Children’s food and activity patterns following a six-month child weight management program

Objective To describe the impact of a parent-led, family focused child weight management program on the food intake and activity patterns of pre-pubertal children. Methods n assessor-blinded, randomized controlled trial involving 111 (64% female) overweight, pre-pubertal children 6 to 9 years of age randomly assigned to parenting-skills training plus intensive lifestyle education, parenting-skills training alone, or a 12-month wait-listed control. Study outcomes were assessed at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months. This paper presents data on food intake assessed via a validated 54-item parent completed dietary questionnaire and activity behaviours assessed via a parent-report 20-item activity questionnaire. Results Intake of energy-dense nutrient poor foods was lower in both intervention groups at 6 months (mean difference, P+DA -1.5 serves [CI -2.0;-1.0]; P -1.0 serves [-2.0;-0.5]) and 12 months (mean difference P+DA -1.0 serves [CI -2.0;-0.5]; P -1.0 serves [-1.5; 0.0]) compared to baseline. Intake of vegetables, fruit, breads and cereals, meat and alternatives and dairy foods remained unchanged. Regardless of study group there were significant reductions over time in the reported time spent engaged in small screen activities and an increase in the time reported spent in active play. Conclusion Child weight management intervention that promotes food intake in line with national dietary guidelines achieves a reduction in children’s intake of energy dense, nutrient poor foods. This was achieved without compromising intake of nutrient-rich food and changes in were maintained even once the intervention ceased.

Willingness to trial functional foods and vitamin supplements: the role of attitudes, subjective norms, and dread of risks

Australian non-users of vitamin supplements (N = 162) and functional foods (N = 226) responded to a questionnaire examining their attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control from the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB), risk dread and risk familiarity, and willingness to engage in free product trials. The impact of participants’ gender and age was also examined. Attitude and subjective norms were significant determinants of non-users willingness to trial each of the health products. Participants’ dread of the risk associated with the product was also a determinant of willingness to use functional foods. The overall models predicted between 25% and 30% of the variance in people’s willingness to trial the products. The findings provided some support for the TPB in predicting people’s willingness to trial functional foods and vitamin supplements and suggested, for willingness to trial functional foods, that non-users are also influenced by their dread of the risk associated with product use.

Is it possible to dissociate ‘liking’ and ‘wanting’ for foods in humans? A novel experimental procedure

Berridge's model (e.g. [Berridge KC. Food reward: Brain substrates of wanting and liking. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 1996;20:1–25.; Berridge KC, Robinson T E. Parsing reward. Trends Neurosci 2003;26:507–513.; Berridge KC. Motivation concepts in behavioral neuroscience. Physiol Behav 2004;81:179–209]) outlines the brain substrates thought to mediate food reward with distinct ‘liking’ (hedonic/affective) and ‘wanting’ (incentive salience/motivation) components. Understanding the dual aspects of food reward could throw light on food choice, appetite control and overconsumption. The present study reports the development of a procedure to measure these processes in humans. A computer-based paradigm was used to assess ‘liking’ (through pleasantness ratings) and ‘wanting’ (through forced-choice photographic procedure) for foods that varied in fat (high or low) and taste (savoury or sweet). 60 participants completed the program when hungry and after an ad libitum meal. Findings indicate a state (hungry–satiated)-dependent, partial dissociation between ‘liking’ and ‘wanting’ for generic food categories. In the hungry state, participants ‘wanted’ high-fat savoury > low-fat savoury with no corresponding difference in ‘liking’, and ‘liked’ high-fat sweet > low-fat sweet but did not differ in ‘wanting’ for these foods. In the satiated state, participants ‘liked’, but did not ‘want’, high-fat savoury > low-fat savoury, and ‘wanted’ but did not ‘like’ low-fat sweet > high-fat sweet. More differences in ‘liking’ and ‘wanting’ were observed when hungry than when satiated. This procedure provides the first step in proof of concept that ‘liking’ and ‘wanting’ can be dissociated in humans and can be further developed for foods varying along different dimensions. Other experimental procedures may also be devised to separate ‘liking’ and ‘wanting’.

