International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity

ObjectiveThe objectives of this study were to: (1) quantify toddlers total physical activity (TPA) and guideline adherence using a machine learning method; and (2) explore socio-ecological predictors (e.g., sex, childcare) of TPA. MethodsToddlers (n=103, 21.4 {+/-} 6.9 months, 52% female) from the Hamilton, Canada region completed a gross motor assessment (Peabody Developmental Motor Scales 2nd ed; PDMS-2) and wore an ActiGraph wGT3X-BT accelerometer on the right hip for 4-8 days. Parents compl...

Front-of-pack nutrition labels (FOPLs) have been adopted as a key government strategy to address the significant burden of diet-related noncommunicable diseases. However, research on public knowledge and perceptions of FOPLs and their relationships with sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) and artificially sweetened beverage (ASB) consumption remains limited. A cross-sectional study with 2870 individuals was conducted to explore their knowledge and perceptions of Nutri-Grade, a national front-of-pack ...

As plant-based (PB) diets become more common among UK children, understanding their nutritional adequacy and environmental impact is vital. This study assessed nutrient intake and dietary greenhouse gas emissions among children following omnivorous, vegetarian, and vegan diets. A cross-sectional analysis was conducted using three-day weighed food diaries from 39 UK children aged 2-12 years (omnivore n=15; and PB: vegetarian n=11; vegan n=13). Nutrients were analysed with and without supplementa...

PurposeAdequate hydration is vital for health, yet many people do not meet fluid recommendations. This study aimed to characterise the role of water and sugar-sweetened beverages in hydration across different levels of socioeconomic status (SES) in the UK. MethodsIn a pre-registered cross-sectional study, participants (N = 1,112) recalled beverages consumed on the previous day and reported urine colour as an indicator of their hydration status. We analysed water intake (H1), sugar-sweetened bev...

This study compared the effects of a 25-min nap opportunity and a 10-min non-sleep deep rest (NSDR) condition on perceptual, cognitive, and physical performance in physically active young adults. Sixty participants (26 female, 34 male; 22 {+/-} 4 years) were randomly assigned to one of three groups (nap, NSDR, control; n = 20 each). All groups completed identical assessments immediately, 20 min, and 40 min post-intervention. Mixed-effects models, adjusted for sex, prior-night sleep, and weekly p...

BackgroundTime-restricted eating (TRE) has gained popularity for weight loss and metabolic health. While some evidence suggests greater benefits when TRE aligns with circadian rhythms--characterized by early daytime eating and avoidance of nighttime intake, often referred to as early TRE (eTRE), other studies report no meaningful differences between eTRE, other TRE approaches with or without exercise, or calorie restriction (CR), and robust comparative evidence remains limited. AimTherefore, th...

BackgroundThe introduction of mandatory calorie labelling among large food businesses (chains) in England in 2022 has been found to have little impact on consumer behaviour, but overall calories on restaurant menus have decreased slightly. This study examined menu changes post policy implementation, and the population groups likely to have been affected most. MethodsMenu data from 169 chains in Great Britain were extracted from two online food delivery platforms in June 2022 and June 2023. We s...

BackgroundPacked lunches are a common feature of early childhood food provision, yet evidence describing their nutritional composition in early years settings remains limited. Understanding the foods provided during this developmental period is important, given the potential influence of early dietary exposures on later health. AimTo characterise the composition, nutritional quality, cost, and dietary patterns of packed lunches brought from home in Early Childhood Education and Care settings, a...

BackgroundPhysical activity is a key modifiable determinant of health, yet current guidelines primarily emphasize moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and provide limited guidance on other actionable dimensions such as daily step count and sedentary time. The growing availability of wearables enables high-resolution measurement of these metrics and assessment of their associations with clinical outcomes. MethodsMinute-level wearable data from adult participants of All of Us between 2015-2023 ...

BackgroundEvidence on how leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) improves lifetime body mass index (BMI) remains fragmented and prone to confounding. MethodsWe pooled 14,993 adults (30-90 y; 52.7% women; cohorts: REGICOR-ACRISC, ILERVAS, ARTPER) with baseline estimated LTPA (moderate-to-vigorous LTPA [MVLTPA] in REGICOR-ACRISC), genotype, and repeated BMI values from electronic health records (1990-2024, 36,157 measures). LTPA was categorized into cohort-specific quartiles; MVLTPA in 0, <100, <2...

