abstract: Determining the factors associated with the availability of healthy and unhealthy foods in the household may help in understanding the varying complexities that contribute to obesity among children and help design interventions to impact children's food consumption behaviors. This study examined factors that are associated with the availability of healthy and unhealthy foods in children's home food environments (HFE). Data was collected from a random-digit-dial telephone survey of 1708 households, with at least one child between 3-18 years of age, located in five low-income New Jersey cities. HFE was assessed based on responses to a set of six items that measured availability of specific healthy and unhealthy foods in the respondent's home. These items contributed to construction of three HFE scales used as dependent variables in these analyses: healthy HFE, unhealthy HFE, and a ratio of healthy to unhealthy foods in the HFE. Independent variables included household socio-demographics, parental perceptions of their own weight and diet health, frequency of family meals, proximity to food outlets, and perception of access to healthy foods in the neighborhood food environment. Significant differences were observed in the HFE by race and ethnicity, with Non-Hispanic black children having fewer healthy foods and Non-Hispanic white children having more unhealthy food items available at home. Parents who reported being overweight or obese had a healthier HFE and those perceiving their own eating as healthy had more healthy and less unhealthy foods in the household. Food-secure households had more unhealthy compared to healthy foods at home. Households located farther from a supermarket had a greater number of unhealthy food items and a lower healthy/unhealthy food availability ratio. Parental perception of better access to fruits and vegetables and low-fat foods was associated with availability of a greater number of healthy food items at home. Overall, the HFE varied by parental and demographic characteristics, parental perceptions about the food environment and the actual features of the built neighborhood food environment. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.S. Nutrition 2012

Submitted by Luciana Ferreira (lucgeral@gmail.com) on 2016-06-02T13:07:50Z No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Polliana Conceição Garcia - 2015.pdf: 2210434 bytes, checksum: 2904fb672abe80d906ef6e87a1f9d87d (MD5) license_rdf: 23148 bytes, checksum: 9da0b6dfac957114c6a7714714b86306 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Luciana Ferreira (lucgeral@gmail.com) on 2016-06-02T13:09:30Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Polliana Conceição Garcia - 2015.pdf: 2210434 bytes, checksum: 2904fb672abe80d906ef6e87a1f9d87d (MD5) license_rdf: 23148 bytes, checksum: 9da0b6dfac957114c6a7714714b86306 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T13:09:30Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Polliana Conceição Garcia - 2015.pdf: 2210434 bytes, checksum: 2904fb672abe80d906ef6e87a1f9d87d (MD5) license_rdf: 23148 bytes, checksum: 9da0b6dfac957114c6a7714714b86306 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-12-18 / Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Goiás - FAPEG / Several clinical and epidemiological studies have shown that the association between obesity and cardiovascular risk begins early in childhood, which makes crucial the identification and control of childhood obesity associated changes as strategies to prevent adult cardiovascular diseases. The present study aimed to evaluate the relationship between the degree of adiposity and the presence of cardiovascular risk factors in children. Additionally, we investigated possible associations between anthropometric variables and blood pressure values, lipid profile components, blood glucose levels and atherogenic index. The study was conducted with children of both sexes and aged 6 to 10 years, enrolled in a public educational institution in the city of Jataí-GO. We collected anthropometric measures, blood pressure values and blood samples for fasting glucose and lipid profile (enzymatic methods) determination. Children were distributed into 3 groups: control (n=51), overweight (n=29) and obese (n=36). The daily time devoted on sedentary activities was higher, while the time spent on physical activities was lower in obese children, when compared to the control group. obese children had also higher levels of triglycerides (TG), very low density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL-C), total cholesterol/ high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (CT/HDL-C) and TG/HDL, along with decreased HDL-C, when compared to children with normal weight. There was a positive association between anthropometric indicators (body mass índex, waist circumference, waist-to-height ratio e skinfold thicknesses) and the variables: systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, TGs, HDL-C, VLDL-C and atherogenic index. HDL-C correlated negatively with the anthropometric variables. We conclude that increased adiposity in childhood contributes to the occurrence of cardiovascular risk factors, including high blood pressure, changes in lipid profile and increase in atherogenic indexes. / Diversos estudos clínicos e epidemiológicos têm revelado que a associação existente entre obesidade e risco cardiovascular inicia-se durante a infância, o que torna imprescindível a identificação e o controle das alterações associadas à obesidade infantil como estratégia na prevenção de doenças cardiovasculares na fase adulta. O objetivo do presente estudo foi avaliar a relação entre o grau de adiposidade e a presença de fatores de risco cardiovasculares em crianças. Adicionalmente, investigamos possíveis associações entre variáveis antropométricas e valores de pressão arterial, componentes do perfil lipídico, níveis glicêmicos e índices aterogênicos. O estudo foi realizado com crianças de ambos os sexos e com idade entre 6 e 10 anos, matriculadas em uma instituição de ensino pública do município de Jataí-GO. Foram coletadas medidas antropométricas, valores de pressão arterial e amostras de sangue para testes de glicemia de jejum e perfil lipídico (métodos enzimáticos). As crianças foram distribuídas em 3 grupos: controle (n=51), sobrepeso (29) e obeso (n=36). Nossos resultados demonstraram que o tempo diário dedicado a atividades sedentárias foi maior, enquanto o tempo gasto em atividades físicas foi menor nas crianças obesas, quando comparadas ao grupo controle. As crianças obesas apresentaram ainda valores significativamente maiores de triglicérides (TG), colesterol de lipoproteínas de densidade muito baixa (VLDL-C), colesterol total/colesterol de lipoproteína de alta densidade (CT/HDL-C) e TG/HDL-C, além de diminuição do HDL-C em relação às crianças com peso normal. Houve associação positiva entre os indicadores antropométricos (índice de massa corporal, circunferência da cintura, razão cintura-estatura e dobras cutâneas) e as variáveis: pressão arterial sistólica, pressão arterial diastólica, TGs, HDL-C, VLDL-C e índices aterogênicos, enquanto o HDL-C correlacionou-se negativamente com as variáveis antropométricas. Concluímos que o excesso de tecido adiposo na infância contribui para a ocorrência de fatores de risco cardiovasculares, como a elevação da pressão arterial, o perfil lipídico inadequado e o aumento de índices aterogênicos.

