County-level socio-environmental factors and obesity prevalence in the United States.

AIMS: To investigate high-risk sociodemographic and environmental determinants of health (SEDH) potentially associated with adult obesity in counties in the United States using machine-learning techniques. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed a cross-sectional analysis of county-level adult obesity prevalence (body mass index ≥30 kg/m2) in the United States using data from the Diabetes Surveillance System 2017. We harvested 49 county-level SEDH factors that were used in a classification and regression trees (CART) model to identify county-level clusters. The CART model was validated using a 'hold-out' set of counties and variable importance was evaluated using Random Forest. RESULTS: Overall, we analysed 2752 counties in the United States, identifying a national median (interquartile range) obesity prevalence of 34.1% (30.2%, 37.7%). The CART method identified 11 clusters with a 60.8% relative increase in prevalence across the spectrum. Additionally, seven key SEDH variables were identified by CART to guide the categorization of clusters, including Physically Inactive (%), Diabetes (%), Severe Housing Problems (%), Food Insecurity (%), Uninsured (%), Population over 65 years (%) and Non-Hispanic Black (%). CONCLUSION: There is significant county-level geographical variation in obesity prevalence in the United States, which can in part be explained by complex SEDH factors. The use of machine-learning techniques to analyse these factors can provide valuable insights into the importance of these upstream determinants of obesity and, therefore, aid in the development of geo-specific strategic interventions and optimize resource allocation to help battle the obesity pandemic.

Prevalence of Obesity and Associated Dietary Habits among Medical Students at King Khalid University, Southwestern Saudi Arabia.

Background and Objectives: Healthy eating is a crucial approach to improving overall health, encompassing a well-balanced diet of natural and fresh foods, plenty of fruits and vegetables, and foods rich in minerals and vitamins. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of obesity and associated dietary habits among medical students at King Khalid University, Aseer, Saudi Arabia. Materials and Methods: This observational cross-sectional study was conducted through face-to-face interviews. A structured predesigned questionnaire was used to collect data. Results: A total of 540 medical students were included; 43.3% of participants were aged 20-22 years, 24.8% were in the 3rd year, and 82.0% had an average income level. Of them, 21.9% were overweight and 14.6% were obese. There was a significant association between obesity and grade (p = 0.004). Significant differences were observed between males and females in adding sugar to beverages, the frequency of eating out, cooking meat, and drinking water (p < 0.05). The predictors of obesity were being male (OR = 3.5, 95% CI [1.6-7.8], p = 0.002), age (OR = 1.8, 95% CI [1.1-3.0, p = 0.019], being at grade 2 (OR = 38.8, 95% CI [4.0-375.8], p = 0.002), having grilled meat (OR = 0.42, 95% CI, [0.20-0.99], p = 0.048), using artificial sweeteners [OR = 0.24, 95% CI [0.08-0.73], p = 0.012], and drinking sparkling bottled water (OR 8.6, 95% CI [1.2 333-63.8], p = 0.034). Conclusions: The study revealed a high prevalence of obesity and overweight among medical students of both sexes. It recommends education on healthy eating habits, balanced nutrition, and regular physical activity, as well as gender-specific health initiatives, nutritional counseling, and the inclusion of physical activity.

A global country-level analysis of the relationship between obesity and COVID-19 cases and mortality.

AIM: To assess the association of country-level obesity prevalence with COVID-19 case and mortality rates, to evaluate the impact of obesity prevalence on worldwide variation. METHODS: Data on COVID-19 prevalence and mortality, country-specific governmental actions, socioeconomic, demographic, and healthcare capacity factors were extracted from publicly available sources. Multivariable negative binomial regression was used to assess the independent association of obesity with COVID-19 case and mortality rates. RESULTS: Across 168 countries for which data were available, higher obesity prevalence was associated with increased COVID-19 mortality and prevalence rates. For every 1% increase in obesity prevalence, the mortality rate was increased by 8.3% (incidence rate ratio [IRR] 1.083, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.048-1.119; P < 0.001) and the case rate was higher by 6.6% (IRR 1.066, 95% CI 1.035-1.099; P < 0.001). Additionally, higher median population age, greater female ratio, higher Human Development Index (HDI), lower population density, and lower hospital bed availability were all significantly associated with higher COVID-19 mortality rate. In addition, stricter governmental actions, higher HDI and lower mean annual temperature were significantly associated with higher COVID-19 case rate. CONCLUSION: These findings demonstrate that obesity prevalence is a significant and potentially modifiable risk factor of increased COVID-19 national caseload and mortality. Future research to study whether weight loss improves COVID-19 outcomes is urgently required.

