| 1. |
- Bammann, K, et al.
(author)
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The IDEFICS validation study on field methods for assessing physical activity and body composition in children: design and data collection.
- 2011
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In: International journal of obesity (2005). - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1476-5497 .- 0307-0565. ; 35 Suppl 1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objective: To describe the design, measurements and fieldwork of the IDEFICS (Identification and prevention of dietary- and lifestyle-induced health effects in children and infants) physical activity and body composition validation study, and to determine the potential and limitations of the data obtained. Design: Multicentre validation study. Subjects: A total of 98 children from four different European countries (age: 4–10 years). Methods: An 8-day measurement protocol was carried out in all children using a collaborative protocol. Reference methods were the doubly labelled water method for physical activity, and a three- and a four-compartment model for body composition. Investigated field methods were accelerometers, a physical activity questionnaire and various anthropometric measurements. Results: For the validation of physical activity field methods, it was possible to gather data from 83 to 89 children, laying the basis for age- and sex-specific results. The validation of body composition field methods is possible in 64–80 children and allows sex-specific analyses but has only limited statistical power in the youngest age group (o6 years). The amount of activity energy expenditure (AEE) varied between centres, sexes and age groups, with boys and older children having higher estimates of AEE. After normalisation of AEE by body weight, most group-specific differences diminished, except for country-specific differences. Conclusion: The IDEFICS validation study will allow age- and sex-specific investigation of questions pertaining to the validity of several field methods of body composition and physical activity, using established reference methods in four different European countries. From the participant analyses it can be concluded that the compliance for the investigated field methods was higher than that for the reference methods used in this validation study.
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| 2. |
- De Henauw, S, et al.
(author)
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The IDEFICS community-oriented intervention programme: a new model for childhood obesity prevention in Europe?
- 2011
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In: International journal of obesity. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1476-5497 .- 0307-0565. ; 35:Suppl 1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The European Union-as well as other parts of the world-faces a major challenge of increasing incidence of overweight/obesity. In particular, the increase in childhood obesity gives rise to a strong imperative for immediate action. Yet, little is known about the effectiveness of community interventions, and further research in this field is needed. There is, however, a growing consensus that such research should start from the paradigm that the current living environments tend to counteract healthy lifestyles. Questioning these environments thoroughly can help to develop new pathways for sustainable health-promoting communities. Against this background, the IDEFICS (Identification and prevention of dietary- and lifestyle-induced health effects in children and infants) study developed and implemented innovative community-oriented intervention programmes for obesity prevention and healthy lifestyle primarily in children aged 2-10 years in eight European countries: Sweden, Estonia, Germany, Belgium, Hungary, Italy, Spain and Cyprus.
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| 3. |
- Lanfer, A., et al.
(author)
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Predictors and correlates of taste preferences in European children: The IDEFICS study
- 2013
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In: Food Quality and Preference. - : Elsevier BV. - 0950-3293. ; 27:2, s. 128-136
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The present study investigated taste preferences in a sample of 1705 children aged 6 to 9 years from survey centres in Italy, Estonia, Cyprus, Belgium, Sweden, Germany, Hungary, and Spain and aimed to identify factors correlated with taste preference. Children's preferences for varying levels of sucrose (sweet) in apple juice and fat, sodium chloride (salt) and monosodium glutamate (umami) in crackers were assessed using paired-comparison tests. Socio-demographics (age, sex, parental education), early feeding practises (breastfeeding, introduction of fruits), parenting behaviour (TV viewing, using food as a reward) and taste threshold sensitivity for sucrose (sweet), sodium chloride (salt), caffeine (bitter) and monosodium glutamate (umami) were investigated as possible correlates of taste preferences. Parents reported on socio-demographics, early feeding and parenting behaviour. Taste thresholds were determined via a paired-comparison staircase method. Country of residence was the strongest factor related to preferences for all four tastes. Taste preferences also differed by age. Preference for sugar and salt increased between 6 and 9 years of age while preference for monosodium glutamate decreased. The age differences remained significant even after adjustment for sex, country of residence, parental education and early feeding habits. Sex, parental education, early feeding habits, TV viewing, using food as a reward and taste thresholds were not consistently related to taste preferences among the survey centres. In summary, the results highlight the importance of culture and age in taste preferences in children younger than 10 years of age. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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| 4. |
- Vanaelst, B, et al.
(author)
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Prevalence of negative life events and chronic adversities in European pre- and primary-school children: results from the IDEFICS study.
