The usefulness of measuring body fat deposition for detecting obesity and atherogenesity in Japanese school children

Body fat deposition was measured in overweight and non-overweight children using a bioelectrical impedance method, and its relationship with serum lipids and apolipoproteins was investigated in 90 overweight children (over 120% of their ideal weight) and 241 non-overweight children aged 10–15 years in Niigata Prefecture. The results were as follows. Overweight boys had significantly higher levels of total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), atherogenic index (AI), RLP-cholesterol (RLP-C), apoA1, apoA2, apoB, apoC2, apoC3, apoE and the ratio of apoB to apoAl than non-overweight boys. Overweight girls had significantly higher levels of TC, LDL-C, AI, remnant-like lopoprotein cholesterol (RLP-C), apoA2, apoB, apoC2, apoC3, apoE and the ratio of apoB to apoA1 than non-overweight girls. It has been reported that of all children studied 2.1% had higher levels of RLP-C than its upper limit known for adults (12 mg/dL). Of the overweight children in the present study, 4.4% had a high level of RLP-C whereas only 1.2% of non-overweight children had a high RLP-C level. No difference in the lipoprotein levels was found between overweight and non-overweight children. In both boys and girls, relative weight, body fat, skinfold thickness and body mass index (BMI) were correlated with the lipoprotein levels. Non-overweight boys whose body fat was over 20% had significantly higher levels of TC, LDL-C, apoA2, apoB, apoC2, apoE and apoB/A1 than those whose body fat was less than 20%. It was concluded that the measurement of body fat deposition, together with relative weight, was useful for detecting obesity and atherogenesity in Japanese school children.     

血清谷丙转氨酶与儿童超重、肥胖的关系

目的：探讨血清谷丙转氨酶（ALT）与儿童超重、肥胖的关系。方法：对年龄7～18岁的2889例正常儿童及702例超重、肥胖儿童的资料进行分析,测量身高、体重、腰围、血压,检测空腹血糖、血脂、ALT、胰岛素等生化指标,计算胰岛素抵抗指数。结果：男童ALT水平高于女童。随着体重指数（BMI）的增加,男女童正常组、超重组、肥胖组ALT水平均逐渐增加。ALT与BMI、腰围、甘油三酯、胰岛素抵抗指数等相关。在超重、肥胖儿童中,男童ALT升高组BMI、腰围、血压、甘油三酯、低密度脂蛋白、胰岛素抵抗指数均较ALT正常组高（P<0.05）;女童ALT升高组腰围、血压、胰岛素抵抗指数高于ALT正常组,而高密度脂蛋白降低（P<0.05）。结论：ALT与儿童超重、肥胖及其引起代谢异常如血脂异常、胰岛素抵抗相关。     

Overweight, obesity, weight-related concerns and behaviours in Hong Kong Chinese children and adolescents

Aim: To study the prevalence of overweight and obesity, and weight-related concerns and behaviours among overweight, obese and non-overweight children and adolescents. Methods: We carried out a cross-sectional survey of all Chinese students in primary schools in the Central and Western District of Hong Kong in March 2002. Thirty-one of 32 schools participated, and 5402 boys and 5371 girls aged 8 to 15 y who completed a standardized questionnaire were included. We used the International Obesity Task Force definition (IOTF reference) to define overweight and obesity. Results: The prevalence (95% CI) of overweight was 16.4% (15.7-17.1%) (19.9% in boys, 12.9% in girls), and that of obesity was 7.7% (7.2-8.2%) (10.3% in boys and 5.1% in girls). The combined prevalence of overweight and obesity was similar to that based on the local reference. Overweight children had more concerns about their weight than obese children. They were more likely than obese children to feel fat, wish to be lighter, diet and exercise to lose weight. Although obese children were heavier, they did not make more effort to lose weight than overweight children.

Conclusions: The differences in weight-related concerns and behaviours among overweight, obese and non-overweight children suggested good validity of the IOTF reference and the self-reported data. The differences between overweight and obese children suggested that the two groups had different psychological states and that they needed different weight management programmes and other intervention strategies.     

