Children's and Families' Determinants of Health-Related Behaviors in an Italian Primary School Sample: The "Seven Days for My Health" Project

Mediterranean diet, physical activity, and family characteristics associated with cognitive performance in Italian primary school children: analysis of the I-MOVE project

Working memory (WM) is a multicomponent system that supports cognitive functioning. It has been linked to a wide variety of outcomes including academic success and general well-being. The present study examined the relations between adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MD) and WM among Italian children, adjusting for important parent characteristics and children's lifestyle habits. Data for this study was obtained from 106 children attending primary school in Imola (Italy) who were part of the I-MOVE study emphasizing school-based physical activity. Children's adherence to the MD was calculated using the KIDMED index (KI) based on the ZOOM-8 questionnaire. Physical activity (PA) levels were assessed using an actigraph accelerometer and WM using the backward digit span test. Univariate regression was used to select significant child-level and family measures associated with WM, which were then tested in a single multivariate regression model. Older age is positively associated with higher WM (β = 0.36; 95% CI 0.25, 0.47). Dietary adherence (KI) (β = 0.07; 95% CI 0.01, 0.14) and engagement in organized PA outside school hours (β = 0.58; 95% CI 0.09, 1.10) are positively related to WM. Among the family measures, father's education was positively associated with WM for high school education and for university vs. middle school or lower, respectively.

CONCLUSION

Adherence to the MD was associated with better WM capacity in primary school children. These findings can be used to guide policymakers in designing health promotion programs and instituting policies emphasizing healthy nutrition to improve physical health and boost cognitive functioning.

WHAT IS KNOWN

• The development of working memory involves the entire childhood with a rapid spurt between 2 and 8 years of age. • Working memory plays a critical role in children's learning and academic performance and underlies higher-order cognitive abilities.

WHAT IS NEW

• Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet was associated with higher working memory capacity in primary school children. • Health promotion interventions based on PA and sound nutrition involving children benefit not only physical and mental health, but also cognitive health.

Early Life Nutrition and the Role of Complementary Feeding on Later Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet in Children up to 3 Years of Age

The first years of life represent a window of opportunity to establish proper dietary patterns and to maintain them over time. Our aim was to describe the diet of a cohort of Spanish children, from 2 to 36 months, and to identify the components that could influence the quality of the diet at 24 and 36 months of age. This was a longitudinal prospective study analyzing information from administered questionnaires about general characteristics and food frequency consumption in 97 full-term babies. At 2–3 months of age, only 53.6% of infants were observed to be breastfed. The intake of animal foodstuffs from 12 to 36 months was higher than national recommendations, and the contrary was true for fruits and vegetables. The intake of vitamin D was below European Food Safety Authority recommendations. Moreover, energy intake at 6 months was inversely associated with Mediterranean Diet Score (MDS) at 24 months, whereas vegetables intake was positively associated with MDS at 36 months. These results could be useful in the creation of future guidelines focused on the promotion of breastfeeding and healthy early-life food habits.

Weekday and Weekend Differences in Eating Habits, Physical Activity and Screen Time Behavior among a Sample of Primary School Children: The "Seven Days for My Health" Project

BACKGROUND

Healthy eating and active lifestyle habits are essential for a child's development, wellbeing, and health. School setting and family environment play a crucial role in shaping these habits and this could be reflected in different behavior patterns during weekdays and weekends.

METHODS

We investigated primary school children's lifestyle habits through a cross-sectional analysis of 428 Italian primary school children, with a mean age of 8.99 years (±1.43). Data were collected from May to June 2017 using a weekly diary to assess children's lifestyles.

RESULTS

Children who eat their morning snack and lunch at school three or more times during the weekdays were 5.47 times more likely (95% CI 3.02, 10.2) to consume adequate snacks and 7.79 times more likely (95% CI 4.43, 14.5) to have adequate meals than those who did not.

CONCLUSION

Consumption of vegetables, lunch, and snacks are significantly more adequate during the weekdays as compared to the weekends. Physical activity levels did not differ between weekdays and weekends. Moreover, children spent more time engaged in physical activities than in front of a screen during both the weekdays and the weekends. The present results are good indicators of the importance of the school canteen in defining correct eating habits. Family-based and school-based interventions could represent valuable integrative strategies for promoting a healthy lifestyle in children.