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Dietary Patterns, Dietary Behavior and Physical Activity in Children and Adolescents

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A special issue of Nutrients (ISSN 2072-6643). This special issue belongs to the section "Nutritional Epidemiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 July 2021) | Viewed by 26725

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Juan Miguel Fernández-Alvira

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Guest Editor

Translational Laboratory for Cardiovascular Imaging and Therapy Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares (CNIC) Carlos III
Interests: dietary patterns; socioeconomic inequalities; childhood obesity; cardiovascular health; health promotion strategies

Dr. Esther M. González-Gil

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology II, Instituto de Nutrición y Tecnología de los Alimentos, Center of Biomedical Research (CIBM), Universidad de Granada
Interests: dietary patterns; inflammation; cardiometabolic risk; childhood obesity; nutritional epidemiology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Diet and physical activity are two of the main components defining lifestyle in children and adolescents. Both factors determine not only the possibility of achieving optimal growth and development but also the odds of developing a number of non-communicable diseases, such as obesity and associated co-morbidities, and psychosocial disadvantages. Therefore, unhealthy lifestyles in children and adolescents represent one of the major public health concerns worldwide.

Given that foods are consumed in combination, dietary pattern analysis has been increasingly applied, since it makes it possible to evaluate the impact of the whole diet and the interaction between the foods, rather than focusing on single food items. In youth, dietary behaviors and physical activity habits are evolving and often tend to cluster in healthy/unhealthy profiles that could track into adulthood. Therefore, the study of dietary patterns, dietary behaviors and physical activity in youth as main components of lifestyle is of paramount importance. Exploring the underlying determinants of diet and physical activity and the potential associations between them can help in the design of more successful interventions.

This Special Issue of Nutrients, entitled “Dietary Patterns, Dietary Behavior and Physical Activity in Children and Adolescents”, encourages the submission of original manuscripts describing research conducted in children and adolescents that are based on this topic. Scientific reviews of the literature are also welcome.

Dr. Juan Miguel Fernández-Alvira
Dr. Esther M. González-Gil
Guest Editors

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Keywords

dietary patterns
dietary behaviors
physical activity
children
adolescents

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 287 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Food Preferences and Food Choice Determinants in a Polish Adolescents’ COVID-19 Experience (PLACE-19) Study

by Dominika Głąbska, Dominika Skolmowska and Dominika Guzek

Nutrients 2021, 13(8), 2491; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13082491 - 21 Jul 2021

Cited by 19 | Viewed by 9913

Abstract

Food preferences are within the most important determinants of food choices; however, little is known about their complex associations, and no studies were conducted in the period of the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of the study was to analyze the association between food preferences and food choice determinants in adolescents aged 15–20 years within the Polish Adolescents’ COVID-19 Experience (PLACE-19) Study. The PLACE-19 Study included a random quota sampling conducted in the whole of Poland and covered a population-based sample of 2448 secondary school students. The food preferences were assessed using a validated Food Preference Questionnaire (FPQ), and the food choices were assessed using a validated Food Choice Questionnaire (FCQ). The statistical analysis comprised k-means clustering and linear regression adjusted for sex and age. Four homogenous clusters of respondents were defined based on the food choice motives—“healthy eaters” (health as the most important determinant of food choices), “hedonists” (convenience, sensory appeal, and price as the most important determinants), “indifferent consumers” (low significance for all determinants), and “demanding consumers” (high significance for all determinants). The preferences for all food categories differed when comparing between clusters presenting various food choice determinants (p < 0.001). The “healthy eaters” were characterized by the highest preference for vegetables; the “hedonists” preferred meat/fish, dairy, and snacks; the “demanding consumers” had a high preference for all food categories, while “indifferent consumers” had a low preference for all food categories. All preference scores were positively associated with mood, convenience, sensory appeal, natural content, and price (p < 0.05). The results confirmed the association between food preferences and food choice determinants in adolescents, as well as allowed adolescents to be clustered into segments to define various needs and motives among the identified segments. For public health purposes, it may be crucial to educate “hedonists,” with a high preference for meat/fish, dairy and snacks, accompanied by convenience, sensory appeal, and price as the most important determinants of their food choices. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Dietary Patterns, Dietary Behavior and Physical Activity in Children and Adolescents)

14 pages, 1407 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet in a School Population in the Principality of Asturias (Spain): Relationship with Physical Activity and Body Weight

by Rocío Fernández-Iglesias, Sonia Álvarez-Pereira, Adonina Tardón, Benjamín Fernández-García and Eduardo Iglesias-Gutiérrez