Moderately elevated body mass index is associated with metabolic variables and cardiovascular risk factors in Swedish children

Aim: To evaluate associations between anthropometrics and metabolic variables as well as cardiovascular risk factors among children. Methods: Subjects were recruited from a cohort of 274 healthy children in Umeå, Sweden. Anthropometric measures, blood pressure and venous blood samples were collected at age 10 years and simultaneously from parents. Results: Altogether 144 children (53%), 142 mothers and 123 fathers participated. The prevalence of overweight and obesity among the children was 18 and 2%, respectively. Overweight children (above age‐ and sex‐specific cut offs corresponding adult BMI ≥ 25 kg/m²), compared to normal weight children, had significantly higher BMI already during infancy and higher S‐insulin and Homeostatic Model Assessment (HOMA) index at 10 years. The children’s BMI was positively associated with waist (boys’ r = 0.67, girls’ r = 0.81), hip (r = 0.68), waist/hip ratio (girls’ r = 0.37), waist/height ratio (boys’ r = 0.59, girls’ r = 0.80), sagittal abdominal diameter (r = 0.75), S‐insulin (r = 0.45), HOMA index (r = 0.49), systolic blood pressure (r = 0.24), mothers’ BMI (girls’ r = 0.42) and mothers’ waist (girls’ r = 0.42). Conclusion: Children at 10 years of age with moderately elevated BMI had higher levels of some metabolic variables and cardiovascular risk factors than did normal weight children, and there was a correlation between BMI and some metabolic variables as well as cardiovascular risk factors.     

Moderate–vigorous physical activity and body fatness in Chinese urban school children

Background: The exact relation between moderate-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and body fatness in children has yet to be fully defined. This study examined the relationship between MVPA and body fatness in Chinese urban school children aged 9-11 years, in an 8 month longitudinal study. Methods: Two hundred and ten children (aged 9-11 years; 97 boys and 113 girls) were recruited from two public primary schools in the Beijing urban area. The baseline and the 8 month follow-up percent body fat (fat%), fat mass (FM), body mass index (BMI), waist size, hip size and the waist : hip ratio were investigated as measures of body fatness. Habitual MVPA level (activity-related energy expenditure, AEE) was measured using a validated self-report questionnaire recall. Results: Nine-year-old girls who were in the top quartile for MVPA had significantly lower fat% than other girls at the same age (P < 0.05); 10-11-years girls who were in the top quartile for MVPA had significantly less increase in all of the indices of body fatness (P < 0.05). There was no difference in fat% between the highly physically active (top quartile for MVPA) and less active 9-11 year boys in both cross-sectional and longitudinal statistical analyses. Conclusions: Highly physically active girls had lower fat% and less increase in body fatness. In light of world trends showing increasing childhood obesity, this study supports the hypothesis that MVPA might be effective in fighting excess body fat gain in Chinese school-age girls.     

0～14岁儿童血肥胖抑素含量及其意义

目的了解0～14岁儿童血肥胖抑素(Leptin) 水平.方法对154名(男 78名,女 76名)0～14岁健康非肥胖儿童(38例)和超重/肥胖儿童(39例)的Leptin分布、性别/年龄变化趋势、与人体测量学参数(腰围、腰臀比、瘦体重、全身体脂含量、体脂百分数、BMI/Kaup指数)和血胰岛素水平的相互关系进行了研究.结果 (1)健康非肥胖儿童Leptin值为1.01～29.92 (ng/ml),均值为2.99±2.13 (ng/ml).90%可信限范围,男童为1.36～14.21 (ng/ml),女童为1.74～21.17 (ng/ml).血浆与血清Leptin值差异无显著意义;(2)超重/肥胖儿童血Leptin值明显高于非肥胖儿童(P＜0.001).(3)Leptin性别差异有显著意义(P=0.023),在非肥胖儿童中更明显(P=0.004).多元回归分析表明,加入体脂因素后性别因素不再与Leptin 水平相关(P=0.138,0.241,0.990),而BMI、体脂含量和体脂百分数的影响差异有显著意义(P＜0.001);(4)Leptin值与年龄存在相关关系(P=0.005),超重/肥胖组更著,女性随年龄增长而升高的趋势更明显(P=0.001).青春期前期Leptin值开始上升,女性明显高于男性(P=0.045).不同年龄组其Leptin值明显不同(P＜0.001).(5)Leptin值与BMI、体脂含量和体脂百分数显著正相关、与瘦体重相关关系弱,男童与腰臀比不相关,女童存在相关关系.曲线回归方程(Quadatic)比直线相关方程更好的指示上述相关.(6)0～7岁儿童Leptin值与出生体重明显相关(P=0.001),自学龄期后无相关关系(P=0.456).(7)Leptin值与空腹胰岛素水平呈正相关(P＜0.001).结论儿童血Leptin值的发育与脂肪发育及重聚规律一致.     