The prevalence of hypertension and obesity and effective factors: A cross-sectional bazaar study.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of hypertension/obesity and the effecting factors. Method: This cross-sectional study was done on segments of population that were shopping in 4 bazaars of Bornova, a district of Izmir province in western part of Turkey. In this research sample selection was not used. Between 12 April and 1 June, 2016 individuals who voluntarily had their blood pressure checked were included in the scope of the research (n=1023). Blood pressure was classified according to JNC-8 and during evaluation, borderline values of SBP <140 and SBP >140 were obtained. Also during evaluation borderline values of body mass index (BMI kg/m2) were determined as BMI <30 and BMI 30. SPSS 21 was used for statistical data analysis and p<0.05 was found to be statistically significant. Results: The proportion of those with SBP 140 was 244 (23.9%) and the proportion of those with BMI 30 was 312 (30.5%). The average SBP of individuals with hypertension was 0.22 times (%95 CI: 1.16-0.31) higher than the individuals without hypertension diagnosis, and the obesity rate was 0.49 times (%95 CI: 0.36-0.66) higher. CONCLUSIONS: HT and obesity rates were found high in the people investigated and obesity was determined as an important risk factor for HT. In order to prevent HT and obesity, diagnosis at an early stage is necessary to bring HT under control. Awareness about HT and the health risks it causes should be raised among people and they should be encouraged to make the necessary lifestyle behavior changes.

Prevalence of overweight and obesity among indigenous populations in Canada: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Previous studies on overweight and obesity among indigenous peoples in Canada have been inconclusive. A systematic review was conducted on the prevalence of overweight and obesity among Canadian indigenous populations. Major bibliographic databases were searched for relevant studies published between January 1990 and June 2013. We reviewed 594 abstracts and included 41 studies in the meta-analyses. Using the heterogeneity test (Cochrane Q) results, the overall prevalence was estimated using fixed- or random-effects model. Nonadults (<18 years) had a pooled prevalence of overweight and obesity at 29.8% (95% CI: 25.2-34.4) and 26.5% (95% CI: 21.8-31.3), respectively. The pooled prevalence of overweight and obesity among adults were 29.7% (95% CI: 28.2-31.2) and 36.6% (95% CI: 32.9-40.2), respectively. Adult males had higher overweight prevalence than females (34.6% vs. 26.6%), but lower obesity prevalence (31.6% vs. 40.6%). Nonadult girls had higher prevalence than boys [overweight: 27.6%; 95% CI: 22.6-32.7 vs. 24.7%; 95% CI: 19.0-30.5; obesity: 28.6%; 95% CI: 20.3-36.9 vs. 25.1%; 95% CI: 13.8-36.4]. Nonadult Inuit had the highest overweight and lowest obesity prevalence. Although Inuit adult had the lowest prevalence of overweight (28.7%; 95% CI: 27.3-30.2) and obesity (32.3%; 95% CI: 25.5-39.1), it was relatively high. This study highlights the need for nutritional intervention programs for obesity prevention among indigenous populations in Canada.

