Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

Ilse De Bourdeaudhuij

Publications and source records attributed to Ilse De Bourdeaudhuij.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Evaluation of a website-delivered computer-tailored intervention for increasing physical activity in the general population.

OBJECTIVE: To examine if a website-delivered physical activity intervention, that provides participants with computer-tailored feedback, can improve physical activity in the general population. METHODS: Healthy adults (n=434), recruited from parents and staff of 14 primary and secondary schools in Belgium in the spring of 2005, were allocated into one of two intervention groups (receiving intervention with or without repeated feedback) or a no-intervention control group. Physical activity-levels were self-reported at baseline and at 6 months (n=285), using a computerized long version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire online. Repeated measures analysis of co-variances were used to examine differences between the three groups. RESULTS: Intent-to-treat analysis showed significant time by group interaction effects in favor of both intervention groups compared with the control group. Significant increases were found for active transportation (+20, +24, +11 min/week respectively) and leisure-time physical activity (+26, +19, -4 min/week respectively); a significant decrease for minutes sitting on weekdays (-22, -34, +4 min/day respectively). No significant differences were found between both intervention groups. CONCLUSION: A website-delivered intervention, including computer-tailoring, was able to increase physical activity when compared to a no-intervention control group. High drop-out rate and the low number of participants who received repeated feedback indicated that engagement and retention are important challenges in e-health studies.

Adult↗

Determinants of fruit and vegetable intake among 11-year-old schoolchildren in a country of traditionally low fruit and vegetable consumption.

BACKGROUND: Fruit and vegetable consumption is traditionally low in Iceland. The results of the Pro Children cross-Europe survey showed that the consumption was lowest among children in Iceland. The aim of this study was to identify determinants of fruit and vegetable intake among 11-year-old schoolchildren in Iceland. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was performed in Iceland in the autumn of 2003 as a part of the Pro Children cross-Europe survey. The survey was designed to provide information on actual consumption levels of vegetables and fruits by 11-year-old school children and to assess potential determinants of consumption patterns. A total of 1235 Icelandic children (89%) from 32 randomly chosen schools participated. Hierarchical regression analyses were performed to determine the explained variance of the children's fruit and vegetable intake. In these analyses socio-demographic background variables were entered as a first block, perceived physical-environmental variables as a second block, perceived socio-environmental variables as a third block and personal variables as a fourth block. RESULTS: 64% of the children ate fruit less than once a day, and 61% ate vegetables less than once a day. Respectively, 31% and 39% of the variance in children's fruit and vegetable intake was explained by the determinants studied. About 7% and 13% of the variance in fruit and vegetable intake was explained by the perceived physical-environmental determinants, mainly by availability at home. About 18% and 16% of the variance in fruit and vegetable intake was explained by the personal determinants. For both fruit and vegetable intake, the significant personal determinants were preferences, liking, knowledge of recommendations and self-efficacy. CONCLUSION: Interventions to increase fruit and vegetable intake among children should aim at both environmental factors such as greater availability of fruit and vegetables, and personal factors as self-efficacy and knowledge levels concerning nutrition.

Journal Article↗

Personal, social and environmental correlates of vegetable intake in normal weight and overweight 9 to 13-year old boys.

BACKGROUND: The first aim of the present study was to investigate differences in correlates of vegetable intake between the normal weight and the overweight boys in the Pro Children Cross Sectional Study. The second aim was to explore whether the association between vegetable intake and potential correlates is different in overweight boys compared with normal weight boys. METHODS: Random samples of mainly 11-year old children were recruited in 9 European countries. The total sample size consisted of 3960 boys (16.5% overweight). A validated self-report questionnaire was used to measure vegetable intake, and personal, social and environmental factors related to vegetable intake in the classroom. Weight and height were reported by the parents of the children in parents' questionnaires. RESULTS: Regression analyses explained 23% to 28% of the variance in vegetable intake by potential correlates. Liking, self-efficacy and bringing vegetables to school were related to intake in both normal weight and overweight boys (beta's>0.10). Active parental encouragement and availability at home was only related to intake in overweight boys (beta's>0.10), whereas knowledge about recommendations was only related to vegetable consumption in normal weight boys (beta>0.10) CONCLUSION: Intervention strategies to increase vegetable intake should focus on increase in liking and preferences, increase in self-efficacy, and increase in bringing vegetables to school in both normal weight and overweight boys. Further research should investigate whether advising parents of overweight boys to encourage their child to eat vegetables every day, to insist as far as possible that their child eats vegetables regularly and to make vegetables easily available at home is effective in changing vegetable intake.

