Background Dietary interventions can improve pregnancy outcomes among women with increased BMI. Although the interest in mobile health interventions is growing, little is known about the acceptability of smartphone apps to support lifestyle interventions in such a cohort. Objective We aimed to assess the acceptability of the pregnancy, exercise, and nutrition research study with smartphone app support (PEARS) and the use of mobile health in a mixed lifestyle intervention delivered to overweight and obese pregnant women. Methods PEARS was a randomized controlled trial of a low glycemic index dietary intervention with exercise prescription and a smartphone app, which was delivered to pregnant women who were overweight or obese. Acceptability questionnaires were completed by the intervention group at 28 weeks of gestation (n=149) and at postintervention (n=123). Maternal characteristics were recorded (ie, age, ethnicity, BMI, socioeconomic status). Associations between maternal characteristics and acceptability of the intervention and app were analyzed using two-tailed t tests, Mann-Whitney U tests, chi-square test, and logistic regression. One-on-one semistructured interviews were conducted with a subcohort of the intervention participants (n=28) at 34 weeks of gestation, in which the participants shared their experiences of the PEARS intervention. Results The intervention was generally accepted, with respondents agreeing that the diet was easy to follow (98/148, 68.5%), enjoyable (106/148, 74.1%), and affordable (110/148, 76.9%). Qualitative and quantitative results were consistent with each another, both demonstrating that app acceptability was high. The participants agreed that the app was enjoyable (96/120, 80.0%) and easy to use (116/119, 97.5%). Compared to those with tertiary education, those with lower education levels were more likely to enjoy the dietary changes (P=.04). Enjoyment of the app was associated with disadvantaged neighborhood deprivation index (P=.01) and higher BMI (P=.03). Conclusions The PEARS intervention and use of a supportive smartphone app were accepted by pregnant women, particularly by those from vulnerable subgroups of this population. Trial Registration International Standard Randomized Controlled Trial Number (ISRCTN) 29316280; https://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN29316280

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One of the questions which continually confronts a serious student is "How fast shall I read this assignment?" Various rates are recommended in books on how to study, some advising a rapid first reading followed by a slow perusal of certain parts, others a slow reading followed by more swift repetitions. All suggest that technical material and information which is new must be read more slowly than non-technical and familiar material. It is also pointed out that the method of reading should depend upon the desired results. In some courses numbers of books must be rapidly reviewed while in other courses a single text or manual must be thoroughly memorized. Most courses demand a thorough knowledge of certain "fundamentals" which may be gleaned from skimming some references and reading others intensively.The factors producing successful results in these situations are certainly very numerous and complex. They may for convenience be classified under the following headmgs:1. The degree of visual acuity and endurance 2 The speed of reading responses 3 The recognition of symbols, such as letters, numbers, punctuation marks, etc 4. The association of meanings with certain symbols 5 The eduction of relations of similarity, difference, cause, etc. 6 The energy factors, such as dominant trains of thought, mood, desire, muscular tension, etc., which direct attention.

Context There is limited evidence on strategies used to promote dietary behavior changes in socioeconomically disadvantaged urban adolescents and on their effectiveness. Objective A synthesis of nutrition interventions used in this group of adolescents is provided in this systematic review. Data Sources Five electronic databases (PubMed, Web of Science, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and ERIC) were searched until November 2020 to identify relevant studies. Data Extraction Forty-six manuscripts (n = 38 intervention studies) met the inclusion criteria. Quality was assessed with the Effective Public Health Practice Project Quality Assessment Tool. A qualitative synthesis summarizing data on study characteristics was conducted. Data Analysis Studies were classified by intervention type as those focusing on hedonic determinants of dietary intake (n = 1), environmental changes to promote a specific dietary intake (n = 3), cognitive determinants (n = 29), and multicomponent strategies (n = 13). The social cognitive theory was the most applied theoretical framework, either alone or combined with other frameworks. Most of the intervention studies targeted multiple dietary outcomes, and success was not always reported for each. Conclusions Despite the heterogeneity of the studies and lack of combination of dietary outcomes into dietary scores or patterns to evaluate changes on the individuals’ whole diets, long-term, theory-driven interventions targeting a single dietary factor seem promising in obtaining sustainable dietary behavior changes. Systematic Review Registration PROSPERO registration no. CRD42020188219.

Objective: To review research on the influence of parent-related factors on children’s dairy consumption. Design: A search of electronic databases and a narrative synthesis of the literature was conducted. English-language articles were included if they reported data relating to parental influences on children’s consumption of dairy products and if statistical significance was reported. Setting: Studies were carried out in the Unites States (n=8) and in a range of countries across Europe (n=12) and Asia (n=5). Subjects: The subjects of this research were children aged between 2 and 12 years of age, from a range of geographical locations. Results: Twenty-five studies met the inclusion criteria. The studies examined children’s dairy consumption in relation to parental socioeconomic status (education level and income) (n=12), home availability (n=2), home food environment (n=3), parental dairy consumption (n=4), parent feeding practices (n=3), parents’ beliefs and attitudes (n=3) and parental nutrition knowledge (n=3). Results on the association between socioeconomic status and children’s dairy consumption varied, however, studies reporting a significant association generally observed a positive relationship. Fifteen studies reported children’s total dairy intake as an outcome measure, with the remaining studies reporting intake of milk or other dairy products as individual foods. Conclusions: This review identified literature exploring a range of parental factors in relation to children’s dairy intake. However, there were limited numbers of studies published within each category of modifiable factors. Further research on the parent-related determinants of dairy consumption in children is required in order to identify potential intervention targets in this age group.