Obesity and associated risk factors among students of health colleges of King Saud University, Saudi Arabia: A cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of obesity and associated risk factors among medical students in Saudi Arabia. METHODS: The cross-sectional study was conducted from December 2012 to March 2013 at King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Using stratified sampling technique, undergraduate students of either gender from the health colleges were included. Information was collected through a pretested questionnaire. Measurements of the height and weight were noted and body mass index for all the subjects was calculated. RESULTS: Of the 292 students, 146(50%) were males and 146(50%) were females. Obesity was found in 40(13.7%)students. It was more prevalent among males than females (p<0.05) and among those who had chronic diseases (p<0.001). Family history of obesity was significantly associated with obesity (p=0.016). No significant association was found between physical activity and obesity (p=0.863). CONCLUSIONS: There was considerable prevalence of obesity among the medical students. Being male, having family history of obesity, and having chronic diseases were important risk factors.

Urban diabetes: analysis of diabetes prevalence in cities of the Lombardy region participating in the cities changing diabetes project.

AIM: The urban population increases by about 60 million people/year. Urbanization, unhealthy lifestyle and aging of the population are reflected in a constant growth in the prevalence of diabetes. In 2014, Steno Diabetes Centre in Copenhagen, University College London and Novo Nordisk, launched the Cities Changing Diabetes® program with the aim of creating a unified movement that would stimulate policy-makers to prioritize urban diabetes. METHODS: The socio-demographic data derive from (1) ISTAT (National Institute of Statistics of Italy), (2) ATS Metropolitan City of Milan, (3) ATS Val Padana-Cremona, (4) ATS Insubria-Varese, (5) The unemployment rates of the various municipalities have been extrapolated from an ISTAT-MEF elaboration published by Sole 24 Ore journal. RESULTS: In the different sanitary districts of the Metropolitan City of Milan, a strong linear correlation was found between the prevalence of diabetes and the prevalence of heart disease (R = 0.695, p < 0.001), as well as between the prevalence of diabetes and of nephropathies (R = 0.316, p < 0.001). The analysis concerning the province of Cremona showed a fair correlation between the prevalence of diabetes and cardiovascular disease (R = 0.658, p < 0.001). Even for the municipalities of Varese, the analysis documented a good correlation between the prevalence of diabetes and heart disease (R = 0.419, p < 0.001), but not between diabetes and nephropathies. CONCLUSIONS: Interesting differences in the relationship of diabetes prevalence with several diseases and socio-demographic factors have been found when comparing the metropolitan City of Milan with two smaller size cities as Varese and Cremona. Our present data confirm the hypothesis that urban diabetes will be the challenge for our society during the next decades.

Causes, Consequences, and Preventive Strategies for Childhood Obesity: A Narrative Review.

Childhood obesity is a complex public health challenge with profound implications for both physical and psychological well-being. A significant portion of the global population struggles with obesity. Sedentary lifestyles, increased consumption of ultra-processed foods, and socioeconomic disparities are major contributors. The COVID-19 pandemic has further exacerbated these issues, leading to a surge in obesity rates among children. The consequences of childhood obesity extend beyond immediate health issues like type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases; obese children are at higher risk for psychological problems such as depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem, which can persist into adulthood. These health challenges also impose substantial economic burdens due to increased healthcare costs and reduced productivity. This paper synthesizes findings from various articles to provide an overview of the causes, consequences, and preventive strategies related to childhood obesity. It highlights the varied nature of obesity, including genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors, and discusses the profound impact on physical health, socioemotional skills, and mental health. Additionally, it examines the global challenge of childhood obesity, particularly in developing nations, and emphasizes the importance of preventive measures, family and parental behaviors, and effective policy interventions.

Mapping Obesity Trends in Saudi Arabia: A Four-Year Description Study.

