The substance and sources of young children's healthy eating and physical activity knowledge: implications for obesity prevention efforts

Lanigan, Jane

doi:10.1111/j.1365-2214.2010.01191.x

Cited by 40 publications

(61 citation statements)

References 55 publications

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“…In addition to weight management and bowel and bladder function, the wider benefits of a good diet should be emphasised to children (and for the whole family), as it is crucial for children to develop good eating patterns and nutritious food preferences from an early age [10,65], given that childhood food preferences and eating patterns often track into adulthood [66]. Furthermore, emphasising the wider benefits of physical activity to children, such as making friends, increasing participation and improving psychological well-being [53] may be helpful, although some children and families may need assistance to find rewarding activities within their abilities [67].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The assessment of weight status in children and young people attending a spina bifida outpatient clinic: a retrospective medical record review

McPherson

Swift

Yung

et al. 2013

Disability and Rehabilitation

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PurposeChildren with disabilities are two to three times more likely to become overweight or obese than typically developing children. Children with spina bifida (SB) are at particular risk, yet obesity prevalence and weight management with this population are under-researched. This retrospective chart review explored how weight is assessed and discussed in a children’s SB outpatient clinic.MethodHeight/weight data were extracted from records of children aged 2–18 with a diagnosis of SB attending an outpatient clinic at least once between June 2009–2011. Body mass index was calculated and classified using Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cut-offs. Notes around weight, diet and physical/sedentary activities were transcribed verbatim and analysed using descriptive thematic analysis.ResultsOf 180 eligible patients identified, only 63 records had sufficient data to calculate BMI; 15 patients were overweight (23.81%) and 11 obese (17.46%). Weight and physical activity discussions were typically related to function (e.g. mobility, pain). Diet discussions focused on bowel and bladder function and dietary challenges.ConclusionsAnthropometrics were infrequently recorded, leaving an incomplete picture of weight status in children with SB and suggesting that weight is not prioritised. Bowel/bladder function was highlighted over other benefits of a healthy body weight, indicating that health promotion opportunities are being missed.Implications for RehabilitationIt is important to assess, categorise and record anthropometric data for children and youth with spina bifida as they may be at particular risk of excess weight.Information around weight categorisation should be discussed openly and non-judgmentally with children and their families.Health promotion opportunities may be missed by focusing solely on symptom management or function.Healthcare professionals should emphasise the broad benefits of healthy eating and physical activity, offering strategies to enable the child to incorporate healthy lifestyle behaviours appropriate to their level of ability.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The assessment of weight status in children and young people attending a spina bifida outpatient clinic: a retrospective medical record review

McPherson

Swift

Yung

et al. 2013

Disability and Rehabilitation

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“…Children will be tested using a semi-structured interview based on the interview protocol used by [26] with 3–5 year olds to assess young children's healthy eating and active play knowledge. This will also include items investigating children’s understanding of sustainability concepts, such as waste and concepts of reduce, reuse, recycle and refuse (7Rs) [27].…”

Section: Primary Outcomementioning

confidence: 99%

Promoting healthy eating, active play and sustainability consciousness in early childhood curricula, addressing the Ben10™ problem: a randomised control trial

et al. 2014

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BackgroundThis paper details the research protocol for a study funded by the Australian Research Council. An integrated approach towards helping young children respond to the significant pressures of ‘360 degree marketing’ on their food choices, levels of active play, and sustainability consciousness via the early childhood curriculum is lacking. The overall goal of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of curriculum interventions that educators design when using a pedagogical communication strategy on children’s knowledge about healthy eating, active play and the sustainability consequences of their toy food and toy selections.Methods/DesignThis cluster-randomised trial will be conducted with 300, 4 to 5 year-old children attending pre-school. Early childhood educators will develop a curriculum intervention using a pedagogical communication strategy that integrates content knowledge about healthy eating, active play and sustainability consciousness and deliver this to their pre-school class. Children will be interviewed about their knowledge of healthy eating, active play and the sustainability consequences of their food and toy selections. Parents will complete an Eating and Physical Activity Questionnaire rating their children’s food preferences, digital media viewing and physical activity habits. All measures will be administered at baseline, the end of the intervention and 6 months post intervention. Informed consent will be obtained from all parents and the pre-school classes will be allocated randomly to the intervention or wait-list control group.DiscussionThis study is the first to utilise an integrated pedagogical communication strategy developed specifically for early childhood educators focusing on children’s healthy eating, active play, and sustainability consciousness. The significance of the early childhood period, for young children’s learning about healthy eating, active play and sustainability, is now unquestioned. The specific teaching and learning practices used by early childhood educators, as part of the intervention program, will incorporate a sociocultural perspective on learning; this perspective emphasises building on the play interests of children, that are experienced within the family and home context, as a basis for curriculum provision.Trial RegistrationAustralian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12614000363684: Date registered: 07/04/2014

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“…The first 5 years of life is a key period in which children are accumulating knowledge and developing skills which can shape health behaviours (Lanigan, 2011;Monasta et al, 2010;Nemet et al, 2007;Sigman-Grant et al, 2013;Tinsley, 2003). Although contextual realities may limit the application of health knowledge by preschoolers, as children begin to gain independence they will operationalise knowledge into what they perceive to be appropriate health behaviours (Irwin et al, 2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lifestyle knowledge and preferences in preschool children: Evaluation of the Get up and Grow healthy lifestyle education programme

Wiseman

Harris

Lee

2016

Health Education Journal

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Objective: Early childhood is considered a window of opportunity for lifestyle interventions, as this is a critical life-stage at which children accumulate knowledge and skills around behaviours such as eating and physical activity. This study examined how exposure to a settings-based healthy lifestyle programme influences knowledge and preference of food and physical play in preschool children. Design: Quasi-experimental, pre-post intervention design. Methods: Pre-and post-impact evaluation of a healthy lifestyle intervention using an innovative computerised photo-pair food and exercise questionnaire and an age-appropriate test of executive function. The study included 82 children aged 3-5 years and was structured with an intervention and a control group. Quantitative data were analysed using SPSS v22. Results: For the intervention group, there was a significant improvement in overall knowledge of healthy lifestyle behaviours post-intervention, particularly in the identification of healthy and unhealthy food choices. There was no associated change in behavioural preferences. Conclusion: The study highlighted that age-appropriate lifestyle interventions with preschool-aged children can lead to improved knowledge of healthy lifestyle choices. However, improvement in knowledge of healthy lifestyle behaviours does not necessarily lead to positive changes in food and activity preferences that inform choices.

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The substance and sources of young children's healthy eating and physical activity knowledge: implications for obesity prevention efforts

Cited by 40 publications

References 55 publications

The assessment of weight status in children and young people attending a spina bifida outpatient clinic: a retrospective medical record review

The assessment of weight status in children and young people attending a spina bifida outpatient clinic: a retrospective medical record review

Promoting healthy eating, active play and sustainability consciousness in early childhood curricula, addressing the Ben10™ problem: a randomised control trial

Lifestyle knowledge and preferences in preschool children: Evaluation of the Get up and Grow healthy lifestyle education programme

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