Search

Objective: Examine the appeal of a virtual avatar-led nutrition education program among youth-serving community partners in North Carolina., Methods: We surveyed community partners using the Diffusion of Innovation Theory constructs of relative advantage, compatibility, and complexity. Logistic regression evaluated the appeal and likelihood of the program's future use., Results: Community partners (n = 100) agreed that the program was an innovative (87%) and convenient (85%) way for youth and parents to learn about nutrition. Partners who perceived the program as a relative advantage to current programs had significantly higher odds of future use intention (P = 0.005). Those who found it compatible with organizational and personal values had significantly higher odds of future use (P < 0.001)., Conclusions and Implications: A nutrition education virtual avatar program is of interest to youth-engaged community partners. Future research examining the potential integration of this type of program within community organizations is warranted., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Childhood obesity remains a public health crisis and identification of unique prenatal and early infancy predictors of obesity risk are critically needed., Objectives: We test a comprehensive biopsychosocial model of the predictors of rapid weight gain (RWG) in the first 6 months of life., Methods: Two hundred and ninety nine pregnant women and their infants participated. Maternal prenatal psychobiological risk (PPBR) was assessed during the third trimester via maternal anthropometrics, serum biomarkers (insulin, leptin, adiponectin), and maternal report of pregnancy complications, substance use, mental health and stress. Infant stress reactivity was measured at 2 months (cortisol output, resting RSA, observed irritability, negative emotionality). At 2 and 6 months, maternal self-report of obesogenic feeding practices and observed maternal sensitivity during three tasks were collected. RWG was classified based on change in weight-for-age z scores from birth to 6 months (>0.67 SD)., Results: Obesogenic feeding practices predicted greater likelihood of RWG, β = 0.30, p = .0.01, independent of other predictors and covariates. Obesogenic feeding practices was the only proposed intervening mechanism that produced a significant indirect effect of PPBR on RWG, b = 0.05, S.E. = 0.04, 95% CI [0.002, 0.15], β = 0.06., Conclusion: Identifying proclivity towards obesogenic feeding practices and providing support to reduce these behaviours may enhance childhood obesity prevention efforts., (© 2024 The Author(s). Pediatric Obesity published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of World Obesity Federation.)

The extent to which mother and infant sleep predict maternal sensitivity as (a) main effects and (b) moderate the association between social cognition about infant crying (i.e., cry processing) and maternal sensitivity was examined in a sample of 299 mother-infant dyads (43% of mothers non-White; 50.5% of infants female). Infant- and mother-oriented cry processing were assessed prenatally using a video recall procedure and mothers self-reported demographics and characteristics reflecting emotional risk. When infants were 2 months old, mothers reported their depressive symptoms and mother and infant sleep. Maternal sensitivity and infant negative mood were observed during free play and the still face. There were no main effects of mother or infant sleep on maternal sensitivity over and above covariates. However, infant total sleep duration across night and day and mother sleep disturbance moderated the effect of mother-oriented cry processing on sensitivity. Specifically, mother-oriented cry processing was associated with lower maternal sensitivity only among mothers whose infants had lower sleep duration and who reported more sleep disturbances. Moderating effects were not apparent for infant night wakings or time awake or mothers' total sleep problems. Constrained opportunities for sleep or respite across the entire day and the totality of mothers' nighttime sleep disturbances, not just those specific to infants' night wakings, undermine maternal sensitivity by exacerbating mothers' preexisting tendency to have self-focused and negative reactions to infant distress. The efficacy of interventions designed to facilitate maternal sensitivity and infant adjustment may be enhanced by adding targeted foci on maternal and infant sleep. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Background/objectives: Emerging adults (~18-28 years of age) have a high prevalence of poor sleeping habits and poor diet quality; however, little is known on whether these poor sleeping habits are associated with dietary outcomes in this age group. This study assessed associations between actigraphy-based sleep with energy intake (EI), overall diet quality, and measures of meal timing in emerging adults., Subjects/methods: Data on 135 emerging adults (age = 19.4 ± 1.3 years; body mass index (BMI) = 26.5 ± 6.9 kg/m 2 ; 58% female; 65% White) from the RIGHT Track Health project were used. Measures included actigraphy-assessed sleep duration, sleep efficiency, sleep timing midpoint, day-to-day sleep duration and sleep timing midpoint variability and combined sleep duration and sleep timing behaviors (early-bed/late-rise, early-bed/early-rise, late-bed/late-rise, late-bed/early-rise); EI (three 24-h dietary recalls), diet quality (Healthy Eating Index 2015 total score) and meal timing outcomes (timing of first and last meal intake, total duration, and midpoint of the eating window)., Results: Shorter sleep duration, later sleep timing midpoint and greater sleep efficiency, as well as combined late-bed/late-rise and late-bed/early-rise groups, were associated with lower diet quality. Greater sleep timing midpoint variability was associated with higher EI, and the late-bed/early-rise group had significantly delayed first meal timing., Conclusion: In emerging adults, shorter sleep duration and later sleep timing are associated with lower overall diet quality, and greater sleep timing variability is associated with higher EI. Future research is needed to examine the role of sleep on diet quality and eating habits to identify potential targets for nutritional interventions in this age group., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited.)

This study assessed associations of actigraphy-assessed sleep with adiposity and serum cardiometabolic outcomes in emerging adults, and whether sex and race modified these associations. Data on 147 emerging adults (age = 19.4 ± 1.3 years; body mass index = 26.4 ± 7.0 kg m -2 ; 59% female; 65% White) from RIGHT Track Health were used. Actigraphy-based sleep measures included sleep duration, sleep efficiency, sleep timing midpoint, day-to-day sleep duration and sleep timing midpoint variability. Combined sleep duration and sleep timing behaviours were also derived (early-bed/late-rise, early-bed/early-rise, late-bed/late-rise, late-bed/early-rise). Outcomes included body mass index and BodPod-assessed fat mass index, fasting serum leptin, C-reactive protein, and homeostatic model assessment-insulin resistance. Sleep duration was 5.4 h per night. We noted an inverse association between sleep duration and homeostatic model assessment-insulin resistance. The early-bed/early-rise group had greater body mass index, C-reactive protein and homeostatic model assessment-insulin resistance compared with the early-bed/late-rise group (referent). Sex modified associations of sleep efficiency with C-reactive protein; stratified results revealed positive association between sleep efficiency and C-reactive protein in males, but not females. Race modified associations of sleep duration with body mass index and leptin, and of sleep duration variability with C-reactive protein. Stratified analyses revealed inverse associations between sleep duration with body mass index and leptin in Black, multiracial/other race individuals only. Positive association between sleep duration variability and C-reactive protein was noted in White individuals only. Shorter sleep duration, particularly when combined with earlier sleep timing, is associated with greater adiposity and serum cardiometabolic outcomes. Additional studies are needed to assess individual- and contextual-level factors that may contribute to sex and race differences in sleep health and cardiometabolic risk in emerging adults., (© 2023 The Authors. Journal of Sleep Research published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of European Sleep Research Society.)

