Non-overweight Children Research Articles

Associations between a polymorphism in the 11 beta hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type I gene and body composition.

We investigated 11 beta hydroxysteriod dehydrogenase type 1 (11betaHSD-1) sequence variants in 103 healthy overweight (BMI >2 s.d.) and 160 nonoverweight (BMI -2 to +2 SD) children to examine the associations between body composition and 11betaHSD-1 polymorphisms. A total of 4.3% of children were homozygous and 30.0% heterozygous for an adenine insertion in intron 3 (ins4436A). By ANCOVA (adjusting for age, sex, race, and height), BMI-s.d. differed according to ins4436A genotype (P<0.005), with the greatest BMI-SD for ins4436A homozygotes (mean +/-s.d., 3.4+/-3.4, vs heterozygotes, 0.8+/-5.5, or wild-type, 1.8+/-7.5). Homozygotes also had greater waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, and insulin resistance indices than heterozygote or wild-type children (all P<0.05), but no significant differences in trunk fat by DXA, or in serum lipids. We conclude an intronic 11betaHSD-1 gene polymorphism is associated with greater body mass, altered body composition, and insulin resistance in children. 11betaHSD-1 may be one of the genes relevant for pediatric-onset obesity and its complications.

Physical activity in overweight and nonoverweight preschool children

To compare the physical activity levels of overweight and non overweight 3- to 5-y-old children while attending preschool. A secondary aim was to evaluate weight-related differences in hypothesized parental determinants of child physical activity behavior. Cross-sectional study. A total of 245, 3- to 5-y-olds (127 girls, 118 boys) and their parent(s) (242 mothers, 173 fathers) recruited from nine preschools. Overweight status determined using the age- and sex-specific 85th percentile for body mass index (BMI) from CDC Growth Charts. Physical activity during the preschool day was assessed on multiple days via two independent objective measures-direct observation using the observation system for recording activity in preschools (OSRAP) and real-time accelerometry using the MTI/CSA 7164 accelerometer. Parents completed a take-home survey assessing sociodemographic information, parental height and weight, modeling of physical activity, support for physical activity, active toys and sporting equipment at home, child's television watching, frequency of park visitation, and perceptions of child competence. Overweight boys were significantly less active than their nonoverweight peers during the preschool day. No significant differences were observed in girls. Despite a strong association between childhood overweight status and parental obesity, no significant differences were observed for the hypothesized parental influences on physical activity behavior. Our results suggest that a significant proportion of overweight children may be at increased risk for further gains in adiposity because of low levels of physical activity during the preschool day.

Body fat ratios in urban Chinese children.

As obesity has been increasing in China, the present study examined the body composition of children to assess their fatness. A total of 532 healthy schoolchildren who lived in central Beijing were examined. Skinfold thicknesses, hip and waist circumferences, and body fat percentage were measured, as well as height and weight. The prevalence of overweight (Body Mass Index (BMI) >or= 95% for age and sex of Chinese children) was 27.7% in boys and 14.2% in girls (chi-squared; P = 0.0001). The percentages of body fat (BF%), waist/hip ratios and skinfold thicknesses ratios (subscapular/triceps) in overweight children were significantly higher than those in non-overweight children (Mann-Whitney U-test). The BF% of non-overweight boys was significantly higher than that of non-overweight girls. Urban Chinese overweight children have high BF% with adverse fat distribution. They may have high risk of atherogeniety. Boys in the non-overweight category may have higher fat accumulation than predicted by BMI. The establishment of an intervention program for childhood obesity is strongly recommended.

Overweight children's barriers to and support for physical activity.

As the epidemic of overweight increases among youth, research needs to examine factors that may influence children's participation in weight-related health behaviors. This study examined overweight children's perceived barriers to and support for physical activity compared with nonoverweight children. Barriers to and support for physical activity were examined among 84 overweight children attending a summer fitness camp or a university-based weight loss clinic. Barriers and support levels were then compared with those of 80 nonoverweight children of a similar age range. Body-related barriers were the most predominant barrier type among overweight youth, especially among overweight girls. Overweight children, particularly girls, reported significantly higher body-related, resource, and social barriers to physical activity compared with nonoverweight children and lower levels of adult support for physical activity. Overweight children may be particularly vulnerable to body-related barriers to physical activity, and reducing such barriers may serve as physical activity intervention points most relevant for overweight youth. Future interventions may also benefit from enhancing support for physical activity from adults and peers.

