Parental insulin resistance is associated with unhealthy lifestyle behaviours independently of body mass index in children: The Feel4Diabetes study.

Parental health is associated with children's health and lifestyles. Thus, the aim of the present study was to assess lifestyle behaviours of children of parents with insulin resistance (IR) and at risk of type 2 diabetes. 2117 European families from the Feel4Diabetes-study were identified as being at risk for diabetes with the FINDRISC questionnaire and included in the present study. One parent and one child per family were included. Parental IR was considered when homeostasis model assessment (HOMA) was equal or higher than 2.5. Children's screen-time, physical activity and diet were assessed and clustered by K-means. Weight and height were measured and children's body mass index (BMI) was calculated. For children, a Healthy Diet Score (HDS) was calculated. Linear regression and multilevel logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the associations between parental IR and children's lifestyle behaviours in 2021. Children of parents with IR had higher BMI (p < 0.001) and spent more screen time (p = 0.014) than those of non-IR parents. Children of parents with IR had a lower value in the breakfast and vegetable components of the HDS (p = 0.008 and p = 0.05). Four lifestyle clusters were found. Children of IR parents had higher odds of being in a non-healthy cluster (OR: 1.19; 95%CI: 1.001-1.437). CONCLUSION: Having an IR parent was associated with a high screen time and an increased probability of having an unhealthy lifestyle pattern in children. These data point out that children's lifestyles should be assessed in families with IR parents to provide tailored interventions. WHAT IS KNOWN: • Children with diabetic or insulin-resistant parents could also develop this condition. • Unhealthy lifestyles are directly related with insulin resistance even in children. WHAT IS NEW: • Children from parents with insulin resistance have higher chances of unhealthy lifestyles. • A higher BMI was found for those children with an insulin-resistant parent.

Fathers' daily intake of fruit and vegetables is positively associated with children's fruit and vegetable consumption patterns in Europe: The Feel4Diabetes Study.

BACKGROUND: Past research has focused on the relationship between mothers' and children's eating habits, although little is known about fathers as potential agents. The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between fathers' and children's fruit and vegetable (FV) intake in the context of fathers' education level and family income insecurity. METHODS: Cross-sectional analysis using baseline data from the multicentre Feel4Diabetes Study were collected in 2016. Participants were parent-dyads (fathers, n = 10,038) and school children (n = 12,041) from six European countries. Socio-demographic and dietary data were collected using questionnaires. Associations were assessed applying the multinomial logistic regression model. RESULTS: Overall, European children have low FV intake, especially in Southern European countries (Greece, Spain and Hungary). Children with fathers consuming FV daily were more likely to consume fresh fruit (odds ratio [OR] = 2.75; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.95-3.88) and vegetables (OR = 2.55; 95% CI = 1.80-3.60) 1-2 times per day. After adjusting for paternal educational level and family income insecurity significant associations remained for fresh fruit (ORadj = 2.59; 95% CI = 1.82-3.69) and vegetables (ORadj = 1.98; 95% CI = 1.38-2.86). Country differences showed that fathers' educational level and income insecurity might be important factors worth considering for FV intake in Greece. CONCLUSIONS: The present study showed that fathers' FV intake was positively associated with children's daily intake of these foods. Implementation of future population-based strategies promoting FV intake not only in mothers, but also in fathers could be an effective public health initiative to increase FV intake in children. Policy-makers should give special attention to families dwelling in Southern European regions.

How do the home food environment, parenting practices, health beliefs, and screen time affect the weight status of European children? The Feel4Diabetes Study.

BACKGROUND: Childhood obesity remains one of the most significant challenges in public health globally. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess the association between home food availability, parenting practices, health beliefs, screen time, and childhood overweight/obesity. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional analysis of 12 041 parent-child dyads from six European countries. Details on the home food environment, parenting practices, health beliefs, and digital devices were collected by questionnaires. RESULTS: Permissive parenting or rewarding children with screen time at a frequency of rarely/never and parents disagreeing with the statement "I believe that people have little power to prevent disease" were negatively associated with childhood overweight/obesity; whereas being "physically active with my child" rarely/never was positively associated. Regarding the home environment, the availability of fruit rarely/never was positively associated with childhood overweight/obesity, whereas the absence of digital devices in the child's room was negatively associated. CONCLUSION: Findings from the present study suggested that future school- and community-based initiatives in Europe that aim to prevent childhood obesity should also target the home environment, parenting beliefs, and practices. Programs designed to educate, facilitate, and support parents to adopt a healthy and active lifestyle with their children would empower parents to be agents of good role models and are probably the most efficient ways forward to tackle the childhood obesity epidemic. Future longitudinal intervention studies are needed to confirm the long-term efficacy of positive parenting in reducing childhood overweight/obesity.

Associations between soft-drink consumption and lifestyle patterns in overweight and obese European adults: Feel4Diabetes Study.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to identify lifestyle patterns that are characteristic of overweight and obese European adults in the context of educational level. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study of dietary data from 1235 men and 10 343 women. Dietary intake, educational level, and physical activity were assessed using questionnaires. A principal component analysis was used to derive lifestyle patterns, and associations with being overweight or obese (OW/OB) and waist circumference (WC) were explored by applying a multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS: Overall, 35% of women and 68% of men were OW/OB, of whom 30% and 40%, respectively, had ≤12 y of education. The principal component analysis derived 2 distinct dietary patterns (healthy vs. unhealthy). The daily intake of fruits (fresh, canned, and juice) and vegetables was found to be associated with lower odds of being OW/OB and WC in women only. In contrast, the daily intake of diet soft drinks was associated with higher odds of being OW/OB in women and men, but the daily intake of sweets was associated with higher odds of WC in women only. In both sexes, having >12 y of education was inversely associated with being OW/OB. No associations were observed for regular soft-drink intake. CONCLUSIONS: A healthy dietary pattern constituting of a daily intake of fruits and vegetables was inversely associated with being OW/OB in women. Conversely, a diet soft-drink intake was positively associated with being OW/OB in both sexes, probably because of a reduction in overall energy intake. More studies are recommended to clarify the effectiveness of diet soft-drink consumption in controlling caloric intake and as a healthier alternative to regular soft drinks and sweets.

Cross-Sectional Associations Between Mothers and Children's Breakfast Routine-The Feel4Diabetes-Study.

Positive influences of family members have been associated with a high probability of children's daily breakfast consumption. Therefore, the aim of this study was to scrutinize the association of breakfast routines between mothers and their children. The baseline data of the Feel4Diabetes-study was obtained in 9760 children (49.05% boys)-mother pairs in six European countries. A parental self-reported questionnaire gauging the frequency of breakfast consumption and of breakfast´ foods and beverages consumption was used. Agreement in routines of mothers and their children's breakfast consumption was analyzed in sex-specific crosstabs. The relationship of breakfast routine and food groups' consumption between mothers and their children was assessed with analysis of covariance. The highest proportion of children who always consumed breakfast were those whose mothers always consumed it. Children consuming breakfast regularly had a higher intake of milk or unsweetened dairy products and all kind of cereal products (low fiber and whole-grain) than occasional breakfast consumers (p < 0.05). The strong similarity between mothers and children suggests a transfer of breakfast routine from mothers to their children, as a high proportion of children who usually consume breakfast were from mothers also consuming breakfast. All breakfast foods and beverages consumption frequencies were similar between children and their mothers.