Normal Weight Adolescents Research Articles

Associations between anthropometric indicators in early life and low-grade inflammation, insulin resistance and lipid profile in adolescence

Background and aimsThe long-term relations between excessive adiposity in early childhood and unfavourable cardiometabolic profiles in later ages are not yet completely understood. We aimed to assess the associations between birth weight (BW) and BMI from 6 months to 6 years of age, with biomarkers indicative of low-grade inflammation, insulin resistance and lipid profiles in adolescence. Methods and resultsRetrospective school-based study with 415 Portuguese adolescents (220 girls), mean age of 14.08 ± 1.6 years old. Anthropometric data from birth to 6 years old was extracted from individual child health book records. Actual weight and height were measured and BMI calculated. Participants were classified at each time point as normal weight or overweight according to WHO reference values. Biomarkers were obtained from venous blood samples. Linear regressions were used to explore the associations between the biomarkers and early life anthropometric indicators. From 2 years onwards, BMI associated positively with the inflammatory score and HOMA-IR in adolescence. Children who were overweight/obese from 2 to 6 years of age presented significantly higher inflammatory score and HOMA-IR later in adolescence. TC/HDL ratio was also positively associated with BMI from the age of 5 years onwards. The associations between BMI and cardiometabolic outcomes remained positive in adolescence, with overweight adolescents presenting a higher inflammatory score, HOMA-IR and TC/HDL than normal weight adolescents. ConclusionA high BMI from an early age was consistently associated with worse inflammatory and lipid profiles and insulin resistance in adolescence. No associations were found between BW and the same studied outcomes.

Relationships between body weight perception, body mass index, physical activity, and food choices in Southern California male and female adolescents

ABSTRACT Understanding the relationship between body weight perception (BWP) and weight control is an important influencer on adolescents’ health behaviours. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between BWP, body mass index (BMI), physical activity and food choices in adolescent males and females (N = 1,212). Across BMI categories, more females perceived themselves as overweight and tried to control their weight, where more males tried to gain weight or never tried to control their weight (p < 0.001). Major reason for weight control was to look better followed by to improve health. Interestingly, adolescents who perceived themselves as thin consumed unhealthier foods (hamburgers and regular soda), where those who perceived themselves as fit and overweight ate healthier foods (salad and vegetables). Results of this study validate that an accurate perception of weight is critical to the success of education and behaviour intervention programs for both overweight and normal weight adolescents.

Exposure to phthalates and bisphenol A is associated with higher risk of cardiometabolic impairment in normal weight children.

Some obese individuals have normal metabolic profile, and some normal-weight persons have impaired metabolic status. Our hypothesis was that one of the potential underlying factors for such differences in cardiometabolic profiles might be the exposure to some environmental chemicals. This study aimed to investigate the association of serum bisphenol A (BPA) and phthalate metabolites with cardiometabolic risk factors in children and adolescents independent of their weight status. This case-control study was conducted on a subsample of 320 participants of a national school-based surveillance program in Iran. We measured serum BPA and phthalate metabolites by gas chromatography mass spectrophotometry. We compared them in children and adolescents with and without excess weight and those with and without cardiometabolic risk factors (80 in each group). We categorized the concentrations of chemicals to tertiles and then we applied logistic regression models after adjustment for potential confounding factors. The concentrations of BPA and some metabolites of phthalates were significantly different in the four groups studied. MEHP concentration was associated with higher odds ratio of cardiometabolic risk factors in participants with normal weight (OR, 95% CI 2.82, 1.001-7.91) and those with excess weight (OR, 95% CI 3.15, 1.27-7.83). MBP concentration increased the odds ratio of cardiometabolic risk factors only in normal weight children and adolescents (OR, 95% CI 6.59, 2.33-18.59, P < 0.001). In participants without cardiometabolic risk factor, MMP and MEHHP were significantly associated with increased risk of excess weight (OR, 95% CI 5.90, 1.21-28.75 and 7.82, 1.5-41.8, respectively). This study showed that the association of BPA and phthalate with cardiometabolic risk factors is independent of the weight status. Our findings suggest that the metabolic impairment in some normal weight children and normal metabolic profile of some obese children can be, in part, related to exposure to these environmental chemicals. Graphical abstract.

