Changes In Weight Status Research Articles

Weight Status Change from Birth to Childhood and High Blood Pressure in Childhood

Background: While both high birth weight and childhood overweight/obesity have been associated with a heightened risk of high blood pressure (BP) during childhood, the association between weight status change from birth to childhood and the risk of high BP has not been fully explored. This study aimed to investigate how changes in weight status from birth to childhood influence the development of high BP in childhood. Methods: The data for this study were obtained from the baseline survey of the Huantai Childhood Cardiovascular Health Cohort Study, which included 1237 children aged 6 to 11. Children with a birth weight under 2500 g or a body mass index (BMI) below the fifth percentile for their age and sex during childhood were excluded. Based on birth weight (high birth weight [>4000 g] vs. healthy [≤4000 g]) and childhood weight status (overweight [including obesity] vs. healthy weight), participants were categorized into four groups: consistently healthy weight, weight decrease, weight increase, and consistently excess weight. Results: Compared to children who maintained a healthy weight from birth to childhood, higher odds of childhood high BP was observed among those with consistently excess weight (odds ratio [OR] = 2.73, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.46–5.12) and those with a weight increase (OR = 2.77, 95% CI = 1.91–4.02). In contrast, children with a weight decrease did not exhibit significantly higher odds of childhood high BP (OR = 0.94, 95% CI = 0.36–2.45). Conclusion: Children who become overweight in childhood or who consistently had excess weight from birth were at higher risk of childhood high BP. However, the risk of high BP in childhood may be mitigated or eliminated in individuals with high birth weight who achieve a healthy weight by childhood.

Weight status change during four years and left ventricular hypertrophy in Chinese children.

It is well-established that overweight/obesity is a major risk factor for left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) in childhood. However, it is still unclear if reversing from overweight/obesity to normal weight is associated with decreased LVH in children. This study aimed to examine the association between weight status change during four years and LVH among Chinese children based on a prospective cohort study. Data were obtained from the Huantai Childhood Cardiovascular Health Cohort Study in China. A total of 1,178 children without LVH at baseline (mean age: 8.3 years) were included in this study. According to weight status [normal weight or overweight (including obesity)] at baseline (2017) and follow-up (2021), children were divided, based on sex- and age-adjusted body mass index (BMI), into four groups: persistent normal weight (normal weight at both baseline and follow-up), incident overweight (normal weight at baseline but overweight at follow-up), reversal to normal weight (overweight at baseline but normal weight at follow-up), persistent overweight (overweight at both baseline and follow-up). After adjustment for potential confounding factors, children with incident overweight (n = 114, 30.63 ± 4.74 g/m2.7) and those with persistent overweight (n = 363, 31.56 ± 6.24 g/m2.7) had higher left ventricular mass index (LVMI) at the end of the follow-up period than those with persistent normal weight (n = 632, 28.46 ± 7.64 g/m2.7), while those who reversed from overweight to normal weight had a non-significantly lower LVMI (n = 69, 28.51 ± 4.28 g/m2.7). Compared to children with persistent normal weight, those with persistent overweight [odds ratio (OR) = 5.14, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 3.33-7.95] and those with incident overweight (OR = 3.34, 95% CI = 1.77-6.30) had an increased risk of LVH. The risk of LVH tended to decrease, although not significantly, in those who reversed from overweight to normal weight (OR = 0.76, 95% CI = 0.22-2.55). Our findings demonstrate a positive association between overweight and left ventricular mass in children and suggest that LVH in childhood could be attenuated by weight loss.

Associations of Neighborhood Food Retail Environments with Weight Status in a Regional Pediatric Health System.

