[Anthropometric study and evaluation of the nutritional status of a population school children in Granada; comparison of national and international reference standards]. / Estudio antropométrico y valoración del estado nutricional de una población de escolares de Granada; comparación con los estándares nacionales e internacionales de referencia.

Recent studies show an alarming increase in levels of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents. The main objectives of this research were the following: (i) to carry out an anthropometric evaluation of the nutritional status and body composition of school children in the city and province of Granada; (ii) to compare the nutritional status of this population sample with national and international reference standards. The results obtained in this study showed that the general prevalence of overweight in both sexes was 22.03% and that 9.12% of the children were obese. Statistically significant differences were found between the variable, weight for age and sex (p < 0.05) and the variable, height for age and sex (p < 0.05). Regarding the body mass index, no statistically significant differences were found for the variable, sex (p = 0.182). This contrasted with the variable, age, which did show statistically significant differences (p < 0.05). As a conclusion, the results of our study highlighted the fact that these anthropometric values were much higher than national and international reference standards.

[Obesity and seric levels of strogens; the importance of early development of breast cancer]. / Obesidad y niveles séricos de estrógenos; importancia en el desarrollo precoz del cáncer de mama.

Many studies have analyzed the possible association between the development of obesity and hormone levels, as well as their relation with the early development of breast cancer. As part of this study, we performed a retrospective collection of data from the clinical histories of 524 women in Granada (Spain), who had been diagnosed with breast cancer. The objectives were to verify an association between the nutritional state of the women and their age at breast cancer diagnosis as well as a possible relation between their nutritional state and seric levels of estrogens. The results obtained in this study show that obesity and the levels of certain hormones, such as estrogens, are closely associated with the early development of breast cancer.

[Overweight and obesity as a prognosis factor of desmotivation in children and adolescents]. / Sobrepeso y obesidad como factor pronóstico de la desmotivación en el niño y el adolescente.

Spain has become the country in the European Union with the fourth highest number of overweight and obese children. This condition directly affects physical health as well as mental health. The objective of this research study was to evaluate motivational aspects in one group of obese or overweight adolescents and another group of normal-weight adolescents. For this purpose a descriptive observational study was carried out in an educational institution in Guadix (Granada). The universe was composed of 200 children of ages 10 to 14. A sample of 24 children was selected by means of proportional random sampling with an error of 0.19, and was divided into the following groups (i) 12 normal-weight children; (ii) 12 obese children. Motivation was measured by means of the School Motivation Analysis Test (SMAT), a multidimensional measuring instrument based on Cattell's dynamic model of motivation and emotions. Our study evaluated five motivational parameters: TAO (total autism-optimism), TGI (total general information), TIN (total integration), TPI (total personal interest), and TCO (total conflict). Our results showed that for each of the SMAT variables, the overweight and obese children obtained an average value of 4.5 in contrast to the normal-weight children, who obtained an average value of 5.9. This indicates that overweight and obese children have low motivational states and a higher level of frustration. They also tend to distort reality by alleging the existence of obstacles that prevent them from achieving their goals.

[Monogenic human obesity: role of the leptin-melanocortin system in the regulation of food intake and body weight in humans]. / Obesidad monogénica humana: papel del sistema leptina-melanocortina en la regulación de la ingesta de alimentos y el peso corporal en humanos.

Human obesity is a disorder of multifactorial origin in which genetic and environmental factors are involved. To understand the mechanisms regulating energy intake and fat accumulation in the body, it is important to study the genetic alterations causing monogenic obesity. Most of the genes involved in monogenic obesity are associated with the leptin-melanocortin system; hence the importance of studying this system by analysing natural mutations in mice. Previous studies have described mutations in leptin and its receptor, proopiomelanocortin and prohormone convertase 1 associated with human obesity of monogenic origin. The aim of this study is to provide an updated review of the main characteristics and functioning of the leptin-melanocortin system, and its implications and potentialities in regulating food intake and body weight.

[Influence of family environment of the development of obesity and overweight in a population of school children in Granada (Spain)]. / Influencia del entorno familiar en el desarrollo del sobrepeso y la obesidad en una población de escolares de Granada (España).

