Submit to Special Issue Submit Abstract to Special Issue Review for Children Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser

Special Issue "Dietary Habits, Social Determinants of Health and Obesity Risk in Children and Adolescents"

Print Special Issue Flyer
Special Issue Editors
Special Issue Information
Keywords
Published Papers

A special issue of Children (ISSN 2227-9067). This special issue belongs to the section "Global and Public Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2023 | Viewed by 1978

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Alexandra Foscolou

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Physical Education, Sports and Dietetics, University of Thessaly, 42132 Trikala, Greece
Interests: nutrition; epidemiology; gerontology; children; lifestyle; health
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

I am honored to have been asked to serve as a guest editor for the new Special Issue of Children entitled “Dietary habits, Lifestyle Behaviors, and Obesity Risk in Children and Adolescents”, and I am pleased to invite you to submit a relevant paper.

Childhood obesity is a serious medical condition that affects children and adolescents. According to the World Health Organization, more than 340 million adolescents and 39 million children are obese. Many factors can contribute to excess weight gain, including eating patterns, physical activity levels, and sleep routines. Social determinants of health, i.e., the conditions in which we live, learn, and work, also play a role.

The aim of this Special Issue is to produce a rich collection of research, articles, and opinions for clinicians, academics, and policymakers in the field of children’s wellbeing. Contributions involving all aspects of this topic will be welcomed.

I look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Alexandra Foscolou
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Children is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

nutrition
dietary habits
dietary patterns
lifestyle
behaviors
weight status
obesity
wellbeing
children
adolescents
preadolescents

Published Papers (3 papers)

Download All Papers

Order results

Result details

Show export options Show export options

Select all

Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Review

13 pages, 278 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Mechanisms of Stigmatization in Family-Based Prevention and Treatment of Childhood Overweight and Obesity

Didde Hoeeg

Katherine L. Frohlich

Ulla Christensen

and

Dan Grabowski

Children 2023, 10(10), 1590; https://doi.org/10.3390/children10101590 - 23 Sep 2023

Viewed by 677

Abstract

It is well established that overweight and obesity are often accompanied by stigmatization. However, the influence of stigmatization on interventions for overweight and obesity remains unknown. Stigma may be particularly harmful to children. This study aimed to examine how stigmatization affects efforts to reduce childhood overweight and obesity through family interventions. This research was conducted in a socially disadvantaged area in Denmark. Twenty-seven families and forty professionals participated in in-depth interviews or workshops. The data were analyzed using CMO configurations from a realist evaluation and the theory of stigmatization developed by Link and Phelan. Thus, an abductive approach was employed in the analysis, with its foundation rooted in the empirical data. The study found that the mechanisms of stigmatization could 1. restrain professionals and parents from approaching the problem—thereby challenging family recruitment; 2. prevent parents from working with their children to avoid eating unhealthy food for fear of labeling the child as overweight or obese; and 3. cause children with obesity to experience a separation from other slimmer family members, leading at times to status loss, discrimination, and self-stigmatization. The study showed how the mechanisms of stigmatization may obstruct prevention and treatment of childhood obesity through family interventions. It is suggested that the concept of stigma should be incorporated into the program theories of interventions meant to reduce childhood overweight and obesity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Dietary Habits, Social Determinants of Health and Obesity Risk in Children and Adolescents)

16 pages, 777 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Attendance-Based Adherence and Outcomes of Obesity Management Program in Arab Adolescents

and

Children 2023, 10(9), 1449; https://doi.org/10.3390/children10091449 - 25 Aug 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 506

Abstract

Pediatric obesity has become a global pandemic in the last century, contributing to short and long-term medical conditions that heighten the risk of morbidity and mortality in children. The 12-month school-based obesity management educational program aims to assess the effect of adherence to the lifestyle educational program and target outcomes, obesity, and hypertension. A total of 363 (nonadherent, N = 179; adherent, N = 184) Saudi school adolescents aged 12–18 were recruited from 60 schools in Riyadh City, Saudi Arabia. Anthropometrics, lipid profile, and blood glucose were measured at baseline and post-intervention. The level of adherence was based on the number of attended educational sessions, and participants were grouped accordingly into two groups: adherent group (attended ≥ 3 sessions) and nonadherent group (attended 1–2 sessions) out of a total of five sessions. Results demonstrated that significantly more participants in the adherent group achieved the primary program goal of reducing obesity indices [body weight, body mass index (BMI), and BMI z-score] than the nonadherent group. Additionally, among adherent obese participants, BMI z-score significantly decreased after the 12-month intervention (post-intervention: 1.5 ± 0.7 vs. baseline: 1.7 ± 0.6, p < 0.05), while the trend in BMI z-score modestly increased in the nonadherent obese participants post-intervention (post-intervention: 1.8 ± 0.7 vs. baseline: 1.7 ± 0.6, p > 0.05). Moreover, there was a substantial reduction in hypertension prevalence only in the adherent group (p = 0.003) and among adherent obese participants in particular (p = 0.03). Furthermore, adherence to session attendance was higher in girls than boys, which led to better outcomes among girls than boys. For the secondary outcomes, lipid profile indices increased in both groups, while no changes were observed in the glycemic profile. In conclusion, greater adherence to educational sessions achieved modest but favorable weight changes and improved blood pressure among obese adolescents. Future intervention studies should take into consideration the need to improve attendance to enhance adherence to the program among adolescents at risk. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Dietary Habits, Social Determinants of Health and Obesity Risk in Children and Adolescents)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research

15 pages, 650 KiB

Open AccessReview

Effectiveness of School-Based Interventions in Europe for Promoting Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors in Children

Anastasia E. Kapetanakou

Patricia Gurviez

Nawel Fellah-Dehiri

Marine Masson

Meropi D. Kontogianni

and

Mary Yannakoulia

Children 2023, 10(10), 1676; https://doi.org/10.3390/children10101676 - 11 Oct 2023

Viewed by 572

Abstract

The objective of this narrative review was to summarize existing literature on the effectiveness of school-based interventions, implemented in Europe, under the aim of promoting healthy lifestyle behaviors in children (6–10 years old). A search of PubMed, Scopus, EFSA and Google Scholar databases was performed for studies published from January 2016 to June 2022. Specific search terms and exclusion criteria were used. Based on the results, diet and physical activity interventions had favorable effects on a series of health outcomes, including anthropometric parameters, biomarkers, eating behavior and self-efficacy. Diet-only interventions had a positive impact specifically on eating habits, mostly on water consumption. Most successful interventions lasted for 1 school year, and they were characterized by parental involvement and teachers’ training. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Dietary Habits, Social Determinants of Health and Obesity Risk in Children and Adolescents)

► Show Figures

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

Special Issue "Dietary Habits, Social Determinants of Health and Obesity Risk in Children and Adolescents"

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editor

Special Issue Information

Keywords

Published Papers (3 papers)

Research

Review

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI