Diagnosis and management of arrhythmias in dogs: A cross-sectional online survey among Flemish veterinary practitioners.

Background: Diagnosis as well as management of arrhythmias in dogs can be challenging for veterinary practitioners. The aim was to describe ECG availability and use, as well as the diagnostic and therapeutic experiences and preferences of Flemish veterinarians regarding cardiac arrhythmias in dogs. Methods: Cross-sectional online survey among veterinarians in Flanders (Belgium). Results: An ECG device was available for 55 out of 102 respondents (54%) and 41 (43%) claimed to use it in case of arrhythmia suspicion. Insufficient knowledge about ECG interpretation and immediate patient referral upon detection of an abnormal heart rhythm were the most important reasons for not having, or not using, an ECG. About half of the respondents (56%) had never used anti-arrhythmic drugs in dogs, although only a few reported having had a negative experience. Frequently provided reasons for not using anti-arrhythmic drugs included insufficient knowledge and a low number of dogs with arrhythmias. Conclusion: Most veterinarians reported having little or no expertise with arrhythmias in dogs. Electrocardiogram availability and use among respondents was moderate and too often restricted by insufficient ECG interpretation skills. Continued efforts are needed to increase the confidence and knowledge of veterinarians about arrhythmias in dogs.

Changes in children's food group intake from age 3 to 7 years: comparison of a FFQ with an online food record.

Few studies have investigated the relative validity of FFQ in young children and no study has investigated the relative validity of changes in children's food intake in a longitudinal context. The aim of the present study was to compare the FFQ of the longitudinal Family Influences on Food Intake study, assessing children's food intake in the previous 3 months, with a 3 d online food record when children were 3 and 7 years old, as well as to investigate the relative validity of changes in food group intake over a 4-year period. Parents (n 89) completed the FFQ and an online food record over three non-consecutive days on two separate occasions (January-April 2008 and 2012). Wilcoxon signed-rank tests and Spearman's correlations were used to compare food group intake and changes in intake assessed using both methods. In 2008, the intake of eleven of the twenty-two food groups was overestimated and that of four food groups underestimated in the FFQ in comparison with the online tool; in 2012, the intake of four food groups was overestimated and that of seven food groups underestimated. Nevertheless, changes in intake did not differ significantly between the two methods for eighteen food groups. Correlations in 2008 and 2012 were, on average, 0.47; correlations between the changes in dietary intake were, on average, 0.26. The results suggest that despite the significant differences between the two methods for a number of food groups at both baseline and/or follow-up, the FFQ can be used to monitor changes in dietary intake for groups of young children.

Test-retest reliability and agreement between children's and parents' reports of a computerized food preferences tool.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate test-retest reliability of primary-school children's reports of food preferences and to investigate agreement with parental reports. DESIGN: Children completed an online test and retest, one to two weeks later, during school hours; parents completed a paper-and-pencil or an online questionnaire at home. The children's preferences questionnaire contained 148 food items, reduced to twelve scales; the parental questionnaire contained seventy-eight items reduced to nine scales. SETTING: Children of fourteen primary schools in Belgium-Flanders. SUBJECTS: In total 572 children participated; test-retest data were available for 354 children, children's tests could be matched to 362 parental reports. RESULTS: Test-retest intraclass correlations were on average 0.73, ranging between 0.62 and 0.86; correlations between children's and parents' reports were on average 0.50, ranging between 0.32 and 0.62. Retest preferences were significantly higher for more than half of the scales. Children reported higher preferences than their parents for milk & milk products, fruit and soft drinks, while parents reported higher preferences for bread & breakfast cereals, meat, snacks and sauces. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that the test-retest stability was good; however, agreement between parents and children was rather low to moderate.

Formative evaluation of the feedback component of Children's and Adolescents' Nutrition Assessment and Advice on the Web (CANAA-W) among parents of schoolchildren.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the paper is to describe the formative evaluation of the feedback component of an online nutrition tailoring instrument, the Children's and Adolescents' Nutrition Assessment and Advice on the Web (CANAA-W), among parents of schoolchildren. DESIGN: Parents of pre-primary and primary-school children recorded their child's food intake over 3 d with CANAA-W and completed the evaluation questionnaire online. A subsample participated in focus group discussions. SETTING: Parents completed CANAA-W at home. SUBJECTS: Forty-six parents completed the evaluation questionnaire. Seventeen parents participated in three focus group discussions. RESULTS: Parents were enthusiastic: the majority (81 % or more) found the advice comprehensible, interesting, logical, useful, believable, well formulated, correct, personal, relevant, complete, attractive, containing enough and not too much information; they indicated that it is helpful to improve their children's eating habits and that they intend to use it. The qualitative analyses revealed that the respondents appreciated the confrontation with their child's diet and the visualization (i.e. traffic light colours, pictograms, food models, diagrams). The length of the feedback was rather a drawback, but it was useful nevertheless. CONCLUSIONS: CANAA-W was well received by the parents; the scores on the feasibility questionnaire were high and the qualitative analyses showed that the confrontation with their child's diet, and attractive visualization of the most relevant feedback linked to more elaborated optional feedback, were well appreciated. The major challenge will be to convince parents who are less interested in food habits and less computer-literate to participate in this type of study.

