemblance was dependent on the parent providing food consumption data on behalf of the child (father or mother, "the respondent")., Methods: The DAGIS study investigated health behaviors among Finnish preschoolers using a cross-sectional design. One parent filled in a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) measuring the child's food consumption outside preschool hours during the last week. In addition, we instructed both parents or legal guardians, should the child have two, to fill in a similar FFQ regarding their own food use. Parents also reported their educational level, the number of children living in the same household, and the number of family meals. As a measure of dietary resemblance between a parent and a child, we computed Spearman correlations ranging mostly from no resemblance (0) to complete resemblance (+ 1) between parent-child pairs over the 'whole-diet' (excluding preschool hours). These resemblance measures were further investigated using linear mixed models., Results: We obtained 665 father-child and 798 mother-child resemblance measures. Mother-child resemblance was on average 0.57 and stronger than father-child resemblance (0.50, p < 0.0001), which was explained by a parent-respondent interaction: the diet of the child resembled more the diet of the parent who provided food consumption data for the child. In univariate models, father- and mother-reported number of family meals were positively associated with father-child and mother-child resemblances. Mother-reported number of family meals was positively associated with mother-child resemblance in a full model., Conclusions: The diet of the child seems to resemble more the diet of the parent responsible for the reporting of food consumption. Studies should report who provided the food consumption data for the child and take this into account in analyses, since reporter-bias can influence the results.

Objective: To study the associations between home food availability and dietary patterns among pre-school children., Design: Cross-sectional study in which parents of the participating children filled in an FFQ and reported how often they had certain foods in their homes. We derived dietary pattern scores using principal component analysis, and composite scores describing the availability of fruits and vegetables as well as sugar-enriched foods in the home were created for each participant. We used multilevel models to investigate the associations between availability and dietary pattern scores., Setting: The DAGIS study, Finland., Subjects: The participants were 864 Finnish 3-6-year-old children recruited from sixty-six pre-schools. The analyses included 711 children with sufficient data., Results: We identified three dietary patterns explaining 16·7 % of the variance. The patterns were named 'sweets-and-treats' (high loadings of e.g. sweet biscuits, chocolate, ice cream), 'health-conscious' (high loadings of e.g. nuts, natural yoghurt, berries) and 'vegetables-and-processed meats' (high loadings of e.g. vegetables, cold cuts, fruit). In multivariate models, the availability of fruits and vegetables was inversely associated with the sweets-and-treats pattern (β=-0·05, P<0·01) and positively associated with the health-conscious (β=0·07, P<0·01) and vegetables-and-processed meats patterns (β=0·06, P<0·01). The availability of sugar-enriched foods was positively associated with the sweets-and-treats pattern (β=0·10, P<0·01) and inversely associated with the health-conscious pattern (β=-0·03, P<0·01)., Conclusions: Considering dietary patterns, the availability of sugar-enriched foods in the home seems to have a stronger role than that of fruits and vegetables. Parents should restrict the availability of unhealthy foods in the home.

Background: Although 'unhealthy' diet is a well-known risk factor for non-communicable diseases, its relationship with socio-economic status (SES) has not been fully investigated. Moreover, the available research has largely been conducted in countries at high levels of human development. This is the first study to examine relationships among dietary patterns and SES of children from countries spanning a wide range of human development., Methods: This was a multinational cross-sectional study among 9-11 year-old children (n = 6808) from urban/peri-urban sites across 12 countries. Self-reported food frequency questionnaires were used to determine the children's dietary patterns. Principal Components Analysis was employed to create two component scores representing 'unhealthy' and 'healthy' dietary patterns. Multilevel models accounting for clustering at the school and site level were used to examine the relationships among dietary patterns and SES., Results: The mean age of participants in this study (53.7% girls) was 10.4 years. Largest proportions of total variance in dietary patterns occurred at the individual, site, and school levels (individual, school, site: 62.8%; 10.8%; 26.4% for unhealthy diet pattern (UDP) and 88.9%; 3.7%; 7.4%) for healthy diet pattern (HDP) respectively. There were significant negative 'unhealthy' diet-SES gradients in 7 countries and positive 'healthy' diet-SES gradients in 5. Within country diet-SES gradients did not significantly differ by HDI. Compared to participants in the highest SES groups, unhealthy diet pattern scores were significantly higher among those in the lowest within-country SES groups in 8 countries: odds ratios for Australia (2.69; 95% CI: 1.33-5.42), Canada (4.09; 95% CI: 2.02-8.27), Finland (2.82; 95% CI: 1.27-6.22), USA (4.31; 95% CI: 2.20-8.45), Portugal (2.09; 95% CI: 1.06-4.11), South Africa (2.77; 95% CI: 1.22-6.28), India (1.88; 95% CI: 1.12-3.15) and Kenya (3.35; 95% CI: 1.91-5.87)., Conclusions: This study provides evidence of diet-SES gradients across all levels of human development and that lower within-country SES is strongly related to unhealthy dietary patterns. Consistency in within-country diet-SES gradients suggest that interventions and public health strategies aimed at improving dietary patterns among children may be similarly employed globally. However, future studies should seek to replicate these findings in more representative samples extended to more rural representation.

Background: Nonessential allergy diets in children with mild symptoms may harm the development of immunological tolerance and impose a burden on families and day care. We aimed to reduce the high prevalence of allergy diets in day care by reforming the practices for inquiring about need of special diets from parents., Methods: We developed a new special diet form and an information leaflet based on the new allergy guidelines. The new form was implemented into 40 Finnish day care centres in the capital region in 2013-2015. The questionnaires on practices concerning special diets in day care centres and allergy knowledge were collected from the personnel., Results: After 2 years, the new special diet form was used by 64% of families with food-allergic children, and the prevalence of allergy diets in day care centres decreased by 43% to 4.3% (IQ range 3.05-5.96). A significant decrease was found in the prevalence of all basic (milk, grains, egg) and most other allergy diets (P for trend < 0.01). The new practice was well accepted by day care and kitchen personnel. Lack of updated allergy knowledge was noted among day care personnel., Conclusions: The burden of allergy diets in day care settings could be decreased by simple pragmatic changes based on current allergy guidelines. Old allergy attitudes persisted among day care personnel, indicating the need for continuous education., (© 2016 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background/objectives: High consumption of meat has been linked with the risk for obesity and chronic diseases. This could partly be explained by the association between meat and lower-quality diet. We studied whether high intake of red and processed meat was associated with lower-quality dietary habits, assessed against selected nutrients, other food groups and total diet. Moreover, we studied whether meat consumption was associated with obesity, after adjustment for all identified associations between meat and food consumption., Subjects/methods: The nationally representative cross-sectional study population consisted of 2190 Finnish men and 2530 women, aged 25-74 years. Food consumption over the previous 12 months was assessed using a validated 131-item Food Frequency Questionnaire. Associations between nutrients, foods, a modified Baltic Sea Diet Score and meat consumption (quintile classification) were analysed using linear regression. The models were adjusted for age and energy intake and additionally for education, physical activity and smoking., Results: High consumption of red and processed meat was inversely associated with fruits, whole grain and nuts, and positively with potatoes, oil and coffee in both sexes. Results separately for the two types of meat were essentially similar. In a linear regression analysis, high consumption of meat was positively associated with body mass index in both men and women, even when using a model adjusted for all foods with a significant association with meat consumption in both sexes identified in this study., Conclusions: The association between meat consumption and a lower-quality diet may complicate studies on meat and health.

Effects of dietary intake on serum hormones, muscle cross-sectional area (CSA) and strength during strength training were studied in two groups of men: 1) strength training + nutritional counseling (n = 22, 59.1 +/- 6.1 yrs), and 2) strength training (n = 23, 58.5 +/- 7.1 yrs). Both groups performed strength training twice a week for 21 weeks. Counseling increased carbohydrate (p < 0.01) and fiber intake (p < 0.001) and polyunsaturated/saturated fat-ratio (p < 0.05) and decreased fat intake (p < 0.01). Muscle strength and CSA increased by 16 - 20 % and by 5.4 - 5.9 % in both groups (p < 0.001). Changes in protein content of diet correlated with the changes in the acute postexercise concentrations of total (r = 0.64, p < 0.01) and free testosterone (r = 0.54, p < 0.05) after training in the counseling group. Moreover, changes in the free testosterone responses to heavy-resistance exercise correlated with the increases in the muscle CSA (r = 0.52, p < 0.05) in the counseling group. Serum basal testosterone/sex hormone-binding globulin-ratios correlated with the body mass normalized energy (kJ/kg: r = 0.54, p < 0.001), protein (g/kg: r = 0.42, p < 0.01) and fat (g/kg: r = 0.51, p < 0.01) intake in all participants during the training. The data indicate that protein and fat intake may influence serum testosterone concentrations and that the changes in exercise-induced testosterone responses may contribute to muscle mass development during strength training.

