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BackgroundChildhood obesity is complex, and its aetiology is known to be multifaceted. The contribution of lifestyle behaviors, including poor diet and physical inactivity, to obesity remains unclear. Due to the current high prevalence, childhood obesity is an urgent public health priority requiring current and reliable data to further understand its aetiology. ObjectiveThe objective of this study is to explore the individual, family, and environmental factors associated with childhood overweight and obesity, with a specific focus on diet and physical activity. A secondary objective of the study is to determine the average salt intake and distribution of blood pressure in Irish children. MethodsA cross-sectional survey was conducted of children 8-11 years old in primary schools in Cork, Ireland. Urban schools were selected using a probability proportionate to size sampling strategy, and a complete sample of rural schools from one area in Cork County were invited to participate. Information collected included physical measurement data (anthropometric measurements, blood pressure), early morning spot and 24 hour urine samples, a 3 day estimated food diary, and 7 days of accelerometer data. Principal- (school head) reported, parent/guardian-reported, and child-reported questionnaires collected information on lifestyle behaviors and environmental attributes. The Cork Children’s Lifestyle Study (CCLaS) was designed by the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health in University College Cork, Ireland in 2011 and 2012. Piloting and modification of study methods was undertaken. Data collection took place between April 2012 and June 2013. ResultsOverall, 27/46 schools and 1075/1641 children, of which 623 were boys, participated. Preliminary data analysis is underway. It is anticipated that the results of the CCLaS study will be available in late 2014. ConclusionsThe CCLaS study has collected in-depth data on a wide range of individual, family, social, and environmental correlates which will allow us to access multilevel influences on childhood obesity. This study will contribute to the evidence base by highlighting current knowledge and gaps regarding the predominant drivers of childhood obesity.

BackgroundObesity is a global epidemic. Behavioral change approaches towards improving nutrition, increasing physical activity level, improving sleep, and reducing sitting time are recommended as best practices in adolescent obesity management. However, access to evidence-based treatment is limited and portable technologies such as mobile apps may provide a useful platform to deliver such lifestyle interventions. No evidence-based validated app exists for obesity intervention; therefore, a novel mobile app (Reactivate) was developed for use in the Temple Street W82GO Healthy Lifestyles Program (W82GO). ObjectiveThis study aimed to test the usability (technical effectiveness, efficiency, and user satisfaction) of the Reactivate mobile app in obese adolescents. MethodsTen adolescents (7 males and 3 females, aged 12-17 years) who had been treated for obesity (>98th percentile for body mass index) at the Temple Street Children's University Hospital were recruited. Participants were given 8 tasks to complete in order to test the technical effectiveness of the app. A research assistant timed the user while completing each task in order to test the relative user efficiency of the app (time-on-task). The tasks fell into 5 categories and required the user to enter personal settings, find and answer surveys, create a message, use the goal setting feature, and enter details regarding their weight and height. In exploration of user satisfaction, each participant completed the standardized software usability measurement inventory (SUMI), which measures 5 aspects of user satisfaction: efficiency, effect, helpfulness, controllability, and learnability. Descriptive statistics were used to explore the mean relative user efficiency and SUMI scores. ResultsMean age was 14.26 (SD 1.58) years. All adolescents completed each of the tasks successfully. The mean relative user efficiency scores were two to three times that of an expert user. Users responded that they would use Reactivate to monitor their growth over time, for motivation, and for goal setting. All users described Reactivate as an important mobile app. ConclusionsOur study describes the usability of a mobile app used in adolescent obesity management. Adolescents found Reactivate easy to use and their SUMI results indicated that the app scored high on user satisfaction. Usability testing is an important step towards refining the development of the Reactivate app, which can be used in the treatment of obesity. The study on the clinical efficacy of the Reactivate app is currently underway.

Alcohol consumption is the number one public health concern in the university student population. The heterogeneous nature of university students' consumption has recently been highlighted. Thus, the aim of the current research was to use latent class analysis to employ a person centred approach to describe alcohol consumption among university students with particular reference to gender. Questionnaires were distributed to students attending lectures in randomly selected degrees in one university. A total of 2332 self-completed questionnaires were obtained, yielding a response rate of 84%. Latent class analysis was conducted. In total, 830 men and 1367 women were analysed separately to uncover latent class structures. Harms, attitudes and consumption patterns were included in a model totalling to 26 variables. A 3-class structure best described men, while a 4-class structure best described women. Both men and women reported a class of "Guarded Drinkers", "Responsible Conformers" and "Realistic Hedonists". The remaining class of women was described as "Peer-influenced drinkers". Identifying consumption typologies provides those working on tackling excessive alcohol consumption with profiles to implement tailored health promotion strategies. Additional research is required to confirm these results, develop screening tools and tailor motivational interventions which incorporate these profiles.