Journal Article↗

Evaluation of a 2-year physical activity and healthy eating intervention in middle school children.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of a middle school physical activity and healthy eating intervention, including an environmental and computer-tailored component, and to investigate the effects of parental involvement. A random sample of 15 schools with seventh and eight graders was randomly assigned to one of three conditions: (i) intervention with parental involvement, (ii) intervention alone and (iii) control group. In 10 schools, an intervention, combining environmental changes with computer-tailored feedback, was implemented over 2 school years. In five intervention schools, increased parental support was added. Physical activity was measured with questionnaires in the total sample and with accelerometers in a sub-sample of children. Fat intake, fruit, water and soft drink consumption were measured using food-frequency questionnaires. Results showed significant positive intervention effects on physical activity in both genders and on fat intake in girls. Parental involvement did not increase intervention effects. It can be concluded that physical activity and eating behaviours of middle school children can be improved by school-based strategies combining environmental and personal interventions. The use of personalized computer-tailored interventions seems to be a promising tool for targeting adolescents but needs to be further explored.

Adolescent↗

Back posture education in elementary schoolchildren: a 2-year follow-up study.

Within the scope of primary prevention regarding back functioning in children, research on the stability of intervention effects is indispensable. Along this line, the transition from childhood to adolescence is an important phase to evaluate the potential stability of intervention effects because of the typically mechanical and psychological demands related to adolescence. The main aim of the current study was to investigate the effects of a back education program at 2-year follow-up, in youngsters aged 13-14 years, on back posture knowledge, fear-avoidance beliefs and self-reported pain. An additional purpose was to evaluate which aspects of postural behavior were integrated in youngsters' lifestyles. At 2-year follow-up, the study sample included 94 secondary schoolchildren in the intervention group (mean age 13.3 +/- 0.8 years) and 101 controls (mean age 13.2 +/- 0.7 years). The back posture program that had been implemented for two school years consisted of back education and the stimulation of postural dynamism in the class through support and environmental changes. A questionnaire was completed comparable to the pretest, posttest and follow-up evaluations. The current study demonstrated at 2-year follow-up stability of the improved general (F = 1.590, ns) and specific (F = 0.049, ns) back posture knowledge in children who had received early back posture education. Back posture education did not result in increased fear-avoidance beliefs (F = 1.163, ns) or mounting back and/or neck pain reports (F = 0.001, ns). Based on self-reports for postural behavior, youngsters who had received the back posture program in the elementary school curriculum integrated crucial sitting and lifting principles conform to biomechanical favorable postural behavior. The steady intervention effects 2-year post-intervention demonstrated that intensive back posture education through the elementary school curriculum is effective till adolescence. Future research on the impact of early school-based back posture promotion in relation to the integration of back posture principles according to a biomechanical favorable lifestyle and back pain prevalence later in life is essential.

Back↗

Dietary behaviour of pregnant versus non-pregnant women.

This study investigates dietary behaviour and the perceived role of food for health of pregnant versus non-pregnant women. Data were collected between 15 January 2003 and 15 March 2003 in Belgium. One hundred and forty-eight pregnant and 130 non-pregnant women aged between 20 and 40 years completed a self-administered questionnaire about their dietary behaviour and nutritional attitudes. Both sub-samples match with respect to individual factors such as relevant socio-demographics and general food perceptions. Pregnant women report higher consumption of fruits, which results in a better score for fibre intake. They also report higher consumption of beef and dairy products, as well as a higher fat intake. No difference in fish consumption between pregnant and non-pregnant women is observed. In line with recommendations, pregnant women report reduced consumption of food products with heightened safety-related risks, lower use of alcohol and tobacco, and safer food handling practices. Reduced intake of raw vegetables for food safety reasons is not compensated by higher intake of cooked vegetables. Pregnant women also report a lower frequency of moderate physical activity. Most differences in food choice by pregnant versus non-pregnant women pertain to the avoidance of specific, potentially harmful food groups. A substantial share of pregnant women does not follow upon recommendations with respect to alcohol use and exposure to tobacco. Personal medical sources for pregnant women and personal social sources for non-pregnant women are reported as the most attended sources of diet-related information. The perceived role of food for health is not different between pregnant and non-pregnant women, and there were no significant interaction effects between pregnancy and presence of children, which indicates that the observed differences in dietary behaviour can be attributed to the state of being pregnant.

