This systematic review evaluated the association between frequency of family meals (FFM) and nutritional status (NS) and/or food consumption (FC) in adolescents. The protocol was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42017062180) and followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. No publication date, language, or meal type restrictions were imposed. Only full-text original articles were included; qualitative studies were excluded. Studies were identified by searching 5 electronic databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, BVS Brazil, and Adolec) and gray literature (Google Scholar) and by scanning reference lists of included articles. Risk of bias was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale for cohort and cross-sectional studies. Initial search yielded 2001 results and 47 articles were included. An updated literature search added 3 articles. Of the 50 studies included, 25 studied the association between FFM and NS, 32 investigated the association between FFM and FC, being that seven studies analyzed both outcomes. Thirty-four were cross-sectional studies, 12 were longitudinal studies, and 4 studies analyzed both cross-sectional and longitudinal data. Thirty-five studies were rated as having good quality, whereas 19 were of fair quality. Sample size ranged from 140 to 102 072 participants. Most investigations evaluated the frequency of breakfast, lunch, and/or dinner/supper/evening meals over a 1-week period. Seventeen studies identified a positive relationship between high FFM and better NS, and 26 found a positive association between high FFM and better FC. In conclusion, this review showed an association between FFM and healthy dietary patterns, such as increased consumption of fruits and vegetables. Further research is needed to understand the association between FFM and NS, since some studies showed a protective role of family meals against obesity in this age group, whereas other studies identified no significant association between these variables.

Background Literature has shown a tendency of inadequate dietary intake among youth, consequently, nutritional interventions are required. The transtheoretical model (TTM) classifies individuals based on their readiness to change. This model is widely used for health education interventions with proven efficacy. Purpose This review aimed to weigh the strength of evidence about the TTM usage in nutritional interventions for adolescents and its effectiveness regarding dietary intake. Methods This study followed the PRISMA guidelines. Eligible studies were input into Mendeley software. The Adolec, Google Scholar, LILACS, PsycINFO, PubMed, Science Direct and Web of Science databases were searched. Only full original articles written in English, Spanish or Portuguese on randomized controlled trials and quasi-experimental designs that applied the TTM in the design of nutritional interventions targeting adolescents were included, with no restrictions on publication date. The quality and risk of bias was evaluated with the Effective Public Health Practice Project Quality Assessment Tool for Quantitative Studies. Results The initial search yielded 3779 results. Three studies were rated as strong, six as moderate and five as weak. The final sample of 14 articles included adolescents that were mostly recruited from schools, with interventions ranging from one month to three years. The TTM was used alone or combined with other behavior-change theories and most of the interventions involved digital technology. The nutritional topics covered included fruit and vegetable consumption, low-fat diet, and cooking skills. Four studies presented improvement in fruit and vegetable consumption and four progressed through stages of change. Participants from two interventions reduced fat intake. At the end of one intervention, all the participants were in action and maintenance stages. Conclusion The TTM seems to be a successful strategy for nutritional intervention aiming at improving dietary intake in adolescents. Its application in different contexts shows that the TTM is flexible and possible to be implemented in many settings. The use of the model is shown to be restricted to the stage of change’ construct. Further studies should use all constructs of the TTM in the design and compare the TTM with other behavior-change theories to better understand its effectiveness.

TECH) study, we applied user-centered design to develop Platano, a self-determination theorybased app that promotes self-tracking of diet and blood glucose in diabetes via motivationally-tailored user interfaces. During an ongoing pilot evaluation, we conducted face-to-face, in-depth interviews with English-speaking users (n = 9, age range = 28-61, 88% female, 89% nonwhite, 88% household income <$20,000) after using Platano for six weeks. Measurable Outcome/Analysis: Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim; data were managed in NVivo 12. Two authors coded interviews using Thematic Analysis, resolving differences through consensus. Results: Five themes emerged: a) context: external circumstances (e.g., food insecurity, cultural norms) were central to participants' user experience; b) flexible tool: participants used Platano for both self-discovery and accountability, reporting benefits including learning their personal glycemic response to specific foods and maintaining self-discipline in making dietary choices; c) empowerment: users attributed dietary changes, weight loss, and improved patient-provider communication to Platano; d) individual characteristics (e.g., nutrition literacy, motivation, self-efficacy), and e) in-the-moment barriers (e.g., social pressure) both influenced app usage and diet goal adherence. Conclusion: Findings suggest Platano was well-received and viewed as a supporting tool for diabetes self-management among underserved urban adults. Further, findings reinforce the need for more comprehensive and personalized solutions to reduce barriers to engaging in dietary behavior change to improve diabetes outcomes.

Aims Birth weight (BW) and length were important indicators of intrauterine nutritional status of infants, and were also associated with long-term cardiovascular risks. There were no studies about the effects of growth trajectory patterns on the association between BW and cardiovascular risks during the childhood and adolescence. This study aimed to examine the association between BW and cardiovascular risks in children and adolescents and to further investigate whether different growth patterns could modify the abnormal BW on cardiovascular risks. Methods This study recruited 51,685 children and adolescents aged 6 to 18 years using data from Chinese national survey conducted in 2012. BW was determined using the medical certificate of birth. Current cardiovascular indicators included obesity, abdominal obesity, hypertension, impaired fasting glucose (IFG), abnormal total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL). Growth patterns were divided into catch-up growth, trajectory growth, and retarded growth by using the percentiles difference of birth length and current height. We used logistic regression models and generalized additive models to estimate the association between BW and cardiovascular indicators based on different growth patterns. Results The prevalence of obesity, abdominal obesity, hypertension, IFG, abnormal TC, TG, HDL and LDL were 11.6%, 5.7%, 9.4%, 3.1%, 6.0%, 13.3%, 13.9%, and 5.3% in children and adolescents. High BW increased the risks of obesity, abdominal obesity, and abnormal TG, and low BW increased the risks of hypertension, IFG, and abnormal TC, but both of them presented no significant risks changes in abnormal HDL and LDL in childhood and adolescence. Catch-up growth and retarded growth decreased the risks of hypertension, IFG, and abnormal TC caused by high BW, as well as the IFG risks caused by low BW. But catch-up growth increased the risks of hypertension and abnormal TC caused by low BW. Conclusion Our findings suggest that different growth patterns after birth could modify cardiovascular risks caused by the BW abnormalities in the childhood and adolescents. This study with national large data provided an obvious evidence for guiding the scientific and reasonable growth and development of children and adolescents after birth.Aims To explore school nurses' experiences of safeguarding adolescence.Methods A qualitative phenomenological study was undertaken with participants recruited from five NHS trusts across England, involving semi-structured telephone interviews, which were analysed and managed with the ATLASti software using a grounded theory approach. Results Four categories were identified in the study, one was related to education, and three were related to the school nursing role these being; targeted interventions, encountering increased numbers of safeguarding risks such as child sexual exploitation and mental health in practice, and identifying safeguarding supervision and teamwork, as key factors of support, with...