Actual and perceived weight status and its association with slimming and energy-balance related behaviours in 10- to 12-year-old European children: the ENERGY-project.

BACKGROUND: Both parents' and children's perception of children's weight status may be important predictors of slimming and energy-balance related behaviours, independent of children's actual weight status. OBJECTIVES: We examined the cross-sectional association of children's self-reported slimming and energy-balance related behaviours with children's (i) actual, (ii) self-perceived and (iii) parent-perceived weight status. METHODS: Data of 10- to 12-year-old European children and their parents were used. Multilevel logistic and linear regression analyses were performed, adjusting for age, gender, parental weight controlling behaviours, education, marital status and ethnicity. RESULTS: Independent of their actual weight status, a higher proportion of children reported slimming when they or their parents perceived them as too fat. Children's self-perceived weight status was more strongly associated with slimming than their parents' perception or their actual weight status. Moreover, children who perceive themselves as overweight reported less physical activity and more screen time. Children whose parents perceive them as overweight reported less physical activity. CONCLUSIONS: Children's own perception of their weight status appears to be more important for their self-reported slimming than their actual or their parent's perceptions of their weight status. Additionally, children's self-perceived weight status seems important in engaging more physical activity and reduces screen time.

Occurrence and duration of various operational definitions of sedentary bouts and cross-sectional associations with cardiometabolic health indicators: the ENERGY-project.

OBJECTIVE: This study examined the occurrence and duration of sedentary bouts and explored the cross-sectional association with health indicators in children applying various operational definitions of sedentary bouts. METHODS: Accelerometer data of 647 children (10-13 years old) were collected in five European countries. We analyzed sedentary time (<100 cpm) accumulated in bouts of at least 5, 10, 20 or 30 min based on four operational definitions, allowing 0, 30 or 60s ≥100 cpm within bouts. Health indicators included anthropometrics (i.e. waist circumference and body mass index (BMI)) and in a subsample from two European countries (n=112) fasting capillary blood levels of glucose, C-peptide, high-density- and low-density cholesterol, and triglycerides. Data collection took place from March to July 2010. Associations were adjusted for age, gender, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, total wear time and country. RESULTS: Occurrence of sedentary bouts varied largely between the various definitions. Children spent most of their sedentary time in bouts of ≥5 min while bouts of ≥20 min were rare. Linear regression analysis revealed few significant associations of sedentary time accumulated in bouts of ≥5-30 min with health indicators. Moreover, we found that more associations became significant when allowing no tolerance time within sedentary bouts. CONCLUSION: Despite a few significant associations, we found no convincing evidence for an association between sedentary time accumulated in bouts and health indicators in 10-13 year old children.

Trends in prevalence of asthma, allergic rhinitis and atopic dermatitis in 5-7-year old Swiss children from 1992 to 2001.

BACKGROUND: Changing occurrence rates of asthma, allergic rhinitis and atopic dermatitis are of public health concern and require surveillance. Changes in prevalence rates of these atopic diseases were monitored during 10 years and their trend with time was determined taking into account the influence of personal and environmental risk factors. METHODS: Four cross-sectional surveys in 5-7-year old children were performed in seven different communities in Switzerland between 1992 and 2001. Prevalence of respiratory and allergic symptoms and of affecting risk factors including parental environmental concern were assessed using a standardized parental questionnaire. RESULTS: A total of 988 (74.1%), 1778 (79.0%), 1406 (82.6%) and 1274 (78.9%) children participated, respectively, in the 1992, 1995, 1998 and 2001 surveys. Prevalence rates of asthma and hay fever symptoms remained quite stable over time (wheeze/past year: 8.8%, 7.8%, 6.4% and 7.4%, sneezing attack during pollen season: 5.0%, 5.6%, 5.4% and 4.6%). Rates of reported atopic dermatitis symptoms (specific skin rash/past year: 4.6%, 6.5%,7.4% and 7.6%) showed an increase over time, but those of diagnosis of eczema did not show a clear pattern (18.4%, 15.7%, 14.0% and 15.2%). Stratified analysis by parental environmental concern and by parental atopy showed similar trends. Rates of atopic dermatitis symptoms showed significant increase in girls but stayed stable in boys. CONCLUSION: Results of these four consecutive surveys suggest that the increase in prevalence of asthma and hay fever in 5-7-year old children living in Switzerland may have ceased. However, symptoms of atopic dermatitis may still be on the rise, especially among girls.