Low Weight Category Research Articles

Effects of a Digital Therapeutic Adjunct to Eating Disorder Treatment on Health Care Service Utilization and Clinical Outcomes: Retrospective Observational Study Using Electronic Health Records.

The need for scalable solutions facilitating access to eating disorder (ED) treatment services that are efficient, effective, and inclusive is a major public health priority. Remote access to synchronous and asynchronous support delivered via health apps has shown promise, but results are so far mixed, and there are limited data on whether apps can enhance health care utilization. This study aims to examine the effects of app-augmented treatment on clinical outcomes and health care utilization for patients receiving treatment for an ED in outpatient and intensive outpatient levels of care. Recovery Record was implemented in outpatient and intensive outpatient services in a California-based health maintenance organization. We examined outcomes for eligible patients with ED by comparing clinical and service utilization medical record data over a 6-month period after implementation with analogous data for the control group in the year prior. We used a logistic regression model and inverse-weighted estimates of the probability of treatment to adjust for treatment selection bias. App-augmented treatment was associated with a significant decrease in emergency department visits (P<.001) and a significant increase in outpatient treatment utilization (P<.001). There was a significantly larger weight gain for patients in low-weight categories (ie, underweight, those with anorexia, or those with severe anorexia) with app-augmented treatment (treatment effect: 0.74, 0.25, and 0.35, respectively; P=.02), with a greater percentage of patients moving into a higher BMI class (P=.01). Integrating remote patient engagement apps into ED treatment plans can have beneficial effects on both clinical outcomes and service utilization. More research should be undertaken on long-term efficacy and cost-effectiveness to further explore the impact of digital health interventions in ED care.

Effects of Different Rapid Weight Loss Strategies and Percentages on Performance-Related Parameters in Combat Sports: An Updated Systematic Review.

Most combat sports (CS) are structured in weight categories, and it is very common to carry out body weight adjustment strategies in order to compete in lower weight categories. For this reason, different rapid weight loss (RWL) strategies are usually performed to pass the pre-competition weigh-in test, and then a replenishment of fluids and carbohydrate-rich foods is conducted in an attempt to recover the weight and avoid a performance loss. In this context, no clear references have been found on whether these types of strategies have negative effects, impairing the athlete's combat and/or physical performance. For this reason, the aim of this study was to review the scientific literature on the effect of rapid weight reduction strategies on the performance of CS athletes. A literature search was performed through four different databases (PubMed, SPORTDiscus, Web of Science and ScienceDirect). Four inclusion criteria were established as follows: (1) the subjects had to be competitors in the CS and carry out RWL strategies; (2) at least two measurement points, that is, normal conditions and dehydration condition; (3) measurements in a real competition or simulating the same conditions; (4) original research articles written in English or Spanish and available in full text. Finally, a total of 16 articles were finally included in this research. All subjects (n = 184) were athletes from combat disciplines, with a minimum of 3-4 years of practice, as well as with certain experience in RWL. Six of the studies reported that an RWL strategy of around 5% of body weight loss did not affect performance parameters. However, the other ten studies with RWL between 3 and 6% or even higher reported negative effects or impairments on different parameters related to performance and/or athlete's psychophysiology, such as perceived fatigue, mood states, strength and power production, as well as changes in hormonal, blood and urine parameters, body composition, or the kinematics of the technical gesture. Although there is still no clear answer to the issue approached in this research, in general terms, it seems that in order to guarantee an acceptable athletic performance of the competitor, the weight loss should not exceed 3% to ≤5% of body weight together with ≥24 h for adequate (or at least partial) recovery and rehydration processes. In addition, it is highly recommended to lose weight progressively over several weeks, especially focusing on competitions lasting several days, as well as multiple rounds or qualifying stages.

Should We "Wait and See"?: Change in Weight Status Among US Adolescents in the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study.