Background: There have been mixed findings on the relationships between childhood obesity and macroscale retail food environments. The current study investigates associations of the neighborhood retail food environment with changes in children's weight status over 6 years in the Kansas City Metropolitan area. Methods: Anthropometrics and home addresses were collected during routine well-child visits in a large pediatric hospital (n = 4493; >75% were Black or Latinx children). Children had measures collected during two time periods ([Time 1] 2012-2014, [Time 2] 2017-2019). Establishment-level food environment data were used to determine the number of four types of food outlets within a 0.5-mile buffer from the children's residence: supermarkets/large grocery stores, convenience stores/small grocery stores, limited-service restaurants, and full-service restaurants. Children who moved residences between periods were "movers" (n = 1052). Associations of baseline and changes in food environment status with Time 2 weight status were assessed using mixed-effects models. Results: Movers who experienced no change in the number of convenience stores or small grocery stores within a 0.5-mile of their home had increased likelihoods of having overweight/obesity and less favorable BMIz changes, compared with movers who experienced a decrease in convenience stores/small grocery stores within a 0.5-mile distance. No associations were observed among nonmovers. Conclusion: Findings suggest that moving to an area with fewer unhealthy retail food outlets (e.g., convenience stores) is associated with a lower risk of obesity in children. Future research is needed to determine whether larger-scale changes to the retail food environment within a neighborhood can support children's healthy weight.

Quantifying the effect of interpregnancy maternal weight and smoking status changes on childhood overweight and obesity in a UK population-based cohort.

Maternal preconception and pregnancy exposures have been linked to offspring adiposity. We aimed to quantify the effect of changes in maternal weight and smoking status between pregnancies on childhood overweight/obesity (≥ 85th centile) and obesity (≥ 95th centile) rates in second children. Records for 5612 women were drawn from a population-based cohort of routinely collected antenatal healthcare records (2003-2014) linked to measured child body mass index (BMI) age 4-5 years. We applied the parametric G-formula to estimate the effect of hypothetical changes between pregnancy-1 and pregnancy-2 compared to the natural course scenario (without change) on child-2 BMI. Observed overweight/obesity and obesity in child-2 at age 4-5 years were 22.2% and 8·5%, respectively. We estimated that if all mothers started pregnancy-2 with BMI 18·5-24·9 kg/m² and all smokers stopped smoking, then child-2 overweight/obesity and obesity natural course estimates of 22.3% (95% CI 21.2-23.5) and 8·3% (7·6-9·1), would be reduced to 18.5% (17.4-19.9) and 6.2% (5.5-7.0), respectively. For mothers who started pregnancy-1 with BMI 18·5-24·9 kg/m², if all smokers stopped smoking, child-2 overweight/obesity and obesity natural course estimates of 17.3% (16.0-18.6) and 5·9% (5·0-6·7) would be reduced to 16.0% (14.6-17.3) and 4·9% (4·1-5·7), respectively. For mothers who started pregnancy-1 with BMI ≥30 kg/m², if BMI was 18·5-24·9 kg/m² prior to pregnancy-2, child-2 overweight/obesity and obesity natural course estimates of 38.6% (34.7-42.3) and 17·7% (15·1-20·9) would be reduced to 31.3% (23.8-40.0) and 12.5 (8.3-17.4), respectively. If BMI was 25.0-29.9 kg/m² prior to pregnancy-2, these estimates would be 34.5% (29.4-40.4) and 14.6% (11.2-17.8), respectively. Interventions supporting women to lose/maintain weight and quit smoking between pregnancies could help reduce rates of overweight/obesity and obesity in second children. The most effective interventions may vary by maternal BMI prior to the first pregnancy.

Effect of hunger on weight status and weight change: Multiple cross-sectional and a prospective study

Effect of hunger on weight status and weight change: Multiple cross-sectional and a prospective study

Associations between Changes in Body Weight Status and High Blood Pressure among Lithuanian Children and Adolescents during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

(1) Background: High blood pressure (HBP), overweight, and obesity are common, growing public health problems worldwide. The aim of this study was to evaluate associations between changes in body weight status and HBP among Lithuanian children and adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic. (2) Methods: In this study, we analysed data on blood pressure and anthropometric measurements of 2430 children and adolescents aged 8-18 years, who participated in both the baseline study conducted before the COVID-19 pandemic (from November 2019 to March 2020) and the follow-up study during the COVID-19 pandemic (from November 2021 to April 2022). Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to estimate the associations between changes in weight status categories and HBP. (3) Results: At baseline, 17.1% of the subjects had overweight, 5.9% had obesity, 5.6% had abdominal obesity, and 23.7% had HBP, whereas at the follow-up, these percentages increased to 20.1%, 8.2%, 6.8%, and 27.4%, respectively. Compared to schoolchildren who maintained normal weight from baseline to the follow-up period, subjects who newly developed overweight/obesity and those who remained with persistent overweight/obesity had increased odds of HBP, with adjusted odds ratios (aORs) of 1.95 (p < 0.001) and 2.58 (p < 0.001), respectively. In subjects who transitioned from overweight/obesity to normal weight, the odds of HBP were slightly increased, with an aOR of 1.14 (p = 0.598), but the change was not statistically significant (p > 0.05). (4) Conclusions: This study observed an increase in the prevalence of overweight, obesity, and HBP among schoolchildren during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study also suggested that changes from normal body weight status at baseline to overweight/obesity during follow-up, especially persistent overweight/obesity, were associated with higher odds of HBP in Lithuanian children and adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Association of dietary diversity and weight change with cognitive impairment among Chinese elderly: A prospective national cohort study

