Existing policies, regulation, legislation and ongoing health promotion activities related to physical activity and nutrition in pre-primary education settings: an overview.

UNLABELLED: Obesity prevention efforts for school-aged children and adolescents are increasing in number. However, little has been done to address the problem in the preschool age. To address this age group, an evidence-based preschool programme on physical activity (PA) and nutrition is developed within the ToyBox project. Environmental influencing factors such as policies and competitive health promotion activities could inhibit or induce a successful health promotion programme. This paper describes an overview of existing policies, legislation and/or regulations and health promotion activities in the preschool setting. METHOD: data were gathered on policies and activities aiming to improve healthy eating and PA of young children (age group 4-6 years) in Belgium-Flanders, Bulgaria, Germany, Greece, Poland and Spain. A limited number of influencing policies, regulations and/or legislation exists; agenda setting of health promotion and policy evaluations in all relevant policy areas was lacking. Also, health promotion activities in preschool the setting did not exist in all six European countries and high-quality preschool-based health interventions existed in three of the six ToyBox countries.

Mediator release is altered in immunotherapy-treated patients: a 4-year study.

In recent years, it has been possible to demonstrate mediator release into the nasal secretion after nasal allergen challenge in patients with allergic rhinitis. Using the nasal provocation model, we determined whether the mediator release was altered in immunotherapy-treated patients. Seventeen grass-pollen-allergic patients were examined under controlled, reproducible conditions. Serial challenges with increasing doses of grass pollen produced increasing numbers of clinical symptoms and release of mediators such as kinins, TAME-esterase activity, and histamine. Ten patients received a semidepot perennial grass-pollen extract for 4 years. Seven patients served as controls and did not receive immunotherapy during the observation period. Data from the group of patients receiving immunotherapy over the first year already showed a partially significant decline in the maximal mediator release after nasal allergen challenges compared to the results of pretreated challenges, whereas controls did not show any significant changes. Nasal allergen challenges after termination of 4 years' immunotherapy significantly modified the mediator release compared to pretreatment values (TAME-esterase activity P < 0.05, kinins P < 0.01, and histamine P < 0.01). Decrease of mediator release paralleled the symptom-medication scores and quantitative skin prick test. Finally, we could demonstrate a significant correlation between specific IgG increase and mediator decrease in the treated group.