Adolescent's self-reported weight and its association with media impact on decision to lose weight and body thinness perception.

This study investigated the accuracy of self-reported weight among Kuwaiti adolescents and the associations of self-reported weight and calculated BMI with the impact of media use on adolescent's decision to lose weight and body thinness perception. A total of 706 Kuwaiti adolescents (363 females) 15-18 year-olds were randomly selected from schools. Weight and height were self-reported by the adolescents and measured by the researchers. A specifically designed questionnaire reported the impact of media use on adolescent's decision to lose weight and body thinness perception. There were significant (p < 0.001) relationships between measured and reported weight (r = 0.947), height (r = 0.777), and calculated BMI (r = 0.623). Intraclass correlation coefficients (95% CI) between self-reported and measured weight and height were 0.973 (0.968-0.977) and 0.867 (0.839-0.891), respectively. The mean differences between self-reported and measured weight (1.26 kg) and BMI (0.478 kg/m2) were relatively small. Females under-reported their weight and the calculated BMI from estimated weight and height was underestimated by adolescents with overweight/obesity. The impact of media use on the adolescent's perception of being thin relative to the accuracy of the calculated BMI was significant (p = 0.043-0.001). The age-adjusted odds ratio of the calculated (underestimated) BMI in adolescents without overweight/obesity was 0.437 (95% CI = 0.257-0.741; p = 0.002). It was concluded that the validity of self-reported weight was high. Adolescents with overweight/obesity were more likely to underestimate their weight and calculated BMI. Educating adolescents about proper lifestyles and weight loss through media appears warranted.

Consumer prevalence, attitude and dietary behavior of online food delivery applications users in Kuwait.

The objective of this research was to estimate the prevalence, attitude and dietary behavior of online food delivery application users in Kuwait. A survey of 1045 participants found that 87.6% of them have ordered food online by mobile app. Talabat was the most common food delivery application used among participants in Kuwait. Fast food was the most commonly ordered category followed by sweets and pastries. The most important attribute of electronic ordering is speed of delivery followed by ease of ordering. Around 73.6% of the participants use food apps to order dinner, and 76.4% order fast food at late night. The majority of online food delivery application users in Kuwait have unhealthy dietary practices. The results emphasize a serious need for implementing a suitable intervention for stimulating healthy eating behaviors among food delivery application users in Kuwait.

Impact of nutritional knowledge on dietary behaviors of students in Kuwait University.

Increasing nutritional knowledge is an important component of broader societal efforts to address the high prevalence of nutrition-related diseases. In Kuwait, university students are a critical target group since many of their lifestyle behaviors are shaped during college and may continue throughout their life. The aim of this study was to explore the effects of nutritional knowledge on the dietary behavior of 700 undergraduate students of Kuwait University. Nutritional knowledge and dietary behavior of Kuwait University undergraduate students were evaluated using paper-based questionnaires to assess lifestyle and nutrition behavioral changes. Students who experienced better dietary habits had better nutritional knowledge. However, the strength of the association was considered weak (r=0.229). The findings suggest that nutritional knowledge can slightly assist in adopting healthier eating habits, which may reduce nutrition-related diseases. Therefore, nutrition education programs and nutritional activities in classes should be recommended among students to promote healthy lifestyles.

Temperature of foods sent by parents of preschool-aged children.

OBJECTIVE: To measure the temperatures of foods in sack lunches of preschool-aged children before consumption at child care centers. METHODS: All parents of 3- to 5-year-old children in full-time child care at 9 central Texas centers were invited to participate in the study. Foods packed by the parents for lunch were individually removed from the sack and immediately measured with noncontact temperature guns 1.5 hours before food was served to the children. Type of food and number of ice packs in the lunch sack were also recorded. Descriptive analyses were conducted by using SPSS 13.0 for Windows. RESULTS: Lunches, with at least 1 perishable item in each, were assessed from 235 parent-child dyads. Approximately 39% (n = 276) of the 705 lunches analyzed had no ice packs, 45.1% (n = 318) had 1 ice pack, and 88.2% (n = 622) of lunches were at ambient temperatures. Only 1.6% (n = 22) of perishable items (n = 1361) were in the safe temperature zone. Even with multiple ice packs, the majority of lunch items (>90%) were at unsafe temperatures. CONCLUSIONS: These results provide initial data on how frequently sack lunches sent by parents of preschool-aged children are kept at unsafe temperatures. Education of parents and the public must be focused on methods of packing lunches that allow the food to remain in the safe temperature zone to prevent foodborne illness.