Instrumentos de avaliação psicológica constituem-se em métodos sistemáticos de investigação e de compreensão de componentes estruturais e funcionais do comportamento humano, com diversificados objetivos e estratégias técnicas, respeitando-se especificidades das etapas do desenvolvimento. Em processos de avaliação psicológica de características da personalidade, os métodos projetivos, como o Método de Rorschach e o Desenho da Figura Humana, são recursos amplamente utilizados, contribuindo para a compreensão e elaboração de intervenções terapêuticas em variados campos de aplicação, como na área da obesidade infantil. Nesse contexto, este trabalho teve por objetivo identificar e comparar características psicológicas de crianças com obesidade em relação a eutróficas, a partir de métodos projetivos de investigação da personalidade. Foram examinadas 60 crianças de sete a 11 anos de idade, sendo 30 crianças diagnosticadas como obesas e em tratamento específico para o transtorno (Grupo 1 - G1) e 30 crianças com peso normal (Grupo 2 - G2), sem atraso acadêmico, sem limites cognitivos e sem histórico de outras doenças físicas. Os participantes de G1 foram recrutados em instituições de saúde voltadas ao tratamento da obesidade infantil e G2 foi constituído a partir de parceria estabelecida com instituição de ensino bem como a partir de contatos informais da pesquisadora e de seu grupo de pesquisa (técnica da \"bola de neve\"), buscando-se balanceamento dos grupos por sexo e idade. Os seguintes instrumentos de avaliação psicológica foram aplicados individualmente nas crianças: Teste das Matrizes Progressivas Coloridas de Raven (critério de seleção de participantes, incluindo-se na amostra apenas crianças com resultados intelectuais médios ou superiores), o Desenho da Figura Humana e o Método de Rorschach (Escola Francesa). Os pais das crianças participantes responderam ao Questionário de Capacidades e Dificuldades (SDQ) para caracterização da amostra. Os resultados foram examinados conforme padronização específica dos respectivos manuais técnicos dos instrumentos, realizando-se análises descritivas e inferenciais, a fim de examinar possíveis associações entre variáveis clínicas e demográficas e indicadores de características de personalidade das crianças. Foram efetuadas análises correlacionais entre resultados no DFH e no Rorschach, considerando também a classificação nutricional da criança. Os achados permitem compreender características do funcionamento psíquico envolvidas na obesidade infantil, de modo a favorecer estratégias futuras de intervenção terapêutica com crianças. (CAPES) / Psychological assessment instruments consist in methods of systematic research and of understanding the structural and functional components of human behavior, with diverse goals and technical strategies, respecting the specificities of the development. Projective techniques such as the Rorschach Method and the Human Figure Drawing are widely used resources in psychological evaluation processes of personality characteristics, contributing to the understanding and development of therapeutic interventions in various application fields, such as in the childhood obesity area. In this context, this study aimed to identify and compare psychological characteristics of children with obesity compared with those of normal weight, using projective methods of personality assessment. In this study were examined 60 children aged seven to 11 years old, 30 children diagnosed as obese and under specific treatment for the disorder (Group 1 - G1) and 30 children with normal weight (Group 2 - G2), with no academic delay, without cognitive limitation and with no history of other physical ailments. G1 participants were recruited from health institutions devoted to treatment of childhood obesity and G2 was formed by a partnership established with a teaching institution and a research group, intending to balance some characteristics of the two groups (sex and age). The following psychological assessment instruments were applied individually in children: Raven´s Coloured Progressive Matrices Test (constituted on selection criteria of participants, being included only the children sample with average intellectual results or higher), the Human Figure Drawing (DFH) and the Rorschach Method (French School). The parents of children answered the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) to characterize the sample. The results were examined according to specific standardization of the respective technical manuals of the instruments. Descriptive and inferential analyses were performed in order to examine possible associations between clinical and demographic variables and indicators of personality characteristics of the children. Correlation analyzes were made of the main results in DFH and Rorschach in accordance with the child\'s nutritional classification. The findings illuminate possible features of psychic functioning involved in childhood obesity process in order to facilitate future strategies for therapeutic intervention with children. (CAPES)