- 2012
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In: Archives of Public Health. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0778-7367 .- 2049-3258. ; 70:22, s. 1-26
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Abstract ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Children are not always recognized as being susceptible to stress, although childhood stressors may originate from multiple events in their everyday surroundings with negative effects on children's health. METHODS: As there is a lack of large-scale, European prevalence data on childhood adversities, this study presents the prevalence of (1) negative life events and (2) familial and social adversities in 4637 European pre- and primary-school children (4--11 years old), using a parentally-reported questionnaire embedded in the IDEFICS project ('Identification and prevention of Dietary- and lifestyle-induced health EFfects In Children and infantS'). RESULTS: The following findings were observed: (1) Certain adversities occur only rarely, while others are very regular (i.e. parental divorce); (2) A large percentage of children is shielded from stressors, while a small group of children is exposed to multiple, accumulating adversities; (3) The prevalence of childhood adversity is influenced by geographical location (e.g. north versus south), age group and sex; (4) Childhood adversities are associated and co-occur, resulting in potential cumulative childhood stress. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated the importance of not only studying traumatic events but also of focusing on the early familial and social environment in childhood stress research and indicated the importance of recording or monitoring childhood adversities.
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| 5. |
- Ahrens, W, et al.
(author)
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The IDEFICS cohort: design, characteristics and participations in the baseline survey.
- 2011
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In: International Journal of Obesity. - 1476-5497. ; 35:suppl 1, s. 3-15
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BACKGROUND: The European IDEFICS (Identification and prevention of dietary- and lifestyle-induced health effects in children and infants) study was set up to determine the aetiology of overweight, obesity and related disorders in children, and to develop and evaluate a tailored primary prevention programme. OBJECTIVE: This paper focuses on the aetiological element of the multicentre study, the measures and examinations, sociodemographic characteristics of the study sample and proportions of participation. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study with an embedded intervention study that started with a baseline survey in eight countries in 2007-2008. SUBJECTS AND MEASUREMENTS: Baseline participants of the prospective cohort study were 16,224 children aged 2-9 years. Parents reported sociodemographic, behavioural, medical, nutritional and other lifestyle data for their children and families. Examinations of children included anthropometry, blood pressure, fitness, accelerometry, DNA from saliva and physiological markers in blood and urine. The built environment, sensory taste perception and other mechanisms of children's food choices and consumer behaviour were studied in subgroups. RESULTS: Between 1507 and 2567, children with a mean age of 6.0 years and an even sex distribution were recruited from each country. Of them, 82% lived in two-parent families. The distribution of standardised income levels differed by study sample, with low-income groups being strongly represented in Cyprus, Italy and Germany. At least one 24-h dietary recall was obtained for two-thirds of the children. Blood pressure and anthropometry were assessed in more than 90%. A 3-day accelerometry was performed in 46%, motor fitness was assessed in 41%, cardiorespiratory fitness in 35% and ∼11% participated in taste perception tests. The proportion of children donating venous blood, urine and saliva was 57, 86 and 88%, respectively. CONCLUSION: The IDEFICS cohort provides valuable data to investigate the interplay of social, environmental, genetic, physiological and behavioural factors in the development of major diet- and lifestyle-related disorders affecting children at present.
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| 6. |
- Bammann, K, et al.
(author)
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Validation of anthropometry and foot-to-foot bioelectrical resistance against a three-component model to assess total body fat in children: the IDEFICS study.
- 2013
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In: International Journal of Obesity. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0307-0565 .- 1476-5497. ; 37:4, s. 520-526
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objective:To compare different field methods for estimating body fat mass with a reference value derived by a three-component (3C) model in pre-school and school children across Europe.Design:Multicentre validation study.Subjects:Seventy-eight preschool/school children aged 4-10 years from four different European countries.Methods:A standard measurement protocol was carried out in all children by trained field workers. A 3C model was used as the reference method. The field methods included height and weight measurement, circumferences measured at four sites, skinfold measured at two-six sites and foot-to-foot bioelectrical resistance (BIA) via TANITA scales.Results:With the exception of height and neck circumference, all single measurements were able to explain at least 74% of the fat-mass variance in the sample. In combination, circumference models were superior to skinfold models and height-weight models. The best predictions were given by trunk models (combining skinfold and circumference measurements) that explained 91% of the observed fat-mass variance. The optimal data-driven model for our sample includes hip circumference, triceps skinfold and total body mass minus resistance index, and explains 94% of the fat-mass variance with 2.44kg fat mass limits of agreement. In all investigated models, prediction errors were associated with fat mass, although to a lesser degree in the investigated skinfold models, arm models and the data-driven models.Conclusion:When studying total body fat in childhood populations, anthropometric measurements will give biased estimations as compared to gold standard measurements. Nevertheless, our study shows that when combining circumference and skinfold measurements, estimations of fat mass can be obtained with a limit of agreement of 1.91kg in normal weight children and of 2.94kg in overweight or obese children.International Journal of Obesity advance online publication, 12 February 2013; doi:10.1038/ijo.2013.13.