Nutrients 2021, 13(5), 1507; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13051507 - 29 Apr 2021

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2930

Abstract

The Mediterranean diet (MD), despite its multiple benefits, presents low levels of adherence among children. Moreover, childhood is a key stage in the acquisition of healthy habits. The aim of this study was to describe adherence to MD in school-age children from Asturias, Spain, and to evaluate the association with weight status and several lifestyle behaviors. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 309 children aged between 8 and 13 years old. The level of adherence to MD was evaluated through the KIDMED questionnaire. Descriptive analysis and logistic regression models were used to analyze the association between adherence to MD and weight status, frequency of out-of-school exercise, frequency of school canteen attendance, and sleep habits. We found that 54.4% of children had optimal adherence to MD and 29.9% of the sample was overweight or obese. Frequency of exercise practice was positively associated with optimal adherence to MD (95% CI: 1.02, 1.33). A positive association was found between some KIDMED items and frequency of out-of-school exercise practice and attendance at the school canteen. This study shows the need for an improvement in the adherence to MD in youth considering the concomitant occurrence of other related healthy behaviors. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Dietary Patterns, Dietary Behavior and Physical Activity in Children and Adolescents)

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11 pages, 283 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Data-Driven Dietary Patterns, Nutrient Intake and Body Weight Status in a Cross-Section of Singaporean Children Aged 6–12 Years

by Michelle Jie Ying Choy, Iain Brownlee and Aoife Marie Murphy

Nutrients 2021, 13(4), 1335; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13041335 - 17 Apr 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2583

Abstract

Pattern analysis of children’s diet may provide insights into chronic disease risk in adolescence and adulthood. This study aimed to assess dietary patterns of young Singaporean children using cluster analysis. An existing dataset included 15,820 items consumed by 561 participants (aged 6–12 years) over 2 days of dietary recall. Thirty-seven food groups were defined and expressed as a percentage contribution of total energy. Dietary patterns were identified using k-means cluster analysis. Three clusters were identified, “Western”, “Convenience” and “Local/hawker”, none of which were defined by more prudent dietary choices. The “Convenience” cluster group had the lowest total energy intake (mean 85.8 ± SD 25.3% of Average Requirement for Energy) compared to the other groups (95.4 ± 25.9% for “Western” and 93.4 ± 25.3% for “Local/hawker”, p < 0.001) but also had the lowest calcium intake (66.3 ± 34.7% of Recommended Dietary Allowance), similar to intake in the “Local/hawker” group (69.5 ± 38.9%) but less than the “Western” group (82.8 ± 36.1%, p < 0.001). These findings highlight the need for longitudinal analysis of dietary habit in younger Singaporeans in order to better define public health messaging targeted at reducing risk of major noncommunicable disease. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Dietary Patterns, Dietary Behavior and Physical Activity in Children and Adolescents)

25 pages, 364 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Longitudinal Associations between Food Parenting Practices and Dietary Intake in Children: The Feel4Diabetes Study

by Paloma Flores-Barrantes, Iris Iglesia, Greet Cardon, Ruben Willems, Peter Schwarz, Patrick Timpel, Jemina Kivelä, Katja Wikström, Violeta Iotova, Tsvetalina Tankova, Natalya Usheva, Imre Rurik, Emese Antal, Stavros Liatis, Konstantinos Makrilakis, Eva Karaglani, Yannis Manios, Luis A. Moreno, Esther M. González-Gil and on behalf of the Feel4Diabetes-Study Group

Nutrients 2021, 13(4), 1298; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13041298 - 14 Apr 2021

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3297

Abstract

Food parenting practices (FPPs) have an important role in shaping children’s dietary behaviors. This study aimed to investigate cross-sectional and longitudinal associations over a two-year follow-up between FPP and dietary intake and compliance with current recommendations in 6- to 11-year-old European children. A total of 2967 parent-child dyads from the Feel4Diabetes study, a randomized controlled trial of a school and community-based intervention, (50.4% girls and 93.5% mothers) were included. FPPs assessed were: (1) home food availability; (2) parental role modeling of fruit intake; (3) permissiveness; (4) using food as a reward. Children’s dietary intake was assessed through a parent-reported food frequency questionnaire. In regression analyses, the strongest cross-sectional associations were observed between home availability of 100% fruit juice and corresponding intake (β = 0.492 in girls and β = 0.506 in boys, p < 0.001), and between parental role modeling of fruit intake and children’s fruit intake (β = 0.431 in girls and β = 0.448 in boys, p < 0.001). In multilevel logistic regression models, results indicated that improvements in positive FPPs over time were mainly associated with higher odds of compliance with healthy food recommendations, whereas a decrease in negative FPP over time was associated with higher odds of complying with energy-dense/nutrient-poor food recommendations. Improving FPPs could be an effective way to improve children’s dietary intake. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Dietary Patterns, Dietary Behavior and Physical Activity in Children and Adolescents)

