Children's snack consumption: role of parents, peers and child snack-purchasing behaviour. Results from the INPACT study.

BACKGROUND: Parents and peers are both likely to influence children's dietary behaviour. However, their actual influence may depend on the age and life stage of the individual child. Therefore, this study examined the influence of parents (home snack availability and consumption rules) and peers on 11-year-old children's snack consumption, and whether these associations were mediated by children's snack-purchasing behaviour. It was hypothesized that children are more likely to buy unhealthy snacks if these are not always available at home, if restrictive rules apply to their consumption and if a child is sensitive to peer influence. It was also assumed that children who buy snacks out of their pocket money would consume more snacks. METHODS: Data were taken from 1203 parent-child dyads who completed a questionnaire in the INPACT study (IVO Physical Activity Child cohorT). Multivariable regression models were used to (i) analyze associations between children's consumption and parents' and peers' influence and (ii) determine whether these associations were mediated by children's snack-purchasing behaviour. RESULTS: Of the parental factors, home availability of snacks was associated with higher snack consumption (B = 1.03, P < 0.05). Parental factors and children's snack-purchasing behaviour were not associated. Children who were sensitive to peer influence consumed more snacks (B = 3c07, P < 0.01) and bought more snacks out of their pocket money (odds ratio 3.27, P < 0.0.01). Children's snack-purchasing behaviour explained part (8.6%) of the association between peer influence and children's snack consumption. CONCLUSION: As these findings indicate that both parents and peers influence children's snack consumption, health promotion may benefit from targeting the broader social environment.

Socio-economic inequalities in children's snack consumption and sugar-sweetened beverage consumption: the contribution of home environmental factors.

In the present study, we examined the association between maternal education and unhealthy eating behaviour (the consumption of snack and sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB)) and explored environmental factors that might mediate this association in 11-year-old children. These environmental factors include home availability of snacks and SSB, parental rules about snack and SSB consumption, parental intake of snacks and SSB, peer sensitivity and children's snack-purchasing behaviour. Data were obtained from the fourth wave of the INPACT (IVO Nutrition and Physical Activity Child cohorT) study (2011), in which 1318 parent-child dyads completed a questionnaire. Data were analysed using multivariate regression models. Children of mothers with an intermediate educational level were found to consume more snacks than those of mothers with a high educational level (B= 1·22, P= 0·02). This association was not mediated by environmental factors. Children of mothers with a low educational level were found to consume more SSB than those of mothers with a high educational level (B= 0·63, P< 0·01). The association between maternal educational level and children's SSB consumption was found to be mediated by parental intake of snacks and SSB and home availability of SSB. The home environment seems to be a promising setting for interventions on reducing socio-economic inequalities in children's SSB consumption.

Is there an association between the home food environment, the local food shopping environment and children's fruit and vegetable intake? Results from the Dutch INPACT study.

OBJECTIVE: To examine: (i) the association between home availability of fruit and vegetables and children's fruit and vegetable intake; (ii) the association between parental perception of the local food shopping environment and the home availability of fruit and vegetables; and (iii) whether the home availability of fruit and vegetables mediates the association between parental perception of the local food environment and children's fruit and vegetable consumption. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: A total of ninety-one primary schools in the Netherlands. SUBJECTS: In total 1501 primary caregivers completed a questionnaire to measure children's fruit and vegetable consumption, home availability of fruit and vegetables, parental perceptions of the local food shopping environment (price, quality and availability), the child's socio-economic status, the child's ethnicity and maternal height and weight. RESULTS: The home availability of fruit and vegetables was positively associated with children's fruit and vegetable intake (P,0?01 and P,0?001, respectively). Negative parental perceptions of the local food shopping environment were associated with less fruit available at home (P,0?05, P,0?01 and P,0?05 for price, quality and availability of fruit, respectively). No significant associations were found between parental perception of the local food shopping environment and children's fruit and vegetable consumption. We found no evidence that home availability of fruit and vegetables mediates the association between parental perception of the local food environment and children's fruit and vegetable intake. CONCLUSIONS: Interventions focusing on improving the home availability of fruit and vegetables may help to increase children's fruit and vegetable consumption. However, more data are required on factors influencing the home availability of fruit and vegetables.