北京市儿童青少年青春期发育与肥胖相关关系的研究

目的 分析北京市6~18岁儿童青少年青春期发育与超重肥胖的关系。方法 利用2004年北京市儿童青少年代谢综合征调查总样本中19 085名6~18岁儿童青少年的青春期发育、体重指数（BMI）和体脂含量百分比（FMP）等数据。采用女性乳房和男性睾丸容积Tanner分期指标衡量青春期发育，结合个体年龄将群体分为早、晚发育组；以BMI和生物电阻抗法所测FMP作为反映体脂含量的指标；7~18岁人群超重和肥胖的诊断采用中国肥胖问题工作组（WGOC）推荐的中国学龄儿童青少年超重、肥胖筛查BMI值分类标准进行，6岁组采用美国疾病预防与控制中心 2000年发布的儿童超重和肥胖BMI标准第P85和第P95分位值进行诊断；采用多元线形回归、Logistic回归分析早发育与体脂含量和超重、肥胖的相关联系。结果 早发育组的超重（合并肥胖）率和肥胖率均高于晚发育组，女性两组间差异大于男性；控制可能的混杂因素后，女性BMI和FMP与早发育呈正相关（BMI：β=2.25，P<0.001；FMP：β=4.55，P<0.001）；而男性BMI和FMP与早发育的联系相反，早发育组的BMI高于晚发育组，而FMP却低于晚发育组；以晚发育为参照组，控制年龄、城郊居住地等因素的影响后，早发育预测超重、肥胖的OR值（95%CI）：女性为3.39（2.94~3.92）和3.12（2.53~3.85），男性为1.12（0.96~1.31）和1.31（1.06~1.62）。结论 北京市儿童青少年青春期发育与肥胖密切相关，在评价超重、肥胖率及进行不同地区间肥胖流行状况的比较时，要注意青春期发育的效应修正作用。     

基于不同体块指数筛查标准的2011年北京市儿童青少年超重和肥胖检出率比较研究

目的 描述2011年北京市7~18岁儿童青少年超重和肥胖的检出率,并比较基于不同BMI筛查标准的检出率的差异。方法 研究对象为2011年北京市中小学体检的7~18岁学龄儿童青少年。采用BMI作为评价超重和肥胖的指标。超重和肥胖筛查分别采用4种不同的国内（CN2010和WGOC）和国际（IOTF和WHO2007）标准。不同BMI筛查标准之间超重、肥胖检出率比较采用McNemar检验。结果 ①92 212名男女生BMI在P50、P85和P95上均显著高于全国水平(2009年“中国0~18岁儿童青少年体块指数的生长曲线”),男女生在对应百分位曲线上无交叉现象,男生BMI水平高于女生。②基于CN2010和WGOC标准,男生肥胖检出率分别为17.8%和18.2%,女生检出率分别为10.8%和10.9%;基于IOTF和WHO2007标准,男生肥胖检出率分别为12.9%和21.0%,女生检出率分别为6.0%和8.6%。③基于CN2010和WGOC标准,男生超重（含肥胖）检出率两标准间差异无统计学意义,均为36.0%,各年龄组差异亦不明显,但女生检出率CN2010标准高于WGOC标准（28.1％ vs 24.1%）,在7~15岁组差异较为明显,但在16~18岁组差异较小;与国际标准相比,基于国内标准的男生超重（含肥胖）检出率略高于IOTF标准,但却明显低于WHO2007标准,女生检出率超重（含肥胖）明显高于IOTF标准,但与WHO2007标准较为接近。④与基于WGOC标准的2004年北京市7~18岁儿童青少年超重和肥胖检出率相比,2011年超重和肥胖检出率显著增长,男女肥胖检出率分别增长5.8%和3.8%,超重（含肥胖）检出率分别增长9.3%和7.6%。结论 2011年北京市7~18岁学生中有1/3处于超重或肥胖状态。国内标准与国际标准存在明显差异,在反映中国儿童的超重肥胖流行状况时建议采用国内标准,而理想的国内标准应实现2～18岁的统一,并与成人接轨。     

