In order to more effectively promote fruit and vegetable intake among children and adolescents, insight into determinants of intake is necessary. We conducted a review of the literature for potential determinants of fruit and vegetable intake in children and adolescents. Papers were identified from Medline and PsycINFO by using all combinations of the search terms: "fruit(s) or vegetable(s)" and "children or adolescents". Quantitative research examining determinants of fruit and/or vegetable intake among children and adolescents aged 6–18 years were included. The selection and review process was conducted according to a four-step protocol resulting in information on country, population, design, methodology, theoretical basis, instrument used for measuring intake, statistical analysis, included independent variables, and effect sizes. Ninety-eight papers were included. A large number of potential determinants have been studied among children and adolescents. However, for many presumed determinants convincing evidence is lacking, mostly because of paucity of studies. The determinants best supported by evidence are: age, gender, socio-economic position, preferences, parental intake, and home availability/accessibility. Girls and younger children tend to have a higher or more frequent intake than boys and older children. Socio-economic position, preferences, parental intake, and home availability/accessibility are all consistently positively associated with intake. The determinants most consistently supported by evidence are gender, age, socio-economic position, preferences, parental intake and home availability/accessibility. There is a need for internationally comparative, longitudinal, theory-based and multi-level studies taking both personal and environmental factors into account. This paper is published as part of the special Pro Children series in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. Please see [ http://www.ijbnp.org/content/3/1/26 ] for the relevant editorial.

Large proportions of children do not fulfil the World Health Organization recommendation of eating at least 400 grams of fruit and vegetables (FV) per day. To promote an increased FV intake among children it is important to identify factors which influence their consumption. Both qualitative and quantitative studies are needed. Earlier reviews have analysed evidence from quantitative studies. The aim of this paper is to present a systematic review of qualitative studies of determinants of children's FV intake.

Insufficient and poor sleep patterns are common among adolescents worldwide. Up to now, the evidence on adolescent sleep has been mostly informed by country-specific studies that used different measures and age groups, making direct comparisons difficult. Cross-national data on adolescent sleep that could inform nations and international discussions are lacking. We examined the sleep patterns of adolescents across 24 countries and by gender, age, and affluence groups. We obtained sleep data on 165,793 adolescents (mean age 13.5 years; 50.5% girls) in 24 European and North American countries from the recent cross-sectional Health Behaviour in School-aged Children surveys (2013-2014 and 2017-2018). For each country, we calculated the age-standardized mean in sleep duration, timing, and consistency and the proportions meeting sleep recommendations on school and nonschool days from self-reported bedtimes and wake times. We conducted stratified analyses by gender, age, and family affluence group. Adolescent sleep patterns varied cross-nationally. The average sleep duration ranged between 7:47 and 9:07 hours on school days and between 9:31 and 10:22 hours on nonschool days, and the proportion of adolescents meeting sleep recommendations ranged between 32% and 86% on school days and between 79% and 92% on nonschool days. Sleep patterns by gender and affluence groups were largely similar, but older adolescents slept less and went to bed later on school days than younger adolescents in all countries. The sleep patterns of adolescents vary across countries and sociodemographic groups. Insufficient sleep on school days is common in many countries. Public health and policy efforts to promote healthy adolescent sleep are encouraged.

Aims: This paper presents a model that encompasses pathways and mechanisms working over adolescence that contribute to adult health inequalities. We review evidence on the four mechanisms: socially differential exposure, tracking, socially differential tracking, and socially differential vulnerability. Methods: We conducted literature searches in English-language peer-reviewed journals using PubMed (from 1966 to May 2009) and PsycINFO, and combined these with hand-searches of reference lists, journals, and authors of particular relevance. Results: Most health indicators are socially patterned in adolescence and track into adulthood, with higher risks of adverse outcomes among individuals from lower socioeconomic positions. Adolescent health behaviours track into adulthood. Smoking, physical activity, and especially fruit and vegetable intake are socially patterned, while evidence for social patterning of alcohol use is less consistent. Relational dimensions like lone parenthood and bullying are socially patterned and track over time, and there are indications of a socially differential vulnerability to the effects of these types of relational strain. Very little research has investigated the social patterning of the above indicators over time or studied social vulnerability of these indicators from adolescence to adulthood. However, all four mechanisms seem to be active in establishing social differences in adult educational attainment. Conclusions: We find the Adolescent Pathway Model useful for providing an overview of what elements and mechanisms in adolescence may be of special importance for adult health inequalities. There is a lack of knowledge of how social patterns of health, health behaviours, and social relations in adolescence transfer into adulthood and to what extent they reflect themselves in adult health.

In 2014, Denmark experienced a rapid decline in vaccination uptake for the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine after a successful introduction of the vaccine in 2009. Before the decline, the uptake of the first HPV vaccine was around 90% for girls born in the period 1998 to 2000, while it dropped to 54% for girls born in 2003. The decline followed negative public attention from 2013 coinciding with increasing suspected adverse-event reporting to the Danish Medicines Agency. The aim of this study is to describe the HPV-vaccination uptake, to quantify relevant HPV-related media coverage, and analyse the relation between media coverage and HPV-vaccination acceptance in Denmark in year 2009–2016. Three types of data were used for the analysis: Immunisation data from 243,415 girls, media coverage (8524 news items) and Google search activity. We used changes in the correlation between media coverage and vaccination uptake to identify a changing point in their relationship. The relationship before and after the changing point was analysed determined on the interactions between vaccination uptake, media and search activity, with search activity as a proxy for public attention. We identified July 2013 as a changing point in the relationship between media coverage and vaccination uptake. We found no significant relationship between media coverage and vaccination uptake in the first part of the time series (June 2009 to June 2013), whereas from July 2013 and onwards there was a negative Pearson’s correlation of − 0.52. The changing point coincides with both an increase in Google searches for “HPV side effects” and media coverage with negative content. Following a successful launch of the HPV-vaccination programme, concerns about vaccine safety shifted the public opinion and the coverage by the media. The noticeable shift in correlation between vaccination uptake and media coverage before and after July 2013 could indicate that increased media coverage influenced the decline in vaccination uptake. Media monitoring may represent an important tool in future monitoring and assessment of confidence in vaccination programmes.