Validated assessment tools for screen media use: A systematic review.

OBJECTIVE: Accurate measurement of adult and child screen media use are needed to robustly assess its impact on health outcomes. Our objective was to systematically review screen media use measurement tools that have been validated against an objective "gold standard" tool. METHODS: The search strategy was initially conducted in Medline Ovid and translated to Embase, Web of Science, PsychInfo and Cochrane. A modified natural language search was conducted in Google Scholar and IEEE. The initial search was conducted in March 2021, and an updated search was conducted in June 2022. Additional studies were included from the references. Studies had to describe the validation of a tool to measure screen media use on participants of any age against a 'gold standard' or comparable objective measure. The COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) was used to assess the criterion validity. Four authors reviewed the titles in two rounds and extracted data. RESULTS: Twenty-nine articles were included in the review. Studies measured TV, computer, mobile device and social media site screen media use through: self or parent report, direct or video observation, computer and mobile device use tracking programs, and through other novel devices such as wearable devices and cameras. Correlations of self or parent report of screen media with the gold standard were lower than correlations of technology-based measures, and video observation with the gold standard. The COSMIN criterion validity ratings ranged from poor to excellent; most of the studies received a global score of fair or poor. CONCLUSIONS: Technology based validated tools that more directly measure screen use are emerging that have been validated against a gold standard for measuring screen use. However, practical, objective measures of diverse types of screen media use that have been tested on diverse populations are needed to better understand the impact of screen media use on the development and physical and mental health of children and adults.

The Family Level Assessment of Screen Use-Mobile Approach: Development of an Approach to Measure Children's Mobile Device Use.

BACKGROUND: There is a strong association between increased mobile device use and worse dietary habits, worse sleep outcomes, and poor academic performance in children. Self-report or parent-proxy report of children's screen time has been the most common method of measuring screen time, which may be imprecise or biased. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to assess the feasibility of measuring the screen time of children on mobile devices using the Family Level Assessment of Screen Use (FLASH)-mobile approach, an innovative method that leverages the existing features of the Android platform. METHODS: This pilot study consisted of 2 laboratory-based observational feasibility studies and 2 home-based feasibility studies in the United States. A total of 48 parent-child dyads consisting of a parent and child aged 6 to 11 years participated in the pilot study. The children had to have their own or shared Android device. The laboratory-based studies included a standardized series of tasks while using the mobile device or watching television, which were video recorded. Video recordings were coded by staff for a gold standard comparison. The home-based studies instructed the parent-child dyads to use their mobile device as they typically use it over 3 days. Parents received a copy of the use logs at the end of the study and completed an exit interview in which they were asked to review their logs and share their perceptions and suggestions for the improvement of the FLASH-mobile approach. RESULTS: The final version of the FLASH-mobile approach resulted in user identification compliance rates of >90% for smartphones and >80% for tablets. For laboratory-based studies, a mean agreement of 73.6% (SD 16.15%) was achieved compared with the gold standard (human coding of video recordings) in capturing the target child's mobile use. Qualitative feedback from parents and children revealed that parents found the FLASH-mobile approach useful for tracking how much time their child spends using the mobile device as well as tracking the apps they used. Some parents revealed concerns over privacy and provided suggestions for improving the FLASH-mobile approach. CONCLUSIONS: The FLASH-mobile approach offers an important new research approach to measure children's use of mobile devices more accurately across several days, even when the child shares the device with other family members. With additional enhancement and validation studies, this approach can significantly advance the measurement of mobile device use among young children.

An Objective System for Quantitative Assessment of Television Viewing Among Children (Family Level Assessment of Screen Use in the Home-Television): System Development Study.

