title: Lifestyles and socio-cultural factors among children aged 6-8 years from five Italian towns: the MAPEC_LIFE study cohort.
abstract: Lifestyles profoundly determine the quality of an individual's health and life since his childhood. Many diseases in adulthood are avoidable if health-risk behaviors are identified and improved at an early stage of life. The aim of the present research was to characterize a cohort of children aged 6-8 years selected in order to perform an epidemiological molecular study (the MAPEC_LIFE study), investigate lifestyles of the children that could have effect on their health status, and assess possible association between lifestyles and socio-cultural factors.
  
  
  
  A questionnaire composed of 148 questions was administered in two different seasons to parents of children attending 18 primary schools in five Italian cities (Torino, Brescia, Pisa, Perugia and Lecce) to obtain information regarding the criteria for exclusion from the study, demographic, anthropometric and health information on the children, as well as some aspects on their lifestyles and parental characteristics. The results were analyzed in order to assess the frequency of specific conditions among the different seasons and cities and the association between lifestyles and socio-economic factors.
  
  
  
  The final cohort was composed of 1,164 children (50.9 boys, 95.4% born in Italy). Frequency of some factors appeared different in terms of the survey season (physical activity in the open air, the ways of cooking certain foods) and among the various cities (parents' level of education and rate of employment, sport, traffic near the home, type of heating, exposure to passive smoking, ways of cooking certain foods). Exposure to passive smoking and cooking fumes, obesity, residence in areas with heavy traffic, frequency of outdoor play and consumption of barbecued and fried foods were higher among children living in families with low educational and/or occupational level while children doing sports and consuming toasted bread were more frequent in families with high socio-economic level.
  
  
  
  The socio-economic level seems to affect the lifestyles of children enrolled in the study including those that could cause health effects. Many factors are linked to the geographical area and may depend on environmental, cultural and social aspects of the city of residence.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological and Environmental Science and Technology, University of Salento, Via Prov.le Lecce-Monteroni, 73100, Lecce, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bagordo
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological and Environmental Science and Technology, University of Salento, Via Prov.le Lecce-Monteroni, 73100, Lecce, Italy. antonella.dedonno@unisalento.it.
authors.forename: Antonella
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: De Donno
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological and Environmental Science and Technology, University of Salento, Via Prov.le Lecce-Monteroni, 73100, Lecce, Italy.
authors.forename: Tiziana
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Grassi
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological and Environmental Science and Technology, University of Salento, Via Prov.le Lecce-Monteroni, 73100, Lecce, Italy.
authors.forename: Marcello
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Guido
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological and Environmental Science and Technology, University of Salento, Via Prov.le Lecce-Monteroni, 73100, Lecce, Italy.
authors.forename: Gabriele
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Devoti
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Sciences and Public Health, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy.
authors.forename: Elisabetta
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ceretti
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Sciences and Public Health, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy.
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zani
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Sciences and Public Health, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy.
authors.forename: Donatella
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Feretti
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy.
authors.forename: Milena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Villarini
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy.
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Moretti
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy.
authors.forename: Tania
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Salvatori
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Annalaura
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Carducci
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Verani
authors.affiliation: Department of Translational Research, N.T.M.S., University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Beatrice
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Casini
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health and Pediatrics, University of Torino, Torino, Italy.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bonetta
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health and Pediatrics, University of Torino, Torino, Italy.
authors.forename: Elisabetta
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Carraro
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health and Pediatrics, University of Torino, Torino, Italy.
authors.forename: Tiziana
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Schilirò
authors.affiliation: Comune di Brescia, Brescia, Italy.
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bonizzoni
authors.affiliation: Centro Servizi Multisettoriale e Tecnologico - CSMT Gestione S.c.a.r.l., Brescia, Italy.
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bonetti
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Sciences and Public Health, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy.
authors.forename: Umberto
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Gelatti
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002947:Cities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D010290:Parents; D012621:Seasons; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution
chemical_list: D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution
keywords: Air pollution; Children; Exposure; Lifestyles; MAPEC_LIFE Study; Questionnaire