School Health Guidelines to Promote Healthy Eating and Physical Activity: Recommendations and Reports

2015 ◽  
pp. 247-407
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Healthy Eating ◽  
School Health ◽  
Physical Activity Recommendations ◽  
Activity Recommendations

scholarly journals National Dietary Guidelines of Greece for children and adolescents: a tool for promoting healthy eating habits

2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (14) ◽  
pp. 2688-2699 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina-Maria Kastorini ◽  
Elena Critselis ◽  
Dina Zota ◽  
Alexandra L Coritsidis ◽  
Meera K Nagarajan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Healthy Eating ◽  
Dietary Patterns ◽  
Dietary Guidelines ◽  
Eating Behaviours ◽  
Policy Tool ◽  
Food Education ◽  
Physical Activity Recommendations ◽  
Of Greece ◽  
Activity Recommendations

AbstractObjective:Dietary guidelines are an essential policy tool for facilitating optimal dietary patterns and healthy eating behaviours. We report: (i) the methodological approach adopted for developing the National Dietary Guidelines of Greece (NDGGr) for Infants, Children and Adolescents; and (ii) the guidelines for children aged 1–18 years.Design:An evidence-based approach was employed to develop food-based recommendations according to the methodologies of the WHO, FAO and European Food Safety Authority. Physical activity recommendations were also compiled. Food education, healthy eating tips and suggestions were also provided.Setting:The NDGGr encompass food-based nutritional and physical activity recommendations for promoting healthy dietary patterns and eating behaviours and secondarily to serve as a helpful tool for the prevention of childhood overweight and obesity.Results:The NDGGr include food-based recommendations, food education and health promotion messages regarding: (i) fruits; (ii) vegetables; (iii) milk and dairy products; (iv) cereals; (v) red and white meat; (vi) fish and seafood; (vii) eggs; (viii) legumes; (ix) added lipids, olives, and nuts; (x) added sugars and salt; (xi) water and beverages, and (xii) physical activity. A Nutrition Wheel, consisting of the ten most pivotal key messages, was developed to enhance the adoption of optimal dietary patterns and a healthy lifestyle. The NDGGr additionally provide recommendations regarding the optimal frequency and serving sizes of main meals, based on the traditional Greek diet.Conclusions:As a policy tool for promoting healthy eating, the NDGGr have been disseminated in public schools across Greece.

scholarly journals Socioeconomic Inequities in Youth Participation in Physical Activity and Sports

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (13) ◽  
pp. 6946
Author(s):  
Pooja S. Tandon ◽  
Emily Kroshus ◽  
Katharine Olsen ◽  
Kimberly Garrett ◽  
Pingping Qu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Sports Participation ◽  
Youth Participation ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Middle School Children ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Potential Benefits ◽  
Physical Activity Recommendations ◽  
High Schoolers ◽  
Activity Recommendations

Access to opportunities for physical activity and sports, and therefore potential benefits of participation, are distributed inequitably. The aims of this study were to describe and compare youth experiences related to sport and physical activity by socioeconomic factors. A cross-sectional survey was conducted of students in 5–12th grades in King County, Washington, USA. Students were asked about physical activity and sports experiences and about demographic factors including family affluence, which was categorized as low, medium, and high. Participants were 1038 youth (50% girls, 58% non-White, and 32% from homes where languages other than English are spoken). Children from low-affluence families reported fewer days/week of physical activity, fewer sports sampled, and lower rates of ever playing sports. Greater proportions of children from low-affluence families reported these barriers to sports: (1) don’t want to get hurt, (2) don’t feel welcome on teams, (3) too expensive, and (4) transportation. Middle school children from high-affluence families had three times higher odds of meeting physical activity recommendations, and high-affluence high schoolers had three times higher odds of ever participating in sports compared to peers from low-affluence families. Socioeconomic status was inversely associated with outcomes related to youth physical activity and sports participation. The disproportionately reported barriers to sports participation are modifiable, and cross-sector solutions can help promote play equity.