Dietary intake of certain food groups and/or nutrients during pregnancy has been associated with maternal and infant pregnancy-related outcomes. Few studies have examined how behavioral and environmental factors interact to influence prenatal diet. We examined associations between eating behaviors (dietary restraint, emotional eating, external eating) and food security status regarding dietary intake of selected nutrients/food groups during pregnancy. Participants (N = 299; 29% Non-Hispanic Black; 16% ≤ high school education; 21% food insecure) completed validated questionnaires to assess estimated daily intake of food groups/nutrients during pregnancy [e.g., added sugars from sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), % of energy from fat, fruit and vegetable (FV) intake] via National Cancer Institute Dietary Screener Questionnaires); eating behaviors (Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire); and food security status (6-item USDA Food security Module). Separate hierarchical multiple regressions for each dietary outcome were conducted controlling for maternal age, education, income-to-needs, race/ethnicity, pre-pregnancy BMI, and gestational diabetes. A significant interaction was found between dietary restraint and food security status on added sugar intake from SSBs (β = -0.15, p = 0.02). The negative association between restraint and added sugar from SSBs was stronger among food insecure participants (β = -0.47, p < 0.001 vs. β = -0.15, p = 0.03). Higher external eating (β = 0.21, p < 0.01) and lower restraint (β = -0.13, p = 0.03) were associated with higher % of energy from fat and living in a food insecure household (β = -0.15, p = 0.01) was associated with lower FV intake. Understanding dietary intake during pregnancy requires consideration of the broader context in which eating behaviors occur., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest .The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Obesity and excessive weight gain during pregnancy have lasting implications for both women and infant health. Adverse childhood experiences and stressful life events have been associated with pre-pregnancy obesity and excessive gestational weight gain. However, the effect of each has been examined independently and scant work has investigated the effects of both in the same analysis. The current study examined the unique and conjoint effects of adverse childhood experiences and recent stressful life events on women's pre-pregnancy BMI and gestational weight gain., Methods: A racially and socioeconomically diverse sample of 176 pregnant women completed questionnaires and anthropometric measurements during the third trimester and two months postpartum., Results: Maternal adverse childhood experiences were uniquely associated with pre-pregnancy BMI (β = 0.21, p = .02), but not gestational weight gain. Recent stressful life events did not uniquely predict pre-pregnancy BMI or gestational weight gain, nor did it explain the association between adverse childhood experiences and pre-pregnancy BMI. Adverse childhood experiences and recent stressful life events did not interact to predict either of the women's weight outcomes., Discussion: Adverse childhood experiences have lasting unique effects on women's pre-pregnancy BMI. Obesity is related to several perinatal health issues for the mother and child, thus understanding the effects of childhood adversity on women's weight outcomes is critical. Routine screening for ACEs among women of childbearing age and pregnant women, paired with referrals and educational resources, can mitigate the deleterious effects of childhood adversity on women and infant health., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

This study examined the extent to which mothers' physiological arousal (i.e., skin conductance level [SCL] augmentation) and regulation (i.e., respiratory sinus arrhythmia [RSA] withdrawal) interacted to predict subsequent maternal sensitivity. Mothers' (N = 176) SCL and RSA were measured prenatally during a resting baseline and while watching videos of crying infants. Maternal sensitivity was observed during a free-play task and the still-face paradigm when their infants were 2 months old. The results demonstrated that higher SCL augmentation but not RSA withdrawal predicted more sensitive maternal behaviors as a main effect. Additionally, SCL augmentation and RSA withdrawal interacted, such that well-regulated maternal arousal was associated with greater maternal sensitivity at 2 months. Further, the interaction between SCL and RSA was only significant for the negative dimensions of maternal behavior used to derive the measure of maternal sensitivity (i.e., detachment and negative regard) suggesting that well-regulated arousal is particularly important for inhibiting the tendency to engage in negative maternal behaviors. The results replicate findings from mothers in previous studies and demonstrate that the interactive effects of SCL and RSA in relation to parenting outcomes are not sample specific. Considering joint effects of physiological responding across multiple biological systems may enhance understanding of the antecedents of sensitive maternal behavior., (© 2023 The Authors. Developmental Psychobiology published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Background: Research is needed to identify pathways by which household food insecurity (FI) contributes to parental controlling feeding styles and infant food responsiveness, 2 factors that play a role in shaping obesity risk across infancy and early childhood., Objectives: This longitudinal study tested the hypothesis that prenatal FI would be positively associated with higher infant food responsiveness via greater parental mental health symptomatology and controlling feeding styles (pressuring, restrictive)., Methods: Participants included a community sample of 170 birth parents and their infants participating in an ongoing longitudinal study. Parents self-reported household FI and mental health symptoms (depression and anxiety) during pregnancy. Postnatally, parents reported their mental health symptoms, their use of controlling feeding styles, and infant food responsiveness. Path analyses with bias-corrected 95% bootstrapped CIs tested direct and indirect associations between prenatal FI and infant food responsiveness., Results: Prenatal FI was indirectly associated with higher infant food responsiveness via greater parental mental health symptomatology and pressuring to finish (b = 0.01; 95% CI: 0.001, 0.025). Prenatal FI was associated with greater parental mental health symptomatology across the peripartum period (β = 0.54; P < 0.001), which in turn was associated with more pressuring to finish at 2 months pospartum (β = 0.29; P = 0.01) and higher infant food responsiveness at 6 months (β = 0.17; P = 0.04). There were no direct effects of prenatal FI on controlling feedings styles or infant food responsiveness., Conclusions: Our findings point to parental mental health as a potential pathway by which FI may be associated with obesity-promoting parental feeding styles and infant appetitive behaviors. In addition to ensuring reliable access to enough quality food during pregnancy, multipronged assistance that promotes emotional well-being during the peripartum period and clinical guidance on noncontrolling feeding styles could benefit parent and infant health and well-being., (© The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Society for Nutrition.)

