ROC curves of obesity indicators have a predictive value for children hypertension aged 7-17 years

Objective: The aim of the study is to examine the distribution of integrated covariate and its association with blood pressure (BP) among children in Anhui province, China, and assess the predictive value of integrated covariate to children hypertension. Methods: A total of 2,828 subjects (1,588 male and 1,240 female) aged 7-17 years participated in this study. Height, weight, waistline, hipline and BP of all subjects were measured, obesity and overweight were defined by an international standard, specifying the measurement, the reference population, and the age and sex specific cut off points. High BP status was defined as systolic blood pressure (SBP) and/or diastolic blood pressure (DBP) > 95th percentile for age and gender. Results: Our results revealed that the prevalence of children hypertension was 11.03%, the SBP and DBP of obesity group were significantly higher than that of normal group. Anthropometric obesity indices such as body mass index (BMI) were positively correlated with SBP and DBP. Integrated covariate had a better performance than the single covariate in the receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve, the cut-off value; the sensitivity and the specificity of the integrated covariate were 0.112, 0.577, 0.683, respectively. Conclusion: Integrated covariate is a simple and effective anthropometric index to identify childhood hypertension.

Factors associated with obesity in Brazilian children enrolled in the School Health Program: a case-control study

Case-control studies evaluating the factors associated with childhood obesity are scarce in Brazil. We aimed to analyze the factors associated with obesity in Brazilian schoolchildren enrolled in the School Health Program.A case-control study was conducted on 80 schoolchildren aged 7 to 9 years, 40 of them obese and 40 of normal weight according to the cut-off points established by the World Health Organization (2007). Weight, height and waist circumference were obtained. Socioeconomic, demographic, health, eating behavior and lifestyle data were collected by applying a questionnaire to the person responsible and by determining his/her nutritional status. A binary unconditional logistic regression model (univariate and multivariate) was used for data analysis. The prevalence of obesity was 7.21%. The final model showed that duration of breast-feeding ≥6 months of age (OR 5.3; 95% CI: 1.3-22.1), excess weight of the person responsible (OR 7.1; 95% CI: 1.2-40.2), a sedentary level of physical activity (OR 4.1; 95% CI: 1.115.5), and fast chewing (OR 7.4; 95% CI: 2.1-26.9) were significantly associated with childhood obesity. The factors associated with obesity in schoolchildren were duration of breast-feeding ≥6 months, persons responsible with excess weight, and sedentary children who chew fast. The present study contributes information to be used for the health actions planned by the School Health Program.

Effects of a rhythmic and choreographic program in obese and overweight participants

Introduction: Currently there is a growing trend in the prevalence of overweight and obesity. This increased prevalence trend leads to an increase in the costs of health care. Objective: The aim of the present study was to analyze the effects on physical fitness and bone mineral density through an intervention program of physical activity based on rhythmic and choreographic activities in an overweight and obese population. Method: An 8-month physical activity based on rhythmic and choreographic activities was conducted in overweight and obese people. Thirty-four participants aged 50.43 ± 10.57 with a body mass index (BMI) 38.37 ± 4.82 took part in the physical activity program. This study assesses the effects of fitness, percentage of body fat and bone mineral density (BMD). Results: After an 8-month physical activity intervention program based on rhythmic and choreographic activities, significant differences were found in: percentage of body fat (p = 0.004), aerobic capacity (p = 0.023), flexibility of the lower limbs (flexibility in the right leg p = 0.029 and left leg p = 0.002), balance (p < 0.001), strength in lower limbs (p = 0..003) and strength in upper limbs (p < 0.001). Besides that, significant differences were found in parameters related with BMD such as T-Score (p = 0.025) and Z-Score (p = 0.012), Bone Quality Index (BQI) (p = 0.026) and an increase in Broadband Ultrasound Attenuation (BUA) although not a statistically significant one (p = 0.939). Conclusions: These findings suggest that a physical activity program based on rhythmic and choreographic activities can act as a preventive method of mobility and fragility, as well as preventing bone loss.