Why do lower educated people continue smoking? Explanations from the longitudinal GLOBE study.

This article describes the effect of educational level on the decision to continue smoking among 1,354 initially smoking participants (age > or = 20 years) in the Dutch GLOBE study. The effect of education on continued smoking was explained from baseline information (1991) on smoking characteristics, individual characteristics, and environmental factors. Smoking status was reassessed after 6.5 years. Lower educated smokers more often continued smoking (odds ratio 2.09). Poor perceived health and earlier smoking initiation in lower educated groups were main predictors of educational differences in smoking maintenance. Educational differences in chronic illness, perceived control, neuroticism, and emotional support also contributed to the explanation of educational differences in continued smoking. These results have important implications for intervention programs and policy.

Educational differences in starting excessive alcohol consumption: explanations from the longitudinal GLOBE study.

This paper describes educational differences in starting excessive alcohol consumption during 6 1/2 years of follow-up among 1648 initially alcohol-consuming Dutch adults. The longitudinal GLOBE study provides the unique possibility to study explanations for educational differences due to the collection of extensive baseline information on educational level, alcohol consumption, stressors (tension reduction theory) and vulnerability indicators (differential vulnerability theory) in 1991. Alcohol consumption was again assessed in 1997. We report that lower educated people were almost three times more likely to start excessive alcohol consumption during follow-up compared to the highest educated persons. Both educational differences in exposure to stressors (financial problems) and vulnerability (low social support) contributed to the educational differences in starting excessive alcohol consumption and explained 23% of the educational variation in starting excessive alcohol consumption. Remaining educational differences were however still statistically significant. These results are discussed with regard to implications for interventions and possible additional explanatory mechanisms.

Relationship between impulsivity, snack consumption and children's weight.

BACKGROUND: Childhood overweight is a public health problem associated with psychosocial and physical problems. Personality traits, such as impulsivity, may contribute to the development of overweight. OBJECTIVE: This study examines 1) the association between general impulsivity traits (reward sensitivity and disinhibition) and children's weight, 2) the association between impulsivity traits and unhealthy snack consumption, and 3) the potential mediating role of unhealthy snack consumption in the relationship between impulsivity traits and children's weight. METHODS: Included were 1,377 parent-child dyads participating in the IVO Nutrition and Physical Activity Child cohorT (INPACT). Children had a mean age of 10 years. Parents completed a questionnaire to measure children's unhealthy snack consumption. Children completed a door-opening task to assess reward sensitivity and completed a questionnaire to measure disinhibition. Children's height and weight were measured to calculate their BMI z-scores. Cross-sectional linear regression analyses were performed to test the associations. RESULTS: Disinhibition was positively associated with unhealthy snack consumption but not with BMI z-scores. Reward sensitivity was not related to unhealthy snack consumption or to BMI z-scores. CONCLUSIONS: No evidence was found for a mediating effect of unhealthy snack consumption in the relation between impulsivity traits and children's weight. However, disinhibition appears to have a negative influence on children's unhealthy snack consumption. Future research focusing on food-related impulsivity in addition to general impulsivity will provide additional insight into factors that influence children's unhealthy snack consumption and weight.

Intellectual disability among Dutch homeless people: prevalence and related psychosocial problems.

BACKGROUND: There is a higher prevalence of intellectual disability (ID) among homeless people than in the general population. However, little is known about the additional psychosocial problems faced by homeless people with ID. We describe the prevalence of ID in a cohort of homeless people in the Netherlands, and report relationships between ID and psychosocial problems in terms of psychological distress, substance (mis)use and dependence, as well as demographic characteristics in this cohort. METHODS: This cross-sectional study is part of a cohort study among homeless people in the four major cities of the Netherlands. Data were derived from 387 homeless people who were interviewed and screened for ID six months after the baseline measurement. Multivariate logistic regression analyses and χ2 tests were performed to analyze relationships between ID, psychosocial problems and demographic characteristics. FINDINGS: Of all cohort members, 29.5% had a suspected ID. Participants with a suspected ID had a higher mean age, were more likely to be male and to fall in the lowest category of education than participants without a suspected ID. Having a suspected ID was related to general psychological distress (OR  = 1.56, p<0.05), somatization (OR  = 1.84, p<0.01), depression (OR  = 1.58, p<0.05) and substance dependence (OR  = 1.88, p<0.05). No relationships were found between a suspected ID and anxiety, regular substance use, substance misuse and primary substance of use. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of ID among Dutch homeless people is higher than in the general population, and is related to more psychosocial problems than among homeless people without ID. Homeless people with a suspected ID appear to be a vulnerable subgroup within the homeless population. This endorses the importance of the extra attention required for this subgroup.