BackgroundDietary diversity is reported to be beneficial for cognitive function, while the effect may be offset by weight change status. We aimed to examine the association of dietary diversity and weight change with cognitive impairment among older adults. MethodsWe used three waves from 2008 to 2014 of the Chinese Longitudinal Survey of Health and Longevity, which included 16,954 participants for the subsequent screening and analysis. Dietary diversity information was collected from the food frequency questionnaire. Cognitive function was assessed using the Mini Mental State Examination. The relation of dietary diversity and weight change with cognitive impairment was investigated using Cox proportional hazards models and cubic spline regression. ResultsCompared with those reported poor dietary diversity at baseline, participants with good dietary diversity had a 16 % (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.84, 95 % confidence interval [CI]: 0.71–0.99) lower risk of cognitive impairment. The HR and 95 % CI of participants with consistently good dietary diversity from 2008 to 2011 was 0.71 (0.57–0.89) for cognitive impairment compared to those with consistently poor dietary diversity. Compared with the weight stable group, the HRs and 95 % CI for cognitive impairment were 1.34 (1.10–1.64) in weight loss group, and 1.08 (0.88–1.33) in weight gain group. Restricted cubic splines showed the risk of cognitive impairment decreased with higher dietary diversity score or less weight change, though no significant interaction between dietary diversity and weight change was found. LimitationGiven the observational nature of this study, there might be a reverse causation for the observed association. ConclusionEstablishing and maintaining good dietary diversity were associated with a lower risk of cognitive impairment regardless of weight change status, whereas weight loss was associated with increased cognitive impairment risk independently among older Chinese adults.

Does the Association between Changes in Health Behaviors and Weight Gain Differ by Race and Ethnicity During the (COVID)-19 Pandemic? Findings from a Population-based Study

Objectives: We examined racial and ethnic differences in the association between changes in lifestyle behaviors and weight gain during COVID-19. Methods: We obtained data from a 2020 national survey involving 2,709 adult Americans. The outcome of interest was self-reported weight change status; behavioral measures included changes in exercise time, screen time, fast food meals consumed, and alcohol and tobacco use. We performed weighted multivariable logistic regression analyses to examine the association. Results: Non-Hispanic (NH) black adjusted odds ratio (AOR) (AOR = 1.59, 95% CI: 1.21-2.10) and Hispanic respondents (AOR = 1.89; 95% CI: 1.48-2.42) were more likely to experience weight gain, relative to the NH white respondents. Among NH Whites, changes in exercise time (AOR = 0.93), screen time (AOR = 1.16), fast-food meals consumptions (AOR = 1.14), and being drinkers (AOR = 1.35) and smokers (AOR = 0.53) were associated with weight gain; while among Hispanics, only changes in exercise time (AOR = 0.92) and screen time (AOR = 1.14) were associated with weight gain. Changes in exercise time (AOR = 0.94) among NH Blacks and changes in screen time (AOR = 1.16) among NH Asians were associated with weight gain. Conclusions: Risk factors of weight gain differ across racial and ethnic groups during the COVID-19 pandemic. Tailored intervention strategies are warranted to address specific risk behaviors within each racial and ethnic group.

Weight Change After Cancer Diagnosis and Risk of Diabetes Mellitus: A Population-Based Nationwide Study.