The effects of parental and peer factors on psychiatric symptoms in adolescents with obesity.

The aim of this study was to examine the relationships among psychiatric symptoms, effect of beliefs and attitudes of parents about obese people and victimization or bullying in obese adolescents. The study group included 110 obese or overweight adolescents and 55 adolescents of normal weight as the control group. All adolescents completed the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) and Traditional Bullying Scale. The parents completed the Attitudes Toward Obese Persons (ATOP) Scale and Beliefs About Obese Persons (BAOP) Scale. The BSI subscale scores for depression were significantly higher in the study group. There was no significant relationship found between psychiatric symptoms of obese or overweight adolescents and the ATOP and BAOP scores of parents. When victims, bullies/victims, bullies and those not included in any group among obese or overweight adolescents were examined, psychiatric symptoms of victims and bullies/victims were significantly higher. The results of this study suggest that the clinical treatment of obesity is not just a matter of diet and exercise but additionally dealing with issues of depression and anxiety. A very satisfactory result of the study was that parents of obese or overweight adolescents did not show an increased weight bias. This study has also shown the association between negative social and psychological ramifications, as the study group was more likely to be the victims and perpetrators of bullying behaviors than their normal-weight peers. Level III, case-control analytic study.

Adolescent Obesity and Its Association with Diet Quality and Cardiovascular Risk Factors

ABSTRACT Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the adolescent obesity and its association with Mediterranean Diet Quality Index (KIDMED) and cardiovascular risk factors in adolescents. Method: This cross sectional study included 95 adolescents aged between 10 and 18 who visited a Primary Health Service Center in Turkey. Participants’ biochemical parameters, anthropometric measurements and blood pressures were measured. The level of adherence to Mediterranean Diet was evaluated by a clinical questionnaire, the Mediterranean Diet Quality Index for children and adolescents (KIDMED). Results: Overweight adolescents had significantly higher systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, hemoglobin A1c, C-reactive protein, alanine aminotransferase, than normal-weight adolescents. Overweight/obese subjects also had significantly lower HDL cholesterol than normal-weight subjects. Results indicated that 60.0% of the adolescents had a low quality diet, 34.7% had a mid-quality/needs-improvement diet, and 5.3% had an optimal quality diet. No association was found between diet quality and obesity and cardiovascular risk factors. Conclusion: Overweight and obese children are strongly associated with multiple cardiovascular risk factors. To avoid health problems arising from obesity, adolescents should refer to global solutions. Mediterranean diet is a good measure against adverse cardiovascular risk factors in adolescence.

White matter integrity disparities between normal-weight and overweight/obese adolescents: an automated fiber quantification tractography study.

Obese adults have been shown to have poorer white brain matter integrity relative to normal-weight peers, but few studies have tested whether white matter integrity is compromised in overweight and obese adolescents. Also, it is unclear if age interacts with body mass to affect white matter integrity in adolescents. We used Automated Fiber Quantification, a tractography method, to compare fractional anisotropy between normal-weight and overweight/obese adolescents in the corpus callosum, corticospinal tract, cingulum, inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus, and uncinate fasciculus. Further, we tested whether any differences were moderated by age. Forty-seven normal-weight and forty overweight/obese adolescents were scanned using a diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) scan sequence. Overweight/obese compared to normal-weight adolescents had decreased white matter integrity in the superior frontal corpus callosum, left and right uncinate fasciculi, left inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus, and left corticospinal tract, which may be related to heightened reward processing. Overweight/obese compared to normal-weight adolescents had increased white matter integrity in the orbital and anterior frontal corpus callosum, right inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus, left cingulum, and left corticospinal tract, which may be related to heightened attentional processing. As age increased, six tracts showed poorer white matter integrity as body mass index percentile (BMI%) increased, but three tracts showed greater white matter integrity as BMI% increased. Future research examining associations between white matter integrity and neural indices of food-related reward and attention are needed to clarify the functional significance of white matter integrity discrepancies between normal-weight and overweight/obese adolescents.

Glomerular hyperfiltration in excess weight adolescents.

