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Gamification for the Improvement of Diet, Nutritional Habits, and Body Composition in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Suleiman-Martos, N, García-Lara, RA, Martos-Cabrera, MB, Albendín-García, L, Romero-Béjar, JL, Cañadas-De la Fuente, GA, Gómez-Urquiza, JL
Nutrients. 2021;(7)
Abstract
Currently, one of the main public health problems among children and adolescents is poor adherence to healthy habits, leading to increasingly high rates of obesity and the comorbidities that accompany obesity. Early interventions are necessary, and among them, the use of gamification can be an effective method. The objective was to analyse the effect of game-based interventions (gamification) for improving nutritional habits, knowledge, and changes in body composition. A systematic review and meta-analysis were performed in CINAHL, EMBASE, LILACS, MEDLINE, SciELO, and Scopus databases, following the PRISMA recommendations. There was no restriction by year of publication or language. Only randomized controlled trials were included. Twenty-three articles were found. After the intervention, the consumption of fruit and vegetables increased, as well as the knowledge on healthy food groups. The means difference showed a higher nutritional knowledge score in the intervention group 95% CI 0.88 (0.05-1.75). No significant effect of gamification was found for body mass index z-score. Gamification could be an effective method to improve nutritional knowledge about healthier nutritional habits. Promoting the development of effective educational tools to support learning related to nutrition is necessary in order to avoid and prevent chronic diseases.
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Interventions to Promote Healthy Meals in Full-Service Restaurants and Canteens: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Mandracchia, F, Tarro, L, Llauradó, E, Valls, RM, Solà, R
Nutrients. 2021;(4)
Abstract
Out-of-home eating is increasing, but evidence about its healthiness is limited. The present systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to elucidate the effectiveness of full-service restaurant and canteen-based interventions in increasing the dietary intake, food availability, and food purchase of healthy meals. Studies from 2000-2020 were searched in Medline, Scopus, and Cochrane Library using the PRISMA checklist. A total of 35 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and 6 non-RCTs were included in the systematic review and analyzed by outcome, intervention strategies, and settings (school, community, workplace). The meta-analysis included 16 RCTs (excluding non-RCTs for higher quality). For dietary intake, the included RCTs increased healthy foods (+0.20 servings/day; 0.12 to 0.29; p < 0.001) and decreased fat intake (-9.90 g/day; -12.61 to -7.19; p < 0.001), favoring the intervention group. For food availability, intervention schools reduced the risk of offering unhealthy menu items by 47% (RR 0.53; 0.34 to 0.85; p = 0.008). For food purchases, a systematic review showed that interventions could be partially effective in improving healthy foods. Lastly, restaurant- and canteen-based interventions improved the dietary intake of healthy foods, reduced fat intake, and increased the availability of healthy menus, mainly in schools. Higher-quality RCTs are needed to strengthen the results. Moreover, from our results, intervention strategy recommendations are provided.
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The effect of meal frequency on biochemical cardiometabolic factors: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
Abdollahi, S, Kazemi, A, de Souza, RJ, Clark, CCT, Soltani, S
Clinical nutrition (Edinburgh, Scotland). 2021;(5):3170-3181
Abstract
BACKGROUND Although several randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have supported the beneficial effects of higher meal frequency (MF) on cardiometabolic risk factors, the putative effects of higher MF on health remain inconclusive. This study systematically reviewed the evidence from RCTs of the effect of higher compared with lower MF on the blood lipid profile, glucose homeostasis, and adipokines. METHODS PubMed, Scopus, ISI Web of Science, and the Cochrane database were searched up to October 2020 to retrieve relevant RCTs. A DerSimonian and Laird random effects model was used to pool mean differences and 95% CI for each outcome. The quality of studies and evidence was assessed through standard methods. RESULTS Twenty-one RCTs (686 participants) were included in this meta-analysis. Overall results showed a significant improvement in total cholesterol [weighted mean difference (WMD) = -6.08 mg/dl; 95% CI: -10.68, -1.48; P = 0.01; I2 = 88%], and low-density cholesterol (LDL-C) (WMD = -6.82 mg/dl; 95% CI: -10.97, -1.60; P = 0.009; I2 = 85.7%), while LDL-C to high-density cholesterol ratio (LDL-C: HDL-C) increased (WMD = 0.22; 95% CI: 0.07, 0.36; P = 0.003; I2 = 0.0%) in higher MF vs. lower MF. No significant effects were found on measures of glycemic control, apolipoproteins-A1 and B, or leptin. In subgroup analyses, higher MF significantly reduced serum triglyceride (TG), and increased HDL-C, compared with lower MF in interventions > 12 weeks, and decreased serum TC and LDL-C in healthy participants. A significant reduction in LDL-C also was observed in studies where the same foods given both arms, simply divided into different feeding occasions, and in feeding studies, following higher MF compared to lower MF. CONCLUSION Our meta-analysis found that higher, compared with lower MF may improve total cholesterol, and LDL-C. The intervention does not affect measures of glycemic control, apolipoproteins-A1 and B, or leptin. However, the GRADE ratings of low credibility of the currently available evidence highlights the need for more high-quality studies in order to reach a firm conclusion.
