Cancer incidence in postwar Lebanon: findings from the first national population-based registry, 1998

PURPOSE: Cancer incidence rates in Lebanon have been lacking for over three decades. National data based on a total of 4388 cases diagnosed during the year 1998 were reviewed and analyzed. METHODS: Crude and age-standardized rates (ASRs) per 100,000 population were calculated and results were contrasted with estimates from developed and selected developing countries in the region. RESULTS: Among males, bladder (18.5%), prostate (14.2%), and lung cancer (14.1%) were the most frequently reported malignancies. Among females, breast cancer alone accounted for over a third of all cancers, followed by colon cancer (5.8%), and cancer of the corpus uteri (4.8%). Sex-differentials in incidence rates were highest for tobacco-related cancers (lung, larynx, and bladder). Compared with current estimates worldwide, ASRs for bladder cancer in Lebanon showed strikingly high rates. Whereas ASRs for breast and prostate cancer remained lower than those observed in developed countries, they were greater than those estimated from neighboring countries with a similar epidemiological transition as Lebanon. CONCLUSIONS: Findings of the comparative assessments most likely reflect differentials in prevalence of risk factors and lifestyle variables (e.g., lung and breast cancers) and can be partly explained by improvement in cancer detection rate in recent years (for prostate cancer). The implications of the results in light of primary prevention activities, screening practices, and research initiatives in Lebanon are discussed.     

Prevalence of obesity among children in six Chicago communities: findings from a health survey

OBJECTIVES: We analyzed data from a community health survey to assess levels of obesity and overweight among children in some Chicago communities compared with national U.S. estimates. METHODS: Data came from the Sinai Improving Community Health Survey, which was conducted via face-to-face interviews with people living in six racially and ethnically diverse Chicago communities during 2002 and 2003. A stratified, three-stage probability study design was employed to obtain a representative sample from each community. Height and weight data reported by the primary caretakers of 501 randomly selected children aged 2-12 years were used to determine age- and gender-specific body mass index (BMI), which was then used to classify weight status (obese > or =95th percentile for age and gender). RESULTS: Compared with 16.8% for the U.S., the prevalence of obesity was 11.8% in a non-Hispanic white community on Chicago's north side, 34.0% in a Mexican American community on the west side, and 56.4% in a non-Hispanic black community on the south side. CONCLUSIONS: Surveillance of the childhood obesity epidemic at the local level is limited. Findings describe the extent of disparities in childhood overweight and obesity within one city and how local-level data can shape new initiatives for improved health, one community at a time.     

Entrenched obesity in childhood: findings from a national cohort study

PurposeGiven the high levels of obesity among U.S. children, we examine whether obesity in childhood is a passing phenomenon or remains entrenched into adolescence.MethodsData are from the prospective nationally representative Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998–1999 (analytic sample = 6600). Anthropometrics were measured six times during 1998–2007. Overweight and obesity were defined using CDC cut-points. Entrenched obesity was defined as obesity between ages 5–9 coupled with persistent obesity at ages 11 and 14.ResultsAlmost 30% of children experienced obesity at some point between ages 5.6 and 14.1 years; 63% of children who ever had obesity between ages 5.6 and 9.1 and 72% of those who had obesity at kindergarten entry experienced entrenched obesity. Children with severe obesity in kindergarten or who had obesity at more than 1 year during early elementary were very likely to experience obesity through age 14, regardless of their sex, race, or socioeconomic backgrounds.ConclusionsPrevention should focus on early childhood, as obesity at school entry is not often a passing phenomenon. Even one timepoint of obesity measured during the early elementary school years may be an indicator of risk for long-term obesity.     

Intergenerational educational mobility and obesity in adolescence: findings from the cross-sectional German KiGGS study

Aim

The objective of this study is to analyze the meaning of intergenerational educational transmission and intergenerational educational mobility on adolescents’ obesity risk. In particular, the paper investigates if upward social mobility is a protective factor against obesity for children of lower educated parents.

Subject and methods

Representative data was derived from a subsample (12–17 years, n?=?5,111) of the German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents (KiGGS). Body height and weight were measured in a standardized way. Obesity (>97th percentile) was defined due to the national reference system that is based upon percentiles of the body mass index (BMI). Intergenerational educational mobility was defined as: stable high (parents and participant have high education), potentially upwardly mobile (participant’s education is higher than parents’ education), potentially downwardly mobile (participant’s education is lower than parents’ education), and stable low (parents and participant have low education).