Background: Many parents and providers adopt a "wait and see" approach to obesity (OB) management. The goal of this study was to determine the likelihood that youth with overweight (OW) or OB would become normal weight over time. Methods: Data from the nationally representative Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study were used to examine the proportion of teens (aged 12-17 years) with OW/OB who tracked into a lower weight category over four waves of data collection (2013-2018). Analysis was restricted to those who completed all four waves of assessments (n = 10,086). Repeated-measures logistic regression models were used to describe the odds of having a BMI within the normal weight range at Waves 2-4, given an OW or obese weight status in the previous wave. Results: At Wave 1, 65% of the sample was normal weight, 18% had OW, and 17% had OB. By Wave 4, 24% had OW and 20% had OB. The adjusted odds of reporting a normal weight relative to OW/OB decreased by 13% each year. In Wave 4, only 2% [standard error (SE) 0.4%] of boys and 2% (SE 0.3%) of girls transitioned from OB to normal weight. For youth with OB in Wave 1, the probability of being in the normal weight category in Wave 2 was 0.04 (95% confidence interval 0.035-0.052), and decreased thereafter. Conclusion: Very few teens were able to return to normal weight once they developed OW/OB. Adopting a "wait and see" approach to OB management may be detrimental to a child's health.

MO188RECONSIDERING THE EDELMAN EQUATION: IMPACT OF INDIVIDUAL TOTAL BODY CATION CONTENT AND BODY WEIGHT

Abstract Background and Aims Treatment of dysnatremias is guided by formulas that are based on the Edelman equation, including Adrogue-Madias’ and others. Edelman’s equation is the result of a unique study in which serum sodium concentration ([Na+]), total body exchangeable sodium (Nae+) and potassium (Ke+) and total body water (TBW) were measured in a highly heterogeneous population. Because these observations resulted from steady state observations, the equation might not account for the recently uncovered highly dynamic Na+ body compartment where Na+ is temporarily stored and released without affecting TBW. Various factors that influence this Na+ body compartment have been identified and we questioned as to what extent these factors affect associations between serum [Na+] and [Nae+Ke]/TBW. Method We performed a post-hoc analysis of original data published by Edelman. In the linear regression model, effects of sex, edema (y/n), age and body weight (&amp;gt;/&amp;lt; median split) were examined. Serum [Na+] was calculated by multiplying serum water [Na+] of the original data set by 0.93. Using piecewise regression, we analyzed differences in slope and y-intercept for the regression between serum [Na+] and increasing values of (Nae+Ke)/TBW, in which the clinical characteristics from the subgroups were included as interaction factors . Results Data was available for 85 measurements in 82 patients; 57 males and 25 females. The median age (range) age was 58 (27-90) years and median weight (range) was 59.6 (36.4 – 168.2) kilograms. Median serum [Na+] (range) was 131.4 (103.4 – 150.2) mmol/L. The association between serum [Na+] and (Nae+Ke)/TBW was different for high and low weight categories (figure 1A). Sex, age or presence of edema did not alter the relationship. Piecewise regression showed a significant decrease in slope in the regression between serum [Na+] and (Nae+Ke)/TBW above 149 mmol/L (Nae+Ke)/TBW (figure 1B). Conclusion Edelman equation’s coefficients are significantly affected by weight and total body cation content. In subjects with a low weight and low total body cation content, the Edelman equation seems to adequately predict the course of serum [Na+]. However, the clinical use of the Edelman-based formulas may be hampered in subjects with higher weight and higher total body cation content, which may reflect increased tissue Na+ storage. Our analysis underlines the importance of further research into the role of osmotically inactive Na+ storage in osmoregulation.

Rapid Weight Loss Habits before a Competition in Sambo Athletes.

Background: Like other combat sports, sambo has competition rules that divide athletes into categories based on gender, age and weight. Athletes in combat sports often resort to rapid weight loss (RWL) methods to be more competitive in lower weight categories and gain an advantage against lighter, smaller and weaker competitors. The aim of this study was to examine the methodology implemented by two different sambo age categories, junior and senior athletes, in order to attain RWL. Methods: The sample consisted of 103 male sambo elite athletes (seniors/juniors: age 28.5 ± 4.3/18.9 ± 0.8; height (m): 1.7 ± 0.1/1.8 ± 0.1; weight (kg): 76.3 ± 17.8/74.4 ± 16.3; BMI (kg/m2): 25.0 ± 3.8/23.7 ± 3.9) who completed a survey on RWL. Results: Athletes reported losing a mean of 5 kg starting approximately 12 days before a competition. The most common methodology reported by senior and junior sambo athletes was gradually increasing dieting, followed by sauna and plastic suit training. Less common methods adopted were laxatives, diuretics, the use of diet pills and vomiting. There were significant group differences for sauna and diet pill ingestion. Coaches and parents are influential people in the lives of athletes concerning the weight loss strategy to be adopted. Conclusions: This study’s results unequivocally confirm the prevalent practice of RWL in both senior and junior sambo athletes. Although athletes prevalently chose “less harmful” methods, there is a need to inform parents and coaches of the risks and benefits of RWL.