According to recent research, eating behaviour should be understand as a cyclical and interactive process in which parental eating habits cause children to develop specific eating strategies as well as their own eating habits. Needless to say, this interactive process is reflected and has a direct impact on the nutritional indicators of the children in a family. The objectives of this study were the following: (i) to verify the existence of a significant association between the educational level of parents and the nutritional state of children in the same family; (ii) to discover if there is a direct relation between the nutritional state of children and the person that decides the menu and/or prepares family meals; (iii) to determine if there is a link between the nutritional state of children and the time that they spend on sedentary leisure activities. The sample population was composed of 718 school children and adolescents, 9-17 years of age, who A descriptive, transversal, and multicentric study was performed that evaluated the nutritional state of the entire sample by using anthropometric techniques to assess weight, height, and body mass index.

[Obesity and its relation with markers of inflammation and erythrocyte fatty acids in a group of overweight adolescents]. / Obesidad y su relación con marcadores de inflamación y ácidos grasos de eritrocito en un grupo de adolescentes obesos.

There is a general consensus that obesity is an eminently inflammatory process. This is justified by alterations observed in obese patients, which affect the secretion of certain cytokines such as ceruloplasmin, leptin, adiponectin, and interleukin-6 (IL-6), among others. In a parallel way, other research has also pointed out alterations in the composition of fatty acids in the erythrocyte membrane of overweight adults. The results obtained in our study confirm the existence of a significant correlation between the serum levels of some of the cytokines studied and the nutritional state of the sample studied. This means that for the population of children evaluated in our study, the serum concentrations of these biomolecules can be an important tool for the prediction of cardiovascular risk when they become adults. Furthermore significant differences were found regarding the composition of saturated fatty acids in the erythrocyte membrane.

[Comparative study of the effectiveness of body mass index and the body-fat percentage as methods for the diagnosis of overweight and obesity in children]. / Estudio comparativo de la eficacia del índice de masa corporal y el porcentaje de grasa corporal como métodos para el diagnóstico de sobrepeso y obesidad en población pediátrica.

The World Health Organization (WHO) regards obesity as one of the most serious public health problems in the world that can affect young children and adolescents. Accordingly, a major priority is to find ways to more effectively study and analyze the various methods used to diagnose and evaluate the nutritional state of the pediatric and adolescent population. The nutritional indicators currently employed for this purpose are the body mass index and body-fat percentage. However, there is a certain controversy related to the body-fat percentage since it tends to overestimate overweight and obesity. The main objectives of this study were the following: (i) to determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity in a population of primary and secondary school children between 9-17 years of age at 13 educational centers in the city and province of Granada; (ii) to verify possible differences regarding the accuracy of the body mass index and the body-fat percentage in the diagnosis of overweight and obesity.

[Risk factors in the development of breast cancer, state of Mexico]. / Factores de riesgo como pronóstico de padecer cáncer de mama en un estado de México.

INTRODUCTION: Breast cancer is one of the most frequent diseases in women today, and its social impact is devastating. The risk factors focused on in recent research are mainly hormonal, genetic, and environmental though toxic habits, overweight, and obesity have also been studied. In contrast, protective factors against breast cancer include breastfeeding and daily exercise. OBJECTIVE: To ascertain the risk factors for the women with breast cancer in our study sample. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A study of cases and controls was performed on 115 women diagnosed with breast cancer and on 115 healthy women, who had been patients at the National Cancer Institute ISSEMYM in Mexico from January to December 2011. Information was collected from the women in the sample pertaining to their family history of cancer, personal background, life style, and body mass index (BMI). Breast cancer risk was estimated with multivariate logistic regression models and the chi-square test. RESULTS: It was found that there was a greater risk of breast cancer in overweight or obese women who did not do any physical exercise and either who had breastfed their children for a very short time or who had not breastfed them at all. No significant differences were found between breast cancer and toxic habits. CONCLUSIONS: The results of our study found a direct relation between breast cancer and overweight, obesity, and physical inactivity. Breastfeeding during the first months of the baby's life was found to be a protective factor against breast cancer.

[Overweight/obesity in women and its implication in breast cancer: age of diagnosis]. / Sobrepeso/obesidad en mujeres y su implicación en el cáncer de mama: edad de diagnóstico.

