Browsing by Author "Heinen, Mirjam M."
Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
Results Per Page
Sort Options
- Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the eating habits, physical activity and sedentary behaviours of school-aged children in 13 countries within the WHO European Region: “COSI COVID” Study, 2020-2022Publication . Rito, Ana; Buoncristiano, Marta; Mendes, Sofia; Figueira, Ines; Abdrakhmanova, Shynar; Akhmedova, Dilorom; Ciardullo, Silvia; Fijałkowska, Anna; Gualtieri, Andrea; Huidumac‐Petrescu, Constanta; Kakutia, Natia; Kujundžić, Enisa; Musić-Milanović, Sanja; Seyidov, Nabil; Tabona, Lorraine; Tichá, Ľubica; Heinen, Mirjam M.; Whiting, Steve; Williams, Julianne; Rakovac, Ivo; Wickramasinghe, KremlinIntroduction: In 2020, the world population was hit by a global pandemic caused by a new coronavirus (SARS-Cov2), with rapid human-to-human transmission. To limit the spread of the virus and minimize its impact, governments around the world implemented containment measures, leading to many changes in the lifestyle of millions of people. Although children and adolescents were, generally, at low risk of infection and less affected by mortality1, this unprecedented situation led to significant impacts in their daily routines/habits and had a profound effect on their health and well-being2-3. We aimed to understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the daily routine and behaviours of school aged children, within the WHO/COSI European study. Methods: 13 COSI countries participated in the study: Azerbaijan, Croatia, Georgia, Italy, Kazakhstan, Malta, Montenegro, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Slovakia and Uzbekistan. Countries could decide to implement the study together with the 6th round of COSI/WHO Europe in the 2021/2021 school year. A common methodological protocol was designed for this study. Information on children’s behaviors regarding eating habits and physical activity/inactivity before and during the COVID-19 confinement periods, was collected through the “Family COSI-COVID Form” with 12 questions. This form was completed on a voluntary basis by the parents/care givers of participating children. Results: This study included 42 731 children (6-10 years old). Preliminary results suggested that sweets and savory snacks increased during the pandemic in comparison to pre-pandemic period (15.7% and 13,2%, respectively). As for children’s sedentary behaviours, 36.7% of the children increased their time spent watching TV, playing video/computer games, or using social media for non-educational purposes on weekdays and 34.4% on weekends, during the pandemic period. In addition, the time spent learning at home also increased (35.5%). Regarding physical activity, the opposite was reported, showing a decrease in the time children spent being active outside school hours, both on weekdays (26.6%) and weekends (22.0%). Conclusion: These preliminary results are important to better understand the impact of COVID-19 on children’s lifestyles behaviours. These findings may be useful for future public health interventions as countries recover from the pandemic and take measures to address childhood obesity.
- Mobilizing governments and society to combat obesity: Reflections on how data from the WHO European Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative are helping to drive policy progressPublication . Breda, João; Farrugia Sant'Angelo, Victoria; Duleva, Vesselka; Galeone, Daniela; Heinen, Mirjam M.; Kelleher, Cecily C.; Menzano, Maria Teresa; Musić Milanović, Sanja; Mitchell, Lachlan; Pudule, Iveta; Rito, Ana Isabel; Shengelia, Lela; Spinelli, Angela; Spiroski, Igor; Yardim, Nazan; Buoncristiano, Marta; Williams, Julianne; Rakovac, Ivo; McColl, KarenTo meet the need for regular and reliable data on the prevalence of overweight andobesity among children in Europe, the World Health Organization (WHO) EuropeanChildhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative (COSI) was established in 2007. Theresulting robust surveillance system has improved understanding of the public healthchallenge of childhood overweight and obesity in the WHO European Region. For the past decade, data from COSI have helped to inform and drive policy action onnutrition and physical activity in the region. This paper describes illustrative examplesof how COSI data have fed into national and international policy, but the real scopeof COSI's impact is likely to be much broader. In some countries, there are signs thatpolicy responses to COSI data have helped halt the rise in childhood obesity. As thecountries of the WHO European Region commit to pursuing United Action for BetterHealth in Europe in WHO's new European Programme of Work, COSI provides anexcellent example of such united action in practice. Further collaborative action willbe key to tackling this major public health challenge which affects children through-out the region