Childhood overweight/obesity burden is on the rise worldwide. Obesity affects virtually all organs. In the kidney, glomerular hyperfiltration that manifests as elevated glomerular filtration rate is a frequent manifestation in obesity. This adaptive renal manifestation to excess metabolic demand on the kidney, in children, has been studied mainly in the severely obese and is uncertain if it is present in less severe forms of excessive weight. In addition, glomerular hyperfiltration has been reported to be associated with high levels of the indicators of cardiometabolic risk, and these latter finding are solely from adult studies. To ascertain if glomerular hyperfiltration occurs in overweight and less severely obese children and to determine any significant relevance of some indicators of cardiometabolic risk associated with hyperfiltration. This cross-sectional study involved 49 adolescents (28 overweight, 21 obese) and 49 normal weight adolescents. The participants were subjected to clinical examination, anthropometric measurement, laboratory investigation using standard techniques. Estimated glomerular filtration rates (eGFR) were calculated using the modified Schwartz equation. Hyperfiltration was defined as eGFR ≥140 ml/min/1.73 m2. Hyperfiltration was observed in 20 (40.8%) of the overweight/obese adolescents. The prevalence of hyperfiltration among the overweight and the obese adolescent was 24.5% and 16.3%, respectively. The mean estimated glomerular filtration rate of the overweight/obese adolescents was 141.0 ± 46.2 ml/min/1.73 m2, whereas that of the normal weight adolescents was 99.2 ± 17.1 ml/min/1.73 m2 (P = 0.0001). A higher prevalence of hypertension was observed among the overweight/obese adolescent with glomerular hyperfiltration. Glomerular hyperfiltration is not limited to morbidly obese children as the burden is also high in overweight and less severely obese adolescents.

Blood Pressure Reference Values for Normal Weight Korean Children and Adolescents: Data from The Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1998-2016: The Korean Working Group of Pediatric Hypertension.

Background and ObjectivesHypertension is becoming one of the most common health conditions in children and adolescents due to increasing childhood obesity. We aimed to provide the auscultatory blood pressure (BP) normative reference values for Korean non-overweight children and adolescents.MethodsBP measurements in children and adolescents aged 10 to 18 years were performed in the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) from 1998 to 2016. BP was measured using a mercury sphygmomanometer. Sex-, age- and height-specific systolic BP (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP) percentiles were calculated in the non-overweight children (n=10,442). We used the General Additive Model for Location Scale and Shape method to calculate BP percentiles.ResultsThe 50th, 90th, 95th, and 99th percentiles of SBP and DBP tables and graphs of non-overweight children and adolescents aged 10 to 18 years were presented by age and height percentiles. We found that the SBP and DBP at the 95th percentile were well correlated with height. The BP tables presented by height contained BP values from 124 cm to 190 cm for boys and from 120 cm to 178 cm for girls. Boys had higher SBP and DBP.ConclusionsWe provided the sex-, age- and height-specific auscultatory BP values using the KNHANES big data. These may be useful in diagnosis and treatment of hypertension in Korean children and adolescents.

Improvement of microvascular endothelial dysfunction induced by exercise and diet is associated with microRNA-126 in obese adolescents

ObjectiveMicrovascular endothelial dysfunction, which is at the early stage of atherosclerosis, precedes macrovascular endothelial dysfunction. The study is aimed to investigate the mechanism underlying the improvement of microvascular endothelial dysfunction by exercise and diet in obese adolescents. MethodsA quasi-randomized study was carried out with 2 cohorts: the experimental group (57 obese male adolescents; age: 15.38 ± 2.82 years, BMI: 33.21 ± 4.23 kg/m2) completed a 6-week exercise program with dietary intervention, and control group (10 normal weight adolescents; age: 15.38 ± 2.82 years, BMI: 23.21 ± 4.23 kg/m2) maintained sedentary. Clinical characteristics, circulating NO, ET-1 and microRNA-126 (miR-126) levels were measured before and after 6 weeks. The Reactive Hyperemia Index (RHI) was measured using EndoPAT-2000 system. ResultsAfter 6-weeks intervention, obese adolescents' body circumferences and glucolipid metabolism are significantly improved. RHI (p < 0.01) and serum levels of NO/ET-1 (p < 0.01) are significantly increased, while microRNA-126 significantly decreased (p < 0.01). ΔMiR-126 were positive correlated with ΔBMI (r = 0.60, p < 0.01), ΔRHI (r = 0.69, p < 0.05), and ΔNO/ET-1 (r = −0.68, p < 0.05). ConclusionsCombination of exercise and diet control can effectively improve glycolipid metabolism of obese adolescents, and thus their microvascular endothelial function, which might be related to changes in serum miRNA-126.

