Biomedical subjects

Leslie A Lytle

Publications and source records attributed to Leslie A Lytle.

44 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

PubMed2002

Are differences in exposure to a multicomponent school-based intervention associated with varying dietary outcomes in adolescents?

Multicomponent interventions are recommended for health behavior change among adolescents. However, it is difficult to disentangle the effects of multiple intervention components. This article reports outcomes associated with varying levels of exposure to a school-based nutrition intervention. Teens Eating for Energy and Nutrition at School (TEENS). Four incremental exposures were possible: (1) control group, (2) school environment interventions only, (3) classroom plus environment interventions, and (4) peer leaders plus classroom plus environment interventions. Pattems suggesting dose response were observed, with peer leaders reporting the largest increases in fruit, vegetable, and lower fat food consumption. Students exposed to classroom plus environment interventions also improved, whereas students exposed only to school environment interventions showed trends toward choosing lower fat foods and declining fruit intake and no change in vegetable intake. Control students' choices remained stable. Future studies may investigate mechanisms for peer leaders' changes, maximizing curriculum effectiveness, and improving environmental interventions.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Nutrition education, behavioral theories, and the scientific method: another viewpoint.

In a previous viewpoint in this journal, David Buchanan suggested that the scientific model is inappropriate, ineffective, and possibly unethical in nutrition education research and championed the use of a more humanistic model. The purpose of this article is to provide a counterpoint to Buchanan's views. More specifically, this article will provide another interpretation of the current status of the scientific method in the social and behavioral sciences, will examine how the field of nutrition education has benefited from the use of the scientific method to evaluate behavioral theories, and will discuss what we are trying to achieve by using theory in nutrition education.

Evidence-Based Medicine↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Associations between perceived family meal environment and parent intake of fruit, vegetables, and fat.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the family mealtime environment and assess associations with adult fruit, vegetable, and fat intake. DESIGN: Telephone survey. PARTICIPANTS: A convenience sample of 277 adults in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area were recruited through 4 schools. The sample was 85% female and 70% married. The mean number of children in the household was 2.6 (range 1 to 9). VARIABLES MEASURED: Adult fruit and vegetable intake, fat intake, and perceptions of the mealtime environment. ANALYSIS: Descriptive and mixed-model linear regression. RESULTS: Participants reported that the television was frequently on during dinner meals and almost one third felt that their family was too busy to eat dinner together. A higher frequency of television viewing during dinner was associated with lower fruit and vegetable consumption and higher fat consumption. Planning meals in advance was associated with higher fruit and vegetable consumption; however, 46% of the adults did not plan meals in advance. Arguments concerning eating behavior during dinner were associated with higher fat consumption. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: The family meal environment is associated with adult eating patterns and should be considered when designing nutrition messages for families.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Predicting adolescents' intake of fruits and vegetables.

