Identification and prevention of dietary- and lifestyle-induced health effects in children and infants

Description

The IDEFICS Study started in September 2006 and ended in February 2012. The Bremen Institute for Prevention Research and Social Medicine at the University of Bremen (today Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology - BIPS) coordinated the study, which was funded by the European Commission under the 6th Framework Programme. The study provided reliable data that allows for an international assessment of the problem of childhood obesity. The focus of the IDEFICS Study lied in exploring the risks for overweight and obesity in children as well as associated long-term consequences.

23 renown research institutes and small and medium sized enterprises located in 11 different EU-countries participated in the IDEFICS Study. IDEFICS' main goal was to fight overweight, obesity and other lifestyle-related diseases in 2-10 year old European children. One of the focal points of the IDEFICS study lies in exploring the risks for overweight and obesity in children and the associated long-term consequences. In addition, this EU-wide study measured in how far sensory perception and –preferences of children influence the development of overweight.

Beyond pure research, IDEFICS offered activities for health promotion and prevention in kindergartens and schools. These prevention programmes were developed, implemented and evaluated within the IDEFICS Study. The results of the study have been embedded into prevention programs and incorporated into various guidelines on nutritional, behavioural and lifestyle as well as ethical guidelines to introduce these into health policy recommendations in all participating countries.

Funding period

Begin:   September 2006
End:   February 2012

Sponsor

  • European Commission (6th Framework Programme)

