Children's food choices are highly dependent on patterns of parenting practices and food availability at home in families at high risk for type 2 diabetes in Europe: Cross-sectional results from the Feel4Diabetes study.

BACKGROUND: Food parenting practices, behaviours and food availability at home are associated with children's food choices; however, these associations have been mainly studied for each parenting practice separately and focused mostly on healthy populations. The aim of the study was to identify patterns of parenting practices (including data regarding food availability at home, food and physical activity-related behaviours and rewards) and to investigate their cross-sectional associations with children's food choices in families at high risk for type 2 diabetes (T2D). METHODS: Data of parents and children (n = 2278), from the Feel4Diabetes study conducted in six European countries, were collected using validated questionnaires. The data analysed included children's food choices, food availability at home and food and physical activity-related parenting practices. Four patterns of parenting practices were identified using principal component analysis, and associations between those components and children's food choices were assessed using adjusted, individual linear regressions. RESULTS: Parenting patterns focusing on unhealthy habits, such as allowing unhealthy snacks and unlimited screen time, providing higher availability of unhealthy foods at home, rewarding with snacks and screen time, were positively associated with children's unhealthy food choices (consumption of savoury/sweet snacks, fizzy drinks, etc.). The parenting patterns providing fruit/vegetables at home, consuming fruit, and being physically active with the child were positively associated with children's healthier food choices (consumption of fruit, vegetables, whole grain cereals, etc.). CONCLUSIONS: Public health initiatives should focus on high-risk families for T2D, assisting them to adopt appropriate parenting practices and behaviours to promote healthier food choices for children.

Factors Associated with Significant Weight Loss in Hospitalised Patients with COVID-19: A Retrospective Cohort Study in a Large Teaching Hospital.

SARS-CoV-2 infection (COVID-19) is associated with malnutrition risk in hospitalised individuals. COVID-19 and malnutrition studies in large European cohorts are limited, and post-discharge dietary characteristics are understudied. This study aimed to assess the rates of and risk factors for ≥10% weight loss in inpatients with COVID-19, and the need for post-discharge dietetic support and the General Practitioner (GP) prescription of oral nutritional supplements, during the first COVID-19 wave in a large teaching hospital in the UK. Hospitalised adult patients admitted between March and June 2020 with a confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis were included in this retrospective cohort study. Demographic, anthropometric, clinical, biochemical, and nutritional parameters associated with ≥10% weight loss and post-discharge characteristics were described. Logistic regression models were used to identify risk factors for ≥10% weight loss and post-discharge requirements for ongoing dietetic input and oral nutritional supplement prescription. From the total 288 patients analysed (40% females, 72 years median age), 19% lost ≥ 10% of their admission weight. The length of hospital stay was a significant risk factor for ≥10% weight loss in multivariable analysis (OR 1.22; 95% CI 1.08-1.38; p = 0.001). In addition, ≥10% weight loss was positively associated with higher admission weight and malnutrition screening scores, dysphagia, ICU admission, and artificial nutrition needs. The need for more than one dietetic input after discharge was associated with older age and ≥10% weight loss during admission. A large proportion of patients admitted to the hospital with COVID-19 experienced significant weight loss during admission. Longer hospital stay is a risk factor for ≥10% weight loss, independent of disease severity, reinforcing the importance of repeated malnutrition screening and timely referral to dietetics.

The Combined Effect of Promoting the Mediterranean Diet and Physical Activity on Metabolic Risk Factors in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomised Controlled Trials.

Adhering to the Mediterranean diet (MD) and physical activity (PA) public health guidelines have independently been linked to health benefits in adults. These behaviours form essential components of the traditional Mediterranean lifestyle. However, their combined effect on metabolic risk has not been systematically assessed. This systematic review with meta-analysis (PROSPERO; CRD42017073958) aimed to examine, for the first time, the combined effect of promoting the MD and PA compared with no treatment, treatment with MD or PA alone, or a different dietary and/or PA treatment, and estimate its magnitude on metabolic risk factors. Medline, Embase, CINAHL and Web of Science were systematically searched until March 2018 for English language controlled interventions reporting the combined effects of the MD and PA on one or multiple metabolic risk factors in adults. Two researchers independently conducted data extraction and risk of bias assessment using a rigorous methodology. Reporting followed PRISMA guidelines. Quality of reporting and risk of bias were assessed using the CONSORT guidelines and the Cochrane Collaboration's tool, respectively. Data from 12 articles reporting 11 randomised controlled trials (n = 1684) were included in the qualitative synthesis; across them, risk of bias was considered low, unclear and high for 42%, 25% and 33% of domains, respectively. Between-study heterogeneity ranged from 44% (triglycerides) to 98% (insulin and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL)-cholesterol). Compared to a control condition, there was strong evidence (p < 0.001) of a beneficial effect of promoting the MD and PA on body weight (-3.68 kg, 95% CI (confidence intervals) -5.48, -1.89), body mass index (-0.64 kg/m², 95% CI -1.10, -0.18), waist circumference (-1.62 cm, 95% CI -2.58, -0.66), systolic (-0.83 mmHg, 95% CI -1.57, -0.09) and diastolic blood pressure (-1.96 mmHg, 95% CI -2.57, -1.35), HOMA-IR index (-0.90, 95% CI -1.22, -0.58), blood glucose (-7.32 mg/dL, 95% CI -9.82, -4.82), triglycerides (-18.47 mg/dL, 95% CI -20.13, -16.80), total cholesterol (-6.30 mg/dL, 95% CI -9.59, -3.02) and HDL-cholesterol (+3.99 mg/dL, 95% CI 1.22, 6.77). There was no evidence of an effect on insulin concentrations. The data presented here provide systematically identified evidence that concurrently promoting the MD and PA is likely to provide an opportunity for metabolic risk reduction. However, due to the high degree of heterogeneity, most likely due to the variation in control group treatment, and the small number of included studies, findings from the pooled analysis should be interpreted with caution. These findings also highlight the need for high quality randomised controlled trials examining the combined effect of the MD and PA on metabolic risk.

Breakfast consumption and weight-loss maintenance: results from the MedWeight study.

Daily breakfast consumption is a common eating behaviour among people who have maintained their weight loss after weight-loss management. However, there is not a precise definition for breakfast in the literature. The purpose of this study was to investigate potential associations between breakfast consumption (based on several definitions) and weight-loss maintenance, as well as to explore differences in breakfast quality between individuals who managed to maintain part of the weight loss and in those who regained weight loss. The study sample consisted of 354 participants of the MedWeight study (age: 32 (sd 10) years, 61 % women) who had lost ≥10 % of their initial body weight and either maintained the loss for ≥1 year (maintainers, n 257) or regained weight loss (regainers, n 97). Participants completed online questionnaires and reported their dietary intake through two telephone 24-h recalls. Breakfast consumption was evaluated using twelve different definitions. The analysis indicated that breakfast consumption was associated with weight-loss maintenance only in men, when using self-reported breakfast consumption or the following breakfast definitions: (1) the first eating episode consumed at home and (2) the first eating episode consumed at home excluding caffeinated drinks. This association remained statistically significant even after adjustment for potential confounding factors. Thus, breakfast, the first eating episode of the day, when consumed at home, may be protective against weight regaining.