OBJECTIVE: To explore potential predictors of adolescents' fruit and vegetable intake by expanding on current theory and drawing from other adolescent research. DESIGN: This research reports on baseline and interim data from a school-based intervention study. Data were collected through surveys administered to students at the beginning and end of their 7th grade year. SETTING: The students attended 16 public schools in Minnesota. PARTICIPANTS: Data were collected on 3878 students; approximately half were female and 67% were white. All students in the 7th grade cohort were invited to participate in the surveys and over 94% completed both surveys. VARIABLES MEASURED: Our dependent variable, fruit and vegetable intake, was assessed by a validated fruit and vegetable food frequency scale. Predictive factors assessed included parenting style, spirituality/religiosity, depressive symptoms, and other commonly assessed predictors. ANALYSIS: Generalized linear mixed model regression. Omnibus test of association using P <.05 is reported. RESULTS: Subjective norms, barriers, knowledge, usual food choice, parenting style, spirituality/religiosity, and depressive symptoms were statistically significant predictors of intake. The model explained about 31% of the variance in fruit and vegetable consumption. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: To better understand adolescents' fruit and vegetable intake, we must explore novel predictors. Our results need to be replicated, and more exploratory research in this field is needed.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Applying theory of planned behavior to fruit and vegetable consumption of young adolescents.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this research was to investigate how well Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) predicted frequency of consumption of fruits and vegetables among seventh graders and to investigate whether gender or socioeconomic status (SES) had moderating effects on the relationships between the constructs in the model. DESIGN: Two identical self-administered paper and pencil surveys were distributed 6 months apart. Path analyses of the TPB models by gender and SES were performed with AMOS software. SETTING: The study occurred in eight middle schools from school districts in the Minneapolis--St. Paul metropolitan area, where a minimum of 20% of the students qualified for free or reduced-price meals. SUBJECTS: Of the invited seventh graders, 1406 (74%) completed data for the model constructs at baseline and for behavior at interim data collection. MEASURES: We assessed frequency of consumption of fruits and vegetables and attitudes, subjective norms, barriers, and intentions related to this behavior. Three levels of SES were created based on questions about free lunch, parents' education, and work. RESULTS: No significant direct effects of attitudes and subjective norms on behavior were found, but for barriers, both indirect effects through intentions and direct effects on behavior were significant. Seven percent of the variation in the frequency of fruit and vegetable consumption and 31% of the variation in intention to eat more fruits and vegetables were explained by the model. Gender appeared to have moderating effects on the relationships between attitudes and intention and between intentions and behavior in the model. There were no moderator effects of SES, but the larger dropout rates from the low-SES group could have caused the groups to become more homogeneous. CONCLUSION: The data fit the model well; still, large proportions of the variance in the frequency of consumption of fruits and vegetables were unexplained. This may be related to the operationalization of the model constructs or to missing important factors in the model. Furthermore, there appeared to be strong relationships between subjective norms or barriers and intentions as well as gender differences in the strengths of the relationships in the model that may have implications for intervention methods or messages.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Tobacco and alcohol use outcomes of a school-based intervention in New Delhi.

OBJECTIVE: To reduce tobacco use among adolescents. METHODS: Thirty schools in New Delhi, India, were randomly assigned to 3 conditions: school-based and family-based intervention, school-based intervention only, or control group. Students were in the seventh grade at pretest (N = 4,776). The smoking intervention included posters, booklets, classroom activities, debates, and a signature campaign. The family intervention involved home activities. The survey measured tobacco knowledge, attitudes, offers, use, and intentions. RESULTS: Intervention students were significantly less likely than controls to have been offered, received, experimented with, or have intentions to use tobacco. CONCLUSION: The project had a significant impact on tobacco use.

Child↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Survey development for assessing correlates of young adolescents' eating.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the development and psychometric testing of a survey to assess multiple influences on young adolescents' eating behaviors. METHODS: A 204-item survey was piloted with middle-school students. We incorporated a broad view of determinants of eating behavior in an effort to expand the current field of predictors. RESULTS: The survey was reduced to 147 items and administered to 3,878 students. Internal consistencies were generally >0.70. Test-retest reliabilities were 0.30-0.98, mostly >0.60. CONCLUSIONS: We estimated psychometric properties for a range of measures in a diverse sample. This is important as the increasing demand for outcomes-based research expands the need for psychometrically sound survey measures.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Prevalence and correlates of depressive symptoms in young adolescents.

OBJECTIVES: To assess prevalence of elevated depressive symptoms in young adolescents and examine associations between symptoms and sociodemographic and behavioral factors. METHODS: Cross-sectional survey data from 3621 seventh grade students from 16 middle schools were analyzed. RESULTS: Elevated depressive symptoms were reported by 40% of girls and 30% of boys. Socioeconomic status, race/ethnicity, and age group were independently associated with depressive symptomatology. For girls, monthly alcohol use, monthly smoking, heavy drinking, and inhalant use were significant correlates. For boys, monthly alcohol use and inhalant use were significant. CONCLUSIONS: Elevated depressive symptomatology was a prevalent problem. Substance use was often associated with depressive symptoms, especially among girls.

Adolescent↗