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Objective: This study aimed to explore barriers and facilitators of the provision of dairy and plant-based dairy alternatives (PBDA) by parents of preschool-age children, a previously unexplored area of research.Design: Five focus groups of parents were conducted and audio-recorded. Verbatim transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis.Setting: University of Guelph, in Guelph, ON, Canada in 2019.Participants: Thirty-two (n 19 mothers, 13 fathers) parents of preschool-age children. Most (59 %) were university or college educated.Results: Facilitators common to both dairy and PBDA provision included perceived nutritional benefits, such as dairy's Ca, protein and fat content, and PBDA's protein content, and the perception that PBDA adds variety to the diet. Facilitators unique to dairy v. PBDA provision included the taste of, familiarity with, and greater variety and accessibility of dairy products, specifically child-friendly products. A facilitator unique to PBDA v. dairy provision was ethical concerns regarding dairy farming practices. Barriers common to both dairy and PBDA provision included perceived cost, concerns regarding the environmental impact of production, and high sugar content. Barriers specific to dairy included use of antibiotics and hormones in dairy production. A barrier specific to PBDA was the use of pesticides.Conclusion: Behaviour change messages targeting parents of preschoolers can emphasise the nutrition non-equivalence of dairy and some PBDA and can educate parents on sources of affordable, unsweetened dairy and PBDA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Approximately 25 % of Canadian children aged 4-8 years fail to meet the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) of calcium (Ca). Young children's food choices are primarily determined by their parents. No interventions have directly targeted parents as a medium through which to increase children's Ca consumption. This study compared the effectiveness of a Ca-specific intervention targeted towards parents, with generic dietary advice on the Ca consumption of children aged 4-10 years.Design: A parallel two-arm randomised controlled trial was conducted.Setting: The study was conducted across Canada. Both conditions received information on the RDA of Ca and an index of intake requirements. Material sent to the intervention condition included behavioural strategies to increase dietary Ca consumption, information on the benefits of dietary Ca intake and messages addressing perceived barriers to the consumption of Ca-rich foods.Participants: A total of 239 parents (93 % mothers) of children aged 4-10 years who consumed less than the RDA of Ca were randomly assigned in a 1:1 allocation ratio.Results: There was a significant increase in total Ca intake and Ca from dairy for children at weeks 8, 34 and 52 (P ≤ 0·001) in both conditions. Parental Ca intake and amount spent on dairy products did not significantly increase following the intervention.Conclusions: Provision of daily Ca requirements with regular reminders could impact parents' delivery of Ca-rich foods to their children. This finding is important for public health messaging as it suggests that parents are a potent medium through which to promote Ca intake in children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A low resting metabolic rate (RMR) has been proposed as a possible cause for the increased body fat commonly seen in women compared with men. Absolute RMR is higher in men, but whether RMR adjusted for lean body mass (LBM) remains higher is unresolved. The objective of the present study was to determine whether RMR adjusted for various body composition factors differed between healthy adult men and women. Thirty men (28??3??8??0 years, BMI 23??7??2??1 kg/m2) and twenty-eight women (28??7??6??9 years, BMI 22??2??1??9 kg/m2) were included in the analyses. RMR was measured by open-circuit indirect calorimetry for 60 min. Extracellular water (ECW) was measured by corrected Br- space and total body water (TBW) by 2H dilution. LBM was estimated as TBW/0??732. Intracellular water (ICW) was calculated as TBW-ECW, and body cell mass (BCM) as ICW/0??732. Men were heavier and had higher BMI, LBM, BCM and ECW, but less fat mass. Absolute RMR was higher in men than women (7280??844 v. 5485??537 kJ/d, P<0??0001). This difference became non-significant when RMR was adjusted for LBM by ANCOVA (6536??630 v. 6282??641 kJ/d, P=0??2191), but remained significant when adjusted for BCM (6680??744 v. 6128??756 kJ/d, P=0??0249). Fat mass explained a significant amount of variation in RMR in women (r2 0??28, P=0??0038), but not in men (r2 0??03, P=0??3301). The relationships between body fat and the various subcompartments of BCM and RMR require further elucidation. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]