Background: Consistent findings have reported that FFM is associated with EI. However, conjoint assessments of physiologic (body composition, fasting serum leptin) and behavioral [eating behaviors and physical activity (PA)] correlates of EI during emerging adulthood have not been examined., Objectives: We assessed associations between physiologic and behavioral correlates of EI within the context of one another in emerging adults (18-28 years old). We also assessed these associations in a subsample after the removal of probable EI underreporters., Methods: Cross-sectional data from 244 emerging adults (age = 19.6 ± 1.4 y; BMI = 26.4 ± 6.6 kg/m 2 ; 56.6% female) from the RIGHT Track Health study were used. Measures included body composition (BOD POD), eating behaviors (Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire), objective and subjective PA (accelerometer-derived total activity counts and Godin-Shephard Leisure-Time Exercise Questionnaire), fasting serum leptin, and EI (three 24-hour dietary recalls). Correlates independently associated with EI were entered into a backward stepwise linear regression model. Correlates that met the criteria of P < 0.05 were retained. Analyses were repeated in a subsample after removing probable EI underreporters (n = 48). Effect modification by sex (male and female) and BMI (BMI < 25 kg/m 2 , BMI ≥ 25 kg/m 2 ) categories was also assessed., Results: In the full sample, FFM (β: 18.4; 95% CI: 9.9, 26.8), leptin (β: -84.8; 95% CI: -154.3, -15.4), dietary restraint (β: -35.2; 95% CI: -59.1, -11.3), and subjective PA (β: 2.5; 95% CI: 0.04, 4.9) were significantly associated with EI. After the removal of probable underreporters, only FFM remained significantly associated with EI (β: 43.9; 95% CI: 27.2, 60.6). No evidence of effect modification by sex or BMI categories was noted., Conclusions: Although physiologic and behavioral correlates were associated with EI in the full sample, only FFM remained a robust correlate of EI in a subsample of emerging adults after removing probable EI underreporters., (Copyright © 2022 American Society for Nutrition. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Parental controlling feeding styles and practices have been associated with greater food-approaching appetitive behaviors (i.e., food responsiveness) linked to childhood obesity. Recent longitudinal research suggests that this relationship may be reciprocal such that controlling feeding predicts child appetite and vice versa. However, to date no studies have considered these associations during infancy. The current study investigates prospective bidirectional associations between controlling feeding (restriction, pressure, and food to soothe) and infant food responsiveness. Mothers ( N = 176) reported their controlling feeding and their infant's food responsiveness at infant age 2, 6, and 14 months. A 3-wave cross-lagged panel model was used to test the effect of controlling feeding at an earlier time point on infant food responsiveness at a later time point, and vice versa. Maternal controlling feeding and infant food responsiveness showed moderate stability across infancy. Net of covariates, we observed parent-driven prospective relations between pressuring feeding styles and food to soothe with infant food responsiveness. Pressuring to finish was a significant predictor of increases in food responsiveness from 2 to 6 months ( p = 0.004) and pressuring with cereal was a significant predictor of increases in food responsiveness from 6 to 14 months ( p = 0.02). Greater use of situational food to soothe was marginally associated with higher food responsiveness from 2 to 6 months ( p = 0.07) and 6 to 14 months ( p = 0.06). Prospective associations between restrictive feeding styles and infant food responsiveness were not observed. Findings point to pressuring feeding styles and food to soothe as potential early life intervention targets to prevent increases in food responsiveness in infancy. Longitudinal research with follow-up in the toddler and preschool years are needed to understand how these associations unfold over time and whether child-driven effects of food responsiveness become apparent as children get older., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Eagleton, Shriver, Buehler, Wideman and Leerkes.)

Introduction: Structural racism leads to neighborhood-level socioeconomic disadvantage, which determines adverse birth outcomes. Individual socioeconomic disadvantage is associated with compromised healthy pregnancy outcomes. This study aimed to investigate the pathways by which race, neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage, and household socioeconomic disadvantage predict subsequent maternal postpartum weight retention., Method: A total of 176 (N=176) racially diverse women were studied from the third trimester to 6 months after delivery. Neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage was defined by information from the American Community Survey based on women's census tract and self-reports of neighborhood healthy food availability, safety, violence, and walking environment. Household socioeconomic disadvantage included food insecurity, income-to-needs ratio, and maternal education. Pregnancy health risk was operationalized using a summative index that included prepregnancy overweight/obesity, excessive gestational weight gain, and diagnosed hypertensive disorders during pregnancy. Postpartum weight retention was operationalized as a 6-month postpartum weight minus prepregnancy weight. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling with bootstrapped CIs to estimate indirect effects., Results: One third of participants retained more than 22 lbs. of pregnancy weight gain 6 months after delivery. Increased household socioeconomic disadvantage (β=0.64, p =0.039) and pregnancy health risk (β=0.34, p =0.002) were directly associated with higher postpartum weight retention. Maternal race/ethnicity had an indirect impact on postpartum weight retention through neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage and household socioeconomic disadvantage. Non-Hispanic Black women had greater neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage than non-Hispanic White women (White vs Black β= -0.62; p <0.001) and all other women (other vs Black β= -0.22; p =0.013). In addition, Black women had greater household socioeconomic disadvantage than White women (White vs Black β= -0.35; p =0.004), both of which in turn predicted higher postpartum weight retention., Conclusions: To prevent postpartum weight retention, education on behavior change to lose weight is essential, but it must be offered in the context of basic resources, at both the neighborhood and household levels., Competing Interests: none., (© 2022 The Author(s).)

