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Methods

Are participant characteristics from ISCOLE study sites comparable to the rest of their country?

International Journal of Obesity Supplements volume 5, pages S9–S16 (2015)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

OBJECTIVES:

The International Study of Childhood Obesity, Lifestyle and the Environment (ISCOLE) provides robust, multi-national information on physical activity, diet and weight status in 9–11-year-old children around the world. The purpose of this analysis was to examine the similarities and differences between participant characteristics from ISCOLE sites and data from nationally representative surveys from ISCOLE countries (Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Finland, Kenya, India, Portugal, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States).

METHODS:

Distributions of characteristics were assessed within each ISCOLE country-level database, and compared with published data from national or regional surveys, where available. Variables of comparison were identified a priori and included body mass index (BMI), physical activity (accelerometer-determined steps per day) and screen time (child-report).

RESULTS:

Of 12 countries, data on weight status (BMI) were available in 8 countries, data on measured physical activity (steps per day) were available in 5 countries and data on self-reported screen time were available in 9 countries. The five ISCOLE countries that were part of the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children Survey (that is, Canada, Finland, Portugal, the United Kingdom (England) and the United States) also provided comparable data on self-reported physical activity. Available country-specific data often used different measurement tools or cut-points, making direct comparisons difficult. Where possible, ISCOLE data were re-analyzed to match country-level data, but this step limited between-country comparisons.

CONCLUSIONS:

From the analyses performed, the ISCOLE data do not seem to be systematically biased; however, owing to limitations in data availability, data from ISCOLE should be used with appropriate caution when planning country-level population health interventions. This work highlights the need for harmonized measurement tools around the world while accounting for culturally specific characteristics, and the need for collaboration across study centers and research groups.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the ISCOLE External Advisory Board and the ISCOLE participants and their families who made this study possible. A membership list of the ISCOLE Research Group and External Advisory Board is included in Katzmarzyk et al. (this issue). ISCOLE was funded by The Coca-Cola Company. MF has received a research grant from Fazer Finland. RK has received a research grant from Abbott Nutrition Research and Development.

Author information

Author notes

  1. Tianjin Women’s and Children’s Health Center, Tianjin, China

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Healthy Active Living and Obesity Research Group, Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

    A G LeBlanc, J-P Chaput & M S Tremblay

  2. University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

    A G LeBlanc & J-P Chaput

  3. Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, LA, USA

    P T Katzmarzyk, T V Barreira, S T Broyles, T S Church, G Hu & C Tudor-Locke

  4. University of Syracuse, Syracuse, New York, USA

    T V Barreira

  5. Department of Food and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland

    M Fogelholm

  6. University of Leicester, Leicester, UK

    D M Harrington

  7. St Johns Research Institute, Bangalore, India

    R Kuriyan & A Kurpad

  8. Department of Human Biology, Division of Exercise Science and Sports Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa

    E V Lambert

  9. Alliance for Research in Exercise Nutrition and Activity (ARENA), School of Health Sciences, University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia

    C Maher & T Olds

  10. CIFI2D, Faculdade de Desporto, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal

    J Maia

  11. Centro de Estudos do Laboratório de Aptidão Física de São Caetano do Sul (CELAFISCS), Sao Paulo, Brazil

    V Matsudo

  12. Department of Recreation Management and Exercise Science, Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya

    V Onywera

  13. School of Medicine, Universidad de los Andes, Bogota, Colombia

    O L Sarmiento

  14. Department for Health, University of Bath, Bath, UK

    M Standage

  15. Department of Kinesiology, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, USA

    C Tudor-Locke & P Zhao

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  1. A G LeBlanc
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to M S Tremblay.

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Competing interests

MF has received an honorarium for speaking for Merck. AK has been a member of the Advisory Boards of Dupont and McCain Foods. VM is a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of Actigraph and has received an honorarium for speaking for The Coca-Cola Company. TO has received an honorarium for speaking for The Coca-Cola Company. The remaining authors declare no conflict of interest.

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LeBlanc, A., Katzmarzyk, P., Barreira, T. et al. Are participant characteristics from ISCOLE study sites comparable to the rest of their country?. Int J Obes Supp 5 (Suppl 2), S9–S16 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/ijosup.2015.13

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