Submitted by Aline Batista (alinehb.ufpel@gmail.com) on 2018-05-17T14:30:07Z No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) Dissertacao_Rosemeri_Feijó.pdf: 1542995 bytes, checksum: 6e932435071d8dcda014760c79bc799e (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Aline Batista (alinehb.ufpel@gmail.com) on 2018-05-17T14:52:17Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) Dissertacao_Rosemeri_Feijó.pdf: 1542995 bytes, checksum: 6e932435071d8dcda014760c79bc799e (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Aline Batista (alinehb.ufpel@gmail.com) on 2018-05-17T14:52:23Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) Dissertacao_Rosemeri_Feijó.pdf: 1542995 bytes, checksum: 6e932435071d8dcda014760c79bc799e (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-05-17T14:52:23Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) Dissertacao_Rosemeri_Feijó.pdf: 1542995 bytes, checksum: 6e932435071d8dcda014760c79bc799e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-05-22 / Sem bolsa / A cantina é um dos locais, dentro da escola, onde são realizadas as refeições e adquiridos os alimentos pelos alunos para seu consumo. Este local deve proporcionar bem estar e oferecer uma alimentação adequada, tanto em qualidade nutricional como em qualidade higiênico-sanitária. Neste sentido, a importância deste estudo consiste em conhecer as cantinas das escolas da cidade de Pelotas/RS, com o principal objetivo de caracterizá-las quanto aos tipos de alimentos produzidos e comercializados, assim como quanto às suas condições higiênico-sanitárias. O estudo foi transversal, do tipo censo, realizado entre os meses de abril e setembro de 2014, em 87 escolas e 26 cantinas da cidade. Foram aplicados os seguintes instrumentos: Questionário de caracterização da escola, Questionário de caracterização da cantina, Check list de oferta e publicidade de alimentos e Lista para a verificação das boas práticas de fabricação. Foi realizada coleta de água de ponto localizado dentro da área de manipulação de cada cantina, sendo realizada dosagem de cloro e análise microbiológica para detecção de coliformes totais e Escherichia coli. Como resultados importantes foram verificados a baixa interferência na produção e comercialização de alimentos pela comunidade na cantina escolar, poucos locais com Alvará Sanitário e nutricionista, proprietários sem capacitação em manipulação de alimentos, elevada frequência de comercialização de alimentos não saudáveis, adequação às condições higiênico-sanitárias da maioria das cantinas, porém com alguns itens insatisfatórios como instalações físicas, manejo de resíduos, manipulador, documentação e registro. Para melhorar as condições do serviço prestado e assegurar a qualidade nutricional e sanitária dos alimentos produzidos e comercializados nas cantinas são necessárias ações educativas que envolvam toda comunidade escolar. / The canteen is one of the places within the school, where they are made meals and foods purchased by students for their consumption. This place should provide well-being and provide adequate food, both in nutritional quality as in sanitary conditions. In this regard, the importance of this study is to understand the canteens of schools in the city of Pelotas / RS, with the main objective to characterize them as to the types of produced and marketed food, as well as to their sanitary conditions. The study was cross-sectional, the type census, held between April and September 2014 in 87 schools and 26 canteens in the city. The following instruments were applied: school characterization questionnaire, canteen characterization questionnaire, offering Checklist and advertising of foods and list for verification of good manufacturing practices. Point of water collection was held located within the area of handling each canteen, being held chlorine dosing and microbiological analysis to detect total coliforms and Escherichia coli. As important results have been verified to low interference in the production and marketing community for food in the school canteen, few places with Sanitary Permit and nutritionist, unskilled owners in food handling, high frequency marketing of unhealthy foods, adaptation to hygienic conditions health of most canteens, but with some unsatisfactory items as physical facilities, waste management, handler, documentation and registration. To improve the service conditions and ensure the nutritional and sanitary quality of food produced and sold in the canteens are required educational activities involving the whole school community.