Maternal overreliance on feeding to soothe to relieve infants' distress has been associated with higher rates of childhood obesity. Limited research has examined infant and maternal characteristics that predict maternal feeding to soothe. The goal of the present study was to examine the role of infant (temperament) and maternal (depression, sleep problems) characteristics as predictors of maternal feeding to soothe. Mothers (N = 176) completed the Food to Soothe Scale, the Infant Behavior Questionnaire-Revised Very Short Form, the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale, and the Pittsburgh Sleep Questionnaire when their infants were 6 months old. Hierarchical multiple regression was used. Maternal depression only predicted feeding to soothe among mothers receiving WIC benefits, and this association was no longer significant when maternal sleep problems were added to the model. Maternal sleep problems predicted higher feeding to soothe as a main effect and in interaction with infant negative emotionality, maternal depression, and to a lesser extent WIC status. Specifically, infant negative emotionality was only associated with greater feeding to soothe among mothers with higher sleep problems, and sleep problems were only associated with greater feeding to soothe among depressed mothers and mothers receiving WIC benefits. The findings suggest that addressing multiple stressors, including maternal sleep, in the early postnatal period may strengthen the effectiveness of early child obesity interventions that target maternal feeding behaviors., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Excessive infant weight gain is a strong predictor of later obesity. While controlling feeding has been linked to negative weight outcomes, research has not considered associations between infant appetite and maternal feeding simultaneously in relation to infant weight. This longitudinal study examined infant food responsiveness and slowness in eating as predictors of infant weight outcomes and tested controlling feeding styles (restrictive and pressuring) as moderators. Data came from a diverse sample of mothers and their infants participating in an ongoing longitudinal study. Mothers (n = 159) reported infant appetite and feeding styles at 2 postnatal timepoints (2-month visits and 6-month visits). The infant weight outcomes included change in weight-for-age z-scores (WAZ-change) and rapid weight gain (RIWG; WAZ-change ≥ 0.67 SD) from birth to the second postnatal visit. Data were analyzed using hierarchical multiple and logistic regressions, controlling for birthweight, gestational age, maternal race/ethnicity, feeding mode, and residing with an intimate partner. Over 25% of infants exhibited RIWG. Greater infant food responsiveness predicted both greater infant weight gain and RIWG status. Infant food responsiveness and slowness in eating interacted with controlling feeding styles in a unique way. Infants with higher food responsiveness whose mothers were less restrictive had greater weight gain (b = 0.61, p < 0.001) and increased probability of RIWG (b = 2.71, p < 0.01) than infants with more restrictive mothers. Higher slowness in eating was associated with a lower RIWG probability among infants of mothers with lower pressuring feeding (b = -1.86, p < 0.05). For infants with a large appetite, some level of restrictive feeding may be beneficial for preventing excessive weight gain while pressuring may exacerbate the positive association between faster eating and RIWG., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Adverse experiences during childhood and recent stressful life events are each associated with women's reduced well-being and poorer health during pregnancy. Few studies, however, have focused upon pregnant women's social well-being, and inclusion of both independent variables in the same analysis is rare. This study focuses upon adverse experiences during childhood as well as recent life events in relationship to four aspects of social well-being: social support, couple aggression for partnered women, neighborhood safety, and food insecurity., Materials and Methods: A diverse community sample of 176 pregnant women completed questionnaires during their third trimester. A cross-sectional design was used that included retrospective reports of childhood experiences, as well as reports of recent life events and current well-being., Results: Adverse experiences during childhood were uniquely associated with couple aggression (β = 0.206, p  = 0.026) and lower neighborhood safety (β = -0.185, p  = 0.021). Recent stressful life events were uniquely associated with lower social support (β = -0.247, p  = 0.001) and greater food insecurity (β = 0.494, p  = 0.000). For social support and food insecurity, there was a significant indirect pathway from adverse childhood experiences through recent stressful life events. Adverse child experiences and recent stressful life events did not interact., Conclusions: A life-course perspective that considers women's experiences across their life span is critical for use by both researchers and health practitioners. Adverse childhood experiences and recent stressful life events are important for understanding social features of pregnant women's daily lives., (© Cheryl Buehler et al., 2022; Published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.)

This cluster randomized controlled trial aimed at overweight and obese children compared three treatments. Two psychoeducation interventions for parents and children were conducted: Family Lifestyle (FL) focused on food and physical activity; Family Dynamics (FD) added parenting and healthy emotion management. A third Peer Group (PG) intervention taught social acceptance to children. Crossing interventions yielded four conditions: FL, FL + PG, FL + FD, and FL + FD + PG-compared with the control. Longitudinal BMI data were collected to determine if family- and peer-based psychosocial components enhanced the Family Lifestyle approach. Participants were 1st graders with BMI%ile >75 ( n = 538: 278 boys, 260 girls). Schools were randomly assigned to condition after stratifying for community size and percent American Indian. Anthropometric data were collected pre- and post-intervention in 1st grade and annually through 4th grade. Using a two-level random intercept growth model, intervention status predicted differences in growth in BMI or BMI-M% over three years. Children with obesity who received the FL + FD + PG intervention had lower BMI gains compared to controls for both raw BMI (B = -0.05) and BMI-M% (B = -2.36). Interventions to simultaneously improve parent, child, and peer-group behaviors related to physical and socioemotional health offer promise for long-term positive impact on child obesity.

The nature of the association between dietary restraint and weight has been examined in adult samples, but much less is known about this relationship among children. The current study examined the transactional associations among restrained eating behavior and weight among boys and girls during middle childhood. Data for this study came from 263 children participating in the Families and Schools for Health Project (FiSH), a longitudinal study of the psychosocial correlates of childhood obesity. Participants were interviewed by trained researchers in their third- and fourth-grade year when they completed questionnaires and anthropometric assessments. Dietary restraint was assessed using the restrained eating subscale of the Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire (DEBQ), and weight was assessed using Body Mass Index z-scores (BMIz). Bidirectional associations between variables were examined using cross-lagged models controlling for children's sex, ethnicity, and weight in first grade. Results indicated that weight in grade 3 was related to greater dietary restraint in grade 4 (B = 0.20, p = 0.001), but dietary restraint in grade 3 was not associated with weight in grade 4 (B = 0.01, p = 0.64). Neither child sex nor race/ethnicity were associated with BMIz or dietary restraint at either time point. Findings from this study advance the existing limited understanding of eating behavior development among children and show that weight predicts increases in children's dietary restraint in middle childhood.

Introduction: Resting heart rate (HR rest ), heart rate variability (HRV), and HR recovery (HRR) from exercise provide valuable information about cardiac autonomic control. RR-intervals during acute recovery from exercise (RR rec ) are commonly excluded from HRV analyses due to issues of non-stationarity. However, the variability and complexity within these trends may provide valuable information about changes in HR dynamics., Purpose: Assess the complexity of RR rec and determine what physiologic and demographic information are associated with differences in these indices in young adults., Methods: RR-intervals were collected throughout maximal treadmill exercise and recovery in young adults ( n = 92). The first 5 min of RR rec were (1) analyzed with previously reported methods that use 3-interval lengths for comparison and (2) detrended using both differencing (diff) and polynomial regression (res) . The standard deviation of the normal interval (SDNN), root mean square of successive differences (rMSSD), root mean square (RMS) of the residual of regression, and sample entropy (SampEn) were calculated. Repeated measures analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) tested for differences in these indices for each of the methodological approaches, controlling for race, body fat, peak oxygen uptake (VO 2p eak ), and resting HR (HR rest ). Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05., Results: VO 2p eak and HR rest were significantly correlated with traditional measures of HRR and the variability surrounding RR rec . SampEn diff and SampEn res were correlated with VO 2p eak but not HR rest or HRR. The residual- method provided a significantly ( p = 0.04) lower mean standard error (MSE) (0.064 ± 0.042) compared to the differencing- method (0.100 ± 0.033)., Conclusions: Complexity analysis of RR rec provides unique information about cardiac autonomic regulation immediately following the cessation of exercise when compared to traditional measures of HRR and both HRrest and VO2peak influence these results., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Berry, Bechke, Shriver, Calkins, Keane, Shanahan and Wideman.)

Emotional eating is associated with an increased risk of binge eating, eating in the absence of hunger and obesity risk. While previous studies with children and adolescents suggest that emotion regulation may be a key predictor of this dysregulated eating behavior, little is known about what other factors may be influencing the link between emotional regulation and emotional eating in adolescence. This multi-method longitudinal study ( n = 138) utilized linear regression models to examine associations between childhood emotion regulation, adolescent weight status and negative body image, and emotional eating at age 17. Emotion regulation predicted adolescent emotional eating and this link was moderated by weight status ( β = 1.19, p < 0.01) and negative body image ( β = -0.34, p < 0.01). Higher engagement in emotional eating was predicted by lower emotional regulation scores among normal-weight teens ( β = -0.46, p < 0.001) but not among overweight/obese teens ( β = 0.32, p > 0.10). Higher scores on emotion regulation were significantly associated with lower emotional eating at high ( β = -1.59, p < 0.001) and low ( β = -1.00, p < 0.01) levels of negative body image. Engagement in emotional eating was predicted by higher negative body image among overweight/obese teens only ( β = 0.70, p < 0.001). Our findings show that while better childhood emotion regulation skills are associated with lower emotional eating, weight status and negative body image influence this link and should be considered as important foci in future interventions that aim to reduce emotional eating in adolescence.