Stages of change for moderate-intensity physical activity in deprived neighborhoods.

BACKGROUND: This article describes the association of external and psychosocial factors with the stages of change for moderate-intensity physical activity among individuals with generally low socioeconomic positions. METHODS: A self-administered questionnaire among individuals aged 18-65 years (response rate 60%, n = 2781) in deprived neighborhoods in Eindhoven, The Netherlands, was conducted in September 2000. To identify factors associated with stages of change an ordinal logistic regression model, the "Threshold of Change model (TCM)", was used to analyze the data. RESULTS: Thirty-six percent of the respondents were in the pre-action stages, 15% was in action and 49% in maintenance. Individuals who were, older, lower educated, had low health locus of control, had less knowledge of physical activity issues, and presented other risky health behaviors, were more likely to be in a lower stage of change category. A positive attitude, high self-efficacy expectations, perceiving the physical activity level of others as high, and much social support were associated with the higher stages of change categories. CONCLUSION: The distribution across the stages of change supports the need to improve physical activity behavior in these deprived neighborhoods. Interventions need to be tailored to the psychosocial, and the external factors that are likely to play a role in the behavioral change process.

Correlates of stages of change of smoking among inhabitants of deprived neighbourhoods.

BACKGROUND: This study examines the prevalence and correlates of stages of change of smoking, in terms of psychosocial, structural and sociodemographic factors, among inhabitants of deprived neighbourhoods. METHODS: Cross-sectional data were obtained from a survey on health related behaviour. Subjects were 2009 current and former smokers, aged 20-46, living in deprived neighbourhoods in Rotterdam, the second largest city in the Netherlands. Three groups of smokers were formed according to the stages of change-definitions of the Transtheoretical Model: smokers not planning to quit (precontemplators), smokers planning to quit (contemplators/preparators) and former smokers (actors/maintainers). Smokers planning to quit and smokers not planning to quit were compared regarding psychosocial factors (attitude, social norm, self-efficacy), structural factors (neighbourhood problems, material deprivation, financial problems, employment status) and sociodemographic factors (age, gender, marital status, cultural background, educational level). Former smokers were compared with smokers planning to quit regarding structural and sociodemographic factors. Logistic regression was used to assess correlates of stages of change. RESULTS: Smokers planning to quit (prevalence = 19%) reported a more positive attitude, stronger social norms and higher self-efficacy expectations in quitting smoking than smokers not planning to quit (prevalence = 57%). Smokers planning to quit less often were Dutch-born, more often had attended higher vocational schooling or university and more often reported experiencing two or more neighbourhood problems compared to smokers not planning to quit. Former smokers (prevalence = 24%) were older, more often Dutch-born, married, employed and higher educated, compared to smokers planning to quit. Furthermore, former smokers less often reported material deprivation and financial problems than smokers planning to quit. CONCLUSION: Among people living in deprived neighbourhoods, different factors correlate with different stages of change of smoking. Implications for health promotion are discussed.

Father's occupational group and daily smoking during adolescence: patterns and predictors.

OBJECTIVES: We investigated the relationship among father's occupational group, daily smoking, and smoking determinants in a cohort of New Zealand adolescents. METHODS: The longitudinal Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study provided information on adolescents' self-reported smoking behavior and potential predictors of smoking, such as social and material factors, personality characteristics, educational achievement, and individual attitudes and beliefs regarding smoking. Longitudinal logistic generalized estimating equation analyses were used. RESULTS: Adolescents whose fathers were classified in the lowest-status occupational group were twice as likely as those whose fathers occupied the highest-status occupational group to be daily smokers. This high risk of daily smoking among the adolescents from the lowest occupational group was largely predicted by their lower intelligence scores and by the higher prevalence of smoking among fathers and friends. CONCLUSIONS: To prevent socioeconomic differences in smoking, school-based interventions should seek to prevent smoking uptake among adolescents, particularly those of lower socioeconomic status. Programs need to provide positive, nonsmoking role models consonant with the culture and norms of lower-socioeconomic-status groups. Adolescents need to acquire resistance skills and protective behaviors against social pressure and influences.

