Overweight and obesity and their associated factors among early adolescence school children in urban and rural Portugal

Movement Behaviour and Health Outcomes in Rural Children: A Systematic Review

BACKGROUND

Studies with rural children are limited, and results are divergent regarding the information on movement behaviours.

PURPOSE

to (i) describe the physical activity and sedentary behaviour in children; (ii) synthetize the year and place of publication, methodological quality, and instruments used to measure physical activity and sedentary behaviour; and (iii) to analyse the relationship between physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and health outcomes in these children.

METHODS

We use the databases PubMed, Web of Science, SPORTDiscus, Scopus, Virtual Health Library, and SciELO, considering papers published until October 2021. A total of 12,196 studies were identified, and after the exclusion of duplicate, title and abstract screening, and the full-text assessment, a total of 68 were included in the study.

RESULTS

A cross-sectional design was dominant among the studies, with sample sizes ranging from 23 to 44,631 children of both sexes. One-third of the studies were conducted in North America and Europe, and most of them used device-based measurements. Inequalities were observed regarding sex, age, economic level, race, and physical activity domains within and between the places of residence. Sociodemographic characteristics were also related to health outcomes for children living in rural and urban areas.

CONCLUSION

It is necessary to increase the evidence on movement behaviours among children living in the countries of South America and Oceania, as well as to increase the level of evidence on the role of school for physical activity in children in rural areas, given the inconsistent findings.

PROGNOSTIC CRITERIA OF EXCESSIVE BODY WEIGHT DEVELOPMENT AMONG SCHOOLCHILDREN BY THE RESULTS OF ANAMNESTIC SURVEY

OBJECTIVE

The aim: To elaborate prognostic criteria to assess the risk of excessive body weight development among schoolchildren on the basis of hereditary and behavioral predictors.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Materials and methods: 90 parents of school age children were interviewed by means of the social study method.

RESULTS

Results: Hereditary status (1 and 2 congeniality degree to type 2 diabetes mellitus, arterial hypertension, excessive body weight, cases of myocardial infarction and/or stroke available among relatives) and behavioral characteristics (peculiarities of diet and physical activity of a child) were studied among school age children. The risks promoting development of an excessive body weight under conditions of hereditary and behavioral factors were assessed. The prognostic matrix elaborated enables to predict development of an excessive body weight of a child under a comprehensive effect of unfavorable hereditary and behavioral characteristics with a high accuracy (AUC = 0,88, Std. Dev. = 0,0451).

CONCLUSION

Conclusions: The method elaborated enables to find children with the risk of an excessive body weight development and introduce individualized prophylaxis measures in order to prevent development of obesity and diseases associated with an excessive body weight.

Prevalence and Determinants of Underweight, Overweight, and Obesity: A Cross-Sectional Study of Sociodemographic, Dietary, and Lifestyle Factors Among Adolescent Girls in Jutiapa, Guatemala

BACKGROUND

As the incidence of overweight continues to increase among children and adolescents in Guatemala, underweight remains a prominent health problem. However, the prevalence of overweight or underweight and associated risk factors has not been investigated among adolescent girls.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the prevalence of underweight and overweight/obesity and associated sociodemographic, dietary, and lifestyle factors among adolescent girls in Jutiapa, Guatemala.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study of a subsample of 392 girls aged 12 to 17 years from an agriculture-nutrition trial was conducted. Anthropometric data were obtained using standard methods. Sociodemographic, dietary, and lifestyle data were collected using a structured questionnaire. Multivariable logistic regression was conducted using underweight (body mass index [BMI] for age < 5th percentile) and overweight/obesity (BMI for age ≥ 85th percentile) as outcome variables.

RESULTS

The prevalence of underweight and overweight/obesity was 9.9% and 15.6%, respectively. Age (15-17 years), high waist circumference, high blood pressure, father being a farmer, large family (> 5 persons), hours spent watching TV, and high red meat consumption were significantly associated with underweight. Whereas being in school, high waist circumference, high blood pressure, overweight/obese mother, unemployed father, watching TV for more than 2 hours, having soft drinks at home, and meeting fruit recommendations were significantly associated with overweight/obesity.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings highlight the importance of concurrently addressing underweight and overweight/obesity among adolescent girls in rural Guatemala. Studies in various parts of the country are needed to confirm the results of the present study and for appropriate strategies to be implemented to reduce both underweight and overweight.

Diet Quality Compared to the Nutritional Knowledge of Polish, German, and Slovakian University Students-Preliminary Research

The eating habits of students differ significantly from those recommended by health practitioners. The aim of this study was to find differences related to diet quality and knowledge on nutrition among Polish, German, and Slovakian students as well as to examine which factors differentiate the diet quality of students from these three countries. The study was conducted on a group of 394 university students from Poland, Germany, and Slovakia. The assessment of diet quality and knowledge on food and nutrition was done with the use of the Dietary Habits and Nutrition Beliefs Questionnaire. The diet of German students was characterized by a significantly higher consumption of legume-based foods, vegetables, and fruit compared to Polish students and Slovakian participants (p < 0.001). The diet of the Poles was characterized by a high consumption of cured meat, smoked sausages, hot dogs, white bread and bakery products, butter, fried foods, and energy drinks. The most important factors significantly associated with diet quality involved the country, place of residence, Body Mass Index (BMI), physical activity, and time spent watching TV or using a computer. Polish students were characterized by the highest level of knowledge on food and nutrition (p < 0.001). However, it was not reflected in their diet. The authorities of universities should aim to provide students with access to canteens on campuses which would offer the possibility of consumption of both affordable and healthy meals.

The Predictors of Obesity among Urban Girls and Boys Aged 8-10 Years-A Cross-Sectional Study in North-Western Poland

BACKGROUND

Children worldwide are increasingly becoming overweight and obese and developing related health problems, including hypertension, lipid disorders, abnormal glucose tolerance, type 2 diabetes, and secondary psychological disorders. The aim of the study was to determine sociodemographic risk factors that predict an increase in BMI in children at an early school age.

MATERIAL AND METHOD

The study covered 4972 children aged 8-10 years, including boys (N = 2461) and girls (N = 2511). Measurements of basic anthropometric indicators were used, such as body height, body weight, body composition, and physical fitness. The criteria developed by the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) were adopted. Sociodemographic features were analyzed based on a diagnostic survey. IBM SPSS Statistics v.25 (Mineral Midrange SA, Warsaw, Poland) and IBM SPSS Amos software (Mineral Midrange SA, Warsaw, Poland) were used to perform descriptive statistics, the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, Pearson's chi-square test, Student's t-test, and the Mann-Whitney U test. The statistical significance index was assumed to be p < 0.05, while p < 0.01 was taken as an indicator of a trend which was not completely statistically significant.

RESULTS

Both the children and their parents had mainly moderate BMI. A total of 78.7% of children were within the weight norm. Among girls, extreme obesity was two times more frequent than extreme underweight. The examined boys were significantly taller, heavier, and had a higher BMI than girls. There were significant differences between boys and girls in BMI; however, gender alone accounted for less than 1% variance. The influence of parents' characteristics was much greater, increasing the explained variance to 10%. Body weight of mothers and fathers (p < 0.001), mother's height (p < 0.01) and both parents' level of education (p < 0.001) were detected as significant predictors of children's BMI.

CONCLUSIONS

The analysis of selected sociodemographic and health factors determining the BMI of the child population indicates the need for preventive action and health promotion both among children and their parents.