Cancer survivors are at increased risk of diabetes mellitus (DM). Additionally, the prevalence of obesity, which is also a risk factor for DM, is increasing in cancer survivors. We investigated the associations between weight change after cancer diagnosis and DM risk. This retrospective cohort study used data from the Korean National Health Insurance Service. Participants who were newly diagnosed with cancer from 2010 to 2016 and received national health screening before and after diagnosis were included and followed until 2019. Weight change status after cancer diagnosis was categorized into four groups: sustained normal weight, obese to normal weight, normal weight to obese, or sustained obese. Cox proportional hazard analyses were performed to examine associations between weight change and DM. The study population comprised 264,250 cancer survivors. DM risk was highest in sustained obese (adjusted hazard ratios, 95% confidence interval: 2.17, 2.08-2.26), followed by normal weight to obese (1.66, 1.54-1.79), obese to normal weight (1.29, 1.21-1.39), and then sustained normal weight group (reference). In subgroup analyses according to cancer type, most cancers showed the highest risks in sustained obese group. Obesity at any time point was related to increased DM risk, presenting the highest risk in cancer survivors with sustained obesity. Survivors who changed from obese to normal weight had lower risk than survivors with sustained obesity. Survivors who changed from normal weight to obese showed increased risk compared to those who sustained normal weight. Our finding supports the significance of weight management among cancer survivors.

Percent Body Fat and Weight Status of Youth Participating in Pediatric Weight Management Programs in the Pediatric Obesity Weight Evaluation Registry.

Factors associated with change in percent body fat (%BF) of children in pediatric weight management (PWM) care may differ from those associated with change in weight status. Objective: To describe %BF and weight status at initial visits to 14 PWM sites, identify differences by sex, and evaluate factors associated with change over 6 months. Methods: Initial visits of 2496 males and 2821 females aged 5-18 years were evaluated. %BF was measured using bioelectrical impedance analysis. Results: Sex-specific logistic regressions [806 males (32.3%), 837 females (29.7%)] identified associations with primary outcomes: lower %BF and metabolically impactful ≥5-point drop in percent of the 95th BMI percentile (%BMIp95) over 6 months. At the initial visit, males had lower %BF and higher %BMIp95 than females. Over 6 months, males had significantly (p < 0.001) greater median drop in %BF (-1.4% vs. -0.4%) and %BMIp95 (-3.0% vs. -1.9%) and a higher frequency of decreased %BF (68.9% vs. 57.8%), but similar percentage with ≥5-point %BMIp95 drop (36.5% vs. 32.4%; p = 0.080). For males, factors significantly associated with decreased %BF (older age, ≥6 visits, lack of developmental or depression/anxiety concerns) were not related to having a ≥5-point %BMIp95 drop. For females, lack of depression/anxiety concern was significantly associated with decreased %BF but was not associated with ≥5-point %BMIp95 drop. Conclusions: There are differences by sex in initial visit %BF and %BMIp95 and in characteristics associated with changes in these measures. PWM interventions should consider evaluating body composition and sex-stratifying outcomes.

Long-term effects of the COVID-19 lockdown on weight status, eating habits, and lifestyle changes related to school-aged children in Bandar Abbas, Iran

BackgroundDespite the end of the COVID-19 lockdown and reopening of schools, the long-term effects of quarantine on the weight status, eating habits, and lifestyle of children and adolescents remain unknown. This study aimed to determine the long-term effects of the lockdown on the weight status, eating habits, and lifestyle changes of children and adolescents in Iran.MethodThis descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted from April to May 2022. The target population comprised one hundred students aged between 10 and 16 years old. Our study obtained students’ weight and height data from records maintained by school principals or physical education instructors before and after the quarantine period. The BMI z-score (zBMI) was calculated for each time point. The researchers also provided a questionnaire to collect the students’ demographic and lifestyle status changes during school closures.ResultsWe found that the zBMI increased significantly from − 0.02 ± 1.64 to 0.36 ± 1.12, and the number of individuals with overweight and obesity increased by 3% during quarantine (P ≤ 0.05). These changes were more pronounced in males and students aged 14–16 years old. We also found that eating habits, sleeping time, sleeping patterns, screen time (time spent on social media per day), and physical activity had significant negative changes during quarantine, and a significant increase in zBMI was observed among students who experienced negative eating behaviors, altered sleeping patterns, and decreased physical activity during school closures.ConclusionAs prolonged school closures due to the COVID-19 lockdown aggravated students’ health and lifestyle status, our findings can aid in proper planning to establish an appropriate framework for the diet, physical activity, and sleeping quality of students during extended school closures.

