Percentage Of Overweight Research Articles

Prevalence of Childhood Overweight and Obesity in Primary Care Observations on Birth Cohorts 2002-2011

Objectives: The study evaluates the trend over time of overweight and obesity in children of the province of Trento subjected to the health check of the sixth year of age. Study Design: It is a retrospective observational study of all children subjected to the health check of the sixth year of age in Trento province, North East Italy. Ten birth cohorts have been considered 2009-2018. The data was collected through paper forms filled in by family pediatricians. The collective national agreement for family pediatrics allows carrying out the health check of six years with a tolerance of ± 90 days from the 6th birthday. Weight status was analyzed and categorized using the Body Mass Index (BMI) threshold values established by Cole et al., as recommended by the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF). The percentages of overweight and obesity, with 95% confidence intervals, were computed at 6 years for each birth cohort, considering sex and the time of the assessment: before the 6th birthday, exactly at the 6th birthday and after the 6th birthday. We also compute, based on the data of the birth cohorts 2009-2011, the percentages of overweight and obesity, according the territorial area of residence of the children, the individual pediatrician and the citizenship (child with mother with foreign nationality vs. child with Italian mother). Results: A total of 27,039 (51,6 % males) children were analysed. In males, the average proportions of overweight or obese subjects in all the cohorts under study are respectively 10.4% (CI 95% 10.1- 10.7) and 4.9% (CI 95% 4.7- 5.1). In Females, the corresponding values are 13.5% (CI 95% 13.1-13.9) and 5.7%, (CI 95% 5.2-6.1). The proportions of overweight or obese subjects, calculated in relation to the chronological moment in which the health check of the 6th was carried out show no statistically significant differences, as well as in relation to territorial area of residence of children. There is a wide variability in the prevalence of overweight and obesity in individual family pediatricians. In part, the different proportion of foreign children registered with individual pediatrician can explain this wide variability. Data relating to the birth cohorts 2009-2011 confirm a higher prevalence of overweight and obesity in foreign children. Socio-cultural factors can explain this fact, especially in reference to second-generation immigrants. Conclusions: The surveillance system based on family pediatricians can integrate with the national surveillance system “OKkio alla SALUTE” with the second oriented towards the general population and the first oriented towards individual “case” children, providing a possible tool for identifying and taking charge of children with overweight/obesity.

Composición corporal y consumo máximo de oxígeno en una muestra de estudiantes universitarios de la ciudad de Villavicencio

Con el objetivo de relacionar la composición corporal con el consumo máximo de oxígeno (VO2max) en una muestra de estudiantes universitarios de la ciudad de Villavicencio, Colombia, se realizó un estudio observacional, prospectivo, con alcance descriptivo y correlacional de corte transversal, en una muestra de 390 sujetos (190 hombres y 200 mujeres) de cuatro instituciones de educación superior (IES), con una edad media de 21,54 ± 4, años. Fueron medidos peso, talla, pliegues cutáneos (tricipital, subescapular, pierna media) y perímetro abdominal y calculados IMC, porcentaje de grasa con los protocolos ISAK y VO2max con el Queen’s College Step Test. Los datos fueron tratados con el programa SPSS, versión 20, en español. Se contó con el aval del comité de bioética de la Universidad de los Llanos. Los participantes firmaron un consentimiento informado. Los resultados arrojaron que un 20,7% presentó sobrepeso, 3,3% obesidad y 9% infrapeso; el VO2max estuvo en una media de 38,4 mL/kg/min, un mínimo de 19 mL/kg/min y un máximo de 78 mL/kg/min. La muestra evaluada respecto al infrapeso evidenció un mayor porcentaje en hombres que en mujeres; el peso normal más bajo se ubicó en hombres; de igual forma, el porcentaje de sobrepeso se encontró en hombres. Estos datos dejan en evidencia al grupo de los hombres, que estuvieron más inclinados hacia los extremos menos favorables de acuerdo con las categorías normales que expresa la OMS.