BACKGROUND: Television viewing among children is associated with developmental and health outcomes, yet measurement techniques for television viewing are prone to errors, biases, or both. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to develop a system to objectively and passively measure children's television viewing time. METHODS: The Family Level Assessment of Screen Use in the Home-Television (FLASH-TV) system includes three sequential algorithms applied to video data collected in front of a television screen: face detection, face verification, and gaze estimation. A total of 21 families of diverse race and ethnicity were enrolled in 1 of 4 design studies to train the algorithms and provide proof of concept testing for the integrated FLASH-TV system. Video data were collected from each family in a laboratory mimicking a living room or in the child's home. Staff coded the video data for the target child as the gold standard. The accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were calculated for each algorithm, as compared with the gold standard. Prevalence and biased adjusted κ scores and an intraclass correlation using a generalized linear mixed model compared FLASH-TV's estimation of television viewing duration to the gold standard. RESULTS: FLASH-TV demonstrated high sensitivity for detecting faces (95.5%-97.9%) and performed well on face verification when the child's gaze was on the television. Each of the metrics for estimating the child's gaze on the screen was moderate to good (range: 55.1% negative predictive value to 91.2% specificity). When combining the 3 sequential steps, FLASH-TV estimation of the child's screen viewing was overall good, with an intraclass correlation for an overall time watching television of 0.725 across conditions. CONCLUSIONS: FLASH-TV offers a critical step forward in improving the assessment of children's television viewing.

Vegetable parenting practices vary by feeding styles among middle class mothers of young children.

The optimal approach to feeding preschool children balances expectation setting (demandingness) with responsivity to the child (responsiveness), and ideal feeding practices use environmental structuring and covert, non-directive control strategies while maintaining responsiveness. However, research has not examined the extent to which demandingness and responsiveness in feeding style is concordant with structure, responsiveness and control (directive and non-directive) in feeding practices. We classified the feeding style of 122 parents of preschoolers as authoritative (high demandingness/high responsiveness), authoritarian (high demandingness/low responsiveness), indulgent (low demandingness/high responsiveness), or uninvolved (low demandingness/low responsiveness). Parents reported on their frequency of use of 31 vegetable parenting practices (VPPs), that were classified into the domains of structure, control and responsiveness, and subcategorized as effective (likely to obtain the desired change without increasing child obesity risk) or ineffective (unlikely or increases risk) by expert consensus. We hypothesized that parents with an authoritative feeding style would have the highest effective structure, responsiveness and control VPPs, and the authoritarian style would differ with less responsiveness VPPs. We also hypothesized that the indulgent feeding style would have low levels of structure and control VPPs and high ineffective responsiveness VPPs. As expected, we found that parents with an authoritative feeding style reported using more effective structure and responsiveness VPPs. Surprisingly, parents with an authoritarian feeding style did not have VPPs which differed from those with an authoritative feeding style, and parents with an indulgent feeding style had surprisingly high effective control VPPs. Further research into the similarities and differences between parents' overall approach to feeding and their use of feeding practices related to specific foods is warranted, which may help inform the design of more effective interventions aimed at improving child dietary quality.

Selection and use of vegetable parenting practices did not vary by parent feeding styles: Mixed methods investigation.

Parents influence their child's vegetable intake through their feeding style, i.e. the emotional tone established around feeding, and vegetable parenting practices (VPPs), i.e. the specific behaviors employed to influence their child's vegetable intake. A model of precision food parenting proposes that child healthy dietary intake could be optimized by the selection and implementation of effective food parenting practices. Parents use and learn from these complex interactions with their child, which are reflective of feeding style. Intervention research has targeted VPPs in general without a delineation of which practices were selected, which were used, or why they were selected. It is not clear how these users were influenced by feeding style, nor what the parent learned from the interaction. The current study used mixed methods wherein middle socioeconomic status parents of 3-5 year old children were categorized within feeding style groups (n = 122), asked to select two VPPs, implemented them for a week (n = 63), and qualitatively interviewed about their experience. Responsiveness VPPs were most commonly selected, primarily due to their perceived ease of implementation. Parents believed there would be long term positive outcomes, e.g. more vegetable intake from using the practices selected. Frequency of use depended in part on opportunity, e.g. food purchase parenting practices could only be employed during intermittent shopping events. Few differences were detected by parent feeding styles in the types of VPPs selected, frequency of use, or effectiveness. Food parenting interventions can encourage selection of specific VPPs to employ and do not appear to have to tailor the types of VPPs offered to parent feeding style. Research is needed with larger, socioeconomically diverse samples to assess optimal categorization into feeding styles and confirm the present results.