Contact

Dr. oec. troph. Antje Hebestreit

Link

http://www.ideficsstudy.eu/Idefics/

Selected project-related publications

    Articles with peer-review

  • Ortega FB, Leskosek B, Blagus R, Gil-Cosano JJ, Mäestu J, Tomkinson G, Ruiz JR, Mäestu E, Starc G, Milanovic. Ivana, Temmelin TH, Soric M, Scheuer C, Carraro A, Kaj M, Csanyi T, Sardinha LB, Lenoir M, Emeljanovas A, Mieziene B, Sidossis LS, Pihu M, Lovecchio N, Konstabel K, Tambalis KD, Stefan L, Drenowatz C, Rubin L, Gontarev S, Castro-Piñero J, Vanhelst J, O'Keeffe B, Veiga OL, Gisladottir T, Sandercock G, Misigoj-Durakovic M, Niessner C, Riso E-M, Popovic S, Kuu S, Chinapaw M, Clavel I, Labayen I, Dobosz J, Colella D, Kriemler S, Salaj S, Noriega MJ, Bös K, Sánchez-López M, Lakka TA, Tabacchi G, Novak D, Ahrens W, Wedderkopp N, Jurak G, on behalf of the FitBack, HELENA and IDEFICS consortia. European fitness landscape for children and adolescents: Updated reference values, fitness maps and country rankings based on nearly 8 million test results from 34 countries gathered by the FitBack network. British Journal of Sports Medicine. 2023;57(5):299-310.
    https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2022-106176
  • Jilani H, Intemann T, Buchecker K, Charalambos H, Gianfagna F, De Henauw S, Lauria F, Molnár D, Moreno LA, Lissner L, Pala V, Siani A, Veidebaum T, Ahrens W, Hebestreit A, on behalf of the IDEFICS consortium. Correlates of bitter, sweet, salty and umami taste sensitivity in European children: Role of sex, age and weight status - The IDEFICS study. Appetite. 2022;175:106088.
    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2022.106088
  • Steene-Johannessen J, Hansen BH, Dalene KE, Kolle E, Northstone K, Møller NC, Grøntved A, Wedderkopp N, Kriemler S, Page A, Puder JJ, Reilly J, Sardinha LB, van Sluijs EM, Andersen LB, van der Ploeg H, Ahrens W, Flexeder C, Standl M, Schulz H, Moreno LA, De Henauw S, Michels N, Cardon G, Ortega FB, Ruiz JR, Aznar S, Fogelholm M, Decelis A, Olesen LG, Hjorth MF, Santos R, Vale S, Christiansen LB, Jago R, Basterfield L, Owen CG, Nightingale CM, Eiben G, Polito A, Lauria F, Vanhelst J, Hadjigeorgiou C, Konstabel K, Molnár D, Sprengeler O, Manios Y, Harro J, Kafatos A, Anderssen SA, Ekelund U, on behalf of the DEDIPAC consortium, on behalf of the International Children's Accelerometry Database (ICAD) collaborators, on behalf of the IDEFICS consortium, on behalf of the HELENA consortium. Variations in accelerometry measured physical activity and sedentary time across Europe - harmonized analyses of 47,497 children and adolescents. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. 2020;17:38.
    https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-020-00930-x
  • Jilani H, Pohlabeln H, Buchecker K, Gwozdz W, De Henauw S, Eiben G, Molnár D, Moreno LA, Pala V, Russo P, Reisch LA, Veidebaum T, Ahrens W, Hebestreit A. Association between parental consumer attitudes with their children's sensory taste preferences as well as their food choice. PLOS ONE. 2018;13(8):e0200413.
    https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0200413
  • Bammann K, Gwozdz W, Pischke CR, Eiben G, Fernández-Alvira JM, De Henauw S, Lissner L, Moreno LA, Pitsiladis Y, Reisch LA, Veidebaum T, Pigeot I, on behalf of the IDEFICS consortium. The impact of familial, behavioural and psychosocial factors on the SES gradient for childhood overweight in Europe. A longitudinal study. International Journal of Obesity. 2017;41(1):54-60.
    https://doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2016.137
  • Jilani H, Ahrens W, Buchecker K, Russo P, Hebestreit A, on behalf of the IDEFICS consortium. Association between the number of fungiform papillae on the tip of the tongue and sensory taste perception in children. Food and Nutrition Research. 2017;61(1):1348865.
    https://doi.org/10.1080/16546628.2017.1348865
  • NCD Risk Factor Collaboration (NCD-RisC), in collaboration with Ahrens W, Pigeot I, Pohlabeln H. Worldwide trends in body-mass index, underweight, overweight, and obesity from 1975 to 2016: A pooled analysis of 2416 population-based measurement studies in 128.9 million children, adolescents, and adults. The Lancet. 2017;390(10113):2627-2642.
    https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(17)32129-3
  • Pohlabeln H, Rach S, De Henauw S, Eiben G, Gwozdz W, Hadjigeorgiou C, Molnár D, Moreno LA, Russo P, Veidebaum T, Pigeot I, on behalf of the IDEFICS consortium. Further evidence for the role of pregnancy-induced hypertension and other early life influences in the development of ADHD: Results from the IDEFICS study. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. 2017;26(8):957-967.
    https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-017-0966-2
  • Wolters M, Börnhorst C, Schwarz H, Risé P, Galli C, Moreno LA, Pala V, Russo P, Veidebaum T, Tornaritis M, Fraterman A, De Henauw S, Eiben G, Lissner L, Molnár D, Ahrens W, on behalf of the IDEFICS consortium. Association of desaturase activity and C-reactive protein in European children. Pediatric Research. 2017;81(1):27-32.
    https://doi.org/10.1038/pr.2016.186