Adult↗

Implementation of an online tailored physical activity intervention for adults in Belgium.

It has been argued that the Internet is a promising channel for distribution of health promoting programs, because of its advantage to reach a wide variety of people at once, at any time and location. However, little research is done to study how we could prompt people to use these online health promoting programs. Therefore the main objective of the present study was to assess if a face-to-face contact stimulates adults to visit a recently developed tailored physical activity website to promote more physical activity in the general Belgian population. The second objective was to test the website under real-life conditions in a small sample. Therefore, 200 flyers, with a call for evaluating the new tailored physical activity website, were distributed to hospital visitors in two different ways. One group of visitors were personally approached by a research assistant and handed over a flyer. Another 100 visitors could simply take a flyer home, without initial personal contact. After two months, telephone interviews were done to make a qualitative evaluation of the website. The results showed that obviously more participants with an initial face-to-face contact (46%) registered on the website in comparison with the participants without personal contact (6%). The used strategy reaches participants of both sexes as well as regular and irregular Internet users. Secondly, the telephone interviews indicated that the website was accepted well, without major problems. We could conclude that distributing flyers combined with a short face-to-face contact, increased the number of visitors compared with distributed flyers without contact and that the tailored physical activity website could be used in real-life situations to promote an active lifestyle in Belgium. However, a controlled study with a larger sample size should be done to test the effectiveness of the tailored intervention in increasing physical activity.

Adult↗

Effects of back posture education on elementary schoolchildren's back function.

The possible effects of back education on children's back function were never evaluated. Therefore, main aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of back education in elementary schoolchildren on back function parameters. Since the reliability of back function measurement in children is poorly defined, another objective was to test the selected instruments for reliability in 8-11-year olds. The multi-factorial intervention lasting two school-years consisted of a back education program and the stimulation of postural dynamism in the class. Trunk muscle endurance, leg muscle capacity and spinal curvature were evaluated in a pre-post design including 41 children who received the back education program (mean age at post-test: 11.2 +/- 0.9 years) and 28 controls (mean age at post-test: 11.4 +/- 0.6 years). Besides, test-retest reliability with a 1-week interval was investigated in a separate sample. Therefore, 47 children (mean age: 10.1 +/- 0.5 years) were tested for reliability of trunk muscle endurance and 40 children (mean age: 10.2 +/- 0.7 years) for the assessment of spinal curvatures. Reliability of endurance testing was very good to good for the trunk flexors (ICC = 0.82) and trunk extensors (ICC = 0.63). The assessment of the thoracic (ICC = 0.69) and the lumbar curvature (ICC = 0.52) in seating position showed good to acceptable reliability. Low ICCs were found for the assessment of the thoracic (ICC = 0.39) and the lumbar curvature (ICC = 0.37) in stance. The effects of 2 year back education showed an increase in trunk flexor endurance in the intervention group compared to a decrease in the controls and a trend towards significance for a higher increase in trunk extensor endurance in the intervention group. For leg muscle capacity and spinal curvature no intervention effects were found. The small samples recommend cautious interpretation of intervention effects. However, the present study's findings favor the implementation of back education with focus on postural dynamism in the class as an integral part of the elementary school curriculum in the scope of optimizing spinal loading through the school environment.

Anthropometry↗

Effects of a two-school-year multifactorial back education program in elementary schoolchildren.

