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BackgroundLow levels of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity are associated with adverse health consequences. ObjectiveThe intent of the study was to determine the feasibility and efficacy of a 12-week physical activity promotion program targeting children, which was delivered to parents through mobile phones. MethodsPotential participants were recruited through advertisements placed in the newspaper, local hospitals and schools, and an email listserv. Sedentary children aged 6-10 years were randomly assigned to a minimal (MIG) or intensive (IIG) intervention group. Parents in the MIG were given a goal to increase (within 1 month) and maintain their child’s activity at 6000 pedometer steps/day above their baseline levels and to monitor their child’s steps daily. Parents in the IIG were given the same steps/day and monitoring goals, in addition to text messages and articles containing additional behavioral strategies (based on the Social Cognitive Theory) designed to promote their child’s physical activity. The intervention components were delivered via mobile phone. Anthropometrics, body composition, and questionnaires were administered in a clinic. Children wore a New Lifestyles pedometer (NL-1000) each day throughout the intervention and parents were to monitor their child’s step counts daily. ResultsOut of 59 children who screened for the study, a total of 27 children (mean age 8.7, SD 1.4 years; 56%, 15/27 female; 59%, 16/27 African American) were enrolled and completed the study. Overall, 97.90% (2220/2268; 98.20%, 1072/1092 for MIG; 97.60%, 1148/1176 for IIG) of expected step data were successfully entered by the parent or study coordinator. Parents in the MIG and IIG were sent approximately 7 and 13 text messages per week, respectively, averaged over the course of the study. IIG parents accessed an average of 6.1 (SD 4.4) articles over the course of the intervention and accessed a fewer number of articles in the last month compared to the first 2 months of the study (P=.002). Children in both the MIG and IIG significantly increased their physical activity, averaged over 12 weeks, by 1427.6 (SD 583.0; P=.02) and 2832.8 (SD 604.9; P

Objective To collect and evaluate food intake data from a culturally diverse population and compare with national survey data. Design The Foods Of Our Delta Study was a baseline, cross-sectional survey that utilized random-digit dialing methodology to identify the sample. Food intake was obtained from a 24-hour dietary recall administered by computer-assisted telephone interview using the multiple-pass method Subjects/Setting One thousand seven hundred fifty-one adults and 485 children in the Lower Mississippi Delta (Delta) of Louisiana, Arkansas, and Mississippi. Statistical Analyses Performed Comparisons of subsets within the Delta were made using weighted t tests. Comparisons of the Delta with the overall US population from the US Department of Agriculture Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals and with the Dietary Reference Intakes were made using independent sample z tests of weighted estimates. Results Energy intake did not differ between the Delta and the US populations. Intakes of protein were lower, fat higher, and certain micronutrients lower in Delta adults than in US adults. Delta adults had a 20% lower intake of fruits and vegetables than the US adults and generally poorer adherence to recommendations of the Food Guide Pyramid. African American Delta adults generally consumed less-optimal diets than white Delta adults. Delta children had diets similar to children of the Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals sample population, but lower intakes were noted for vitamins A, C, riboflavin, and B-6, and for calcium and iron. Applications/Conclusions Data such as these will help drive intervention development in this rural region and perhaps set the stage for research in similarly impoverished areas. J Am Diet Assoc. 2004;104:199-207.

Objective The primary goal was to test the validity of digital photography for measuring food portion sizes compared with weighed foods and with direct visual estimation. Samples A total of 60 test meals consisting of 10 different portion sizes from six different university cafeteria menus were prepared and weighed. Design Food selections and plate waste, as estimated by dig ital photography and direct visual estimation, were compared with weighed foods. For each method, three observers independently estimated portion sizes of each food. Observers expressed the portion sizes as a percentage of a standard serving. These percentages were multiplied by the weight of the standard portion to yield estimated weights. Statistical analyses To test validity, the estimates of food weights derived from both methods were compared with weighed foods using correlations and were compared with each other using Bland-Altman regression analysis. Results For the digital photography and direct visual estimation methods, estimates of the portion sizes for food selections, plate waste, and food intake were highly correlated with weighed foods. Both methods tended to yield small overestimates or underestimates. Bland-Airman regression found the two estimation methods to yield comparable results (bias less than 1.5 g). Applications/conclusions These findings support the validity of the digital photography method for measuring portion sizes. Digital photography may be most useful for measuring food intake in settings that allow for the direct observation of food selections and plate waste but require minimum disruption of the eating environment, and allow unhurried estimates of portion sizes.

The aim of the present study was to report the first reliability and validity tests of the remote food photography method (RFPM), which consists of camera-enabled cell phones with data transfer capability. Participants take and transmit photographs of food selection and plate waste to researchers/clinicians for analysis. Following two pilot studies, adult participants (n 52; BMI 20–35 kg/m2 inclusive) were randomly assigned to the dine-in or take-out group. Energy intake (EI) was measured for 3 d. The dine-in group ate lunch and dinner in the laboratory. The take-out group ate lunch in the laboratory and dinner in free-living conditions (participants received a cooler with pre-weighed food that they returned the following morning). EI was measured with the RFPM and by directly weighing foods. The RFPM was tested in laboratory and free-living conditions. Reliability was tested over 3 d and validity was tested by comparing directly weighed EI to EI estimated with the RFPM using Bland–Altman analysis. The RFPM produced reliable EI estimates over 3 d in laboratory (r 0·62; P < 0·0001) and free-living (r 0·68; P < 0·0001) conditions. Weighed EI correlated highly with EI estimated with the RFPM in laboratory and free-living conditions (r>0·93; P < 0·0001). In two laboratory-based validity tests, the RFPM underestimated EI by − 4·7 % (P = 0·046) and − 5·5 % (P = 0·076). In free-living conditions, the RFPM underestimated EI by − 6·6 % (P = 0·017). Bias did not differ by body weight or age. The RFPM is a promising new method for accurately measuring the EI of free-living individuals. Error associated with the method is small compared with self-report methods. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Moore''s Extended Nutrient (MENu) database first had its beginnings at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center as The Extended Table of Nutrient Values (ETNV) in 1990, having originated in the early 1960s as one of the first computerized nutrient databases in the US. The ETNV received its prominence in the scientific community as the database of the long-term Bogalusa Heart Study. In 1993, its movement from a mainframe designed computerized nutrient database system to a PC-based system was initiated. During the early to late 1990s the MENu database supported two NIH-funded clinical applications, DELTA (Dietary Effects on Lipids and Thrombogenic Activity) and DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension); it was used for menu design in these feeding trials. This database has undergone many changes over the years to meet the needs of researchers at Pennington and those needs identified by collaborators in federally funded projects. Over the past few years, Pennington has been involved in several different types of military nutrition research projects. One such project involved the need to access the MENu database components from remote locations via the internet. Several security issues needed to be dealt with since we were working with the Department of Defense. The system access was designed to deal with these issues and yet support use from any remote location with internet access. Dietitians and other military nutrition professionals were issued the client software along with individual logon IDs and passwords. They accessed the recipe entry and menu design applications, in addition to the entire nutrient composition files which includes the USDA Standard Reference and Survey Databases and other special user foods, including the special formulations used by the military. The tree design of the MENu database allows for the ease of location of menus and recipes by the military nutrition division personnel and facilitates the revision/entry of other items needed. Efforts are currently underway to address additional internet-based application development, including dietary assessment modules. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]