Sex differences in prevalence of overweight and obesity, and in extent of overweight index, in children and adolescents (3-18 years) from Kraków, Poland in 1983, 2000 and 2010.

OBJECTIVE: The increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity among children is now an important health problem. This fact, however, does not reflect the scale of the problem. The aim of the present study was to find how much the BMI threshold was exceeded in a population from Kraków. DESIGN: The study was based on three cross-sectional surveys conducted in 1983, 2000 and 2010. The prevalence of overweight and obesity was estimated based on the International Obesity Task Force cut-off points. In addition to these, an extent of overweight (EOW) index was calculated. SETTING: Poland. SUBJECTS: Children aged 3-18 years (n 14 534) from Kraków. RESULTS: Between the populations examined in 1983 and 2010, the EOW index in boys rose by almost 10 %, and the prevalence of overweight and obesity by 39 %. In girls, however, the EOW index decreased by 45 %, while the prevalence of overweight and obesity remained at similar levels. Analyses in separate age groups showed that the EOW index increased only among early adolescents (150 % for boys, 94 % for girls) and late adolescents (390 % and 64 %, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The observed increased prevalence of overweight and obesity mainly concerned boys and was accompanied by an increase in the amount by which the BMI threshold values were exceeded.

[Correlations between the perception of family functioning by patients with eating disorders and their parents and the perception of relations in the parents' families of origin]. / Powiazania pomiedzy spostrzeganiem funkcjonowania rodziny przez pacjentki z zaburzeniami od4ywiania sie i ich rodziców a percepcja relacji w rodzinach pochodzenia rodziców.

AIM OF THE STUDY: To assess the correlations between the perception of relations in parents' families of origin and the assessment of the current family by the parents and their daughters suffering from eating disorders. STUDIED GROUP: Statistical analyses were applied to the results obtained from 54 patients diagnosed with restrictive anorexia nervosa, from 22 with binge-purge anorexia, from 36 with bulimia and from two control groups: 36 patients diagnosed with depressive disorders and 85 Krakow schoolgirls. The study also covered the parents of the investigated girls. METHOD: Family of Origin Scale and Family Assessment Questionnaire (FAM Polish version) were used in the study. RESULTS: The procreative family assessment made by the mothers was correlated with the assessment of their own generational family and the assessment of own generational family made by their husbands. Procreative family assessment made by the fathers was correlated only with their assessment of their family of origin. Family of origin assessment made by patients with diagnosed eating disorders, particularly bulimia, was correlated only with the family of origin assessment made by their fathers. The last correlation did not occur in the control groups. CONCLUSIONS: The research shows a correlation between the experience of the families of origin and the current functioning of the family. They show the impact of the fathers' trangenerational experience on the perception of family relations of daughters with diagnosed anorexia and bulimia nervosa.

[Mutual assessment of their marital relationship by parents of female patients with eating disorders]. / Wzajemna ocena relacji malzenskiej rodziców pacjentek z zaburzeniami odzywiania sie.

AIM: The goal of this study was to assess the perception of marital relationship and its mutual connections by parents of(female) patients diagnosed with eating disorders. Data from: 54 (female) patients diagnosed with restrictive anorexia nervosa (ANR), 22 with binge-purge anorexia nervosa (ANBP), 36 with bulimia (BUL), and two control groups: 36 (female) patients diagnosed with depressive disorders (DEP) and 85 Krakow schoolgirls (NOR). MATERIAL AND METHOD: The study employed the Dyadic Relations Scale, a part of the Family Assessment Measure (Polish version). RESULTS: Wives in the BUL group, compared to wives in the NOR group, rated their husbands worse when assessing their husbands in terms of how well they functioned in the marital relationship, their performance of duties, affective involvement, and the integrity of values and rules of conduct. Wives in the ANR group, compared to wives in the NOR group, negatively rated the affective involvement of their husbands in the marital relationship. Husbands in the DEP group, compared to husbands in the NOR group, rated their wives worse when assessing their wives' general functioning in the marital relationship, degree of communication within it, degree of understanding, how well they performed their spousal duties, and the coherence of their system of values and rules of conduct. The image of the marital relationship held by parents of Krakow schoolgirls was characterized by a strong correlation, in contrast to the image of the relationship held by parents of (female) patients, regardless of the nature of the diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: Comparison of the results of parents of(female) patients with eating disorders and parents of(female) patients with a diagnosis of major depressive disorder revealed no difference in the image of the marital relationship, whether in the mutual assessment of spouses towards each other or in connection with the assessments.