UNLABELLED: Overweight, obesity, and breast cancer are three pathologies that are endemic in the world today and which have a great impact on society. Many research studies are currently trying to discover possible associations between these factors and to specify the links between them. OBJECTIVE: To verify whether there is a direct connection between overweight/obesity in women with breast cancer and its relation to age of diagnosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The sample population in this study was composed of 118 women (32-76 years of age) who had been diagnosed and treated for breast cancer in 2009-2011 at the Centro Oncológico Estatal ISSEMyM [National Cancer Institute of Mexico]. An observational, descriptive, and transversal study was performed in which a random sample of n = 60 women was divided into two groups. The first group was composed of women with breast cancer, but who were of normal weight. The second group was composed of women with breast cancer, but who were either overweight or obese. In both groups, the Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA) was applied, and the BMI (weight and height) was determined as well as waist circumference. RESULTS: A statistically significant relation was found between age of diagnosis and weight (normal/overweight/obese) of the subjects (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The results obtained show that overweight and obesity are directly linked to breast cancer and age of diagnosis. Breast cancer was diagnosed earlier in women of normal weight.

[Breast feeding in premature babies: development-centered care in Palestine]. / Lactancia materna en bebés pretérminos: cuidados centrados en el desarrollo en el contexto Palestino.

UNLABELLED: In addition to its important role in the initiation of breastfeeding, early skin-to-skin contact benefits both mothers and their babies. OBJECTIVE: To inform all mothers of premature babies about the importance of skin-to-skin contact and breast-feeding in order to foment a closer bond between mother and child (development-centered care). MATERIALS AND METHOD: A prospective cohort study was conducted in various hospitals on the West Bank in Palestine during 2008-2011. The universe was made up of an estimated average of 2,500 childbirths per year in each hospital. All of the subjects in the sample population of n = 252 babies had a gestational age of less than 37 GWs, and had weighed less than 2,500 grams at birth. For health reasons, they were hospitalized in neonatal care units. RESULTS: The results obtained showed that in Palestine, young women tend to breastfeed their babies and have skin-to-skin contact with them more often than older mothers. Once the new mothers were informed of the advantages of these practices, they showed greater interest in learning how to care for their babies in the neonatal care units. CONCLUSIONS: Breastfeeding premature babies as well as having skin-to-skin contact with them was made possible by informing and teaching new mothers about the advantages of this type of infant care. This research has had widespread impact and has been very well received by the female population in the country. This is the first study of its kind to be carried out in Palestine.

[Nurse's attitudes to pain in children and their relation to continuing]. / Actitud de enfermería ante el dolor infantil y su relación con la formación continua.

INTRODUCTION: Broadly speaking, attitude can be defined as one of the basic elements in personality development, which shapes a person's behavior. OBJECTIVE: To determine the attitude of nursing professionals to pain in children. MATERIAL: The universe of subjects consisted of 121 male and female nurses who worked in pediatric services at secondary-level health facilities in the province of Cienfuegos (Cuba). METHOD: A descriptive observational study was performed in the pediatric services of these health centers. The subjects were given a questionnaire to identify their attitude towards pain in children. This attitude was related to the variables, work experience and continuing education. The differences between response frequencies of the groups of participants were analyzed by means of the chi square test. Mean values were compared by using the Anova t-test for independent groups. The value regarded as statistically significant was p < 0.05. RESULTS: The results obtained showed that 71.1% of the participants have a negative attitude towards pediatric pain, and that this attitude is significantly related to their training. CONCLUSIONS: As nurses received more training, their attitude towards pain in children was found to be more tolerant and positive.

[Prenatal stimulation: results in the peripartum period]. / La estimulación prenatal: resultados relevantes en el periparto.

UNLABELLED: During pregnancy, the prolonged stress and worry felt by mothers can alter the development and function of the right brain hemisphere. For this reason, importance is given to prenatal stimulation programs for pregnant women. OBJECTIVES: To determine the perinatal results in the moment of childbirth in mothers who had participated in prenatal stimulation programs. MATERIAL: An experimental study was conducted in five health districts in the town of Cienfuegos (Cuba) with a view to identifying the perinatal results at the moment of childbirth in women that had participated in prenatal stimulation programs. METHODOLOGY: The study consisted of an intentional sampling of all of the subjects (n = 200 women who were 20-28 weeks pregnant). The variables studied were the following: duration of labor, baby's birth weight, Apgar score at birth, type of childbirth, and opinion of the subjects about the prenatal stimulation program. RESULTS: Of the population sample, 36% of the subjects gave birth in less than six hours; 67.5% had babies weighing 2,500-3,000 grams; and 96.5% had babies whose Apgar scores were between 8 and 9. Finally, 68.5% of the subjects had natural childbirths and 96% were satisfied with the prenatal stimulation program. CONCLUSIONS: The results obtained showed that these new prenatal stimulation programs were well received by the subjects in this study.

