Total and temporal patterning of physical activity in adolescents and associations with mental wellbeing.

BACKGROUND: There is limited understanding of the extent to which differences in physical activity across the day and week may be associated with mental wellbeing. Such an understanding is needed for better targeting of interventions. In this study, we describe total and temporal patterning of physical activity across the week in adolescents (age 13-14y) and assess their prospective associations with mental wellbeing. METHODS: 1,983 13-14-year-old adolescent participants based in Cambridgeshire and Essex, recruited between 2016 and 2017 into the Get Others Active Trial provided data at baseline and 4 months. Physical activity was measured at baseline using wrist-worn accelerometers across different time segments (whole week, weekday schooltime, weekday out of school, and weekend), and operationalized as average movement-related acceleration for each time segment. Mental Wellbeing at baseline and 4 months was measured using the Warwick Edinburgh MentalWellbeing Scale. Associations between physical activity across different time segments (whole week, weekday schooltime, weekday out of school, and weekend) and mental wellbeing at 4 months were investigated using sex-stratified multi-level regression models, adjusted for covariates, and both adjusted and unadjusted for baseline mental wellbeing. RESULTS: Our analyses found positive associations between physical activity and mental wellbeing at 4 months, unadjusted for baseline wellbeing. Among girls, positive associations were shown when considering physical activity across the whole week 0.07 (95% CI, 0.03-0.12), and across all separate time periods studied: weekday schooltime 0.07 (95% CI, 0.02-0.11), weekday out-of-school time 0.07 (95% CI, 0.03-0.12), and weekend 0.07 (95% CI, 0.02-0.11). For boys, similar associations were observed for activity across the week 0.07 (95% CI, 0.03-0.11), during weekday schooltime 0.08 (95% CI, 0.04-0.12), and weekday out-of-school time 0.07 (95% CI, 0.03-0.11), but not the weekend 0.01 (95% CI, -0.03-0.05). For both girls and boys, associations were attenuated below significance after adjusting for baseline wellbeing. CONCLUSIONS: This longitudinal analysis showed positive associations between physical activity and later mental wellbeing in both male and female adolescents across most time segments. Higher physical activity throughout the week may be associated with better mental wellbeing in the adolescent population. Further research is required to understand determinants of change in wellbeing over time. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Registration Number: ISRCTN31583496. Registered: 18/02/2014.

Cross-sectional associations of gender identity and sexual orientation, with co-occurrence and clustering of health-related behaviours among British adolescents: Millennium cohort study.

PURPOSE: We examined whether gender identity and sexual orientation were associated with seven health-related behaviours, and with co-occurrence and clustering of these behaviours among British adolescents. METHODS: Millennium Cohort Study (age 17 wave) provided data on the exposures, gender identity (male, female, genderqueer) and sexual orientation (heterosexual, bisexual, gay or lesbian, or other), and seven self-reported health-related behaviours (binge drinking, drug use, no consumption of breakfast, no consumption of fruits or vegetables, physical inactivity, poor sleep, and smoking or vaping). Poisson regressions examined associations between the exposures and single behaviours (reporting prevalence ratios (PRs)); and multinomial logistic regressions were used for behavioural cumulative co-occurrence score (reporting PRs). Cluster patterns were identified using Ward's agglomerative hierarchical cluster analysis while associations with cluster membership were performed using logistic regressions (reporting odds ratios (ORs)). RESULTS: Our sample included 6022 adolescents (55.4% female, 1.5% genderqueer, 11.6% non-heterosexual). Adolescents who identified as genderqueer had the highest prevalence of not eating breakfast (PR: 60.5% [95%CI 48.4-71.4]) and poor sleep (68.7% [95%CI 55.6-79.3]). Those who identified as bisexual had a higher PR of co-occurring behaviours (2.46 [95%CI 1.39-4.27]). Among the three clusters identified (1: Multiple risk behaviours; 2: Physical inactivity and binge drinking; 3: Poor diet and physical inactivity), adolescents who identified as genderqueer or other sexual orientation showed the highest prevalence in cluster 3. CONCLUSION: Gender and sexual minority British adolescents showed a higher prevalence of risky health-related behaviours, and higher risk of co-occurring behaviours. Physical inactivity and poor diet behaviours commonly clustered together for these groups.

Shorter sleep among adolescents is associated with lower fruit and vegetable consumption the following day.