OBJECTIVE: Our study aims to map the trends in obesity prevalence over the past four years and to describe the health, behavior, and psychological factors of people living with obesity in Saudi. METHOD: This is a secondary data analysis using the Sharik Health Indicators Surveillance System (SHISS) from 2020 to 2023. The SHISS dataset comprises cross-sectional telephone interviews carried out quarterly across all administrative regions of Saudi Arabia. Recruitment of participants was restricted to Saudi resident adults only. RESULTS: The study analyzed data from 92,137 participants, with a balanced region and gender distribution. The average age of participants was 36.83 ± 13.68 years. The prevalence of obesity showed minor fluctuations over four years, with the highest at 22.2% in 2020 and lowest at 21.4% in 2023. This study showed that a slight decline in daily smoking rates was observed from 2020 to 2023 across all categories. Participants living with obesity reported a higher consumption of fruits and vegetables compared to their not with obesity counterparts. In addition, participants living with obesity engaged less frequently in physical activities compared to those without obesity. Moreover, people living with obesity have higher incidence rates of depression and anxiety, as well as various of chronic diseases. CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights the complex factors affecting obesity prevalence in Saudi Arabia. Despite progress, ongoing health promotion and disease prevention are crucial to address the persistent challenges driven by behavioral and socio-economic factors. Continued surveillance and longitudinal studies are essential to track trends in obesity, smoking, and physical activity, ensuring that health initiatives align with population needs.

A Case-Control Study of the Correlation Between Blood Parameters and Obesity.

BACKGROUND:  Obesity has become a global health crisis in adults, and is linked to conditions like diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer. This study explored associations between body mass index (BMI) and laboratory parameters in healthy individuals to identify risk factors and guide targeted interventions in Turkey. It was found that screening and lifestyle changes can help prevent and manage obesity-related health issues. METHODS: This retrospective case-control study analyzed 2153 adult participants using medical records between 2021 and 2024. The study included those with good overall health; those under 18 years of age or had organ failure, chronic metabolic disorders, obesity complications, or were on multiple obesity-related medications were excluded. Data collected included demographic details, waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), BMI, and laboratory findings. Statistical analyses, including Pearson and Spearman correlations, Mann-Whitney U test and t test, and receiver operating characteristic analysis, were performed using SPSS 24.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY). RESULTS: The study, comprising 1016 men and 1137 women, revealed that 31.8% of adults were obese. Gender disparities were evident, with a higher prevalence of obesity observed in women: 76.5%, 68.8%, and 45.3% for classes 1, 2, and 3, respectively, compared to corresponding rates of 23.5%, 31.2%, and 54.7% in men. BMI significantly correlated with WHR. Despite the disparity between BMI and WHR between men and women, positive correlations were found between BMI and age (r=0.4) and serum uric acid (SUA) levels (r=0.5). The Mann-Whitney U test also demonstrated a significant association between BMI and fasting plasma glucose level, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), triglycerides, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), uric acid, platelet count, and lymphocyte count (all p values<0.005). Despite the poor correlation with BMI, SUA levels emerged as a potential obesity predictor, with a 4.1 mg/dl cutoff value, exhibiting 50% sensitivity and 34% specificity (p<0.001; area under the curve, or AUC, 0.67; 95% CI 0.65-0.70). There was no significant link between BMI and aspartate aminotransferase, hemoglobin, mean platelet volume, neutrophil and lymphocyte count, vitamin D, thyroid-stimulating hormone, and free thyroxine 4 levels. CONCLUSION: This study found significant associations between BMI and laboratory parameters, including serum uric acid, fasting glucose, LDL, triglycerides, and ALT. WHR was also closely linked to BMI, with notable gender differences in body composition. These significant findings underscore the complex nature of obesity and highlight the importance of gender-specific considerations and biomarkers in research and management strategies that are crucial for understanding and addressing this global health crisis.

Assessing the prevalence of obesity in a Russian adult population by six indices and their associations with hypertension, diabetes mellitus and hypercholesterolaemia.