STUDY DESIGN: A quasi-experimental pre/post design. OBJECTIVE: To investigate effects of a 2-school-year multifactorial back education program on back posture knowledge and postural behavior in elementary schoolchildren. Additionally, self-reported back or neck pain and fear-avoidance beliefs were evaluated. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Epidemiologic studies report mounting nonspecific back pain prevalence among youngsters, characterized by multifactorial risk factors. Study findings of school-based interventions are promising. Furthermore, biomechanical discomfort is found in the school environment. METHODS: The study sample included 193 intervention children and 172 controls (baseline, 9-to-11-year-olds). The multifactorial intervention consisted of a back education program and the stimulation of postural dynamism in the class through support and environmental changes. Evaluation consisted of a questionnaire, an observation of postural behavior in the classroom, and an observation of material handling during a movement session. RESULTS: The intervention resulted in increased back posture knowledge (P < 0.001), improved postural behavior during material handling (P < 0.001), and decreased duration of trunk flexion (P < 0.05) and neck torsion (P < 0.05) during lesson time. The intervention did not change fear-avoidance beliefs. There was a trend for decreased pain reports in boys of the intervention group (P < 0.09). CONCLUSIONS: The intervention resulted in improved postural aspects related to spinal loading. The long-term effect of improved postural behavior at young age on back pain prevalence later in life is of interest for future research.

Back↗

Do children with obesity implicitly identify with sedentariness and fat food?

We investigated whether youngsters with obesity (n=39) differed from a control group (n=39) in their self-reported attitudes towards and in their implicit identification with physical activity and food. Self-reported attitudes were assessed using a rating scale; implicit identification was assessed using a self-concept Implicit Association Task (IAT). Results revealed a marked group difference on the implicit identification with food: Only youngsters without obesity identified themselves more with non-fat food than with fat food.

Adolescent↗

Static and dynamic standing balance: test-retest reliability and reference values in 9 to 10 year old children.

INTRODUCTION: Based on the literature, reliability reports and normative data for bilateral stance assessments in elementary schoolchildren are limited. The present study was designed to report test-retest reliability and reference values for postural stability in 9 to 10 years old schoolchildren using the Balance Master system. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty children participated in the reproducibility study (mean age 10.1+/-0.7) including test and retest measurement with a one-week interval. The modified clinical test of sensory interaction on balance (mCTSIB) quantified children's static standing balance. The test for the limits of stability (LOS) measured dynamic standing balance. The study sample to determine reference values consisted of 99 children (mean age 9.8+/0.5). RESULTS: The ICCs for inter-item reliability of the four sensory conditions of the mCTSIB showed fair to excellent reliability (ICCs between 0.62 and 0.80). The reproducibility between test and retest was non-significant for the condition 'firm surface with eyes closed' (ICC of 0.37), fair to good for the three other sensory conditions (ICCs between 0.59 and 0.68), and excellent for the composite sway velocity (ICC of 0.77). For all LOS parameters, the significant ICCs showed fair to good reproducibility (ICCs between 0.44 and 0.62), with the exception of the non-significant ICC for the composite reaction time. The ICCs for the separate LOS parameters showed fair to good and excellent reliability for nine parameters (ICCs between 0.46 and 0.81), while 11 separate LOS scores did not demonstrate significant ICCs. DISCUSSION: Analysing reference values, girls performed better on all the composite balance parameters compared to boys, with the exception of reaction time and movement velocity. No differences were found on standing balance scores between 9 and 10 year olds. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, the Balance Master showed fair to good reliability for most postural parameters in 9 to 10 year olds. The current data on postural control in children aged 9 to 10 years are relevant for research in other domains within the clinical field, like obesitas and developmental coordination disorder or in relation to back pain prevalence at early age.

Child↗

Body mass effects of a physical activity and healthy food intervention in middle schools.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of a 2-year middle school physical activity and healthy food intervention, including an environmental and computer-tailored component on BMI and BMI z-score in boys and girls. RESEARCH METHODS AND PROCEDURES: A random sample of 15 schools with seventh and eighth graders was randomly assigned to three conditions: an intervention with parental support group, an intervention-alone group, and a control group. Weight and height were measured at the beginning and end of each school year to assess BMI and BMI z-score. A physical activity and healthy food program was implemented over 2 school years. RESULTS: In girls, BMI and BMI z-score increased significantly less in the intervention with parental support group compared with the control group (p < 0.05) or the intervention-alone group (p = 0.05). In boys, no significant positive intervention effects were found. DISCUSSION: This was the first study evaluating the effectiveness of an intervention combining environmental changes with personal computer-tailored feedback on BMI and BMI z-score in middle school children. After 2 school years, BMI and BMI z-score changed in a more positive direction in girls as a result of the intervention with parental support.

