Influence of Parental and Some Demographic Characteristics on Overweight/Obesity Status among a Sample of Egyptian Children

Association between dietary Intake, eating behavior, and childhood obesity among children and adolescents in Ethiopia

Introduction

The upsurge of overweight/obesity (OW/OB) among children and adolescents is as a result of complex interactions between lifestyle behaviours and socioeconomic factors. The objective of this study was to determine socioeconomic and sociodemographic factors, dietary intake and eating behaviours of children and adolescents in Ethiopia and their association with OW/OB.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted among 632 children and adolescents-parent dyads. To identify overweight/obese among children and adolescents, body mass index-for-age Z-scores by sex and age relative to WHO 2007 reference was calculated using WHO AnthroPlus software. A multivariable logistic regression model fitted to determine the adjusted associations between the outcome and the predictors selected from the bivariate analyses. Data analysis was carried out using STATA V.15.0.

Results

The proportion of participants with low, medium and high dietary diversity scores was 7.28%, 22.5%, and 70.2%, respectively. Participants aged 13-18 years were less likely to be overweight or obese [adjusted OR (aOR) = 0.40; 95%CI: 0.26, 0.64] to those aged 5-12 years. Children in a family with the richest or highest socioeconomic status (SES) were more likely to be overweight or obese than those in families with the poorest or lowest status. Children and adolescents who consumed soft drinks (sugar-sweetened beverages) four or more times per week [aOR = 3.24; 95%CI: 1.13, 7.95] were more likely to be overweight or obese to those who did not consume soft drinks.

Conclusions

The study identified factors such as younger age (<12 years), high SES and consumption of soft drinks as key contributors to overweight and obesity among children and adolescents. Therefore, interventions targeting behavioural prevention and reduction of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents should be cognizant of the above factors during implementation in order to achieve desired outcomes, further guided by exploratory qualitative studies to identify public perceptions and attitudes affecting dietary practices.

Correlation between body mass index and motor proficiency in Egyptian children: a cross-sectional study

Background

Obesity in children is a frequent and serious problem that can impede motor ability performance, necessitating extra attention and early intervention efforts. The purpose of this study was to determine the relation between body mass index (BMI) and motor proficiency in Egyptian children. Two-hundred normal healthy children from both sexes (6 to 8 years old) were enrolled. BMI was defined by dividing weight in kilograms by height in meters squared (kg/m²), and motor proficiency was evaluated by Bruininks-Oseretsky Test 2 of Motor Proficiency Short Form (BOT-2 SF). Participants were classified into four categories based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) cutoff points including underweight, normal, overweight, and obese.

Results

Between-group analysis demonstrated a significant difference between groups where (χ² (3) = 131.50, P = 0.0001), with the obese group showing the worst motor ability, with mean differences at 95% confidence intervals of 7.44 for underweight, 81.14 for overweight, and 108.92 for obese children. The correlation coefficients of BOT-2 SF and BMI show a significant negative correlation (R = −0.723, P = 0.0001). Regression analysis revealed that BMI can significantly predict the BOT-2 SF (F = 216.94, P = 0.0001).

Conclusion

Excess body weight in the period of early childhood in Egyptians has a deleterious effect on motor skill performance; also, children who were normal weight or underweight had higher motor skills than those who were overweight or obese.

Developmental trajectories of body mass index since childhood and health-related quality of life in young adulthood: Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study

PURPOSE

The association between long-term BMI changes since childhood and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in adulthood is still unclear. This study aimed to examine the association between identified BMI trajectories and HRQoL.

METHODS

A population-based cohort of 1938 eligible children (3-18 years) and their parents have been repeatedly followed up for 18 years. Offspring BMI trajectories were identified using group-based trajectory models. HRQoL was evaluated in offspring aged 21-36 years using SF-12V2. Using quantile regression analysis, the associations of the identified BMI trajectories and HRQoL in young adulthood were examined.

RESULTS

In males, persistent increasing overweight/obese group was negatively associated with 30th, 40th, 50th, and 60th percentiles of physical component summary (PCS) score distribution (β = - 2.60, p = 0.006; β = - 2.01, p = 0.005; β = - 1.86, p = 0.001; β = - 1.98, p = 0.009, respectively). A similar result was observed only in the 40th percentile of PCS distribution for the progressive overweight group (β = - 1.03, p = 0.022). In addition, the progressive overweight group in males showed a positive association with the upper tail of mental component summary (MCS) score distribution specifically for the 90th percentile (β = 1.15, p = 0.036). Regarding females, the current results indicated that the 90th percentile of MCS distributions was decreased in the persistent increasing overweight/obese group for females (β = - 1.83, p = 0.024). In addition, the progressive overweight group in females had a positive association with lower (30th and 40th) percentiles of PCS distribution (β = 1.29, p = 0.034, and β = 1.15, p = 0.030, respectively).