BACKGROUND: Insufficient sleep has been associated with weight gain and metabolic dysregulation, with one suggested mechanism being through reduction in diet quality. Experimental evidence supports a causal effect of sleep timings on diet but this may not be applicable to a free-living adolescent population. In this analysis we use daily measures of sleep timings and diet quality, to examine the effect of sleep duration and timing on diet quality the following day among free-living adolescents. METHODS: The ROOTS study is a prospective cohort recruited from secondary schools in Cambridgeshire and Suffolk (UK). Participants (n = 815) at mean age 15.0y (SD 0.3y) completed a diet diary and wore a combined heart rate and accelerometer device over 4 consecutive days. Sleep duration and timing (midpoint) were derived from acceleration and heart rate traces, while daily energy density and fruit and vegetable intake were calculated from dietary data. Analyses were performed at day-level (1815 person-days). Multilevel random effects models were used to test associations between sleep each night and subsequent day diet, with daily sleep and diet measures nested within individuals and schools, and adjusted for day-level and individual-level confounding variables. RESULTS: Adolescents slept a mean of 7.88 hrs (SD 1.10) per night, reporting a mean energy density of 2.12 kcal/g (SD 0.48) and median energy-adjusted daily fruit and vegetable intake of 137.3 g (IQR 130.4). One hour shorter sleep duration was associated with lower intake of fruit and vegetables (-6.42 g, 95%CI -1.84, -10.99) the following day. An association with higher dietary energy density (0.016 kcal/g, 95%CI 0.034, -0.002) the following day was observed but did not reach statistical significance. Sleep timing was not associated with either fruit and vegetable intake (-2.52 g/d, 95%CI -7.66, 2.62) or dietary energy density (-0.001 kcal/g, 95%CI -0.022, 0.020). CONCLUSIONS: Our observational findings from a free-living adolescent population support the experimental evidence for a causal role of sleep on diet, with shorter sleep duration at night leading to a small decrease in diet quality the following day. These findings support experimental evidence to suggest inclusion of sleep duration as one component of interventions designed to improve diet quality and weight status in adolescents.

Recruitment and retention into longitudinal health research from an adolescent perspective: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: High quality longitudinal studies investigating changes in health behaviours over the transition into early adulthood are critical. However, recruiting and retaining adolescents is challenging. This study explored adolescents' perspectives of signing up to and continuing involvement in a hypothetical longitudinal health research study. METHODS: Forty-eight individuals (15-20y) participated in nine in-person focus groups about recruitment and retention in research. Participants were (a) school students in the last year of compulsory school (Year 11, 15-16y), (b) school/college students in Sixth Form (Year 13, 17-18y), (c) Further Education students studying after secondary education, but not higher education (16-18y) and (d) young adults not in education, employment, or training (18-20y) across England. Thematic analysis resulted in seven themes. RESULTS: Driving factors for sign-up included social connection e.g., joining with peer groups, personalised feedback, and incentives, primarily financial. Key barriers were lack of interest, the perception of commitment, and timing of recruitment. Young people preferred recruitment processes via social media with messages tailored to their motivations, monthly data collection of maximally 20-30 min, and hybrid data collection with some in-person contact with a consistent, non-judgemental researcher. The provision of autonomy, choice, and financial incentives were perceived to promote retention. CONCLUSIONS: Adolescent recruitment and retention strategies need to align with contemporary interests and motivations. Studies should involve adolescents early to develop a planned, systematic approach to participant sign-up and follow-up. Effective and ineffective recruitment and retention strategies should be reported as part of study findings. Future research should trial how perceived barriers to study engagement can be overcome.

Conducting school-based health surveys with secondary schools in England: advice and recommendations from school staff, local authority professionals, and wider key stakeholders, a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Improving the health and well-being of young people is a public health priority. Schools present an ideal setting to implement strategies to improve young people's health and well-being. A key strategy involves conducting surveys to assess student health needs, inform interventions, and monitor health over time. Conducting research in schools is, however, challenging. Schools can find it difficult to participate and adhere to research processes, even when they are keen to be involved in research, because of competing priorities (e.g., attendance and educational achievement), as well as time and resource constraints. There is a lack of literature on the perspectives of school staff and other key stakeholders working in young people's health on how best to work with schools to conduct health research, and in particular, health surveys. METHODS: Participants (n = 26) included members of staff from 11 secondary schools (covering students aged 11-16 years), 5 local authority professionals, and 10 wider key stakeholders in young people's health and well-being (e.g., a school governor, a national government member), based in South West England. Participants took part in semi-structured interviews that were conducted either over the phone or via an online platform. Data were analysed using the Framework Method. RESULTS: Three main themes were identified: Recruitment and Retention, Practicalities of Data Collection in Schools, and Collaboration from Design to Dissemination. It is important to acknowledge the role of local authorities and academy trusts in the English education system, and work closely with these when conducting school-based health surveys. School staff prefer to be contacted about research via email and in the summer term, following exams. Researchers should contact a member of staff involved in student health/well-being, as well as senior leadership, during recruitment. Data collection during the start and end of the school year is undesirable. Research should be collaborative with school staff and young people, consistent with school priorities and values, and flexible and tailored to school timetables and resources. CONCLUSIONS: Overall the findings demonstrate that survey-based research methods should be school-led and tailored to each school.

