Table 3.
Differences in dietary behaviours, TV viewing, and physical activity at 24 months in study of effect of home based early intervention on BMI in children and mothers
| Secondary outcomes (yes v no) | Intervention | Control | Intervention−control (95% CI) | P value* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Children | ||||
| Dietary behaviours: | ||||
| Vegetable ≥1 serving/day† | 228/255 (89) | 200/242 (83) | 7 (1 to 13) | 0.03 |
| Fruit ≥1 serving/day† | 230/255 (90) | 224/242 (93) | −2 (−7 to 3) | 0.43 |
| Food for reward | 158/253 (62) | 172/240 (72) | −9 (−17 to −1) | 0.03 |
| Water >3 cups/day | 62/254 (24) | 45/242 (19) | 6 (−1 to 13) | 0.12 |
| Hot chips/French fries | 219/254 (86) | 212/242 (88) | −1 (−7 to 5) | 0.65 |
| Salty snack | 166/254 (65) | 169/242 (70) | −5 (−13 to 4) | 0.29 |
| Sweet snack every day | 186/255 (73) | 186/242 (77) | −4 (−12 to 4) | 0.31 |
| Soft drink | 60/253 (24) | 64/242 (26) | −3 (−10 to 5) | 0.48 |
| Physical activity and TV watching‡: | ||||
| Outdoor play ≥120 minutes/day | 154/249 (62) | 144/235 (61) | 1 (−8 to 9) | 0.90 |
| TV on during meal | 167/254 (66) | 183/242 (76) | −10 (−18 to −2) | 0.02 |
| Eat dinner in front of TV | 141/254 (56) | 162/240 (68) | −12 (−21 to −3) | 0.01 |
| Viewing TV >60 minutes/day | 30/222 (14) | 46/212 (22) | −8 (−15 to −1) | 0.02 |
| Mothers | ||||
| Dietary behaviours: | ||||
| Vegetable >2 servings/day†§ | 133/255 (52) | 86/241 (36) | 16 (8 to 25) | <0.001 |
| Fruit >2 servings/day†§ | 57/255 (22) | 44/242 (18) | 4 (−3 to 11) | 0.25 |
| Water ≥8 cups/day | 42/255 (16) | 40/242 (17) | −0.1 (−7 to 6) | 0.99 |
| Soft drink ≥7 cups/week | 113/255 (44) | 126/242 (52) | −8 (−17 to 1) | 0.08 |
| Hot chips/French fries | 206/255 (81) | 209/242 (86) | −6 (−12 to 1) | 0.09 |
| Fast food | 211/255 (83) | 208/242 (86) | −3 (−10 to 3) | 0.33 |
| Processed meat ≥3 times/week | 51/255 (20) | 68/240 (28) | −8 (−16 to −1) | 0.03 |
| Physical activity‡ and TV watching¶: | ||||
| Total activity time ≥150 minutes/week | 114/237 (48) | 85/221 (38) | 10 (1 to 19) | 0.04 |
| Watching TV ≥120 minutes/day | 166/254 (65) | 156/242 (64) | 0.9 (−7 to 9) | 0.84 |
*Pearson’s χ2 test.
†One serving of vegetables=half cup cooked or one cup of salad; one serving of fruit=one medium piece or two small pieces or one cup of diced pieces. One cup=250 mL.
‡National Physical Activity Guidelines recommend that children aged 3-5 are physically active every day for at least three hours, spread throughout the day and that screen time for children aged 2-5 is 60 min/day maximum. For adults guidelines recommend at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity on most, preferably all, days.28
§At baseline median intake/day was two serving of vegetables or fruit.32
¶No national guidelines for adults, but for children aged 12-18, recommended maximum is 2 hours/day.28