BackgroundRegular fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption has been associated with reduced chronic disease risk. Evidence from adults shows a social gradient in FV consumption. Evidence from pre-adolescent children varies and there is little Canadian data. This study assessed the FV intake of school children in British Columbia (BC), Canada to determine whether socio-economic status (SES), parental and the home environment factors were related to FV consumption.MethodsAs part of the BC School Fruit and Vegetable Nutrition Program, 773 British Columbia fifth-and sixth-grade school children (Mean age 11.3 years; range 10.3-12.5) and their parents were surveyed to determine FV consumption and overall dietary intake. Students completed a web-based 24-hour dietary food recall, and a student measure of socio-economic status (The Family Affluence Scale). Parents completed a self-administered survey about their education, income, home environment and perceptions of their neighbourhood and children’s eating habits. Correlations and multiple regression analyses were used to examine the association between SES, parental and home environment factors and FV consumption.ResultsApproximately 85.8% of children in this study failed to meet minimum Canadian guidelines for FV intake (6 servings). Parent income and education were not significantly associated with child FV consumption but were associated with each other, child-reported family affluence, neighbourhood environment, access to FV, and eating at the table or in front of the television. Significant positive associations were found between FV consumption and child-reported family affluence, meal-time habits, neighbourhood environment and parent perceptions of the healthiness of their child’s diet; however, these correlations were weak (ranging from .089-.115). Multiple regression analysis showed that only child-reported family affluence significantly predicted FV consumption (std-β = 0.096 95% CI = 0.01 to 0.27).ConclusionsThe majority of children in our study were not meeting guidelines for FV intake irrespective of SES, parent perceptions or home environment, making this a population wide concern. An almost trivial socio-economic gradient was observed for the child-reported SES measure only. These results are consistent with several other studies of children. Longitudinal research is needed to further explore individual and social factors associated with FV consumption in childhood and their development over time.

This article describes how evidence is defined and used in two British Columbia public health departments during the implementation of a Healthy Living initiative in 2009. Through interviews with 21 public health staff and decision makers, the author sought to investigate how "evidence" was defined by both frontline and management staff and how it was used in decision making. The authors found public health staff, particularly frontline practitioners, to be drawn to grassroots and local "lived experience" evidence. This tacit wisdom, in combination with evidence from academia and clinical evidence accessed through disciplinary or professional networks, offered a knowledge transition opportunity to inform decision making, rather than what can be characterized in the literature as unidirectional knowledge translation. It is often difficult for staff to digest and interpret research as part of their work day because of the volume and density of information that typically counts as evidence. Moreover, there exist challenges to identify and gather indicators as evidence of their work.

If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. AbstractPurpose -This paper aims to describe two phases of a mixed-method study: in phase I, the wellness practices of students at a Canadian university are reported. These data informed the re-development of a first-year health education course. Subsequent to its revision, phase II of the study assessed the impact of the course on students' wellness practices and learnings. Design/methodology/approach -In phase I, 855 students completed a survey rating ten wellness practices relating to themselves. Survey results were explored further in focus groups with 60 students. In phase II, a pre-and post-design assessed the impact of the health education curriculum. Wellness practices were surveyed, at the beginning and end of term, and content analysis was conducted on students' assignments. Findings -In phase I, the mean overall wellness score was 779.7 out of 1,000 or "good". Students scored highest in sexuality and safety, and lowest in physical activity and nutrition. Qualitative analyses revealed four primary themes important to students' wellness: being or holistic health; belonging or feeling connected to others and the campus; becoming or studying to achieve a professional or scholarly degree; and balance -or the search for stability. In phase II, significant changes were found for seven wellness scores when comparing the beginning and end of semester. Analysis of course assignments found that students left the course with enhanced affect and knowledge levels. Originality/value -The results support the argument that a health education curriculum, responsive to students' identified needs, and in conjunction with a healthy campus environment, promises to enhance student wellness.

Higher levels of VAT at the same body size and lower levels of physical activity (PA) have been reported in persons of Chinese and South Asian origin compared to European origin. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that higher levels of VAT in persons of Chinese and South Asian origin versus European origin are associated with lower levels of PA. Chinese, European, and South Asian participants were assessed for sociodemographics, obesity-related measures, anthropometrics, and PA. Bivariate correlations, analysis of covariance, and regression models were used to explore ethnic differences in PA and the role of PA in explaining obesity-related measures. We observed ethnic differences in both body fat distribution and PA. Chinese and South Asians had higher amounts of VAT at a given BMI but lower amounts of moderate PA, vigorous PA, and moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA). Furthermore, we found ethnic-specific differences in the associations between body fat distribution and PA with only Europeans showing a consistent negative relationship between body fat distribution and PA. When ethnic differences in PA were taken into account, there were no longer any differences in VAT between the Chinese and European groups, while VAT remained higher in South Asians than Europeans.

to believe that 'an obese person needs someone to tell them to lose weight' and that 'an obese person is generally less motivated than a thin person' (p<0.001). Aboriginals (p¼0.009), Chinese (p¼0.014) and South Asians (p<0.001) had a stronger belief than Europeans that 'an obese person has a good chance of changing body weight'. Aboriginals and Chinese were less 'critical of other people's body weight' compared to Europeans (p¼0.010) while South Asians were more 'critical of other people's body weight' compared to Europeans (p¼0.001). Chinese were 'less likely to care about their body weight' compared to their European counterparts (p<0.001). The association of beliefs and attitudes towards others and towards oneself differed across ethnicities. Our results highlight the need to consider ethnic differences in body image perception so that interventions to help promote healthy body weights can be culturally relevant and diverse.