Physical activity behaviours in adolescence: current evidence and opportunities for intervention.

Young people aged 10-24 years constitute 24% of the world's population; investing in their health could yield a triple benefit-eg, today, into adulthood, and for the next generation. However, in physical activity research, this life stage is poorly understood, with the evidence dominated by research in younger adolescents (aged 10-14 years), school settings, and high-income countries. Globally, 80% of adolescents are insufficiently active, and many adolescents engage in 2 h or more daily recreational screen time. In this Series paper, we present the most up-to-date global evidence on adolescent physical activity and discuss directions for identifying potential solutions to enhance physical activity in the adolescent population. Adolescent physical inactivity probably contributes to key global health problems, including cardiometabolic and mental health disorders, but the evidence is methodologically weak. Evidence-based solutions focus on three key components of the adolescent physical activity system: supportive schools, the social and digital environment, and multipurpose urban environments. Despite an increasing volume of research focused on adolescents, there are still important knowledge gaps, and efforts to improve adolescent physical activity surveillance, research, intervention implementation, and policy development are urgently needed.

Impacts of new cycle infrastructure on cycling levels in two French cities: an interrupted time series analysis.

BACKGROUND: Cities globally have started to make substantial investment in more sustainable forms of transportation. We aimed to evaluate whether the construction of new cycling infrastructure in Paris and Lyon, France, affected population cycling activity along new or improved routes. METHODS: Routinely collected cycle count data from January 2014 to March 2020 were acquired for the cities of Paris and Lyon. Improvements were identified at 15 locations with 6 months of pre- and post-intervention data. Comparison streets were chosen within Paris or Lyon for which pre-intervention trends in cycling were similar to those at intervention sites. Controlled interrupted time series analyses and autocorrelation were performed adjusting for seasonality. Random-effects meta-analysis combined results across streets within each city and overall. RESULTS: On average, cycling counts/day increased on both intervention and control streets in Paris and Lyon. In general, results of the ITS analysis indicated no significant change in the level or trend as a result of the improvements in either city. Meta-analysis suggested that intervention streets in Paris had a larger positive pooled effect size for level change (218 cycle counts, 95% CI -189, 626, I2 = 0%) compared to Lyon (34, 95% CI -65, 133, I2 = 14%); however, confidence intervals for both cities were wide and included no effect. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that improving or constructing new cycle lanes may be necessary but not sufficient to induce significant changes in cycling levels. There is a need to understand how context, intervention design and other complementary interventions can improve the effectiveness of new cycling infrastructure.

Children's moderate-to-vigorous physical activity on weekdays versus weekend days: a multi-country analysis.