Results

The highest prevalence of obesity was found in adolescents with a stable low education, the lowest prevalence in adolescents with a stable high education. The educational gradient was steeper in girls than in boys. Compared to the “stable high” reference category, potentially upwardly mobile adolescents had no significant increased risk of obesity, while the risk for potentially downwardly mobile adolescents was only significant in girls (OR 2.32; 95 % CI 1.23–4.37). The obesity risk in boys and girls with a stable low education was significantly elevated (1.68; 1.04–2.73 and 3.06; 1.89–4.94).

Conclusion

Parental education and adolescents’ own educational status have cumulative effects on obesity risk. The fact that potentially upwardly mobile boys and girls are not more likely to be obese than adolescents with a stable high education and less often than adolescents with a stable low education can be interpreted as a protective effect of upward social mobility even though health selection might have played a role.     

Prevalence of marked overweight and obesity in a multiethnic pediatric population: findings from the Child and Adolescent Trial for Cardiovascular Health (CATCH) study

OBJECTIVE: Determine the prevalence of marked overweight and obesity among children in the Child and Adolescent Trial for Cardiovascular Health (CATCH), identify high risk groups, and compare findings to other recent studies. DESIGN: Cohort study. SUBJECTS/SETTING: Five thousand one hundred-six school children who were participants in CATCH at baseline (age approximately 9 years) during 1991 and 4,019 of those children who had follow-up data from 1994 (age approximately 1 years) available. METHODS: Body mass index (BMI), triceps and subscapular skinfolds, subscapular to triceps skinfold (S/T) ratio, and an estimate of body fat distribution from skinfolds was calculated. Findings were compared to population-based reference data from the First National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1971 to 1973 (NHANES I), to data from the Bogalusa Heart Study, and to data from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1988 to 1994 (NHANES III). RESULTS: Children in CATCH were markedly heavier and fatter than the NHANES I population and more comparable to the NHANES III population, especially those in the upper percentiles. The prevalence of obesity based on BMI and triceps skinfolds >95th percentile among CATCH children was higher in boys than in girls at both baseline (boys 9.1%, girls 8.6%) and follow-up (boys 11.7%, girls 7.2%). It was higher among African-Americans and Hispanics than whites for both sexes. S/T ratios did not differ appreciably from those observed in the NHANES I reference population, suggesting that body fat distribution was more stable over time than BMI and skinfolds. APPLICATIONS: Our findings support other recent reports that American children, especially African-American and Hispanic children, are becoming heavier and fatter. Preventive measures are warranted, especially for high-risk youth.     

Prevalence of overweight and obesity and its associated factors in aboriginal Taiwanese: findings from the 2001 National Health Interview Survey in Taiwan

The study was undertaken to assess the prevalence of obesity in Taiwanese aborigines and to identify the associated factors. Data for this study were from the "2001 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS)" that conducted in-home, face-to-face, interviews on 6,592 households (26,658 persons) of a national probability sample in Taiwan. Aborigine-dense mountainous areas are over-sampled. BMI values were used to indicate obesity status. Logistic regression analyses were used to determine the significance of the association of the variables with the obesity status. Results showed that approximately 10.5% of aboriginal men and 14.5% of women compared to 4.1% and 3.5% of their non-aboriginal counterparts were obese (BMI > 30). An additional 45.1% of aboriginal men and 33.3% of women compared to 27.6% and 17.7% of their non-aboriginal counterparts were overweight (BMI 25-30). Regression analyses revealed few associations with increased risk of obesity in the aborigines. However, the aborigines and non-aborigines were distinctly different from each other in socio-economic status, lifestyle, environmental factors and attitude toward obesity. Results indicate that obesity is more prevalent among the aborigines but the causal reasons are not apparent. The public health authorities should develop more culturally appropriate community-based intervention strategies to promote the health of the aborigines.     

中国成年人肥胖的流行特点研究:超重和肥胖的现患率调查

目的：阐明中国肥胖的流行状况,为国家卫生决策和肥胖防治提供科学依据。方法：利用全国糖尿病流行病学调查资料,采用WHO诊断标准,对中国11省（市）居住5年及5年以上者的社区人群进行超重和肥胖的流行特点分析。研究对象包括20－74岁居民共42751人。结果11省(市）总的超重现患率为21.51％,肥胖现患率为2.92％,经1990年全国人口标标化,11省（市）超重的现患率为18.28％,肥胖的现患率为2.48％;经1992年世界人口标化,超重现患率为18.61％,肥胖现患率为2.49％;女性的超重现患率和肥胖现患率（21.71％和3.73％）显著高于男性（21.25％和2.11％）;男性和女性的肥胖现患率随着年龄增加而上升;在11省（市）中,超重和肥胖的现患率男性是北京最高,女性是山东最高;肥胖的现患率呈现出北方高于南方,城市高于农村的流行特点。结论：中国的超重和肥胖患病形势严峻,超重和肥胖患者病开始低龄化,男性肥胖患病的增长速度有可能超过女性。因此,中国应该尽早开展肥胖的防治与研究。     