Background: Childhood obesity remains a significant public health problem. To date, most research on the causes and correlates of obesity has focused on a small number of direct predictors of obesity rather than testing complex models that address the multifactorial nature of the origins of obesity in early development. We describe the rationale and methods of iGrow (Infant Growth and Development Study) which will test multiple pathways by which (a) prenatal maternal psychobiological risk predicts infant weight gain over the first 6 months of life, and (b) this early weight gain confers risk for obesity at age 2. Infant hormonal and psychobiological risk are proposed mediators from prenatal risk to early weight gain, though these are moderated by early maternal sensitivity and obesogenic feeding practices. In addition, higher maternal sensitivity and lower obesogenic feeding practices are proposed predictors of adaptive child self-regulation in the second year of life, and all three are proposed to buffer/reduce the association between high early infant weight gain and obesity risk at age 2., Methods: iGrow is a prospective, longitudinal community-based study of 300 diverse mothers and infants to be followed across 5 data waves from pregnancy until children are age 2. Key measures include (a) maternal reports of demographics, stress, well-being, feeding practices and child characteristics and health; (b) direct observation of maternal and infant behavior during feeding, play, and distress-eliciting tasks during which infant heart rate is recorded to derive measures of vagal withdrawal; (c) anthropometric measures of mothers and infants; and (d) assays of maternal prenatal blood and infant saliva and urine. A host of demographic and other potential confounds will be considered as potential covariates in structural equation models that include tests of mediation and moderation. Efforts to mitigate the deleterious effects of COVID-19 on study success are detailed., Discussion: This study has the potential to inform (1) basic science about early life processes casually related to childhood obesity and (2) development of targeted intervention and prevention approaches that consider mother, infant, and family risks and resources.

Objective: Some eating behaviors are associated with negative nutrition-related outcomes in adults, but research is lacking in adolescent samples. The current study examined whether dietary restraint moderates the relationship between disinhibition and weight outcomes and overall diet quality in a community sample of 16-year old adolescents., Methods: Participants were recruited from a longitudinal study examining self-regulation and cardiometabolic risk. Data for this cross-sectional study were collected from questionnaires and laboratory visits when participants were approximately 16 years old (n = 178). Disinhibition and restraint were assessed using two subscales of the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire. Diet quality was determined using Healthy Eating Index-2010 (HEI-2010) scores that were calculated using dietary data from 24-h dietary recalls. Two separate hierarchical linear regression analyses tested whether restraint moderated the associations of disinhibition with BMI-for-age percentile and HEI-2010 scores., Results: After adjusting for covariates, restraint moderated the association between disinhibition and HEI-2010 scores (β = -0.21, p = 0.03). There was a main effect for disinhibition on BMI-for-age percentiles (β = 0.58, p = 0.02), but this relationship was not moderated by the level of restraint., Conclusions: The relationship between disinhibition and overall diet quality differed among adolescents according to level of dietary restraint. Although disinhibition independently predicted weight status, the level of restraint had no influence on this association. Future studies should examine restraint in relation to energy intake and weight concerns to better understand how it influences weight and dietary outcomes in this population., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The prevalence of obesity among U.S. youth continues to increase, with many adolescents engaging in unhealthy eating behaviors. Increasingly, research points to the role of self-regulation in obesity development, yet existing work has largely focused on young children and/or clinical adult populations. This multi-method longitudinal study ( N = 153) utilized a path analysis to delineate links between emotion regulation (age 15), emotional eating and dietary restraint (age 16), and adiposity (% body fat) using a BodPod for body composition assessment (age 19). Emotion regulation was negatively associated with emotional eating ( β = -0.30, p < 0.001) and positively associated with dietary restraint ( β = 0.15, p < 0.05) at age 16, but was not associated with age 19 adiposity ( β = -0.01, p = ns). Emotional eating was positively associated with adiposity ( β = 0.24, p < 0.01). Indirect effects suggested that emotional eating, but not dietary restraint, at age 16 serves as a mechanism that helps explain the associations between emotion regulation and adiposity four years later. Results from this study suggest that both emotion regulation and emotional eating represent promising targets for that should be included in future interventions aimed at preventing adolescent obesity.

Competing Interests: Conflict of Interest Disclosures: No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Background/objectives: Breakfast consumption has been shown to impact children's growth and development, but the influence of breakfast skipping on total daily intakes is not known. The purpose of this study was to examine the differences in nutritional intakes and food consumption between children who consume breakfast versus those who do not., Subjects/methods: Dietary recall data were assessed for 2-year-old to 5-year-old children (n = 3443) and 6-year-old to 12-year-old children (n = 5147) from NHANES 2005-2012. Dietary intakes and diet quality scores were compared across breakfast consumption and skipping with means and 95% confidence interval., Results: Children who skipped breakfast on the day of intake had significantly lower energy intakes for the total day (5911 vs 6723 kJ) but had greater energy intakes from non-breakfast meals and snacks. Children who skipped breakfast consumed nearly 40% of the day's intake (2332 kJ of 5911 kJ) from snacks, with 586 kJ from snacks as added sugars. Breakfast skipping was also related to significantly lower intakes of fiber, folate, iron, and calcium intakes. Overall diet quality scores, as well as fruit, whole fruit, whole grains, dairy and empty calorie subscale scores were significantly better in children who ate breakfast., Conclusions: Children who skipped breakfast presented poorer overall diet quality and lower total intakes commonly obtained at breakfast. To address missed opportunities, nutrition professionals should encourage children's consumption of a nutritious breakfast to support overall diet quality.