Obesity and related chronic diseases are emerging public health issues among children in Peru, where more than 13 percent of children five years and younger are overweight or obese. Although parents have been identified as one of the most important determinants of healthy weight in young children, there are no known studies that have explored the perceptions of Peruvian parents regarding obesity prevention. This study assessed the nutrition and physical activity knowledge, attitudes and behaviors of Peruvian parents, and sought to determine if there is a relationship between their knowledge, attitudes and behaviors. The cross-sectional survey study sampled 204 parents of three and four-year-old children attending five preschools in a resource-poor Southern Lima setting. The Pen-3 cultural model guided the assessment of parental characteristics using the BAQ-HH survey across three domains; knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors regarding diet and physical activity. Additional data was abstracted from school records to assess children’s BMI and compare parental perceptions of child’s weight with child’s measured weight status. Parent respondents were predominantly female (86%) between 20 and 39 years old (85.1%). Less than one third (30.5%) were receiving information about nutrition or physical activity. Data was available for 147 children of the participants, 53.7 % were female with a mean age of 49.4 months and a mean BMI of 16.7. Nearly half the children (41.3%) exceeded healthy weight. Parents demonstrated healthy knowledge and behaviors, but unhealthy attitudes. Parental knowledge and attitudes were predictive of behaviors (F(2,166)=5.826, p=0.004, R2=0.066). The majority (56.6%) of Peruvian parents accurately perceived their child’s weight status but 9.6% of parents of overweight and obese children were able to do so. Understanding the nutrition and physical activity knowledge and perceptions of Peruvian preschooler parents can advance local and national health ministry and public health obesity prevention initiatives for young children.

The objective of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a 6 week afterschool nutrition and physical activity intervention administered by a registered dietitian with the help of a humanoid robot targeting elementary school aged children aged 6-12 years. The study was conducted across four Young Men’s Christian’s Association (YMCA) sites in Miami-Dade County, Florida (N= 114, Mean age: 8.16 ±1.57 years) using a pretest-posttest quasi-experimental design via randomly assigned intervention (two sites; n=63) and comparison groups (two sites; n=51). The validated Coordinated Approach to Child Health (CATCH) kids club questionnaire and the validated Previous Day Physical Activity Recall (PDPAR) were used to assess nutrition and physical activity knowledge, attitudes/beliefs and behavior change. The Inbody 230 instrument (Biospace, California) was used to calculate body composition and weight. Body Mass Index (BMI) percentiles and associated BMI z-scores for age and gender were calculated based on the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) growth charts. Data measures were collected at baseline (week 0) and one-week post intervention (week 7). Statistical analysis included independent t-test, paired t-test, chi-squared test, Wilcoxon signed ranks test and logistic regression. Results indicated that nutrition knowledge score significantly increased from 67.43% ±21.03 to 81.31% ±18.47 in the intervention group (p