[Prevalence of nutritional overweight and obesity and hypertension as well as their relationship with anthropometric indicators in a population of students in Granada and its provinces]. / Prevalencia de sobrepeso y obesidad nutricional e hipertensión arterial y su relación con indicadores antropométricos en una población de escolares de Granada y su provincia.

INTRODUCTION: Several authors have found correlations between anthropometric parameters and blood pressure levels in overweight and obese subjects. This paper is an update on the potential of these parameters as a tool for predicting cardiovascular risk. AIMS: to estimate the prevalence of overweight and obesity. Second verify the existence of a significant correlation between the main anthropometric indicators and the blood pressure levels. SAMPLE: The population consisted of 977 children and adolescents between 9 and 17 years of age belonging to 13 schools in the province of Granada and city. METHODOLOGY: anthropometric evaluation in which they were assessed six skinfolds, waist circumference, hip and determination of blood pressure in three consecutive occasions. The anthropometric assessment phase began in March 2008 lasted until April 2009. RESULTS: We found that the prevalence of overweight in girls varied between 18.3% and 32.2%. For its part, the prevalence among boys was between 10.9% and 26.1%. Regarding the prevalence of obesity, the girls had similar rates between 4.5% and 15.1%. Among boys the prevalence of obesity was similar, and found rates between 4.7% and 12.6%. Of all the parameters measured, body mass index and waist circumference were the anthropometric indicators that showed a better correlation to blood pressure. CONCLUSIONS: BMI and WC are useful anthropometric indicators to predict cardiovascular risk in non adults.

[Study of the serum levels of leptin, ceruloplasmin and lipoprotein (a) as indicators of cardiovascular risk in a population of adolescents in Granada (Spain)]. / Estudio de los niveles séricos de leptina, ceruloplasmina y lipoproteína (a) como indicadores del riesgo cardiovascular en una población de adolescentes de Granada (España).

Numerous studies have focused on establishing a relation between the serum values of biomolecules such as leptin, ceruloplasmin, and lipoprotein (a), and the nutritional state and levels of diastolic and systolic blood pressure in subjects with problems of overweight or obesity. However, in many cases, the results obtained have not been conclusive. The results of our study confirm the existence of a statistically significant association between the serum levels of these biomolecules, the nutritional state of the subjects, and levels of diastolic and systolic blood pressure. For the population of overweight and obese adolescents studied, the evaluation of the serum concentrations of these biomolecules was found to be an important instrument that could be used to identify those subjects with an elevated risk of suffering cardiovascular disorders basically derived from a hypertensive status.

[Obesity in a school children population from Granada: assessment of the efficacy of an educational intervention]. / Obesidad de una población de escolares de Granada: evaluación de la eficacia de una intervención educativa.

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this research was to study the prevalence of obesity and excess weight in a population of school children and adolescents, and to verify the effectiveness of an educational intervention, as reflected in the variation of their body mass index values. MATERIALS: The population sample was composed of 977 school children and adolescents from 9 to 17 years of age, belonging to 13 public elementary schools and high schools in the city and province of Granada (Spain). METHODOLOGY: This longitudinal cohort study was analytical, muticentric, and observational. It was carried out in three phases. The first phase involved the evaluation of the nutritional state of the sample population by means of anthropometric measurements (weight, height, body mass index, six skin folds and four body perimeters) as well as arterial blood pressure. The second phase entailed an educational intervention focusing on good nutritional habits and physical exercise. The third and final phase evaluated the effectiveness of the intervention. RESULTS: A higher obesity prevalence (15.1%) was found in school girls between 12 and 13. In the case of boys, obesity prevalence was lower up to age 13 though afterwards, it progressively increased (12.6%). The educational intervention produced an important reduction in body mass index values in both sexes though this reduction was more significant in young females. CONCLUSIONS: There is a currently an alarming increase in obesity and overweight prevalence among the population evaluated in this study. The significant reduction in body mass index values resulting from this research confirmed the effectiveness of the educational intervention to reduce excess weight.