Trends in the nutritional profile of children born in 1993 in Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil: longitudinal analyses

Trends in nutritional status were studied in children born in 1993 in the city of Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil. During that year, all infants born in the city were identified, and a sub-sample of 1,273 children was visited twice at home for anthropometric examinations at an average age of 12 and 54 months, respectively. Approximately 10% of all children were lost to follow up from birth to 4 years. The prevalence of nutritional deficit decreased, while that of overweight increased between ages 1 and 4 years. The prevalence of nutritional deficit showed an inverse association with birth weight, while overweight showed a direct relationship. About 50% of the children with height/age deficit at 12 months remained in this same condition at 4 years old, while a third of overweight children remained in this condition during the same period. On the other hand, some 10% of non-overweight children became overweight between 1 and 4 years of age. The nutritional transition observed in Pelotas requires a paradigm shift in health services, which are still concentrated on detecting and treating malnutrition rather than obesity.

Presencia de genu valgum en obesos: causa o efecto

Changes in body configuration that may affect the physical activity may play a role in the caloric consumption and led to the development of obesity. To determine the presence of genu valgum, an alteration that may decrease physical activity and caloric expenditure, in overweight children. Thirty-five overweight children without any endocrinological alterations that could lead to obesity were studied. Twenty-nine non-overweight children of a similar age were studied as a control group. In all children weight, height, and body mass index (BMI) were studied, and intermalleolar distance was used to measure the degree of genu valgum. The differences between groups were studied using ANOVA and the correlation between variables was determined using Pearson's correlation. BMI was higher in overweight children than in the control group. Intermalleolar distance was greater in overweight children than in the non-overweight group (11.0 0.6 vs 2.90 0.43; p < 0.001). A positive correlation between the intermalleolar distance and the BMI was observed in the overweight group (p < 0.009). Fifty percent of the overweight children showed an intermalleolar distance of more than 10 cm, a value considered abnormal. The incidence of genu valgum is much higher in overweight children than in non-overweight children of the same age. This alteration may lead to decreased physical activity and lead to obesity.

Prevalence, causes and correlates of traumatic dental injuries among 13-year-olds in Brazil.

A cross-sectional survey was carried out. This involved 652 out of a total of 764 (85%) 13-year-old adolescents enrolled in private and public schools located in urban areas in Cianorte, Brazil. They were interviewed and examined for traumatic dental injuries by one trained examiner (B.N.) using validated criteria. Sociodemographic data included sex, family structure (nuclear families, single parents and step-parents) and socio-economic indicators. Anthropometric measures included height and weight. The body mass index (BMI) was calculated (mean=20.1; SD=3.7). Those who had BMI scores equal or above the 85% percentile were considered overweight (BMI >23). The prevalence of traumatic injuries to the permanent incisors was 20.4%. The most common reported cause of injuries to the permanent incisors was falls (24.1%) followed by collisions with people or inanimate objects (15%), traffic accidents (10.5%), misuse of the teeth (6%), sports (2.3%) and violence (1.5%). Unknown causes accounted for 40.6%. Children from non-nuclear families, overweight children and boys were 2.18, 1.93 and 2.19 times respectively more likely to have dental injuries than children from nuclear families, non-overweight children and girls (P<0.01) after adjusting for family structure, BMI, sex, family income and level of education of the parents. The relationship between dental injuries and socioeconomic indicators was not statistically significant. In conclusion, being from a non-nuclear family, overweight and a boy increased the risk of having traumatic dental injury, but the relationship with socio-economic indicators was not statistically significant.

Associations between uncoupling protein 2, body composition, and resting energy expenditure in lean and obese African American, white, and Asian children

Little is known about genes that affect childhood body weight. The objective of this study was to examine the association between alleles of the mitochondrial uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2) gene and obesity because UCP2 may influence energy expenditure. We related UCP2 genotype to body composition and resting energy expenditure in 105 children aged 6-10 y. Overweight children and nonoverweight children of overweight parents were genotyped for a 45-base pair deletion/insertion (del/ins) in 3'-untranslated region of exon 8 and for an exon 4 C to T transition. Eighty-nine children were genotyped for the exon 8 allele: 50 children had del/del, 33 had del/ins, and 6 had ins/ins. Mean (+/-SD) body mass index (BMI; in kg/m(2)) was greater for children with del/ins (24.1 +/- 5.9) than for children with del/del (20.4 +/- 4.8; P < 0.001). BMI of ins/ins children (23.7 +/- 7.8) was not significantly different from that of del/ins children. A greater BMI in del/ins children was independent of race and sex. Body composition was also different according to UCP2 genotype. All body circumferences and skinfold thicknesses examined were significantly greater in del/ins than in del/del children. Body fat mass as determined by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry was also greater in del/ins than in del/del children (P < 0.005). For 104 children genotyped at exon 4, no significant differences in BMI or body composition were found among the 3 exon 4 genotypes. Neither resting energy expenditure nor respiratory quotient were different according to UCP2 exon 4 or exon 8 genotype. The exon 8 ins/del polymorphism of UCP2 appears to be associated with childhood-onset obesity. The UCP2/UCP3 genetic locus may play a role in childhood body weight.