Whole human blood DNA degradation associated with artificial ultraviolet and solar radiations as a function of exposure time

Laboratory investigations were conducted to evaluate the effect of ultraviolet radiation components and solar radiation exposure as a function of time on the degradation of whole human blood DNA from the standpoint of forensic analysis. Ten μL of whole human male blood samples were exposed to UV-A, UV-B, UV-C, and solar radiation at 20 min intervals up to 120 min. Allele frequencies of 16 short tandem repeat (STR) markers were monitored by employing current forensic typing DNA techniques. The STR markers were grouped into high, medium, and low molecular weight categories. Results revealed that even 20 min exposure to 4.89 eV UV-C photons (ʎ = 254 nm) with radiation intensity of 1200 μW/cm2 would degrade whole human male blood DNA samples significantly, making them unfit for human identification due to the breakdown of high molecular weight STRs. Exposure of blood samples to 4.11 eV UV-B photons (ʎ = 302 nm) with radiation intensity of 900 μW/cm2 resulted in complete degradation of high molecular weight STRs after 60 min. Partial breakdown of medium and low molecular weight STRs started after 80 min exposure. The degradation index (DI) values appear to show that the degradation of the DNA template molecule was relatively less in the low molecular weight DNA fragments as compared with high molecular weight DNA fragments. This finding indicates that genetic profiles obtained from whole human male blood exposed to this radiation for 60 min will give inconclusive results. Samples exposed up to 120 min to 3.40 eV UV-A photons (ʎ = 365 nm) and 3.10–3.94 eV photons of solar radiation did not appear to produce appreciable degradation in any of three molecular weight STRs in the whole human blood DNA samples.

Correlation of Iron Tablet (Fe) Consumption in Adolescent Pregnant Women with the Weight of a New Born

Background: Iron tablets have many benefits such as reducing the risk of death during bleeding, preventing anemia, and increasing nutritional intake in the fetus. Pregnant women with adolescence are at higher risk of anemia and death than pregnant women of sufficient age. One impact that occurs due to the low consumption of iron tablets in teenage pregnant women is babies born with conditions such as low birth weight, normal weight, and overweight babies born.Objectives: This study to analyze the correlation between iron consumption tablets of adolescent pregnant women with the weight of new born.Methods: This research is a quantitative study that uses secondary data in the form of data from the 2017 IDHS. There are 692 teenage pregnant female respondents with variable consumption of iron tablets and birth weight of babies. Data analysis in the study used the Chi-Square test.Results: Teenage pregnant women who consume iron tablets by 70.8% and those who do not consume 29.2%. The category of babies born mostly at the weight of normal-born babies is 84.8%. While the low infant weight category is 10.7% with a fairly high amount. Chi-Square statistical test results showed a p value of 0.019 (p = 0.019 &lt;0.05) and the Contingency Coefficient showed a value of 0.107.Conclusions: There was correlation between consumption of iron tablets in adolescent pregnant women with the weight of new born with the category of low birth weight babies, babies born normally and more babies born in Indonesia.Keywords: Iron tablets (Fe), teenage pregnant women, the weight of new born

Open Categories in Sport: One Way to Decrease Discrimination

ABSTRACT Jane English, a pioneer in feminist sport philosophy, mentioned one simple idea that has received insufficient attention, but its consequences are of great importance for decreasing discrimination in sport. English suggested that female athletes should be allowed to ‘move up’ to the male category and compete against male athletes if they wished to. She drew this strategy from boxing, in which boxers in lower weight categories can choose to ‘move up’—to compete in a higher category (although this is not permitted in reverse—boxers cannot ‘move down’). This strategy could be used in other sports and for other categories, but it is not often chosen. It would suggest that talented athletes do not always need ‘category protection’—they do not need to be protected more than necessary, which raises the question of the justification of the category in the first place. On investigation, some justifications may have less to do with sport-rationality, than with reasons such as paternalism, ableism, ageism or sexism, or organizational reasons. I shall clarify the notion of ‘categories’ in sport, and distinguish four types of categories with respect to their openness: ‘open’ category, ‘semi-open’ category, ‘closed’ category, and ‘overlapping’ categories. This paper advocates the wider use of open and semi-open or at least overlapping categories (where possible), and it argues against the excessive use of closed categories—those made by prescribing set limits. The benefit is clear: athletes who are skilled enough to compete in the higher category should be allowed to ‘move up’, if they wish. With respect to sex/gender, this strategy would partly help to diminish the strength of the binary distinction, and so it can be considered a first and easy step towards a more integrated sport.