  • Börnhorst C, Siani A, Russo P, Kourides Y, Sioen I, Molnár D, Moreno LA, Rodríguez G, Ben-Shlomo Y, Howe H, Lissner L, Mehlig K, Regber S, Bammann K, Foraita R, Ahrens W, Tilling K. Early life factors and inter-country heterogeneity in BMI growth trajectories of European children: The IDEFICS study. PLOS ONE. 2016;11(2):e0149268.
    https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0149268
  • Börnhorst C, Tilling K, Russo P, Kourides Y, Michels N, Molnár D, Rodríguez G, Moreno LA, Krogh V, Ben-Shlomo Y, Ahrens W, Pigeot I, on behalf of the IDEFICS consortium. Associations between early body mass index trajectories and later metabolic risk factors in European children: The IDEFICS study. European Journal of Epidemiology. 2016;31(5):513-525.
    https://doi.org/10.1007/s10654-015-0080-z
  • Greve B, Pigeot I, Huybrechts I, Pala V, Börnhorst C, on behalf of the IDEFICS consortium. A comparison of heuristic and model-based clustering methods for dietary pattern analysis. Public Health Nutrition. 2016;19(2):255-264.
    https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980014003243
  • Hebestreit A, Barba G, De Henauw S, Eiben G, Hadjigeorgiou C, Kovács E, Krogh V, Moreno LA, Pala V, Veidebaum T, Wolters M, Börnhorst C, on behalf of the IDEFICS consortium. Cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between energy intake and BMI z-score in European children. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. 2016;13:23.
    https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-016-0344-3
  • Peplies J, Börnhorst C, Günther K, Fraterman A, Russo P, Veidebaum T, Tornaritis M, De Henauw S, Mårild S, Molnár D, Moreno LA, Ahrens W, on behalf of the IDEFICS consortium. Longitudinal associations of lifestyle factors and weight status with insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) in preadolescent children: The large prospective cohort study IDEFICS. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. 2016;13:97.
    https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-016-0424-4
  • Pigeot I, De Henauw S, Ahrens W. Die IDEFICS-Primärprävention als gutes Praxisbeispiel. Bundesgesundheitsblatt, Gesundheitsforschung, Gesundheitsschutz. 2016;59(11):1385-1393.
    https://doi.org/10.1007/s00103-016-2445-1
  • Walter U, Pigeot I. Universelle Programme zur Primärprävention kindlichen Übergewichts: Ein Überblick. Bundesgesundheitsblatt, Gesundheitsforschung, Gesundheitsschutz. 2016;59(11):1372-1384.
    https://doi.org/10.1007/s00103-016-2446-0
  • Ahrens W, on behalf of the IDEFICS consortium. Sensory taste preferences and taste sensitivity and the association of unhealthy food patterns with overweight and obesity in primary school children in Europe - A synthesis of data from the IDEFICS study. Flavour. 2015;4(8):1-9.
    https://doi.org/10.1186/2044-7248-4-8
  • Foraita R, Günther F, Gwozdz W, Reisch LA, Russo P, Lauria F, Siani A, Veidebaum T, Tornaritis M, Iacoviello L, Vyncke K, Pitsiladis Y, Mårild S, Molnár D, Moreno LA, Bammann K, Pigeot I, on behalf of the IDEFICS consortium. Does the FTO gene interact with the socioeconomic status on the obesity development among young European children? Results from the IDEFICS study. International Journal of Obesity. 2015;39(1):1-6.
    https://doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2014.156
  • Herrmann D, Buck C, Sioen I, Kourides Y, Mårild S, Molnár D, Mouratidou T, Pitsiladis Y, Russo P, Veidebaum T, Ahrens W, on behalf of the IDEFICS consortium. Impact of physical activity, sedentary behaviour and muscle strength on bone stiffness in 2-10-year-old children: Cross-sectional results from the IDEFICS study. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. 2015;12:112.
    https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-015-0273-6
  • Herrmann D, Pohlabeln H, Gianfagna F, Konstabel K, Lissner L, Mårild S, Molnár D, Moreno LA, Siani A, Sioen I, Veidebaum T, Ahrens W, on behalf of the IDEFICS consortium. Association between bone stiffness and nutritional biomarkers combined with weight-bearing exercise, physical activity, and sedentary time in preadolescent children. A case-control study. Bone. 2015;78:142-149.
    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bone.2015.04.043
  • Pigeot I, Baranowski T, De Henauw S, and the IDEFICS Intervention Study Group, on behalf of the IDEFICS consortium, in collaboration with Ahrens W, Hebestreit A. The IDEFICS intervention trial to prevent childhood obesity: Design and study methods. Obesity Reviews. 2015;16(Suppl. 2):4-15.
    https://doi.org/10.1111/obr.12345
  • Wolters M, Schlenz H, Börnhorst C, Risé P, Galli C, Moreno LA, Pala V, Siani A, Veidebaum T, Tornaritis M, Fraterman A, De Henauw S, Mårild S, Molnár D, Ahrens W, on behalf of the IDEFICS consortium. Desaturase activity is associated with weight status and metabolic risk markers in young children. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. 2015;100(10):3760-3769.
    https://doi.org/10.1210/jc.2015-2693
  • Ahrens W, Moreno LA, Mårild S, Molnár D, Siani A, De Henauw S, Böhmann J, Günther K, Hadjigeorgiou C, Iacoviello L, Lissner L, Veidebaum T, Pohlabeln H, Pigeot I, on behalf of the IDEFICS consortium. Metabolic syndrome in young children: Definitions and results of the IDEFICS study. International Journal of Obesity. 2014;38(S2):S4-S14.
    https://doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2014.130