PURPOSE: The Structured Days Hypothesis (SDH) posits that children's behaviors associated with obesity - such as physical activity - are more favorable on days that contain more 'structure' (i.e., a pre-planned, segmented, and adult-supervised environment) such as school weekdays, compared to days with less structure, such as weekend days. The purpose of this study was to compare children's moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) levels on weekdays versus weekend days using a large, multi-country, accelerometer-measured physical activity dataset. METHODS: Data were received from the International Children's Accelerometer Database (ICAD) July 2019. The ICAD inclusion criteria for a valid day of wear, only non-intervention data (e.g., baseline intervention data), children with at least 1 weekday and 1 weekend day, and ICAD studies with data collected exclusively during school months, were included for analyses. Mixed effects models accounting for the nested nature of the data (i.e., days within children) assessed MVPA minutes per day (min/day MVPA) differences between weekdays and weekend days by region/country, adjusted for age, sex, and total wear time. Separate meta-analytical models explored differences by age and country/region for sex and child weight-status. RESULTS/FINDINGS: Valid data from 15 studies representing 5794 children (61% female, 10.7 ± 2.1 yrs., 24% with overweight/obesity) and 35,263 days of valid accelerometer data from 5 distinct countries/regions were used. Boys and girls accumulated 12.6 min/day (95% CI: 9.0, 16.2) and 9.4 min/day (95% CI: 7.2, 11.6) more MVPA on weekdays versus weekend days, respectively. Children from mainland Europe had the largest differences (17.1 min/day more MVPA on weekdays versus weekend days, 95% CI: 15.3, 19.0) compared to the other countries/regions. Children who were classified as overweight/obese or normal weight/underweight accumulated 9.5 min/day (95% CI: 6.9, 12.2) and 10.9 min/day (95% CI: 8.3, 13.5) of additional MVPA on weekdays versus weekend days, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Children from multiple countries/regions accumulated significantly more MVPA on weekdays versus weekend days during school months. This finding aligns with the SDH and warrants future intervention studies to prioritize less-structured days, such as weekend days, and to consider providing opportunities for all children to access additional opportunities to be active.

Associations between mentally-passive and mentally-active sedentary behaviours during adolescence and psychological distress during adulthood.

It is unclear if different types of sedentary behaviour during the adolescence are differentially associated with psychological distress during adolescence and adulthood. It is also unknown what may mediate this potential proposed association. The current study aimed to analyse the association of mentally-active and mentally-passive sedentary behaviours during adolescence (16y) with subsequent psychological distress during adulthood (42y), and to examine the role of potential mediators (42y). Data from the 1970 British Cohort Study was used (N = 1787). At age 16y participants reported time and frequency in mentally-passive (TV-viewing and watching movies) and mentally-active (reading books, doing homework and playing computer games) sedentary behaviours, psychological distress and organized sports participation. At 42y, participants reported cognition (vocabulary test), TV-viewing, psychological distress, self-rated health, body mass index and employment status. Education was collected throughout the follow-up years. Logistic regression and mediation models assessed associations. Multiple imputation using chained equations was used to assess the impact of missing data. Mentally-passive sedentary behaviour in adolescence was a risk factor for psychological distress during adulthood in complete-cases analysis [OR:1.44(95%CI:1.09-1.90)], which was confirmed by the model with multiple imputation. Mentally-active sedentary behaviour at 16y was not associated with psychological distress at 42y. Adult TV-viewing during weekends (24.7%), and self-rated health (19.0%) mediated the association between mentally-passive sedentary behaviour during adolescence and psychological distress during adulthood. However, the mediation was not clear in the models with multiple imputation. Mentally-passive sedentary behaviour during adolescence was associated with elevated psychological distress during adulthood and this association was mediated TV-viewing and self-rated health in adulthood.

Association of change in the school travel mode with changes in different physical activity intensities and sedentary time: A International Children's Accelerometry Database Study.

Our aim was to assess the association between changes in active travel to school and changes in different intensities of physical activity (i.e. moderate - MPA and vigorous - VPA) and time spent sedentary (SED) among adolescents and assess the moderating effect of children's sex, age and weight status. Data from six cohort studies in the International Children's Accelerometry Database were used (4108 adolescents aged 10-13y at baseline, with 1.9±0.7y of follow-up). Participants self-reported travel mode to school at baseline and follow-up. Mutually exclusive categories of change were created using passive (e.g. by car) or active (cycling or walking) forms of transport (active/active, passive/active, active/passive, passive/passive). Multilevel linear regression analyses assessed associations with change in accelerometer-assessed time spent MPA, VPA and SED, adjusting for potential confounders. The moderation of sex, age and weight status was tested though the inclusion of interaction terms in the regression models. Relative to those remaining in active travel (active/active), participants classified as passive/active increased VPA (B: 2.23 min/d; 95%CI: 0.97-3.48), while active/passive (MPA: -5.38min/d; -6.77 to -3.98; VPA: -2.92min/d; -4.06 to -1.78) and passive/passive (MPA: -4.53min/d; -5.55 to -3.50; VPA: -2.84min/d; -3.68 to -2.01) decreased MPA and VPA. There were no associations with SED. An interaction was observed, age group moderated the association with change in VPA: among 12-13y-olds a greater increase in VPA was observed for the passive/active group compared to active/active. Promoting active travel to school can be a strategy to attenuate the decline in physical activity through adolescence.