Background: Postpartum weight retention may contribute to the development of obesity. We studied whether individual counselling on diet and physical activity from 2 to 10 months postpartum has positive effects on diet and leisure time physical activity and increases the proportion of primiparas returning to their pre-pregnancy weight., Methods: A controlled trial including ninety-two postpartum primiparas was conducted in three intervention and three control child health clinics in primary health care in Finland. The intervention included individual counselling on diet and physical activity during five routine visits to a public health nurse; the controls received the usual care., Results: In total, 50% of the intervention group and 30% of the control group returned to their pre-pregnancy weight (weight retention

Objective: The study was carried out to determine the associations of alcohol beverage drinking with macronutrients, antioxidants, and body mass index., Setting: Dietary subsample of the 1992 Finmonica cardiovascular risk factor survey in Finland; a cross-sectional study., Subjects: 985 women and 863 men were drawn from the population register in the four monitoring areas. All subjects were 25-64 y of age., Methods: The mailed questionnaire included questions covering socioeconomic factors, physical activity, smoking, and alcohol consumption. The diet was assessed using a three-day food record., Results: The dietary differences between abstainers and alcohol consumers were more significant than between consumers of different alcoholic beverages. Among drinkers, fat intake as a percentage of energy was higher and carbohydrate intake was lower than among abstainers. Those who preferred wine, however, had the highest vitamin C intake; female wine drinkers also had the highest carotenoid intake. With the exception of those who mainly preferred spirits, alcohol energy was not added to the diet but seemed to substitute food items both in men and women. Despite the similar total daily energy intakes, daily energy expenditure, and physical activity index, male drinkers were leaner than abstainers. In women, the proportion of underreporters of energy intake increased with increasing alcohol consumption, and the association between alcohol and body mass index was similar to that in men after the exclusion of underreporters., Conclusions: Alcohol consumers were leaner than abstainers, and wine drinkers in particular had more antioxidants in their diet.

This study evaluated how different training periods affect dietary intake and biochemical indices of thiamin, iron, and zinc status in elite Nordic skiers. Subjects were 17 skiers and 39 controls, ages 18-38 yrs. Dietary data were collected by 7-day food records at 3-month intervals. Coefficient of variation (CV) was used to indicate magnitude of seasonal changes. Energy intake for the year (28 food record days) was 3,802 kcal/day (CV 19.1%) in male skiers, 2,754 kcal/day (CV 3.7%) in male controls, 2,812 kcal/day (CV 9.1%) in female skiers, and 2,013 kcal/day (CV 5.9%) in female controls. CVs for thiamin, riboflavin, vitamin C, calcium, magnesium, iron, and zinc intake were 14.1-23.9% (male skiers), 2.9-15.0% (male controls), 4.8-24.5% (female skiers), and 4.3-11.5% (female controls). Seasonal changes in energy, carbohydrate, and micronutrient intakes reflected energy expenditure in male endurance athletes particularly. Erythrocyte transketolase activation coefficients and serum ferritin and zinc concentrations did not differ between skiers and controls. Seasonal variations in these biochemical indices of nutritional status were of the same magnitude in skiers and controls, despite large changes in skiers' physical activity.

Low serum ferritin concentrations are commonly found in female athletes. By studying the effects of an 8-week iron or placebo supplementation in 31 female athletes (aged 17-31 years), with an initial serum ferritin concentration less than or equal to 25 micrograms/l and blood hemoglobin 120 g/l, we investigated whether low serum ferritin values hinder aerobic performance. Serum ferritin concentration increased from 14 (25th and 75th percentile: 11, 21) to 26 (18, 36) micrograms/l in the iron-supplemented group, but remained at a low 11 (9, 17) micrograms/l in the placebo group (group difference after supplementation: p = 0.001). Before supplementation, blood hemoglobin concentration was not different in the two groups. After supplementation, however, the concentration in the iron group was 139 (135, 144) g/l and 128 (126, 134) g/l in the placebo group (group difference: p = 0.001). Iron supplementation did not affect blood lactate concentration or VO2max during an incremental ergometer test. Hence, aerobic performance was not impaired in nonanemic female athletes with serum ferritin 25 micrograms/l.