Impact of obesity on risk of cancer.

Epidemiological data consistently show sustained upward trend in the incidence of cancer. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) estimated that in 2018 more than 18 million people were diagnosed with cancer, and in about 9.6 million cases cancer could be the cause of death. At the same time, an increasing percentage of overweight and obesity is observed in both adults and children. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), in 2016 over 1.9 billion (39% of the population) of adults were overweight, of which over 650 million (13%) were obese. Obesity is closely related to the risk of cancer development. Excessive body weight is considered as a second risk factor for the development of specific cancers after smoking. According to IARC data, high BMI index may be the cause of up to half a million cancer cases per year. In addition, overweight and obesity contribute to increased mortality due to malignancies - it is estimated that they are the cause of death in 20% of women and in 14% of men. Data from the American Cancer Society indicate increased mortality due to pancreatic cancer, liver cancer, multiple myeloma, and Hodgkin's lymphoma in connection with the occurrence of excessive body weight. The study tried to confirm the influence of obesity on the risk of cancer. To achieve this, risk factors such as excessive adipose tissue, chronic inflammation, hyperinsulinaemia and hyperglycaemia, sex steroids, and microbiome were taken into account. In addition, the study presents a simple method of estimating the risk quotient of chances of developing malignant tumors in people with excessive body mass and methods of cancer disease prevention. According to the current state of knowledge, the modification of factors significantly affecting the risk of falling ill may contribute to reducing the risk of cancer. In view of the above, the importance of the problem of overweight and obesity in society and their impact on the occurrence of some types of cancer should be emphasized. Thus, the understanding of excessive body weight as a serious health and social problem sets one of the priorities in the area of public health.

Diet analysis, blood plasma biochemical indicators and body compositions of first year university students in the context of adaptation to the new educational environment

Introduction. The article examines the problem of adaptation to the new educational environment and pedagogical support for first-year university students. The purpose of the study is to evaluate the body composition, nutrition and biochemical parameters of blood plasma of first-year students who are adapting to living in a university dormitory. Materials and Methods. The methods of empirical research of physical development (length, weight, body mass index), body component composition (total fat content, muscle component), nutrition structure (macronutrient composition and caloric content of the daily diet), biochemical analysis of blood plasma (plasma content of triglycerides, cholesterol, low-and high-density lipoproteins, glucose), as well as statistical methods of data comparison were used. Results. The body length of males (175.4 cm), in contrast to females (162 cm) aged between 18 and 19 years is not a definitive indicator and can increase during 2 or 3 years. The percentage of overweight and obesity among first-year students was 16.1%; total fat content exceeding the limit values was found in 35.5% of females and 6.7% of males, and insufficient fat content was found only in 10% of males. The muscle component, both in girls and boys, corresponded to the indicators of the norm. The actual nutrition of first-year students living in a university dormitory was characterized by a lack of calories, fats, including polyunsaturated fatty acids, and insufficient consumption of carbohydrates, including dietary fibers. This deficiency was more pronounced among females, who also had a deficit in the consumption of proteins, especially of animal origin. The biochemical parameters of the blood plasma of all students did not exceed the normal limits, except for the values of high-density lipoproteins. The percentage of students with low values of high-density lipoproteins was 8.3%. The content of CCS in the blood plasma was inversely proportional to the caloric content of the diet and the amount of fat consumed. The predisposition to disorders of lipid metabolism in first-year students living in a university dormitory was due to insufficient replenishment of the body's energy expenditure and an unbalanced diet. Conclusions. Early adulthood is characterized by the formation of a definitive level and the predominance of assimilation processes, so the issues of healthy nutrition, especially in the conditions of a high rhythm of students’ life, insufficient replenishment of energy consumption and unbalanced consumption of nutrients, are relevant and require attention from the group leaders for first-year students. Pedagogical support of first-year students should contain methods and techniques aimed at promoting healthy nutrition and financial literacy.

