Factors associated with Mediterranean diet adherence in a sample of high socio-economic status children from southern Spain.

OBJECTIVE: The present study examined the association of BMI, fat mass, physical activity engagement (PA), maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max), screen time and academic performance (AP) with Mediterranean diet (MD) adherence in a sample of high socio-economic status (SES) children. DESIGN: A non-randomised design was used. A multilinear regression model was developed using backward elimination. Analysis included variables pertaining to age, BMI, VO2max, fat percentage, AP, PA engagement and screen time. All participants had a high SES and so this variable was not included as a predictor. Data met the assumptions required for multiple regressions in terms of linearity, homoscedasticity, normality, independence and non-multicollinearity. SETTING: Two state and three mixed funding schools in Granada, Spain. PARTICIPANTS: Data were collected from 244 children aged between 10 and 12 years. RESULTS: Better AP, higher PA engagement and lower screen time were found to be predictive of MD adherence. These variables explained 22·9 % of the variance in data measuring adolescent MD adherence. CONCLUSIONS: The present study suggests that, in addition to SES, PA, AP and screen time are important components to consider when targeting improvements in MD adherence in children. It is, therefore, concluded that interventions targeting improvements in PA, AP and screen time are needed to promote MD adherence in children, regardless of SES.

Lifestyle Behaviours, Self-Esteem and Academic Performance in Primary Education Students-A Structural Equation Model According to Sex and School Type.

(1) Background: The present study aimed to examine the relationship between physical activity (PA), screen time (ST), maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max), Mediterranean diet (MD) adherence, self-esteem (SE) and academic performance (AP) in primary education students. In order to address this aim, an explanatory model was developed to examine the existing relationships between PA, ST, VO2max, MD adherence, SE and AP. Further, the proposed structural model was examined via multi-group analysis as a function of sex and school type. (2) Methods: A non-experimental, descriptive, comparative and cross-sectional study was designed with a total sample of 269 Spanish students (11.29 ± 0.62). Validated questionnaires were administered to collect data on study variables. (3) Results: Relative to boys, girls reported better academic grades and showed a stronger positive relationship between MD adherence and AP, MD adherence and PA, and VO2max and SE. Likewise, girls showed a stronger negative relationship between ST and VO2max, and ST and MD adherence. At the same time, mixed funding school (MFS) students reported higher PA engagement than state school (SS) students. However, SS students reported better MD adherence, ST and AP than MFS students. Further, a stronger positive relationship was found in SS students between MD adherence or VO2max and SE than in MFS students. Also, within the former group, ST was more negatively related to MD adherence and VO2max. (4) Conclusions: Scientific and educational communities must develop future strategies that consider potential determinants in order to target more desirable outcomes.

Relationship between Learning and Psychomotor Skills in Early Childhood Education.

Psychomotor skills are, among others, an aspect particularly valuable for structuring the teaching-learning process of infant schoolchildren. For this reason, a study was carried out with the aim of describing and comparing the socio-demographic, psychomotor, and learning levels of schoolchildren in the second stage of infant education. Ninety-five pupils from the second cycle of infant education in the capital of Granada took part in this study. A sociodemographic questionnaire, the movement assessment battery for children-2 (MABC-2), and the preschool learning behaviour scale (PLBS) were used to collect data. The main results show that manual dexterity appears as the main motor factor and similar figures in the three dimensions of learning behaviours. On the other hand, balance and learning behaviours were higher in 6-year-old schoolchildren. In terms of gender, girls obtained higher values for the level of the learning behaviour variables. A positive correlation was found between the dimensions of learning and motor activity.