An ORBIT Phase 1: Design study of a citywide employer-based walking challenges in a predominantly Mexican American metropolitan area

2020 ◽  
pp. 135910532097765
Author(s):  
Jennifer J. Salinas ◽  
Roy Valenzuela ◽  
Jon Sheen ◽  
Malcolm Carlyle ◽  
Jennifer Gay ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Mexican Americans ◽  
Mexican American ◽  
Phase 1 ◽  
El Paso ◽  
Intervention Development ◽  
Obesity Intervention ◽  
Physical Activity Recommendations ◽  
Orbit Model ◽  
Activity Recommendations

Most Mexican-Americans do not meet current physical activity recommendations. This paper uses the ORBIT model of obesity intervention development as a framework to outline the process of establishing three employer-based walking challenges in El Paso, Texas, a predominantly Mexican American community. The walking challenges were planned and implemented through the Border Coalition for Fitness and participating partnering organizations. Over 2000 participants and several employers took part in the walking challenges. Results from this ORBIT Phase 1 design intervention suggest that walking challenges are a feasible approach to increase physical activity in Mexican-Americans.

scholarly journals Identifying and measuring the behavioural, dietary, and physical activity components of weight management consultations delivered by general practice nurses in routine care

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Heather Tong ◽  
Elizabeth Morris ◽  
Susan A. Jebb ◽  
Dimitrios A. Koutoukidis
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Weight Loss ◽  
Weight Management ◽  
Care Group ◽  
Dietary Recommendations ◽  
Practice Nurses ◽  
Audio Recordings ◽  
Baseline Weight ◽  
Physical Activity Recommendations ◽  
Activity Recommendations

Abstract Background Many people with obesity receive weight loss consultations by general practice nurses (GPNs) in routine primary care. This exploratory study aimed to characterise the components of these consultations, including behaviour change techniques (BCTs), and dietary and physical activity recommendations. Methods We analysed audio recordings of weight management consultations conducted by 8 GPNs as part of the ‘usual care’ group in a randomised controlled trial (ISRCTN75092026). Consultations were coded against three taxonomies to classify BCTs, dietary recommendations, and physical activity recommendations. Associations between coded content and weight loss were assessed. Differences in the content of consultations where weight loss was < 5% or ≥ 5% from baseline weight at 6 months were explored. Results One hundred and fifty audio recordings were available from 53 out of 140 (38%) participants in the usual care group. Participants had on average 3 (SD = 1) recorded consultations over 3 months, lasting 14 (SD = 7) minutes each. Weight change at 3, 6, and 12 months was -3.6% (SD = 4.3), -5.5% (SD = 6.0) and -4.2% (SD = 6.5) for participants with audio recordings. GPNs used 3.9 (SD = 1.6) of 93 BCTs, 3.3 (SD = 2.7) of 30 dietary recommendations and 1.4 (SD = 1.2) of 10 physical activity recommendations per consultation. The most commonly employed BCTs were feedback on outcome of behaviour (80.0%), problem solving (38.0%), and social reward (34.3%). The most common dietary recommendations were about portion size (31.3%), nutrients (28.0%), and balanced diet (19.7%). The main physical activity recommendation was about walking (30.3%). There was no association between weight loss and the number of dietary recommendations, physical activity recommendations, or BCTs used per consultation, or per participant. Social reward was the only technique used significantly more in consultations of participants that lost ≥ 5% of their baseline weight at 6 months. Conclusions The study provides a new method that could be used to describe the content of weight management consultations. Specific dietary or physical activity recommendations and BCTs were used infrequently and inconsistently in this group of GPNs. Although replication is required in larger samples, this may point to a weakness in current practice.

scholarly journals The Role of Preschool Hours in Achieving Physical Activity Recommendations for Preschoolers

Children ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 82
Author(s):  
Sara Lahuerta-Contell ◽  
Javier Molina-García ◽  
Ana Queralt ◽  
Vladimir E. Martínez-Bello
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Early Childhood ◽  
School Environment ◽  
High Density ◽  
Childhood Education ◽  
Gender And Age ◽  
Sociodemographic Correlates ◽  
Physical Activity Recommendations ◽  
Activity Recommendations