  • Ahrens W, Pigeot I, Pohlabeln H, De Henauw S, Lissner L, Molnár D, Moreno LA, Tornaritis M, Veidebaum T, Siani A, on behalf of the IDEFICS consortium. Prevalence of overweight and obesity in European children below the age of 10. International Journal of Obesity. 2014;38(S2):S99-S107.
    https://doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2014.140
  • Bammann K, Peplies J, De Henauw S, Hunsberger M, Molnár D, Moreno LA, Tornaritis M, Veidebaum T, Ahrens W, Siani A, on behalf of the IDEFICS consortium. Early life course risk factors for childhood obesity: The IDEFICS case-control study. PLOS ONE. 2014;9(2):e86914.
    https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0086914
  • Börnhorst C, Bel-Serrat S, Pigeot I, Huybrechts I, Ottevaere C, Sioen I, De Henauw S, Mouratidou T, Mesana MI, Westerterp K, Bammann K, Lissner L, Eiben G, Pala V, Rayson M, Krogh V, Moreno LA, on behalf of the IDEFICS consortium. Validity of 24-h recalls in (pre-)school aged children: Comparison of proxy-reported energy intakes with measured energy expenditure. Clinical Nutrition. 2014;33(1):79-84.
    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clnu.2013.03.018
  • Börnhorst C, Huybrechts I, Hebestreit A, Krogh V, De Decker A, Barba G, Moreno LA, Lissner L, Tornaritis M, Loit H-M, Molnár D, Pigeot I, on behalf of the IDEFICS and I.Family consortia. Usual energy and macronutrient intakes in 2-9-year-old European children. International Journal of Obesity. 2014;38(S2):S115-S123.
    https://doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2014.142
  • Hebestreit A, Börnhorst C, Barba G, Siani A, Huybrechts I, Tognon G, Eiben G, Moreno LA, Fernández-Alvira JM, Loit H-M, Kovács E, Tornaritis M, Krogh V. Associations between energy intake, daily food intake and energy density of foods and BMI z-score in 2-9-year-old European children. European Journal of Nutrition. 2014;53(2):673-681. (Corrigendum: Hebestreit A et al. European Journal of Nutrition. 2014;53(5):1297-1298. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00394-014-0712-1).
    https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-013-0575-x
  • Hebestreit A, Börnhorst C, Pala V, Barba G, Eiben G, Veidebaum T, Hadjigeorgiou C, Molnár D, Claessens M, Fernández-Alvira JM, Pigeot I, on behalf of the IDEFICS consortium. Dietary energy density in young children across Europe. International Journal of Obesity. 2014;38(S2):S124-S134.
    https://doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2014.143
  • Herrmann D, Intemann T, Lauria F, Mårild S, Molnár D, Moreno LA, Sioen I, Tornaritis M, Veidebaum T, Pigeot I, Ahrens W, on behalf of the IDEFICS consortium. Reference values of bone stiffness index and C-terminal telopeptide in healthy European children. International Journal of Obesity. 2014;38(S2):S76-S85.
    https://doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2014.138
  • Peplies J, Jimenez-Pavon D, Savva SC, Buck C, Günther K, Fraterman A, Russo P, Iacoviello L, Veidebaum T, Tornaritis M, De Henauw S, Mårild S, Molnár D, Moreno LA, Ahrens W, on behalf of the IDEFICS consortium. Percentiles of fasting serum insulin, glucose, HbA1c and HOMA-IR in pre-pubertal normal-weight European children from the IDEFICS cohort. International Journal of Obesity. 2014;38(S2):S39-S47.
    https://doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2014.134
  • Schlenz H, Intemann T, Wolters M, González-Gil EM, Nappo A, Fraterman A, Veidebaum T, Molnár D, Tornaritis M, Sioen I, Mårild S, Iacoviello L, Ahrens W, on behalf of the IDEFICS consortium. C-reactive protein reference percentiles among pre-adolescent children in Europe based on the IDEFICS study population. International Journal of Obesity. 2014;38(S2):S26-S31.
    https://doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2014.132
  • Wolters M, Schlenz H, Foraita R, Galli C, Risé P, Moreno LA, Molnár D, Russo P, Veidebaum T, Tornaritis M, Vyncke K, Eiben G, Iacoviello L, Ahrens W, on behalf of the IDEFICS consortium. Reference values of whole blood fatty acids by age and sex from European children aged 3-8 years. International Journal of Obesity. 2014;38(S2):S86-S98.
    https://doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2014.139
  • Bammann K, Gwozdz W, Lanfer A, Barba G, De Henauw S, Eiben G, Fernández-Alvira JM, Kovács E, Lissner L, Moreno LA, Tornaritis M, Veidebaum T, Pigeot I, on behalf of the IDEFICS consortium. Socioeconomic factors and childhood overweight in Europe: Results from the multi-centre IDEFICS study. Pediatric Obesity. 2013;8(1):1-12.
    https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2047-6310.2012.00075.x
  • Bammann K, Huybrechts I, Vicente-Rodríguez G, Easton C, De Vriendt T, Mårild S, Mesana MI, Peeters MW, Reilly J, Sioen I, Tubic B, Wawro N, Wells J, Westerterp K, Pitsiladis Y, Moreno LA, on behalf of the IDEFICS consortium. Validation of anthropometry and foot-to-foot bioelectrical resistance against a three-component model to assess total body fat in children: The IDEFICS study. International Journal of Obesity. 2013;37(4):520-526.
    https://doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2013.13
