Prevalence and determinants of overweight and obesity among preschool-aged children from migrant and socioeconomically disadvantaged contexts in Montreal, Canada

Deciphering the concurrent phenomenon of childhood malnutrition by using the extended composite index of anthropometric failure (ECIAF): facts from the BESLEN project

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the co-existence of single and multiple anthropometric failures among children using an extended composite index of anthropometric failure (ECIAF). This study aims to elucidate the complex interplay between child-specific and maternal factors, highlighting the multifaceted nature of childhood malnutrition.

DESIGN

A multicentre cross-sectional study as part of the BESLEN project.

SETTING

Mother-Child Education Centre in the Pendik district of Istanbul, Türkiye.

PARTICIPANTS

1283 children (preschool children, n 822, school-aged children, n 462) and 1044 mothers.

RESULTS

Almost 1/3 of the children included in the study had an anthropometric failure as determined by ECIAF. Weight excess was the leading cause of the total anthropometric failures, most of which were observed to be slightly higher in boys, except for stunting only and co-occurrence of stunting and underweight. Among the mother-related factors, including higher BMI and waist circumference, low maternal age at delivery, low number of children in the household and being a single parent may be considered predisposing factors to any phenomenon of childhood malnutrition. Among child-related factors, birth weight being ≥ 3500 g had a higher risk for ECIAF failure, and children aged ≥ 60 months were more likely to experience stunting and underweight, while those < 60 months had a higher prevalence of weight excess.

CONCLUSIONS

The co-existence of stunting and overweight, the occurrence of weight excess in one in three stunted children and the high risk of central obesity are public health concerns. Also, ECIAF can better assess all aspects of childhood malnutrition than conventional measures.

Reasons and promotion strategies of physical activity constraints in obese/overweight children and adolescents

To explore the reasons for low levels of physical activity in obese/overweight children and adolescents and to propose appropriate strategies to promote their physical activity (PA). This review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines by searching and analyzing the literature of studies related to physical activity in obese/overweight children and adolescents published between January 2003 and January 2023 in Web of Science, Scopus, and PubMed databases. A total of 31 relevant studies were included for analysis, of which 16 were quantitative and 15 qualitative. According to these studies, the PA of obese/overweight children and adolescents is mainly constrained by negative factors: Individual, interpersonal, and environmental. Among these factors, low levels of individual motivation and psychological sensitivity and vulnerability, lack of family support, negative social feedback, insufficient protection from government policies, and inadequate support from the built environment are the main reasons that constrain their PA. The promotion of PA in obese/overweight children and adolescents, who are subject to more constraints at all levels, requires a system of security that involves the government, the community, the school, and the family to address the problems they encounter and enhance the sustainability of engagement in PA.