Nutritional quality of children's diets is a public health priority in the fight against childhood obesity and chronic diseases. The main purpose of this study was to determine contribution of snacks to energy and nutrient intakes and to identify leading snack food sources of energy, total fat, and added sugars amongst young children in the United States. Using the 2005-2012 NHANES data, dietary intakes of 2- to 5-year-old children were analysed from a parent-reported 24-hour dietary recall (n = 3,429). Snacking occasions were aggregated to determine the proportion of total food/beverage intake obtained from snacks, estimate energy, and nutrient intakes, and identify the leading snack food sources of energy, added sugars, and total fat. Nearly all children consumed a snack on the reported day (62% morning, 84% afternoon, and 72% evening). Snacks accounted for 28% of total energy intake, 32% of carbohydrates, 39% of added sugars, and 26% of total fat and dietary fiber intakes for the day. Snacking occasions accounted for 46.6% of all beverages consumed on the reported day. Snacks and sweets food category (i.e., cookies and pastries) were the leading sources of energy (44%), total fat (52%), and added sugars (53%) consumed during snacking occasions. Sweetened beverages (e.g., fruit and sport drinks) contributed 1-quarter of all added sugars obtained from snacks. Snacks contribute considerable amount of energy and nutrients to young children's diets, with a heavy reliance on energy-dense foods and beverages. Targeted interventions are needed to improve the nutritional quality of snacks consumed by young children., (© 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

In recent years, researchers and policymakers have recognized that obesity in childhood is not simply a medical problem, but is a complex social and psychological phenomenon. Our research team used an interpersonal and intrapersonal risk model to examine the psychosocial aspects of obesity among rural children. In this article, we describe how the global study of children's obesity has broadened over the last 10 to 15 years, and we present our model of interpersonal and intrapersonal risk factors, which includes complex pathways with many psychosocial variables. We then describe a large prospective longitudinal study of children in grades 1 through 4, and highlight findings from five studies guided by this model. This work illustrates opportunities for developmental scientists and practitioners to join transdisciplinary teams to develop more effective prevention and intervention programs for children.

Children are encouraged to eat a specific amount of fruits and vegetables to optimize health. The purpose of this study was to assess whether consumption of a variety of fruits and vegetables, respectively, was associated with a greater diet quality among preschool-aged children. Analyses were performed using a cross-sectional, nationally representative sample of US children. Dietary intakes from 24-h dietary recalls of two-five year old children ( n  = 2595) in 2005-2010 NHANES were examined. Diet quality was evaluated using MyPlate equivalents and the Healthy Eating Index 2010 (HEI-2010). Variety categories were determined based on children's fruit, fruit juice, and vegetable consumption on the recalled day. Differences in diet quality were examined using t -tests. Variety of fruits and vegetables was linked to higher overall diet quality. Children who consumed whole fruit had better diet quality scores for total fruit, whole fruit, whole grains, dairy, seafood, refined grains, sodium, and empty calories ( P  ≤ 0.018). Significantly higher HEI-2010 scores for total fruit, whole fruit, fatty acids, sodium, and empty calories, but a lower dairy HEI-2010 score, were identified in children who drank fruit juice ( P  ≤ 0.038). Vegetable consumption was significantly associated with higher total vegetables, greens/beans, and empty calories, but a lower sodium score ( P  ≤ 0.027). Children who consumed whole fruit, fruit juice and non-starchy vegetables ( P  ≤ 0.017), but not white potatoes, had significantly higher total HEI-2010 scores. Reinforcing fruit and 100% fruit juice consumption may indirectly support healthier diets among children. However, underlying associations between fruit and vegetable intakes and overall diet quality should be examined further.

Objectives Health disparities are prevalent in the U.S., with low-income African American children suffering from high rates of obesity and related conditions. Better understanding of parental attitudes and barriers related to healthy eating and obesity risk is needed to suggest more effective intervention foci for this at-risk population. Methods African American caregivers of 3-5 year old children were recruited for focus groups and a questionnaire completion from two Head Start programs in a southeastern state of the U.S. The Social Cognitive Theory was utilized to develop a focus group guide. Focus group recordings were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using the comparative content analysis. Results Eight focus groups (all participants were mothers) yielded the following main themes: (1) general nutrition knowledge but common misconceptions about foods/beverages; (2) beliefs that meals have to include meat and starch and be home-cooked to be healthy; (3) desire to feed children better than their own parents; (4) lack of family support and child pickiness perceived as the greatest barriers to healthy eating; (5) awareness of family history of diseases; and (6) low concern about children's current diet and weight status. Over 25 % of mothers underestimated their child weight status. Conclusions Our findings highlight the importance of understanding maternal perspectives related to food, eating, and weight among low-income African American mothers of preschoolers. Nutrition educators should be aware of misconceptions and recognize that mothers might not perceive diet quality in early childhood as having strong impact on the child's future health and/or obesity risks.

This study examines inter- and intrapersonal problems associated with being overweight among one thousand one hundred sixty-four 6- to 7-year-olds (49% boys) in 29 rural schools. Socioemotional data include child self-reports, peer sociometrics, and teacher reports. Results support the hypothesis that children with weight problems struggle socially and emotionally, and extend current understanding of child obesity by demonstrating that problems appear early, are evident in a community sample, can be identified using standard sociometric methods, and are worse among children with severe obesity. Sociometric status difference between levels of obesity were also found. Although obese children were neglected by peers, severely obese children were rejected., (© 2016 The Authors. Child Development © 2016 Society for Research in Child Development, Inc.)

The number of females participating in college sports in the U.S. has increased in last two decades. While female college athletes might be at a high risk, research examining disordered eating in this population is limited and difficult to summarize due to differences in methodologies. Factors contributing to disordered eating in female college athletes are not well established, but emotional regulation may be a potential correlate. The main purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence of disordered eating and explore potential differences between weight-sensitive and less weight-sensitive sports in a sample of female college athletes. The second purpose was to examine emotional regulation, body dissatisfaction, sport type, a family history of eating disorder, and BMI as potential predictors of disordered eating. The Eating Attitudes Test-26 and the Minnesota Eating Behavior Survey were used to estimate disordered eating prevalence in a sample of 151 athletes. Emotion regulation was assessed by the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale. The prevalence of disordered eating was 6.6% and 10.6%, respectively, with no differences by sport type. The multiple regression model explained 11% of the EAT-26 variance, F(5, 150) = 3.74, p < .01. Greater emotional regulation difficulties (β = .174, t = 2.191, p = .03) and body dissatisfaction (β = .276, t = 2.878, p = .005) were significant predictors of disordered eating. Further examination of emotional regulation and body dissatisfaction in relation to disordered eating in female college athletes is warranted.