Modeling of adulthood obesity in Spain using Itô-type stochastic differential equations

Abstract Obesity is growing riskily in developed and developing countries. This should pose major concerns for the countries, not only from the health point, but also from the economic perspective. Our case study relies on the excess weight dynamics in Spain. The Spanish National Health Survey (ENSE) 2017 collects the percentage of overweight and obese adults in Spain from the year 1987 to 2017. A recent contribution proposed a nonautonomous compartmental system of ordinary differential equations to calibrate the incidence of excess weight in the Spanish adulthood population. Essentially, three principles were followed: the total adulthood population is time-dependent, the subpopulations interact homogeneously along the country, and excess weight plays the role of an infectious disease that is transmitted through contact by social pressure. Accounting for both data and model errors, frequentist nonlinear regression and Bayesian inference were conducted. The methods agreed well in terms of fit, prediction, bands and sensitivity analysis. In the present paper, the deterministic compartmental system of ordinary differential equations is randomized in a different manner, by employing Ito-type stochastic differential equations. The derivatives of the compartments are perturbed by Gaussian white noise-type pure errors that have a rough and unpredictable structure. From the Euler-Maruyama discretization, several strategies are utilized for estimating the parameters, based on the moments method and maximum likelihood estimation. Comparison is performed numerically by assessing the fit to the data.

Weight Change After Subthalamic Nucleus Deep Brain Stimulation in Patients With Isolated Dystonia.

Purpose: Deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus (STN-DBS) is an effective treatment method for advanced Parkinson's disease (PD) and isolated dystonia and provides marked improvement of major motor symptoms. In addition, non-motor effects have been reported including weight gain (WG) in patients with PD after STN-DBS. However, it is still unclear whether patients with isolated dystonia also experience WG.Methods: Data from 47 patients with isolated dystonia who underwent bilateral STN-DBS surgery between October 2012 and June 2019 were retrospectively collected. The severity of dystonia was assessed via the Burke–Fahn–Marsden Dystonia Rating Scale (BFMDRS). Changes in the body mass index (BMI) and BFMDRS score were analyzed using paired Student's t-tests. Regression analysis was performed to identify factors that affected the BMI after surgery.Results: Postoperative WG was observed in 78.7% of patients. The percentage of overweight and obese patients increased from 25.5% (before STN-DBS) to 48.9% (at the last follow-up). The mean BMI and mean percentage change in BMI increased by 1.32 ± 1.83 kg/m2 (P < 0.001) and 6.28 ± 8.34%, respectively. BMI increased more in female than in male patients. At the last follow-up, BFMDRS movement and disability scores improved by 69.76 ± 33.23% and 65.66 ± 31.41%, respectively (both P < 0.001). The final regression model analysis revealed that sex and preoperative BMI alone were independently associated with BMI change (P < 0.05).Conclusions: STN-DBS is associated with postoperative WG with patients with isolated dystonia. WG is more prominent in female patients and is associated with preoperative weight but not with the efficacy of STN-DBS on motor symptoms.

Changes in adiposity and fat tissue distribution among preschool children from Kraków, Poland, from 2008 to 2018.

In the light of changes in the living conditions of populations, excess adiposity is currently a serious public health problem worldwide. The aim of this study was to assess the changes in the body fat ratio among preschool children aged 3-7 years from Kraków, Poland, between 2008 and 2018. The study group consisted of children examined in two cross-sectional studies. Analysed characteristics included triceps, calf, subscapular, abdominal and suprailiac skinfold thicknesses, and adiposity calculated according to Slaughter's equations. The trunk adiposity index and limbs-to-trunk fat ratio were also calculated. Statistical significance was obtained using two-way ANOVA and Tukey's tests. Lower-limb adiposity was largest in the 2008 cohort and trunk adiposity was greater in the 2018 cohort. The mean values of the trunk adiposity index and limbs-to-trunk fat ratio were lower in the 2018 cohort than in the 2008 cohort. The 2018 cohort was also characterized by a lower overall adiposity. Regardless of the lower body adiposity percentage, in 2018 there was a tendency towards the central allocation of fat tissue. This is a negative phenomenon because, especially when co-existing with reduced lower-limb adiposity, it is associated with an increased risk of metabolic and cardiovascular diseases, even in young children.