Background: Childhood excess weight and family food insecurity are food-system related public health problems that exist in Canada. Since both relate to issues of food accessibility and availability, which have elements of “place”, they may share common risk factors in the local environment that are amenable to intervention. In this area of research, the literature derives mostly from a US context, and there is a dearth of high quality evidence, specifically from longitudinal studies. Objectives: The main objectives of this thesis were to examine the adjusted associations between the place factors: material deprivation, social deprivation, social cohesion, disorder, and living location, with change in child BMI Z-score and with change in family food insecurity status in a Canadian cohort of children. Methods: The Québec Longitudinal Study of Child Development was used to meet the main objectives of this thesis. Response data from six collection cycles (4 – 10 years of age) were used in three main analyses. The first analysis examined change in child BMI Z-score as a function of the place factors using mixed models regression. The second analysis examined change in child BMI Z-score as a function of place factors using group-based trajectory modeling. The third and final analysis examined change in family food insecurity status as a function of the place factors using generalized estimating equations. Results: Social deprivation, social cohesion and disorder were strongly and positively associated with family food insecurity, increasing the odds by 45-76%. These place factors, on the other hand, were not consistently associated with child weight status. Material deprivation was not important for either outcome, except for a slight positive association in the mixed models analysis of child weight status. Living location was not important in explaining family food insecurity. On the other hand, it was associated with child weight status in both analyses, but the nature of the relationship is still unclear. Conclusions: Results do not suggest that addressing similar place factors may alleviate both child excess weight and family food insecurity. More high quality longitudinal and experimental studies are needed to clarify relationships between the local environment and child weight status and family food insecurity.

This research study addressed the nutritional beliefs and habits of African-American parents of children aged 3 to 6 years old. Both quantitative and qualitative data collection methods were employed. Quantitative data was collected via the Comprehensive Feeding Practices Questionnaire as well as a demographic questionnaire. Qualitative data was collected from oral interviews conducted by the researcher. Seventy-five parents or guardians participated in the study. Findings for the research questions revealed the participants' beliefs about nutrition directly correlated with food they provided for their children and most believed nutrition rather than genetics played a role in their child(ren)'s weight. Furthermore, parents from lower income families consumed more home cooked meals per week and those with higher incomes did not consume more fast food per week. Food intake restriction and control in feeding was similar among all participants, regardless of restriction and control in feeding was similar among all participants, regardless of education or income level. Suggestions for future research were included.

Recent studies suggested the persistence of brown adipocytes in adult humans, as opposed to being exclusively present in infancy. In this study, we investigated the presence of brown-like adipocytes in adipose tissue (AT) samples of children and adolescents aged 0 to 18 years and evaluated the association with age, location, and obesity. For this, we analysed AT samples from 131 children and 23 adults by histological, immunohistochemical and expression analyses. We detected brown-like and UCP1 positive adipocytes in 10.3% of 87 lean children (aged 0.3 to 10.7 years) and in one overweight infant, whereas we did not find brown adipocytes in obese children or adults. In our samples, the brown-like adipocytes were interspersed within white AT of perirenal, visceral and also subcutaneous depots. Samples with brown-like adipocytes showed an increased expression of UCP1 (>200fold), PRDM16 (2.8fold), PGC1α and CIDEA while other brown/beige selective markers, such as PAT2, P2RX5, ZIC1, LHX8, TMEM26, HOXC9 and TBX1 were not significantly different between UCP1 positive and negative samples. We identified a positive correlation between UCP1 and PRDM16 within UCP1 positive samples, but not with any other brown/beige marker. In addition, we observed significantly increased PRDM16 and PAT2 expression in subcutaneous and visceral AT samples with high UCP1 expression in adults. Our data indicate that brown-like adipocytes are present well beyond infancy in subcutaneous depots of non-obese children. The presence was not restricted to typical perirenal locations, but they were also interspersed within WAT of visceral and subcutaneous depots.

No description available.