The purpose of the study was to compare the prevalence of disordered eating between female college athletes and non-athletes and explore emotion regulation as a potential mediator of the link between participation in athletics and disordered eating symptoms. Data for this cross-sectional study came from 527 college students in a mid-western state of the USA in fall of 2013 (376 non-athletes and 151 athletes). Disordered eating symptoms and emotion regulation were assessed utilizing the Eating Attitudes Test and the Difficulties with Emotion Regulation Scale in a survey-based format. The prevalence of disordered eating was higher in non-athletes (16.5%, vs. 6.6%; X(2)=62.8; p<.05). Non-athletes reported more signs and symptoms of disordered eating than athletes (p<.01). A linear regression approach indicated a statistically significant indirect effect (0.63, CI95=0.18, 1.20) of athletic-status on disordered eating via emotion regulation; however, this effect did not reach practical significance. Our findings show that female athletes in our sample were somewhat protected from disordered eating compared to non-athletes, but the mechanism of this relationship is unclear. A further in-depth examination of other factors, such as self-esteem and body satisfaction, that may have contributed to this finding is warranted utilizing a large sample of female college students and athletes representing a variety of sports., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Prevention of body dissatisfaction development is critical for minimizing adverse effects of poor body esteem on eating behaviors, self-esteem, and overall health. Research has examined body esteem and its correlates largely in pre-adolescents and adolescents; however, important questions remain about factors influencing body esteem of younger children. The main purpose of this study was to test moderation by children's gender and weight status of the relation of maternal controlling feeding practices to 1st graders' body esteem. The Body Esteem Scale (BES) and anthropometric measurements were completed during one-on-one child interviews at school. Mothers completed the Child Feeding Questionnaire (restriction, monitoring, concern, self-assessed maternal weight). A total of 410 mother/child dyads (202 girls) participated. Percent of children classified as overweight (BMI-for-age ≥85th) was: girls - 29%; boys - 27%. Gender moderated the relation between restriction and body esteem (β = -.140, p = .05), with maternal restriction predicting body esteem in girls but not boys. The hypothesized three-way interaction among gender, child weight status, and monitoring was confirmed. Monitoring was significantly inversely related to body esteem only for overweight/obese girls (b = -1.630). The moderating influence of gender or gender and weight status on the link between maternal feeding practices and body esteem suggests the importance of body esteem interventions for girls as early as first grade., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objective: The objective of this study was to examine the associations between 2 types of emotion regulation (reactivity and inhibition) and 2 types of non-hunger-based eating (emotional eating and external eating). Although emotion regulation and eating regulation problems have both been linked to obesity in previous studies, there is little research examining the link between the two, particularly among children., Methods: A total of 782 rural second graders (49% girls, 20% American Indian) were followed longitudinally through third grade. During both data collection points, children participated in face-to-face interviews at school using the Children's Emotion Management Scales and the revised Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire., Results: Correlational analyses revealed that children's emotion regulation was significantly related to both external and emotional eating within and across grades, with reactivity appearing to be more consistently related to eating regulation than was inhibition. Regression analyses showed that second to third grade increases in external and emotional eating were predicted by increases in reactivity to anger and reactivity to worry., Conclusions: Given the established link in previous research between poor behavioral regulation and obesity in children, findings from this study linking child emotional reactivity and emotional and external eating (both forms of behavior dysregulation) are important in informing prevention and treatment programs. Based on these findings, targeting child emotion regulation in addition to behavior regulation skills as part of prevention and intervention programs may improve program effectiveness.

Objective: The objective of this study was to assess dietary intakes and eating habits of female college athletes and compared them with the minimum sports nutrition standards., Participants: Data were obtained from 52 female college athletes from a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I university between January 2009 and May 2010., Methods: Participants completed anthropometric measurements and dietary assessment using a 3-day food record, a 24-hour recall, and a nutrition questionnaire., Results: t tests indicated the energy and carbohydrate intakes were below the minimum recommended amount (p<.001), with only 9% of the participants meeting their energy needs. Seventy-five percent of the participants failed to consume the minimum amount of carbohydrates that is required to support training. The majority of the participants reported no regular breakfast, 36% consumed<5 meals/day, and only 16% monitored their hydration status., Conclusions: Effective nutrition interventions are needed to improve dietary intakes and eating habits of female college athletes.

Body satisfaction is important for the prevention of disordered eating and body image disturbances. Yet, little is known about body esteem and what influences it among younger children. The purpose of this study was to evaluate body esteem and the relationships between body esteem, weight, gender, and physical activity in elementary school children. A total of 214 third graders in a U.S. Midwestern state participated in this correlational study. The Body Mass Index-for-age, the Body Esteem Scale (BES), BE-Weight, BE-Appearance, and a Physical Activity Checklist were used to examine the relationships between the variables using bivariate correlations and analysis of variance. While children's body esteem did not differ by physical activity, important interactions were identified between weight status and gender in global body esteem and BE-Appearance. It is critical to examine attitudes about weight and appearance and the relationship between body esteem and self-esteem further among middle childhood-aged children., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The objective of this descriptive study was to evaluate the performance of the international World Health Organization (WHO) child growth standards in the Czech Republic and determine the prevalence of wasting among children using the 1991 Czech growth reference and the WHO growth standards. The study utilized the 2006 WHO Child Growth Standards and the 1991 Czech growth references. The WHO standards were based on a longitudinal study of 882 children aged 0-24 months and on cross-sectional studies of 6669 children aged 18-71 months. The 1991 Czech growth references were based on a cross-sectional survey including 90 910 children aged 0-18 years (34 164 were children aged < 5 years). The prevalence of wasting was significantly higher among Czech children when using the WHO growth standards compared with the Czech references. The prevalence of wasting among 0-5-month-old children was 15.5% among boys and 12.9% among girls compared with the expected 2.3% of the WHO standards. In the length category of 50 cm, 9.0% of boys and 9.9% of girls fell under the WHO wasting cut-off compared with the 3% from the Czech growth reference. The application of the WHO growth standards may results in a significant increase of Czech children classified in the category of wasting, especially among infants aged 0-5 months. The performance and potential impacts of the WHO growth standards should be evaluated further before their adoption in the Czech Republic and other countries with local growth references., (© 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.)

Background: Rural children are at a particular high risk for obesity. Given the importance of exercise in obesity and chronic disease prevention, this study evaluated the level and relationship between physical activity and fitness in a sample of rural third graders. The second purpose of the study was to determine potential differences in physical activity and fitness level by weight status in this sample., Methods: Twelve schools participating in a multidisciplinary research project were randomly selected for the study. Body mass index-for-age percentile, the modified Self-administered Physical Activity Checklist, and the FITNESSGRAM battery tests were utilized to determine children's weight status, physical activity, and fitness level, respectively., Results: Thirty-eight percent of the 237 participating children (9.2 ± 0.4 years) were overweight or obese. Nearly 15% were extremely obese. Children spent 91.8 ± 83.8 and 32.2 ± 47.7 minutes in moderate- and vigorous-intensity activities. Obese children spent less time in moderate-intensity activity (p < .01) and combined moderate- and vigorous-intensity activity more than other children (p < .05). Forty-three percent of all children failed to meet the fitness standard for muscular strength and 36% failed to meet it for flexibility., Conclusions: Rural children in this sample had higher rates of obesity compared to the national average; they had poor fitness and 30% failed to meet the minimum physical activity recommendations on the previous day. Future interventions should focus on increasing physical activity, especially of moderate-intensity, and improving physical fitness in order to reduce obesity and decrease the risk of future chronic diseases in this high-risk population., (© 2011, American School Health Association.)

