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The study purpose was to examine whether adolescents who participated in organized physical activity (PA) programs differed from nonparticipants in motivation, social support, and self-efficacy related to PA; PA (min/hr); and sedentary screen time behavior. Thirty-nine 5th–7th grade adolescents participated in organized PA programs; 41 did not. Approximately 56.3% were Black, and 52.5% had annual family incomes <$20,000. Compared to nonparticipants, those who participated reported significantly higher social support (M = 2.32 vs. 3.13, p <.001) and fewer hours watching television or movies on a usual weekend day (M = 2.49 vs. 1.59, p =.016); and had higher accelerometer-measured vigorous PA (M = 0.58 vs. 1.04, p =.009) and moderate-to-vigorous PA (M = 2.48 vs. 3.45, p =.035). Involving adolescents in organized PA programs may be important for improving their moderate-to-vigorous PA, vigorous PA, and related psychosocial factors, as well as reducing sedentary screen time behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Little is known about associations between perceived stress, psychosocial factors (social support, emotional coping, coping self-efficacy, and autonomous motivation), and depressive symptoms in low-income overweight or obese mothers of young children. Using baseline data of a lifestyle intervention study, this secondary analysis investigates whether perceived stress might mediate the associations between the psychosocial factors and depressive symptoms.Methods: Convenience sampling was applied. Low-income overweight or obese mothers of young children were recruited from the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children in Michigan, US. Survey data were collected through phone interviews. Participants (N = 740) responded to valid surveys measuring perceived stress, social support, emotional coping, coping self-efficacy, autonomous motivation, and depressive symptoms. Composite indicator structural equation modeling was performed to test for potential mediation.Results: When investigating the potential role of perceived stress as a mediator, the indirect effects of social support (b = - 2.10, p < 0.01), emotion coping (b = - 3.81, p < 0.05), and coping self-efficacy (b = - 7.53, p < 0.01) on depressive symptoms through perceived stress were significant, but the indirect effect of autonomous motivation was not.Conclusion: Future intervention studies aiming to alleviate depressive symptoms in low-income overweight or obese mothers of young children might consider including practical strategies to promote social support, emotional coping, and coping self-efficacy to reduce perceived stress, which might potentially decrease depressive symptoms.Trial Registration: Clinical Trials NCT01839708 ; registered February 28, 2013. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate the effect of a community-based lifestyle behavioral intervention on intakes of fat, fruits, vegetables, fast foods, and beverages in low-income young mothers with overweight or obesity.Methods: Participants were randomly assigned to an intervention (watching video lessons at home plus peer support group teleconferences) or a comparison group. General linear mixed model analyses were utilized to determine mean differences between the groups (212 intervention, 126 comparison) immediately following and 3 months (196 intervention, 115 comparison) after the intervention.Results: Immediately after the intervention, the intervention group had significantly lower mean scores in intakes of fat (effect size [d] = 0.24), fast foods (d = 0.33), and non-sugar-sweetened beverages (d = 0.27) than the comparison group. No significant group differences were observed for intakes of fruits, vegetables, or sugar-sweetened beverages. Three months after the intervention, no significant group differences were observed for intakes of fat, fruits, vegetables, fast foods, and both sugar- and non-sugar-sweetened beverages.Conclusions: The intervention group improved dietary intakes of fat and fast foods but not fruits, vegetables, or beverages over the short term. Our intervention had no long-term effect on dietary intake behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Mothers In Motion (MIM), a community-based lifestyle behavioral intervention, was designed and conducted to help low-income overweight and obese young mothers prevent further weight gain via promotion of stress management, healthy eating, and physical activity. This paper presents intervention effect on body weight (primary outcome) and summarizes lessons learned.Methods: Participants (N = 612) were recruited from 7 Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) offices in Michigan and were individually randomized to an intervention n= 410) or a comparison (n =202) group (2: 1 ratio). During the 16-week intervention, intervention participants watched theory-based culturally sensitive videos (in DVD format) featuring peers from the target audience to learn skills for managing stress, eating healthier, and being more physically active. They also dialed into peer support group teleconferences to enhance skills learned in the videos and increase motivation for lifestyle behavioral changes. Body weight, the primary outcome, was measured at baseline, immediately after the 16-week intervention, and 3 months after the 16-week intervention. Intervention effect was tested via general linear mixed model for repeated measures, using baseline measures as adjusting covariates.Results: At baseline, the mean age of the participants was 28.5 ± 5.0 years (intervention: 28.4 ± 5.0, comparison: 28.9 ± 5.0); the mean body weight was 190.2 ± 1.4 lbs (intervention: 191.8 ± 30.0, comparison: 188.5 ± 29.1); and the mean body mass index (BMI) was 32.2 ± 4.4 (intervention: 32.2 ± 4.4, comparison: 31.7 ± 4.2). Of sample, 64.7% were obese. At 3 months after the 16-week intervention, no significant weight differences were found between the intervention (188.3 ± 10.6 lbs, BMI: 31.6 ± 1.8) and comparison groups (187.7 ± 10.6 lbs, BMI: 31.53 ± 1.8) when controlling for baseline body weight.Conclusions: This lifestyle behavioral intervention that focused on stress management, healthy eating and physical activity was not effective in helping low-income overweight and obese young mothers prevent further weight gain.Trial Registration: Clinical Trials NCT01839708 . This trial was registered retrospectively on February 28, 2013. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the mediating roles of sleep and depression on the relationships between stress, fat intake, and fruit and vegetable intake among low-income overweight and obese pregnant women by trimesters. Participants (N = 213) completed a self-administered survey including stress (exogenous variable), depression, sleep (mediators), fat intake, and fruit and vegetable intake (endogenous variables). Path analysis was performed to compare mediation effects among pregnant women in each trimester. Consistently across three trimesters, stress was related to depression but not sleep duration, night time sleep disturbance, sleep quality, sleep latency or fat intake. Sleep duration was not associated with depression. Depending on trimester, night time sleep disturbance, sleep quality, and sleep latency were related to depression; night time sleep disturbance and depression affected fat intake; stress influenced fruit and vegetable intake. Sleep duration, sleep disturbance, sleep quality, sleep latency and depression did not mediate the relationships between stress, fat intake, and fruit and vegetable intake in the second and third trimesters. However, depression mediated the relationship between stress and fat intake in the first trimester. Stress management interventions may help low-income overweight and obese pregnant women decrease depressive symptoms and therefore contribute to overall nutritional health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: We investigated whether autonomous motivation and self-efficacy might mediate the association between a lifestyle behavior intervention and dietary fat intake in low-income overweight or obese women with young children.Methods: Participants were randomized to an intervention or comparison group. Intervention participants received a 16-week intervention aimed to prevent weight gain through promotion of stress management, healthy eating and physical activity. During the intervention phase, participants viewed a designated video lesson at home and dialed in a peer support group teleconference every week (weeks 1-4) then every other week (weeks 5-16). Potential mediation effects were analyzed using sequential mixed-effects linear models and path analysis.Results: The intervention led to increased autonomous motivation (β = 0.34, standard error [SE] = 0.15, P = 0.005), which subsequently increased self-efficacy (β = 0.18, SE = 0.35, P < 0.001), and higher levels of self-efficacy were associated with decreased dietary fat intake (β = -0.22, SE = 0.28, P < 0.001). In other words, autonomous motivation and self-efficacy mediated the association between the lifestyle behavior intervention and dietary fat intake.Conclusion: To decrease dietary fat intake for low-income overweight or obese women with young children, strategies, such as those promoting peer encouragement, may be warranted in interventions to enhance autonomous motivation and/or practical skills for increasing self-efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]