Profile of relative strength among various weight categories of senior national women weightlifters

The purpose of this study was purposively selected from the “Senior National Championship for the year 2018. Only women weightlifters participated in various weight categories, acted as the subjects. The age of the subjects ranged from 18-34 years. The total subjects were N=54, which were divided into three (3) groups of eighteen (18) subjects for each group. The first groups were low weight categories (48 kg. &amp; 53 kg.), Second groups were middleweight categories (63 kg, 69 kg.) and third groups were upper group weight categories (90 kg, +90 kg.). In order to measure the relative strength of various lifters of different groups, the data was collected from the results of “Senior National Championship” Mangalore, Karnataka 21st to 25 January 2018. Descriptive Statistic (Mean, Standard Deviation), One-way, ANOVA (Analysis of variance) with post hoc test (LSD) was applied to analyze and compare the relative strength among the different body weight categories. The level of significance was set at 0.05. 3 indicate that there were significant differences in the entire three groups. However, group Lower had higher relative strength. After applying the post Hoc Test (LSD) it was found that there was a significant difference in all three groups in their relative strength.

An Australian local diagnostic reference level for paediatric whole-body 18F-FDG PET/CT.

The aim of this study is to report a local diagnostic reference level (DRL) for paediatric whole-body (WB) fludeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) CT examinations. The Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) national DRL (NDRL) age category (0-4 years and 5-14 years), the International Commission on Radiological Protection age category (ICRP age) (<1, >1-5, >5-10, and >10-15 years), and European guideline weight category ( EG weight) (<5, 5-<15, 15-<30, 30-<50, and 50-<80 kg) were used to determine a local DRL for WB 18F FDG PET/CT studies. Two-structured questionnaires were designed to collect dose data, patient demographics, equipment details, and acquisition protocols for WB 18F-FDG PET/CT procedures. The local DRL was based on the median 18F-FDG administered activity (MBq), dose-length product (DLP), and the CT dose index volume (CTDIvol), values. The effective dose (E) was also calculated and reported. The local DRLs for 18F-FDG administered activity, CTDIvol and DLP values based on ARPANSA age and ICRP age were increased from lower to higher age categories. For the EG weight category, the local DRL for 18F-FDG administered activity, CTDIvol and DLP values were increased from the low EG weight category to the high EG weight category. The mean administered activity in our study based on ICRP age category >1-5, >5-10, and >10-15 years is 79.97, 119.40, and 176.04 MBq, which is lower than the mean administered activity reported in the North American Consensus guideline published in 2010 (99, 166, and 286 MBq) and European Association of Nuclear Medicine and Dosage Card (version 1.5.2008) (120, 189, and 302 MBq). However, the mean administered activity in our study based on ICRP age category <1 year was 55 MBq compared to the EANM Dosage card (version 1.5.2008) (70 MBq) and the NACG 2010 (51 MBq). Our study shows that the finding for ICRP age category <1 year was similar to the NACG 2010 value. The determined local DRL values for the radiation doses associated with WB 18F FDG PET/CT examinations are differed considerably between the ARPANSA and ICRP age category and EG weight category. Although, the determined 18F-FDG value for ICRP < 1 year is in good agreement with available publish data, it is preferable to optimise the 18F-FDG administered activity while preserving the diagnostic image quality. The local DRL value determined from WB 18F-FDG PET/CT examinations may help to establish the ARPANSA NDRL for WB FDG 18F-PET/CT examinations.

Obesity and metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer: Results from the control arms of ASCENT2, MAINSAL and VENICE trials.