Papás Saludables, Niños Saludables: Perspectives From Hispanic Parents and Children in a Culturally Adapted Father-Focused Obesity Program.

OBJECTIVE: Qualitatively assess culturally adapted lifestyle intervention, Papás Saludables, Niños Saludables (PSNS; Healthy Dads, Healthy Kids), for Hispanic fathers and children. METHODS: Semistructured interviews of parents and children after participation in 10-week PSNS program for Hispanic fathers and children. Qualitative data double-coded inductively and deductively until consensus reached. RESULTS: Total of 26 fathers, 26 mothers, and 45 children interviewed. Parents and children had positive feedback about program content on culturally relevant nutrition and physical activity and reported improved father-child bonding. Mothers noted increased involvement among fathers in child's well-being. Participants suggested lengthening the program. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Papás Saludables, Niños Saludables is an innovative approach with promise in engaging Hispanic fathers and children in a lifestyle program that emphasizes the role of fathers in children's lifestyle behaviors. Familism, respeto (respect), and promoting father-child relationships were important to engage fathers. Results from this study will inform future trials of PSNS and help identify ways to increase engagement of Hispanic men in other programs.

Feasibility of Targeting Hispanic Fathers and Children in an Obesity Intervention: Papás Saludables Niños Saludables.

Background: Hispanic children and men carry a high burden for obesity and associated medical conditions. Healthy Dads Healthy Kids was the first obesity prevention intervention targeting fathers and demonstrated weight loss among fathers and behavior change among fathers and children in Australia. The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility of a culturally adapted version of the program for Hispanic families, Papás Saludables Niños Saludables. Methods: A randomized waitlist controlled trial with a process evaluation was conducted to assess the feasibility of Papás Saludables Niños Saludables(NCT03532048). Fathers, their partner (mother), and one to three children were enrolled. A priori feasibility criteria were: (1) recruit 40 Hispanic fathers and their families in ≤4 months; (2) retain 80% of participants for pre- and postassessments; (3) maintain ≥70% attendance to the 10 sessions; (4) obtain 80% "excellent" or "good" satisfaction from participants; and (5) collect anthropometric and behavioral data on ≥75% of participants at baseline and follow-up. Results: The study enrolled 90% (n = 36) of the goal from one local pediatric clinic between May and August 2018; retained 75% of participants for postassessment; maintained 72% attendance among those who started the program; and achieved 100% "excellent/good" satisfaction ratings among the participating fathers and mothers. One hundred percent of participants had most anthropometric and behavioral data at baseline and 72% at follow-up. Conclusions: With oversampling and improvements in the recruitment strategies, Papás Saludables Niños Saludables is feasible for a randomized controlled clinical trial to address whether a father-targeted lifestyle program is efficacious among low-income Hispanic men and their children.

Cultural adaptation of 'Healthy Dads, Healthy Kids' for Hispanic families: applying the ecological validity model.