Children with Severe Obesity in Family-Based Obesity Treatment Compared with Other Participants: Conclusions Depend on Metrics.

This study compares children with severe obesity and children with mild obesity/overweight participating in family-based obesity treatment (FBT) on change in (1) relative weight and adiposity and (2) psychosocial distress. Children 7 to 11 years old (N = 241) and their parents participated in 12 months of behavioral treatment (FBT + maintenance treatment) and completed anthropometric, adiposity, and psychosocial assessments (psychiatric disorder symptomology, quality of life). Severe obesity was defined as a baseline BMI ≥ 120% of the 95th percentile (N = 105). At 12 months, 40% of children with baseline severe obesity no longer had severe obesity. Percent overweight and fat mass index measurements showed similar magnitudes of change among children with severe obesity and children with mild obesity/overweight, whereas BMI z score and percent body fat change was lower in the group with severe obesity. Youth with severe obesity were higher on some measures of psychosocial distress at baseline but generally experienced improvements similar to children with mild obesity/overweight. FBT with maintenance treatment is beneficial for children with severe obesity and is recommended for use prior to more invasive treatments in severe pediatric obesity. Future studies should assess the necessity of additional treatment, as children with severe obesity still have high relative weights post intervention.

Association of Neighborhood Food Environment and Physical Activity Environment With Obesity: A Large-Scale Cross-Sectional Study of Fifth- to Ninth-Grade Children in Japan.

Objective: This study examined the relationship between neighborhood food and physical activity environment, and obesity among elementary and junior high school students in Japan. Methods: The participants were fifth- to ninth-grade children (n=7277), who were attending municipal schools in Japan. Percent overweight (POW) was calculated using their age, gender, height, and weight, which were collected through a questionnaire. A POW of < 20% was considered non-obese, while ≥ 20% was considered obese. Furthermore, using a geographic information system, we investigated the density of convenience stores, fast-food stores, casual restaurants, supermarkets and department stores, parks, sports facilities, stations, and intersections in the school district. Additionally, from the census, we obtained information regarding the population density of the municipality where the participants’ schools were located. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to examine the relationship between obesity and food environment (the food environment model), between obesity and physical activity environment (the physical activity environment model), and among obesity, food, and physical activity environment (the food and physical activity environment model). Results: In the food environment model and the food and physical activity environment model, the density of convenience stores showed a significant positive association. In the physical activity environment model, the density of stations showed a significant negative association. Conclusion: This study’s findings can contribute to the development of appropriate community interventions for improving children’s health in Japan and similar areas.

Assesment of obesogenic factors in school-age children.

The prevalence of obesity in childhood is increasing all over the world and the World Health Organization (WHO) regards obesity as one of the most important public health problems. The aim of our study was to investigate the changes in body mass index (BMI) in children between 6 and 11 years of age and to evaluate the factors affecting this change in two different schools. We conducted a cross-sectional epidemiological study between January and March 2016 in two different schools. School age children from two different ages (6 and 11 years) participated in the study. Children`s sociodemographic characteristics and daily habits were evaluated by a questionnaire. Weight, height, body fat ratio were measured. Of all 495 students, 270 were in the 6-year old group. According to BMI classification 21.2% of students were overweight and 14.5% obese. From 6 to 11 years of age percentages of overweight and obese students increased slightly (1%). The mean daily screen time was high among overweight and obese students (p < 0.05). The obesity rate (15.9%) was higher in public school, than in private school (6%). There was an obesogenic environment in the public school; sport facilities were limited, there was a canteen selling junk food and fizzy drink, but there was no free drinking water. Screen times of 11 year-old students were longer, and regular breakfast rates were lower than those of 6 year-old group (p < 0.05). In our study prevalence of obesity was 14.5%, and overweight was 21.2%. According to our findings obesogenic environment seemed to be a contributing factor of obesity. Screen time should also be considered in attempts to prevent obesity.

