School nutritional capacity, resources and practices are associated with availability of food/beverage items in schools.

Background: The school food environment is important to target as less healthful food and beverages are widely available at schools. This study examined whether the availability of specific food/beverage items was associated with a number of school environmental factors.

Methods: Principals from elementary (n=369) and middle/high schools (n=118) in British Columbia (BC), Canada completed a survey measuring characteristics of the school environment.

Short message service reduces dropout in childhood obesity treatment: a randomized controlled trial.

Objective: Lifestyle programs can reduce the level of overweight in children; however, maintenance results and adherence to treatment are difficult to achieve. New technologies, such as the Short Message Service (SMS), might be a promising tool for enhancing interventions. The effect of an SMS approach aimed at improving treatment results and reducing dropout rates in a pediatric lifestyle intervention, is explored.

Sources of validity evidence needed with self-report measures of physical activity.

Background: Over the years, self-report measures of physical activity (PA) have been employed in applications for which their use was not supported by the validity evidence.

Methods: To address this concern this paper 1) provided an overview of the sources of validity evidence that can be assessed with self-report measures of PA, 2) discussed the validity evidence needed to support the use of self-report in certain applications, and 3) conducted a case review of the 7-day PA Recall (7-d PAR).

Results: This paper discussed 5 sources of validity evidence, those based on: test content; response processes; behavioral stability; relations with other variables; and sensitivity to change.

Somatic complaints and social competence predict success in childhood overweight treatment.

Objective: To determine baseline predictors of treatment success in terms of Body Mass Index-Standard Deviation Scores (BMI-SDS) in a multidisciplinary family-based behavioural lifestyle intervention for overweight and obese children.

Methods: Overweight and obese children (N = 248; age 8-14 years) and their caregivers participated in a prospective study and attended a lifestyle intervention. Baseline data assessment included anthropometrics, demographics, breakfast behaviour, competence and behavioural problems (Child Behaviour Checklist [CBCL]), family functioning (Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scales [FACES] III), and personality (Dutch Personality Questionnaire-Youth [NPV-J]).

Predictors of participant dropout at various stages of a pediatric lifestyle program.

Objective: To evaluate baseline predictors of drop out at various stages in a lifestyle intervention for overweight and obese children.

Patients And Methods: Children and their families (N = 248) (aged 8-14 years) attended a lifestyle intervention. At baseline, we assessed anthropometric and demographic data, measured competence and behavioral problems, and family functioning.

Enhancement of care through self-monitoring and tailored feedback via text messaging and their use in the treatment of childhood overweight.

Objective: This paper first illustrates the general potential of the short message service (SMS) for symptom and behavior monitoring and the provision of tailored feedback. Second, an SMS-based maintenance treatment (SMSMT) is introduced aimed at enhancing the treatment of childhood overweight.

Methods: After a 12-week cognitive behavioral group treatment (CBGT), 40 children were assigned to the SMSMT for a period of 36 weeks.