学龄前儿童颈围与体重指数的相关性

目的 探讨学龄前儿童颈围与体重指数的相关性及颈围对学龄前儿童超重/肥胖的诊断价值。方法 采用分层整群抽样的方法抽取乌鲁木齐市10所幼儿园3 719名7岁以下儿童,收集儿童一般资料并进行体格测量,采用Pearson相关分析法评估颈围与体重指数的相关性,采用受试者工作特征(receiver operating characteristic,ROC)曲线分析颈围判断超重/肥胖的准确性,采用Kappa一致性检验评价颈围与体重指数判断超重/肥胖的一致性。结果 各年龄阶段的男童、女童颈围与体重指数均呈正相关(r≥0.50,均P<0.001)。以体重指数作为判断超重/肥胖的标准分为超重/肥胖组与非超重/肥胖组,各年龄阶段的超重/肥胖组颈围均大于非超重/肥胖组(P<0.001)。ROC曲线分析显示,男童和女童颈围判断超重/肥胖的曲线下面积均大于0.7。Kappa一致性检验显示,各年龄阶段男童、女童的颈围和体重指数判断超重/肥胖的Kappa值均大于0.40。结论 学龄前儿童颈围与体重指数呈正相关;颈围可较好地判断学龄前儿童超重/肥胖。[中国当代儿科杂志,2022,24 (9):1042-10...     

全国0～6 岁儿童单纯性肥胖流行病学研究

目的 本研究旨在了解自1996年第二次全国儿童期单纯肥胖症流行学研究后10年来我国儿童期单纯肥胖症的发展特征和趋势;复核本工作组研究初期所确定的工作假设和所选择的指示参数的科学效应;修订本工作组所制定的中国儿童单纯肥胖症控制方案的科学性和可操作性.方法 选择沈阳、济南、青岛、郑州、长沙、重庆、西安、成都、深圳、海口、文昌11个城市,采取随机整群抽样的方法,共调查0～6岁儿童84 766名,代表人口1 414 220名儿童.儿童肥胖的判定标准为世界卫生组织(WHO)身高标准体重值,采用标准差计分法(Z-score),体重高于中位数1个标准差为超重、高于2个标准差为肥胖.测量体重、身长/身高、3岁以上儿童的腰围、臀围、大腿围及血压.计数、计量数据分别采用χ2检验和t检验进行分析,显著性检验水平为0.05.结果 (1)本次调查0～6 岁儿童肥胖、超重总检出率分别为7.2%、19.8%,其中男童肥胖、超重检出率分别为8.9%、22.2%,女童肥胖、超重检出率分别为5.3%、17.0%.较1996年分别增长了3.6、4.7倍,年均增长速度分别为156%和52%.肥胖、超重检出率北部高于西部,中南部居中;男童高于女童.肥胖、超重比仍处于高危水平.(2)出生后1个月儿童的平均体块指数(BMI)值＞16.5,于1个月时BMI均值达最高(17.8),之后逐渐降低,5.5岁时降至最低点(平均值15.7),然后随年龄上升,但最高BMI均值未超过18.(3)本次调查中,脂肪重聚年龄为5.5岁,较1996年后移半年.出生后前半年的脂肪重聚比(ARR1)为0.56,出生后半年(ARR2)为0.97,均处于可接受水平,且明显低于10年前的水平.(4)西部地区儿童由于身高不足,可以出现"假性超重".这既掩盖了早期线性生长不足和营养不良,又掩盖了可能产生的肥胖.(5)本次调查肥胖儿童血压高于第95百分位数的比例高达12.9%,其腰臀比大于本工作组设置的1.0的危险警戒水平者占17.2%.(6)本工作组所设立的BMI参照值及肥胖筛查界值点、脂肪重聚比/年龄等参照值及界值点、腰臀比参照值及界值点等指示参数在现场筛查和指示健康危险因素等方面是适宜、科学、实用的.结论 近10年儿童期单纯肥胖症检出率和肥胖儿童高血压率增加明显,且存在心血管高危状态,应加强儿童期单纯肥胖症的早期预防控制.     