Food consumption, activity, and overweight among elementary school children in an Appalachian Kentucky community.

In the U.S., child overweight is on the rise and is implicated in later adult chronic illness. Given that overweight is hardly tractable, prevention as compared to treatment is seen as a better alternative for lowering the risk of long-term health consequences. To increase the success of prevention efforts, many argue that programs must be "culturally sensitive and targeted toward specific populations at greater risk. However, there exists a limited understanding of how overweight is distributed across the landscape, among and within populations and groups. This paper reports the prevalence of overweight among 54 school children in a rural, Appalachian community with a high rate of poverty, and it compares boys to girls. Thirty-seven percent of boys and 10.3% of girls are overweight, based on the 90th percentile body mass index (BMI). Analysis of food intake indicates a pattern of food consumption that is high in fatty and sugary foods and low in fruit and vegetable consumption. Analysis of activity indicates that children report more low-intensity activity than high; that overweight children report more episodes of video/computer play compared to nonoverweight children; and that boys spend more time than girls in front of the computer/television screen.

Energy expenditure and physical fitness in overweight vs non-overweight prepubertal girls.

To determine whether overweight children have lower physical activity energy expenditure (EE) and fitness levels than non-overweight children. Twenty-four healthy girls aged 7-10 y were divided into overweight (> 95th percentile weight-for-height) and non-overweight (10-90th percentile) groups. Basal metabolic rate (BMR), sleeping metabolic rate (SMR), 24 h sedentary EE (SEE) and total EE (TEE) were measured by room respiration calorimetry and doubly labelled water. Physical activity EE and physical activity level (PAL) were calculated. Fitness (VO2peak) was measured by a treadmill exercise test. The overweight group had significantly higher body weight, percent fat, fat mass and fat-free mass (FFM) (P < 0.001). The overweight girls had higher BMR, SMR, SEE and TEE (P < 0.001), but not after adjustment for FFM. Physical activity EE and PAL were not significantly different between groups. After adjusting for FFM or weight, submaximal and peak VO2 were not significantly different between groups. We conclude that these overweight girls do not have lower physical activity EE or fitness levels than the non-overweight prepubertal girls, however, the rather high body fat of the non-overweight group may have precluded us from finding any differences between groups.

The usefulness of measuring body fat deposition for detecting obesity and atherogenesity in Japanese school children.

Body fat deposition was measured in overweight and non-overweight children using a bioelectrical impedance method, and its relationship with serum lipids and apolipoproteins was investigated in 90 overweight children (over 120% of their ideal weight) and 241 non-overweight children aged 10-15 years in Niigata Prefecture. The results were as follows. Overweight boys had significantly higher levels of total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), atherogenic index (AI), RLP-cholesterol (RLP-C), apoA1, apoA2, apoB, apoC2, apoC3, apoE and the ratio of apoB to apoA1 than non-overweight boys. Overweight girls had significantly higher levels of TC, LDL-C, AI, remnant-like lopoprotein cholesterol (RLP-C), apoA2, apoB, apoC2, apoC3, apoE and the ratio of apoB to apoA1 than non-overweight girls. It has been reported that of all children studied 2.1% had higher levels of RLP-C than its upper limit known for adults (12 mg/dL). Of the overweight children in the present study, 4.4% had a high level of RLP-C whereas only 1.2% of non-overweight children had a high RLP-C level. No difference in the lipoprotein levels was found between overweight and non-overweight children. In both boys and girls, relative weight, body fat, skinfold thickness and body mass index (BMI) were correlated with the lipoprotein levels. Non-overweight boys whose body fat was over 20% had significantly higher levels of TC, LDL-C, apoA2, apoB, apoC2, apoE and apoB/A1 than those whose body fat was less than 20%. It was concluded that the measurement of body fat deposition, together with relative weight, was useful for detecting obesity and atherogenesity in Japanese school children.

A Prospective Study of Ponderosity, Body Image, Self-Concept, and Psychological Variables in Children

The association between changes in body mass index over 1 year and measures of psychological functioning was evaluated in 314 boys and 253 girls with a mean age of 9 years. Anthropometric evaluations and standardized surveys were administered to students in all four-grade classes of seven suburban schools in the fall of two consecutive school years. Increases in body mass index were significantly associated with unfavorable changes in physical activity attitudes, activity preferences, perceived physical activity competence, self-concept, and body image. There was limited support for a hypothesis that overweight children are more sensitive to changes in body shape than non-overweight children. The finding of negative psychological consequences associated with increases in body mass index among children suggests that children may be overconcerned with body weight and shape.