Between Body Mass Index In Children Research Articles

Inhibitory control mediates the association between body mass index and math performance in children: A cross-sectional study.

Overweight and obesity affect more than 18% of children and adolescents in the world. Obesity-related associations with brain morphology might be associated with reduced efficiency of inhibitory control. This association highlights a possible mechanism by which obesity impacts intelligence and academic achievement. Prior work indicates a mediating effect of inhibitory control on the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and intelligence and academic achievement. However, although obesity is associated with impaired math performance, we do not know whether inhibitory control also mediates the relationship between BMI and math performance. This study tests the hypothesis that inhibitory control statistically mediates the relationship between BMI and math performance. 161 children (9 to 13 years old, 80 female) participated in the present study. We evaluated BMI; math performance, in a test composed of 20 arithmetic equations of the type x = (a × b) - c; and inhibitory control through the Flanker test. We carried out Spearman correlation tests, hierarchical multiple linear regression, and tested the confidence of the model where inhibitory control statistically mediates the indirect association between BMI and math performance. Mediation analysis in this cross-sectional study aimed to improve understanding of indirect relationships and offer insights into possible causal connections. Better math performance and lower BMI were associated with greater accuracy on the inhibitory control test and greater accuracy on the inhibitory control test was associated with better performance on math test. We found an indirect association between higher BMI in children and impairments in math performance, that was mediated by inhibitory control (a: -0.008, p = 0.025; b: 7.10, p = 0.0004; c: 0.05, p = 0.592; c': 0.11, p = 0.238; Indirect Effect: -0.0599, 95% CI: -0.13, -0.005). An indirect association between higher body mass indices in children and impairments in math performance was detected, through the impact that BMI has on inhibitory control.

Individual and school correlates of body mass index and cardiorespiratory fitness in primary school children from the REACT project: A multivariate multilevel analysis.

This paper examines the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) using a multivariate multilevel approach and investigates the links between individual and school-related correlates with children's BMI and CRF. This cross-sectional sample included 1014 children (6-10 years) from 25 Portuguese primary schools. BMI was calculated, and CRF was assessed with the PACER test. Fundamental movement skills (FMS) included five object control tasks. Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), sleep, and sedentary time were assessed with the ActiGraph wGT3X-BT accelerometer. Socioeconomic status (SES) and school variables were also obtained. A multivariate multilevel model was used, and alpha was set at 5%. BMI and CRF systematically increased with age. Most of the joint variance (94.4%) was explained at the child level, and BMI and CRF were correlated at this level (ρ = -.37). More active children demonstrated higher CRF levels and had lower BMI levels; sedentary and sleep time were not significantly associated with BMI or CRF. FMS were positively associated with CRF but were not significantly associated with BMI. Children at higher SES were more fit and had lower BMI than their peers of lower SES. Finally, school-level variables were not significantly related to BMI and CRF. BMI and CRF had a low but statistically significant negative correlation in this sample of children. Most of the variation in BMI and CRF was explained by child-level characteristics.

Evaluation of the Relationship Between Peak Growth Hormone Response to Growth Hormone Stimulation Tests and Body Mass Index