  • Börnhorst C, Huybrechts I, Ahrens W, Eiben G, Michels N, Pala V, Molnár D, Russo P, Barba G, Bel-Serrat S, Moreno LA, Papoutsou S, Veidebaum T, Loit H-M, Lissner L, Pigeot I, on behalf of the IDEFICS consortium. Prevalence and determinants of misreporting among European children in proxy-reported 24-hour dietary recalls. British Journal of Nutrition. 2013;109(7):1257-1265.
    https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007114512003194
  • Börnhorst C, Huybrechts I, Hebestreit A, Vanaelst B, Molnár D, Bel-Serrat S, Mouratidou T, Moreno LA, Pala V, Eha M, Kourides Y, Siani A, Eiben G, Pigeot I, on behalf of the IDEFICS consortium. Diet-obesity associations in children: Approaches to counteract attenuation caused by misreporting. Public Health Nutrition. 2013;16(2):256-266.
    https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980012004491
  • Buck C, Börnhorst C, Pohlabeln H, Huybrechts I, Pala V, Reisch LA, Pigeot I, on behalf of the IDEFICS and I.Family consortia. Clustering of unhealthy food around German schools and its influence on dietary behavior in school children: A pilot study. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. 2013;10:65.
    https://doi.org/10.1186/1479-5868-10-65
  • Hense S, Pohlabeln H, Michels N, Mårild S, Lissner L, Kovács E, Moreno LA, Hadjigeorgiou C, Veidebaum T, Iacoviello L, Pitsiladis Y, Reisch LA, Siani A, Ahrens W. Determinants of attrition to follow-up in a multicentre cohort study in children - Results from the IDEFICS Study. Epidemiology Research International. 2013;2013:936365.
    https://doi.org/10.1155/2013/936365
  • Börnhorst C, Hense S, Ahrens W, Hebestreit A, Reisch LA, Barba G, von Kries R, Bayer O, on behalf of the IDEFICS consortium. From sleep duration to childhood obesity - What are the pathways? European Journal of Pediatrics. 2012;171(7):1029-1038.
    https://doi.org/10.1007/s00431-011-1670-8
  • Hebestreit A, Ahrens W. Ernährungs- und lebensstilbedingte Erkrankungen bei Kindern. Design, Untersuchungsmodule und Studienkollektiv der Basiserhebung der IDEFICS-Kohorte in Deutschland. Bundesgesundheitsblatt, Gesundheitsforschung, Gesundheitsschutz. 2012;55(6-7):892-899.
    https://doi.org/10.1007/s00103-012-1488-1
  • Herrmann D, Hebestreit A, Ahrens W. Einfluss von körperlicher Aktivität und Sport auf die Knochengesundheit im Lebenslauf. Ein Überblick. Bundesgesundheitsblatt, Gesundheitsforschung, Gesundheitsschutz. 2012;55(1):35-54.
    https://doi.org/10.1007/s00103-011-1393-z
  • Lanfer A, Knof K, Barba G, Veidebaum T, Papoutsou S, De Henauw S, Soós T, Moreno LA, Ahrens W, Lissner L, on behalf of the IDEFICS consortium. Taste preferences in association with dietary habits and weight status in European children - results from the IDEFICS study. International Journal of Obesity. 2012;36(1):27-34.
    https://doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2011.164
  • Ahrens W, Bammann K, Siani A, Buchecker K, De Henauw S, Iacoviello L, Hebestreit A, Krogh V, Lissner L, Mårild S, Molnár D, Moreno LA, Pitsiladis Y, Reisch LA, Tornaritis M, Veidebaum T, Pigeot I, on behalf of the IDEFICS consortium. The IDEFICS cohort: Design, characteristics and participation in the baseline survey. International Journal of Obesity. 2011;35(Suppl. 1):S3-S15.
    https://doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2011.30
  • Bammann K, Sioen I, Huybrechts I, Casajus JA, Vicente-Rodríguez G, Cuthill R, Konstabel K, Tubic B, Wawro N, Rayson M, Westerterp K, Mårild S, Pitsiladis Y, Reilly J, Moreno LA, De Henauw S, on behalf of the IDEFICS consortium. The IDEFICS validation study on field methods for assessing physical activity and body composition in children: Design and data collection. International Journal of Obesity. 2011;35(Suppl. 1):S79-S87.
    https://doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2011.38
  • Gallois KM, De Henauw S, Hassel H, Hebestreit A, Pigeot I, Zeeb H. Standardisierte Entwicklung der IDEFICS-Intervention und Implementierung in Deutschland. Bundesgesundheitsblatt, Gesundheitsforschung, Gesundheitsschutz. 2011;54(3):330-338.
    https://doi.org/10.1007/s00103-010-1220-y
  • Hense S, Barba G, Pohlabeln H, De Henauw S, Mårild S, Molnár D, Moreno LA, Hadjigeorgiou C, Veidebaum T, Ahrens W. Factors that influence weekday sleep duration in European children. Sleep. 2011;34(5):633-639.
    https://doi.org/10.1093/sleep/34.5.633
  • Hense S, Pohlabeln H, De Henauw S, Eiben G, Molnár D, Moreno LA, Barba G, Hadjigeorgiou C, Veidebaum T, Ahrens W. Sleep duration and overweight in European children - Is the association modified by geographic region? Sleep. 2011;34(7):885-890.
    https://doi.org/10.5665/sleep.1120
  • Herrmann D, Suling M, Reisch LA, Siani A, De Bourdeaudhuij I, Maes L, Santaliestra-Pasías AM, Veidebaum T, Molnár D, Pala V, Kourides Y, Eiben G, Bammann K, on behalf of the IDEFICS consortium. Repeatability of maternal report on prenatal, perinatal and early postnatal factors: Findings from the IDEFICS parental questionnaire. International Journal of Obesity. 2011;35(Suppl. 1):S52-S60.
    https://doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2011.35
  • Lanfer A, Hebestreit A, Ahrens W, Krogh V, Sieri S, Lissner L, Eiben G, Siani A, Huybrechts I, Loit H-M, Papoutsou S, Kovács E, Pala V, on behalf of the IDEFICS consortium. Reproducibility of food consumption frequencies derived from the Children's Eating Habits Questionnaire used in the IDEFICS study. International Journal of Obesity. 2011;35(Suppl. 1):S61-S68.