CONCLUSION

A sex-specific conditional association between developmental BMI trajectories from childhood and HRQoL in young adulthood was observed in physical and mental HRQoL.

Prevalence of Underweight and Overweight and Its Association with Physical Fitness in Egyptian Schoolchildren

Underweight and overweight are serious health concerns for many children and could be associated with low physical-fitness levels. This study aimed (i) to evaluate the prevalence of underweight and overweight and (ii) to examine its association with the physical fitness levels in primary male and female schoolchildren. Including 13 government primary-schools, a cross-sectional survey was conducted between 2014 and 2017. Anthropometric characteristics together with the physical-fitness level were measured in 931 schoolchildren aged between 6- and 11-years old. The prevalence of under- and overweight children were 8.49% and 24.06%, respectively. These proportions were not significantly different between males and females and were affected by age (p < 0.001), with a higher prevalence of overweight and a lower prevalence of underweight at 9–11 years, compared to 6–8 years old. Concerning the physical fitness levels, statistical analysis showed a better performance among males compared to females, among participants aged 9–11 years, compared to 6–8 years old, and among underweight and normal-weight, compared to overweight children (p < 0.001). There was a higher prevalence of overweight and lower prevalence of underweight at 9–11 years compared to 6–8 years old. Physical fitness levels were better in (i) males, compared to females, (ii) schoolchildren aged 9–11 years, compared to 6–8 years old, and (iii) underweight and normal-weight, compared to overweight children.

Childhood Overweight and Obesity is Increasing in Gulf Cooperation Council Countries: A Review of the Literature

Introduction: A review was conducted to examine the prevalence and risk factors of developing overweight and obesity in children residing in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. Method: PubMed, Medline, and Google Scholar databases using PRISMA guidelines were searched from January 1, 2007, to January 1, 2017. The inclusion criteria were (a) studies written in English, (b) clinical trials that examined risk factors of childhood overweight or obesity, (c) studies involving children 5 to 10 years of age, and (d) studies conducted in GCC countries. Results: Three main types of childhood obesity risk factors were identified (individual, familial, and lifestyle behavioral factors). The dietary, physical activity, and screen time lifestyle behavior risk factor findings were inconclusive. Discussion: Childhood obesity is increasing in GCC countries. Lifestyle behavior risk factors are still unclear. Researchers need to use instruments that have been psychometric tested and culturally acceptable. A follow-up review should be conducted.

Sweetened beverages, snacks and overweight: findings from the Young Lives cohort study in Peru

Objective

To determine the association between consumption of snacks and sweetened beverages and risk of overweight among children.

Design

Secondary analysis of the Young Lives cohort study in Peru.

Setting

Twenty sentinel sites from a total of 1818 districts available in Peru.

Subjects

Children in the younger cohort of the Young Lives study in Peru, specifically those included in the third (2009) and the fourth (2013) rounds.

Results

A total of 1813 children were evaluated at baseline; 49·2 % girls and mean age 8·0 (sd 0·3) years. At baseline, 3·3 (95 % CI 2·5, 4·2) % reported daily sweetened beverage consumption, while this proportion was 3·9 (95 % CI 3·1, 4·9) % for snacks. Baseline prevalence of overweight was 22·0 (95 % CI 20·1, 23·9) %. Only 1414 children were followed for 4·0 (sd 0·1) years, with an overweight incidence of 3·6 (95 % CI 3·1, 4·1) per 100 person-years. In multivariable analysis, children who consumed sweetened beverages and snacks daily had an average weight increase of 2·29 (95 % CI 0·62, 3·96) and 2·04 (95 % CI 0·48, 3·60) kg more, respectively, than those who never consumed these products, in approximately 4 years of follow-up. Moreover, there was evidence of an association between daily consumption of sweetened beverages and risk of overweight (relative risk=2·12; 95 % CI 1·05, 4·28).

Conclusions

Daily consumption of sweetened beverages and snacks was associated with increased weight gain v. never consuming these products; and in the case of sweetened beverages, with higher risk of developing overweight.