Educational differences in the intention to stop smoking: explanations based on the Theory of Planned Behaviour.

BACKGROUND: At this time, the mechanisms by which socioeconomic differences in smoking develop are not completely understood. In this paper the Theory of Planned Behaviour as a potential explanatory framework for socioeconomic differences in smoking is tested. It was hypothesized that components of the Theory of Planned Behaviour may be unequally distributed over educational groups and therefore contribute to the explanation of socioeconomic differences in smoking. Educational differences in the intention to quit smoking are described and attempts are made to understand these in the light of educational patterns in attitude towards smoking cessation, perceived subjective norm concerning quitting smoking, and self-efficacy. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was part of the longitudinal GLOBE study on socioeconomic differences in The Netherlands. Components of the Theory of Planned Behaviour were measured in 1997 among 602 Dutch daily smokers. RESULTS: No educational differences in the intention to quit smoking were found. Persons with a more positive attitude towards smoking cessation and a high subjective norm significantly more often intended to quit smoking. But, positive attitude and high subjective norm were not related to education, which explains the lack of educational differences in intention to quit smoking. Higher educated respondents reported significantly higher self-efficacy to refrain from smoking, which, however, was not related to the intention to quit smoking. CONCLUSION: It is anticipated that, from all components of the Theory of Planned Behaviour, only the direct effect of self-efficacy on behaviour may contribute to educational differences in smoking cessation.

Hostility and the educational gradient in health. The mediating role of health-related behaviours.

BACKGROUND: The aim was to study hostility as a factor intermediate in the association between educational level and health. METHODS: 1997 cross-sectional data from the Dutch GLOBE study (1675 men and 1819 women) was used. The analyses distinguishes between direct effects of hostility on health, and indirect effects, which are through health-related behaviours. The latter indicates that hostile people may be at risk of adverse health, because they engage in unhealthy behaviours. Data were analysed with logistic regression techniques. RESULTS: Among men and women, the odds of less than good health was higher in lower educational groups. A substantial part of the educational gradient in health could be ascribed to the intermediate effects of hostility. Among both men and women, the direct effects of hostility were more important than indirect effects. CONCLUSION: Results suggest that interventions should be aimed at the prevention of the development of hostility. Additionally, interventions aimed at the reduction of health damaging behaviours among adults may lead to a reduction of socio-economic inequalities in health.

Investigating explanations of socio-economic inequalities in health: the Dutch GLOBE study.

BACKGROUND: The GLOBE study is a prospective cohort study specifically aimed at the explanation of socio-economic inequalities in health in the Netherlands. The returns of the study are reviewed after ten years of follow-up, and the studies' contribution to the development of policy measures to reduce inequalities in health in the Netherlands are described. METHODS: The study started in 1991 with a baseline postal survey (response rate 70.1% or n=18973, 15-74 years of age). Two sub-samples of respondents to this survey were subsequently interviewed in 1991 (response 79.4% and 72.3%, n=5667). Baseline data collection included measures of socio-economic position, health and possible explanatory factors. Follow-up involved repeated postal surveys and interviews, and routinely collected data on hospital admissions, cancer incidence and mortality by cause of death. RESULTS: Compared with higher socio-economic groups, lower socio-economic groups showed higher prevalence rates of poor self-reported health (perceived general health, health complaints, chronic conditions, disabilities), higher incidence rates of specific conditions (myocardial infarction) and higher rates of all-cause mortality. The higher prevalence of adverse material circumstances, unhealthy behaviour, adverse psychosocial characteristics, and adverse childhood circumstances in the lower socio-economic groups was important in the explanation of socio-economic inequalities in health. Socio-economic differences in health care utilization did not contribute to the explanation. CONCLUSIONS: The GLOBE study contributed significantly to the understanding of the explanation of socio-economic inequalities in health in the Netherlands. Study results were a main source of information in the development of policy measures aimed at the reduction of socio-economic inequalities in health in the Netherlands.