Background: Evidence has linked low‐grade systemic inflammation and visceral adipose tissue (VAT) with development of chronic conditions. Cytokines and select proteins released by VAT may promote a low‐grade inflammatory response. A number of equations have been developed to estimate VAT levels. In this study, we compared predicted VAT equation relationships with biomarkers of inflammation. Methods: This was a cross‐sectional study of 2038 men and women aged 46–73 years. Correlation and linear regression analyses were performed to examine inflammatory biomarker relationships with four commonly assessed anthropometric measures and 10 predicted VAT equations. Results: Compared with anthropometric measures, predicted VAT equations were found to explain a greater proportion of variance in CRP (R2 =.075, p =.001), IL‐6 (R2 =.060, p =.001), TNF‐α (R2 =.017, p =.005), resistin (R2 =.011, p =.012), monocyte (R2 =.027, p =.001), eosinophil (R2 =.012, p =.01) and basophil (R2 =.015, p =.002) levels in males, and a greater variance in concentrations of C3 (R2 =.175, p =.001), IL‐6 (R2 =.090, p =.001), TNF‐α (R2 =.036, p =.001), adiponectin (R2 =.121, p =.001), the adiponectin‐to‐leptin ratio (R2 =.444, p =.001), resistin (R2 =.025, p =.001), white blood cell count (R2 =.057, p =.001), neutrophils (R2 =.061, p =.001) and lymphocytes (R2 =.020, p =.001) in females. Conclusion: Equations for assessing VAT levels might be useful to characterise metabolic health. Further studies that examine predicted VAT relationships with disease and mortality outcomes are warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aside from total time spent in physical activity behaviors, how time is accumulated is important for health. This study examined associations between sitting, standing, and stepping bouts, with cardiometabolic health markers in older adults. Participants from the Mitchelstown Cohort Rescreen Study (N = 221) provided cross-sectional data on activity behaviors (assessed via an activPAL3 Micro) and cardiometabolic health. Bouts of ≥10-, ≥30-, and ≥60-min sitting, standing, and stepping were calculated. Linear regression models were fitted to examine the associations between bouts and cardiometabolic health markers. Sitting (≥10, ≥30, and ≥60 min) and standing (≥10 and ≥30 min) bouts were detrimentally associated with body composition measures, lipid markers, and fasting glucose. The effect for time spent in ≥60-min sitting and ≥30-min standing bouts was larger than shorter bouts. Fragmenting sitting with bouts of stepping may be targeted to benefit cardiometabolic health. Further insights for the role of standing need to be elicited. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is an urgent need to move toward more sustainable diets. Although this will require radical and systemic changes across food systems, altering consumer ideologies and practices is essential to garner support for such actions. In this scoping review, the evidence on consumers' attitudes and behaviors toward more sustainable diets is synthesized and a range of factors, considerations, and proposed strategies are presented that can contribute to building the societal-level support for urgent and systems-level changes. The findings suggest that consumers, insofar as they are interested in sustainability and have the capacity to engage with the concept, primarily approach the concept of sustainable diet from a human health perspective. However, the interconnectedness of human health and well-being with environmental health is poorly understood and under-researched in the context of consumer behaviors and attitudes toward sustainable diets. This highlights the need for (1) sustained efforts from public health professionals to encourage a realignment of the term sustainable diet with its multidimensional meaning by championing an ecological public health approach in all efforts aimed at promoting more sustainable consumption, from awareness raising to policy development; (2) a broader research lens focused on the multidimensional concept of sustainability in the literature exploring consumer attitudes and behaviors; and (3) the development of multidisciplinary, clear, and evidence-based sustainable-eating messages, including holistic sustainable dietary guidance, to address knowledge gaps, minimize conflicting narratives, and build consumer agency. The findings contribute to understanding how support can be generated for the necessary structural and system-level changes required to support behavior change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background This study examines compliance with local travel restrictions and assesses early uptake of mask wearing, during the initial phase of the coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in Ireland, to inform the ongoing outbreak response. Methods A series of four nationally representative telephone surveys were developed. Information was collected at a household level and from primary respondents. Multivariable logistic regression estimated the association between sociodemographic characteristics and compliance with the local travel restriction and with mask use in primary respondents. Results Household compliance with local travel restrictions was similar by region, household size and social position. 73.4% of all household members complied, with high levels maintained over time. Higher proportions reported travelling for non-permitted reasons with time. Older age, female gender and attending higher education were independently associated with compliance to local travel restrictions. Among primary respondents, no factors were independently associated with mask use. Conclusion High compliance with local travel restrictions during the early stages of the pandemic demonstrates the engagement of the population with public health guidance. Although high compliance with local travel restrictions was generally maintained over time, non-permitted activities increased. Early adoption of mask use before required by national policy or legislation provides further evidence of the responsiveness of the population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]