- Parental Perceptions of Children’s Weight Status in 22 Countries: The WHO European Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative: COSI 2015/2017Publication . Ramos Salas, Ximena; Buoncristiano, Marta; Williams, Julianne; Kebbe, Maryam; Spinelli, Angela; Nardone, Paola; Rito, Ana; Duleva, Vesselka; Musić Milanović, Sanja; Kunesova, Marie; Braunerová, Radka Taxová; Hejgaard, Tatjana; Rasmussen, Mette; Shengelia, Lela; Abdrakhmanova, Shynar; Abildina, Akbota; Usuopva, Zhamyila; Hyska, Jolanda; Burazeri, Genc; Petrauskiene, Aušra; Pudule, Iveta; Sant’Angelo, Victoria Farrugia; Kujundzic, Enisa; Fijałkowska, Anna; Cucu, Alexandra; Brinduse, Lacramioara Aurelia; Peterkova, Valentina; Bogova, Elena; Gualtieri, Andrea; Solano, Marta García; Gutiérrez-González, Enrique; Rakhmatullaeva, Sanavbar; Tanrygulyyeva, Maya; Yardim, Nazan; Weghuber, Daniel; Mäki, Päivi; Russell Jonsson, Kenisha; Starc, Gregor; Juliusson, Petur Benedikt; Heinen, Mirjam M.; Kelleher, Cecily; Ostojic, Sergej; Popovic, Stevo; Kovacs, Viktoria Anna; Akhmedova, Dilorom; Farpour-Lambert, Nathalie J.; Rutter, Harry; Li, Bai; Boymatova, Khadichamo; Rakovac, Ivo; Wickramasinghe, Kremlin; Breda, JoãoIntroduction: Parents can act as important agents of change and support for healthy childhood growth and development. Studies have found that parents may not be able to accurately perceive their child’s weight status. The purpose of this study was to measure parental perceptions of their child’s weight status and to identify predictors of potential parental misperceptions. Methods: We used data from the World Health Organization (WHO) European Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative and 22 countries. Parents were asked to identify their perceptions of their children’s weight status as “underweight,” “normal weight,” “a little overweight,” or “extremely overweight.” We categorized children’s (6–9 years; n = 124,296) body mass index (BMI) as BMI-for-age Z-scores based on the 2007 WHO-recommended growth references. For each country included in the analysis and pooled estimates (country level), we calculated the distribution of children according to the WHO weight status classification, distribution by parental perception of child’s weight status, percentages of accurate, overestimating, or underestimating perceptions, misclassification levels, and predictors of parental misperceptions using a multilevel logistic regression analysis that included only children with overweight (including obesity). Statistical analyses were performed using Stata version 15 1. Results: Overall, 64.1% of parents categorized their child’s weight status accurately relative to the WHO growth charts. However, parents were more likely to underestimate their child’s weight if the child had overweight (82.3%) or obesity (93.8%). Parents were more likely to underestimate their child’s weight if the child was male (adjusted OR [adjOR]: 1.41; 95% confidence intervals [CI]: 1.28–1.55); the parent had a lower educational level (adjOR: 1.41; 95% CI: 1.26–1.57); the father was asked rather than the mother (adjOR: 1.14; 95% CI: 0.98–1.33); and the family lived in a rural area (adjOR: 1.10; 95% CI: 0.99–1.24). Overall, parents’ BMI was not strongly associated with the underestimation of children’s weight status, but there was a stronger association in some countries. Discussion/Conclusion: Our study supplements the current literature on factors that influence parental perceptions of their child’s weight status. Public health interventions aimed at promoting healthy childhood growth and development should consider parents’ knowledge and perceptions, as well as the sociocultural contexts in which children and families live.