Influence of gender, BMI and Hispanic ethnicity on physical activity in children.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine the association between overweight status and physical activity (PA) among gender and ethnic (Hispanic vs. non-Hispanic) sub-groups in elementary school-age children. METHODS: PA was assessed over five days using the Actigraph accelerometer in 169 fourth grade students (mean age 9.4 years; 50% female; 63% Hispanic; and 43% overweight, defined as body mass index, BMI > or = 85th percentile for age and gender) from four elementary schools in Los Angeles County, California. RESULTS: In the total sample, boys and normal weight students had higher levels of total PA (counts per minute, cpm; p<0.05). Boys spent less time in sedentary PA (p=0.02) and more time in combined moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA, p=0.01). There was a significant gender, ethnicity, and overweight interaction for total PA and MVPA (both p<0.01). MVPA and counts per minute were significantly lower in overweight non-Hispanic girls and Hispanic boys (p<0.05) and marginally lower in overweight non-Hispanic boys (p=0.10) when compared with non-overweight students, while overweight Hispanic girls were more physically active than Hispanic non-overweight girls, though the difference was non-significant (p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Data from the present study does not consistently support the prevailing hypothesis that overweight subjects engage in less PA. Results show overweight students engage in less PA than non-overweight students, with the exception that non-overweight Hispanic girls do not engage in more PA than their overweight peers. These results suggest the need for further investigation into the role that ethnicity and overweight status plays in PA levels, particularly among ethnic and gender sub-groups.     

长沙市开福区小学生肥胖现状及影响因素分析

目的：了解长沙市开福区小学生超重、肥胖情况及单纯性肥胖的影响因素,为小学生肥胖的防治工作提供科学依据。方法：随机抽取长沙市开福区7~12周岁小学生4 140名,按照体重指数(BMI)法判定出单纯性肥胖,将肥胖和正常儿童设为肥胖组和对照组,对影响小学生肥胖的有关因素进行分析。结果：①长沙市开福区小学生超重及肥胖检出率分别为9.76%和7.39%,男女生肥胖率分别为9.37%和5.13%。②与正常小学生相比,肥胖小学生的BMI,腰围(WC),腰臀比(WHR),体脂百分比(%BF),收缩压(SBP),血清甘油三酯(TG)和低密度脂蛋白胆固醇(LDL-C)明显升高,高密度脂蛋白胆固醇(HDL-C)明显降低。③肥胖小学生的WC,WHR与TG,LDL-C的偏相关系数大于BMI,%BF与其的偏相关系数。④儿童肥胖的危险因素可归结为常暴饮暴食、看电视时间长、进餐速度快、常吃油腻食物,而喜欢运动、运动时间长具有保护作用。结论：长沙市开福区小学生肥胖的发生率在国内处于高水平,控制儿童肥胖有助于慢性疾病的早期预防,预防儿童肥胖关键在于普及营养保健知识、注意平衡膳食和增加体力活动。     

The role of 1-h physical activity every day in preventing obesity in adolescents in Shandong, China

Several studies have reported that physical inactivity and sedentary lifestyle are associated with being overweight and obese in children and adults. A new policy of 1-h physical activity (PA) every day was released by the Chinese government. The present study examined the role of 1-h PA every day in preventing obesity in adolescents in Shandong, China. A total of 29,030 students (14,578 boys and 14,452 girls) aged 10–18 years participated in this study. Height, weight, waist circumference (WC), and skinfold thickness (SFT) of all subjects were measured; body mass index (BMI) of adolescents was calculated from their height and weight, and the prevalence of overweight and obesity was obtained according to the International Obesity Task Force cutoffs. All subjects were divided into two groups. Group 1 had a PA of more than 1 h/day while group 2 had less than 1 h/day. Comparisons of BMI, WC, SFT, and prevalences of overweight and obesity between the two groups were made. The overall percentages of students in group 1 were 34.29 % in boys and 30.15 % in girls. The prevalences of overweight and obesity for both boys and girls were all significantly lower in group 1 than in group 2 in all age categories. In conclusion, 1-h PA every day has a beneficial effect in preventing obesity in adolescents in Shandong, China. These observations highlight the importance of PA in the prevention of overweight and obesity in adolescents.     