Objective: A contrary relationship between body mass index (BMI) and growth hormone (GH) secretion has been demonstrated in adults. BMI-specific cutoff levels are suggested for identifying growth hormone deficiency (GHD) in adulthood. However, specific values for BMI and growth hormone stimulation test responses in the childhood age group are not certain. In this research, our purpose was to investigate the relationship between GH peak response and BMI in children who underwent GHST with a pre-diagnosis of GHD. Material and Methods: This was a retrospective study of stimulative GH testing with clonidine and L-dopa performed in 150 children 2–18 year-old with short stature (< -2 SDS) in the Pediatric Endocrinology Unit at Bakırçay University Çiğli Training and Research Hospital from the years of 2018 to 2023. Anthropometric measurements, insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-I) and IGFBP- 3 levels, especially peak-stimulated GH, were evaluated. Results: A total of 150 patients [98 boys (65.3%) and 52 girls (34.7%)] were included in the study. The mean age of the individuals during testing was 10.26 ± 3.37 years, mean height standard deviation score (SDS) was -2.64 ± 0.89, mean weight SDS was -1.85 ± 1.01 and mean body mass index (BMI) SDS was -0.47 ± 1.07. Ninety-two of the patients (63%) were prepubertal. The mean value for maximum growth hormone serum level (GHmax) clonidine collected during the growth hormone stimulation test was 4.46 ± 2.83 ng/mL, while the mean value in L-dopa test was 3.29 ± 2.57 ng/mL. There was no statistical distinction in terms of both test responses. The correlation between peak GH and BMI-SDS, in terms of clonidine and L-dopa tests, was significantly negative [β = -0.257 (p = 0.010), β = -0.283 (p = 0.004), respectively]. Age, gender and puberty were not significantly associated with peak GH value. In terms of L-dopa peak GH level, the GH level in group 4 (>1 SDS) was revealed to be statistically lower than that in group 1 (< -1 SDS), nevertheless, similar relationship was not detected for clonidine. Conclusion: In our study, a negative correlation was found between GHmax and BMI-SDS in terms of clonidine and L-dopa tests. Therefore, keeping BMI-SDS in mind when evaluating growth hormone stimulation tests performed in short children may be guiding. Still, future studies are needed to make it a determining factor when deciding on treatment.

Body Mass Index Affects Delayed Chemotherapy-induced Vomiting in Pediatric Malignancy Patients.

Delayed chemotherapy-induced vomiting (DCIV) is a problem for children undergoing chemotherapy for malignant tumors. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between body mass index (BMI) and DCIV in children. Clinical data were collected from patients with malignancies who underwent chemotherapy at our center. Independent risk factors for DCIV derived by logistic regression. The Youden Index, which calculates BMI, divides patients into a high-risk group and a low-risk group, and the difference in DCIV between the two groups was analyzed. The relationship between BMI and DCIV was assessed by calculating the frequency of vomiting episodes and the severity of vomiting. A total of 283 patients were included in this cohort study. BMI (odds ratio [OR]: 0.811; 95% CI: 0.699-0.941), age (OR: 1.014; 95% CI: 1.006-1.021), and emetogenic grade (OR: 2.858, 95% CI: 1.749-4.671) were independent risk factors for the development of DCIV in children. Patients in the high-risk group experienced vomiting more frequently and with greater severity than those in the low-risk group ( P < 0.05). BMI in children with malignancy is associated with DCIV, and the incidence of DCIV decreases as BMI increases. Physicians may be able to arrange a more elaborate antiemetic prevention regimen based on the patient's BMI.

Leptin Concentrations Determine the Association between High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein Levels and Body Mass Index in Prepubertal Children.

Obesity is associated with the presence of low-grade inflammation even during childhood. The dysregulation in the secretion of adipokines, such as leptin, which occurs in obesity states, could be associated with an increase in inflammatory factors already at an early age. In this cross-sectional study, we aimed to investigate the role of leptin levels in the association between body mass index (BMI) and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) in healthy schoolchildren. Leptin and hs-CRP levels were analyzed in two pediatric cohorts comprising 684 prepubertal children and 763 adolescents. hs-CRP concentrations correlated significantly with BMI and leptin levels in prepubertal males and females as well as in adolescents. However, after adjusting for leptin concentration, no significant correlation was observed between hs-CRP and BMI in prepubertal children, while the correlations remained significant in adolescents. The same differences were observed when analyzed BMI according to hs-CRP tertile after adjusting for leptin; mean BMI was not significantly different between hs-CRP tertile in prepubertal children but was significantly different in adolescents. In conclusion, the fact that leptin concentrations determine the association of BMI with hs-CRP levels in prepubertal children, but not in adolescents, suggests a role for leptin in low-grade inflammation at early ages, while other factors seem to contribute to hs-CRP levels later in life.

