Background/Objectives: The Effect of Diet and Exercise Training on Obesity and Secondary Disease Prevention and on the Lifestyle of Young Children (EDDY) study implemented a two-year school-based nutrition and physical activity program in a Viennese primary school to promote healthy weight trajectories. This follow-up examined whether anthropometric benefits persisted one year after program cessation without active intervention. Methods: Prospective longitudinal data from 36 intervention-group children (76.6% completion rate from baseline n = 47) were analyzed. Standardized measurements at baseline (T1), post-intervention (T2), and one-year post-intervention (T3) included BMI, SDS-BMI, and waist-to-height ratio by trained staff. Mixed-effects models evaluated changes over time with time, sex, baseline age, and baseline anthropometry as fixed effects. Results: At T3, median age was 10.5 years (IQR: 10.2-11.0). BMI increased consistently with normal growth (time effect p = 0.112), with a mean post-intervention increase of 0.70 kg/m(2) (95% CI: 0.41-0.99; p < 0.001). SDS-BMI remained stable across periods (time effect p = 0.967; post-intervention change +0.013 SDS units, 95% CI: -0.178 to 0.109; p = 0.826). Waist-to-height ratio showed small changes (time effect p = 0.041) modified by baseline values, remaining within normal range. No sex-by-time interactions were observed (all p > 0.13). Conclusions: One year post-EDDY intervention, participating children maintained stable SDS-BMI and waist-to-height trajectories, reflecting sustained healthy growth. These results highlight the feasibility of maintaining healthy weight trajectories after the EDDY school-based nutrition and physical activity program and underscore the need for larger controlled trials to establish the long-term effectiveness of school-based programs.

The metabolomics of eccrine sweat provides a non-invasive window into metabolic and lifestyle-related changes [1, 2-3] that are relevant for the prevention of childhood obesity. A recent feasibility study [4] led by Prof. Samuel M. Meier-Menches and Prof. Kurt Widhalm recorded metabolite profiles during a 2-year school-based intervention in Viennese children.

With childhood obesity being one of the most common pediatric chronic diseases, years of extensive prevention experiences still show shortcomings. To gather a discussion over first-hand obesity prevention interventions, the European Association for Research on Obesity in Childhood and the Austrian Academic Institute for Nutritional Medicine organized an international symposium on “Prevention of Obesity” in October 2023 (Vienna, Austria). . This report aimed to summarize what researchers from Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Sweden, and Norway presented and discussed regarding different childhood obesity prevention (and treatment) models implemented in their countries. Using the Ecological Systems Theory framework, we mapped strategies across individual, interpersonal, organizational, community, and policy levels. Family-based interventions were considered best practices; education and counseling on parenting in the context of pediatric obesity is key, as well as using incentives, reminders, and feedback support. Financial support through sufficient personnel and materials budgets, interventions implementation, ongoing result analysis, and program sustainability was considered crucial for long-term success in preventing obesity. While most strategies focused on individual, interpersonal, and organizational levels, fewer directly addressed the community or policy levels, highlighting opportunities for more integrated, system-wide approaches.

Determining metabolic parameters associated with childhood obesity is challenging due to the invasive nature of most sampling methods. Using a non-invasive eccrine sweat collection, 134 metabolomes were obtained from 54 children, of which 20% had overweight, including obesity. This cohort is part of the preventive EDDY program aiming to promote healthy lifestyles in school-aged children from Vienna, Austria. The abundance of the artificial sweetener cyclamate in eccrine sweat correlated with body mass index in the overweight group at baseline. Cyclamate was also found to be elevated in the overweight group at baseline compared to the normal weight group, but normalized after the intervention, indicating a positive impact of the EDDY program. Furthermore, dynamic changes in metabolites originating from the gut microbiome were observed. Sweat metabotyping thus represents a valuable approach to accessing metabolic parameters in children in the context of overweight and obesity and promises broad applicability in pediatric research.

Background & Aims The increasing rates of overweight and obesity highlight the need for prevention. The EDDY prevention study aimed to assess whether a school-based program with sports and nutrition interventions could improve the lifestyle of elementary school children in Vienna, Austria. Methods During the school year 2018/19, 146 children (8–11 years) were assigned to an intervention group (I1, n=73) or control group (C1). In 2019/20, 130 children were included as a second control group (C2) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Only the intervention group received weekly nutrition and physical activity lessons for 5 months. Weight, height, and body fat were examined at baseline and the end of the project. Body fat was determined by bioelectric impedance analysis using a multi-frequency segmental body composition analyzer. Changes in body fat percentage and BMI after the intervention were compared between groups using Wilcoxon or Student T-Test. Additionally, comparisons were performed with the control group exposed to the first COVID-19 lockdown, where no intervention occurred. Results The baseline median BMI for the I1 was 20.3 (14.9–30.6) kg/m2, while the C1 was 18.5 (14.0–26.3) kg/m2. After the intervention, a significant modest reduction in body fat percentage (P < 0.01) was achieved [−1.35 (−4.20–0.90) %], compared to C1 [0.10 (−2.90–3.00) %] and C2 [1.88 (−2.55–7.51) %]. Significant differences in BMI changes were observed only between the I1 [0.44 (−1.29–1.84) kg/m2] and the C2 [1.31 (−0.49–3.27) kg/m2] (P < 0.01). Conclusions A 5-month health intervention promoting nutritional education and additional physical activity in schoolchildren from Vienna positively affected body fat percentage, highlighting the importance of adjusting the school system. The additional challenges of the COVID-19 lockdown were evident in fat mass and BMI, illustrating the dramatic consequences of a lack of daily structure and the important influence of the family environment. Differences in BMI and body fat development suggest the importance of assessing body composition to monitor children's nutritional status.