[Ceruloplasmin and its clinical relevance as an indactor of cardiovascular risk factor in a school population of Granada]. / Ceruloplasmina y su importancia clínica como factor indicador del riesgo cardiovascular en una población de escolares de Granada.

Also known as ferroxidase ceruloplasmin, belongs to the family of inflammation-sensitive proteins, and its main function to transport copper in the blood. Although, in addition to this transport function, at present, there are numerous studies that have attempted to use the determination of serum concentrations as a predictive indicator of cardiovascular risk in patients who are overweight or obese. The results of this study confirm the existence of a significant correlation between serum ceruloplasmin and nutritional status of the subjects, which means that for the population of students assessed, serum levels of this protein are an important predictor the risk of cardiovascular disease.

[Obesity and its implication in breast cancer]. / Obesidad y su implicación en el cáncer de mama.

Obesity and breast cancer are two very frequent pathologies in the world today, which have a strong impact on society. Various research studies have tried linking the two. For this purpose, data was collected from the medical histories of 524 women who had been diagnosed and treated for breast cancer from January 2009 to September 2010. The objectives of the study were to find and verify a possible association between the nutritional state of these women and their age when they were diagnosed with the tumour (p < 0.0001) as well as a statistically significant association (p < 0.0001) between the age of the first menstruation and the nutritional state of the patients. The results obtained showed that obesity was closely related to breast cancer.

[Breast feeding: an effective method to prevent breast cancer]. / Lactancia materna: un método eficaz en la prevención del cáncer de mama.

INTRODUCTION: Breast cancer is the most common gynecological tumor in young women in Western countries. Its profound implications for health and an increasingly early age of diagnosis have been carefully analyzed its causes and possible preventive measures, making their study in a primary goal of epidemiological research. SAMPLE AND METHODS: We reviewed medical records pertaining to 504 female patients aged 19 to 91 years. All of them were diagnosed and treated for breast cancer between 2003-2008 at the Hospital Universitario "San Cecilio" of Granada (Spain). RESULTS: We found a significant correlation (p = 0.001) between the age of cancer diagnosis, length of breastfeeding, and the existence of personal and family history for cancer. By contrast, there were no statistically significant differences test (t-test) between the average age of diagnosis of cancer and having had offspring or not (t = 0.559, p = 0.576). CONCLUSIONS: Breastfeeding for periods of longer than six months, not only provides children with many health benefits, but may also protect the mother from serious diseases, such as breast cancer.

[The Guadix study of the effects of a Mediterranean-diet breakfast on the postprandial lipid parameters of overweight and obese pre-adolescents]. / Metodología del estudio Guadix sobre los efectos de un desayuno de tipo mediterráneo sobre los parámetros lipídicos y postprandiales en preadolescentes con sobrepeso y obesidad.

The excess weight that characterizes much of the population of the world today has led the World Health Organization to declare a obesity pandemic. The number of overweight and obese children in Spain is among the highest in Europe, and this number is even higher in Andalusia. The health consequences of excess weight for children are not as evident as for adults. However, child obesity is now being associated with pathologies, such as the metabolic syndrome, which were previously believed to be only found in adults. Resistance to insulin is an important risk factor in subjects with severe obesity, which along with visceral obesity, make postprandial triglyceridemia more severe. This increases cardiovascular risk. However, in our opinion, this phenomenon has not been adequately studied in children. The hearthealthy properties of olive oil, the main ingredient of the Mediterranean diet, have been clearly highlighted in various studies. These properties include an improved postprandial lipid pattern. In this context, the objective of this study was to determine the effects of a Mediterranean-diet breakfast on the postprandial lipid parameters in a study group of overweight and obese preadolescents (age 10-14) in comparison to a control group of subjects with no weight problems. The results obtained provide greater knowledge of the physiopathology of child obesity and contribute to the elaboration of dietary recommendations for the maintenance of child health. Additionally, our results give information regarding the development of atherogenesis during the postprandial period, which can begin at a very early age.