Test-retest reliability and comparison of children's reports with parents' reports of young children's fruit and vegetable preferences.

The aim of this study is to investigate the test-retest reliability of a short computerized assessment of young children's fruit (F) and vegetable (V) preferences, and to compare children's responses with their parents' responses. A paper-and-pencil F and V preference and F and V food frequency questionnaire was completed by 194 parents. Data on 139 preschoolers was available for test and retest of F preferences and data on 135 children for V. F and V preference scales were computed, including the ten most commonly consumed F and the ten most commonly consumed V. Alpha reliabilities were good (F = 0.78; V = 0.76) and test-retest intraclass correlations were high (ICC for F = 0.74; V = 0.75). Agreement between parents' and children's reports was moderate (F: ICC = 0.48, V: ICC = 0.41). Children reported more often to have never consumed an item, and less often the midcategory "not yummy, not yucky but ok". Covariance analysis indicated differences in agreement by school and mothers' education level with a lower agreement for those of lower social status. A weak, but significant association was found between children's reported preferences and children's consumption (F: r = 0.19, V: r = 0.25). The results are promising, but additional validation is needed in a representative sample and should further explore the sources of disagreements.

How accurate are adolescents in portion-size estimation using the computer tool Young Adolescents' Nutrition Assessment on Computer (YANA-C)?

Computer-administered questionnaires have received increased attention for large-scale population research on nutrition. In Belgium-Flanders, Young Adolescents' Nutrition Assessment on Computer (YANA-C) has been developed. In this tool, standardised photographs are available to assist in portion-size estimation. The purpose of the present study is to assess how accurate adolescents are in estimating portion sizes of food using YANA-C. A convenience sample, aged 11-17 years, estimated the amounts of ten commonly consumed foods (breakfast cereals, French fries, pasta, rice, apple sauce, carrots and peas, crisps, creamy velouté, red cabbage, and peas). Two procedures were followed: (1) short-term recall: adolescents (n 73) self-served their usual portions of the ten foods and estimated the amounts later the same day; (2) real-time perception: adolescents (n 128) estimated two sets (different portions) of pre-weighed portions displayed near the computer. Self-served portions were, on average, 8 % underestimated; significant underestimates were found for breakfast cereals, French fries, peas, and carrots and peas. Spearman's correlations between the self-served and estimated weights varied between 0.51 and 0.84, with an average of 0.72. The kappa statistics were moderate (>0.4) for all but one item. Pre-weighed portions were, on average, 15 % underestimated, with significant underestimates for fourteen of the twenty portions. Photographs of food items can serve as a good aid in ranking subjects; however, to assess the actual intake at a group level, underestimation must be considered.

Feasibility of the Young Children's Nutrition Assessment on the Web.

Methods to assess detailed dietary data are cumbersome, expensive, and difficult to implement with large samples. The purpose of the present article was to evaluate the feasibility of collecting data from parents about their child's diet using an online dietary assessment tool. The Young Children's Nutrition Assessment on the Web was developed as part of a longitudinal study of familial influences on food intake of preschool children. A sample of 862 parents from 56 nursery schools completed a paper-and-pencil questionnaire containing sociodemographic variables and a food frequency questionnaire about their child's diet and psychosocial variables. Subsequently, a subset of parents was asked to either complete a paper-and-pencil food diary or the Young Children's Nutrition Assessment on the Web (n=88); those remaining who provided e-mail addresses were asked to complete the Young Children's Nutrition Assessment on the Web (n=467) and a user-acceptability questionnaire. This resulted in 39 useful paper-and-pencil diaries, 217 useful Young Children's Nutrition Assessments on the Web, and 164 user-acceptability questionnaires. Mann-Whitney U tests comparing nutrient (macronutrients, vitamin C, calcium, and fiber) and food group intakes from data collected with the Young Children's Nutrition Assessment on the Web vs paper-and-pencil diaries resulted in no substantial differences except for water. Attrition analyses indicated that dropout for the online assessment was associated with the sex of the respondent (father completing the questionnaire), lower social status, being a smoker, and lower nutrition knowledge. The online measure was well-received by respondents. The majority found it user-friendly (79%), attractive (68%), and clear (93%). The Young Children's Nutrition Assessment on the Web is a promising tool to collect online dietary data in large-scale surveys.