Low levels of objectively measured physical activity in preschoolers in child care.

Background: Physical activity (PA) undertaken at child care could assist in the achievement of PA recommendations across a large proportion of the population in early childhood.

Purpose: To review recent evidence on volume of PA and amount of moderate- to vigorous-intensity PA (MVPA) in preschool children within child care centers.

Methods: Literature search for studies published in 2000-2008 in which objective methods (accelerometry, direct observation, pedometers, HR monitoring) were used to measure typical levels of PA and MVPA of preschool children while within child care.

Session 3 (Joint with the British Dietetic Association): Management of obesity: Weight-loss interventions in the treatment of obesity.

Treatments to induce weight loss for the obese patient centre on the achievement of negative energy balance. This objective can theoretically be attained by interventions designed to achieve a reduction in energy intake and/or an increase in energy expenditure. Such 'lifestyle interventions' usually comprise one or more of the following strategies: dietary modification; behaviour change; increases in physical activity.

Validation of dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry and foot-foot impedance against deuterium dilution measures of fatness in children.

Objective: To determine the validity of estimation of body fatness by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and foot-foot bio-electrical impedance (BIA).

Methods: In 176, 11-12-year-olds (84 boys; 92 girls) body fatness was measured using total body water (TBW), derived from deuterium oxide dilution space. Body fatness was also estimated from DXA and BIA.

Inflammatory pathways in the mechanism of parturition.

Increasing evidence suggests that parturition is an inflammatory process. In this brief overview, inflammatory events occurring in association with parturition, and the mechanism by which they may contribute to labour and delivery will be discussed. Mention will be made of how this information may be of use in regulating the timing and the onset of parturition.

Parental feeding style, energy intake and weight status in young Scottish children.

Parental feeding style, as measured by the Child Feeding Questionnaire (CFQ), may be an important influence on child feeding behaviour and weight status in early to mid childhood, but more evidence on parental feeding style is required from samples outside the USA. We aimed to use the CFQ in a sample of 117 Scottish children (boys n 53, girls n 64 mean age 4.6 (SD 0.

Monitoring of Physical Activity in Young Children: How Much Is Enough?

There is limited evidence on how much and on which days accelerometry monitoring should be performed to obtain a representative measurement of physical activity (PA) in young children. We measured 76 children (40 M and 36 F, mean age 5.6 years ([SD ± 0.

Effect of socioeconomic status on objectively measured physical activity.

Background: A socioeconomic gradient in childhood obesity is known to be present by the age of school entry in the UK. The origin of this gradient is unclear at present, but must lie in socioeconomic differences in habitual physical activity, sedentary behaviour, or dietary intake.

Aims: To test the hypothesis that habitual physical activity and/or sedentary behaviour are associated with socioeconomic status (SES) in young Scottish children.

Low physical activity levels and high levels of sedentary behaviour are characteristic of rural Irish primary school children.

There is increasing public health concern that levels of physical activity in children are extremely low. This study aimed to describe objectively levels of physical activity and sedentary behaviour during the waking hours in a sample of 4-5 year old (median 5.4 years range 4.

Validation of energy intake by 24-hour multiple pass recall: comparison with total energy expenditure in children aged 5-7 years.

Accurate measurement of energy intake (EI) is essential in studies of energy balance in all age groups. Reported values for EI can be validated against total energy expenditure (TEE) measured using doubly labelled water (DLW). Our previous work has indicated that the use of the standardized 24 h multiple pass recall (24 h MPR) method produces slight overestimates of EI in pre-school children which are inaccurate at individual level but acceptable at group level.

Early life risk factors for obesity in childhood: cohort study.

Objective: To identify risk factors in early life (up to 3 years of age) for obesity in children in the United Kingdom.

Design: Prospective cohort study.

Setting: Avon longitudinal study of parents and children, United Kingdom.

Fundamental movement skills and habitual physical activity in young children.

Purpose: To test for relationships between objectively measured habitual physical activity and fundamental movement skills in a relatively large and representative sample of preschool children.

Methods: Physical activity was measured over 6 d using the Computer Science and Applications (CSA) accelerometer in 394 boys and girls (mean age 4.2, SD 0.

A transferable programme of nutritional counselling for rehabilitation following myocardial infarction: a randomised controlled study.

Objective: To evaluate the response to simple innovative dietary counselling in post myocardial infarction patients.

Design: Randomised controlled trial.

Setting: Cardiac rehabilitation programmes of two acute hospitals in Lanarkshire, Scotland.

Total energy expenditure and physical activity in young Scottish children: mixed longitudinal study.

Childhood obesity has been attributed to a decline in total energy expenditure (TEE). We measured TEE, physical activity, and sedentary behaviour in a representative sample of young children from Glasgow, UK, at age 3 years (n=78), and we did a follow-up study at age 5 years (n=72). Mean physical activity level (TEE/resting energy expenditure) was 1.

Health consequences of obesity.

The recent epidemic of childhood obesity(1) has raised concern because of the possible clinical and public health consequences.(2,)(3) However, there remains a widespread perception among health professionals that childhood obesity is a largely cosmetic problem, with minor clinical effects. No systematic review has yet focused on the diverse array of possible consequences of childhood obesity, though older non-systematic reviews are available.