How do short-term associations between diet quality and metabolic risk vary with age?

PURPOSE: Poor diet quality is one of the key contributors to poor cardiovascular health and associated morbidity and mortality. This study aimed to assess how the short-term associations between diet quality and metabolic risk factors change with age. METHODS: This longitudinal, observational study used data from the National Diet and Nutrition Survey (2008-2016) (n = 2024). Diet quality was measured using the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) index, fruit and vegetable (F&V) intake, and a F&V biomarker score. We assessed associations between measures of diet quality and a metabolic risk z score (generated from five metabolic risk factors) among those aged 11-60 years, and then tested effect modification by age group (adolescents 11-18 years, young adults 19-35 years, mid-aged adults 36-60 years). RESULTS: Analysis across all age groups showed inverse associations between standardised DASH index and metabolic risk z score of - 0.19 (95% CI - 0.26, - 0.11). These associations were moderated by age group, with strong associations seen in mid-aged adults: - 0.27 (95% CI - 0.39, - 0.16), but associations were significantly attenuated in young adults [- 0.10 (95% CI - 0.22, 0.01)] and adolescents [0.03 (95% CI - 0.05, 0.11)]. Similar results were found for F&V intake and F&V biomarker score. CONCLUSIONS: Short-term associations between diet quality and metabolic risk are not consistent across adolescent and young adult age groups, suggesting that mechanisms by which diet impacts on metabolic risk may be acting differently in younger age groups compared to adults. Further research is warranted using longitudinal study designs and replication in different populations to understand changes in determinants of cardiometabolic health with age.

Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the GoActive intervention to increase physical activity among UK adolescents: A cluster randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Less than 20% of adolescents globally meet recommended levels of physical activity, and not meeting these recommended levels is associated with social disadvantage and rising disease risk. The determinants of physical activity in adolescents are multilevel and poorly understood, but the school's social environment likely plays an important role. We conducted a cluster randomised controlled trial to assess the effectiveness of a school-based programme (GoActive) to increase moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) among adolescents. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Non-fee-paying, co-educational schools including Year 9 students in the UK counties of Cambridgeshire and Essex were eligible for inclusion. Within participating schools (n = 16), all Year 9 students were eligible and invited to participate. Participants were 2,862 13- to 14-year-olds (84% of eligible students). After baseline assessment, schools were computer-randomised, stratified by school-level pupil premium funding (below/above county-specific median) and county (control: 8 schools, 1,319 participants, mean [SD] participants per school n = 165 [62]; intervention: 8 schools, 1,543 participants, n = 193 [43]). Measurement staff were blinded to allocation. The iteratively developed, feasibility-tested 12-week intervention, aligned with self-determination theory, trained older adolescent mentors and in-class peer-leaders to encourage classes to conduct 2 new weekly activities. Students and classes gained points and rewards for engaging in any activity in or out of school. The primary outcome was average daily minutes of accelerometer-assessed MVPA at 10-month follow-up; a mixed-methods process evaluation evaluated implementation. Of 2,862 recruited participants (52.1% male), 2,167 (76%) attended 10-month follow-up measurements; we analysed the primary outcome for 1,874 participants (65.5%). At 10 months, there was a mean (SD) decrease in MVPA of 8.3 (19.3) minutes in the control group and 10.4 (22.7) minutes in the intervention group (baseline-adjusted difference [95% confidence interval] -1.91 minutes [-5.53 to 1.70], p = 0.316). The programme cost £13 per student compared with control; it was not cost-effective. Overall, 62.9% of students and 87.3% of mentors reported that GoActive was fun. Teachers and mentors commented that their roles in programme delivery were unclear. Implementation fidelity was low. The main methodological limitation of this study was the relatively affluent and ethnically homogeneous sample. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, we observed that a rigorously developed school-based intervention was no more effective than standard school practice at preventing declines in adolescent physical activity. Interdisciplinary research is required to understand educational-setting-specific implementation challenges. School leaders and authorities should be realistic about expectations of the effect of school-based physical activity promotion strategies implemented at scale. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN Registry ISRCTN31583496.

Birth weight, cardiometabolic risk factors and effect modification of physical activity in children and adolescents: pooled data from 12 international studies.

