Decreased frequency of sugar sweetened beverages intake among young children following the implementation of the health promotion levy in South Africa.

Objective: This study assessed the association between baseline sociodemographic variables, body composition and 4-year changes in the intake of food groups, including sugar sweetened beverages (SSBs) among children, after implementation of the health promotion levy.

Design: Prospective cohort study.

Setting: 10 schools in North West Province, South Africa.

Relationships between moderate vigorous physical activity, motor- and health-related fitness and motor skills in children.

Background:  Childhood is an important transitional period for the development of healthy physical activity (PA) behaviours, so it is important to understand its impact on a healthy lifestyle.

Aim:  This study aimed to determine the influences of sex, socioeconomic status (SES) and body composition (BC) on the relationships between PA, motor skills, motor- and health-related physical fitness in 5-8-year-olds.

Setting:  Participants were a subsample consisting of 299 children (150 boys, 149 girls, mean age 6.

Validation of a short food group questionnaire to determine intakes from healthy and unhealthy food groups in 5-9-year-old South African children.

Background: Reliable dietary data for children are necessary to investigate associations with health outcomes. The present study aimed to develop and validate a questionnaire to determine the frequency of intakes of specific healthy and unhealthy food groups in young children.

Methods: Participants were 5-9-year-old South African children (n = 920) from 10 urban schools.

Validation of mid-arm circumference for surveillance of obesity in African adolescent girls and adult women.

This study aimed to assess the validity of mid-arm circumference (MAC), also known as mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC), for classification of high body fatness in Namibian adolescent girls and women and to test whether classification accuracy of MUAC was higher than the traditional simple proxy for high fatness, the BMI. In 206 adolescent girls aged 13-19 years and 207 adult women aged 20-40 years, we defined obesity conventionally (BMI-for-age Z score ≥ 2·00, adolescents; adults BMI ≥ 30·0 kg/m) and also defined obesity using published MAC cut-off values. H oxide dilution was used to measure total body water (TBW) to define high body fat percentage (≥ 30 % in the adolescents, ≥ 38 % in the adults), and we compared the ability of BMI and MAC to classify high body fatness correctly using sensitivity, specificity and predictive values.

Comparison of Several Prediction Equations Using Skinfold Thickness for Estimating Percentage Body Fat vs. Body Fat Percentage Determined by BIA in 6-8-Year-Old South African Children: The BC-IT Study.

Body composition measurement is useful for assessing percentage body fat (%BF) and medical diagnosis, monitoring disease progression and response to treatment, and is essential in assessing nutritional status, especially in children. However, finding accurate and precise techniques remains a challenge. The study compares %BF determined by bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) and calculated from available prediction equations based on skinfolds in young South African children.

Birth Weight and Body Composition as Determined by Isotopic Dilution with Deuterium Oxide in 6- to 8-Year-Old South African Children.

Low and high birth weight (BW) are associated with obesity later in life; however, this association has not been extensively studied in African countries. This study determines the association between BW and body composition derived from deuterium oxide (D2O) dilution in 6- to 8-year-old South African children (n = 91; 40 boys, 51 girls). BW was recorded retrospectively from the children’s Road-to-Health cards.

Age and Sex Differences in the State and Relationships between Process and Product Assessments of Fundamental-Motor Skills in Five to Eight-Year-Olds: The ExAMIN Youth SA Study.

Adequate development of Fundamental Motor Skills (FMS) at a young age benefit holistic development and positive health outcomes. This study determined age and sex developmental differences in the state and the relationships between process and product assessments of four fundamental-motor skills (FMS) in five to eight-year-olds. An availability sample of 636 children; 291 boys, 345 girls, mean age of 6.

The relationship between physical activity, body fatness and metabolic syndrome in urban South African school teachers: The sympathetic activity and ambulatory blood pressure in Africans study.

Background:  Globally, the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MS) is rising because of increased levels of physical inactivity and obesity. In South Africa, information about teachers' physical activity (PA), body fatness and MS is limited.

Aim:  To assess the relationship between PA, body fatness and MS in urban South African teachers.

Relationships between physical activity, body mass index, waist circumference and handgrip strength amongst adults from the North West province, South Africa: The PURE study.

Background:  Handgrip strength (HGS) serves as a proxy for the functional ability and its association with body composition (BC) and physical activity (PA) in South African adults are less clear.

Aim:  We investigated the relationships between PA, body composition and HGS amongst adults.

Setting:  Rural and urban population from North West Province, South Africa.

The Role of Physical Activity Status in the Relationship between Obesity and Carotid Intima-Media Thickness (CIMT) in Urban South African Teachers: The SABPA Study.

Globally, the prevalence of physical inactivity and obesity are on the rise, which may increase carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) as a marker of subclinical atherosclerosis. This study assessed the association between physical activity (PA), obesity, and CIMT. A cross-sectional study design was used, including a sub-sample (n = 216) of teachers who participated in the Sympathetic Activity and Ambulatory Blood Pressure in Africans (SAPBA) study.

A demographic approach to assess elevated blood pressure and obesity in prepubescent children: the ExAMIN Youth South Africa study.

Background: Obesity and hypertension prevalence among children are a concern, with limited evidence available on sex and ethnic differences in childhood blood pressure. We aimed to determine the number of children with hypertension and obesity to identify unique adiposity and blood pressure characteristics by sex and ethnicity, and to estimate the odds of having elevated blood pressure with increasing adiposity.