BACKGROUND: Healthy Dads Healthy Kids (HDHK) is a unique lifestyle obesity intervention for fathers and children that demonstrated weight loss among the fathers and behavior change among fathers and children in Australia. The program is gender-tailored to specifically target fathers for weight loss and 5-12 year old children for obesity prevention. The aim of this formative study was to examine an Expert Panel's and Hispanic Family Panel's perceptions about the program and suggestions for the cultural adaptation of HDHK for Hispanic families in southwestern US. METHODS: Forty-four Hispanic participants (22 fathers, 13 mothers and 9 children) made up the Family Panel. They participated in 1-5 study contacts (focus groups, online survey, and/or interviews). The scripts and qualitative guides assessed participants' perceptions of the HDHK content and material using the Ecological Validity Model. Studies were conducted in English or Spanish, depending on the preference of the participant. Focus groups and interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, translated, and thematically coded. Findings were reviewed with the Expert Panel who helped inform the cultural adaptation. RESULTS: 80% of parents were foreign-born, 57% spoke only Spanish at home, and 60% did not graduate from high school. Several themes emerged to inform the cultural adaptation of the program. Parents agreed with the HDHK goals and recommended the program place greater emphasis on parenting and limiting children's screen time. Some mothers and fathers wanted greater mother engagement. Weekly videos and a Facebook group emerged as favorite alternative options to engage mothers. Greater promotion of familism (inclusion and impact on whole family) was recommended for the program goals and activities. Gender roles for mothers and fathers, and differences in how fathers interact with male and female children, emerged and should be considered in program activities. Several barriers to father engagement surfaced, including lack of time due to work schedules, physically demanding jobs, concerns of caring for children without mother, fathers' current fitness/weight, and lack of knowledge of how to eat more healthfully. The reading level of the HDHK materials was too high for some parents. CONCLUSION: Findings from these formative qualitative studies informed the cultural adaptation of HDHK for Hispanic families, to account for literacy level, cultural values, and barriers to participation and engagement.

Videogames That Encourage Healthy Behavior Did Not Alter Fasting Insulin or Other Diabetes Risks in Children: Randomized Clinical Trial.

Background: Previous research indicates games for health have substantial promise in promoting change in children's diet and physical activity (PA) behavior for obesity and diabetes prevention, but the research has generally not been rigorous. The study reported here was an efficacy trial of two role-playing videogames played in sequence, "Escape from Diab" (hereinafter called Diab) and "Nanoswarm: Invasion from Inner Space" (hereinafter called Nano), on diabetes and obesity risk factors: fasting insulin and body mass index (BMI), and risk-related behaviors: diet, PA, and sedentary behavior (SB). Design: A two-group (treatment vs. wait list control) randomized clinical trial was used with baseline, immediate postintervention (∼3 months postbaseline), and 2 months postassessments. Intervention: Diab and Nano were desktop or laptop role-playing videogames with nine sessions (each episode/session lasting ∼60 minutes). Two storylines attempted to immerse players and used ethnically diverse characters to model desired behaviors. Tailored goal setting, problem solving, and motivational statements were used. Methods: A sample of 200 overweight or obese children (ages 10-12 years from 85th to 99th BMI percentile [%ile]) was recruited, primarily using a volunteer list. Fasting insulin was the primary dependent variable. BMI, fruit, vegetable and sweetened beverage intakes, PA, and SBs were secondary outcomes. Generalized linear mixed models were used to test for the treatment effects. Results: No significant differences were detected in any of the tested outcome variables. Conclusions: The lack of differences may indicate that games cannot change dietary behaviors and thereby not change-related clinical outcomes. Alternatively, there seem to have been changes in (1) the types of videogames children expect and like to play since a pilot study was conducted, (2) productization challenges, and/or (3) problems in staff management of the trial. All may have contributed to the lack of effect.

Reliability and validity of food portion size estimation from images using manual flexible digital virtual meshes.

