Prevalence of and risk factors for childhood overweight and obesity.

Background: Increases in childhood overweight and obesity have become an important public health problem in industrialized nations. Preventive public health action is required, but more research of risk factors is required before evidence-based initiatives can be developed and targeted effectively. We investigated the association between childhood overweight and obesity and risk factors relating to dietary habits, activities, parents and schools.

Dietary intake and risk factors for poor diet quality among children in Nova Scotia.

Objective: Public health policies promote healthy nutrition but evaluations of children's adherence to dietary recommendations and studies of risk factors of poor nutrition are scarce, despite the importance of diet for the temporal increase in the prevalence of childhood obesity. Here we examine dietary intake and risk factors for poor diet quality among children in Nova Scotia to provide direction for health policies and prevention initiatives.

Methods: In 2003, we surveyed 5,200 grade five students from 282 public schools in Nova Scotia, as well as their parents.

Effectiveness of school programs in preventing childhood obesity: a multilevel comparison.

Objectives: In light of the alarming increase in childhood obesity and lack of evidence for the effectiveness of school programs, we studied the effects of school programs in regard to preventing excess body weight.

Methods: In 2003, we surveyed 5200 grade 5 students along with their parents and school principals. We measured height and weight, assessed dietary intake, and collected information on physical and sedentary activities.

Diet quality and cancer incidence in Nova Scotia, Canada.

Cancer rates in the province of Nova Scotia, Canada, are among the highest in the country and coincide with elevated rates of risk factors such as smoking, poor diet, and obesity. To investigate the importance of diet on cancer, using data from the 1990 Nova Scotia Nutrition Survey, we developed a diet quality score reflecting compliance with 17 nutrient recommendations. The survey data were subsequently linked with the provincial cancer registry, and the relationship between diet quality and cancer was quantified using logistic regression.

Dietary reference intakes: a comparison with the Nova Scotia Nutrition Survey.

The purpose of this study was to compare the newly released dietary reference intakes with the 1990 Nova Scotia Nutrition Survey and identify characteristics that influence compatibility with these new recommendations. For each of 17 nutrient recommendations, we calculated the proportion of participants who consumed intakes within the recommended range. We constructed a score reflecting overall compatibility between the new recommendations and the Nova Scotia Nutrition Survey data.