    https://doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2011.36
  • Peplies J, Günther K, Bammann K, Fraterman A, Russo P, Veidebaum T, Tornaritis M, Vanaelst B, Mårild S, Molnár D, Moreno LA, Ahrens W, on behalf of the IDEFICS consortium. Influence of sample collection and pre-analytical sample processing on the analyses of biological markers in the European multicentre study IDEFICS. International Journal of Obesity. 2011;35(Suppl. 1):S104-S112.
    https://doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2011.41
  • Suling M, Hebestreit A, Peplies J, Bammann K, Nappo A, Eiben G, Fernández-Alvira JM, Verbestel V, Kovács E, Pitsiladis Y, Veidebaum T, Hadjigeorgiou C, Knof K, Ahrens W, on behalf of the IDEFICS consortium. Design and results of the pre-test of the IDEFICS study. International Journal of Obesity. 2011;35(Suppl. 1):S30-S44.
    https://doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2011.33
  • Dreas J, Hassel H. What accounts for good-practice? Assessment of obesity prevention projects for kindergarten children in Germany. Journal of Public Health. 2010;18(2):145-152.
    https://doi.org/10.1007/s10389-009-0285-2
  • Hebestreit A, Keimer K, Hassel H, Nappo A, Eiben G, Fernández-Alvira JM, Kovács E, Lasn H, Shiakou M, on behalf of the IDEFICS consortium. What do children understand? Communicating health behavior in a European multi-centre study. Journal of Public Health. 2010;18(4):391-401.
    https://doi.org/10.1007/s10389-010-0316-z
  • Lanfer A, Hebestreit A, Ahrens W. Einfluss der Ernährung und des Essverhaltens auf die Entwicklung der Adipositas bei Kindern und Jugendlichen. Bundesgesundheitsblatt, Gesundheitsforschung, Gesundheitsschutz. 2010;53(7):690-698.
    https://doi.org/10.1007/s00103-010-1086-z
  • Peplies J, Fraterman A, Scott R, Russo P, Bammann K. Quality management for the collection of biological samples in multicentre studies. European Journal of Epidemiology. 2010;25(9):607-617.
    https://doi.org/10.1007/s10654-010-9481-1
  • Pigeot I, Buck C, Herrmann D, Ahrens W. Übergewicht und Adipositas bei Kindern und Jugendlichen. Die weltweite Situation. Bundesgesundheitsblatt, Gesundheitsforschung, Gesundheitsschutz. 2010;53(7):653-665.
    https://doi.org/10.1007/s00103-010-1083-2
  • Pigeot I, De Henauw S, Foraita R, Jahn I, Ahrens W. Primary prevention from the epidemiology perspective: Three examples from the practice. BMC Medical Research Methodology. 2010;10:10.
    https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2288-10-10
  • Pigeot I, Barba G, Chadjigeorgiou C, De Henauw S, Kourides Y, Lissner L, Mårild S, Pohlabeln H, Russo P, Tornaritis M, Veidebaum T, Wawro N, Siani A, on behalf of the IDEFICS consortium. Prevalence and determinants of childhood overweight and obesity in European countries: Pooled analysis of the existing surveys within the IDEFICS consortium. International Journal of Obesity. 2009;33(10):1103-1110. (The paper has been cited as one of the Research Highlights in Nature Reviews Endocrinology 2009;5(11):5).
  • Ahrens W, Bammann K, Pigeot I. Evidenzbasierung von Primärprävention am Beispiel einer Interventionsstudie zum kindlichen Übergewicht. Prävention und Gesundheitsförderung. 2008;3(4):246-252.
    https://doi.org/10.1007/s11553-008-0139-8
  • Bucksch J, Finne E. Messung der motivationalen Bereitschaft zu körperlicher Aktivität - Vergleichende Validierung verschiedener bewegungsbezogener Messinstrumente für die Stufen der Verhaltensänderung bei Jugendlichen. Prävention und Gesundheitsförderung. 2008;3(3):179-186.
    https://doi.org/10.1007/s11553-008-0125-1
  • Hassel H, Keimer KM. Parent involvement when developing health education programmes. Italian Journal of Public Health. 2008;5(1):4-11.
    https://doi.org/10.2427/5848
  • Ahrens W, Hassel H, Hebestreit A, Peplies J, Pohlabeln H, Suling M, Pigeot I. IDEFICS. Ursachen und Prävention ernährungs- und lebensstilbedingter Erkrankungen im Kindesalter. Ernährung Wissenschaft und Praxis. 2007;1(7):314-321.
  • Bammann K, Peplies J, Pigeot I, Ahrens W. IDEFICS: ein europäisches multizentrisches Projekt zu ernährungs- und lebensstilbedingten Erkrankungen im Kindesalter. Medizinische Klinik. 2007;102(3):230-235.
  • Ahrens W, Bammann K, De Henauw S, Halford J, Palou A, Pigeot I, Siani A, Sjöström M, on behalf of the IDEFICS consortium. Understanding and preventing childhood obesity and related disorders - IDEFICS: A European multilevel epidemiological approach. Nutrition, Metabolism, and Cardiovascular Diseases. 2006;16(4):302-308.
    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.numecd.2006.01.011
  • Bammann K, Peplies J, Sjöström M, Lissner L, De Henauw S, Galli C, Iacoviello L, Krogh V, Mårild S, Pigeot I, Pitsiladis Y, Pohlabeln H, Reisch LA, Siani A, Ahrens W, on behalf of the IDEFICS consortium. Assessment of diet, physical activity and biological, social and environmental factors in a multi-centre European project on diet- and lifestyle-related disorders in children (IDEFICS). Journal of Public Health. 2006;14(5):279-289.
    https://doi.org/10.1007/s10389-006-0058-0
  • Books