OBJECTIVE: The eButton takes frontal images at 4s intervals throughout the day. A three-dimensional manually administered wire mesh procedure has been developed to quantify portion sizes from the two-dimensional images. The present paper reports a test of the inter-rater reliability and validity of use of the wire mesh procedure. DESIGN: Seventeen foods of diverse shapes and sizes served on plates, bowls and cups were selected to rigorously test the portion assessment procedure. A dietitian not involved in inter-rater reliability assessment used standard cups to independently measure the quantities of foods to generate the 'true' value for a total of seventy-five 'served' and seventy-five smaller 'left' images with diverse portion sizes. SETTING: The images appeared on the computer to which the digital wire meshes were applied. SUBJECTS: Two dietitians and three engineers independently estimated portion size of the larger ('served') and smaller ('left') images for the same foods. RESULTS: The engineers had higher reliability and validity than the dietitians. The dietitians had lower reliabilities and validities for the smaller more irregular images, but the engineers did not, suggesting training could overcome this limitation. The lower reliabilities and validities for foods served in bowls, compared with plates, suggest difficulties with the curved nature of the bowls. CONCLUSIONS: The wire mesh procedure is an important step forward in quantifying portion size, which has been subject to substantial self-report error. Improved training procedures are needed to overcome the identified problems.

Dietary Assessment with a Wearable Camera among Children: Feasibility and Intercoder Reliability.

BACKGROUND: The eButton, a multisensor device worn on the chest, uses a camera to passively capture images of everything in front of the child throughout the day. These images can be analyzed to provide a passive method of dietary intake assessment. OBJECTIVE: This study assessed the eButton's feasibility and intercoder reliability for dietary intake assessment. DESIGN: Children were recruited in the summer and fall of 2015, in Houston, TX, to wear the eButton to take 2 full days of dietary images, and the child-parent dyad participated in a following-day interview to verify what dietitians recorded from the images. PARTICIPANTS/SETTING: Thirty 9- to 13-year-old children participated during days convenient to them. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Two dietitians independently manually reviewed the images to identify eating events, foods in those events, and portion sizes. STATISTICAL ANALYSES PERFORMED: Descriptive statistics of agreements and disagreements were calculated between dietitians and with children; t tests and Bland-Altman plots of differences in total kilocalories were calculated between dietitians and between initial dietitian estimates and those finalized after the verification interviews. RESULTS: The dietitians agreed on the identity of 60.5% of the 1,026 foods but disagreed on 28.6% of the foods and on the names for 10.8% of the foods. After the verification interviews, the dietitians agreed with the child-parent dyads on the identity of 77.0% of the 921 foods; the child-parent dyad identified 12.4% of the day's foods when images were not available or not clear; the child-parent dyad clarified that 5.4% of the foods identified were not consumed by the child; and the child-parent dyad clarified the identity of 5.2% of the foods. A software-based approach (three-dimensional wire mesh) could be used to estimate portion size on 24% of the foods, and professional judgment was required for 67.8%. Mean caloric intakes per day were not statistically significantly different between dietitians but were different between dietitians and child-parent dyads in total and on day 2. CONCLUSIONS: An early test of intercoder reliability of an all-day image method of dietary intake assessment obtained intercoder agreement between the two dietitians processing these images of intraclass correlation coefficient=0.67. A following-day verification interview with the child and parent was necessary to ensure completeness of estimates. Several feasibility problems occurred, which may be remedied with additional participant and dietitian training and further technological development.

Mommio's Recipe Box: Assessment of the Cooking Habits of Mothers of Preschoolers and Their Perceptions of Recipes for a Video Game.

BACKGROUND: Vegetables are an important part of a healthy diet because they help prevent several chronic diseases. Mothers of preschoolers reported difficulty getting their young children to eat vegetables, and many did not know how to cook child-pleasing recipes. OBJECTIVE: The cooking habits of mothers of preschoolers, their perceptions of recipes designed for their children, and the involvement of their children in food preparation were assessed to inform a food parenting video game called Mommio. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey design was used. Eligibility criteria included mothers of 3- to 5-year-old children who reported difficulty getting their children to eat vegetables. Participants completed a demographic questionnaire with questions about their food preparation practices. They were asked to select up to 4 of the 10 provided recipes they wanted to try and to prepare and report back on their experiences. RESULTS: Most (46) of the 50 recipes included in Mommio's in-game recipe box were evaluated at least once and some up to 5 times with a total of 85 evaluations. This well-educated, mostly employed, sample of 27 mothers of preschoolers preferred simple, quick recipes. They ate primarily at home, made dinners from scratch, and indicated that the 46 recipes were generally simple, quick, and easy to prepare. Involvement in preparation enhanced their child's acceptance of the food. Prior food and preparation preferences influenced the children's acceptance of the dish at the ensuing meal. CONCLUSIONS: The high rate of home recipe preparation indicated that including a recipe selection and preparation component in a food parenting video game could be attractive and may enhance effectiveness. Mothers reported that the recipes provided were generally easy to prepare, tasted good, and the instructions were easy to understand, suggesting they could be helpful to the mothers when playing a vegetable parenting game. Some mothers reported that involving their children in recipe preparation influenced their children's willingness to eat the vegetables. The highest rated recipes are being included in the game, and mothers will be encouraged to involve their children in recipe preparation.