Individualized morphometric similarity predicts body mass index and food approach behavior in school-age children.

Childhood obesity is associated with alterations in brain structure. Previous studies generally used a single structural index to characterize the relationship between body mass index(BMI) and brain structure, which could not describe the alterations of structural covariance between brain regions. To cover this research gap, this study utilized two independent datasets with brain structure profiles and BMI of 155 school-aged children. Connectome-based predictive modeling(CPM) was used to explore whether children's BMI is reliably predictable by the novel individualized morphometric similarity network(MSN). We revealed the MSN can predict the BMI in school-age children with good generalizability to unseen dataset. Moreover, these revealed significant brain structure covariant networks can further predict children's food approach behavior. The positive predictive networks mainly incorporated connections between the frontoparietal network(FPN) and the visual network(VN), between the FPN and the limbic network(LN), between the default mode network(DMN) and the LN. The negative predictive network primarily incorporated connections between the FPN and DMN. These results suggested that the incomplete integration of the high-order brain networks and the decreased dedifferentiation of the high-order networks to the primary reward networks can be considered as a core structural basis of the imbalance between inhibitory control and reward processing in childhood obesity.

Assessment of executive functions and physical activity in girls and boys with normal weight, overweight and obesity.

To evaluate the association between body mass index (BMI) and performance of executive functions (EFs) in girls and boys with 9- and 10-year-old schoolchildren with moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA) and sedentary behaviour. A total of 120 schoolchildren (61 girls and 59 boys) were evaluated anthropometrically. The MVPA was evaluated with a self-report questionnaire. EFs were measured using a neuropsychological battery of Executive Functions and Frontal Lobes-2 (BANFE-2). A high BMI was associated with longer delay in completing inhibitory control tests (p=0.00, rp =0.32) and working memory (p=0.00, rp =0.26). We observed correlations in time (p=0.00, rp =-0.43) and hits (p=0.04, rp =-0.27) of self-directed signalling test in boys; and girls in alphabetical words order (p=0.00, rp =-0.39). Active normal weight schoolchildren (ANw) performed better by successfully completed the working memory tasks (H=26.97, p=0.00) than sedentary schoolchildren with overweight and obesity. In addition, overweight-active schoolchildren (AOw) showed better performance on working memory tests in time (p=0.00) and hits (p=0.01) than their sedentary peers. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed a significant association between BMI and EFs scores (F=2.41, df=98, p=0.001). EFs are affected by a high BMI and sedentary behaviour in school children. Boys and girls reflected differences to solve the same challenges. The MVPA has a positive effect on executive control skills mainly in overweight children.

Body mass index and dental caries in New Zealand pre-school children: A population-based study.

Pre-school dental caries is a significant public health problem and may be associated with the growth and nutritional status of children. This study aimed to investigate the association between body mass index (BMI) and early childhood caries (ECC) among pre-school children. This population-based retrospective study involves all 5-year-old children who resided in northern New Zealand and received school entry dental examinations between 1 January 2014 and 31 December 2015. ECC status was determined with the decayed missing filled teeth (dmft) score obtained from a routinely collected regional dental data set. Objectively measured BMI information was obtained from the 'Before School Check' (B4SC) Programme. Logistic regression analyses were used to assess the association between BMI and the occurrence of ECC (dmft score ≥ 1). Ethnic subgroup analyses were also conducted. Of the 27 333 children involved in this analysis, 11 173 (40.9%) had ECC with a mean dmft score of 1.85, and 3948 (14.4%) were overweight and 2964 (10.8%) were obese at school entry. The prevalence of ECC was higher in overweight and obese children but in subgroup analyses by ethnicity, this positive association was observed in European children only (adjusted odds ratio for overweight children compared to normal weight children: 1.16; 95% CI: 1.02, 1.32 and adjusted odds ratio for obese children: 1.20; 95% CI: 1.00, 1.45). ECC is highly prevalent in New Zealand children and associated with higher BMI in children of European ethnicity.