The anthropometric index that best predicts cardiometabolic risk remains inconclusive. This study therefore assessed the prevalence of obesity using six indices and compared their associations with obesity-related cardiometabolic disorders. We determined obesity prevalence according to body mass index, waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), body fat percentage and fat mass index (FMI) using data from the Know Your Heart study (n = 4495, 35-69 years). The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUCs) provided predictive values of each index for detecting the presence of hypertension, hypercholesterolaemia and diabetes. Age-standardised obesity prevalence significantly varied according to anthropometric index: from 17.2% (FMI) to 75.8% (WHtR) among men and from 23.6% (FMI) to 65.0% (WHtR) among women. WHtR had the strongest association with hypertension (AUC = 0.784; p < 0.001) and with a combination of disorders (AUC = 0.779; p < 0.001) in women. In women, WHtR also had the largest AUCs for hypercholesterolaemia, in men - for hypertension, diabetes and a combination of disorders, although not all the differences from other obesity indices were significant. WHtR exhibited the closest association between hypertension and a combination of disorders in women and was non-inferior compared to other indices in men.

[Obesity epidemic: current evidence, challenges and future directions]. / Epidemia de obesidad: evidencia actual, desafíos y direcciones futuras.

The obesity epidemic is a phenomenon that has been widely studied in recent decades but is still incompletely understood, and its control is far from the desirable level in view of the increasing prevalence figures observed worldwide. This paper conducts a narrative review with the aim of providing updated evidence on the global obesity epidemic, and particularly on the situation in Latin America and Argentina, identifying the main challenges and future directions for addressing this public health problem. It first describes the current burden and increasing trends in the prevalence of obesity, in the overall population and by population groups, and its possible association with genetic and epigenetic aspects. It also summarizes the direct and indirect socioeconomic consequences of this epidemic, as well as recent strategies and initiatives focused on obesity prevention, with special attention to those reported as the most efficient in the Latin American context. This review identified some pending challenges in the region, the integrated approach to the double burden of malnutrition and the growing childhood overweight; and it points out some emerging approaches, such as the syndemic approach, as potentially useful to understand and address this complex problem in the current context. In conclusion, it highlights the importance of implementing renewed, more efficient and evidence-based strategies to control the growing prevalence of obesity, which would also impact on the burden of related chronic diseases, and thus on the economy and well-being of Latin American societies.

La epidemia de obesidad es un fenómeno ampliamente estudiado en las últimas décadas, pero aun así incompletamente comprendido, cuyo control se encuentra lejos del nivel deseable si consideramos las cifras crecientes de prevalencia observadas a nivel mundial. El presente trabajo realiza una revisión narrativa con el propósito de aportar evidencia actualizada sobre la epidemia de la obesidad en el mundo, y en particular en la región latinoamericana y Argentina, identificando además los principales desafíos y direcciones futuras para el abordaje de esta problemática de salud pública. Se describe primeramente la carga actual y tendencias crecientes de la prevalencia de obesidad, general y por grupos poblacionales, y su posible relación con aspectos genéticos y epigenéticos. Se resumen también las consecuencias socioeconómicas directas e indirectas de esta epidemia, y las estrategias e iniciativas recientes orientadas a la prevención de la obesidad, con especial atención en aquellas reportadas como las más eficientes en el contexto latinoamericano. En función de la revisión realizada, se identifican como desafíos pendientes en esa región, el abordaje integrado de la doble carga de malnutrición así como el creciente sobrepeso infantil; se apuntan también algunos enfoques emergentes, como el sindémico, potencialmente útiles para comprender y abordar esta compleja problemática en el contexto actual. Concluyendo, se destaca la importancia de implementar estrategias renovadas, más eficientes y basadas en evidencia, para controlar la creciente prevalencia de obesidad, lo cual impactaría también en la carga de las enfermedades crónicas relacionadas, y con ello, en la economía y bienestar de las sociedades latinoamericanas.

Biological normalcy and body fat: Obesity prevalence, fat stigma, and allostatic load among late adolescents and young adults.