Parents' Qualitative Perspectives on Child Asking for Fruit and Vegetables.

Children can influence the foods available at home, but some ways of approaching a parent may be better than others; and the best way may vary by type of parent. This study explored how parents with different parenting styles would best receive their 10 to 14 years old child asking for fruits and vegetables (FV). An online parenting style questionnaire was completed and follow-up qualitative telephone interviews assessed home food rules, child influence on home food availability, parents' preferences for being asked for food, and common barriers and reactions to their child's FV requests. Parents (n = 73) with a 10 to 14 years old child were grouped into authoritative, authoritarian, permissive, or uninvolved parenting style categories based on responses to questionnaires, and interviewed. Almost no differences in responses were detected by parenting style or ethnicity. Parents reported their children had a voice in what foods were purchased and available at home and were receptive to their child's asking for FV. The most important child asking characteristic was politeness, especially among authoritarian parents. Other important factors were asking in person, helping in the grocery store, writing requests on the grocery shopping list, and showing information they saw in the media. The barrier raising the most concern was FV cost, but FV quality and safety outside the home environment were also considerations.

The Narrative Impact of Active Video Games on Physical Activity Among Children: A Feasibility Study.

BACKGROUND: Active video games (AVGs) capable of inducing physical activity offer an innovative approach to combating childhood obesity. Unfortunately, children's AVG game play decreases quickly, underscoring the need to identify novel methods for player engagement. Narratives have been demonstrated to influence behaviors. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that a narrative would motivate increased AVG play, though a feasibility study that investigated the motivational effect of adding a previously developed narrative cutscene to an originally nonnarrative AVG, Nintendo Wii Sports Resort: Swordplay Showdown. METHODS: A total of 40 overweight and obese 8- to 11-year-olds equally divided by sex played the AVG. Half (n=20) were randomly assigned to a narrative group that watched the narrative cutscene before game play. The other half played the game without watching it. RESULTS: Children in the narrative group had significantly (P<.05) more steps per 10-second period (mean 3.2, SD 0.7) and overall (mean 523, SD 203) during game play compared with the nonnarrative group (10-second period: mean 2.7, SD 0.7; overall: mean 366, SD 172). CONCLUSIONS: The AVG with narrative induced increased physical activity. Additional research is needed to understand the mechanisms through which narrative increases physical activity during AVG game play.

Cavitación de adenocarcinoma de pulmón como respuesta al tratamiento con bevacizumab / Cavitating lung cancer as response to bevacizumab treatment

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Assessing Feedback in a Mobile Videogame.

BACKGROUND: Player feedback is an important part of serious games, although there is no consensus regarding its delivery or optimal content. "Mommio" is a serious game designed to help mothers motivate their preschoolers to eat vegetables. The purpose of this study was to assess optimal format and content of player feedback for use in "Mommio." MATERIALS AND METHODS: The current study posed 36 potential "Mommio" gameplay feedback statements to 20 mothers using a Web survey and interview. Mothers were asked about the meaning and helpfulness of each feedback statement. RESULTS: Several themes emerged upon thematic analysis, including identifying an effective alternative in the case of corrective feedback, avoiding vague wording, using succinct and correct grammar, avoiding provocation of guilt, and clearly identifying why players' game choice was correct or incorrect. CONCLUSIONS: Guidelines are proposed for future feedback statements.