Association Between Circadian Rhythm with Resting Metabolic Rate in Overweight\Obese Women

Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the association between circadian rhythm with resting metabolic rate (RMR) in overweight\obese women Methods: This cross-sectional study included 232 obese and overweight women. Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ) was used to assess the level of circadian rhythm. RMR was measured by indirect calorimetry after a 10-12 hour overnight fasting period by a trained nutritionist. We assessed body composition using multi-frequency bioelectrical impedance analyzer (BIA). Results: The percentage of overweight and obese women were 48.7% (113) and 51.3% (119), respectively. The number of participants who were morningness, intermediate and eveningness was 28(12.1%), 135(58.2%) and 69(29.7%) respectively. A significant relationship was found between MEQ and RMR.normal (p=0.011). According to linear regression model non-eveningness participants had 81.92 higher RMR compared to eveningness participants (p=0.027). Conclusion: We found that non-eveningness participants had higher RMR compared to eveningness participants that can lead to obesity, diabetes type2 and other health disorders.

Risk factors of life style diseases among adults in Kozhikode, Kerala

Introduction: Life style diseases refer to diseases that are caused mainly due to the unhealthy behavior and choices people make in their life. Economic growth, modernization, urbanization and socialization have changed the life style of Indian families. Most of the life style diseases share common preventable risk factors such as tobacco, high alcohol consumption, anxiety, sedentary life style and obesity. All these risk factors are modifiable and early identification and management of risk factors can help to prevent and control non-communicable diseases. Objectives: To screen the population for risk factors of chronic non-communicable diseases. Materials and Methods: A community based cross sectional study was conducted. A house to house survey was conducted. All individuals above 20 years of age; who gave informed consent were included in the study. Detailed information regarding age, sex, educational status, marital status, occupation and occupational activity, religion, dietary habits, personal habits and addiction, family history of diseases and other relevant information etc. was obtained using predesigned questionnaire. Modified B.G. Prasad classification updated for January 2017 was used for socioeconomic classification. Anthropometric measurements such and Blood pressure were measured using standard techniques. Data was entered in MS excel and analyzed using SPSS 16. Results: Most of the people (43) in the study population were less than 40 years of age. Slight Female preponderance was observed in the study. 66% of subjects belonged to socioeconomic status class II. Only 28% of the study population exercised regularly. Percentage of overweight and obese among study population was 31%. Among 46 males from study population 26 had one or other addiction. 20 subjects reported hypertension, 16 were diabetic and 2 were CAD patients. Keywords: Lifestyle diseases, Screening, Diabetes Mellitus, Hypertension.

High prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity in ten Caribbean countries: 2018 cross-sectional data and a narrative review of trends in Trinidad and Tobago

ABSTRACT Background: There is an increasing prevalence of obesity among school-children globally, including the Caribbean region. Aim: To obtain cross-sectional data on childhood obesity in the Caribbean, and to explore trends in prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity over the past two decades in Trinidad and Tobago. Methods: The 2018 Caribbean Island Urinary Iodine Survey (CRUISE) was a multi-site, cross-sectional, primary school-based study in ten Caribbean countries, in which healthy school-children aged 6–12 years (n = 3040) from urban and rural clusters were selected to complete a questionnaire and obtain anthropometric data using standardised methods. Additionally, all reported studies among school-children (aged 5–18 years) in Trinidad and Tobago within the last 20 years were utilised in a narrative review of the trends in prevalence of childhood obesity and associated risk factors. Results: All 10 Caribbean territories had a high prevalence of overweight (28 · 0–44 · 5%) and obesity (14 · 3–19 · 8%). The highest cumulative overweight and obesity percentage were in Dominica (60 · 1%) and the lowest in Grenada (43 · 0%). Trinidad and Tobago ranked fifth, but in this territory the combined percentage of overweight and obese school-children has been steadily increasing from 12% in 2001 to 51 · 5% in 2018. This corresponds with a notable decline in physical activity (29 · 2% to 20 · 5%) and increase in sedentary time (47 · 3% to 49 · 0%) from 2011 to 2017. Conclusion: There is an alarmingly high prevalence of childhood obesity across the Caribbean. Within the last two decades, the percentage of overweight and obese school-children in Trinidad and Tobago has increased four-fold, likely reflecting a decline in physical activity and rise in sedentary behaviour.