OBJECTIVES: Low and high birth weight is associated with higher levels of cardiometabolic risk factors and adiposity in children and adolescents, and increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases, obesity, and early mortality later in life. Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) is associated with lower cardiometabolic risk factors and may mitigate the detrimental consequences of high or low birth weight. Thus, we examined whether MVPA modified the associations between birth weight and cardiometabolic risk factors in children and adolescents. METHODS: We used pooled individual data from 12 cohort- or cross-sectional studies including 9,100 children and adolescents. Birth weight was measured at birth or maternally reported retrospectively. Device-measured physical activity (PA) and cardiometabolic risk factors were measured in childhood or adolescence. We tested for associations between birth weight, MVPA, and cardiometabolic risk factors using multilevel linear regression, including study as a random factor. We tested for interaction between birth weight and MVPA by introducing the interaction term in the models (birth weight x MVPA). RESULTS: Most of the associations between birth weight (kg) and cardiometabolic risk factors were not modified by MVPA (min/day), except between birth weight and waist circumference (cm) in children (p = 0.005) and HDL-cholesterol (mmol/l) in adolescents (p = 0.040). Sensitivity analyses suggested that some of the associations were modified by VPA, i.e., the associations between birth weight and diastolic blood pressure (mmHg) in children (p = 0.009) and LDL- cholesterol (mmol/l) (p = 0.009) and triglycerides (mmol/l) in adolescents (p = 0.028). CONCLUSION: MVPA appears not to consistently modify the associations between low birth weight and cardiometabolic risk. In contrast, MVPA may mitigate the association between higher birth weight and higher waist circumference in children. MVPA is consistently associated with a lower cardiometabolic risk across the birth weight spectrum. Optimal prenatal growth and subsequent PA are both important in relation to cardiometabolic health in children and adolescents.

Associations of early adulthood life transitions with changes in fast food intake: a latent trajectory analysis.

BACKGROUND: Early adulthood is a period of rapid personal development when individuals experience major life transitions (e.g. leaving the parental home, leaving education, beginning employment, cohabitation and parenthood). Changes in social and physical environments associated with these transitions may influence development of health-related behaviours. Consumption of fast food is one behaviour associated with poor diet and long-term health outcomes. In this study we assess how frequency of fast food consumption changes across early adulthood, and how major life transitions are associated with changes in fast food intake. METHODS: Data were collected across four waves of the Project EAT study, from mean age 14.9 (SD = 1.6) to mean age 31.1 (SD = 1.6) years. Participants reporting data at two or more waves were included (n = 2902). Participants reported past week frequency of eating food from a fast food restaurant and responded to questions on living arrangements, education and employment participation, and having children. To assess changes in fast food we developed a latent growth model incorporating an underlying trajectory of fast food intake, five life transitions, and time-invariant covariates. RESULTS: Mean fast food intake followed an underlying quadratic trajectory, increasing through adolescence to a maximum of 1.88 (SE 0.94) times/week and then decreasing again through early adulthood to 0.76 (SE 2.06) times/week at wave 4. Beginning full-time employment and becoming a parent both contributed to increases in fast food intake, each resulting in an average increase in weekly fast food intake of 0.16 (p < 0.01) times/week. Analysis of changes between pairs of waves revealed stronger associations for these two transitions between waves 1-2 (mean age 14.9-19.4 years) than seen in later waves. Leaving the parental home and beginning cohabitation were associated with decreases in fast food intake of - 0.17 (p = 0.004) and - 0.16 (p = 0.007) times/week respectively, while leaving full-time education was not associated with any change. CONCLUSIONS: The transitions of beginning full-time employment and becoming a parent were associated with increases in fast food intake. Public health policy or interventions designed to reduce fast food intake in young adults may benefit from particular focus on populations experiencing these transitions, to ameliorate their impact.

A whole family-based physical activity promotion intervention: findings from the families reporting every step to health (FRESH) pilot randomised controlled trial.