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| 7. |
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| 8. |
- Boernhorst, C., et al.
(author)
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Validity of 24-h recalls in (pre-)school aged children : Comparison of proxy-reported energy intakes with measured energy expenditure
- 2014
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In: Clinical Nutrition. - : CHURCHILL LIVINGSTONE. - 0261-5614 .- 1532-1983. ; 33:1, s. 79-84
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background & aims: Little is known about the validity of repeated 24-h dietary recalls (24-HDR) as a measure of total energy intake (El) in young children. This study aimed to evaluate the validity of proxy-reported El by comparison with total energy expenditure (TEE) measured by the doubly labeled water (DLW) technique. Methods: The agreement between El and TEE was investigated in 36 (47.2% boys) children aged 4-10 years from Belgium and Spain using subgroup analyses and Bland-Altman plots. Low-energy-reporters (LER), adequate-energy-reporters (AER) and high-energy-reporters (HER) were defined from the ratio of El over TEE by application of age- and sex-specific cut-off values. Results: There was good agreement between means of El (1500 kcal/day) and TEE (1523 kcal/day) at group level though in single children, i.e. at the individual level, large differences were observed. Almost perfect agreement between El and TEE was observed in thin/normal weight children (EI: 1511 kcal/day; TEE: 1513 kcal/day). Even in overweight/obese children the mean difference between El and TEE was only 86 kcal/day. Among the participants, 28(78%) were classified as AER, five (14%) as HER and three (8%) as LER. Conclusion: Two proxy-reported 24-HDRs were found to be a valid instrument to assess El on group level but not on the individual level. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd and European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism. All rights reserved.
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| 9. |
- Konstabel, K, et al.
(author)
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Objectively measured physical activity in European children: the IDEFICS study.
- 2014
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In: International journal of obesity (2005). - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1476-5497 .- 0307-0565. ; 38 Suppl 2
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- To provide sex- and age-specific percentile values for levels of physical activity (PA) and sedentary time of European children aged 2.0-10.9 years from eight European countries (Sweden, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Cyprus, Spain, Belgium and Estonia).
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| 10. |
- Michels, N., et al.
(author)
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Caucasian children's fat mass: routine anthropometry v. air-displacement plethysmography
- 2013
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In: British Journal of Nutrition. - : Cambridge University Press (CUP). - 0007-1145 .- 1475-2662. ; 109:8, s. 1528-1537
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The present paper will use fat mass percentage (FM%) obtained via BOD POD (R) air-displacement plethysmography (FMADP%) to examine the relative validity of (1) anthropometric measurements/indices and (2) of FM% assessed with equations (FMeq%) based on skinfold thickness and bioelectrical impedance (BIA). In 480 Belgian children (aged 5-11 years) weight, height, skinfold thickness (triceps and subscapular), body circumferences (mid-upper arm, waist and hip), foot-to-foot BIA (Tanita (R)) and FMADP% were measured. Anthropometric measurements and calculated indices were compared with FMADP%. Next, published equations were used to calculate FMeq% using impedance (equations of Tanita (R), Tyrrell, Shaefer and Deurenberg) or skinfold thickness (equations of Slaughter, Goran, Dezenberg and Deurenberg). Both indices and equations performed better in girls than in boys. For both sexes, the sum of skinfold thicknesses resulted in the highest correlation with FMADP%, followed by triceps skinfold, arm fat area and subscapular skinfold. In general, comparing FMeq% with FMADP% indicated mostly an age and sex effect, and an increasing underestimation but less dispersion with increasing FM%. The Tanita (R) impedance equation and the Deurenberg skinfold equation performed the best, although none of the used equations were interchangeable with FMADP%. In conclusion, the sum of triceps and subscapular skinfold thickness is recommended as marker of FM% in the absence of specialised technologies. Nevertheless, the higher workload, cost and survey management of an immobile device like the BOD POD (R) remains justified.
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