title: The next step in health behavior research: the need for ecological moderation analyses - an application to diet and physical activity at childcare.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The ecological perspective holds that human behavior depends on the interaction of different environmental factors and personal characteristics, but it lacks validation and operationalization. In the current paper, an ecological view was adopted to examine the interactive impact of several ecological systems on children's dietary intake and physical activity at childcare or similar facilities. The ecological view was operationalized into three types of interaction: 1) interaction between types of childcare environment (physical, social, political, economic); 2) interaction between micro-systems (the childcare and home environment) in meso-systems; and 3) interaction between childcare environment and child characteristics. The predictive value of each of these interactions was tested based on a systematic review of the literature.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Several studies support the hypothesis that the influence of the childcare environment on children's physical activity and diet is moderated by child characteristics (age, gender), but interaction between environmental types as well as between micro-systems is hardly examined in the field of behavioral nutrition and physical activity. Qualitative studies and general child development research provide some valuable insights, but we advocate quantitative research adopting an ecological perspective on environmental influences.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Empirical studies operationalizing a true ecological view on diet and physical activity are scarce. Theorizing and assessment of interaction is advocated to become common practice rather than an exception in behavioral nutrition and physical activity research, in order to move the field forward.
authors.forename: Jessica S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Gubbels
authors.forename: Dave Hh
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Van Kann
authors.forename: Nanne K
authors.initials: NK
authors.lastname: de Vries
authors.forename: Carel
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Thijs
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Promotion, Maastricht University, PO Box 616, Maastricht, MD, 6200, the Netherlands. s.kremers@maastrichtuniversity.nl.
authors.forename: Stef Pj
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Kremers
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004032:Diet; D036262:Empirical Research; D002149:Energy Intake; D004777:Environment; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity
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