The effect of gluten-free diet on body mass index in paediatric celiac disease.

More normal weight and overweight children are currently diagnosed with celiac disease (CD). We aimed to describe the relation between body mass index (BMI) and the clinical characteristics of paediatric CD and to determine the effect of a gluten-free diet (GFD) on BMI. Data on all children diagnosed with CD during 7/2010-7/2019 with documented anthropometric data at diagnosis were retrospectively analysed. The children were divided into three groups according to BMI status at diagnosis: underweight, normal weight and overweight (BMIs <5%, 5%-85% and >85%, respectively). Of the 236 children [median age 7.87 (4.91-11) years] included in the study, 24 (10.1%) were underweight at diagnosis and 32 (13.6%) were overweight. Diarrhoea as the presenting symptom was significantly more common in the overweight group (p=0.012), while short stature was more common in the underweight group (p=0.002). Following a GFD had no significant effect on the children's BMI during a median follow-up of 15.7 (0-85) months, but there was a significant shift of patients between the BMI categories (p<0.001). Although a shift of patients between the BMI categories was observed, following a GFD did not significantly affect the overall BMI in children with CD.

Systolic blood pressure mediates the association between body mass index and inhibitory control in children

Here, we examine whether systolic blood pressure (SBP) mediates the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and inhibitory control in children. Twenty children with high blood pressure (HBP) were approximately matched with twenty children with low blood pressure (LBP) by fitness, BMI, somatic maturation, sex and age. Inhibitory control was measured by a cognitive Go/Nogo task, where number of commission errors during Nogo trials and reaction time during Go trials were used as performance. We compared performance between the two groups and conducted a mediation analysis using SBP as mediator of the relationship between BMI and commission errors. Results revealed that HBP children presented higher number of commission errors, compared to LBP children. Moreover, SBP mediated the relation between BMI and number of errors. Thus, early exposure to high levels of SBP can negatively impact inhibitory control and SBP acts as a mediator between BMI and inhibitory functioning in children.

Body mass index and blood pressure correlate in nursery school children in Port Harcourt, Nigeria

Introduction: Blood pressure (BP) is a vital indicator of health in children and adults. The relationship between body mass index (BMI) and BP is well established in children; and BMI has been shown to maintain an independent relationship with BP even after controlling for many other variables that characterize individuals. High BMI significantly increases the risk of hypertension. Epidemiological studies in various countries have been conducted to determine the relationship between BP and BMI in children; similar comparative studies are lacking in Nigeria, thus necessitating this study.Aim: To determine the relationship between BMI and BP in nursery pupils in Port Harcourt.Methods: Multi-staged sampling technique was used to select 710 nursery pupils from 13 schools. Biodata was obtained using a selfadministered(parent) questionnaire. Height and weight measurement were taken, and BMI calculated. BP was measured using a mercury sphygmomanometer; and relevant data analysis done.Result: There were 710 pupils 365 (51.4%) males and 345(48.6%) females. Mean systolic BP was 93.2 ± 10.6mmHg (70–130 mmHg); while mean diastolic BP was 58.8 ± 8.0mmHg(40 – 88.7 mmHg). Mean BMI was 15.0 ± 1.8 kg/m2(9.1 - 25.5 kg/m2). There is a positive linear relationship betweensystolic and diastolic BP and BMI (correlation coefficient r = 0.03). Obese pupils had significantly higher BP rates (25%) (X2= 15.35, p =0.002). BMI and height were significant predictors of diastolic BP (p&lt;0.001).Conclusion: There is a positive correlation between BMI and BP; and high BMI is an important predictor of high BP in nursery pupils in Nigeria.&#x0D; Keywords: Blood Pressure, BMI, Nursery pupils, Nigeria

