Farming practices and biodiversity: Evidence from a Mediterranean semi-extensive system on the island of Lemnos (North Aegean, Greece).

The management of agroecosystems affects biodiversity at all levels from genetic to food-web complexity. Low-input farming systems support higher levels of genetic, species and habitat diversity than high-input, industrial ones. In Greece, as in other Mediterranean countries, the role of traditional farming practices has been underlined in studies concerning conservation in agricultural landscapes.

Investigating the associations between Mediterranean diet, physical activity and living environment with childhood asthma using path analysis.

Objective: To investigate the role of the Mediterranean diet and physical activity with relation to living environment and childhood asthma.

Methods: 1125 children (529 boys), 10 to 12 years old were recruited either in an urban environment (Athens, n = 700) or rural environment (n = 425) in Greece. A path analytic model was developed to assess the causal relation between urban environment and asthma prevalence (standardized ISAAC questionnaire), through the mediation of the Mediterranean diet (evaluated by the KIDMED food frequency questionnaire) and physical activity (evaluated by the PALQ physical activity questionnaire).

The mediating effect of parents' educational status on the association between adherence to the Mediterranean diet and childhood obesity: the PANACEA study.

Objectives: To investigate the potential mediating effect of parental education on the association between adherence to the Mediterranean diet and obesity, in 10-12 years old children.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was performed among 1,125 (529 male) children in Greece. Children and their parents completed standardized questionnaires, which evaluated parents' educational level and dietary habits.

The association between leisure-time physical activities and asthma symptoms among 10- to 12-year-old children: the effect of living environment in the PANACEA study.

Objective: This study evaluated the interrelationships of living environment, physical activity, lifestyle/dietary habits, and nutritional status on the prevalence of childhood asthma.

Methods: In a cross-sectional survey 1125 children (529 boys), 10 to 12 years old, were selected from 18 schools located in an urban environment (Athens, n = 700) and from 10 schools located in rural areas (n = 425) in Greece.

Results: Children living in Athens had higher likelihood of "ever had" asthma compared with children living in rural areas (odds ratio (OR) = 1.

Urban environment adherence to the Mediterranean diet and prevalence of asthma symptoms among 10- to 12-year-old children: The Physical Activity, Nutrition, and Allergies in Children Examined in Athens study.

Epidemiological studies have revealed several associations between asthma symptoms and environmental and dietary factors, but the potential environment- diet interactions on asthma incidence have rarely been investigated. The aim of this work was to evaluate the interrelationships between urban/rural environment, adherence to a healthy dietary pattern, the Mediterranean diet, and childhood asthma. A cross-sectional survey was performed and 1125 (529 boys), 10- to 12-year-old children were selected from 18 schools located in urban Athens area (n = 700) and from 10 schools located in rural areas of Ilia and Viotia (n = 425), Greece.