287 Background: Previous findings regarding the correlation between body mass index (BMI) and survival in patients with prostate cancer are conflicting and may be disease-state dependent. We aimed to test whether BMI among patients with metastatic prostate cancer (mCRPC) is associated with overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific mortality (CSM). Methods: We identified 1577 patients with mCRPC from the control arms of 3 randomized trials. The role of BMI was investigated both as a continuous and categorical variable ( &lt; 20 vs. 20-25 vs. 25-30 vs. &gt; 30 km/m2). A BMI &gt; 30 kg/m2 was considered obese. Analyses were adjusted for age, PSA, ECOG, # of metastasis and prior treatment. A Cox semi-proportional hazard model was used to predict OS, whereas the competing risks regression was used for predicting cancer-specific mortality (CSM). Results: The median (IQR) age for the patient population was 69 (63,74) years with a median (IQR) BMI of 28 (25-31) kg/m2. Of the 1577 patients included, 655 had died during follow-up (median follow-up for survivors = 12 months). BMI emerged as a protective factor for OS both as a continuous variable (HR: 0.96; 95% CI: 0.94, 0.99; p = 0.015) and as a categorical variable (obesity: HR: 0.71, 95% CI: 0.53, 0.96; p = 0.027). The effect BMI on CSM was confirmed both as a continuous (SHR: 0.94; 95% CI: 0.91, 0.98; p = 0.002) and as a categorical variable (obesity SHR: 0.65; 95% CI: 0.45, 0.93; p = 0.018). No interaction was detected between the BMI categories and docetaxel dose. Conclusions: Obesity, compared with lower weight categories, is associated with improved CSM and OS in mCRPC treated with docetaxel. The mechanistic basis for this observation warrants further study.

Autopercepción del peso a través de figuras corporales en niños en edad escolar de Piedras Negras, Coahuila, México

The prevalence of overweight and obesity has increased worldwide. In this context, the lack of awareness of excess weight among overweight and obese children is a public health concern that needs to be explored in the Northern border of Mexico. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated from children from third to sixth grades of basic education. The Children's Body Image Scale was applied to evaluate perceived and ideal BMI comparing against calculated BMI. We also analyzed the frequency of accurate perceivers of actual weight and discrepancy of ideal weight against calculated BMI. We studied 155 children (43.8% were female) with a mean age of 10.2 years. Accuracy prevalence of BMI perceived respect to calculated BMI was 59.4%. Discrepancy prevalence of ideal BMI respect to calculated BMI was 44.4%. Comparison of perceived BMI respect to calculated BMI showed an overestimation on low weight category (33%) and subestimations in categories of normal weight (12.4%), overweight (85%) and obesity (81.6%). Comparison of ideal BMI respect to calculated BMI showed an absolute overestimation of low weight and underestimations in categories of normal weight, overweight and obesity of 5.6%, 100%, and 97.4%, respectively. The results of this work showed a consistent underestimation of children's body weight, particularly among those classified in categories of overweight and obesity in a demographic context in which the prevalence of both categories was of 38% in this study.

Energy Deficiency and Body Mass Index in Children aged 1–5 years in Slums of Pune

Malnourishment leads to various levels of energy deficiencies. Especially children in growing age of 1–5 years requires balanced diet for their normal growth both physically and mentally. Anthropometric measurements like weight and height were measured of 1020 children (boys-501 and girls-519) in theagegroup of 1–5 years in six slum of Pune city and Body Mass Index was analysed to measure the level of chronic energy deficiencies. The results showed that, 87.45% of the children are in grade-III, followed by 4.90% in grade-II, 3.04% in grade-I, 2.94% in low weight categories. Only 1.66% of children are falling under normal category. The study indicates that, energy deficiencies were more noticed from the 2nd and 3rdyear onwards as the mother stops her breast feeding by then and the child totally depends on external supplement food which infers nutritional insufficiency.

High intensity, short duration pulling in heavy horses: physiological effects of competition and rapid weight change

BackgroundThe Heavy Horse Pull is a competition where teams of two horses pull an increasingly heavy sled for a short distance. Similar to human wrestlers, some horses may undergo rapid weight change in order to enter a lower weight category. The objectives were to study the physiological effects of this practice as well as of the pulling competition in draft horses.ResultsFifty horses were divided into light-, middle- and heavyweight categories based on their arrival weights and competed 1–3 days after. Body weight was measured upon arrival and pre-competition. Blood was sampled for chemistry and high sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hscTnT) at arrival, pre- and post-competition in 34, 26 and 20 horses, respectively. Body weight increased significantly between arrival and pre-competition for light (7.2% (Median: 62.8Kg (41.7–77.0)) and middle (8.6% (Median: 80.5Kg (62.7–90.9)) weight categories. Change in body weight was correlated (r = 0.69, p = 0.002) with competition ranking for middleweights. The ratios of weight pulled to team body weight were 2.7 (1.9–2.8), 2.6 (2.5–2.6) and 2.4 (2.2–2.5) for the lightweights, middleweights and heavyweights, respectively. Blood chemistry indicated hemoconcentration on arrival in the middleweight and lightweight horses. Hemoconcentration was not seen on arrival in some horses with marked rapid weight change. Overall, no chemistry parameter changed between pre- and post-competition. The hscTnT stayed within normal range post-competition.ConclusionsWhile horses arrived to the event with indications of hemoconcentration, they appeared to have sufficient time to rehydrate prior to competition, and the effects of the competition were reversible within 3 h.