Lifestyle-Related Determinants of Obesity Among Omani Children

ObjectivesThis study aimed to examine the relationship between body mass index (BMI) z-scores and lifestyle-related factors including nutrition, physical activity, screen time and time spent sleeping in 6–10-year-old Omani children.MethodsThis cross-sectional study included mother-child dyads that were recruited from five provinces in Oman. Children’s BMI measurements and questionnaires on nutrition intake, physical activity, screen time and time spent sleeping and a single-day dietary recall were collected.ResultsA total of 197 dyads were included in this study. The children’s mean age was 7.7 ± 1.6 years and 53% were female. In this study, 17.4% of the children were classified as overweight or obese. No significant relationship was found between the children’s BMI z-scores and nutrition intake, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity time or screen time (P ≥0.05). Increased time spent sleeping at night was positively associated with childhood obesity (P <0.05).ConclusionThe relationship between obesity and caloric intake, physical activity and screen time among children younger than 10 years seems to be moderated by certain factors that need to be investigated. Qualitative studies and questionnaires that are culturally sensitive are therefore needed.

The adipose-derived Nerve Growth Factor is associated with abdominal obesity in prepubertal and pubertal children

AbstractIntroductionObesity is known to be associated with a low-grade inflammatory state. Most studies reporting inflammation in obesity have been done in pubertal children or adults or have focused only on the relation between body mass index (BMI) and the classical inflammatory markers. Nerve growth factor (NGF), monocyte chemoattractant protein–1 (MCP-1) and hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) are adipokines previously shown to be involved in the inflammatory context of obesity and metabolic syndrome but few studies have been conducted in children.ObjectiveTo evaluate the association between NGF, MCP-1, HGF with total and abdominal adiposity and in prepubertal and pubertal children.Methods889 children participated in a prospective obesity case-control study (50.2% males, 72% prepubertals, 27% overweight and 43% obesity), paired by age and sex. The relationship between total fat (assessed using the BMI, the sum of skinfolds thickness (SF) and fat mass index (FMI) from bioelectrical impedance analysis and waist circumference as a surrogate marker of abdominal obesity) and plasma concentrations of MCP-1, HGF, and NGF was studied in prepubertal and pubertal children.Linear regression analysis for prepubertal and pubertal children, adjusting for age, sex and center was used.ResultsNGF was associated with WC, with a stronger association in prepubertal than in pubertal children. MCP-1 was positively associated with WC, SF, FMI and BMI in pubertal children whereas HGF was positively associated with WC and BMI only in prepubertal children. The strongest associations were between WC and NGF (β 0.123 95%CI 0.133, 0.709; p &lt; 0.001) in prepubertal children and WC and MCP-1 (β 0.123 95%CI 0.438, 2.035; p &lt; 0.001) in pubertal children.DiscussionTotal and abdominal adiposity are related to plasma concentrations of adipokines in prepubertal and pubertal children with obesity. Adipokines such as NGF, HGF and MCP-1 have not been so well studied so far in obese children. Particularly, NGF was associated with WC and BMI in prepubertal children and with WC in pubertal children. The association between this neurotrophin, secreted by adipose tissue and involved in the development and survival of sympathetic neurons, with adiposity, especially in prepubertal children, could suggest an anti-inflammatory mechanism and thus be a potential therapeutic target.Conflict of interestNone

The Association Between Body Mass Index (BMI) and Sleep Duration: Where Are We after nearly Two Decades of Epidemiological Research?

Over the past twenty years we have seen a vast number of epidemiological studies emerge on the topic of obesity and sleep duration, with a focus on body mass index, as it is easy and cheap to measure and analyse. Such studies largely observe that cross-sectionally a higher BMI is associated with shorter sleep and that in longitudinal studies shorter sleep duration is associated with increases in BMI over time, but some research has found no relationship between the two. This narrative review is not exhaustive, but appraises the literature on sleep duration and BMI from perspectives that have previously been unexplored in a single paper. As such, I discuss research in these important areas: bidirectionality, objective vs. subjective sleep duration, how meaningful the effect sizes are and how we have begun to address causality in this area. From the evidence appraised in this review, it is clear that: (i) there is some modest evidence of a bidirectional relationship between BMI and sleep duration in both children and adults; (ii) objective measurements of sleep should be used where possible; (iii) it remains difficult to confirm whether the effect sizes are conclusively meaningful in a clinical setting, but at least in adults this so far seems unlikely; (iv) to date, there is no solid evidence that this relationship (in either direction) is in fact causal. In the near future, I would like to see triangulation of these findings and perhaps a move towards focusing on distinct aspects of the relationship between obesity and sleep that have not previously been addressed in detail, for various reasons.