OBJECTIVES: Biological normalcy provides a framework to assess tensions between clinical definitions of "normal," statistical norms, and normative beliefs. A prevailing cultural belief is obesity directly causes poor health, but research has demonstrated consequences of fat stigma. Previous research linked fat stigma and allostatic load (AL) in adults, but this has not been demonstrated in youth, and the role of obesity prevalence is unknown. This study assesses the relationship between fat stigma and AL among youth from counties varying by obesity prevalence. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Undergraduates from 38 counties across the US state of Indiana (n = 175) were recruited. Fat stigma was measured using the brief stigmatizing situations inventory (SSI). AL was calculated using eight biomarkers representing cardiovascular, metabolic, and immune function. Poisson regression assessed relationships of interest and adjusted for potential confounding. An interaction term and stratified analyses were used to assess moderation. RESULTS: SSI was not statistically associated with obesity prevalence (RR = 0.96, p = 0.173) but did statistically significantly predict AL (RR = 1.019, p = 0.045) when adjusting for confounders. Obesity prevalence moderated the relationship between SSI and AL (RR = 0.993, p = 0.001). DISCUSSION: Results suggest that fat stigma, regardless of body fat percentage, is associated with physiologic wear and tear on the late adolescent body, and that exposure to obesity during earlier adolescence moderates this relationship. Those most at risk for high AL reported high fat stigma and lived in counties with relatively low obesity prevalence during earlier adolescence, suggesting vulnerability to fat stigma may be heightened where obesity is less common.

Obesity in Sexual and Gender Minority Populations: Prevalence and Correlates.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The purpose of this review is to explore the prevalence and correlates of obesity among members of sexual and gender minority (SGM) populations. RECENT FINDINGS: Research overall finds higher rates of obesity among lesbian and bisexual women than heterosexual women, lower rates of obesity among gay and bisexual men than heterosexual men, and inconsistent findings on obesity among transgender individuals. Rates of mental health disorders and disordered eating are high among all SGM groups. Rates of comorbid medical conditions differ among groups. More research needs to be conducted within all SGM groups but particularly among transgender populations. All members of SGM encounter stigma, including when seeking healthcare, and this may lead to individuals avoiding healthcare. Therefore, it is important to educate providers about population-specific factors. This article serves as an overview of important considerations for providers treating individuals within SGM populations.

Steady increase of obesity prevalence in Austria: Analysis of three representative cross-sectional national health interview surveys from 2006 to 2019.

BACKGROUND: Obesity is associated with adverse health consequences throughout life. Monitoring obesity trends is important to plan and implement public heath interventions adapted to specific target groups. We aimed to analyze the development of obesity prevalence in the Austrian population using data from the most recent representative Austrian Health Interview Surveys. METHODS: The three cross-sectional Austrian health interview surveys from 2006/2007, 2014 and 2019 were used (n = 45,707). Data correction for self-reported body mass index (BMI) was applied. Sex, age, education level, employment status, country of birth, urbanization, and family status were used as sociodemographic factors. Logistic regression models were applied. RESULTS: Prevalence of obesity increased in both sexes in the study period (men 13.7% to 20.0%, women 15.2% to 17.8%, p < 0.001). Adjusted odds ratios (95% confidence interval [CI]) for the increase in obesity prevalence was 1.47 (95% CI: 1.38-1.56). In men, obesity prevalence almost doubled from 2006/2007 to 2019 in subgroups of 15-29-year-olds (4.8% to 9.0%), unemployed (13.5% to 27.6%), men born in non-EU/non-EFTA countries (13.9% to 26.2%), and not being in a relationship (8.1% to 15.4%). In women, the largest increase was found in subgroups of 30-64-year-olds (15.8% to 18.7%), women born in non-EU/non-EFTA countries (19.9% to 22.8%) and in women living in the federal capital Vienna (16.5% to 19.9%). CONCLUSION: Obesity prevalence in the Austrian population continues to rise significantly. We identified distinct subgroups with a fast-growing obesity prevalence in recent years, emphasizing the importance of regular long-term data collection as a basis for sustainable and target group-specific action planning.

Prevalence of associations among sarcopenia, obesity, and metabolic syndrome in Brazilian older adults.

