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Field, Alison E.

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Alison E.

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Field, Alison E.
Author's Publications: search.filters.isAuthorOfPublication.513f38d4-5fc9-4fab-9bc4-c395af4c5e0c

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Now showing 1 - 6 of 6
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    Adolescents’ use of the built environment for physical activity
    (BioMed Central, 2015) Oreskovic, Nicolas; Perrin, James; Robinson, Alyssa I; Locascio, Joseph; Blossom, Jeff; Chen, Minghua L; Winickoff, Jonathan; Field, Alison E.; Green, Chloe; Goodman, Elizabeth
    Background: Physical activity is a health-enhancing behavior, but few adolescents achieve the recommended levels of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. Understanding how adolescents use different built environment spaces for physical activity and activity varies by location could help in designing effective interventions to promote moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. The objective of this study was to describe the locations where adolescents engage in physical activity and compare traditional intensity-based measures with continuous activity when describing built environment use patterns among adolescents. Methods: Eighty adolescents aged 11–14 years recruited from community health and recreation centers. Adolescents wore accelerometers (Actigraph GT3X) and global positioning system receivers (QStarz BT-Q1000XT) for two separate weeks to record their physical activity levels and locations. Accelerometer data provided a continuous measure of physical activity and intensity-based measures (sedentary time, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity). Physical activity was mapped by land-use classification (home, school, park, playground, streets & sidewalks, other) using geographic information systems and this location-based activity was assessed for both continuous and intensity-based physical activity derived from mixed-effects models which accounted for repeated measures and clustering effects within person, date, school, and town. Results: Mean daily moderate-to-vigorous physical activity was 22 minutes, mean sedentary time was 134 minutes. Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity occurred in bouts lasting up to 15 minutes. Compared to being at home, being at school, on the streets and sidewalks, in parks, and playgrounds were all associated with greater odds of being in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and achieving higher overall activity levels. Playground use was associated with the highest physical activity level (β = 172 activity counts per minute, SE = 4, p < 0.0001) and greatest odds of being in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (odds ratio 8.3, 95% confidence interval 4.8-14.2). Conclusion: Adolescents were more likely to engage in physical activity, and achieved their highest physical activity levels, when using built environments located outdoors. Novel objective methods for determining physical activity can provide insight into adolescents’ spatial physical activity patterns, which could help guide physical activity interventions. Promoting zoning and health policies that encourage the design and regular use of outdoor spaces may offer another promising opportunity for increasing adolescent physical activity.
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    Association of sports drinks with weight gain among adolescents and young adults
    (2014) Field, Alison E.; Sonneville, Kendrin; Falbe, Jennifer; Flint, Alan; Haines, Jess; Rosner, Bernard; Camargo, Carlos
    Objective: Sales of regular soda are declining, but sales of other sweetened beverages, such as sports drinks, are increasing. Our objective was to determine the prospective associations between sports drinks and body mass index (BMI) gains among adolescents and young adults. Design and Methods We prospectively followed 4,121 females and 3,438 males in the Growing Up Today Study II, aged 9–16 in 2004, from across the United States. Data was collected by questionnaire in 2004, 2006, 2008, and 2011. Servings per day of various beverages were assessed with a food frequency questionnaire. Results: Among the girls, each serving per day of sports drink predicted an increase of 0.3 BMI units (95% confidence interval (CI) CI 0.03–0.54) more than their peers over the next 2–3 years. Among the males, each serving of sports drinks predicted a 0.33 BMI (95% CI 0.09, 0.66) increase. In addition, boys who increased their intake over the 2–3 year interval gained significantly more than their peers during the same time interval. Conclusions: Intake of sports drinks predicted larger increases in BMI among both females and males. Our results suggest that school policies focused on obesity prevention should be augmented to restrict sports drinks.
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    Are obesity risk genes associated with binge eating in adolescence?
    (John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, 2015) Micali, Nadia; Field, Alison E.; Treasure, Janet L; Evans, David M
    Objective: Cognitions and behaviors characteristic of binge eating are associated with a polymorphism in the FTO gene, robustly related to body mass index (BMI) and obesity risk. We investigated the association between binge eating and the individual and combined effect of 32 SNPs robustly associated with BMI in a population-based sample. We hypothesized that higher BMI and binge eating might share a common genetic etiology. Methods: Binge eating was assessed in adolescents from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children at age 14 (n = 5,958) and 16 years (n = 4,948). We tested associations between 32 BMI-related SNPs and binge eating in crude and BMI-, age-, and gender-adjusted regression models. Results: Crude analyses showed an association between binge eating and rs1558902 (FTO) that persisted after adjustment for BMI (OR = 1.20, P = 8 × 10−3). A weighted allelic score consisting of all 32 BMI-related SNPs was associated with binge eating (P = 8 × 10−4); this association attenuated (P = 0.08) when rs1558902 was removed from the weighted allelic score. Conclusions: BMI-related genes are associated with adolescent binge eating, in particular an FTO polymorphism. Although replication is needed, our findings have biological plausibility and are consistent with a postulated effect of FTO on appetite and food intake. Future studies should aim to understand the mechanisms underlying the relationship between FTO, binge eating, and obesity.
