Design-Non-randomised non-blinded school-based intervention study.Setting-Two schools in the cities of Pune and Nasik, India. Participants-The intervention group comprised children attending one Pune school from 7-10 years until 12-15 years of age. Two controls groups comprised (1) children of the same age attending a similar school in Nasik, and (2) children in the Pune intervention school but aged 12-15 years at the start of the study. Europe PMC Funders GroupIntervention-A 5-year multi-intervention programme, covering three domains: physical activity, diet and general health, and including increased extra-and intra-curricular physical activity sessions; daily yoga-based breathing exercises; making physical activity a 'scoring' subject; nutrition education; healthier school meals; removal of fast-food hawkers from the school environs; and health and nutrition education for teachers, pupils and families.Main outcome measures-Body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, physical fitness according to simple tests of strength, flexibility and endurance; diet; and lifestyle indicators (time watching TV, studying and actively playing).Results-After five years the intervention children were fitter than controls in running, longjump, sit-up and push-up tests (p<0.05 for all). They reported spending less time sedentary (watching TV and studying), more time actively playing, and eating fruit more often (p<0.05). The intervention did not reduce BMI or the prevalence of overweight/obesity, but waist circumference was lower than in the Pune controls (p=0.004).Conclusions-It was possible to achieve multiple health-promoting changes in an academically competitive Indian school. These resulted in improved physical fitness, but had no impact on the children's BMI or on the prevalence of overweight/obesity.

Background: The prevalence of overweight and obesity among children is increasing in India. However, knowledge of, attitude towards and practice of health and nutrition in mothers and children have not been researched. Objective: To assess knowledge of, attitude towards and practice of nutrition, physical activity and other lifestyle practices in a nationally representative sample of urban children and mothers in India. Methods: A cross-sectional observational study of 1,800 children aged 9-18 years and their mothers, using qualitative (focus group) and quantitative (semi-structured survey) data. Results: The overall prevalence of overweight/obesity among the children was 19.2% in males and 18.1% in females; 64.8% of mothers were either overweight [body mass index (BMI) 23.0-24.9; 23.3%] or obese (BMI >25.0; 41.5%). Household family income, related socioeconomic factors, and overweight in mothers were most significantly associated with obesity in children (all p ≤ 0.001). Dietary consumption patterns (snacking, fast food etc.) showed a marked association between mothers and children (all p ≤ 0.000). Focus group discussion revealed several interesting attitudes and misconceptions among children (‘home-cooked food is old fashioned') and mothers (‘a child with chubby cheeks is healthy, not fat'). Importantly, only a few mothers understood that excess weight or diets are contributory factors of morbidities in children or themselves. Conclusions: This study highlights the poor knowledge, faulty attitudes and practices of urban Asian Indian mothers and their children in a highly correlated manner. These knowledge gaps must be addressed to formulate effective strategies for the prevention of obesity and related metabolic disorders.

A pumpkin seed, also known as a "pepita", means "little seed of squash". Cucurbita pepo is the pumpkin species of the genus: Cucurbita, family: Cucurbits, sub-family: Cucurbitaceae, genera: Cucurbita L. Cucurbita pepo L. is the species among Cucurbitaceae family having the greatest monetary value of the genus. The seeds are typically rather flat, asymmetrically oval, light green in color, and may have a white outer hull. The Cucurbita pepo seeds have potential application and can be used as an alternative oil and protein source in novel food formulations such as cooking oils, as an ingredient in margarine blends, flours for instant soups, cookies, etc.

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