The Family Environment as a Source for Creating the Dietary Attitudes of Primary School Students-A Focus Group Interview: The Junior-Edu-Żywienie (JEŻ) Project

Development and validation of a food and nutrition literacy questionnaire for Chinese parents of children with functional constipation (FNLQ-p)

Objectives

Childhood functional constipation is a widespread condition with a global prevalence. Dietary interventions play a crucial role in the management of childhood constipation. Hence, the development and validation of a specialized food and nutrition literacy assessment tool for parents of school-aged children with functional constipation is of paramount significance.

Methods

On the basis of literature review, the first draft was formed, and the results of expert correspondence and pre survey were combined to delete and modify the first draft. In the second stage, 459 parents of school-age children with constipation were invited to fill out the questionnaire. Item analysis, exploratory factor analysis, and confirmatory factor analysis were then conducted to assess the questionnaire's reliability and validity.

Results

The final scale comprises 4 dimensions and 25 items. Exploratory factor analysis extracted four common factors (nutrition knowledge, nutrition skills, nutrition interaction, nutrition evaluation), and the cumulative variance contribution rate was 64. 532%. The content validity index (I-CVI) of each item level is 0.86-1, the content validity index (S-CVI) at the scale level is 0.96. The overall Cronbach'sα coefficient was 0.85. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the four-factor structure derived from exploratory analysis, with all relevant fit indices meeting standard criteria.

Conclusions

The food and nutrition literacy questionnaire developed in our study had good validity and reliability, making it a useful tool for assessing the food and nutrition literacy among parents of school-aged children diagnosed with functional constipation.

Socialisation scenes in the health behaviour of teacher students at different levels of teacher training

The issue surrounding sport and health as valuable categories spans across generations. It is now widely recognised that inherited, lifestyle, and environmental factors influence an individual's health. Our study investigated the impact of family as the primary area of socialisation and school as the secondary area. Data collection commenced online in the spring of 2020, focusing on pedagogical students from the University of Nyíregyháza (N = 194). Among our research sample, kindergarten teachers exhibited the lowest indicators regarding risk behaviour. Conversely, students specialising in teaching demonstrated the most favourable outcomes regarding physical activity, with a rate of 20.6%. The family's influence presents a significant effect in both positive and negative aspects. When families prioritise instilling a love for sports, students tend to have a more favourable view of their health and aspire to embody exemplary values in the future; however, the family also presents a less encouraging image. Analysing the impact of residence reveals that a greater percentage of individuals from immigrant backgrounds identified the family as their role model (27.2%) compared to their counterparts residing in the county seat, while the influence of the teacher's personality was minimal. These findings align with earlier research. The students participating in our study hailed from the underprivileged Northern Great Plain region, which contributes to an increased search for security. The research indicates that family emerged as a significant example of values, and the objective is to foster positive health behaviours in both areas equally.

Effect of aerobic exercise on anthropometric parameters among Indian primary school children

Childhood obesity is a global public health concern with significant implications for long-term health. This study addresses the rising rates of obesity among school-age children (10-12 years) and investigates the effectiveness of aerobic exercise interventions in improving anthropometric parameters, specifically focusing on BMI and mid-arm circumference (MAC). The study emphasizes the role of schools in shaping children's behaviors and aims to contribute empirical evidence to inform health promotion strategies for this demographic. The research employs a quasi-experimental design, involving 60 school-age children in Visnagar, Gujarat, India. The 12-week aerobic exercise intervention, conducted three times a week, comprises activities like running, jumping jacks, and dance routines. Data collection includes sociodemographic information, BMI, and MAC measurements. The study design, participant criteria, and intervention details are carefully outlined. Socio-demographic variables such as age and monthly family income significantly influence BMI, highlighting the importance of considering these factors in interventions. Pretest results show 80% of children classified as overweight, reducing to 58.3% post-intervention. The mean BMI significantly decreases from 24.41 to 22.84 (p < 0.05), indicating the positive impact of aerobic exercise. The study also explores the association between BMI, MAC, and socio-demographic variables through chi-square tests. Data shows the prevalence of overweight and obesity among school-age children and demonstrates the effectiveness of a 12-week aerobic exercise program in improving BMI. Findings align with existing literature on the positive impact of physical activity on weight management in children.

Assessment of parents' awareness of the anti-inflammatory diet and its impact on their child's health: survey study

INTRODUCTION

The latest evidence highlights that an unhealthy diet and poor nutrition status are some of the modifiable behavioural risk factors responsible for the development of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Anti-inflammatory diets are important in both the treatment and prevention of disease (e.g. hypertension, obesity, Hashimoto's thyroiditis). The concept of these diets has common core foundations and recommendations. The family environment from early childhood plays a particularly important role in shaping healthy eating patterns of children and youths. Thus, parents' nutritional knowledge, attitudes, and dietary practices are essential in preventing NCD development and improving their children's health as their primary guardians. This study aims to assess parents' awareness of an anti-inflammatory diet.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A total of 325 parents participated in the study. Data for the study were collected anonymously using the CAWI method. The research tool was an original questionnaire about parents' awareness of anti-inflammatory diets.

RESULTS

Of the 325 parents participating in the study, 204 (62.8%) admitted that they did not know which products to use in an anti-inflammatory diet. About half of them (165; 50.8%) had unsatisfactory knowledge of the anti-inflammatory diet, 66 (30.3%) had a good level of knowledge, and only 16 (5.5%) respondents had an excellent level of knowledge.

CONCLUSIONS

Parental awareness of the use of the anti-inflammatory diet was insufficient in the study group. It seems important to implement appropriate educational activities on the anti-inflammatory diet to expand parents' knowledge of the impact of nutrition on children's development.

How Can We Increase the Nutrition-Related Knowledge in Children Aged 7-12 Years: Results of Focus Groups Interviews with Parents-Junior-Edu-Żywienie (JEŻ) Project

Nutrition education is a long-term process that should cover various population groups. A special focus should be placed on children, adolescents and their parents. The aim of this research was to find out the opinions of parents of primary school pupils aged 7-12 on their expectations towards school education in the areas of food and nutrition, addressed to both pupils and their parents. The research was conducted among 101 parents of primary school pupils with the use of the Focus Group Interview (FGI) method. It demonstrated that what is most needed are hands-on activities relating to basic theoretical issues. While parents see the need for nutrition education for their children, educating pupils in this area is of interest to only some of the respondents for whom nutrition aspects are quite important. All parents would like formal nutrition education at school, but at the same time, they do not want classes to take up too much of their children's time, due to the already excessive number of school subjects. It seems appropriate to include everyone in regard to nutrition education, regardless of their declared interest in this issue. The need for consistent presentation of educational content addressed to teachers and parents is very important, so that they can, in a uniform way, shape the attitudes towards food and nutrition of children and adolescents.