  • Moreno LA, Pigeot I, Ahrens W, editors. Epidemiology of obesity in children and adolescents - Prevalence and etiology. New York: Springer; 2011.
  • Contributions to books and proceedings

  • Intemann T, Pohlabeln H, Herrmann D, Ahrens W, Pigeot I. Estimating age- and height-specific percentile curves for children using GAMLSS in the IDEFICS study. In: Wilhelm AF, Kestler HA, editors. Analysis of large and complex data. Heidelberg: Springer International Publishing. 2016. S. 385-394
    https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-25226-1
  • Ahrens W, Pigeot I, on behalf of the IDEFICS consortium. Risk factors of childhood obesity: Lessons from the European IDEFICS study. In: Frelut M-L, editors. eBook on child and adolescent obesity. Brussels: The European Childhood Obesity Group (ECOG). 2015.
    http://ebook.ecog-obesity.eu
  • Presentations at scientific meetings/conferences (invited)

  • Pigeot I, Pohlabeln H, on behalf of the IDEFICS consortium. Pregnancy-induced hypertension and other early life influences in the development of ADHD: Results from the IDEFICS study. 7th World Congress on ADHD, 25-28 April 2019, Lisbon, Portugal.
  • Ahrens W. Surveillance of NCD's and the investigation of their aetiology and primary prevention: Exemplary studies from Europe. Strategic Research Program Workshop on Non-Communicable Diseases by the Oman Ministry of Health, 30 October 2018, Muscat, Oman.
  • Ahrens W. Was macht Kinder dick? Gesellschaftliche Determinanten der Adipositas. Präventionssymposium der Stiftung Rufzeichen Gesundheit, 26. Februar 2016, Baierbrunn.
  • Ahrens W, Baranowski T, Swinburn B, Andreoni G. New approaches for the prevention of obesity in children are needed. "How to tackle the obesity epidemic in European children? The Way to ICN 2017," Workshop of the Iberoamerican Nutrition Foundation (FINUT) and the University of Zaragoza, 19-20 September 2016, Zaragoza, Spain.
  • Pigeot I, Ahrens W. The IDEFICS study - From planning to lessons learned. "How to tackle the obesity epidemic in European children? The Way to ICN 2017," Workshop of the Iberoamerican Nutrition Foundation (FINUT) and the University of Zaragoza, 19-20 September 2016, Zaragoza, Spain.
  • Ahrens W, Moreno LA, on behalf of the IDEFICS consortium. The design and methodological approach of the IDEFICS study for deriving clinical reference values based on a pan-European sample of apparently healthy children. 4th Global Congress for Consensus in Pediatrics & Child Health, 19-21 March 2015, Budapest, Hungary.
  • Ahrens W, on behalf of the IDEFICS consortium. Neue Medien - Auswirkungen auf Gesundheit und Wohlbefinden - IDEFICS Studie. 41. Internationales Pädiatrisches Symposium, 21.-24. Januar 2015, Obergurgl, Österreich.
  • Ahrens W, on behalf of the IDEFICS consortium. Mediennutzung: Gibt es Zusammenhänge zwischen der Intensität von Mediennutzung und der Körpergewichtsentwicklung bei Kindern und Jugendlichen? "Was tut Körper, Geist und Beziehung gut?", Symposium Medien & Kindergesundheit der Stiftung Kindergesundheit, 5. Oktober 2015, München.
  • Ahrens W, Pigeot I, Intemann T, on behalf of the IDEFICS consortium. A new definition of the metabolic syndrome in pre-adolescent children based on a pan-European sample - The IDEFICS study. 4th Global Congress for Consensus in Pediatrics & Child Health, 19-21 March 2015, Budapest, Hungary.
  • Ahrens W, Pigeot I, on behalf of the IDEFICS consortium. Objectively measured physical activity and its association with overweight and obesity in European children. Core findings of the IDEFICS study. International Pediatric Conference "Nutrition, physical activity and well-being: Tackling childood obestiy through prevention" at the EXPO Milan, 26 June 2015, Milan, Italy.
  • Hebestreit A. Prävention der Adipositas durch gezielte Ernährung bei Kindern. 5. Norddeutsche Fortbildungsveranstaltung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Ernährungsmedizin (DGEM), 12. September 2015, Bremen.
  • Pigeot I, Ahrens W. IDEFICS-Studie: Intervention. Fachtag der Bundeszentrale für gesundheitliche Aufklärung (BZgA) zu aktuellen Erkenntnissen zum integrierten Ansatz "Ernährung, Bewegung und Stressregulation (EBS)", 9. November 2015, Köln.
  • Pigeot I, Börnhorst C. Dietary assessment in young children: Statistical methods to assess the association between food intake and childhood obesity. Satellite Symposium on Nutritional Epidemiology during the Joint Meeting of the International Biometric Society (IBS) Austro-Swiss and Italian Regions, 19 June 2015, Milan, Italy.
  • Ahrens W, on behalf of the IDEFICS consortium. Sensory taste preferences in primary school children across Europe: A population-based survey. International Symposium "The Science of Taste," 11-14 August 2014, Copenhagen, Denmark. (Abstract published in: Flavour. 2015;4:8)
  • Presentations at scientific meetings/conferences