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Behavioral factors influencing childhood obesity: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Poorolajal, J, Sahraei, F, Mohamdadi, Y, Doosti-Irani, A, Moradi, L
Obesity research & clinical practice. 2020;(2):109-118
Abstract
BACKGROUND This report provides information on 14 behavioral and nutritional factors that can be addressed in childhood overweight/obesity prevention programs. METHODS Web of Science, PubMed, and Scopus were searched through November 2018. Reference lists were also screened for additional references. Observational studies addressing the associations between overweight/obesity in children/adolescents aged between 5 to 19 years and associated risk factors were analyzed. Between-studies heterogeneity was assessed by χ2, τ2, and I2 statistics. The likelihood of publication bias was evaluated using the Begg and Egger tests and trim & fill analysis. Effect sizes were expressed as odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) using a random-effects model. RESULTS Of 34,537 retrieved studies, 199 including 1,636,049 participants were eligible. The ORs (95% CI) of factors associated with childhood overweight/obesity were as follows: sufficient physical activity 0.70 (0.66, 0.75); eating breakfast every day 0.66 (0.59, 0.74); sufficient consumption of fruits/vegetables 0.92 (0.84, 1.01); breastfeeding <4 months 1.24 (1.16, 1.33); inadequate sleep 1.26 (1.13, 1.40); watching TV >1-2 h/day 1.42 (1.35, 1.49); playing computer games >2 h/day 1.08 (0.95, 1.23); eating sweets ≥3 times/week 0.78 (0.71, 0.85); eating snack ≥4 times/week 0.84 (0.71, 1.00); drinking sugar-sweetened beverages ≥4 times/week 1.24 (1.07, 1.43); eating fast-food ≥3 times/week 1.03 (0.89, 1.18); eating fried-food ≥3 times/week 1.09 (0.90, 1.33); smoking 1.17 (1.07, 1.29); and drinking alcohol 1.05 (0.95, 1.16). CONCLUSIONS This meta-analysis provided a clear picture of the behavioral and nutritional factors associated with weight gain in children.
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Obesity has limited behavioural overlap with addiction and psychiatric phenotypes.
Vainik, U, Misic, B, Zeighami, Y, Michaud, A, Mõttus, R, Dagher, A
Nature human behaviour. 2020;(1):27-35
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Abstract
Obesity is a widespread health condition1, likely to be driven by the increased availability of inexpensive high-calorie food2. People vary greatly in their behavioural response to food. Such variation is likely to be driven by behavioural styles3,4, as behaviour accounts for overall food intake5. A prominent hypothesis is that people with obesity respond to rewards similarly to people with addictions such as alcohol abuse or smoking6,7. For instance, perceived overeating or 'uncontrolled eating' (UE) is the most common obesity-associated personality trait8 and resembles the perceived loss of control seen in drug addiction. Likewise, both obesity and addictive behaviours have similar correlations with broad personality domains3. Here we seek to empirically test whether obesity and UE overlap behaviourally with addiction and psychiatric disorders, collectively referred to as phenotypes. We test for behavioural similarity by linking the personality profiles of each phenotype. NEO Personality Inventory profiles of 28 phenotypes were extracted from 22 studies, encompassing summary statistics from 18,611 unique participants. Obesity had moderate and UE high behavioural similarity with addictions. UE also overlapped behaviourally with most psychiatric phenotypes, whereas obesity was behaviourally similar with mood disorders and certain personality disorders. Facet-based phenotype profiles provided more information than domain-based profiles.