Prevalence of obesity in children: study in the primary public Parisian schools

Obesity is an important risk factor in public health. In Paris, few statistical data are available in this area. The purpose of the present study is to evaluate the prevalence of overweight and obesity in 10 years-old children attending Paris elementary schools (cours moyen deuxième année--CM2--last level of the elementary school). 148 classes were randomly selected, gathering 3,621 schoolchildren 10 years 6 months old. 66 doctors in charge of health at school participated in the study, doing the measurements of weight, size and collecting also the weight and size at birth and at the "grande section-GS-level" (last level of the infant school, 5 years-old children) from the individual health file of the schoolchildren. The statistical analysis was based on the study of distributions of the observed Quetelet index (Q0) at the different ages, compared to French reference curves. A logistic regression analysis was performed to determine whether birth weight and GS weight predict obesity in CM2. In GS and in CM2, observed Quetelet indices are over expected values: in CM2, 22.8% of boys and 25.6% of girls exceed the reference value Q90; the prevalence of obesity (Q0 > or = Q97) is 13.4% in boys and 13.5% in girls. Among the variables "term", "weight at birth", weight in GS level and "gender", the weight in GS level is the only predictive factor of obesity in CM2 level. The situation in Paris appears to be serious. Preventive actions are needed at early stages to try to stop and, if possible, to reverse the present increase of overweight. In this context, school doctors have to play a prominent role.     

Prevalence of obesity and abdominal obesity in the Lausanne population

Background  

Obesity can be defined using body mass index (BMI) or waist (abdominal obesity). Little information exists regarding its prevalence and determinants in Switzerland. Hence, we assessed the levels of obesity as defined by BMI or waist circumference in a Swiss population-based sample.     

儿童肥胖的流行趋势及影响因素研究进展

儿童期单纯肥胖症是21世纪世界各国面临的最大公共卫生挑战之一,对儿童乃至成人后的健康构成了严重的威胁。儿童肥胖是遗传和环境因素交互作用的结果,但环境因素极其重要。目前发现儿童肥胖的影响因素有:父母肥胖与受教育程度低、家长错误的喂养观念与行为、母亲初潮年龄过早、围产期营养不良、母乳喂养不足、儿童不合理饮食、睡眠时间过少、久坐行为伴随电视游戏等。该文对有关儿童肥胖的诊断标准、流行趋势、分布特征及环境影响因素研究进行了综述,为针对性地开展儿童肥胖早期干预提供了流行病学参考。     

昆山市农村居民肥胖的流行病学研究

目的：了解昆山市农村居民肥胖和超重的流行现状与影响因素。探讨其预防与控制措施。方法：对昆山市慢性病基线流行病学调查资料进行流行病学与统计学分析。结果：昆山市35周岁以上农村居民肥胖和超重合计现患率为37.8%，其中肥胖现患率为15.2%。不同性别，年龄，职业，文化程度人群肥胖和超重现患率有显著差别，其中女性，45-54岁年龄组，职业为教师，医务人员，干部及文化程度稍高人群为高危人群，肥胖超重与高血压等慢性病患病呈显著相关。结论：肥胖超重已成为高流行的慢性病危险因素。对此应采取综合措施加以预防与控制。     

Prevalence of overweight and obesity and its associated factors: findings from National Nutrition and Health Survey in Taiwan, 1993-1996

BACKGROUND: To report the overall and regional prevalence of obesity/overweight in Taiwan and to study its associated risk factors. METHODS: A total of 3046 adults > or = 20 years of age collected in National Nutrition and Health Survey in Taiwan, 1993-1996. RESULTS: Prevalence rates of overweight and obesity were 21.1 and 4.0% under the current WHO definition. The prevalence rates of overweight and obesity, using the Taiwanese definition (BMI = 24-26.99 kg/m(2) and > or = 27 kg/m(2), respectively), were 22.9 and 10.5% for males and 20.3 and 13.2% for females, respectively. The highest prevalence rates of obesity were found in the mountainous areas. In addition to age and residing location, education level in women and metabolic equivalent (MET) score and alcohol consumption in men were correlates of obesity. Effects of nutrition/health-related behaviors might be in part explained by education level and residing location of the subjects. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of obesity defined by WHO criteria among people in Taiwan was moderate, with considerable regional variation. The regional differences in obesity prevalence could not be completely accounted for by the sociodemographic and lifestyle factors studied.