The effect of diet, exercise, and lifestyle intervention on childhood obesity: A network meta-analysis

Trials investigating the efficacy of different interventions for overweight children are limited and controversial. Therefore, the aim of this study is to perform a network meta-analysis on the efficacy of various interventions for children with obesity (an average age of 6-12 years old). We obtained the data of trials reporting pre-post obesity relevant outcomes (e.g. BMI, BMI z-score, percent body fat, or percent overweight) from the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE (Ovid), PubMed, and Web of Science databases (completed before February 25, 2019) and included at least one pair of direct comparison groups. The mean difference of outcomes and their associated 95% CI were used to determine the efficacy. The P-score was calculated to illustrate the rank probability of various treatments for different outcomes using a network meta-analysis. Our meta-analysis included 24 studies that evaluated the interventions for childhood obesity. All 24 trials had no high risk of bias. Interventions such as exercise without parents (E w/o P); diet with parents (D w/P); and diet, exercise, and lifestyle with parents (D+E+L w/P) were significantly effective for children with obesity when compared with no intervention. E w/o P exhibited the highest P-score, with the D w/P and D+E+L w/P ranks having P-scores of 0.7486 and 0.5464, respectively. Moreover, the results indicate that E w/o P, D w/P, and D+E+L w/P were significantly effective treatments for children with obesity when compared with no intervention.

Excessive body weight and its relationship to body image in teenagers aged 16–18 years old in South Jakarta

Objective. Overweight is one of the health problems that often occur in children and adolescents throughout the world, both in developed and developing countries. Study results in USA showed yearly increase of overweight prevalence in children aged 2–19 years old. In addition, based on the results by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2009–2010 in United States, the highest percentage of overweight and obesity by age group was found at 12–19 years old (33.6%). Basic Health Research/Riskesdas’s data in 2013 showed the prevalence of overweight in adolescents aged 16–18 years old in Indonesia reached the highest value of 11.5%. Moreover, most teenagers see their body images as a match between self’s and others’ ideal perception. Teenagers with positive body image tend to be more confident and also easier to get along with other people, especially their peers. In this study, researcher aimed to investigate the relationship between teenagers who have excess body weight with body image, whether it had positive or negative impact.Methods: This was a cross-sectional study. Data collection was done from December 2017 to January 2018. Data collected were anthropometric measurements (weight and height) and the King College London Body Image Questionnaire's filled by participants. From 400 subjects who filled the questionnaires, a total of 350 participants matched the inclusion criteria and were analyzed. Chi square test was done as data analysis.Results: Chi-square analysis for excess body weight status in relation to body image scores showed no relationship (p=1,000).Conclusions: There was no significant relationship between excessive body weight and body image.