INTRODUCTION: This study assessed the feasibility and acceptability of FRESH (Families Reporting Every Step to Health), a theory-based child-led family physical activity (PA) intervention delivered online. We also assessed the preliminary effectiveness of the intervention on outcomes of interest and whether pre-specified criteria were met to progress to a full-scale definitive trial. METHODS: In a three-armed randomised pilot trial, 41 families (with a 7-11-year-old index child) were allocated to a: 'family' (FAM), 'pedometer-only' (PED), or a no-treatment control (CON) arm. The FAM arm received access to the FRESH website, allowing participants to select step challenges to 'travel' to target cities around the world, log their steps, and track progress as families virtually globetrot. FAM and PED arms also received family sets of pedometers. All family members could participate in the evaluation. Physical (e.g., fitness, blood pressure), psychosocial (e.g., social support), behavioural (e.g., objectively-measured PA), and economic (e.g., expenditure for PA) data were collected at baseline, 8- and 52-weeks. RESULTS: At 8- and 52-weeks, 98 and 88% of families were retained, respectively. Most children liked participating in the study (> 90%) and thought it was fun (> 80%). Compared to the PED (45%) and CON (39%) arms, a higher percentage of children in the FAM (81%) arm reported doing more activities with their family. Adults agreed that FRESH encouraged their family do more PA and made their family more aware of the amount of PA they do. No notable between-group differences were found for childrens' minutes in moderate-to-vigorous PA. Sizeable changes of 9.4 (95%CI: 0.4, 18.4) and 15.3 (95%CI: 6.0, 24.5) minutes in moderate-to-vigorous PA was found for adults in the FAM group compared to those in the PED or CON groups, respectively. No other notable differences were found. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates feasibility and acceptability of the FRESH intervention. All progression criteria were at least partially satisfied. However, we failed to recruit the target sample size and did not find a signal of effectiveness on PA particularly long-term or in children. Further refinements are required to progress to a full-scale trial. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study was prospectively registered ( ISRCTN12789422 ) on 16/03/2016.

Tracking of total sedentary time and sedentary patterns in youth: a pooled analysis using the International Children's Accelerometry Database (ICAD).

BACKGROUND: To gain more understanding of the potential health effects of sedentary time, knowledge is required about the accumulation and longitudinal development of young people's sedentary time. This study examined tracking of young peoples' total and prolonged sedentary time as well as their day-to-day variation using the International Children's Accelerometry Database. METHODS: Longitudinal accelerometer data of 5991 children (aged 4-17y) was used from eight studies in five countries. Children were included if they provided valid (≥8 h/day) accelerometer data on ≥4 days, including ≥1 weekend day, at both baseline and follow-up (average follow-up: 2.7y; range 0.7-8.2). Tracking of total and prolonged (i.e. ≥10-min bouts) sedentary time was examined using multilevel modelling to adjust for clustering of observations, with baseline levels of sedentary time as predictor and follow-up levels as outcome. Standardized regression coefficients were interpreted as tracking coefficients (low: < 0.3; moderate: 0.3-0.6; high: > 0.6). RESULTS: Average total sedentary time at study level ranged from 246 to 387 min/day at baseline and increased annually by 21.4 min/day (95% confidence interval [19.6-23.0]) on average. This increase consisted almost entirely of prolonged sedentary time (20.9 min/day [19.2-22.7]). Total (standardized regression coefficient (B) = 0.48 [0.45-0.50]) and prolonged sedentary time (B = 0.43 [0.41-0.45]) tracked moderately. Tracking of day-to-day variation in total (B = 0.04 [0.02-0.07]) and prolonged (B = 0.07 [0.04-0.09]) sedentary time was low. CONCLUSION: Young people with high levels of sedentary time are likely to remain among the people with highest sedentary time as they grow older. Day-to-day variation in total and prolonged sedentary time, however, was rather variable over time.

Variations in accelerometry measured physical activity and sedentary time across Europe - harmonized analyses of 47,497 children and adolescents.

BACKGROUND: Levels of physical activity and variation in physical activity and sedentary time by place and person in European children and adolescents are largely unknown. The objective of the study was to assess the variations in objectively measured physical activity and sedentary time in children and adolescents across Europe. METHODS: Six databases were systematically searched to identify pan-European and national data sets on physical activity and sedentary time assessed by the same accelerometer in children (2 to 9.9 years) and adolescents (≥10 to 18 years). We harmonized individual-level data by reprocessing hip-worn raw accelerometer data files from 30 different studies conducted between 1997 and 2014, representing 47,497 individuals (2-18 years) from 18 different European countries. RESULTS: Overall, a maximum of 29% (95% CI: 25, 33) of children and 29% (95% CI: 25, 32) of adolescents were categorized as sufficiently physically active. We observed substantial country- and region-specific differences in physical activity and sedentary time, with lower physical activity levels and prevalence estimates in Southern European countries. Boys were more active and less sedentary in all age-categories. The onset of age-related lowering or leveling-off of physical activity and increase in sedentary time seems to become apparent at around 6 to 7 years of age. CONCLUSIONS: Two third of European children and adolescents are not sufficiently active. Our findings suggest substantial gender-, country- and region-specific differences in physical activity. These results should encourage policymakers, governments, and local and national stakeholders to take action to facilitate an increase in the physical activity levels of young people across Europe.