High BMI z-Scores from Different Growth References Are Not Comparable: An Example from a Weight Management Trial with an Anti-Obesity Medication in Pubertal Adolescents with Obesity.

Background: The BMI z-score is a standardized measure of weight status and weight change in children and adolescents. BMI z-scores from various growth references are often considered comparable, and differences among them are underappreciated. Methods: This study reanalyzed data from a weight management clinical study of liraglutide in pubertal adolescents with obesity using growth references from CDC 2000, CDC Extended, World Health Organization (WHO), and International Obesity Task Force. Results: BMI z-score treatment differences varied 2-fold from -0.13 (CDC 2000) to -0.26 (WHO) overall and varied almost 4-fold from -0.05 (CDC 2000) to -0.19 (WHO) among adolescents with high baseline BMI z-score. Conclusions: Depending upon the growth reference used, BMI z-score endpoints can produce highly variable treatment estimates and alter interpretations of clinical meaningfulness. BMI z-scores cited without the associated growth reference cannot be accurately interpreted.

Tracking changes in weight status in primary school children in Birmingham: an analysis of the National Child Measurement Programme – a retrospective cohort study

One-in-four 4–5 years and more than one-in-three 10–11 years have excess weight in England.AimTo identify characteristics associated with (1) having overweight, obesity and severe obesity at 11 years and (2)...

Weight status changes from childhood to adulthood were associated with cardiometabolic outcomes in adulthood.

Few studies have assessed the association between weight changes from childhood to adulthood and cardiometabolic factors in adulthood. The aim of this study was to explore the relationships between weight changes from childhood to adulthood and cardiometabolic factors in adulthood using national Chinese data. We included 649 participants from the China Health and Nutrition Survey from 1989 to 2009 and divided them into four groups by their body mass index from 6 to 37 years of age. They were selected using multistage random cluster sampling from 15 areas with large variations in economic and social development. Poisson regression models assessed associations between weight status changes and cardiometabolic outcomes in adulthood. The risk of multiple abnormal cardiometabolic outcomes in adulthood was increased in the 126 subjects with normal weight in childhood but overweight or obesity in adulthood and the 28 with obesity at both ages, compared to the 462 with normal weight at both ages. There was insufficient evidence to demonstrate that the 33 who had weight issues as children, but not as adults, had an increased risk. Being overweight or obese in both childhood and adulthood or during adulthood only increased the risk of abnormal cardiometabolic outcomes in adulthood. Larger studies need to investigate whether weight problems in childhood, but not adulthood, increase the risk.

A randomized controlled trial examining general parenting training and family-based behavioral treatment for childhood obesity: The ReFRESH study design

Family-based behavioral treatment (FBT) is one of the most effective treatments for childhood obesity. These programs include behavior change strategies and basic parenting training to help parents make healthy diet and physical activity changes for their children. While effective, not all families respond to this program. Additional training on how to effectively deliver these behavior change strategies may improve outcomes. The authoritative parenting style is associated with many positive academic and socio-emotional outcomes in children, and is characterized by displays of warmth and support while also being consistent with setting limits and boundaries. This parenting style has also been associated with normal weight status. Furthermore, parenting training programs that promote this parenting style for children with behavioral issues have shown unintended effects on decreasing child weight status. Therefore, our goal was to examine the effect of adding more intensive parenting training to FBT on child weight status. We randomized 140 children and their parent to either FBT or FBT + Parenting Training (FBT + PT). Assessments were conducted at baseline, mid-treatment (month 3), post-treatment (month 6), 6-month follow-up (month 12), and 12-month follow-up (month 18). Primary outcome was change in child weight status. Secondary outcomes were rates of drop-out, treatment adherence, and acceptability. If effective, this program may provide another alternative for families to help improve outcomes in childhood obesity management.