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Relation of Different Fruit and Vegetable Sources With Incident Cardiovascular Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Prospective Cohort Studies.
Zurbau, A, Au-Yeung, F, Blanco Mejia, S, Khan, TA, Vuksan, V, Jovanovski, E, Leiter, LA, Kendall, CWC, Jenkins, DJA, Sievenpiper, JL
Journal of the American Heart Association. 2020;(19):e017728
Abstract
Background Public health policies reflect concerns that certain fruit sources may not have the intended benefits and that vegetables should be preferred to fruit. We assessed the relation of fruit and vegetable sources with cardiovascular outcomes using a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies. Methods and Results MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane were searched through June 3, 2019. Two independent reviewers extracted data and assessed study quality (Newcastle-Ottawa Scale). Data were pooled (fixed effects), and heterogeneity (Cochrane-Q and I2) and certainty of the evidence (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation) were assessed. Eighty-one cohorts involving 4 031 896 individuals and 125 112 cardiovascular events were included. Total fruit and vegetables, fruit, and vegetables were associated with decreased cardiovascular disease (risk ratio, 0.93 [95% CI, 0.89-0.96]; 0.91 [0.88-0.95]; and 0.94 [0.90-0.97], respectively), coronary heart disease (0.88 [0.83-0.92]; 0.88 [0.84-0.92]; and 0.92 [0.87-0.96], respectively), and stroke (0.82 [0.77-0.88], 0.82 [0.79-0.85]; and 0.88 [0.83-0.93], respectively) incidence. Total fruit and vegetables, fruit, and vegetables were associated with decreased cardiovascular disease (0.89 [0.85-0.93]; 0.88 [0.86-0.91]; and 0.87 [0.85-0.90], respectively), coronary heart disease (0.81 [0.72-0.92]; 0.86 [0.82-0.90]; and 0.86 [0.83-0.89], respectively), and stroke (0.73 [0.65-0.81]; 0.87 [0.84-0.91]; and 0.94 [0.90-0.99], respectively) mortality. There were greater benefits for citrus, 100% fruit juice, and pommes among fruit sources and allium, carrots, cruciferous, and green leafy among vegetable sources. No sources showed an adverse association. The certainty of the evidence was "very low" to "moderate," with the highest for total fruit and/or vegetables, pommes fruit, and green leafy vegetables. Conclusions Fruits and vegetables are associated with cardiovascular benefit, with some sources associated with greater benefit and none showing an adverse association. Registration URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT03394339.
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Skipping breakfast is associated with overweight and obesity: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Ma, X, Chen, Q, Pu, Y, Guo, M, Jiang, Z, Huang, W, Long, Y, Xu, Y
Obesity research & clinical practice. 2020;(1):1-8
Abstract
OBJECTIVE In recent years, many original studies have shown that skipping breakfast has been associated with overweight and obesity; however, the results of different studies are inconsistent. Therefore, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies to synthesize the associations between skipping breakfast and the risk of overweight/ obesity. METHODS We did a systematic search using Pubmed, and Ovid searched up to August 2019. Observational studies (cohort studies and cross-sectional studies) reporting adjusted Odds Ratio or Risk Ratio estimates for the association between breakfast skipping and overweight/obesity (including abdominal obesity). Summary odds ratio (or Risk Ratio) and 95% confidence intervals calculated with a random-effects model. RESULTS 45 observational studies (36 cross-sectional studies and 9 cohort studies) were included in this meta-analysis. In cross-sectional studies, The ORs of low frequency breakfast intake per week versus high frequency were 1.48 (95% CI 1.40-1.57; I2=54.0%; P=0.002) for overweight/obesity, 1.31 (95% CI 1.17-1.47; I2=43.0%; P=0.15) for abdominal obesity. In cohort studies, The RR of low-frequency breakfast intake per week versus high frequency was 1.44 (95% CI 1.25-1.66; I2=61%; P=0.009) for overweight/obesity. CONCLUSIONS This meta-analysis confirmed that skipping breakfast is associated with overweight/obesity, and skipping breakfast increases the risk of overweight/obesity. The results of cohort studies and cross-sectional studies are consistent. There is no significant difference in these results among different ages, gender, regions, and economic conditions.