Research on physical activity (PA) in different educational settings could elucidate which interventions promote a healthy school lifestyle in early childhood education (ECE). The aims of this study were: (a) to analyse the PA levels of preschoolers during school hours, as well as the rate of compliance with specific recommendations on total PA (TPA) and moderate-vigorous PA (MVPA); (b) to examine the role of structured movement sessions and recess time in the MVPA levels during school hours; (c) to evaluate the sociodemographic correlates of preschoolers and the school environment on MVPA behaviour during school hours. PA was evaluated with Actigraph accelerometers. Our main findings were that: (a) preschoolers engaged in very little TPA and MVPA during school hours; (b) children showed significantly higher MVPA levels on days with versus without structured movement sessions, and the contribution of the structured sessions to MVPA was significantly higher than that of recess time; (c) gender and age were associated with PA, and a high density of young children on the playground was associated with high levels of vigorous PA, whereas in the classroom, high density was associated with more sedentary behaviour. Structured PA could reduce the gap in achieving international recommendations.

scholarly journals Physical Activity Recommendations in the Context of New Calls for Change in Physical Education

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 1177
Author(s):  
Karel Frömel ◽  
Jana Vašíčková ◽  
Krzysztof Skalik ◽  
Zbyněk Svozil ◽  
Dorota Groffik ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Physical Education ◽  
Teaching Practice ◽  
Social Health ◽  
Physical Strain ◽  
School Practice ◽  
School Based ◽  
Adequate Response ◽  
Physical Activity Recommendations ◽  
Activity Recommendations

The current social, health, and educational changes in society require an adequate response in school-based physical activity (PA), including physical education (PE) lessons. The objective of this study was to identify the real average step counts of Czech and Polish adolescents during PE lessons, and propose recommendations for improving PE programs. This research was carried out in 143 Czech and 99 Polish schools. In the research, a total of 4911 adolescents aged 12–18 years were analyzed as part of teaching practice and 1827 in the context of habitual school practice. Steps were monitored using pedometers. The average step count per PE lesson was 2390 in Czech and Polish boys, while girls achieved 1851 steps. In both countries, boys were subject to greater physical strain in PE lessons compared to girls, both in teaching practice (F(4088,3) = 154.49, p < 0.001, ηp2 = 0.102) and school practice (F(1552,3) = 70.66, p < 0.001, ηp2 = 0.103). Therefore, the priority in PE lessons is to increase the amount of PA for girls, achieve the objectives of PE during PA, and use wearables to improve awareness of PA and improve physical literacy, as well as to support hybrid and online PE as a complement to traditional PE.

scholarly journals When physical activity meets the physical environment: precision health insights from the intersection

2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Luisa V. Giles ◽  
Michael S. Koehle ◽  
Brian E. Saelens ◽  
Hind Sbihi ◽  
Chris Carlsten
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Physical Environment ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Main Body ◽  
Or Groups ◽  
Optimizing Design ◽  
Physical Activity Recommendations ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Precision Health ◽  
Activity Recommendations

Abstract Background The physical environment can facilitate or hinder physical activity. A challenge in promoting physical activity is ensuring that the physical environment is supportive and that these supports are appropriately tailored to the individual or group in question. Ideally, aspects of the environment that impact physical activity would be enhanced, but environmental changes take time, and identifying ways to provide more precision to physical activity recommendations might be helpful for specific individuals or groups. Therefore, moving beyond a “one size fits all” to a precision-based approach is critical. Main body To this end, we considered 4 critical aspects of the physical environment that influence physical activity (walkability, green space, traffic-related air pollution, and heat) and how these aspects could enhance our ability to precisely guide physical activity. Strategies to increase physical activity could include optimizing design of the built environment or mitigating of some of the environmental impediments to activity through personalized or population-wide interventions. Conclusions Although at present non-personalized approaches may be more widespread than those tailored to one person’s physical environment, targeting intrinsic personal elements (e.g., medical conditions, sex, age, socioeconomic status) has interesting potential to enhance the likelihood and ability of individuals to participate in physical activity.

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