Adolescent Weight and Health Behaviors and Their Associations With Individual, Social, and Parental Factors.

To examine the associations and differences between gender and weight classification for physical activity (PA) and individual, social, and parental factors. Data from wave 2 of the "Growing up in Ireland" national study were used, resulting in a sample of 7525 13-year-old adolescents. Information on factors affecting adolescents' social, emotional, cognitive, and physical development was collected. Overweight (OW) adolescents were more likely to exercise and restrict food for weight loss and less likely to perform moderate to vigorous PA than normal weight adolescents. Parent body mass index was associated with adolescent body mass index for OW and normal weight adolescents, with the strongest association seen with OW females. Parents of OW adolescents considered themselves to be more OW and less physically active than parents of normal weight adolescents. Furthermore, for all groups, a greater amount of moderate to vigorous PA was associated with less television viewing, greater PA of parents, and a greater number of friends. Parental health behaviors play a significant role in adolescents' bodyweight, representing the necessity for more constructive health behaviors and PA among parents. Future interventions may be strengthened by focusing specifically on gender and body mass index, while taking into consideration the importance of parental behaviors on adolescents.

Effect of omega-3 fatty acids supplementation combined with lifestyle intervention on adipokines and biomarkers of endothelial dysfunction in obese adolescents with hypertriglyceridemia

Obesity in adolescents is considered a major public health problem; combined interventional approaches such as omega-3 supplementation with lifestyle intervention (LI) might exert synergistic effects and exceed the impact of each individual strategy. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate if the supplementation of omega-3 with LI could improve metabolic and endothelial abnormality in obese adolescents with hypertriglyceridemia. The study involved sixty-nine adolescents with normal weight and seventy obese adolescents with hypertriglyceridemia. All obese adolescents were applied to LI and randomly assigned to omega-3 supplementation or placebo group for 12 weeks. The obese adolescents with hypertriglyceridemia presented increased levels of leptin, retinol binding protein 4 (RBP4), selectin E (sE) and asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) and decreased levels of adiponectin compared with control subjects. After 12-week intervention, omega-3 supplementation with LI decreased significantly in triglycerides, HOMA, leptin, RBP4, ADMA and sE. Moreover, omega-3 with LI displayed a significant reduction in triglycerides, ADMA and sE in comparison with LI alone. In subjects with omega-3 combined with LI assessed by multivariate regression model, the reduction in triglycerides was the only independent determinant of the decrease in ADMA. The reductions in triglycerides and HOMA were significantly contributed to the changes in sE. Our data indicated that omega-3 combined with LI in short duration significantly improved dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, abnormality of adipokines, endothelial dysfunction in comparison of LI alone, indicating the combined approach is an effective clinical and applicable strategy to control metabolic abnormality and decrease the risks of cardiovascular diseases in obese adolescents.

The relationship between plasma ferritin levels and body mass index among adolescents

Circulatory Ferritin concentration varies with age, sex, and body composition. Studies that determine the relationship of different body weight measurements with plasma ferritin concentration in adolescents are lacking. A descriptive cross-sectional design was utilized. Data collection involved self-reporting demographics, blood samples, and body composition measures for a sample of 814 healthy Jordanian adolescents. Ferritin deficiency was observed in 55.8% of the study population. Simple linear regression showed that BMI, gender, location, and smoking status 2.5%, 3.9%, 0.4%, and 0.4%, respectively, associated positively with plasma ferritin level (p < 0.05). After controlling for gender, location, and smoking status, additional hierarchal multiple linear regression showed that BMI explained 2.2% of plasma ferritin (p < 0.000). However, the obesity-stratified hierarchal multiple linear regression, showed that BMI explained 2.1% of plasma ferritin in the overweight and obese (HI) adolescents (p = 0.02), but not in the under and normal weight (LO) adolescents (p = 0.91). After controlling for gender, location, and smoking status, the ANCOVA showed that plasma ferritin level was greater (p < 0.000) in the HI (19.00 ± 13.6) versus the LO (15.20 ± 10.4) obesity group. Our results indicated that normal ferritin level among obese people does not necessarily indicate normal iron storage.