Relationship of Body Mass Index and Physical Activity with Hand Grip Status Among University Students: A Cross Sectional Analysis

The objective of this study is to determine the relationship between nutritional status and hand grip strength among university students in Kuala Nerus and assess the relationships between BMI and physical activity with hand grip among students. University students (N = 80, mean age 21.8 ± 1.4 years) that included 36 males and 44 females were recruited using a convenient sampling technique from two universities which is Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (UniSZA) and Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT) in a cross sectional study in Kuala Nerus, Terengganu. Weight and height were measured and body mass index were calculated. Hand grip strength was measured too using Takei Digital Grip Strength Dynamometer. Furthermore, eating habits and level of physical activity were self-reported by the students using FFQ adopted from MANS and IPAQ questionnaire. The prevalence of underweight, normal weight, overweight and obesity were 7.4%, 66.3%, 17.5%, and 8.8% respectively. Male have slightly higher intake of calories, carbohydrates and fat with mean value of 2229 kcal, 295.3 g and 66.8 g respectively compared to female with calories of 2126 kcal, carbohydrates of 283 g and fat of 64.2 g. Meanwhile, most of the students involved in this study were classified as being moderately active (65%) followed by low physical activity (28.8%) and the least goes to the high physical activity category (6.2%). Furthermore, male subjects had a higher value of handgrip strength in both right (32.3 kg) and left hand (28.2 kg) as compared to female subjects that was 20.0 kg on the right hand while 17.6 kg on the left hand. The present study also showed that males had a higher percentage of overweight and obesity than females and there was a significant association between body mass index and gender as well as gender and hand grip strength (p&lt;0.05). There were also significant association observed between BMI and physical activity with hand grip strength meanwhile, there is no association between dietary intakes (protein) with grip strength (p&lt;0.05).&#x0D; Keywords: eating habits, hand grip strength, BMI, physical activity

Managing Outliers in Adolescent Food Frequency Questionnaire Data

ObjectiveThe goal of this study was to explore the impact of 5 decision rules for removing outliers from adolescent food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) data. DesignThis secondary analysis used baseline and 3-month data from a weight loss intervention clinical trial. ParticipantsAfrican American adolescents (n = 181) were recruited from outpatient clinics and community health fairs. Variables MeasuredData collected included self-reported FFQ and mediators of weight (food addiction, depressive symptoms, and relative reinforcing value of food), caregiver-reported executive functioning, and objectively measured weight status (percentage overweight). AnalysisDescriptive statistics examined patterns in study variables at baseline and follow-up. Correlational analyses explored the relationships between FFQ data and key study variables at baseline and follow-up. ResultsCompared with not removing outliers, using decision rules reduced the number of cases and restricted the range of data. The magnitude of baseline FFQ-mediator relationships was attenuated under all decision rules but varied (increasing, decreasing, and reversing direction) at follow-up. Decision rule use increased the magnitude of change in FFQ estimated energy intake and significantly strengthened its relationship with weight change under 2 fixed range decision rules. Conclusions and ImplicationsResults suggest careful evaluation of outliers and testing and reporting the effects of different outlier decision rules through sensitivity analyses.

General and Eating Disorder Psychopathology in Relation to Short- and Long-Term Weight Change in Treatment-Seeking Children: A Latent Profile Analysis.

Concurrent general psychopathology (GP) and eating disorder psychopathology (EDP) are commonly reported among youth with overweight/obesity and may impact weight change. We identified patterns of GP and EDP in children with overweight/obesity and examined the impact on weight change following family-based behavioral obesity treatment (FBT) and maintenance interventions. Children (N = 172) participated in 4 month FBT and subsequent 8 month weight maintenance interventions. GP and EDP were assessed prior to FBT (baseline). Child percentage overweight was assessed at baseline, post-FBT (4 months), and post-maintenance (12 months). Latent profile analysis identified patterns of baseline GP and EDP. Linear mixed-effects models examined if profiles predicted 4- and 12-month change in percentage overweight and if there were two-way and three-way interactions among these variables, adjusting for relevant covariates. Results indicated a three-profile structure: lower GP and EDP (LOWER); subclinically elevated GP and EDP without loss of control (LOC; HIGHER); and subclinically elevated GP and EDP with LOC (HIGHER + LOC). Across profiles, children on average achieved clinically meaningful weight loss (i.e., ≥9 unit change in percentage overweight) from baseline to 4 month FBT and sustained these improvements at 12 month maintenance. There was no evidence that latent profiles were related to percentage overweight change from baseline to FBT (p > .05) or baseline to maintenance (p > .05). There was no evidence for two-way or three-way interactions (p > .05). Concurrent GP and EDP do not portend differential short- or long-term weight change following FBT and maintenance. Future research is warranted on the durability of weight change among youth with GP and EDP. NCT00759746.

