Lifestyle and treatment adherence among overweight adolescents

Physical Activity and Social Network Use of Adolescents in Overweight and Obesity Treatment

Tackling obesity among adolescents requires the optimization of existing obesity treatment strategies. For this purpose, social and personal circumstances, individual needs and behavior of therapy participants need to be analyzed to tailor aims, content and methods of therapy interventions to the target groups. A total of 432 obesity therapy participants between 11 and 17 years completed a written survey in a national multi-center study conducted in 2015. The data collection on behavior, in terms of physical activity, media use and sociodemographic variables, was based on questionnaires from the KiGGS, HBSC and JIM studies. The results show that participants were found to be physically active together with friends (75.5%), alone (41.4%) and in sports clubs (34.9%). Girls (OR 1.55) were less likely to participate in sports clubs. Social networks, especially YouTube, WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook, were widely used. However, differences emerged among sociodemographic groups (e.g., boys vs. girls) regarding the use of social network features. A third of participants reported that smartphone apps regularly encouraged them to exercise. The findings imply that obesity therapy approaches need to be adapted and more differentiated according to the specific needs of the target groups.

Weight loss interventions for overweight and obese adolescents: a systematic review

PURPOSE

To determine what factors contribute to the efficacy of non-drug treatments designed to promote weight loss in overweight and obese adolescents.

METHODS

Data sources Medline/PubMed; Psychinfo; EMBASE; Web of Science (ISI); and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. Study selection Randomized clinical trials of treatments for obesity and overweight in adolescents aged 10-19 years with a minimum duration of 2 months. Data extraction 115 of the 12,948 publications retrieved met eligibility criteria and 26 were included in the final sample. Period of extraction January 2004 to November 2014.

RESULTS

The Delphi list was used to evaluate the methodological quality of the studies (M = 5.58, SD = 1.027). There was considerable variability between the interventions, but they were all multifactorial, with components such as nutritional education, physical activity, family support and psychological therapy. The number of contacts with subjects during the course of the intervention was a predictor of treatment efficacy when the groups were compared. Limitations This systematic review was limited to trials reported in English and by the lack of methodological rigor and shortcomings in reporting in the studies reviewed.

CONCLUSIONS

Multidisciplinary interventions including family support and guided behavior modification appear to be effective methods of reducing BMI in overweight and obese adolescents.

Obese children are thin in parents' eyes: A psychologically, socially, or culturally driven bias?

Although obesity presents a serious health problem in children, parents often underestimate their children's overweight and obesity status. Therefore, scientific literature was systematically screened through PubMed and PsycINFO to demonstrate the psychological, social, and cultural processes that underlie this evaluation bias. A total of 37 papers that focused on research conducted in different geopolitical contexts were taken into account. Furthermore, a lexicometric analysis of the papers' conclusions was performed. The findings showed that education plays a key role in promoting parents' awareness and their realistic recognition of their children's weight. Accordingly, adequate educational support for parents should be implemented in all healthcare policies addressing childhood obesity.

Differential food intake and food choice by depression and body mass index levels following a mood manipulation in a buffet-style setting

While eating in response to emotional cues is associated with intake of unhealthy foods, less is known about the extent to which obesity and depression may differentially influence food intake in a buffet-style setting where low- and high-calorie foods are available to choose from. Using a counterbalanced design, 154 participants were grouped by depression and obesity categories, then asked to read a series of vignettes that were sad (on 1 day) and neutral (on a different day), followed by a buffet to eat until full. Food intake (in grams and calories) and food choice (number of high- or low-calorie food options) were recorded. Results showed that participants who were obese and depressed had significantly greater energy intake following the sad versus happy vignette, largely due to increased intake of high-calorie foods. The results corroborate recent theories on emotional eating and extend the ecological validity of such effects in a buffet-style setting.

'I just don't want to get bullied anymore, then I can lead a normal life'; Insights into life as an obese adolescent and their views on obesity treatment

BACKGROUND

Adolescent obesity is a complex condition involving social, emotional, behavioural and cultural issues.

DESIGN

One-to-one interviews and small focus groups with overweight and obese young people were conducted. Qualitative research is an appropriate method to explore the complexity of this issue.

SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

Overweight and obese adolescent's attending a community weight management intervention in South Yorkshire.

MAIN VARIABLES STUDIED

Interviews aimed to explore the experiences of obese adolescents and their perspectives towards obesity treatment.

RESULTS

Adolescent's provided detailed accounts of their perspectives on weight gain, alluding to disordered patterns of eating and overeating, reported as being triggered by social and emotional factors, and in particular, bullying. Avoidance of bullying and a desire to integrate socially with peers were key drivers to seek treatment. Young people reported what they should do to lose weight, yet responsibility for successful weight loss and lifestyle change was repeatedly attributed to the treatment received, as opposed to viewing this as a combination of self-motivation coupled with support provided by friends and family.

CONCLUSION

Weight loss programmes need to consider the complex experience of obese young people in their design, focusing on how to implement long-term lifestyle changes.

Predictors of adherence in a prevention program for patients with metabolic syndrome

The study objectives were (1) comparison of baseline characteristics between individuals with metabolic syndrome, adhering/not adhering to a primary prevention program modificação do estilo de vida e risco cardiovascular; and (2) determination of risk factors for program adherence. The sample included 127 participants with mean age (±standard deviation) of 49.58 (±7.77) years, participating in the modificação do estilo de vida e risco cardiovascular between 2010 and 2012. Results show that program adherence predictors were age (odds ratio: 1.134, 95% confidence interval: 1.106-1.833); practicing physical exercise (odds ratio: 1.322, 95% confidence interval: 1.115-7.589); self-efficacy for regular eating habits (odds ratio: 2.044, 95% confidence interval: 1.184-3.377); low binge eating scores (odds ratio: 1.922, 95% confidence interval: 1.118-3.974); and low isolation and depression scores (odds ratio: 0.721, 95% confidence interval: 0.322-0.917).

Measuring health-promoting behaviors: cross-cultural validation of the Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile-II

PURPOSE

Individual lifestyles have emerged as valuable health constructs. This study aims to psychometrically test the Portuguese (European) version of the Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile-II.

METHODS

After an adequate linguistic and cultural adaptation of the Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile-II scale, their psychometric properties were assessed (N = 889) by Cronbach's alpha and confirmatory factor analysis.

FINDINGS

Results showed an adequate fit to a 52-item, six-factor structure. A global alpha of .925 was obtained.

CONCLUSIONS

The Portuguese version demonstrated good validity and reliability in a wide adult sample, and can thus be applied to the Portuguese population.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE

This instrument is useful as an evaluation tool for health-promoting lifestyles and as an instrument for testing the effectiveness of health-promoting programs.