Determination of size specific conversion factors to effective dose using tld dosimeters in anthropomorphic phantoms

Introduction This study refers to effective dose (ED) estimation using the size-specific dose estimator (SSDE). Purpose This work aims at determining DLP SSDE -to-ED (k SSDE ) conversion factors where DLP SSDE is the length product multiplied by the appropriate f-factor (AAPM report 204) for chest-abdomen-pelvis (CAP) CT examinations in three weight-adjusted scan protocols and to compare the ED SSDE derived from k SSDE to that derived from k factors available in the literature. Materials and methods Three anthropomorphic phantoms of 55 kg, 73.5 kg and 96.2 kg body weight filled with 190 TLDs were scanned on a 64-slice multi-detector CT employing the respective weight-adjusted CAP-CT protocol used in clinical routine. Effective diameter was measured in the abdomen area of the phantoms and DLP SSDE was estimated using the respective f factor. For ED estimation, ICRP 103 tissue weighting factors for all organs inside and outside the irradiation field were used. Relevant k SSDE conversion factors were then calculated. These factors were then applied to 140 patients underwent CAP-CT examinations and the derived ED SSDE values were compared to corresponding ED k values. Results In the SSDE was 15.4% higher than ED k while in the medium category (60–90 kg) the corresponding percentage was 28.3%. For the over-weighted category (>90 kg) no significant difference in ED was observed. Conclusion Weight-adjusted DLP SSDE -to-ED conversion factors were determined. In low and medium weight categories, radiation dose may be underestimated when the patient size is not taken into consideration.

Comparação da prevalência de métodos de perda de peso pré‐competição em judocas de diferentes categorias

Judo athletes often use in previous periods of competitions, methods for rapid weight loss. This purpose of this practice is benefit the athlete, competing in a lower weight category and tries to regain weight in a short space of time between the weigh‐in and competition. However, the use of this practice without professional supervision may be harmful to the health of the athlete. ObjectiveInvestigate the methods and strategies used for weight loss in judo competitors at the national level and different categories. Methods60 athletes the national levels, male and female, of different ages (juvenile, junior, senior and master) answered a questionnaire regarding the use or not of methods for weight loss and what are the strategies loss weight often used in the pre‐competition period. Results80% (juvenile), 69.6% (junior), 88.9% (senior) and 100% (master) use methods of weight loss pre‐competition, and 70% (juvenile), 69.6% (junior), 77.8% (senior) and 77.7% (master) reported their performance impaired by the use of these strategies. ConclusionWe found that a much higher judo athletes from different age categories, makes use of methods or strategies for rapid weight loss. This fact has shown a direct deleterious effect on the physical and emotional performance of athletes during competitions.

Muscle contraction velocity, strength and power output changes following different degrees of hypohydration in competitive olympic combat sports.