21 pages, 363 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Association between Portion Sizes from High-Energy-Dense Foods and Body Composition in European Adolescents: The HELENA Study

by Sondos M. Flieh, María L. Miguel-Berges, Esther M. González-Gil, Frédéric Gottrand, Laura Censi, Kurt Widhalm, Yannis Manios, Anthony Kafatos, Dénes Molnár, Jean Dallongeville, Peter Stehle, Marcela Gonzalez-Gross, Ascensión Marcos, Stefaan De Henauw, Cristina Molina-Hidalgo, Inge Huybrechts and Luis A. Moreno

Nutrients 2021, 13(3), 954; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13030954 - 16 Mar 2021

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3257

Abstract

Obesity prevalence has been simultaneously increasing with high consumption of large food portion sizes (PS). However, there is scarce information on PS of energy-dense (ED) foods as a potential risk factor of obesity in adolescents. In the present study, we investigate the association between the PS of the most ED foods and body composition. A sample of 1889 adolescents (54.4% females) from the Healthy Lifestyle in Europe by Nutrition in Adolescence cross-sectional multicenter study (HELENA–CSS) study were included. Most ED foods (e.g., cheese) were selected according to higher fat and/or sugar content and low fiber and water. Linear and ordinal logistic regression models were adjusted for age, physical activity, total energy intake (TEI), and socioeconomic status (SES). Analysis was performed both in those adolescents reporting plausible energy intake according to the approach of Goldberg et al. and in the whole sample. In male plausible reporters, PS from “breakfast cereals” showed a significant and positive association with BMI (β = 0.012; 0.048). PS from “carbonated soft drinks” in males (OR = 1.001; 95% CI 1.000; 1.002) and “bread and rolls” in females (OR = 1.002; 95% CI 1.000; 1.004) were associated with higher probability of having obesity, while “sweet bakery products” were associated with lower probability of having obesity (OR = 0.996; 95% CI 0.991; 0.999) in females. The present study suggests association between PS of ED foods and obesity in European adolescents. Prospective studies are needed to examine the effect of prolonged exposure to large PS and obesity development. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Dietary Patterns, Dietary Behavior and Physical Activity in Children and Adolescents)

18 pages, 1114 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Dietary Patterns and Their Association with Body Composition and Cardiometabolic Markers in Children and Adolescents: Genobox Cohort

by Miriam Latorre-Millán, Azahara I. Rupérez, Esther M. González-Gil, Alba Santaliestra-Pasías, Rocío Vázquez-Cobela, Mercedes Gil-Campos, Concepción M. Aguilera, Ángel Gil, Luis A. Moreno, Rosaura Leis and Gloria Bueno

Nutrients 2020, 12(11), 3424; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12113424 - 8 Nov 2020

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 3792

Abstract

Diet is a key factor for obesity development; however, limited data are available on dietary cluster analysis in children with obesity. We aimed to assess the associations between dietary patterns and obesity and several cardiometabolic markers. Anthropometry, bioelectrical impedance, blood pressure and plasma biomarkers of oxidative stress, inflammation and endothelial damage were determined in 674 Caucasian children, aged 5–16, with normal or excess weight. Using a food frequency questionnaire and cluster analysis, two consistent dietary patterns were shown, labeled as health conscious (HC) and sweet and processed (SP). The HC pattern included a greater proportion of participants with overweight/obesity than the SP cluster (80.1% vs. 63.8%). However, children with obesity within the HC cluster, showed less abdominal fat, through waist to hip (0.93 vs. 0.94) and waist to height (0.61 vs. 0.63) indexes (p < 0.01). Univariate general models showed several additional differences in cardiometabolic risk biomarkers in the global and stratified analyses, with a healthier profile being observed mainly in the HC cluster. However, multivariate models questioned these findings and pointed out the need for further studies in this field. Anyhow, our findings support the benefits of a healthy diet and highlight the importance of dietary patterns in the cardiometabolic risk assessment of children with overweight/obesity, beyond weight control. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Dietary Patterns, Dietary Behavior and Physical Activity in Children and Adolescents)

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