This research addresses factors associated with early childhood acquisition of two facets of lifestyle: dietary intake and usual level of physical activity. Evidence suggests that these aspects of lifestyle are established early in life, tend to be refractory to change later in life, and impact either directly or indirectly on the subsequent development of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The study will identify factors associated with activity levels and dietary intake in a geographically defined population of 3-4 year old children, whose parents have been followed since adolescence in a longitudinal study of cardiovascular disease risk factors in young adults. In the proposed study, children and their parents will be followed with yearly assessments over a four year period. The initial effort on the project will be to refine and pretest methods to collect data on dietary intake and activity levels of young children. We will assess early nutrient intake with a detailed nutritional history. Information will also be obtained on current diet by diet history, food logs, and a behavioral eating test which will include a test of salt taste thresholds. Standardized measurements of height, weight, and skinfold thickness will be taken. Family food purchasing behavior will be assessed by collecting and analyzing itemized grocery receipts from computerized food store registers. Activity levels will be assessed by parent report, use of a monitor to measure physical activity, and by standardized videotaped activity ratings. The effects of TV viewing, child-rearing patterns, and exercise and nutrition related knowledge and attitudeson childrens' activity and dietary intake will be compared to those of their children. A family composite index of CVD risk will be calculated based on the presence of parental CVD risk factors and family history of CVD. Families will be ranked according to risk score. Those children from families with the highest and lowest risk scores, will have cardiovascular fitness tests, as well as blood pressure and serum lipid determinations made. We hypothesize that those children from families with the greatest CVD composite risk scores have higher dietry intake of saturated fats and calories, lower levels of activity, higher relative body weight, and a clustering of CVD risk factors compared to similar children from low risk families. We also hypothesize that activity levels and patterns of dietary intake will be similar among family members.
| Noland, M; Danner, F; DeWalt, K et al. (1990) The measurement of physical activity in young children. Res Q Exerc Sport 61:146-53 |