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    Secular trends in family dinner frequency among adolescents
    (BioMed Central, 2016) Walton, Kathryn; Kleinman, Kenneth Paul; Rifas-Shiman, Sheryl; Horton, Nicholas J.; Gillman, Matthew; Field, Alison E.; Bryn Austin, S.; Neumark-Sztainer, Dianne; Haines, Jess
    Background: Eating meals, particularly dinner, with family members has been found to be associated with improved dietary intake, lower prevalence of disordered eating behaviors, lower levels of substance abuse, and improved academic outcomes among adolescents. Limited research has examined how the frequency of family meals has changed over time. The objective of this study was to examine secular trends in family dinner frequency over a 12-year period using a large, nation-wide sample of adolescents. Methods: Using data from two cohorts of the Growing up Today study (GUTS; n = 18,075 observations for 14,79,714 and 15 year olds), we compared family dinner frequency among 14–15-year-olds in 1996 (GUTS1) through 2008 (GUTS2) and rate of change in family dinner frequency from 1996 to 1998 (GUTS1) and 2004–2008 (GUTS2). We fit logistic models using generalized estimating equations with independence working correlation and empirical variance to account for correlation within individual and between siblings. Results: From 1996 to 2008, the number of family dinners per week among males decreased from 5.3 to 4.6 (p = 0.04) and among females from 5.0 to 4.4 (p = 0.03). We found that the rate of decline in frequency of family meals was consistent in GUTS1 (1996–1998) and GUTS2 (2004–2008) among both males and females. Conclusions: From 1996 to 2008, frequency of family dinners decreased among adolescents. Future research should explore reasons for this decline as well as strategies to increase family meals among adolescents.
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    Prevalence of purging at age 16 and associations with negative outcomes among girls in three community-based cohorts
    (Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 2014) Solmi, Francesca; Sonneville, Kendrin; Easter, Abigail; Horton, Nicholas J; Crosby, Ross D; Treasure, Janet; Rodriguez, Alina; Jarvelin, Marjo-Riitta; Field, Alison E.; Micali, Nadia
    Background: The comorbidity of purging behaviours, such as vomiting, inappropriate use of laxatives, diuretics or slimming medications, has been examined in literature. However, most studies do not include adolescents, individuals who purge in the absence of binge eating, or those purging at subclinical frequency. This study examines the prevalence of purging among 16-year-old girls across three countries and their association with substance use and psychological comorbidity. Methods: Data were obtained by questionnaire in 3 population-based cohorts (Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), United Kingdom, n = 1,608; Growing Up Today Study (GUTS), USA, n = 3,504; North Finland Birth Cohort (NFBC85/86), Finland, n = 2,306). Multivariate logistic regressions were employed to estimate associations between purging and outcomes. Four models were fit adjusting for binge eating and potential confounders of these associations. Results: In ALSPAC, 9.7% of girls reported purging in the 12-months prior to assessment, 7.3% in GUTS, and 3.5% in NFBC. In all 3 cohorts, purging was associated with adverse outcomes such as binge drinking (ALSPAC: odds ratio (OR) = 2.0, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.4–2.9; GUTS: OR = 2.5, 95% CI = 1.5–4.0; NFBC: OR = 1.7, 95% CI = 1.0–2.8), drug use (ALSPAC: OR = 2.9, 95% CI = 1.8–4.7; GUTS: OR = 4.5, 95% CI = 2.8–7.3; NFBC: OR = 4.1, 95% CI = 2.6–6.6), depressive symptoms in ALSPAC (OR = 2.2, 95% CI = 1.5–3.1) and GUTS(OR = 3.7, 95% CI = 2.2–6.3), and several psychopathology measures including clinical anxiety/depression in NFBC (OR = 11.2, 95% CI = 3.9, 31.7). Conclusions: Results show a higher prevalence of purging behaviours among girls in the United Kingdom compared to those in the United States and Finland. Our findings support evidence highlighting that purging in adolescence is associated with negative outcomes, independent of its frequency and binge eating.
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    Body Satisfaction, Weight Gain, and Binge Eating Among Overweight Adolescent Girls
    (2012) Sonneville, Kendrin; Calzo, Jerel; Horton, Nicholas J.; Haines, Jess; Austin, Sydney; Field, Alison E.
    Objective: To examine if body satisfaction is associated with body mass index (BMI) change and whether it protects against the development of frequent binge eating among overweight and obese adolescent girls. Methods: We used prospective data from 9 waves of an ongoing cohort study of adolescents, the Growing Up Today Study. At enrollment in 1996, participants were 9 to 14 years old. Questionnaires were mailed to participants annually until 2001, then biennially through 2007. Girls who were overweight or obese in 1996 were included in the analysis (n=1 559). Our outcomes were annual change in BMI and incident frequent binge eating, defined as binge eating at least weekly and no use of compensatory behaviors. Results: At baseline, 57.2% of the overweight and obese girls were at least somewhat satisfied with their bodies. During 11 years of follow-up, 9.5% (95% confidence interval (CI) [7.8, 10.8]) of the girls started to binge eat frequently. Controlling for BMI and other confounders, overweight and obese girls who reported being at least somewhat satisfied with their bodies made smaller BMI gains (β=−0.10 kg/m\(^2\), 95% CI [−0.19, −0.02]) and had 61% lower odds of starting to binge eat frequently (odds ratio (OR)=0.39, 95% CI [0.24, 0.64]) than their less satisfied peers. Compared to girls who were the least satisfied with their bodies, girls who were the most satisfied had 85% lower odds of starting to binge eat frequently (OR=0.15, 95% CI [0.06, 0.37]). The association between body satisfaction and starting to binge eat frequently was stronger for younger adolescents than older adolescents. Conclusions: While body dissatisfaction is common among overweight and obese girls, body satisfaction may protect against excessive weight gain and binge eating. Prevention of body dissatisfaction must begin early and should be considered as a component of both obesity and eating disorder prevention programs.