Comparison of Some Physiological Parameters in Female Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients in Pre- and Postmenopausal Stages

Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disorder that is highly prevalent, leading to gradual cartilage distraction, and therefore is important to diagnose in the early stage. This study aimed to estimate the level of rheumatoid factor (RF) and Anti-citrullinated protein (Anti-ccp) in the serum of female patients. We also investigated several female reproductive hormones in the patients and compared their levels in the premenopausal and postmenopausal phases. The study included 88 female subjects, 50 suffering from signs of rheumatoid arthritis who were attending AL-Yarmouk teaching hospital, Baghdad, Iraq, and 38 without clinical signs of RA as a control group. The ELISA technique was used to estimate all the studied parameters. The results showed a significant elevation in the levels of RF (103.6 ± 227.0 vs. 22.1 ± 111.0 U/ml) and Anti-ccp (158.0 ± 170.0 vs. 0.51 ± 1.69 U/ml) in patient’s serum as compared to the control. The percentage of overweight and obese patients was higher than that of those with normal weight. Also, the current results showed significant differences in the serum concentrations of the reproductive hormones between the premenopausal and postmenopausal phases in the patients group. The level of FSH in postmenopausal female patients was higher than that in premenopausal ones (33.5 ± 17.9 vs. 9.01 ± 9.31 U/ml). Also, the level of luteinizing hormone (LH) in the postmenopausal patients was higher than that in the premenopausal patients (26.4 ± 12.3 vs. 12.7 ± 10.2 U/ml). While the level of prolactin (PRL) in RA postmenopausal female patients was lower than that in the premenopausal patients (8.60 ± 7.07 vs. 14.8 ± 10.6 ng/ml). In addition, the level of Anti-mullerian hormone (AMH) in post-menopausal patients was lower than that in the pre-menopausal ones (0.034 ± 0.023 vs. 0.635 ± 0.683 ng/ml). Finally, the concentration of estradiol (E2) in the post-menopausal female patients was lower than that in the pre-menopausal ones (32.9 ± 18.6 vs. 76.5 ± 43.6 ng/ml).

Mathematical modeling of adulthood obesity epidemic in Spain using deterministic, frequentist and Bayesian approaches

Abstract The excess weight population is growing riskily in Spain. This is confirmed by the Spanish National Health Survey 2017, which gathers the percentage of overweight and obese adults in Spain from 1987 to 2017. In this paper we propose a mathematical model based on differential equations to calibrate the incidence of excess weight in the Spanish adulthood population. The main principle is that fatness is an epidemic, where there are three stages, namely normal weight, overweight and obese, and healthy individuals may become “infected” by social contact. We start with a well-posed deterministic formulation of the model, where the parameters are fitted by minimizing the mean square error objective function. The long-term behavior of the system shows that 37% and 24% of Spanish adults will be overweight and obese in the long run, respectively. Due to the incomplete knowledge of the underlying phenomenon and error measurements, randomness must be incorporated into the model formulation. A white noise error term is thus added to conduct nonlinear regression. The response becomes a stochastic process, whose prediction interval captures the variability of the overweight and obese populations correctly. We go a step beyond by treating the model parameters as random variables. The Bayesian inference method allows for quantifying the propagation of uncertainty in this setting, by running the Metropolis algorithm (both brute-force and Adaptive). The numerical simulations show that it provides similar results to the frequentist analysis. The sensitivity analyses from the different methods agree and suggest that prevention strategies are more important than treatment strategies to control adulthood obesity. Specially, the treatment of the transition from the obese to the overweight stages is the least recommendable for reducing the obesity epidemic.