Adolescent↗

Personal, social and environmental factors regarding fruit and vegetable intake among schoolchildren in nine European countries.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Children in Europe are consuming less fruit and vegetables than recommended. Knowledge about the potential determinants of fruit and vegetable intake is vital to understand discrepancies in intake and to guide interventions. The aim of the present study was to assess personal, social and environmental factors regarding fruit and vegetable intake among 11- to 12-year-old children in Europe. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was undertaken, with nationally or regionally representative samples of in total 13,305 children (mean age 11.4 years) from nine European countries. Pupils in the classroom completed a self-administered questionnaire measuring fruit and vegetable intake and personal, social and environmental factors during one school lesson. Age-adjusted covariance analyses were carried out by gender, for the full sample and for each country separately. Proportions responding positively to the constructs are presented. RESULTS: Overall, European children held a positive attitude towards fruit and vegetable intake. For some constructs, large between-country differences were found. Children had a more positive attitude towards fruit than towards vegetables, and girls were on average more positive than boys. The children perceived their social environment as supportive towards fruit and vegetable intake. They reported good to very good availability of fruit and vegetables at home. However, availability at school and during leisure time activities seemed to be low, both for fruit and for vegetables. CONCLUSION: A large majority of the children reported positively to the personal and social factors regarding fruit and vegetable intake. As regards availability of fruit and vegetables at school and leisure time, and accessibility of fruit and vegetables at home, there is room for improvement.

Adolescent↗

Promoting fruit and vegetable consumption among European schoolchildren: rationale, conceptualization and design of the pro children project.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The Pro Children Project was designed to assess fruit and vegetable consumption in European schoolchildren and their parents, as well as determinants of the children's consumption patterns. A second objective was to develop and test strategies, applicable across Europe, for promoting consumption of fruits and vegetables among schoolchildren and their parents. In this paper, the rationale, theoretical background, overall design and implementation of the project is presented. METHODS: Surveys of national, representative samples of 11-year-old schoolchildren and their parents were conducted in 9 countries, i.e. in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Iceland, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain and Sweden. Comprehensive school-based educational programmes have been developed and tested in three settings, i.e. in Spain, the Netherlands and in Norway. A precoded 24-hour recall form combined with a set of food frequency questions assessing regular intake were used to assess fruit and vegetable consumption. Determinants were assessed employing a comprehensive theoretical framework including personal, social and environmental factors related to fruit and vegetable consumption. The intervention programmes have been tested employing a group-randomized trial design where schools have been randomly allocated to an intervention arm and a delayed intervention arm. Surveys among all participating children and their parents were conducted prior to the initiation of the intervention, immediately after the end of the intervention and at the end of the subsequent school year. CONCLUSION: The project is expected to provide new information of great importance for improving our understanding of consumption patterns of fruits and vegetables and for guiding future efforts to promote increased consumption patterns across Europe.

Adolescent↗

A qualitative exploration of determinants of fruit and vegetable intake among 10- and 11-year-old schoolchildren in the low countries.

BACKGROUND: For the development of fruit and vegetable promotion interventions, insight is needed into determinants of health behaviour. This study presents results of focus group interviews held with 10- to 11-year-old schoolchildren from Ghent (Belgium-Flanders) and Rotterdam (the Netherlands) to explore personal beliefs and motivations and environmental factors related to schoolchildren's fruit and vegetable intake, to inform the Pro Children intervention development. METHODS: Twelve focus groups were held with 92 schoolchildren. The interviews were recorded and transcribed and NVivo was used to analyse the transcripts. RESULTS: Positive health beliefs, taste preferences, lack of knowledge and practical barriers were identified as personal factors related to fruit and vegetable intake. Home and school availability of fruits and vegetables, as well as parenting practices were identified as important environmental factors. CONCLUSION: A fruit and vegetable promotion intervention should aim to increase fruit and vegetable accessibility and should include educational and motivational activities tailored to these personal and environmental factors. These indications should be further evaluated in quantitative research among representative samples.