Associação entre apoio social e nível de atividade física em adolescentes

&#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D; Analisar a associação do apoio social de pais e amigos com o nível de atividade física de adolescentes. Estudo transversal, com uma amostra de 952 adolescentes (15,72 ± 1,48 anos e 53,8% do sexo feminino). Foram avaliados diferentes tipos de apoio social para atividades físicas, provenientes dos pais e amigos. Um questionário foi utilizado para mensurar o nível de atividade física. O estado nutricional foi determinado com base no índice de massa corporal. As associações foram testadas por meio da regressão de Poisson, com variância robusta. O apoio social dos pais do tipo assistir a prática de atividades físicas nos adolescentes eutróficos (“às vezes” – RP = 1,60; IC95%: 1,16-2,19 e “sempre” – RP = 1,82; IC95%: 1,09-3,04) e com sobrepeso (“às vezes” – RP = 3,26; IC95%: 1,23-8,63) e comentar positivamente sobre a prática de atividades físicas nos adolescentes eutróficos (“às vezes” – RP = 1,49; IC95%: 1,08-2,07) e com sobrepeso (“às vezes” – RP = 3,11; IC95%: 1,12-8,59) associaram-se ao nível de atividade física. O apoio social dos amigos do tipo praticar atividades junto nos adolescentes com sobrepeso (“sempre” – RP = 2,57; IC95%: 1,02-6,44) e assistir a prática de atividades físicas nos adolescentes eutróficos (“sempre” – RP = 1,52; IC95%: 1,01-2,32) e com sobrepeso (“sempre” – RP = 3,68; IC95%: 1,19-11,35) associaram-se ao nível de atividade física. O apoio social fornecido pelos pais e amigos foi associado a maior prática de atividades físicas em adolescentes eutróficos e com sobrepeso.&#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D;

Adolescent Obesity Is an Independent Risk Factor for Sensorineural Hearing Loss: Results From the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2005 to 2010

We investigated the hypothesis that childhood obesity is a risk factor for sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) independent of other metabolic risk factors. A complex, multistage, stratified geographic area design for collecting representative data from noninstitutionalized US population. A total of 5,638 adolescents between age 12 and 19 from the NHANES database (2005-2010) were studied. Subjects with body mass index >= 95th percentile were classified as obese. SNHL was defined as average pure-tone greater than 15 dB HL for 0.5, 1, and 2 kHz or 3, 4, 6, and 8 kHz in at least 1 ear. Multivariable logistic regression models assessed incident hearing loss odds across obese patients in comparison with normal weight individuals (5th-85th percentile). Multivariable models included age, sex, socioeconomic status, race, smoke exposure, high density lipoprotein level, triglyceride level, elevated blood pressure measurement, hemoglobin A1C level, and C-reactive protein level. The rate of SNHL was 21.5% in obese and 13.44% in normal weight adolescents (p < 0.0001). In multivariable analyses, obesity was associated with 1.73-fold increase in the odds of SNHL (95% CI: 1.25-2.40, p value = 0.006). Potentially confounding and mediating factors had minimal effect on the odds of SNHL in obese study participants (OR range of 1.69-1.75, all p values <= 0.01). Obesity is associated with higher prevalence of SNHL in adolescents independent of other potential risk factors. Future longitudinal investigations and mechanistic studies are warranted.