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The effect of screen advertising on children's dietary intake: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Russell, SJ, Croker, H, Viner, RM
Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity. 2019;(4):554-568
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Abstract
Evidence indicates that screen advertising for unhealthy food results in significant increases in dietary intake among children. This review was undertaken with the main aim of estimating the quantitative effect of screen advertising in experimental and nonexperimental conditions on children's dietary intake. Systematic searches were undertaken of interdisciplinary databases. Studies from 1980 to April 2018, all geography and languages, were included; participants were children and adolescents aged between 2 and 18 years; the intervention was screen advertising; and the outcome was dietary intake. Meta-analyses were conducted for measured and nonmeasured outcomes. Food advertising was found to increase dietary intake among children (age range 2-14, mean 8.8 years) in experimental conditions for television (TV) advertising and advergames. Meta-analysis revealed that children exposed to food advertising on TV (11 studies) and advergames (five studies) respectively consumed an average 60.0 kcal (95% confidence interval [CI], 3.1-116.9) and 53.2 kcal (95% CI, 31.5-74.9) more than children exposed to nonfood advertising. There was also an effect by body mass index (BMI). Findings from nonexperimental studies revealed that exposure to TV food advertising was positively associated with and predictive of dietary intake in children. Short-term exposure to unhealthy food advertising on TV and advergames increases immediate calorie consumption in children.
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Grey matter alterations in obesity: A meta-analysis of whole-brain studies.
Herrmann, MJ, Tesar, AK, Beier, J, Berg, M, Warrings, B
Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity. 2019;(3):464-471
Abstract
Obesity is a major problem in the modern world causing a higher risk for various cerebrovascular diseases causing a profound individual and societal burden. The neurobiological foundation bears potential to understand the complex interaction of individual differences in brain structure and function and ingestive behaviour. This systematic review was performed on the current evidence of structural abnormalities in grey matter volume (GMV) in patients with obesity based on studies published until December 2017, which were selected through search in PubMed, CENTER (Cochrane Library), PsycINFO, Web of Science, and Ovid MEDLINE. Ten studies were included; all of them included patients with obesity and provided a whole-brain analysis of grey matter (GM) distribution. Our findings confirmed the most consistent GM reductions in patients with obesity in the left, middle, and right inferior frontal gyrus (including the insula), the left middle temporal cortex, the left precentral gyrus, and the cerebellum. On the other hand, increased GMV in patients with obesity were found in the left cuneus, left middle frontal gyrus, left inferior occipital gyrus, and corpus callosum.
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Implicit process interventions in eating behaviour: a meta-analysis examining mediators and moderators.
Aulbach, MB, Knittle, K, Haukkala, A
Health psychology review. 2019;(2):179-208
Abstract
Dual-process models integrate deliberative and impulsive mental systems and predict dietary behaviours better than deliberative processes alone. Computerised tasks such as the Go/No-Go, Stop-Signal, Approach-Avoidance, and Evaluative Conditioning have been used as interventions to directly alter implicit biases. This meta-analysis examines the effects of these tasks on dietary behaviours, explores potential moderators of effectiveness, and examines implicit bias change as a proposed mechanism. Thirty randomised controlled trials testing implicit bias interventions (47 comparisons) were included in a random-effects meta-analysis, which indicated small cumulative effects on eating-related behavioural outcomes (g = -0.17, CI95 = [-0.29; -0.05], p = .01) and implicit biases (g = -0.18, CI95 = [-0.34; -0.02], p = .02). Task type moderated these effects, with Go/No-Go tasks producing larger effects than other tasks. Effects of interventions on implicit biases were positively related to effects on eating behaviour (B = 0.42, CI95 = [0.02; 0.81], p = .03). Go/No-Go tasks seem to have most potential for altering dietary behaviours through implicit processes. While changes in implicit biases seem related to the effects of these interventions on dietary outcomes, more research should explore whether repeated exposure to implicit bias interventions may have any practical intervention value in real world settings.