Belgium↗

Explicit and implicit attitudes towards food and physical activity in childhood obesity.

This study investigated differences in the explicit and implicit attitudes towards food and physical activities between children with obesity (n=38) and a matched control group (n=38). The implicit attitude was assessed using the Extrinsic Affective Simon Task (EAST; J. Exp. Psychol. (50) (2003) 77), a modified version of the Implicit Association Test (IAT; J. Personality Social Psychol. (74) (1999) 1464). It was expected that both groups would report a positive explicit attitude towards healthy food and intense physical activities, and a negative explicit attitude towards unhealthy food and sedentary activities. Of particular interest was the hypothesis that children with obesity would have a more positive implicit attitude towards unhealthy food and sedentary activities than the control group. Results revealed no differences between groups in the explicit attitude towards food and physical activity. Children and adolescents with obesity had a more pronounced positive implicit attitude towards food in general. The relevance of these findings in terms of prevention, treatment and further research is discussed.

Adolescent↗

Physical activity and psychosocial correlates in normal weight and overweight 11 to 19 year olds.

OBJECTIVE: This study examined differences in (1) psychosocial correlates of physical activity and in (2) physical activity within different contexts and sedentary behaviors between normal weight and overweight adolescents. It further explored whether the prediction of physical activity by the psychosocial correlates is different in normal weight and overweight adolescents. RESEARCH METHODS AND PROCEDURE: A community sample of 6078 11 to 19 year olds from 38 secondary schools, which were randomly selected throughout the country, completed a validated computerized questionnaire about physical activity, sedentary behaviors, and psychosocial correlates. Differences in mean scores on the psychosocial correlates and on the self-rated physical activity were analyzed between the normal weight (n=5563) and the overweight (n=515, 8.5%) group. RESULTS: This study showed that overweight adolescents do less intense physical activities (p<0.001) and have less favorable psychosocial correlates related to physical activity (p<0.001) than their normal weight counterparts. However, the strength of the associations between psychosocial variables and total physical activity were comparable in overweight and normal weight adolescents. More support from family and friends, more fun in physical activity, higher self-efficacy, the perception of more competition benefits, and the perception of less lack of interest were all associated with higher total levels of physical activity. The results suggest that no specific tailoring on psychosocial correlates of physical activity is necessary for overweight adolescents compared with normal weight ones. DISCUSSION: Both overweight and normal weight adolescents can be approached by interventions focusing on the same psychosocial variables to increase physical activity.

Adolescent↗

Environmental and psychosocial correlates of physical activity in Portuguese and Belgian adults.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate differences in reported physical activity levels and in perceived environmental and psychosocial correlates of activity between Portuguese and Belgian adults; and to analyse the relative contribution of environmental and psychosocial variables in explaining physical activity within different contexts in Portugal and Belgium. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: One city in Portugal (Oeiras) and one in Belgium (Ghent). SUBJECTS: In total 526 participants, 247 from Portugal and 279 from Belgium, completed the long International Physical Activity Questionnaire and a validated questionnaire on environmental and psychosocial correlates. RESULTS: For the sum of all activities of at least moderate intensity, a significantly higher mean level of activity was found in Belgian adults (P < 0.001). However, comparable percentages of the Belgian (38%) and Portuguese (42%) samples did not meet the recommendation of 30 min per day. The variance explained by environmental factors was lower (1% to 8%) than by psychosocial factors (maximum 42%). Regression analyses showed activity-specific relations with environmental variables which were analogous in both countries. Walking/cycling for transportation and walking for recreation were related to social support from family and/or friends and to walkability and walking facilities in the neighbourhood. Recreational physical activity was mainly determined by social support, self-efficacy, and perceived benefits and barriers. CONCLUSIONS: Activity campaigns addressing psychosocial determinants are needed to encourage leisure-time activity, while a combination of neighbourhood design changes and encouragement of social support in walking is warranted to increase walking in different contexts.

Activities of Daily Living↗