LOCALIZED FAT-FREE MASS DOES NOT INFLUENCE MUSCLE STRENGTH IN OBESE AND NON-OBESE BOYS

ABSTRACT Introduction: Obesity in adolescents has increased worldwide, and is generally associated with poor eating habits and physical inactivity. Objective: To compare absolute and relative muscle strength with body mass (BM), fat-free mass (FFM) and localized FFM of upper and lower limbs among obese and non-obese adolescents. Methods: BM, height and body mass index (BMI) were verified in 39 male adolescents (aged 13-17 years). Body composition was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and maximal strength of upper and lower limbs was estimated by a one-repetition maximum (1RM) test. Participants were divided into three groups: eutrophic (normal weight) (n=11), overweight (n=14), and obese (n=14). One-way ANOVA was used to compare the variables, followed by a Bonferroni post-hoc test for multiple comparisons. Pearson's correlation coefficient was used for relevant correlations and multiple linear regression to verify the influence of anthropometric variables, body composition and muscle strength of upper and lower limbs. Results: Obese and overweight adolescents had absolute muscle strength values similar to those of the eutrophic adolescents, which were lower when corrected by BM (p&lt;0.001). However, muscle strength related to FFM and localized FFM were similar between groups in both upper and lower limbs. Linear regression showed that BMI explained 59% of the variation in absolute muscle strength of the lower limbs (β=0.59, p&lt;0.05), FFM explained 84% of the variation in absolute muscle strength of the upper limbs (β=0.84, p&lt;0.01) and 68% of the lower limbs (β=0.68; p&lt;0.01), while localized FM was inversely associated in the lower limbs (β=−0.53, p&lt;0.05). Conclusion: Muscle strength of lower and upper limbs, when corrected by localized FFM, does not distinguish between overweight and normal weight adolescents, indicating that obesity does not have a negative effect on generation of muscle strength in obese boys. Level of Evidence III; Case-control study.

Socioeconomic Status in Adolescents: A Study of Its Relationship with Overweight and Obesity and Influence on Social Network Configuration.

Socioeconomic status (SES) influences all the determinants of health, conditioning health throughout life. The aim of the present study was to explore the relationship between socioeconomic status and obesity in adolescence through an analysis of the patterns of contact between peers as a function of this parameter. A cross-sectional study was performed, analyzing a sample of 235 students aged 14 to 18 and 11 class networks. Social network analysis was used to analyze structural variables of centrality from a sociocentric perspective. We found that adolescents with a medium-low SES presented a two-fold higher probability of being overweight, but we did not detect any differences in the configuration of their social networks when compared with those of normal-weight adolescents. However, we did find significant differences in the formation of networks according to SES in the overall sample and disaggregated by gender, whereby adolescents with a high SES in general presented a higher capacity to form wider social networks. Elucidating the relationship between SES and overweight and its influence on social network formation can contribute to the design of preventative strategies against overweight and obesity in adolescents, since their social environment can provide them with several resources to combat excess weight.

Risky decision-making after exposure to a food-choice task in excess weight adolescents: Relationships with reward-related impulsivity and hunger.

ObjectiveTo assess the effects of exposure to a food-choice task (appetizing versus healthy food) on risky decision-making by excess versus normal weight adolescents. We also analyzed the influence of food visualization on hunger levels, as well as group differences in food choices and impulsivity.MethodsFifty-six adolescents (aged 13–18 years) classified as excess (n = 27) or normal (n = 29) weight participated in the study. Risky-decision-making was assessed through the Balloon Analogue Risk Task, which was administered before and after a food-choice task. We also evaluated impulsivity traits through the UPPS-P Scale, and subjective hunger levels with a visual analogue scale.ResultsAdolescents with excess weight showed enhanced risky decision-making after the food-choice task compared to normal weight adolescents, as well as increased hunger levels. Furthermore, excess weight adolescents made more appetizing choices, and showed greater scores for Positive Urgency and Sensation Seeking. Reward-related impulsivity measures were positively associated with the number of appetizing choices in the food-choice task. Several associations were found between impulsivity measures, hunger levels and risk-taking variables.ConclusionsExcess weight adolescents increased their risky-decision-making after food exposure and this augmentation was associated with the increase in hunger levels. Increased hunger levels and risk-taking after food exposure could lead to overeating. Alterations in decision-making caused by food signals may be a long-term risk factor for the development of obesity in adulthood. In modern societies, with the high availability and continuous exposure to food cues, decision-making may be a crucial factor in maintain healthy eating habits in adolescents.

Role of Procalcitonin As an Inflammatory Marker in a Sample of Egyptian Children with Simple Obesity.