- Thinness, overweight, and obesity in 6‐ to 9‐year‐old children from 36 countries: The World Health Organization European Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative - COSI 2015-2017Publication . Spinelli, Angela; Buoncristiano, Marta; Nardone, Paola; Starc, Gregor; Hejgaard, Tatjana; Júlíusson, Petur Benedikt; Fismen, Anne‐Siri; Weghuber, Daniel; Musić Milanović, Sanja; García‐Solano, Marta; Rutter, Harry; Rakovac, Ivo; Cucu, Alexandra; Brinduse, Lacramioara Aurelia; Rito, Ana Isabel; Kovacs, Viktoria Anna; Heinen, Mirjam M.; Nurk, Eha; Mäki, Päivi; Abdrakhmanova, Shynar; Rakhmatulleoeva, Sanavbar; Duleva, Vesselka; Farrugia Sant'Angelo, Victoria; Fijałkowska, Anna; Gualtieri, Andrea; Sacchini, Elena; Hassapidou, Maria; Hyska, Jolanda; Kelleher, Cecily C.; Kujundžić, Enisa; Kunešová, Marie; Markidou Ioannidou, Eliza; Ostojic, Sergej M.; Peterkova, Valentina; Petrauskienė, Aušra; Popović, Stevo; Pudule, Iveta; Russell Jonsson, Kenisha; Dal‐Re Saavedra, Maria Ángeles; Salanave, Benoît; Shengelia, Lela; Spiroski, Igor; Tanrygulyyeva, Maya; Tichá, Ľubica; Usupova, Zhamilya; Ozcebe, Lütfiye Hilal; Abildina, Akbota; Schindler, Karin; Weber, Martin W.; Filipović Hadžiomeragić, Aida; Melkumova, Marina; Stojisavljević, Dragana; Boymatova, Khadichamo; Williams, Julianne; Breda, JoãoIn 2015-2017, the fourth round of the World Health Organization (WHO) European Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative (COSI) was conducted in 36 countries. National representative samples of children aged 6–9 (203,323) were measured by trained staff, with similar equipment and using a standardized protocol. This paper assesses the children's body weight status and compares the burden of childhood overweight, obesity, and thinness in Northern, Eastern, and Southern Europe and Central Asia. The results show great geographic variability in height, weight, and body mass index. On average, the children of Northern Europe were the tallest, those of Southern Europe the heaviest, and the children living in Central Asia the lightest and the shortest. Overall, 28.7% of boys and 26.5% of girls were overweight (including obesity) and 2.5% and 1.9%, respectively, were thin according to the WHO definitions. The prevalence of obesity varied from 1.8% of boys and 1.1% of girls in Tajikistan to 21.5% and 19.2%, respectively, in Cyprus, and tended to be higher for boys than for girls. Levels of thinness, stunting, and underweight were relatively low, except in Eastern Europe (for thinness) and in Central Asia. Despite the efforts to halt it, unhealthy weight status is still an important problem in the WHO European Region.
- Urban and rural differences in frequency of fruit, vegetable, and soft drink consumption among 6–9‐year‐old children from 19 countries from the WHO European regionPublication . Heinen, Mirjam M.; Bel‐Serrat, Silvia; Kelleher, Cecily C.; Buoncristiano, Marta; Spinelli, Angela; Nardone, Paola; Milanović, Sanja Musić; Rito, Ana Isabel; Bosi, A. Tülay Bağci; Gutiérrrez‐González, Enrique; Pudule, Iveta; Abdrakhmanova, Shynar; Abdurrahmonova, Zulfiya; Brinduse, Lacramioara Aurelia; Cucu, Alexandra; Duleva, Vesselka; Fijałkowska, Anna; Gualtieri, Andrea; Hejgaard, Tatjana; Hyska, Jolanda; Kujundžić, Enisa; Petrauskiene, Ausra; Sacchini, Elena; Shengelia, Lela; Tanrygulyyeva, Maya; Usupova, Zhamilya; Bergh, Ingunn Holden; Weghuber, Daniel; Taxová Braunerová, Radka; Kunešová, Marie; Sant'Angelo, Victoria Farrugia; Nurk, Eha; Ostojic, Sergej M.; Spiroski, Igor; Tichá, Ľubica; Rutter, Harry; Williams, Julianne; Boymatova, Khadichamo; Rakovac, Ivo; Weber, Martin W.; Breda, JoãoIn order to address the paucity of evidence on the association between childhood eating habits and urbanization, this cross-sectional study describes urban–rural differences in frequency of fruit, vegetable, and soft drink consumption in 123,100 children aged 6–9 years from 19 countries participating in the fourth round (2015-2017) of the WHO European Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative (COSI). Children's parents/caregivers completed food-frequency questionnaires. A multivariate multilevel logistic regression analysis was performed and revealed wide variability among countries and within macroregions for all indicators. The percentage of children attending rural schools ranged from 3% in Turkey to 70% in Turkmenistan. The prevalence of less healthy eating habits was high, with between 30–80% and 30–90% children not eating fruit or vegetables daily, respectively, and up to 45% consuming soft drinks on >3 days a week. For less than one third of the countries, children attending rural schools had higher odds (OR-range: 1.1–2.1) for not eating fruit or vegetables daily or consuming soft drinks >3 days a week compared to children attending urban schools. For the remainder of the countries no significant associations were observed. Both population-based interventions and policy strategies are necessary to improve access to healthy foods and increase healthy eating behaviors among children.