The health implications of overweight and obesity

Factors associated with obesity among women in bahrain

A sample of 420 women who attended a physical fitness program run by General Organization for Youth and Sport, was selected to study the association between obesity and some factors among adult females in Bahrain. Women were grouped into two categories, obese and non-obese, based on Body Mass Index (wt/ht2). The results revealed that age, education, employment, marital status, family size and practicing exercises before joining the fitness program have a statistically significant association with obesity, while ownership of cars, availability of housemaids, family history of obesity and meal patterns have no statistically significant association. There were no differences in source of nutrition information between obese and non-obese women. The study suggested that health education programs should focus on both sociocultural factors and health factors for preventing obesity in the community.

Characteristics of obesity: an overview

Obesity is considered to be a major nutritional disorder in the U.S. and in many parts of the industrialized world. The physiology of the obese and their propensity for chronic disease has been of growing interest over the past few years, and an extensive literature has begun to accumulate. Obesity is a heterogeneous disorder. When viewed in the broadest sense, it has been considered a disorder of energy balance. The development of obesity in humans is of complex etiology, involving genetic and environmental components that affect regulatory and metabolic events. The prevalence of overweight and obesity in a population depends on the particular reference or standard of desirable weight selected for use. A trend toward increasing height and weight has been evident among adults for several centuries, and among children as early as the 7th year of life in developed countries. Overweight persons are at increased risk for coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, diabetes mellitus, and cancer. The degree of overweight that carries additional risk without affecting mortality needs to be defined. Overweight most likely contributes in varying degrees to morbidity in different societies, because the risk for most common chronic diseases is multifactorial. In defining overweight and obesity, morbidity, in addition to mortality, ought to be taken into consideration. The multidisciplinary approach to the study of obesity--borrowing concepts and techniques from endocrinology, neurobiology, genetics, and nutrition--should yield new insights into how environmental factors such as diet and physical expenditure interact to influence energy metabolism and body composition.

Thermogenic effects of commercially available plant preparations aimed at treating human obesity

Different commercially available plant preparations have been claimed to have anti-obesity action. We investigated the acute effects of oral administration of 12 of these preparations in non-obese women and men. No significant increase in energy expenditure (EE) has been noted after treatment with any of these preparations. No change in respiratory quotient (RQ) was shown, except after treatment with maté (Ilex paraguariensis) extract, where a drop in RQ was observed, indicating a rise in the proportion of fat oxidized. The results suggested the poor potential of these plant preparations in the treatment of obesity, except possibly for the maté extract. Further studies are required to explore the influence of higher dosages of these preparations as well as chronic administration in man.

Dietary assessment of male students: a study of what they wasted while in residence

The present study was conducted to provide the anthropometric measurements and energy intake of male university students. Edible plate waste was assessed. A total of 90 male students participated in the anthropometric study. Meal and edible plate waste were analyzed for their contents of moisture, crude protein, crude lipid, ash and fiber. Total carbohydrates were calculated by difference. Total served meals and edible plate waste were assessed quantitatively using a weight technique. Total energy intake was 85% of the RDA. The students had higher intakes of protein and fat and lower intakes of carbohydrate than the recommended levels. The collected data showed that plate waste was influenced by the timing of the meal. Plate waste was higher for dinner (39.74%) and lower for lunch (22.67%).

Obesity among secondary school students in Bahrain

The aim of this study is to estimate the prevalence of obesity and factors associated with it in Bahraini secondary school students. A cross-sectional study involving a sample of 825 students (417 boys and 408 girls) aged 15 to 21 years was obtained from secondary schools. Obesity was determined using body mass index (BMI = Wt/Ht2). The findings revealed that 15.6% of boys and 17.4% of girls were either overweight or obese (BMI > or = 25). Family size, parents education, and family history of obesity were significantly associated with obesity among boys, while family history was the only socio-economic factors statistically associated with obesity among girls. Meal patterns such as eating between meals, number of meals per day, and method of eating were not associated with obesity in students. Boys who ate alone were 3 times more likely to be obese than those who ate with family members (odd ratio = 3.4). Measures to prevent and control obesity among children are suggested.

Multivariate prediction of total and cardiovascular mortality in an obese Polynesian population

The effects of body weight and blood pressure on the risk of total mortality and mortality from cardiovascular diseases (CVD) were examined in a prospective sample of 5,866 adult residents of American Samoa, a Polynesian population noted for exhibiting high levels of obesity. Data collected during 1975-76 were linked to mortality records from 1976 through 1981. In logistic regression models which did not include blood pressure, percent of desirable weight was an important risk factor for mortality from CVD, but it was not an important risk factor when diastolic blood pressure was included in the model. Percent of desirable weight was not related to mortality from all causes combined in either Samoan men or women. Age and diastolic blood pressure were predictors of total and CVD mortality in men and women. These results, in an obese population, suggest that body weight and obesity are not independently related to excess mortality in the very obese, although they may associate with high blood pressure. These results also suggest that relations between physiological characteristics and mortality may vary with cultural, genetic, or other factors not examined in this study.