International Journal of Child Health and Nutrition

54-61

Authors: Laura E. Clark, Deborah J. Rhea

The purpose of this study was to explore the physical activity patterns and emotional states differences among elementary school students at two private schools with differently structured school days. Students at one school received the LiiNK Project® pilot intervention, which included an additional two 15-minute recess breaks (unstructured outdoor play) throughout the school day and a 15-minute character development lesson three to four times weekly. Students at the comparison school received only one 30-minute recess daily and no additional character development curriculum. Grades K-2 children from two schools (N=262) wore pedometers for one school week and were observed for emotional expressions during recess. A univariate ANOVA revealed that intervention school students took significantly more steps on average than comparison school students, F(1, 260)=0.784, p<0.0001. Significant interactions were found for average number of steps between school and grade, F(2, 250)=4.298, p<0.05, school and gender, F(1, 250)=4.660, p<0.05, and grade and gender, F(2, 250)=6.919, p<0.001. Another univariate ANOVA revealed that during recess, intervention school students displayed significantly higher percentages of positive emotions than comparison school children, F(1, 52)=15.332, p<0.0001 and significantly lower percentages of not-positive emotions than comparison school students, F(1, 52)=13.900, p<0.0001. Overall, K-2 students who received multiple recesses and a character curriculum called Positive Action were significantly more active during the school day and displayed higher percentages of positive emotions on the playground than comparison school students

70-79

Authors: Samuel N. Uwaezuoke, Chizoma I. Eneh, Ikenna K. Ndu, Kenechukwu Iloh, Maria I. Udorah

Background:The relationship between food preference in early childhood and prenatal exposure to flavor in the amniotic fluid is well documented. Although its association with flavor transmission in the breast milk has also been noted, it is poorly reported in this country. Objective:The present study aims to determine the relationship between mothers’ dietary exposure during exclusive breastfeeding and food preference in their preschool-aged children. Methods:Two hundred and twenty (220) mother-child dyads who met the study criteria were enrolled. A pre-tested, structured questionnaire was administered to the mothers. The relationship between maternal consumption of flour-based snacks and staple foods during exclusive breastfeeding and the child’s preference for these foods was determined using risk estimates. After controlling for potential confounders, logistic regression was used for multivariate analysis. Statistical significance was determined at p < 0.05 and all the risk estimates were presented as odds ratios (OR) at 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results:The relationship between daily maternal exposure to staple foods during exclusive breastfeeding and the children’s preference for this variety of food was not statistically significant (p = 0.847, OR= 1.083, 95% CI = 0.481-2.437). However, the children’s preference for flour-based snacks was significantly related to weekly or fourth-nightly maternal exposure to similar diet during exclusive breast feeding (p = 0.035, OR = 2.405, 95% C.I = 1.064 - 5.435).Conclusion: Transmission of flavor in the breast milk may contribute in shaping children’s feeding behavior early in life