  • Jilani H, Intemann T, Ahrens W, Hebestreit A. Correlates of bitter, sweet, salty and umami taste thresholds in European children: Role of sex, age, country and weight status - The IDEFICS study. 13th Pangborn Sensory Science Symposium, 28 July-1 August 2019, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
  • Pohlabeln H, Rach S, Steenbock B, Pigeot I. Gesundheitsbezogene Lebensqualität von Kindern mit ADHS - Ergebnisse der IDEFICS-Studie. 13. Jahrestagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Epidemiologie (DGEpi), 26.-28. September 2018, Bremen.
  • Pigeot I. Introduction to the IDEFICS/I.Family cohort: Well-being in European children. 16th Annual Meeting of the International Society of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity (ISBNPA), 7-10 June 2017, Victoria, Canada.
  • Wirsik N, Sobotka F, Witowski V, Pigeot I. Using expectile regression and hidden Markov models to assess accelerometer data. 5th International Conference on Ambulatory Monitoring of Physical Activity and Movement (ICAMPAM), 21-23 June 2017, Bethesda, USA.
  • Cooper A, Page A, Konstabel K, Tibbitts B, Pigeot I, Ahrens W. Consistency in cross-country differences in physical activity: From IDEFICS to I.Family. 15th Annual Meeting of the International Society of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity (ISBNPA), IDEFICS/I.Family Symposium: "Objectively measured physical activity in European children and adolescents - Methodological advancements and new results from the IDEFICS/I.Family cohort," 11 June 2016, Cape Town, South Africa.
  • Foraita R, Günther F, Pigeot I, on behalf of the IDEFICS consortium. Does the FTO gene interact with the socioeconomic status on obesity development of young European children? Results from the IDEFICS study. European Obesity Summit (EOS), 1-4 June 2016, Gothenburg, Sweden.
  • Pigeot I, Börnhorst C, Tilling K, Ahrens W. Associations between early BMI trajectories and later metabolic risk in European children: The IDEFICS study. XXVIIIth International Biometric Conference, 10-15 July 2016, Victoria, Canada.
  • Pigeot I, Pitsiladis Y, Konstabel K, Herrmann D, Ahrens W. The IDEFICS/I.Family cohort: Associations between physical activity and health outcomes. 15th Annual Meeting of the International Society of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity (ISBNPA), IDEFICS/I.Family Symposium: "Objectively measured physical activity in European children and adolescents - Methodological advancements and new results from the IDEFICS/I.Family cohort," 11 June 2016, Cape Town, South Africa.
  • Sprengeler O, Wirsik N, Page A, Cooper A, Ahrens W. The longitudinal association between objectively-measured physical activity levels and body composition in European children. 15th Annual Meeting of the International Society of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity (ISBNPA), IDEFICS/I.Family Symposium: "Objectively measured physical activity in European children and adolescents - Methodological advancements and new results from the IDEFICS/I.Family cohort," 11 June 2016, Cape Town, South Africa.
  • Wirsik N, Sobotka F, Witowski V, Pigeot I. Expectile regression and hidden Markov models to improve quantification of physical activity using accelerometer data. 15th Annual Meeting of the International Society of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity (ISBNPA), IDEFICS/I.Family Symposium: "Objectively measured physical activity in European children and adolescents - Methodological advancements and new results from the IDEFICS/I.Family cohort," 11 June 2016, Cape Town, South Africa.
  • Börnhorst C, Tilling K, Russo P, Kourides Y, Michels N, Molnár D, Rodríguez G, Moreno LA, Krogh V, Ben-Shlomo Y, Ahrens W, Pigeot I, on behalf of the IDEFICS consortium. Associations between early body mass index trajectories and later metabolic risk in European children: The IDEFICS Study. 14th Annual Meeting of the International Society of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity (ISBNPA), 3-6 June 2015, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
  • Börnhorst C, Tilling K, Russo P, Kourides Y, Michels N, Molnár D, Rodríguez G, Moreno LA, Krogh V, Ben-Shlomo Y, Ahrens W, Pigeot I. Early body mass index trajectories and later metabolic risk in European children: The IDEFICS study. European Congress of Epidemiology, 25-27 June 2015, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
  • Brünings-Kuppe C, Cici S, Reineke A. SACANA - Ein System zur Erfassung eines 24-Stunden-Ernährungsprotokolls - Einsatz und Erfahrungen. "Informationsmanagement in der Medizin: Herausforderungen in Versorgung und Forschung". 13. Fachtagung des Deutschen Verbandes Medizinischer Dokumentare (DVMD), 11.-14. März 2015, Ulm.
  • Cici S, Brünings-Kuppe C, Modzelewski M, Reineke A. SACANA - Entwicklung eines webbasierten Systems zur Erfassung von Ernährungsprotokollen. "Informationsmanagement in der Medizin: Herausforderungen in Versorgung und Forschung". 13. Fachtagung des Deutschen Verbandes Medizinischer Dokumentare (DVMD), 11.-14. März 2015, Ulm.
  • Hebestreit A, Börnhorst C, Pala V, Barba G, Eiben G, Veidebaum T, Hadjigeorgiou C, Molnár D, Claessens M, Fernández-Alvira JM, on behalf of the IDEFICS consortium. Dietary energy density in young children across Europe. 12th European Nutrition Conference of the Federation of European Nutrition Societies (FENS), 20-23 October 2015, Berlin. (Abstract published in: Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism. 2015;67(Suppl. 1):113)
  • Jilani H, Intemann T, Buchecker K, Ahrens W, on behalf of the IDEFICS consortium. Bitter-sweet taste perception: Determinants of changes in children's bitter, sweet, salt and umami taste sensitivity. 10. Jahrestagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Epidemiologie (DGEpi), 30. September-2. Oktober 2015, Potsdam.
  • Pohlabeln H, Pigeot I, Rach S, Ahrens W, on behalf of the IDEFICS consortium. Frühkindliche Einflussfaktoren für ADHS bei Kindern - Ergebnisse der IDEFICS-Studie. 10. Jahrestagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Epidemiologie (DGEpi), 30. September-2. Oktober 2015, Potsdam.
  • Ahrens W. In search for a definition of the metabolic syndrome in pre-adolescent children - A population-based approach. 24th Meeting of the European Childhood Obesity Group (ECOG), 13-15 November 2014, Salzburg, Austria.
  • Ahrens W, De Henauw S, Mårild S. Effects of the two-years IDEFICS community intervention on body composition and physiological parameters in young children. 13th Annual Meeting of the International Society of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity (ISBNPA), IDEFICS Symposium: "Effects of the IDEFICS Intervention: A Community-Based Intervention to Prevent Overweight and Obesity in 8 European Countries," 21-24 May 2014, San Diego, USA.
  • Börnhorst C, Greve B, Pigeot I. A comparison of heuristic and model-based clustering methods for dietary pattern analysis. 2nd European Conference on Data Analysis (ECDA), 2-4 July 2014, Bremen.
  • Hinkley T, Verbestel V, Ahrens W, Lissner L, Molnár D, Moreno LA, Pigeot I, Pohlabeln H, Reisch LA, Russo P, Veidebaum T, Tornaritis M, Williams G, De Henauw S, De Bourdeaudhuij I, on behalf of the IDEFICS consortium. Does early childhood screen time predict poorer well-being? 13th Annual Meeting of the International Society of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity (ISBNPA), 21-24 May 2014, San Diego, USA.
  • Jilani H, Buchecker K, Lanfer A, Ahrens W, on behalf of the IDEFICS consortium. Children's sensory threshold and preferences - Examples from the IDEFICS study. 6th European Conference on Sensory and Consumer Research, 7-10 September 2014, Copenhagen, Denmark.
  • Pigeot I, De Bourdeaudhuij I, Verbestel V. Behavioral effects of a community-oriented setting-based intervention for prevention of childhood obesity. 13th Annual Meeting of the International Society of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity (ISBNPA), IDEFICS Symposium: "Effects of the IDEFICS Intervention: A Community-Based Intervention to Prevent Overweight and Obesity in 8 European Countries," 21-24 May 2014, San Diego, USA.
  • Pigeot I, Intemann T. The GAMLSS - An innovative approach for calculating reference values. 24th Meeting of the European Childhood Obesity Group (ECOG), 13-15 November 2014, Salzburg, Austria.
  • Wirsik N, Witowski V, Foraita R, Pitsiladis Y, Pigeot I. Using hidden Markov models to improve analyzing accelerometer data. 2nd European Conference on Data Analysis (ECDA), 2-4 July 2014, Bremen.
  • Ahrens W, Pigeot I, on behalf of the IDEFICS consortium. Introduction of the IDEFICS study: Aims, design, methods and current status. 7th Annual Meeting of the International Society of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity (ISBNPA), 21-24 May 2008, Banff, Canada.
  • Other presentations/speechs (invited)

  • Hebestreit A. Kommunale Gesundheit mit dem Schwerpunkt Kindergesundheit in Delmenhorst. Bremer Gesundheitskonferenz "Bürgerinnen und Bürger treffen Politik - Politik trifft Bürgerinnen und Bürger - ein Dialog!", 24. Oktober 2019, Bremen.
  • Hebestreit A, Brackmann K, Pohlabeln H. Zuhause aufstehen - am Beispiel der IDEFICS Studie. "Aufstehen! Mehr Bewegung und weniger Sitzen im Alltag von Kindern!" Fachtagung der Plattform Ernährung und Bewegung (peb), 26. Februar 2014, Frankfurt am Main.
  • Posters at scientific meetings/conferences

  • Dreas J, Hassel H. What makes a good prevention programme? Recommendations for universal and selective obesity prevention programmes for children. 3. Jahrestagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Epidemiologie (DGEpi), 24.-27. September 2008, Bielefeld.