A review paper by HALO Alumnus Dr. David Thivel and Dr. Jean-Philippe Chaput, “Food consumption in children and youth: Effect of sedentary activities,” was recently published in Epidemiology and Public Health. Citation details are below along with a summary of the paper.
Thivel D, Chaput JP. Food consumption in children and youth: Effect of sedentary activities. Rev Epidemiol Sante Publique. 2013 Jul 9. pii: S0398-7620(13)00276-9. doi: 10.1016/j.respe.2013.01.098. [Epub ahead of print]
ABSTRACT: Sedentary behavior has progressed with modern society, generating very low levels of energy expenditure and subsequent body weight disorders (obesity). There is also evidence that the absence of physical activity associated with short sleep time and watching television or playing video games leads to poor eating habits and favors high-energy intake. These findings have generally been reported in adults, with a few studies including data on children and adolescents. This brief review summarizes the current literature regarding the impact of such activities on food consumption and eating behavior in children and adolescents. There appears to be an uncoupling effect dissociating these activities from the sensation of hunger and thus energy intake. Children and adolescents seem to increase their energy intake during and after such activities without any alteration of their subjective appetite. In addition to considering the impact of sedentary behavior and physical activity level, future public health recommendations should also focus on associated nutritional adaptations (energy balance).