Less food for thought : impact of attentional instructions on intrusive thoughts about snack foods

Intrusive thoughts about food may play a role in unhealthy eating behaviours. Food-related thoughts that capture attention can lead to craving and further intrusive thoughts (Kavanagh, Andrade, & May, 2005). We tested whether diverting attention to mental images or bodily sensations would reduce the incidence of intrusive thoughts about snack foods. In two experiments, participants reported their thoughts in response to probes during three 10 min periods. In the Baseline and Post-task period, participants were asked to let their mind wander. In the middle, Experimental, period, participants followed mind wandering (Control), thought diversion, or Thought Suppression instructions. Self-directed or Guided Imagery, Mindfulness-based Body Scanning, and Thought Suppression all reduced the proportion of thoughts about food, compared to Baseline. Following Body Scanning and Thought Suppression, food thoughts returned to Baseline frequencies Post-task, rather than rebounding. There were no effects of the interventions upon craving, although overall, craving and thought frequency were correlated. Thought control tasks may help people to ignore thoughts about food and thereby reduce their temptation to snack.

Predicting the consumption of foods low in saturated fats among people diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The role of planning in the theory of planned behaviour

The present study tested the utility of an extended version of the theory of planned behaviour that included a measure of planning, in the prediction of eating foods low in saturated fats among adults diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes and/or cardiovascular disease. Participants (N = 184) completed questionnaires assessing standard theory of planned behaviour measures (attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioural control) and the additional volitional variable of planning in relation to eating foods low in saturated fats. Self-report consumption of foods low insaturated fats was assessed 1 month later. In partial support of the theory of planned behaviour, results indicated that attitude and subjective norm predicted intentions to eat foods low in saturated fats and intentions and perceived behavioural control predicted the consumption of foods low in saturated fats. As an additional variable, planning predicted the consumption of foods low in saturated fats directly and also mediated the intention–behaviour and perceived behavioural control–behaviour relationships, suggesting an important role for planning as a post-intentional construct determining healthy eating choices. Suggestions are offered for interventions designed to improve adherence to healthy eating recommendations for people diagnosed with these chronic conditions with a specific emphasis on the steps and activities that are required to promote a healthier lifestyle.

Environmental health risk assessment of dioxin exposure through foods in a Dioxin hot spot—Bien Hoa City, Vietnam

This study used the Australian Environmental Health Risk Assessment Framework to assess the human health risk of dioxin exposure through foods for local residents in two wards of Bien Hoa City, Vietnam. These wards are known hot-spots for dioxin and a range of stakeholders from central government to local levels were involved in this process. Publications on dioxin characteristics and toxicity were reviewed and dioxin concentrations in local soil, mud, foods, milk and blood samples were used as data for this risk assessment. A food frequency survey of 400 randomly selected households in these wards was conducted to provide data for exposure assessment. Results showed that local residents who had consumed locally cultivated foods, especially fresh water fish and bottom-feeding fish, free-ranging chicken, duck, and beef were at a very high risk, with their daily dioxin intake far exceeding the tolerable daily intake recommended by the WHO. Based on the results of this assessment, a multifaceted risk management program was developed and has been recognized as the first public health program ever to have been implemented in Vietnam to reduce the risks of dioxin exposure at dioxin hot-spots.

Household food expenditure and its contribution to socioeconomic inequalities in purchasing foods consistent with Australian dietary guideline recommendations

Aim: To examine the amount of money spent on food by household income, and to ascertain whether food expenditure mediates the relationship between household income and the purchase of staple foods consistent with Australian dietary guideline recommendations. ----- ----- Methods: In face-to-face interviews (n = 1003, 66.4% response rate), households in Brisbane, Australia were asked about their purchasing choices for a range of staple foods, including grocery items, fruits and vegetables. For each participant, information was obtained about their total weekly household food expenditure, along with their sociodemographic and household characteristics. ----- ----- Results: Household income was significantly associated with food expenditure; participants residing in higher-income households spent more money on food per household member than those from lower-income households. Lower income households were less likely to make food purchasing choices of dietary staples that were consistent with recommendations. However, food expenditure did not attenuate the relationship between household income and the purchase of staple foods consistent with dietary guideline recommendations. ----- ----- Conclusions: The findings suggest that food expenditure may not contribute to income inequalities in purchasing staple foods consistent with dietary guideline recommendations: instead, other material or psychosocial factors not considered in the current study may be more important determinants of these inequalities. Further research should examine whether expenditure on non-staple items and takeaway foods is a larger contributor to socioeconomic inequalities in dietary behavior.