Household Food Security and Associated Factors among Portuguese Children.

This study investigated the household food insecurity (HFI) among Portuguese children following the last world financial crisis. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 4737 Portuguese children (3-11 yrs). Socio-demographics, food insecurity, and household geographic location were assessed via questionnaire.

The Great Recession weighted on Portuguese children: A structural equation modeling approach considering eating patterns.

Objectives: Further evidence on how the Great Recession was associated with childhood obesity is needed, particularly when the world is facing a new and severe economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. This study explores: (1) the direct association of the 2008's economic crisis with eating patterns and body mass index (BMI), among children, independently of their socioeconomic status (SES), and (2) the indirect association between the crisis and children's BMI, by using eating patterns as mediators.

Methods: A sample of children (n = 8472, mean age: 7.

The economic crisis impact on the body mass index of children living in distinct urban environments.

Objectives: Little is known about the impact of the 2008 global economic recession on childhood obesity in Portugal. Thus, this study's goals were to compare weight status of children during and after the economic crisis according to their neighbourhood environment features and to assess changes in specific dietary habits during the economic crisis.

Study Design: Cross-sectional study.

Home vs. bedroom media devices: socioeconomic disparities and association with childhood screen- and sleep-time.

Background: The literature has shown a widespread use of portable electronic devices among children over the last years. This study aimed to identify the availability of different media devices at home versus in children's bedroom according to the socioeconomic status (SES), and analyze the association between that availability and children's screen- and sleep-time on week and weekend days.

Methods: Data from 3 to 10 year-old children (n = 8430) from a cross-sectional study conducted in Portugal (2016/17) was used.

Socioeconomic inequalities in the prevalence of overweight and obesity among Portuguese preschool-aged children: Changes from 2009 to 2016.

Objectives: We evaluated, for the first time in Portugal, the prevalence of overweight and obesity according to parental education in a population of preschool-aged Portuguese children in 2009/2010 and 2016/2017.

Methods: Anthropometric data were collected in public and private preschools (n = 1996 in 2009/2010; n = 2077 in 2016/2017). Body mass index was calculated and weight status categories were based on the International Obesity Task Force cutoff points.

Screen media use by Portuguese children in 2009 and 2016: a repeated cross-sectional study.

Background: Few studies have examined how access to mobile media is disrupting more traditional forms of media use.

Aim: To examine screen-time in 2009/10 and 2016/17 among children aged 3-6 years and assess potential socio-economic determinants of adherence to screen-time recommendations.

Subjects And Methods: Two independent cross-sectional studies included 6874 Portuguese children.

Prevalence of overweight and obesity in 3-to-10-year-old children: assessment of different cut-off criteria WHO-IOTF.

This study compares the prevalence of overweight and obesity between WHO/IOTF criteria. A total of 17,277 Portuguese children aged 3-10 years old were analysed. The prevalences of overweight-obesity were higher at WHO classification (19.

Socioeconomic inequalities in children's health-related quality of life according to weight status.

Objectives: This study explores the association between socioeconomic position (SEP) and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among Portuguese children according to their weight status.

Methods: A total of 1215 primary school-aged children (mean age 8.78 years) from three Portuguese districts (Lisbon, Porto, Coimbra) were assessed during 2016/2017.

Social inequalities in traditional and emerging screen devices among Portuguese children: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Children are often exposed to too much screen time but few studies have explored the use of old and new digital media among young children. This study assesses screen time, including traditional and mobile devices, in pre-school and elementary school-aged children, according to their gender, age, and socioeconomic position (SEP).

Methods: A total of 8430 children (3 to 10 years; 50.

Self-reported symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress in Portuguese primary school-aged children.

Background: Symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress experienced during childhood might have a negative impact on development. This study explores factors associated with such symptoms among Portuguese primary school-aged children.

Methods: A sample of children (n = 1022, mean age = 8.

Influence of parental perceived environment on physical activity, TV viewing, active play and Body Mass Index among Portuguese children: A mediation analysis.

Objectives: The environment is believed to be key in obesity prevention, yet it is unclear how factors in the neighborhood influence weight-related behaviors. The present study aimed to investigate the influence of parental perceived environment on physical activity (PA), television (TV) time, active play and Body Mass Index (BMI) z score, and the mediating role of these weight-related behaviors on the relationship between neighborhood characteristics and children's BMI.

Methods: Data of 8472 Portuguese preschool (aged 3-6, n = 3819) and school-aged children (aged 7-11 years, n = 4653) were collected during 2016/2017.

Eating away from home: a risk factor for overweight in children.

The present study examined the association between childhood overweight, children's meals and eating out in three types of restaurants (traditional Portuguese food restaurant, fast-food restaurant and snack bar). A representative sample of Portuguese children (5706 boys; 5950 girls aged 6-11 years) was used for this analysis and an ethnographic study with 233 interviews of the owners of snack bars in Coimbra (Portugal). Weight and height were measured (body mass index was consequently calculated).

Body adiposity is associated with risk of high blood pressure in Portuguese schoolchildren.

Objective: The aim of the study was to estimate the prevalence of high blood pressure (HBP) and its association with anthropometric indicators of adiposity in Portuguese schoolchildren.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a nationally representative sample of 6-9-year-old children was analyzed. Weight and height (used to calculate body mass index [BMI]), blood pressure (BP), waist circumference (WC) and skinfold thickness (used to estimate body fat percentage [BFP]) were measured using standard techniques.

The association of irregular sleep habits with the risk of being overweight/obese in a sample of Portuguese children aged 6-9 years.

Objectives: The consequences of irregular sleep duration at younger ages remains uncertain, especially when we consider shorter and longer than recommended sleep durations. Therefore, the present study aimed to analyze the association between healthy sleep duration and risk of obesity in Portuguese children.

Methods: The sample for this cross-sectional study comprised 8273 children (4183 females) aged 6-9 years.

[Giardia duodenalis and chronic malnutrition in children under five from a rural area of Guinea-Bissau].

Introduction: Malnutrition and infections by intestinal parasites such as Giardia duodenalis coexist in the same geographical regions, reaching the highest prevalence in developing countries. The cycle of malnutrition and infection implies that both conditions can aggravate each other and compromise the growth and development of children with special relevance for under-five. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between chronic malnutrition and infection by G.

Perceptions of neighborhood environments and childhood obesity: evidence of harmful gender inequities among Portuguese children.

This study investigates the links between parents' perceptions of their social and built residential environment and obesity among Portuguese school boys and girls. A total of 1885 children, 952 girls and 933 boys, aged 3.0-10.