BackgroundIt is habitual for combat sports athletes to lose weight rapidly to get into a lower weight class. Fluid restriction, dehydration by sweating (sauna or exercise) and the use of diuretics are among the most recurrent means of weight cutting. Although it is difficult to dissuade athletes from this practice due to the possible negative effect of severe dehydration on their health, athletes may be receptive to avoid weight cutting if there is evidence that it could affect their muscle performance. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to investigate if hypohydration, to reach a weight category, affects neuromuscular performance and combat sports competition results.MethodsWe tested 163 (124 men and 39 woman) combat sports athletes during the 2013 senior Spanish National Championships. Body mass and urine osmolality (UOSM) were measured at the official weigh-in (PRE) and 13–18 h later, right before competing (POST). Athletes were divided according to their USOM at PRE in euhydrated (EUH; UOSM 250–700 mOsm · kgH2O−1), hypohydrated (HYP; UOSM 701–1080 mOsm · kgH2O−1) and severely hypohydrated (S-HYP; UOSM 1081–1500 mOsm · kgH2O−1). Athletes’ muscle strength, power output and contraction velocity were measured in upper (bench press and grip) and lower body (countermovement jump - CMJ) muscle actions at PRE and POST time-points.ResultsAt weigh-in 84 % of the participants were hypohydrated. Before competition (POST) UOSM in S-HYP and HYP decreased but did not reach euhydration levels. However, this partial rehydration increased bench press contraction velocity (2.8-7.3 %; p < 0.05) and CMJ power (2.8 %; p < 0.05) in S-HYP. Sixty-three percent of the participants competed with a body mass above their previous day’s weight category and 70 of them (69 % of that sample) obtained a medal.ConclusionsHypohydration is highly prevalent among combat sports athletes at weigh-in and not fully reversed in the 13–18 h from weigh-in to competition. Nonetheless, partial rehydration recovers upper and lower body neuromuscular performance in the severely hypohydrated participants. Our data suggest that the advantage of competing in a lower weight category could compensate the declines in neuromuscular performance at the onset of competition, since 69 % of medal winners underwent marked hypohydration.

The influence of breastfeeding in the hospitalization of children under two years of age in the State of Pernambuco, Brazil, in 1997 and 2006

The scope of this paper was to evaluate the influence of breastfeeding and other factors on the incidence of hospitalization and the frequency and main causes of hospitalization in children under two years of age in the State of Pernambuco. It is a cross-sectional, descriptive-analytical study using secondary data obtained from the II and III State Health and Nutrition Surveys (PESN) carried out in 1997 and 2006, respectively. A sample of 1503 infants under two years of age was studied. Pearson's Chi-square test was used to analyze bivariate associations and Fisher's exact test for comparison of risk of hospitalization in the two years of observation and Poisson regression for the adjustment of the multivariate model of hospitalizations in the last survey. In the two years analyzed, there was no statistically significant difference in the percentage of hospitalizations of children. The lower risk of hospitalization remained for those who were breastfed exclusively. Regarding to environmental, socioeconomic, demographic characteristics and health assistance, several factors have evolved favorably in the period assessed. In the final model, only the weight/length ratio (low weight category) remained associated with the risk of hospitalization in children under two years of age factors.

Análise da relação entre dois métodos indicadores de estado nutricional em escolares

ObjectiveVerify the agreement of diagnoses from the use of two methods of nutritional status indicators –body mass index (BMI) and body fat percentage (% BF)– in students of 6–12 years old from three cities of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. MethodThe study group consisted of 507 school children, 261 boys and 246 girls. Anthropometric variables were collected for the calculation of BMI and % BF, using the criteria for classification reference Conde and Monteiro (2006) and Lohman (1987), respectively. ResultsThe results were analyzed by Pearson correlation and Kappa index. The data showed a positive correlation of 0,89 to boys and 0,78 to girls among variables. The agreement between the methods analyzed using the Kappa index showed that 54,9% of girls and 56,7% of boys were in the same category classified by both procedures. ConclusionIt can be concluded that although they show a high correlation between BMI and % BF methods, they differ widely in classifying individuals aged 6–12 years, and this is even more pronounced in relation to low-weight category. Thus, caution is needed when using BMI as a parameter for the diagnosis of nutritional status of children.

Tracking of weight status and body fatness in Italian children

The prevalence of weight disorders among school-aged children is an increasing phenomenon and it is of great importance to identify the characteristics of individuals at risk of gaining or retaining weight. This study aimed to examine the prevalence of weight disorders and their tracking over a 3-year period in a sample of Italian children. Body mass, body height and selected skinfold thicknesses were assessed in 355 children at the age of 7 and 10years. Tracking of body mass index (BMI), inverted BMI (iBMI) and skinfold-based body fat were analyzed and the relationships between changes in BMI and body fat were examined. Children presenting with overweight or obesity at 7years old showed a trend toward lower weight categories at 10years old. Conversely, a trend to become overweight was observed among normal weight boys, and a trend to become underweight was observed among normal weight girls. BMI, iBMI and body fat showed good levels of tracking, with high correlations between measurements performed at 7 and 10years of age. Furthermore, BMI and iBMI changes were correlated to body fatness changes. The present study shows the importance of carefully following children's development over time because weight disorders may appear even in previously normal weight children.