Summary: Background: The relationship between children's adiposity and lifestyle behaviour patterns is an area of growing interest. Objectives: The objectives of this study are to identify clusters of children based on lifestyle behaviours and compare children's adiposity among clusters. Methods: Cross‐sectional data from the International Study of Childhood Obesity, Lifestyle and the Environment were used. Participants: the participants were children (9–11 years) from 12 nations (n = 5710). Measures: 24‐h accelerometry and self‐reported diet and screen time were clustering input variables. Objectively measured adiposity indicators were waist‐to‐height ratio, percent body fat and body mass index z‐scores. Analysis: sex‐stratified analyses were performed on the global sample and repeated on a site‐wise basis. Cluster analysis (using isometric log ratios for compositional data) was used to identify common lifestyle behaviour patterns. Site representation and adiposity were compared across clusters using linear models. Results: Four clusters emerged: (1) Junk Food Screenies, (2) Actives, (3) Sitters and (4) All‐Rounders. Countries were represented differently among clusters. Chinese children were over‐represented in Sitters and Colombian children in Actives. Adiposity varied across clusters, being highest in Sitters and lowest in Actives. Conclusions: Children from different sites clustered into groups of similar lifestyle behaviours. Cluster membership was linked with differing adiposity. Findings support the implementation of activity interventions in all countries, targeting both physical activity and sedentary time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE:: The aim was to assess long-term changes in food consumption and eating behaviour during and 2?y after dietary counselling in weight-reduced obese men. DESIGN:: Observational study from a randomised controlled trial. SETTING:: Outpatient clinic of a research institute. SUBJECTS:: A total of 36 subjects with complete data on food intake during the study. Subjects were obese (mean body mass index (BMI) 32.8?kg/m2) men aged 35-50?y, recruited by media advertising. INTERVENTIONS:: Dietary counselling was included in 2 months weight reduction with very-low-energy-diet and in 6 months weight maintenance programme, which also included physical activity counselling. This was followed by a 23 months unsupervised follow-up with yearly assessments. Food intake was assessed six times during the study by 4-day food records. Eating behaviour was assessed by Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ). RESULTS:: Increased consumption of low-fat cheese, low-fat margarine, vegetables and high-fibre bread, and decreased consumption of sugar, sausage, high-fat cheese, high-fat margarine, fat products and sweets were observed during dietary counselling. Most of these changes returned later to prestudy consumption level. The relapse in dietary changes was partly associated with scoring low in restraint and high in disinhibition and hunger. CONCLUSION:: In obese men, long-term maintenance of dietary changes was difficult. New ways to ease self-monitoring and increase self-efficacy might be necessary to improve maintenance of dietary changes.International Journal of Obesity (2004) 28, 1548-1554. doi:10.1038/sj.ijo.0802790 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE:To test the hypothesis that eating control and physical activity help maintain weight and waist circumference after a very-low-calorie diet. DESIGN:A 12 week weight reduction (WR) phase, followed by a 40 week weight maintenance (WM) phase. For the latter, the subjects were randomised into a no-exercise group and one of two groups with a walking program. SUBJECTS:Eighty-five obese (body mass index 29–46, mean 34), clinically healthy, premenopausal women. MEASUREMENTS:Body weight, waist circumference, body composition, the measuring restrained eating, disinhibition and hunger, measured by Three Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ), binge eating measured by the Bulimic Investigatory Test of Edinburgh (BITE), and number of daily steps measured by a pedometer. RESULTS:The change (Δ) in weight during WM was predicted by the following regression: Δweight (kg)=5.23+0.45 Δweight during WR+0.66 disinhibition during WM-0.00039 daily steps during WM, r 2=0.46, SEE 3.3 kg. The change in waist circumference during WM was predicted as Δwaist (cm)=0.76+0.75 Δweight during WM-0.00021 daily steps during WM, r 2=0.67, SEE 2.6 cm. Exercise group assignment did not affect the changes in weight, waist circumference, or indicators of eating control during the maintenance program. CONCLUSIONS:Control of overeating, as indicated by a lower disinhibition factor of the TFEQ, and daily physical activity, as indicated by a higher number of daily steps, were positive and independent predictors of weight maintenance after a very-low-calorie diet. The number of daily steps showed an independent association with change in waist circumference during weight maintenance, even after adjustment for weight change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]