Methods: We included 1062 healthy children (5-9 years of age) in an observational school-based study in South Africa.

Association between Objectively Determined Physical Activity Levels and Body Composition in 6-8-Year-Old Children from a Black South African Population: BC-IT Study.

Physical inactivity in children is a global pandemic in parallel with increasing obesity prevalence. However, studies assessing the association between physical activity (PA) and body composition (BC) report conflicting findings, possibly because of the different methodologies across studies, with objective methods promising reliable results. This study determines the association between objectively determined PA levels and BC in 6-8-year-old children from a black South African population.

Correction: Relationship between physical activity and carotid intima-media thickness among teachers in South Africa: the SABPA study.

In the Abstract, in Methods: Ultrasound CIMT imaging was done using the SonoSite Micromaxx. Physical activity was done over seven consecutive days. In the Abstract, in Results: The prevalence of obesity according to BMI and sedentary behaviour was above 30%; hypertension was 38.

Erratum: Level of agreement between objectively determined body composition and perceived body image in 6- to 8-year-old South African children: The Body Composition-Isotope Technique study.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

Level of agreement between objectively determined body composition and perceived body image in 6- to 8-year-old South African children: The Body Composition-Isotope Technique study.

To assess the level of agreement between body size self-perception and actual body size determined by body mass index (BMI) z-score and body fatness measured by the deuterium dilution method (DDM) in South African children aged 6-8 years. A cross-sectional sample of 202 children (83 boys and 119 girls) aged 6-8 years from the Body Composition-Isotope Technique study (BC-IT) was taken. Subjective measures of body image (silhouettes) were compared with the objective measures of BMI z-score and body fatness measured by the DDM.

Relationship between physical activity and carotid intima-media thickness among teachers in South Africa: the SABPA study.

Objective: To determine the relationship between objectively measured physical activity (PA) and carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) in teachers in South Africa.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 215 teachers aged 25 to 65 years (mean age 49.67 ± 8.

Longitudinal relationships between changes in body composition and changes in selected metabolic risk factors (abdominal obesity and blood pressure) among South African adolescents.

Background: Incidence of childhood high blood pressure (BP) is increasing worldwide. This study examined the longitudinal relationship between changes in body composition (i.e.

The Exercise, Arterial Modulation and Nutrition in Youth South Africa Study (ExAMIN Youth SA).

The impact of a sedentary and unhealthy lifestyle on cardiovascular health is well-documented, however the current obesity and hypertension trends among children is concerning. The ExAMIN Youth SA study aims to investigate the impact of lifestyle behaviors (physical fitness/activity, dietary intake and psychosocial factors) involved in early vascular aging among South African children. This study is an analytical, multidisciplinary, observational cohort study in a school-based setting.

Relationship between obesity and blood pressure among employees in the Vhembe district municipality of Limpopo Province, South Africa.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between obesity and blood pressure among employees of the Vhembe district municipality of Limpopo province.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 452 local government employees (207 males, 245 females) aged 24-65 years. Body mass index (BMI), blood pressure (BP) and waist circumference (WC) measurements, and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) were assessed.

Association Between Sport Participation, Body Composition, Physical Fitness, and Social Correlates Among Adolescents: The PAHL Study.

: Evidence suggests that social support impacts on participation in sport or physical activity (PA), and is associated with health benefits, although the link is complex and not well understood. The study aim was to examine whether participation in organized sports is related to body composition, physical fitness, and social correlates for PA. : Cross-sectional data on 238 adolescents (90 boys and 148 girls), mean age 14.

Self-Reported Physical Activity is Not a Valid Method for Measuring Physical Activity in 15-Year-Old South African Boys and Girls.

Physical activity plays an important role in the prevention of chronic lifestyle-related diseases. The development of valid instruments for the assessment of physical activity remains a challenge in field studies. The purpose of the present study was therefore to determine the level of agreement between physical activity objectively measured by the ActiHeart (Cambridge Neurotechnology Ltd, Cambridge, UK) device and subjectively reported physical activity by means of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire Short Form (IPAQ-SF) among adolescents attending schools in the Tlokwe Local Municipality, South Africa.

Measurement of physical activity in urban and rural South African adults: a comparison of two self-report methods.

Background: Due to the large mortality from inactivity-related non-communicable diseases in low- and middle- income countries, accurate assessment of physical activity is important for surveillance, monitoring and understanding of physical (in)activity epidemiology in many of these countries. Research on relative performance of self-report physical activity instruments commonly used for epidemiological research in Africa have rarely been reported. The present study compared estimates of physical activity measured with the International Physical Activity Questionnaire - Short Form (IPAQ-SF) and the Baecke Physical Activity Questionnaire (BPAQ) among urban and rural black South African adults.

Two-year longitudinal health-related fitness, anthropometry and body composition status amongst adolescents in Tlokwe Municipality: The PAHL Study.

Aim: To evaluate a two-year longitudinal development of health-related fitness, anthropometry and body composition status amongst adolescents in Tlokwe Municipality, Potchefstroom, South Africa.

Setting: A total of 283 high-school learners (111 boys and 172 girls) of ages 14 and 15 years who were part of the ongoing Physical Activity and Health Longitudinal Study (PAHLS) participated in the study. For the purpose of the present study, data collected for 2011 and 2012 for anthropometric, body composition and health-related physical fitness were used.