BACKGROUND:Obesity is a multifactorial disease, associated with metabolic disorders and chronic low-grade inflammation. Procalcitonin (PCT) is well known as a biomarker of infection, and systemic inflammation. Recently, it has potential as a marker for chronic low-grade inflammation.AIM:This study aims to evaluate the role of serum PCT as an inflammatory biomarker in the diagnosis of obesity-related low-grade inflammation.METHOD:In this case-control study, 50 obese and 35 normal weight children and adolescents aged 5–15 years were enrolled. Anthropometric parameters were measured in all subjects. Blood samples were collected for measurement of lipid profile, blood glucose, insulin, high sensitivity-CRP (Hs-CRP) and serum procalcitonin. Serum (PCT) levels were assessed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.RESULTS:Obese participants had higher concentrations of serum PCT, total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL-c, glucose and Hs-CRP than control group. On correlation analysis, procalcitonin had significant positive correlation with (BMI) z-score (P = 0.02), insulin (P = 0.00), insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) (P = 0.006), Hs-CRP (P = 0.02), total cholesterol (P = 0.04) and triglycerides (P = 0.00) in obese group.CONCLUSION:The increased serum procalcitonin concentrations were closely related to measures of adiposity, Hs-CRP and insulin resistance, suggesting that PCT may be an excellent biomarker for obesity-related chronic low-grade inflammation in children and adolescents.

Disordered eating in Jordanian adolescents.

Disordered eating attitudes and behaviours are linked to poor physical and psychological outcomes. To examine the individual, psychological, and socio-cultural factors associated with disordered eating attitudes among Jordanian adolescents. A stratified sampling method was used to select school students aged 15 to 18years from three governates in Jordan in 2013/2014. Participants filled out questionnaires on socio-demographic variables, the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26; to discriminate adolescents with disordered eating); the Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ; used to measure psychological factors associated with disordered eating); Body Mass Index was calculated and obesity evaluated according to international cut off points (to categorize normal weight, overweight, and obese adolescents, and these categories were used as individual factors associated with disordered eating). A total of 963 (460 boys and 503 girls) participated in the study. Disordered eating (EAT score≥20) was present in 389 (40.4%); body shape dissatisfaction (BSQ scores ≥110) was present in 161 (16.8%). Overweight and obesity were found in 332 (34.5%) participants. Unhealthy weight loss behaviours (such as self-induced vomiting, substance abuse, and smoking) were very common. Multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that female sex, urban residence, distorted perceptions of weight, BMI (excess weight), body dissatisfaction, and socio-cultural variables (parents, peers and mass media) were significantly associated with disordered eating. Jordanian urban adolescents seem to embrace Western norms to fit in with the demands of Western culture. Socio-cultural factors, particularly mass media, play a significant role in changing adolescents' norms. Prevention and intervention programs are needed to control these disorders.

Body weight and quality of life among adolescents in Krakow.

AimThe aim of this study was to assess the relationship between body weight and the quality of life among adolescents in Krakow, Poland.Material and methodsThe study comprised 1291 pupils - 632 girls and 659 boys from 17 Krakow middle schools. Their quality of life (QoL) was assessed by means of the Polish version of the KIDSCREEN-27 questionnaire. Five dimensions of QoL were analyzed as low, average and high QoL according to Polish cut-off points. The body mass index (BMI) of the adolescents was classified as underweight, normal weight, or excessive weight according to Polish growth charts.ResultsLow QoL was observed significantly more often in girls than in boys. Excessive weight among both girls and boys was found to be a risk factor for low QoL in the “Physical Well-being” dimension as compared to normal weight adolescents. Additionally, boys with excessive weight had a two-fold higher risk of low QoL in the “Social Support & Peers” dimension (OR=2.00; 95 %CI:1.14-3.50). Underweight was associated with higher risk of low QoL in the “Physical Well-being”, “Autonomy & Parents”, and “Social Support & Peers” dimensions, but only among boys.ConclusionsBoth, underweight and excessive weight were associated with low QoL. Excessive weight in youth was linked mainly with lower physical well-being. Underweight was a predictor of low QoL only among boys in the dimensions related to physical health, as well as relations with family and peers.