Classification of techniques used in self-determination theory-based interventions in health contexts: An expert consensus study. Motivation Science.

The results suggest that triceps skinfold thickness gives the best results for obesity screening in adolescents aged 10-15 y. BMI and upper arm girth were reasonable alternatives, except in 14-15-y-old boys, in whom both indexes were only marginally able to discriminate obesity.

BackgroundReducing sitting time as well as increasing physical activity in inactive people is beneficial for their health. This paper investigates the effectiveness of the European Fans in Training (EuroFIT) programme to improve physical activity and sedentary time in male football fans, delivered through the professional football setting.Methods and findingsA total of 1,113 men aged 30–65 with self-reported body mass index (BMI) ≥27 kg/m2 took part in a randomised controlled trial in 15 professional football clubs in England, the Netherlands, Norway, and Portugal. Recruitment was between September 19, 2015, and February 2, 2016. Participants consented to study procedures and provided usable activity monitor baseline data. They were randomised, stratified by club, to either the EuroFIT intervention or a 12-month waiting list comparison group. Follow-up measurement was post-programme and 12 months after baseline. EuroFIT is a 12-week, group-based programme delivered by coaches in football club stadia in 12 weekly 90-minute sessions. Weekly sessions aimed to improve physical activity, sedentary time, and diet and maintain changes long term. A pocket-worn device (SitFIT) allowed self-monitoring of sedentary time and daily steps, and a game-based app (MatchFIT) encouraged between-session social support. Primary outcome (objectively measured sedentary time and physical activity) measurements were obtained for 83% and 85% of intervention and comparison participants. Intention-to-treat analyses showed a baseline-adjusted mean difference in sedentary time at 12 months of −1.6 minutes/day (97.5% confidence interval [CI], −14.3–11.0; p = 0.77) and in step counts of 678 steps/day (97.5% CI, 309–1.048; p < 0.001) in favor of the intervention. There were significant improvements in diet, weight, well-being, self-esteem, vitality, and biomarkers of cardiometabolic health in favor of the intervention group, but not in quality of life. There was a 0.95 probability of EuroFIT being cost-effective compared with the comparison group if society is willing to pay £1.50 per extra step/day, a maximum probability of 0.61 if society is willing to pay £1,800 per minute less sedentary time/day, and 0.13 probability if society is willing to pay £30,000 per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY). It was not possible to blind participants to group allocation. Men attracted to the programme already had quite high levels of physical activity at baseline (8,372 steps/day), which may have limited room for improvement. Although participants came from across the socioeconomic spectrum, a majority were well educated and in paid work. There was an increase in recent injuries and in upper and lower joint pain scores post-programme. In addition, although the five-level EuroQoL questionnaire (EQ-5D-5L) is now the preferred measure for cost-effectiveness analyses across Europe, baseline scores were high (0.93), suggesting a ceiling effect for QALYs.ConclusionParticipation in EuroFIT led to improvements in physical activity, diet, body weight, and biomarkers of...

TEIXEIRA, PEDRO J., LUIS B. SARDINHA, SCOTT B. GOING, AND TIMOTHY G. LOHMAN. Total and regional fat and serum cardiovascular disease risk factors in lean and obese children and adolescents. Obes Res. 2001;9:432-442. Objective: This study was conducted to evaluate the association of total and central adiposity with serum cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors in lean and obese Portuguese children and adolescents. Research Methods and Procedures: A total of 87 girls (13.2 Ϯ 1.6 years old, 29.9 Ϯ 6.4% body fat [mean Ϯ SD]) and 72 boys (13.2 Ϯ 1.6 years old, 20.8 Ϯ 9.9% body fat) volunteered for the study. Whole-body composition and fat distribution, from DXA and anthropometry, and serum lipids, lipoproteins, and apolipoproteins were evaluated. Results: The sum of three trunk skinfolds (STS) was highly correlated with total trunk fat mass measured by DXA (p Ͻ 0.001). Body mass index, DXA-measured percentage of body fat, trunk fat mass, STS, and the waist-to-height ratio were generally found to be associated with triacylglycerol, the ratio of total cholesterol (TC) to high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C), low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), and apolipoprotein B levels, (significant age-adjusted r between 0.16 and 0.27, p Ͻ 0.05). Body mass index, STS, and the waist circumference were also associated with HDL-C (p Ͻ 0.05), whereas no body composition variable significantly correlated with TC or apolipoproteins A-I. The STS was significantly correlated with HDL-C (p Ͻ 0.01), TC/HDL-C (p Ͻ 0.05), and apolipoproteins A-I (p Ͻ 0.05) independently of whole-body fatness. Obese subjects (n ϭ 73) had higher TC, LDL-C, TC/HDL-C, and apolipoprotein B than did non-obese subjects (n ϭ 86), and significant associations between central adiposity and some lipid variables (triacylglycerol and HDL-C) were found in obese children and adolescents that were not present in leaner individuals. Discussion: DXA-and anthropometry-based whole-body and central fat measures are associated with serum CVD risk factors in Portuguese boys and girls. Obese children and adolescents have a poorer lipid profile than do their leaner counterparts. Trunk skinfolds, which are easy to obtain even in large samples, predict CVD risk factors to the same extent as DXA-based variables, in some cases, independently of total fatness.