Physical Activity, Screen Time, and Prevalence of Overweight/Obesity among Adolescents in a Creative, Problem-Solving Program

Certain dietary, physical activity, and sedentary behaviors have been studied extensively and consistently have been found to be associated with childhood overweight and obesity Productive sedentary-to-light activity pursuits may enhance the relationship among positive health behaviors. The purpose of this study was to identify the prevalence of overweight and obesity in a population of adolescents participating in a creative, problem-solving afterschool program and to identify the physical activity, sedentary, and dietary behaviors related to overweight and obesity in this group. This study describes health behaviors thought to be related to weight status for 1679 adolescents in grades 6 12 participating in a competitive, creative, team-oriented, problem-solving afterschool program. Self-reported dietary, physical activity, and sedentary behavior data were collected in this convenience sample based on the 2007 Youth Risk Behavior Survey. Measured height and weight data were collected to calculate BMI percentile. Using multinomial regression, models were constructed to predict the likelihood of being classified as overweight/obese. The prevalence of overweight in the study population was 15.6%, obese was 11.4%. Fruit/vegetable intake, milk consumption, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, television time, and total screen time were all independently associated with weight status. After controlling for all covariates, male gender, minority racial/ethnic status, and high screen time while not meeting the physical activity recommendation significantly increased the likelihood of overweight/obesity. The participants in the current study are leaner and engage in healthier behaviors compared to national data for adolescents. The interactive variable combining both sedentary and PA measures is a relatively new technique used to provide a better understanding of the relationship between sedentary and physical activity behaviors as they relate to weight status. Even among healthy eating, physically active, low-risk adolescents, the interactive variable of physical activity and screen time strongly was associated with weight status.

Passion and Self-Determination: Exploring Social Networking Site Addiction Using a Dualistic Framework

The purpose of the present study is to explore the role of behavioral/psychological constructs of passion and self-determination in the context of social networking site (SNS) addiction. The present study explored SNS addiction by employing a dualistic framework, which is an amalgam of the dualistic model of passion ([13]) and the self-determination theory (SDT;[14]). Data were collected through an online survey administered by a market research company based in the USA (N = 312). The survey consisted of items related to key constructs related to the research framework proposed (e.g., harmonious and obsessive passion). All the items included in the survey were 7-point Likerttype questions. Additionally, data related to demographics and Internet usage were collected. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to explore the relationships between passion typologies, self-determination, and SNS addiction. Structural Equation Modeling showed that harmonious passion was positively related to autonomy and relatedness, but was negatively related to competence. Obsessive passion was negatively related to autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Competence and relatedness were negatively related to SNS addiction. Obsessive passion positively influenced SNS addiction, whereas, contrary to the expectation, harmonious passion also positively influenced SNS addiction. Obsessive passion towards SNS predicted SNS addiction via three basic psychological needs, namely, autonomy, competence, and relatedness. The present study draws upon concepts of positive psychology to understand SNS addiction. The proposed theoretical framework explained 86% of the variance in terminal construct, which is SNS addiction.

Chocolate Milk with Sucrose and Stevia Preference by Pre- and Post-Menopausal Women

The objective of this study was to evaluate and compare the preference of chocolate milk products sweetened with sucrose and stevia by pre- and post-menopausal women and to examine their concerns about bone health. Women panelists were divided into two groups according to age: pre- menopausal (from 18 to 47 years old) and post-menopausal (over 48 years old) and answered the frequency of white and chocolate milk consumption during a week and their concerns about bone health. For preference, five kinds of chocolate milk were used: 1) Non Sucrose Added [NSA] with stevia and NutraFlora?, 2) NSA with stevia, 3) with sucrose and stevia, 4) with sucrose, stevia, and NutraFlora?, and 5) control with sucrose. The results showed that both groups (pre- and post- menopausal women) prefer chocolate milk to white milk. Pre-menopausal women prefer the chocolate milk with NSA stevia and NutraFlora?, while post-menopausal women prefer the chocolate milk NSA with stevia without NutraFlora?. For comparisons between chocolate milk with sucrose and stevia vs. chocolate milk with sucrose and stevia and NutraFlora? and chocolate milk with sucrose vs. chocolate milk with sucrose and stevia, there were no visible differences between pre- and post-menopausal women. Both groups were concerned about bone health, fiber, and calories, and their concerns about which influenced their milk choices. Pre-menopausal women showed a greater positive impact on milk choice when being informed the amount of fibers in the sample than post-menopausal women. Therefore, this study suggests that milk sweetened with stevia needs to be produced as calcium resources without increasing calories.