Background: Although aging is a process associated with the development of obesity, metabolic syndrome (MetS), and sarcopenia, the prevalence of these conditions in older adults from São Paulo, Brazil, is unclear. Methods: Therefore, the current study aimed to investigate the prevalence of obesity, sarcopenia, and MetS, both separately and together, in a community-based sample of older adults from São Paulo, Brazil. Data from the medical records of 418 older adults of both genders, aged 60 years or older (mean age 69.3 ± 6.5 years), who were not physically active, were used to conduct this retrospective cross-sectional study. Anthropometric variables were used to determine both body mass index (BMI) and Conicity index (C index). Sarcopenia and MetS were defined according to the criteria of the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People and by the Brazilian Society of Endocrinology and Metabolism, respectively. Results: Based on BMI, the group of older men (n = 91) showed a predominance of adequate weight (n = 49) and the group of older women (n = 327) showed a predominance of obesity (n = 181). In association with obesity, while only the group of older women presented with sarcopenia (n = 5), 52 older women and 9 older men presented with MetS, and two older women presented with sarcopenia + MetS [prevalence ratio = 0.0385, 95% CI (0.007;0.1924)]. Based on the C index, 58 older women and 11 older men presented with MetS, while the occurrence of sarcopenia or MetS + sarcopenia was found in 32 and 5 older women, respectively [prevalence ratio = 0.0910, 95% CI (0.037;0.2241)]. Discussion: Our results suggest that obesity, as measured by BMI or the C Index, was more closely associated with the occurrence of MetS than sarcopenia, regardless of gender, and also that sarcopenic obesity was only found in the group of older women. Additionally, the prevalence ratio of obesity, sarcopenia, and MetS evidenced using the C index was 2.3 times higher than the values found using the BMI classification.

Potential Mediating Roles of Children's Health-Related Quality of Life and Weight-Related Behaviors in the Relationship Between Socio-Educational Advantage and Weight Status.

Background: Socioeconomic status is inversely associated with weight status in developed countries. Underlying mechanisms are still to be clarified. Our aim was to determine if weight-related behaviors and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) mediate the relationship between socio-educational advantage and weight status in Australian children 9 to 13 years of age. Methods: Secondary analysis of data collected by two cluster randomized trials (2019 wave). We measured children's (n = 3978) height, weight, diet, physical activity, sedentary behavior, and HRQoL. Socio-.educational advantage was assessed at school level using the Index of Community Socio-Educational Advantage (ICSEA). A counterfactual framework was used to explore potential mediators in the relationship between socio-educational disadvantage and (1) overweight/obesity and (2) BMI z-score (BMIz). Results: Low socio-educational advantage was associated with increased overweight/obesity and BMIz. The overweight/obesity association was mediated by sedentary behavior (natural indirect effect as a proportion of total, 7.5%) sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption (12.7%), physical functioning (11.9%), psychosocial health (10.9%), school (6.8%) and social functioning (15.6%), and total HRQoL score (13.8%). The ICSEA-BMIz relationship was mediated by sedentary behavior (5.7%), sleep duration (4.1%), SSB (10.6%), physical functioning (9.9%), psychosocial health (9.1%), school (5.5%) and social (13.7%) functioning, and total HRQoL score (11.7%). Conclusion: Victorian Children with low socio-educational advantage were more likely to be living with overweight or obesity. This relationship was mediated by children's sedentary behavior, SSB consumption, and HRQoL. Trial Registration: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR): ACTRN12616000980437 (registered July 26, 2016, retrospectively registered) and ACTRN12618001986268 (registered December 11, 2018, prospectively registered). https://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration.

Is the proportion of per capita fat supply associated with the prevalence of overweight and obesity? an ecological analysis.

