Disease risks of childhood obesity in China

Objective To estimate the relative risks of dyslipidemia, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and metabolic syndromes among overweight and obese Chinese children compared with their normal weight counterparts. Methods Overweight and obesity were defined by age- and sex-specific BMI classification reference for Chinese children and adolescents. Pediatric metabolic syndrome （MetS） and each risk factor for MetS were defined using the criteria for US adolescents. Definition of hyper-TC, LDL, and dyslipidemia for adults was applied as well. General linear model factor analysis and chi-square test were used to compare the difference in metabolic indicators among normal weight, overweight, and obese groups. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to estimate the odds ratio of metabolic abnormalities between obesity, overweight, and normal weight children, after adjustment for living area, family economic level, age, sex, and daily exercise time and TV watching time, as well as different dietary indices in the model. Results Significant increases in blood lipids, glucose, and blood pressure were found among overweight and obese children as compared with their counterparts with normal weight. By applying WGOC-recommended BMI classification, the risks for hypertriglyceridemia, low HDL and dyslipidemia among overweight children were 1.9, 1.4, and 1.5 times, and was 3.3, 1.5, and 1.8 times among obese groups compared to their counterparts with normal weight after adjustment for age, sex, region, socioeconomic status, physical activity, and dietary intakes. The overweight and obese children （15-17.9 years） had a high-risk of developing hypertension, which was 2.3 and 2.9 times higher than their counterparts with normal weight. Above 90% obese adolescents had abdominal obesity, while less than 1% normal weight ones had abdominal obesity. No obese adolescents were free from any risk factors for MetS, while 36.9% of normal weight adolescents were from the risk factors. 83.3% obese boys and all obese girls had metabolic syndrome, while only 15.5% normal weight boys and 18.8% normal weight girls had metabolic syndrome. Four risk factors for metabolic syndrome were found in 8.3% obese boys while none in normal weight boys and girls. The prevalence of MetS among normal weight, overweight, and obesity groups was 1.5%, 18.3%, and 38.1% respectively. Conclusion The cardiovascular disease （CVD） risk factors are clustered in obese Chinese children. Our observations strongly suggest that efforts should be made to prevent the onset of overweight and its associated diseases during early childhood.     

The role of schools in preventing childhood obesity

Obesity is increasing in the United States, not only among adults, but also among children and youth (1). The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report the incidence of children at risk for being overweight or obese has doubled in the last two decades (2). Schools can play a role in preventing childhood obesity by serving healthy meals with adequate calories and nutrients, providing nutrition education that encourages healthful food selections, offering opportunities for physical activity and creating school environments that model healthful behaviors.     

Research progress of childhood obesity and precocious puberty

自20世纪60年代起,儿童性早熟的发病率与儿童肥胖率呈连年上升趋势.专家指出儿童肥胖与性早熟确实存在关联.研究发现肥胖女童的性早熟发病率显著高于正常体质量女童;但在男童方面,情况较为复杂.瘦素被认为是儿童肥胖与性早熟的纽带因素,其与肥胖儿童性早熟关系的相关研究也有较多报道.该文就儿童肥胖与性早熟的研究进展作一综述.     

海口市少年儿童肥胖与饮食行为习惯相关性调查

目的 为了解海口市少年儿童的饮食行为习惯与肥胖发生的关系,为后期干预提供理论依据.方法 采用分层随机整群抽样法,从海口市29所中、小学抽取227个班的学生进行问卷调查和身高体重测定,获得11497名研究样本,筛选出海口市7～15岁少年儿童8458名进行超重、肥胖现患率分析,7836名儿童样本用于影响因素的Logisti...     

瘦素与儿童肥胖研究进展

瘦素(leptin)是一种主要由脂肪组织产生的蛋白激素,直接作用于下丘脑,参与能量平衡的调节,在机体肥胖的产生过程中起着重要作用.体内存在多种瘦素蛋白受体亚型,其中可溶性的瘦素受体(sOb-R)可调节瘦素水平,具有很高的检测价值.相关研究显示,瘦素很有可能成为判断儿童肥胖风险的标记物,瘦素水平还可被用来评估肥胖儿童对运动干预的应答性.