Changes in Cardiovascular Risk Factors Over 6 Years in Young Adults in a Randomized Trial of Weight Gain Prevention

Does the neighborhood built environment moderate the effectiveness of a weight-loss intervention for mothers with overweight or obesity? Findings from the Healthy Eating and Active Living Taught at Home (HEALTH) study

BACKGROUND

Women of childbearing age are vulnerable to weight gain and experience a high prevalence of obesity due to pregnancy and stressors of parenthood. Lifestyle interventions such as the Healthy Eating and Active Living Taught at Home (HEALTH) study have been effective for weight loss; however, little is known about how the built environment (parks, transit, grocery stores, fast food, walkability etc.), where participants live might modify intervention effectiveness. This study examined whether characteristics of the neighborhood built environment modified effectiveness of the HEALTH study on weight loss.  METHODS: Secondary data analysis was conducted using data from HEALTH. Using GIS, buffers were built around participant addresses to capture distance to and availability of food (grocery store, convenience store, fast food) and urban design and transit (parks, street connectivity, transit) built environment characteristics. Built environment characteristics were dichotomized into low and high density and distance. Likelihood ratio tests for interaction were conducted to determine if built environment characteristics modified intervention effectiveness on Body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC). Mixed effects linear regression models were then run to estimate the effect of the HEALTH intervention on weight outcomes at 24-months across both strata of built environment characteristics.  RESULTS: The analytic sample (n = 151) had baseline mean BMI 34.9 (SD = 5.8) and mean WC 46.0 cm (SD4.9). All urban design and transit and all food environment characteristics modified HEALTH effectiveness on one or both weight outcomes. The built environment modified the HEALTH intervention such that it was mostly effective for mothers residing in neighborhoods with low transit access, low street connectivity, high park access, and low access to grocery stores, convenience stores, and fast food.

CONCLUSIONS

Result show the HEALTH was most effective for women residing neighborhoods with built environment characteristics suggestive of suburban neighborhood typology. To maximize impact for mothers residing in all types of neighborhoods, future research should explore scaling up HEALTH in suburban settings, while adapting HEALTH to maximize effectiveness in compact neighborhoods most likely, urban core neighborhoods.

Uric acid as a predictor of weight gain and cardiometabolic health in the Study of Novel Approaches to Weight Gain Prevention (SNAP) study

Young adulthood is often a period of substantial weight gain increasing risk for obesity and cardiometabolic disease. Uric acid (UA), a clinical marker of oxidative stress, is associated with cardiometabolic dysfunction in established CVD, type 2 diabetes, and CKD. Yet, few trials have examined UA as a predictor of cardiometabolic risk in young, healthy populations, particularly in the context of weight gain prevention intervention. The purpose of this ancillary study was to examine UA in the Study of Novel Approaches to Weight Gain Prevention (SNAP), a randomized, controlled trial of weight gain prevention strategies in young healthy adults. UA was examined as a predictor of weight and cardiometabolic outcomes over 6 years; the impact of weight gain prevention interventions on UA was also examined. We found that higher baseline UA was a significant predictor of less favorable BMI, triglycerides, HDL, glucose, insulin, and HOMA, independent of age, sex, baseline weight, baseline level of the outcome variable, and weight gain prevention intervention. Additionally, ≥1% weight loss was associated with lower UA. UA is a promising biomarker for future weight gain and cardiometabolic risk in young adults that may respond to weight gain prevention.Clinical trial registration: clinicaltrials.gov identifier NCT01183689.

Weight Gain Predicts Metabolic Syndrome among North Korean Refugees in South Korea

Previous cross-sectional studies showed that immigrants from low-income to high-income countries have higher risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus. We investigated the association between weight gain during the resettlement in South Korea and risk of metabolic syndrome (MetS) among North Korean refugees (NKRs) in this cross-sectional study. In total, 932 NKRs aged 20-80 years in South Korea voluntarily underwent health examination from 2008 to 2017. We compared the risk of MetS and its components between the weight gain group (gained ≥5 kg) and the non-weight gain group (gained <5 kg, maintained or lost body weight) during resettlement in South Korea after defection from North Korea. Multiple logistic regression analysis predicted odds ratio of MetS on the basis of weight change, adjusting for covariates and current body mass index (BMI). We also evaluated the difference in body composition of NKRs between two groups. The prevalence of MetS in the weight gain group was 26%, compared to 10% in the non-weight gain group (p-value < 0.001). The weight gain group had a two-fold higher risk of MetS than the non-weight gain group after adjusting for current BMI (odds ratio 1.875, p-value = 0.045). The prevalence of central obesity, impaired fasting glucose, elevated blood pressure, and hypertriglyceridemia were higher in the weight gain group than the non-weight gain group (36% vs. 12%, p-value < 0.001; 32% vs. 19%, p-value < 0.001; 34 vs. 25%, p-value = 0.008; 19% vs. 13%, p-value = 0.025, respectively). The analysis of body composition showed that the percentage of body fat in the weight gain group was higher than in the non-weight gain group, indicating increased fat mass rather than muscle mass in the weight gain group as their body weight increased during resettlement (33.4 ± 6.53% vs. 28.88 ± 7.40%, p < 0.005). Excess weight gain after defection from North Korea increased the risk of MetS among NKRs in South Korea. It is necessary to monitor weight change among NKRs and their effect on their metabolic health in the long term.