The aim of the present study was to examine the relations of parenting style, parent response to negative child emotion, and family emotional expressiveness and support to child emotional eating. Mothers (N=450) completed questionnaires and their 6-8-year-old children (N=450) were interviewed. Results showed that emotional eating was negatively predicted by authoritative parenting style and family open expression of affection and emotion, and positively predicted by parent minimizing response to child negative emotion. Results suggest the need for early prevention/intervention efforts directed to these parenting and family variables., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Determine relationships between self-efficacy, decisional balance, and processes of change and Stages of Change (SOC) related to fruit and vegetable (FV) availability among Hispanic Head Start parents., Design: A 2-phase descriptive study with mixed methodology., Setting: Two Head Start sites in a city in the midwestern United States., Participants: Convenience sample of Hispanic Head Start parents/guardians recruited to complete a FV survey and focus groups., Main Outcome Measures: Amount of FV served; distribution of participants between SOC; level of self-efficacy, decisional balance, and use of cognitive and behavioral processes., Analysis: Analysis of variance was conducted using the SOC as the independent variable and Transtheoretical Model construct scales as dependent variables. Significance was set at P < .05. Focus groups were analyzed using content analysis., Results: Of the 113 participants, 60% were in pre-action stages. Compared to those of parents in higher stages, intentions of parents in lower stages to serve more FV were impeded by cost and preparation time (P = .028). Focus groups confirmed low self-efficacy as the common barrier to serving more FV., Conclusions and Implications: Nutrition education for low-income Hispanic parents should include components focused on increasing self-efficacy and minimizing perceived barriers; quick and tasty FV recipes; shopping for economical FV; and promoting parental role modeling., (Copyright 2010 Society for Nutrition Education. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Prior studies have shown low-income African Americans have low intakes of fruits and vegetables, which correlate, in part, to area of residence. To address the dietary problem, behavior-change interventions are most effective when they are theoretically based and compatible with cultural/behavioral characteristics of a given population., Objective: To use the Transtheoretical Model of Behavior Change to determine whether low-income African Americans were in proportionately different stages of change for increasing fruits and vegetables to their young children and identify differences in decision making, self-efficacy, and use of cognitive and behavioral strategies related to fruit and vegetable availability., Design: The two-phase, descriptive study utilized a mixed methodology consisting of a fruit and vegetable survey and focus groups., Subjects/setting: Convenience sample of low-income African-American parents with children enrolled in an urban area Head Start program., Statistical Analyses Performed: chi(2) test was calculated to examine the distribution of parents into stages of change for increasing fruit and vegetable availability. Analysis of variance was used to test differences in fruit and vegetable availability to children and parents' decision making, self-efficacy, and use of cognitive and behavioral strategies. Content analysis of focus group transcripts was used to triangulate quantitative findings and further explore meanings of survey responses., Results: Of 94 participants completing the fruit and vegetable survey, 21% staged as precontemplation/contemplation, 25% staged as preparation, and 54% staged as action/maintenance (P<0.001). Parents in action/maintenance stages served significantly more fruits and vegetables (P=0.006) and used behavioral processes significantly more often (P<0.001) compared to parents in precontemplation/contemplation stages. Content analysis of focus group transcripts provided greater insight into the quantitative findings., Conclusions: Nutrition education targeting low-income African-American parents in earlier stages of change should address planning and preparing convenient and economical meals and snacks that include fruits and vegetables. Interventions targeting parents in later stages of change should address increasing variety and healthful preparation methods. Interventions for both groups can benefit from social support strategies., (Copyright 2010 American Dietetic Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Breakfast consumption is often examined when researching adolescent dietary intakes and overall health. However, fewer studies have examined the relationship between breakfast and obesity, particularly over time and in relation to weight outcomes in young adulthood. In addition, little is known about contextual factors influencing the likelihood of adolescents consuming breakfast on a regular basis., Objective: The present study assessed individuals' breakfast consumption patterns and obesity status during adolescence and young adulthood. Analyses included the context in which breakfast consumption took place, specifically community and family factors., Design: Participants' breakfast consumption patterns and obesity status were assessed at two developmental time points--adolescence (Wave 2) and young adulthood (Wave 3). Community disadvantage, family poverty, race, sex, and a parent's morning presence in the home, were examined for association with breakfast consumption., Subjects/setting: Data used in this study (n=7,788) were derived from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, a nationally representative study of adolescents. Data were collected as follows: Wave 1 (September 1994 to April 1995), Wave 2 (April 1996 to August 1996), and Wave 3 (August 2001 to April 2002). The final sample ranged in age from 12 to 19 years during Wave 2 and 18 to 26 years during Wave 3., Statistical Analyses: Multilevel random intercept regression models were used to examine the association between community, parental, and individual predictors on adolescent and young adult weight outcomes., Results: Adolescent regular breakfast consumption significantly predicted young adult regular breakfast consumption (P<0.001) and an important factor associated with adolescents eating breakfast was having at least one parent home in the morning. Regular consumption during both developmental periods provided considerable protection from obesity during adolescence and young adulthood (ie, chronic obesity). Residing in disadvantaged communities decreased the odds adolescents would eat breakfast during adolescence and increased their chances for chronic obesity. African Americans were less likely to eat breakfast during adolescence and young adulthood, while also being at greater risk for chronic obesity compared to whites., Conclusions: Results indicate that low-income youth in disadvantaged communities, especially African Americans, should be specifically targeted for nutrition interventions related to breakfast consumption. In addition, parental promotion of breakfast at home and/or engagement with schools to develop or strengthen school-based breakfast programs may be a powerful addition to nutrition interventions for youth at risk for lifelong struggles with obesity and other nutrition-related problems.

Background: Many wrestlers engage in chronic dieting and rapid "weight cutting" throughout the year to compete in a category below their natural weight. Such weight-management practices have a negative influence on their health and nutritional status, so the National Wrestling Coaches Association implemented a new weight-management program for high school wrestlers in 2006., Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine whether seasonal changes in weight, body fat, and eating attitudes occur among high school wrestlers after the implementation of the new weight-management rule., Methods: Fifteen high school wrestlers participated in the study. Their weight, body composition, and eating attitudes were measured preseason, in-season, and off-season. Body fat was assessed using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Attitudes toward dieting, food, and body weight were assessed using the Eating Attitude Test (EAT)., Results: No significant changes in body fat were detected from preseason to off-season. Weight increased from preseason to in-season (p < .05) and off-season (p < .05). Although the EAT score did not change significantly from preseason to off-season, 60% reported "thinking about burning up calories when exercising" during preseason, and only 40% felt that way during the season (p < .05) and 47% during, off-season (p < .05)., Conclusions: The wrestlers experienced a significant weight gain from preseason to off-season with no significant changes in body fat. Their eating attitudes did not change significantly from preseason to off-season in this study, but further research using a large sample of high school wrestlers is warranted to confirm these findings.