Abstract 4191: Delayed onset of GvHD in PBMC humanized NCG-B2m KO mice provides an enhanced model for oncology studies

Abstract Humanized mice are specialized animal models incorporating components of the human immune system. These models are valuable tools for assessing the efficacy of human immunotherapies on tumors. Humanized mice are created by injecting human CD34+ hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) or human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) into an immunodeficient mouse. PBMC humanized (HuPBMC) mice engraft within a few weeks and can recapitulate a robust human T cell population. One challenge when using HuPBMC mice is the onset of graft versus host disease (GvHD), limiting their lifespan compared to hCD34+ HSC humanized mice. The onset of GvHD varies in the HuPBMC model depending on the donor cells. The development of xenogeneic GvHD is dependent on the expression of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) on host cells and lowering MHC expression can delay the onset of GvHD.NCG-B2m KO mice lack beta-2 microglobulin, a component of MHC I, and have lower cell surface expression of MHC I molecules. This leads to a decrease in recognition of host cells by human immune cells. Here we compared the onset of GvHD between HuPBMC NCG-B2m KO mice and HuPBMC NCG mice. PBMC donor variability was also compared between the two PBMC humanized models by evaluating multiple donors and assessing additional collections from the same donor. After the PBMC engraftment was characterized, HuPBMC NCG mice and HuPBMC NCG-B2m KO mice were enrolled in tumor studies comparing outcomes and tumor growth kinetics in mice treated with human immune checkpoint blockade therapy.NCG and NCG-B2m KO mice were injected with 1x107 PBMCs from individual donors. Animals were weighed three times a week to monitor for changes in body weight and general health status. Peripheral blood was collected at day 10, 20, 30, 40, 60 and 90 post injection for flow cytometry screening of human immune cell engraftment (hCD45+, hCD3+, hCD4+ and hCD8+). Human PBMCs isolated from additional collections from the same donors were also injected into both NCG-B2m KO mice and NCG mice and flow cytometry was performed. HuPBMC NCG-B2m KO mice survived longer than HuPBMC NCG mice allowing for the potential use in longer term tumor studies before the results are confounded by GvHD. PBMC humanized mice are an important model for translational research using immunotherapies and the PBMC humanized NCG-B2m KO model provides an expanded study window ideal for oncology studies. Citation Format: Steven Bronson, David Harris, Anya Avrutskaya, Christoph Eberle, Jenny Rowe. Delayed onset of GvHD in PBMC humanized NCG-B2m KO mice provides an enhanced model for oncology studies [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 4191.

Changes in weight status of caregivers of children and adolescents enrolled in a community-based healthy lifestyle programme: Five-year follow-up

Whānau Pakari is a family-centred healthy lifestyle programme for children/adolescents with overweight/obesity in New Zealand. This secondary analysis from our randomised trial within the clinical service assessed 5-year BMI changes in accompanying caregivers (n = 23), mostly mothers. Overall, baseline and 5-year caregivers’ BMI were similar (32.50 vs 31.42 kg/m2, respectively; p = 0.31) but two-thirds (65%) experienced BMI reductions. Five-year BMI change was similar in High-intensity and Low-intensity randomisation groups [–1.37 kg/m2 (–4.95, 2.21); p = 0.44]. Caregiver’s BMI change was not associated with child’s BMI change. Despite no overall BMI reduction, our findings contrast with upward BMI trajectories predicted for NZ adults with overweight/obesity.

Variation in body size and weight status among Hindu and Muslim Indian males born in the 1890s through the 1950s

Hindus and Muslims represent the two largest religions in India, and also differ in nutritional status, health-related habits and standard of living associated with economic disparities. In this context, the present study considered estimated secular changes in body size, proportions, and weight status among Hindu and Muslim Indian men. The data are from anthropological surveys in the 1970s which included measurements of height, weight and sitting height of 43,950 males 18–84 years (birth years 1891–1957). Leg length was estimated; the BMI and sitting height/height ratio were calculated. Heights of men 35 + years were adjusted for estimated height loss with age. Weight status was also classified relative to WHO criteria for the BMI. Anthropometric characteristics of the two groups were compared with MANCOVA with age and geographic region as covariates. Linear regression of height on year of birth was also used to estimate secular change in each group. Heights, weights, and BMIs tended to be, on average, greater among Muslim than Hindu men at most ages, while distributions by weight status between groups were negligible. Sitting height was greater among Muslim men but estimated leg length did not differ between groups; the sitting height/height ratio thus suggested proportionally shorter legs among Muslim men. Results of the regression analyses indicated negligible differences in secular change between groups across the total span of birth years but indicated a decline in adjusted heights of men in both groups born between 1891 through 1930s and little secular change among those born in the 1930s through 1957. The variation in heights, weights and BMIs between Muslim and Hindu men at most ages suggested variation in socio-economic status and dietary habits between the groups, whereas the negligible estimated secular changes in height between groups likely reflected economic, social, and nutritional conditions during the interval of British rule and the transition to independence.