Modernizing dietary surveillance is essential for addressing diet-related chronic disease, yet traditional self-report tools remain burdensome and error-prone. Edna, a mobile ecological momentary diet assessment (mEMDA) platform, was developed through a multidisciplinary, user-centered process to enable real-time, low-burden dietary reporting with image-assisted portion estimation and automated nutrient coding. In three iterative rounds of national remote testing (N = 146 U.S. adults, 19-65 year...

BackgroundValidated food portion size photographs can increase accuracy of estimatingportion sizes during dietary surveys. Our objective was to assess the validity of food portion size photographs in estimating portion sizes to be used in 24-hour dietary recall food consumption study. MethodsWe recruited two hundred and six women of reproductive age (13-45 years) residing in Roysambu sub-county in the northern parts of Nairobi City, Kenya. Eleven foods from the Photographic Food Atlas for Kenya...

IntroductionAge-related declines in bone and muscle health contribute substantially to frailty, falls, and functional loss in older adults. Despite the established musculoskeletal effects of hormone therapy (HT) in younger transgender and gender diverse women (TGDW), data on ageing TGDW do not exist. TGDW [&ge;]50 years receiving feminising HT exhibit an 80% higher fracture incidence than cisgender adults. This pilot study explored the practicality of community-based recruitment of TGDW receivin...

BackgroundIn 2016, Chile mandated that products high in sugar carry warning labels. Following this policy, use and consumption of non-nutritive sweeteners (NNS) increased, raising concerns about intake among children. Chile is now considering adding a new warning to its labeling system stating: "CONTAINS NON-NUTRITIVE SWEETENERS, AVOID CONSUMPTION AMONG CHILDREN." However, this and other NNS labeling approaches - e.g., Colombias "CONTAINS NON-NUTRITIVE SWEETENERS" stop signs - have never been em...

BackgroundOverweight and obesity are causing growing public health, economic and clinical burden, particularly within under-resourced communities. There is an urgent need to develop an in-depth understanding of experiences of weight management, and preferences for support within under-resourced communities, with a view to developing more effective weight management interventions. MethodsFocus groups were run in under-resourced communities using storyboarding; a method to facilitate inclusive co...

Outcomes from the COSMOS trial have reinforced the notion of flavanols as important plant-derived bioactives contributing to cardiovascular health. As discussions continue on whether specific dietary reference values for flavanols are warranted, it is possible that existing dietary guidelines emphasizing fruits and vegetables already yield sufficient flavanol intake levels. If this were the case, developing flavanol specific dietary reference values might be unnecessary. This study therefore aim...

IntroductionMechanistic research has shown that prior obesity induces durable transcriptomic and epigenetic reprogramming in adipose tissue that persists after weight loss and predisposes individuals to weight regain. This phenomenon, termed obesogenic memory (OM), is currently conceptualized primarily as a molecular process. We propose extending OM beyond adipose tissue biology to include interacting biological and sociocultural processes through which past exposures shape present physiological...

Background/ObjectivesNutrient interactions in multi-ingredient supplements may influence absorption and bioavailability, yet pharmacokinetic data in this context remains limited. This clinical trial assessed the post-prandial absorption kinetics of key micronutrients in AG1, a comprehensive supplement containing vitamins, minerals, probiotics, and phytonutrients. MethodsIn a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial 16 healthy adults (8 males and 8 females) consumed a single ...

Daylight Saving Time (DST) remains contentious: some policymakers highlight behavioral benefits, while others emphasize health risks. Existing evidence relies largely on aggregated data and strict modeling assumptions, obscuring individual-level patterns and yielding associational rather than causal insights. We address these limitations using objective, longitudinal Fitbit measures from the NIH All of Us Research Program. Avoiding strict modeling assumptions, we employed a natural difference-in...

Sleep is essential for childrens health and development, yet sleep problems are common worldwide. Comfort items such as soft toys or blankets are widely used to promote independent sleep, but their effects have not been evaluated in a randomised controlled trial (RCT). The REST trial emerged from a child-led citizen-science study (The Kids Trial) where children co-created and designed the trial. Therefore, this paper had two aims, to assess whether sleeping with a comfort item affected childrens...