I.Family leads session at major nutrition conference (Oct 2015)
I.Family has showcased its research and secured a positive reception at a major international food health event attracting hundreds of scientific researchers, academics and members of the media.
Lead investigators from I.Family hosted a session at the 12th Annual European Nutrition Conference (FENS) in Berlin at the end of October 2015. The FENS European Nutrition Conference takes place every four years and contains scientific presentations and debates around major topics; the overall theme for this event was ‘Nutrition and health throughout life-cycle’, with topics such as food and nutrient intake, advances in dietary studies, and food quality.
Titled ‘The influence of media on food choice and health outcomes in children’, the I.Family session was hosted by Professor Dr. Iris Pigeot and Professor Lucia A. Reisch and featured several speakers from the team of researchers, including Dr Wencke Gwozdz from the Copenhagen Business School.
Beginning with an overview of the I.Family Study design, Prof. Pigeot delivered a presentation on a study titled ‘Food advertising targeting children’. In addition, Professor Luis Aznar of the GENUD Research Group, an I.Family partner based in Spain, presented the results of an IDEFICS report titled Clustering of multiple lifestyle behaviours and its association to cardiovascular risk: factors in children. This report concluded that, for pre-school children, low levels of screen time and low sugar-sweetened beverage consumption may result in a healthier profile for cardiovascular disease than having a diet rich in fruit and vegetables or being physically active. IDEFICS was the predecessor to I.Family and the Study is building on results such as these in its further research with a continuing cohort of young participants.
Concluding remarks were delivered by the project co-ordinator, Prof. Wolfgang Ahrens, on New media and its association with lifestyle behaviour. Dr Iris Pigeot, Deputy Co-ordinator of the I.Family Study, says, “FENS was an excellent opportunity for I.Family to share project materials and create engagement with key contacts. We are delighted with the positive reception that our project received.”