Body Mass Index and Association With Caries in School-Aged Children With Orofacial Cleft: A Case-Control Study.

Data on the association between body mass index (BMI) and dental caries in children with orofacial clefts are sparse. Therefore, studies on the impact of BMI on caries frequency in children with cleft lip and/or palate (CL/P) are of importance. The aim of the current study was to investigate the association between BMI and frequency of dental caries in children with and without CL/P. Height, weight, and BMI in children with CL/P were also compared to controls. This study used a cross-sectional case-control design. One hundred and thirty-nine 5- and 10-year-old children with CL/P and 299 age-matched controls. Caries was recorded according to the International Caries Detection and Assessment System. Height and weight were recorded, and BMI was calculated as weight/height2. There was no correlation between BMI and caries frequency. Weight, height, and BMI were significantly lower in all children with CL/P compared to controls. After adjustment for international adoption, only BMI was significantly lower in CL/P children compared to controls. Non-adopted children with CL/P were significantly heavier and longer than adopted children with CL/P. Five- and 10-year-old children with corrected CL/P seemed to have a lower BMI than controls, but there was no association between BMI and caries frequency. Internationally adopted children with CL/P were lighter and shorter than non-adopted CL/P children and controls.

Body Mass Index, Physical Activity, Sedentary Behavior, Sleep, and Gross Motor Skill Proficiency in Preschool Children From a Low- to Middle-Income Urban Setting

Limited research reports on the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and physical activity (PA), sedentary behavior (SB), sleep, and gross motor skills (GMS) in low- and middle-income countries. The aim of this study was to (1)describe BMI, PA, SB, sleep duration, and GMS proficiency in South African preschool children and (2)identify relationships between variables. BMI, including z scores for height, weight, and BMI were determined. Seven-day PA, SB, and sleep were measured using accelerometry. GMS were assessed using the Test of Gross Motor Development (second edition). Associations were explored by comparing sleep, PA, SB, and GMS between BMI tertiles using the Kruskal-Wallis test. Most (86%) children (n = 78, 50% boys) had a healthy BMI (15.7 [1.3]kg/m2). Children spent 560.5 (52.9)minutes per day in light- to vigorous-intensity PA and 90.9 (30.0) minutes per day in moderate- to vigorous-intensity PA; most (83%) met the current PA guideline. Nocturnal sleep duration was low (9.28 [0.80]h/d). Although daytime naps increased 24-hour sleep duration (10.17 [0.71]h/d), 38% were classified as short sleepers. Around half (54.9%) of participants complied with both PA and sleep guidelines. No associations between variables were found. Despite being lean, sufficiently active, and having adequate GMS, many children were short sleepers, highlighting a possible area for intervention.

Dental caries experience in relation to body mass index and anthropometric measurements of rural children of Nellore district: A cross-sectional study.

The relationship between body mass index (BMI) and dental caries consists of multiple contributing factors. There have been no studies documented in the literature in this part of rural India assessing the prevalence of dental caries in relation to BMI. Hence, an attempt was made to study dental caries in relation to BMI and anthropometric measurements. The aims were to study dental caries experience in relation to BMI and anthropometric measurements of rural children in Nellore district. A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out in Nellore city. A total of 1500 6- and 12-year-old children were examined. Dental caries was examined using the WHO dentition status criteria (1997) and 1-day diet chart was collected from each child followed by collection of anthropometric data. Statistical analysis was performed using Chi-square test, Fisher's exact test, and Spearman's correlation test. In the present study, out of all the participants, 59.2% of low weight children, 41.3% of normal weight children, and 25.7% of overweight-obese children were having dental caries. Dental caries was more among low weight children compared to normal weight and overweight-obese children and was statistically significant. All the anthropometric measurements were positively correlated with dental caries except height for age and BMI for age. There was an inverse graded association between the height for age and BMI for age with dental caries in 6- and 12-year-old children.