BACKGROUND: Although it is reported in numerous interventional and observational studies, that a low-fat diet is an effective method to combat overweight and obesity, the relationship at the global population level is not well established. This study aimed to quantify the associations between worldwide per capita fat supply and prevalence of overweight and obesity and further classify this association based on per capita Gross National Income (GNI). METHODS: A total of 93 countries from four GNI groups were selected. Country-specific overweight and obesity prevalence data were retrieved from the most recent WHO Global Health Observatory database. Per capita supply of fat and calories were obtained from the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization database; FAOSTAT, Food Balance Sheet for years 2014-2016. The categorizations of countries were done based on GNI based classification by the World Bank. RESULTS: Among the selected countries, the overweight prevalence ranged from 3.9% (India) to 78.8% (Kiribati), while obesity prevalence ranged from 3.6% (Bangladesh) to 46.0% (Kiribati). The highest and the lowest per capita fat supply from total calorie supply were documented in Australia (41.2%) and Madagascar (10.5%) respectively. A significant strong positive correlation was observed between the prevalence of overweight (r = 0.64, p < 0.001) and obesity (r = 0.59, p < 0.001) with per capita fat supply. The lower ends of both trend lines were densely populated by the low- and lower-middle-income countries and the upper ends of both lines were greatly populated by the high-income countries. CONCLUSIONS: Per capita fat supply per country is significantly associated with both prevalence of overweight and obesity.

Lifestyle habits, macronutrient intake, and obesity prevalence among adolescents in rural-periurban community senior high schools in the Ho municipality of Ghana.

Background: Adolescence is a critical stage in the life cycle that presents a window of opportunity for the formation of lifetime habits or an aversion to childhood malnutrition effects. This study assessed the lifestyle habits, macronutrient intakes, and obesity prevalence among adolescents in some selected Senior High Schools in rural communities in Ho Municipality. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 272 adolescents aged 13-19 years and attending senior high schools in the Ho Municipality of Ghana. Data on sociodemographic, physical activity levels, dietary habits, and anthropometrics were obtained. A body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) were determined, while a repeated 24-h dietary recall was used to collect the dietary intakes of the participants. Results: The majority of the adolescents did not meet the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) for calories (94.5%), dietary protein (68.8%), and fibre (91.5%). Adolescent boys consumed more calories (1,969.7 ± 579.9 Kcal) on average than adolescent girls (1,658.0 ± 458.7 Kcal) (p = 0.001). Overweight and obesity prevalence were 15.8 and 8.5%, respectively. About 90.4% of the adolescents did not meet the WHO recommended 150 min per week of physical exercise. On sedentary, 97.6% of adolescents spent half an hour to 5 h per day watching television when at home. Breakfast was the most frequently skipped meal (47.9%), and 59.6% of adolescents consumed fast foods such as pizza, burgers, and ice cream one to three times per week. Adolescent girls also had higher odds of being overweight or obese compared with adolescent boys (AOR = 2.4, p = 0.094, 95% CI = 0.9-6.4). Adolescents who did not meet the RDA for calories had lower odds of being overweight or obese compared with those who did (UOR = 0.3, p = 0.045, 95% CI = 0.1-0.9). Conclusion: Poor dietary habits and intake, sedentary lifestyle, and obesity prevalence were observed among the adolescents. Being an adolescent girl was associated with obesity risk, while not meeting caloric intake showed a protective effect. Efficient and effective nutrition and lifestyle education programme should be promoted in communities to improve the dietary intake and lifestyle habits of adolescents.

The association between obesity-related legislation in the United States and adolescents' weight.

Effective obesity prevention requires intervening at all levels of society, including the governmental level. Policy interventions at the governmental level are especially promising as they tend to involve minimal individual effort while, at the same time, reach many people. The amount of state-level obesity-related legislation in the United States has increased over the years, and several laws were installed in contexts that reach young people, such as schools. Given this increase in state-level obesity-related legislation targeting youth, we tested whether the quantity of obesity-related legislation in U.S. states was associated with adolescent BMI and overweight/obesity prevalence. Linear and multilevel analyses showed that the quantity of physical activity-related legislation was associated with lower overweight/obesity prevalence yet with very modest effect size (b = -0.002, p = .042). Our results underline the likely importance of obesity-related legislation. In addition, the value of examining both BMI and overweight/obesity prevalence when evaluating interventions is demonstrated.