Change in neighborhood socioeconomic status and childhood weight status and body composition from birth to adolescence

BackgroundWe aim to assess the associations between the change in neighborhood socioeconomic score (SES) between birth and 6 years and childhood weight status and body composition from 6 to 13 years.MethodsData for 3909 children from the Generation R Study, a prospective population-based cohort in the Netherlands were analyzed. The change in neighborhood SES between birth and 6 years was defined as static-high, static-middle, static-low, upward, and downward mobility. Child body mass index (BMI), overweight and obesity (OWOB), fat mass index (FMI) and lean mass index (LMI) were measured at age 6, 10, and 13 years. The associations were explored using generalized estimating equations. The effect modification by child sex was examined.ResultsIn total, 19.5% and 18.1% of children were allocated to the upward mobility and downward mobility neighborhood SES group. The associations between the change in neighborhood SES and child weight status and body composition were moderated by child sex (p < 0.05). Compared to girls in the static-high group, girls in the static-low group had relatively higher BMI-SDS (β, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.24, 0.09–0.40) and higher risk of OWOB (RR, 95% CI: 1.98, 1.35–2.91), together with higher FMI-SDS (β, 95% CI: 0.27, 0.14–0.41) and LMI-SDS (β, 95% CI: 0.18, 0.03–0.33). The associations in boys were not significant.ConclusionsAn increased BMI and fat mass, and higher risk of OWOB from 6 to 13 years were evident in girls living in a low-SES neighborhood or moving downward from a high- to a low-SES neighborhood. Support for children and families from low-SES neighborhoods is warranted.

Weight change and all-cause and cause-specific mortality: A 25-year follow-up study.

Whether the dynamic weight change is an independent risk factor for mortality remains controversial. This study aimed to examine the association between weight change and risk of all-cause and cause-specific mortality based on the Linxian Nutrition Intervention Trial (NIT) cohort. Body weight of 21,028 healthy residents of Linxian, Henan province, aged 40-69 years was measured two times from 1986 to 1991. Outcome events were prospectively collected up to 2016. Weight maintenance group (weight change <2kg) or stable normal weight group was treated as the reference. Cox proportional hazard model was performed to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) to estimate the risk of mortality. A total of 21,028 subjects were included in the final analysis. Compared with the weight maintenance group, subjects with weight loss ≥2kg had an increased risk of death from all-cause (HR All-cause =1.14, 95% CI: 1.09-1.19, P <0.001), cancer (HR Cancer =1.12, 95% CI: 1.03-1.21, P =0.009), and heart disease (HR Heart diseases =1.21, 95% CI: 1.11-1.31, P <0.001), whereas subjects with weight gain ≥5kg had 11% (HR Cancer =0.89, 95% CI: 0.79-0.99, P =0.033) lower risk of cancer mortality and 23% higher risk of stroke mortality (HR Stroke =1.23,95% CI: 1.12-1.34, P <0.001). For the change of weight status, both going from overweight to normal weight and becoming underweight within 5 years could increase the risk of total death (HR Overweight to normal = 1.18, 95% CI: 1.09-1.27; HR Becoming underweight = 1.35, 95% CI: 1.25-1.46) and cancer death (HR Overweight to normal = 1.20, 95% CI: 1.04-1.39; HR Becoming underweight = 1.44, 95% CI: 1.24-1.67), while stable overweight could increase the risk of total death (HR Stable overweight = 1.11, 95% CI: 1.05-1.17) and death from stroke (HR Stable overweight = 1.44, 95% CI: 1.33-1.56). Interaction effects were observed between age and weight change on cancer mortality, as well as between baseline BMI and weight change on all-cause, heart disease, and stroke mortality (all Pinteraction <0.01). Weight loss was associated with an increased risk of all-cause, cancer, and heart disease mortality, whereas excessive weight gain and stable overweight were associated with a higher risk of stroke mortality. Efforts of weight management should be taken to improve health status. https://classic.clinicaltrials.gov/ , NCT00342654.