Dilute-and-shoot enhances sensitivity of phthalate urinary concentrations for assessing the exposure in children

Phthalates are not covalently bound to plastics. They can leach from experimental plastic devices. Due to the development of sensitive techniques, exogenous sources that interfere with the accuracy of phthalate monoester analysis can be easily detected. Here, we propose the simple and rapid dilute-and-shoot method to minimize sample handling and limit contact with laboratory apparatus, which efficiently reduced phthalate interferences mainly from experimental plasticware and improved the accuracy of analysis. Chemical additives in the mobile phase and modifiers in reconstituted solution were evaluated to improve peak shape and liquid chromatography separation. Under optimal conditions, the limit of detection ranged from 0.01 to 0.5 ng/mL. No phthalate monoesters were detected above the limit of detection in blank water while the leached concentrations of MMP, MEP, MiBP, MnBP and MEHP from the conventional solid phase extraction procedure were 1.9, 2.7, 0.9, 2.0 and 1.1 ng/mL, respectively. In 304 samples collected from primary school– children aged 9–10 years, we observed a positive association between body mass index (BMI) and urinary MMP and MiBP concentrations in boys, while MEOHP and MEHHP were inversely related to BMI in girls. Furthermore, detectable phthalate monoesters may be considered potential chemical obesogens related to BMI in children.

The relationship between body mass index (BMI) and quality of life in Iranian primary school students in Tehran, Iran.

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between Body Mass Index (BMI) and quality of life in primary school students in Tehran. In this cross-sectional study 829 primary school children and their parents participated. Healthrelated quality of life (HROOL) was evaluated with the Persian version of Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL™4.0) questionnaire. According to objective measures of height and weight, children BMI computed, and adapted for age and gender. For data analysis we used Pearson correlation test, Independentsample t-test and ANOVA using SPSS version 18. Mean of children self-reported HRQOL total score was 82.05 ± 12.04 and mean of parent proxyreported HRQOL total score was 81.66 ± 12.81. Based on HRQOL subscale scores, social functioning was the highest subscale score of HRQOL (84.67 ± 15.07) and the emotional subscale score was the lowest (77.79 ± 17.26). Lower HRQOL scores were significantly correlated with Higher BMI and normal weight children had significantly higher HRQOL total score than obese children (P < 0.05). The difference between normal weight and overweight children in HRQOL total scores were not significant. Same results were obtained from parent proxy-reports and a good harmony between children self-report and parent proxy-report of HRQOL was perceived. This study showed that HRQOL of obese children were at the lower level in comparison to normal weight and overweight children. At further interventional studies these outcomes can be very important for improving quality of life in obese children.

Body mass index in early life and stroke in adult life

The article “BMI increase through puberty and adolescence is associated with risk of adult stroke” by Ohlsson et al.1 explores the relationship between body mass index (BMI) when a person is young (adolescence) and risk of stroke when the person is older (adults). Previous studies2,3 have shown that rate of stroke is decreasing in older adults but increasing in younger adults. This finding coincides with an increasing BMI in children and young adults. The researchers wanted to ask: Does an increased BMI during puberty and adolescence increase the risk for stroke later in life? The authors also explored whether the change in BMI throughout puberty and adolescence is associated with increased risk for stroke. Since extensive literature has shown the relationship between elevated weight/BMI and cardiovascular disease, the authors hypothesized that increasing BMI through puberty and adolescence would increase stroke risk.