Cohabiting and becoming a parent: associations with changes in physical activity in the 1970 British cohort study.

BACKGROUND: We examined the association between family-related life events (cohabitation/marriage and becoming a parent) and change in physical activity. METHODS: Longitudinal data (n = 8045) from the 1970 British Cohort Study (30 and 34 years) were included. Life events (beginning cohabitation/marriage and becoming a parent) were reported and coded: 0 no, 1 yes, for each event occurring between 30 and 34 years. Participants reported frequency of participation in leisure-time physical activity at 30 and 34 years (Likert scale: mean change calculated ranging between - 4 and 4). Linear regression models were used to examine the association between life events and physical activity change (comparing individuals experiencing events between 30 and 34 years versus never experiencing the event - excluding participants that experienced previous events - with a final analysis sample of n = 3833 in parenthood analysis; n = 1137 in cohabitation analysis). Interaction terms were used to analyse combined parenthood and cohabitation status. Analyses were adjusted for level of education achieved, ethnicity, country of origin and other life events. ANCOVA was used to examine associations between change in physical activity and child age. RESULTS: Compared to remaining without children, becoming a parent was associated with a greater reduction in physical activity among men [ß:-0.234(95%CI:-0.396 to - 0.072)] but not women [0.126(- 0.048;0.301)]. No associations were found between cohabitation and physical activity. Men who became fathers both while cohabitating [- 0.201(- 0.383;-0.020)] and without cohabiting [- 0.937(- 1.623;-0.250)] experienced greater physical activity declines than those remaining single and without children; the decline was greatest among non-cohabiting fathers. These associations did not differ by child age. CONCLUSIONS: Parenthood appears to differentially impact physical activity for men and women; this association also differs by cohabitation status. Parenthood appears to be most detrimental to physical activity levels among men. Interventions for physical activity could target new or soon-to-be parents, especially fathers. Further analyses with device-measured physical activity data would be valuable to advance understanding of these associations.

Correction to: Physical activity intensity, bout-duration, and cardiometabolic risk markers in children and adolescents.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

The association between maternal-child physical activity levels at the transition to formal schooling: cross-sectional and prospective data from the Southampton Women's Survey.

BACKGROUND: Physical activity decreases through childhood, adolescence and into adulthood: parents of young children are particularly inactive, potentially negatively impacting their children's activity levels. This study aimed to determine the association between objectively measured maternal and 6-year-old children's physical activity; explore how this association differed by demographic and temporal factors; and identify change during the transition to school (from age 4-6). METHODS: Data were from the UK Southampton Women's Survey. Physical activity of 530 6-year-olds and their mothers was measured concurrently using accelerometry for ≤7 days. Cross-sectionally, two-level mixed-effects linear regression was used to model the association between maternal-child daily activity behaviour at age 6 [minutes sedentary (SED); in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA)]. Interactions with demographic factors and time of the week were tested; how the association differed across the day was also explored. Change in the association between maternal-child physical activity (from age 4-6) was assessed in a subset (n = 170) [outcomes: SED, MVPA and light physical activity (LPA)]. RESULTS: Mother-child daily activity levels were positively associated (SED: ß = 0.23 [0.20, 0.26] minutes/day; MVPA: 0.53 [0.43, 0.64] minutes/day). The association was stronger at weekends (vs. weekdays) (interaction term: SED: ßi = 0.07 [0.02, 0.12]; MVPA: 0.44 [0.24, 0.64]). For SED, the association was stronger for those children with older siblings (vs. none); for MVPA, a stronger association was observed for those who had both younger and older siblings (vs. none) and a weaker relationship existed in spring compared to winter. Longitudinally, the association between mother-child activity levels did not change for SED and LPA. At age 6 (vs. age 4) the association between mother-child MVPA was weaker across the whole day (ßi: - 0.16 [- 0.31, - 0.01]), but remained similar at both ages between 3 and 11 pm. CONCLUSIONS: More active mothers have more active 6-year-olds; this association was similar for boys and girls but differed by time of week, season and by age of siblings at home. Longitudinally, the association weakened for MVPA between 4 and 6 years, likely reflecting the differing activities children engage in during school hours and increased independence. Family-based physical activity remains an important element of children's activity behaviour regardless of age. This could be exploited in interventions to increase physical activity within families.