The association between healthy lifestyle behaviors and health-related quality of life among adolescents / Associação entre comportamentos de estilo de vida saudável e a qualidade de vida relacionada à saúde entre adolescentes

Abstract Objective: The aim of this research was to examine the association between body mass index, physical activity, adherence to the Mediterranean diet, and health-related quality of life in a sample of Spanish adolescents. Method: The study involved 456 adolescents aged between 11 and 14 years. They completed questionnaires on the Mediterranean diet (KIDMED), physical activity (Physical Activity Questionnaire for Older Children [PAQ-C]), and quality of life (KIDSCREEN-27). Body mass index was calculated. Hierarchical linear regression analyses were used to determine whether health-related quality of life could be predicted by the measured variables. The variables were analyzed in a stepwise manner, with Mediterranean diet entered in the first step, body mass index in the second, and physical activity in the third. Results: Mediterranean diet accounted for 4.6% of the variance in adolescent's health-related quality of life, with higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet predicting higher health-related quality of life-scores. Body mass index accounted for a further 4.1% of the variance, with a higher body mass index predicting lower health-related quality of life scores. Finally, physical activity explained an additional 11.3% of the variance, with a higher level of physical activity being associated with higher health-related quality of life scores. Together, these variables explained 20% of the variance in the adolescents' health-related quality of life. Conclusions: Physical activity, body mass index, and adherence to the Mediterranean diet are important components to consider when targeting improvements in the health-related quality of life of adolescents, with physical activity representing the component with the greatest influence.

Resumo Objetivo: O objetivo desta pesquisa foi examinar a associação entre o índice de massa corporal, a atividade física, a adesão à dieta mediterrânea e a qualidade de vida relacionada à saúde em uma mostra de adolescentes espanhóis. Método: O estudo envolveu 456 adolescentes entre 11 e 14 anos. Eles preencheram questionários sobre a dieta mediterrânea (Kidmed), atividade física (Questionário de Atividade Física para Crianças mais velhas, PAQ-C) e qualidade de vida (Kidscreen-27). Foi calculado o índice de massa corporal. Análises de regressão linear hierárquica foram usadas para determinar se a qualidade de vida relacionada à saúde pode ser prevista pelas variáveis medidas. As variáveis foram introduzidas de forma gradual com a dieta mediterrânea na primeira etapa, índice de massa corporal na segunda etapa e atividade física na terceira. Resultados: A dieta mediterrânea representou 4,6% da variância na qualidade de vida relacionada à saúde dos adolescentes e uma maior adesão à dieta mediterrânea foi preditiva de maiores escores de qualidade de vida relacionados à saúde. O índice de massa corporal representou um adicional de 4,1% de variância e um maior índice de massa corporal foi preditivo de menores escores de qualidade de vida relacionada à saúde. Por fim, a atividade física representou um adicional de 11,3% da variância e um maior nível de atividade física foi associado a maiores escores de qualidade de vida relacionada à saúde. Juntas, essas variáveis representam 20% da variância na qualidade de vida relacionada à saúde dos adolescentes. Conclusões: A atividade física, o índice de massa corporal e a adesão à dieta mediterrânea são importantes componentes para considerar ao visar melhorias na qualidade de vida relacionada à saúde dos adolescentes, a atividade física é o componente com maior influência.

The association between healthy lifestyle behaviors and health-related quality of life among adolescents.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this research was to examine the association between body mass index, physical activity, adherence to the Mediterranean diet, and health-related quality of life in a sample of Spanish adolescents. METHOD: The study involved 456 adolescents aged between 11 and 14 years. They completed questionnaires on the Mediterranean diet (KIDMED), physical activity (Physical Activity Questionnaire for Older Children [PAQ-C]), and quality of life (KIDSCREEN-27). Body mass index was calculated. Hierarchical linear regression analyses were used to determine whether health-related quality of life could be predicted by the measured variables. The variables were analyzed in a stepwise manner, with Mediterranean diet entered in the first step, body mass index in the second, and physical activity in the third. RESULTS: Mediterranean diet accounted for 4.6% of the variance in adolescent's health-related quality of life, with higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet predicting higher health-related quality of life-scores. Body mass index accounted for a further 4.1% of the variance, with a higher body mass index predicting lower health-related quality of life scores. Finally, physical activity explained an additional 11.3% of the variance, with a higher level of physical activity being associated with higher health-related quality of life scores. Together, these variables explained 20% of the variance in the adolescents' health-related quality of life. CONCLUSIONS: Physical activity, body mass index, and adherence to the Mediterranean diet are important components to consider when targeting improvements in the health-related quality of life of adolescents, with physical activity representing the component with the greatest influence.