Children's Cognitive and Affective Responses About a Narrative Versus a Non-Narrative Cartoon Designed for an Active Videogame.

OBJECTIVE: This article presents the results of interviews conducted with children regarding their cognitive and affective responses toward a narrative and a non-narrative cartoon. The findings will be used to further explore the role of a narrative in motivating continued active videogame play. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty children (8-11 years old of mixed gender) watched two cartoons (narrative and non-narrative) and were subsequently interviewed. A thematic matrix was used to analyze the interviews. RESULTS: The narrative cartoon (n = 11) was only slightly preferred compared with the non-narrative one (n = 9), with little difference among the participants. The theme categories identified during the analyses were plot, characters, and suggestions. The fight scenes were mentioned by the children as a likeable aspect of the narrative cartoon. In the non-narrative cartoon, the vast majority (n = 17) liked the information about physical activity that was provided. The children enjoyed the appearance and personalities of the characters in both cartoons. A discrepancy in the data about the fight scenes (narrative cartoon) and characters (both cartoons) was found among the female participants (i.e., some girls did not like the fight and thought the characters were too aggressive). However, most of the children wanted to see more action in the story, an increase in the number of fight scenes (narrative cartoon), or more information about exercise and examples of exercises they could do (non-narrative cartoon). They also suggested adding a game to the non-narrative cartoon, including more characters, and improving the animation in both cartoons. CONCLUSIONS: The children preferred the narrative cartoon because of the story and the fight. Some gender differences were found, which further studies should investigate.

Predicting habits of vegetable parenting practices to facilitate the design of change programmes.

OBJECTIVE: Habit has been defined as the automatic performance of a usual behaviour. The present paper reports the relationships of variables from a Model of Goal Directed Behavior to four scales in regard to parents' habits when feeding their children: habit of (i) actively involving child in selection of vegetables; (ii) maintaining a positive vegetable environment; (iii) positive communications about vegetables; and (iv) controlling vegetable practices. We tested the hypothesis that the primary predictor of each habit variable would be the measure of the corresponding parenting practice. DESIGN: Internet survey data from a mostly female sample. Primary analyses employed regression modelling with backward deletion, controlling for demographics and parenting practices behaviour. SETTING: Houston, Texas, USA. SUBJECTS: Parents of 307 pre-school (3-5-year-old) children. RESULTS: Three of the four models accounted for about 50 % of the variance in the parenting practices habit scales. Each habit scale was primarily predicted by the corresponding parenting practices scale (suggesting validity). The habit of active child involvement in vegetable selection was also most strongly predicted by two barriers and rudimentary self-efficacy; the habit of maintaining a positive vegetable environment by one barrier; the habit of maintaining positive communications about vegetables by an emotional scale; and the habit of controlling vegetable practices by a perceived behavioural control scale. CONCLUSIONS: The predictiveness of the psychosocial variables beyond parenting practices behaviour was modest. Discontinuing the habit of ineffective controlling parenting practices may require increasing the parent's perceived control of parenting practices, perhaps through simulated parent-child interactions.

A photobleaching resistant polymer supported hexanuclear molybdenum iodide cluster for photocatalytic oxygenations and photodynamic inactivation of Staphylococcus aureus.

The ability of a hexanuclear molybdenum cluster, [Mo6I8(CH3COO)6]2-, to carry out, upon irradiation, singlet oxygen mediated photocatalytic oxygenation reactions has been tested. This complex has been also supported on a solid polymeric matrix, yielding an immobilized photosensitizer with remarkable photostability and recyclability. Preliminary studies of antibacterial photoinactivation of Staphylococcus aureus have been conducted, with positive results.