Joint association of screen time and physical activity with anthropometric measures in Iranian children and adolescents: the weight disorders survey of the CASPIAN-IV study

Independent and Combined Associations of Physical Activity and Screen Time With Biomarkers of Inflammation in Children and Adolescents With Overweight/Obesity

PURPOSE

Inflammation regulation is important for obesity management and prevention of obesity-related diseases. This cross-sectional study aimed to analyze the independent and combined associations of physical activity and screen time with biomarkers of inflammation in children and adolescents with overweight/obesity.

METHOD

A total of 1289 children and adolescents with overweight/obesity were included from the 2015 to 2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Multivariable linear regressions were conducted for the association analyses.

RESULTS

For the independent associations, a negative dose-dependent relationship was demonstrated between physical activity and inflammatory biomarker high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) in adolescents with overweight/obesity (P < .001) but not children; screen time was not associated with hsCRP in both children and adolescents. No significant association was found between physical activity or screen time with other inflammatory biomarkers. For the combined associations, there was an interaction between physical activity and screen time on hsCRP in adolescents with overweight/obesity (P = .014). In addition, the negative association between physical activity and hsCRP was greater in boys compared with girls and in Hispanic and non-Hispanic Black individuals compared with non-Hispanic White individuals.

CONCLUSION

This study demonstrated a combined association of physical activity and screen time with inflammatory biomarker hsCRP in adolescents with overweight/obesity.

Prevalence of overweight and obesity among Iranian population: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Obesity is a major risk factor for chronic diseases. Politicians and practitioners should be aware of the dramatic increase in obesity and its subsequent complications to prevent associated health risks. This systematic review aimed to provide better insight into the prevalence of overweight and obesity in the Iranian population.

METHOD

An evaluation was conducted on all published observational studies from both national (SID, Irandoc, Iranmedex) and international (Web of Knowledge, PubMed, Scopus) sources, which reported the prevalence of overweight/obesity among normal population samples, between January 2012 and December 2021.

RESULT

A total of 152 eligible studies were included in this meta-analysis. Of the 152 selected studies, 74 reported the prevalence of overweight/obesity in patients aged ≤ 18 years, and 61 studies in adults. In the rest of the articles (17 studies), the results were reported for a combination of these age groups. The prevalence of overweight and obesity in Iran was estimated at 20.1 (95% CI 17.92-22.30) and 13.44 (95% CI 11.76-15.22), respectively. This percentage (95% CI) was 11.71 (10.98-12.46) for overweight and 8.08 (7.02-9.22) for obesity in those aged ≤ 18 years, and 35.26 (32.61-37.99) for overweight and 21.38 (19.61-23.20) for obesity in those aged > 18 years. The overall prevalence of overweight and obesity in the entire population was 35.09% (95% CI 31.31-38.98).

CONCLUSION

As obesity is on the rise in Iran, we should seek both weight loss strategies and ways to control comorbidities associated with high BMI.

Association of meal skipping with subjective health complaints in children and adolescents: the CASPIAN-V study

PURPOSE

Few studies have assessed the relationship between meal skipping with subjective health complaints in children and adolescents. The aim of our study was to determine the association between meal skipping and subjective health complaints in this population.

METHODS

A total of 14,400 students aged 7-18 years were selected using multistage stratified cluster sampling method from 30 provinces of Iran. Data were collected as a part of the fifth national school-based surveillance program (CASPIAN-V) in Iran. Information about students' lifestyle, health behaviours, health status and health complaints were gathered through a validated questionnaire.

RESULTS

The mean (standard deviation) age of participants was 12.3 (3.2) years old. Breakfast skipping was associated with increased odds of stomachache (OR 1.77, 95% CI 1.56, 2.00), backache (OR 1.68, 95% CI 1.46, 1.92), difficulty in getting to sleep (OR 1.66, 95% CI 1.48, 1.86), feeling nervous (OR 1.59, 95% CI 1.43, 1.76) and irritability (OR 1.29, 95% CI 1.02, 1.25). There were 27, 63, 58 and 107% increase in odds of headache, stomachache, backache and difficulty in getting to sleep by lunch skipping, respectively. While dinner skipping was related to 39, 59 and 52% increase in odds of headache, feeling low and difficulty in getting to sleep, respectively, it was associated with decreased odds of stomachache (OR 0.33, 95% CI 0.25, 0.44).

CONCLUSIONS

Our study suggests that meal skipping is associated with some somatic and psychological health complaints among children; therefore, regular meal consumption, at least three times a day, is highly recommended in this population.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

V, cross-sectional descriptive study.

Daily sitting time associated with the risk of metabolic syndrome in Korean adolescents

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between daily sitting time and the risk of metabolic syndrome in Korean adolescents.

METHODS

Data from 486 adolescents aged 12-18 years were obtained from national surveys. Daily sitting time was measured using questionnaires and divided into three intervals: <8 h; 8-12 h; and ≥12 h.

RESULTS

The mean daily sitting time and prevalence of positive metabolic components were 620.9±9.9 min/day and 45.5±2.7%, respectively. In a multivariate logistic regression analysis, adolescents who sat longer were more likely to have metabolic components (p<0.05), independent of age, sex, area of residence, sleeping time and body mass index.

CONCLUSIONS

Longer daily sitting time appears to be associated with an increased risk of metabolic syndrome in adolescents. These findings highlight the need to focus on reducing sitting time for all adolescents, not just for those at risk of obesity.