[Convergence insufficiency with unilateral exophoria at near in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder - a preliminary study]. / Niewydolnosc konwergencji z jednostronna egzoforia do blizy w schizofrenii i chorobie afektywnej dwubiegunowej - badania wstepne.

OBJECTIVES: The study describes an abnormal convergence symptom, i.e. unilateral exophoria at near, in patients with schizophrenia (SZ) and bipolar disorder (BD). The aim of this paper is to present the symptom and discuss its possible explanations. METHODS: 29 patients with SZ, 15 patients with BD and 20 healthy controls (HC) took part in the study. The neurological assessment was done with International Co-operative Ataxia Rating Scale (ICARS) and Neurological Evaluation Scale (NES). RESULTS: The abnormal vergence pattern was observed in 12 patients with SZ, 1 patient with BD and 0 HC. Symptom appeared statistically more often in SZ patients than in BD patients and HC. SZ patients with vergence symptom performed significantly worst in oculomotor and dysarthia subscores of ICARS. CONCLUSIONS: The symptom can be linked to disruptions in cortico-ponto-cerebellar network and midbrain. It was the only neurological symptom that differed SZ and BD groups, thus it might be used in differential diagnosis. Further research is needed to obtain a full clinical description of the symptom.

[The cultural context of eating disorders--own research]. / Kontekst kulturowy zaburzen odzywiania sie--badania wlasne.

AIM: To assess cultural attitudes and beliefs among (female) patients being treated for various kinds of eating disorders in comparison with (female) patients diagnosed with depression and healthy girls. METHOD: Version II of the Cultural Questionnaire by M. Pilecki and B. Józefik referring to issues linked with those aspects of dulture whose importance is described as significant in the development of eating disorders. MATERIAL: Data from patients with the following diagnoses were used in the statistical analyses: 54 (female) patients with a diagnosis of restrictive anorexia (ANR), 22 with a diagnosis of binge-purge anorexia (ANB), 36 with a diagnosis ofbulimia (BUL) and 40 with a diagnosis of depressive disorders (DEP) and also 74 female pupils from Kraków schools (KON). RESULTS: Groups ANB and BUL obtained high scores, indicating the greater significance of 'ideals of thinness' in their lives than in groups KON, DEP and ANR. The BUL group was characterised by a sense of yielding to fashion pressure and also by a sense of the environmental and generational significance of the disorders in relation to groups KON and DEP. The females in group KON assessed that their parents attached greater importance to appearance than did (female) patients in group ANB. A negative evaluation of the position of women in the family was given by all the studied (female) patients in comparison with group KON. CONCLUSIONS: The obtained results may indicate the greater significance of cultural mechanisms in bulimia than anorexia nervosa. They may also be an expression of the limited possibility of introspection of girls with a diagnosis of restrictive anorexia. A negative perception of femininity in the family and culture accompanies not only eating disorders, but also depressive disorders.

Abdominal obesity screening tools in the aspects of secular trend.

SUMMARY: The growing number of children suffering from abdominal obesity has resulted in a search for a cheap and reliable method for their detection. The aim of the study was to identify whether the measurements and indicators used to assess this type of obesity are equally suitable for this purpose for each population, and additionally to investigate intergenerational changes in measurements and indicators used to determine the prevalence of abdominal obesity. Three cross-sectional anthropological studies were made in 1983, 2000 and 2010. The analysis included 14,819 children and adolescents aged 3-18 years living in Kraków (Poland). Data on selected characteristics (waist circumference, hip circumference) and indicators [waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), conicity index (CI), body mass abdominal index (BMAI)] were collected and compared between the next series of study. Both waist and hip circumferences have systematically increased. WHR showed no clear upward trend, and the differences have usually been low. WHtR index increased slightly, especially in last decade. In case of CI and BMAI, most children tested in 2010 had the highest values of these indicators. In conclusion, not every indicator of the level of abdominal obesity can be used for each population. WHR or WHtR are not necessarily ideal tools for a population in which secular trends of increasing overall body size occur. In this case it seems that waist circumference is the best measure of abdominal obesity. It is important to examine if a population undergoes intergenerational changes and also what their direction is, so researchers may avoid overestimation or underestimation of the percentage of people affected by abdominal obesity.