Psychosocial outcomes of Lunch is in the Bag, a parent program for packing healthful lunches for preschool children.

OBJECTIVE: This pilot study evaluated effects of Lunch is in the Bag on behavioral constructs and their predictive relationship to lunch-packing behaviors of parents of young children. METHODS: Six child care centers were pair-matched and randomly assigned to intervention (n = 3) and comparison (n = 3) groups. Parent/child dyads participated. Constructs of knowledge, outcome expectations, perceived control, subjective norms, and intentions were measured by a pre/post questionnaire. Hierarchical linear regression was used, and P < .05 was considered significant. RESULTS: There were significant increases in knowledge (P = .01); outcome expectations for whole grains (P < .001); and subjective norms for fruit (P = .002), vegetables (P = .046), and whole grains (P = .02). Perceived control, outcome expectations, and intentions significantly predicted packing vegetables and knowledge predicted whole grains. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Lunch is in the Bag is a feasible intervention to improve the lunch-packing behaviors of parents of preschool-aged children.

How to help parents pack better preschool sack lunches: advice from parents for educators.

OBJECTIVES: This exploratory study obtained parent suggestions about messages and activities to guide parents to pack healthful sack lunches for preschool-aged children. METHODS: A facilitator conducted group interviews using a modified nominal group technique with a convenience sample of parents who pack daily lunches for their children. Interviews took place after hours at child care centers in group settings. Investigators reviewed written statements for common themes then calculated frequencies of references to identified themes. RESULTS: In total, 31 parents participated in 3 group interviews held at 3 centers. Interest in receiving written information and in activities stimulating parent interaction were dominant themes in 29% of the comments. Workshops and activity stations were suggested in 20% of the comments. Finally, recommendations for support from local supermarkets were present in 10% of the comments. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Parents provided helpful suggestions that can guide nutrition educators to implement effective program messages and strategies.

Lunch is in the bag: increasing fruits, vegetables, and whole grains in sack lunches of preschool-aged children.

Fruits, vegetables, and whole grains are important sources of nutrients for healthy growth and development of young children. Recent evidence suggests that sack lunches packed by parents for children to consume at child-care centers do not regularly meet the goal of one serving of fruit, vegetables, and whole grains. Lunch Is In The Bag is a child-care center-based nutrition education program targeted at parents of preschool-aged children to increase the number of servings of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains in sack lunches sent from home that was pilot tested in fall 2008. In a quasiexperimental design, six child-care centers were paired by size before being randomly assigned to intervention (n=3) and comparison (n=3) groups. The parents of caregivers with primary responsibility for preparing the sack lunches of the 3- to 5-year-old children attending the centers were enrolled as parent-child dyads. The intervention included parent handouts, classroom activities, education stations, and teacher training. The contents of the lunch sacks for both the intervention group and comparison group were recorded for 3 nonconsecutive days before and immediately after the intervention period to measure the number of servings of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. A total of 132 parent-child dyads completed the study, 81 in the intervention group and 51 in the comparison group. Direct observation of children's lunches from the intervention group showed an increase in predicted mean number of servings of vegetables, from 0.41 to 0.65 (P<0.001) and whole grains, from 0.54 to 1.06 (P<0.001). No significant difference was observed in the mean number of servings of fruit. Lunch Is In The Bag, which is designed to fit in the child-care environment and targets parents of 3- to 5-year-old children, is a feasible intervention for improving the nutritional quality of sack lunches.