Background/Objectives: The eating window concept has been understudied in children, with no reports from Austria. This study explored meal timing and its association with obesity-related variables in a sample of Viennese schoolchildren. The effect of a healthy intervention on obesity variables according to the daily eating window was assessed. Methods: The EDDY study included 138 third-grade students from three Vienna schools. Baseline meal timing was assessed using self-administered questionnaires, and the daily eating window—the time between the first and last meal—was calculated and categorized into tertiles. Anthropometric and body fat measurements were taken at baseline and after 21 months. Baseline outcomes were compared between children with long (LEW; 3rd tertile) and short (SEW; 1st tertile) eating windows using adjusted linear regression analysis. Longitudinal changes were analyzed using mixed models for repeated measures. Results: The median age was 7.9 years, and 26.8% were classified with overweight/obesity. The children’s eating window spanned 11:40 h, from 7:00 to 19:00. More than half (52.2%) reported fasting 1–2 h before bed. Children had four daily meals; 16.4% skipped breakfast, while 51.5% ate it regularly. Meal timing variables did not differ by weight status. Children with a LEW (≥12:05 h) had lower BMI-SDS (−0.66) and fat mass index (−1.06) than those with a SEW (≤11:05 h). No longitudinal changes in BMI-SDS, fat mass index, or waist-to-height ratio were observed across eating window tertiles following the intervention. Conclusions: In a non-representative sample of Viennese children, the eating window ranged from 9:30 to 13:30 h, similar to Austrian adults but differing from other Western European countries.

Background COVID-19 mitigation measures enhanced increases in children’s weight and BMI due to decreased physical activity and increased energy intake. Overweight and obesity were major worldwide problems before the pandemic, and COVID-19 increased their severity even more. High BMI directly correlates with health disadvantages including cardiovascular diseases, musculoskeletal disorders, and mental health diseases. Therefore, it is vitally important to develop counteracting interventions to maintain children’s health during exceptional situations like pandemics. However, worldwide data from such interventions are limited, and to our knowledge, no suitable study has been carried out during the pandemic in Austria. Objective This study was conducted to examine a 15-week web-based intervention with email support, the EDDY (Effect of Sports and Diet Trainings to Prevent Obesity and Secondary Diseases and to Influence Young Children’s Lifestyle) program and the effect of nutritional education and physical activity on children’s BMI z-score during the COVID-19 pandemic in Vienna, Austria. Methods The intervention consisted of 3 weekly videos—2 physical activity and 1 nutritional education video, respectively—and a biweekly email newsletter for the parents. This study was conducted in a Viennese primary school from February to June 2021 by a team of physicians, nutritionists, and sports scientists, including both professionals and students. The study population included an intervention group (who received web-based nutritional and physical activity training) and a control group (who received no intervention), comprising in total 125 children aged 8 to 11 years. Due to COVID-19 mitigation measures, the control group was a comparative group observed during the prior school year (2019-2020). Anthropometric measurements were obtained before and after the intervention in both groups. Results Due to a high dropout rate (n=57, 45.6%) because of the mitigation measures, there were 41 children in the intervention group and 27 in the control group. At baseline, the BMI z-score was 1.0 (SD 1.1) in the intervention group and 0.6 (SD 1.2) in the control group (P=.17). After the study period, the BMI z-score decreased by 0.06 (SD 0.21) in the intervention group, whereas it increased by 0.17 (SD 0.34) in the control group (P<.001). Comparing the change in BMI z-scores within BMI categories in the intervention group and control group revealed a statistically significant difference in the normal-weight children (P=.006). Further results showed that the decrease in BMI z-score was significant in the intervention group among both boys (P=.004) and girls (P=.01). Conclusions A web-based intervention with combined nutritional education and physical activity training might be an adequate tool to lessen the enhanced increase in body weight during a pandemic. Therefore, additional studies with greater sample sizes and different locations are needed. As the implementation of such intervention programs is essential, further studies need to be established rapidly.

Das wissenschaftlich fundierte Präventionsprojekt EDDY, das seit 2016 in Wien läuft, wird seit September 2022 vom Bundesministerium für Bildung, Wissenschaft und Forschung unterstützt. Die auf einer altersgerechten Ernährungsschulung und einer sportwissenschaftlich basierten Steigerung der körperlichen Aktivität basierende Intervention zeigte im Vergleich zu zwei Kontrollschulen eine signifikante Verlangsamung der Entwicklung von Adipositas und extremem Übergewicht. Solche Programme sollten flächendeckend in allen Schulen implementiert werden, um der Epidemie von Übergewicht und Adipositas entgegenzuwirken.

Soy is characterised by a higher content of specific proteins and isoflavones. The question is to know if incorporation of soy foods in the diet may have a favourable effect, or not, on the risk of diabetes, on glycaemic index and insulinemic response, and which are the components involved in these effects. This literature review analyses the epidemiological, clinical and experimental data for that question. Studies are in favour of a beneficial effect of soy on glycaemia, type 2 diabetes risk, and probably on complications of this disease. Its place in the diet should be examined. (C) 2020 Societe francophone nutrition clinique et metabolisme (SFNCM). Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.