Time to act on childhood obesity: the use of technology.

Childhood obesity is rapidly increasing worldwide and there is an urgent need to implement treatment and prevention programs. Over the last decade, in addition to increasing rates of childhood obesity, we have also observed rapid technological and digital development. The Covid-19 pandemic has largely contributed to both expansions but has also allowed an opening towards a broader vision of medicine, through new therapeutic opportunities such as mobile healthcare. The digital and technological delivery of obesity prevention and treatment programs can represent an innovative tool to support children and families to overcome some limitations and barriers such as the accessibility of programs that prevent them from adopting healthy lifestyle changes. This review aimed to summarize the impact of different digital interventions for children and adolescent affected by obesity.

The Prevention of Childhood Obesity Is a Priority: The Preliminary Results of the "EpPOI: Education to Prevent Childhood Obesity" Project.

BACKGROUND: The increase in childhood obesity rates represents a serious public health problem. The project "EpPOI: Education to prevent childhood obesity" is aimed at a multidisciplinary approach to raise awareness of the importance of preventing childhood obesity through lifestyle education. METHODS: Two actions by experts were performed: an intervention with children in schools and a meeting for both parents and school staff. Participants completed a questionnaire structured as a Likert scale. RESULTS: The sample size was 96 people, and awareness of the childhood obesity problem as well as the need for obesity prevention was high among respondents. We also found great interest among participants in having more information on pediatric nutrition and physical activity, with a positive correlation with age. Furthermore, the multivariate regression model configured interest in having more information on nutrition and physical activity as an independent and statistically significant predictor of awareness of childhood obesity as a current issue. CONCLUSIONS: The results highlight the need to act on childhood obesity through lifestyle prevention strategies early in life.

Preventing and treating childhood obesity by sleeping better: a systematic review.

Background: Childhood obesity represents a major public health issue worldwide. Evidence showed the need to implement prevention strategies mainly focused on lifestyle habits. Sleep hygiene is a variable of great interest and this review systematically examined the effects of sleep duration in increasing childhood obesity risk. Methods: A systematic literature review was conducted from December 2023 to February 2024. Study selection and data extraction procedures were performed in accordance with Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) Guidelines and Statement, and risk of publication bias was assessed by the Effective Public Health Practice Project Quality Assessment Tool for Quantitative Studies. Results: Original works in English were eligible for review and eleven studies that met the inclusion criteria were included. Studies collected were heterogeneous in terms of duration, sample characteristics, hours of sleep manipulation, anthropometric and hematological parameters collected, therefore it was not possible to perform a meta-analysis. A narrative synthesis of the reported evidence highlighted the impact of sleep duration above all on food intake, eating habits and hormone levels and consequently on the risk of childhood obesity development. Conclusion: This finding suggests the need to consider sleep hygiene as a modifiable lifestyle habit like diet and physical activity, in order to early prevent childhood obesity. Poor sleep hygiene can significantly contribute to weight gain and exacerbation of metabolic disorders linked to childhood obesity. Although more rigorous studies are needed, clinicians need to be aware of the role of sleep hygiene in reducing childhood obesity risk.

The Role of Serial Radiographs in Diagnosing Diabetic Foot Bone Osteomyelitis.

Background and Objective: Diagnosing diabetes-related foot osteomyelitis is sometimes a challenge for clinicians since it may occur without local or systemic signs of infection. Thus, the primary purpose of this article was to evaluate the role of progressive radiographic changes in diagnosing diabetic foot osteomyelitis. Materials and Methods: A retrospective review of databases of our Institution was performed to identify all long-standing diabetic foot patients who underwent two radiographic examinations spaced no more than five weeks apart and a subsequent magnetic resonance (MR) examination from November 2015 to November 2020. A total of 46 patients (32 men, 14 women; mean age, 57.3 years) were identified. Results: serial radiographs showed 89% sensitivity, 38% specificity, 80% diagnostic accuracy, 87% positive predictive value (PPV), 43% negative predictive value (NPV) to diagnose osteomyelitis (P value < 0,05). Bone destruction was the most reliable radiographic sign with 89% sensitivity, 88% specificity, 89% diagnostic accuracy, 97% PPV, 64% NPV (P value < 0,05). Conclusion: Progressive bony changes detected by serial radiographs are a useful tool to diagnose diabetic foot osteomyelitis.