The relationship between sleep duration and obesity in Turkish children and adolescents

Aim: To determine the relationship between sleep duration and obesity in Turkish children and adolescents.
Methods: This study was conducted in Turkey with 5358 children aged 6 to 17 years. Height, weight, waist circumference (WC), mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC), triceps skinfold thickness were measured. Body mass index (BMI), arm fat area were calculated. Self-reported sleep duration by parents were obtained.
Results: As sleep duration increased, BMI, which was significantly higher in girls sleeping ≤8 h, decreased (p < 0.05). WC, MUAC, BMI were significantly higher in boys sleeping ≤8 h versus males sleeping ≥10 h. Boys sleeping ≤10 h in 6.0–17.0-years had significantly higher risk of overweight/obesity. In 6.0 to 17.0 years, the risk of overweight/obesity in boys sleeping 9–10 h, 8–9 h and ≤8 h were 1.86-, 1.74- and 2.06-times higher respectively, versus children sleeping ≥10 h (p < 0.05).
Conclusion: Sleep duration may be an important factor for obesity and providing ≥10 h of sleep is recommended as a prevention strategy for obesity.     

Effect of physical activity intervention on body composition in young children: influence of body mass index status and gender

AIM: To fight overweight and obesity in childhood, this study proposes an additional physical activity (PA) in young children aged 6-10 years. The objective was to evaluate the effect of school-based PA on the body composition according to body mass index (BMI) categories (nonobese vs. obese) and gender. METHODS: This 6-month study examined the effect of this intervention on body composition in 425 children in 14 primary schools (2 weekly PA sessions of 1 h each) compared to 5 control schools. Adiposity indices were evaluated or calculated: BMI, BMI z-score, waist circumference, sum of skinfolds and fat-free mass. RESULTS: No difference in the prevalence of obesity and anthropometric characteristics was found between the intervention and control groups at baseline. In girls, PA intervention had significant effect on all anthropometric variables (p < 0.05 to p < 0.001), except on BMI. In contrast, in boys only BMI z-score (p < 0.001) and fat-free mass (p < 0.001) were affected. CONCLUSIONS: Six months of preventive PA intervention offer an effective means to improve body composition in obese children. The pattern of response related to PA was similar between girls and boys. In contrast, the pattern was different according to BMI category, with a higher response in obese than nonobese children.     

Prevalence of overweight and obesity in 5- and 12-year-old Finnish children in 1986 and 2006

Objective: To investigate the prevalence and the trends of overweight and obesity in Finnish 5- and 12-year-old children in 1986 and 2006.
Design: Retrospective cross-sectional study.
Subjects and methods: Anthropometric data were collected retrospectively from health examinations in Tampere and in three rural municipalities. The size of the 5- and 12-year-old cohorts were 2108 in 1986 and 4013 in 2006, respectively. The body mass index (BMI) was calculated. Overweight and obesity was estimated using the International Obesity Task Force cutoff values (ISO BMI).
Results: The prevalence of overweight (ISO BMI >25) and obesity (ISO BMI >30) in 5-year-old boys in 2006 was 9.8% and 2.5% and in girls 17.7% and 2.5%, respectively. At the age of 12 years, the corresponding figures in boys were 23.6% and 4.7% and in girls 19.1% and 3.2%. Between 1986 and 2006, the prevalence of overweight in 12-year-old children had increased 1.8 fold in boys (p < 0.001) and 1.5 fold in girls (p = 0.008). Overweight was significantly more common in rural than in urban areas.
Conclusion: During the last 20 years the prevalence of overweight has markedly increased in 12-year-old Finnish children, but remained nearly unchanged in 5-year-old children.     

The relationship between selected socioeconomic factors and basic anthropometric parameters of school-aged children and adolescents in Poland

The aim of the present paper was to examine the associations between anthropometric parameters, overweight, obesity, and socioeconomic status (SES) of children and adolescents in Poland. Data were collected in the “Elaboration of reference blood pressure ranges for children and adolescents in Poland” OLAF-PL0080 (OLAF) study, a nationally representative survey on growth and blood pressure references for children and adolescents aged 7–18 years. Body height, weight, and waist circumference (WC) were measured, and body mass index (BMI) was calculated. Anthropometric parameters were standardized for age and gender and expressed as z-scores. Statistical analyses were conducted on 10,950 children and adolescents whose parents provided socioeconomic questionnaires. The associations between anthropometric parameters, overweight (including obesity), and SES were analyzed using multiple regression and multiple logistic regression. The height was positively associated with higher levels of maternal education and, in the case of girls, also with paternal education. Higher level of income per capita, but not the highest, was associated with higher weight, BMI, and WC and, in the case of boys, also tall stature. The height, weight, BMI, and waist were significantly inversely associated with number of children in the family. Lower number of children in the family and higher level of income, but not the highest, increased odds of overweight and obesity. In the case of girls, the odds of obesity decreased with paternal higher level of education. Conclusion: The social position associated with parents’ education, better environment, and SES correlate with body height and weight of a child. However, it is associated with higher risk of overweight and abdominal obesity.     

Neck circumference: an additional tool of screening overweight and obesity in childhood

Obesity, particularly in the upper part of body, is a major health problem. Central obesity is related to cardiovascular disease and metabolic disorders. There are various techniques for assessing upper body fat content for the overweight and obese subjects other than waist circumference (WC). We tried to find out if neck circumference (NC) alone can be used to assess overweight and obesity. Four hundred twelve overweight and obese patients (208 girls and 204 boys) and 555 healthy children (284 girls and 271 boys) aged 6–18 years were recruited for this present study. There were significant and positive correlations between BMI-WC, BMI-NC, and WC-NC (p < 0.001). NC cutoffs for overweight and obesity were determined for each age and pubertal period. NC cutoffs of boys were increased from 28.0 to 38.0. This range was 27.0–34.5 for girls in the same range. We also calculated NC cutoffs for prepubertal and pubertal periods (respectively, 29.0 and 32.5 for boys and 28.0–31.0 for girls). Conclusion: NC is a reliable and easy to use tool to determine overweight and obesity in children, and NC is not as good as WC in determining overweight and obesity, both providing similar information.     

A study of growth parameters and prevalence of overweight and obesity in school children from delhi

OBJECTIVE: (1) To assess the height, weight and body mass index (BMI) of school children from Delhi and generate percentile charts as appropriate for age, gender and socio-economic status. (2) To determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity in school children from low and upper socioeconomic status (LSES and USES respectively). DESIGN: Cross sectional evaluation of anthropometric parameters in Delhi school children (5-18 years) from different geographical zones. SETTING: Government schools (non-fee paying) and Private Schools (fee paying) in Delhi. SUBJECTS: 21485 children, 8840 (3566 boys, 5274 girls) from government schools and 12645 (6197 boys, 6448 girls) from private schools. Methods: Subjects underwent assessment of height and weight and calculation of BMI. Children were classified as normal, overweight and obese as per IOTF guidelines. Height, weight and BMI percentile charts specific for the socioeconomic status were generated using the LMS method. Prevalence of overweight and obesity was assessed and compared between the two socio-economic groups. RESULTS: A significant difference was noted in height, weight and BMI between LSES and USES. The prevalence of overweight and obesity in USES children was 16.75 % and 5.59 % in boys and 19.01 % and 5.03 % in girls respectively. CONCLUSIONS: There is a significant disparity in anthropometric parameters between children from USES and LSES, with a high prevalence of overweight and obesity in USES children.     

Fat and fat-free mass in Nepalese children: an assessment of nutritional status

The aims of the present study were to determine the body composition and to assess the nutritional status on the basis of body composition parameters in Nepalese children. Body fat percentage (BF%), fat mass (FM), and fat-free mass (FFM) of 1,988 (1,016 boys and 972 girls) Nepalese children aged 6 to 10 years were calculated from triceps and subscapular skinfolds. FM and FFM were then divided by height-squared in meter to determine the fat mass index (FMI) and fat-free mass index (FFMI), respectively. Growth curves of BF% and FFM for Nepalese children remained at a low level compared to international data. BF%, FM, and FMI of Nepalese girls were significantly (p < 0.001) higher than Nepalese boys, whereas FFM and FFMI of Nepalese boys were significantly (p < 0.001) higher than Nepalese girls of all age groups. BF%, FM, and FFM were significantly correlated with almost all anthropometric parameters in both sexes. Growth curves of BF% and FFM showed that the undernutrition prevailed in Nepalese children. BF% and FFM were good indicators for measuring nutritional status in Nepalese children. Sexual dimorphism of fat patterning was present in Nepalese children.