Eating Behavior and Obesity in Canada

2011 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-64 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sunday Azagba ◽  
Mesbah F. Sharaf

Background: Although a growing body of research has examined the association between food prices and the availability of fast food restaurants on weight outcomes, there is limited empirical evidence on the direct effect of eating behavior on body weight. Objective: The effect of eating behavior on obesity prevalence among Canadians is examined. Methods: A nationally representative sample from the Canadian National Population Health Survey (2000-2008) with 29 722 observations is used. Obesity prevalence is estimated by a linear probability model using cross-sectional and panel estimation methods. Separate regressions are estimated for males and females. Results: Multivariate analyses suggest that eating behavior has a statistically significant effect on obesity prevalence. In particular, individuals who reported excellent, very good, and good eating behavior have a lower risk of obesity compared with those with fair or poor eating behavior. Although cross-sectional and panel data methods produce consistent results, the cross-sectional model overestimates the effect of eating behavior on the risk of obesity. This highlights the importance of controlling for unobserved individual factors that may affect how eating behavior is related to body weight. Conclusion: Evidence is found showing that eating behavior is an important determinant of obesity prevalence. The findings suggest that improving the eating behavior of individuals would help reduce excessive body weight and its induced health risks.

Author(s):  
Rosario Pastor ◽  
Noemi Pinilla ◽  
Josep A. Tur

Background: Adoption of a certain dietary pattern is determined by different factors such as taste, cost, convenience, and nutritional value of food. Objective: To assess the association between the daily cost of a diet and its overall quality in a cohort of 6–12-year-old Spanish schoolchildren. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted on a cohort (n = 130; 47% female) of 6–12-year-old children schooled in primary education in the central region of Spain. Three-day 24 h records were administered, and the nutritional quality of the diet was also determined by means of Mediterranean Adequacy Index (MAI). A questionnaire on sociodemographic data, frequency of eating in fast-food restaurants, and supplement intake were also recorded. The person responsible for the child’s diet and the schooler himself completed the questionnaires, and homemade measures were used to estimate the size of the portions. Food prices were obtained from the Household Consumption Database of the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. The economic cost of the diet was calculated by multiplying the amount in grams of the food consumed by each child by the corresponding price in grams and adding up the total amount for each participant. The total economic cost of the diet was calculated in €/day and in €/1000 kcal/day. Results: The area under the curve (AUC) for €/day and €/1000 kcal/day represent 62.6% and 65.6%, respectively. According to AUC values, adherence to Mediterranean diet (MD) is a moderate predictor of the monetary cost of the diet. A direct relationship between the cost of the diet and the adherence to MD was observed [OR (€/1000 kcal/day) = 3.012; CI (95%): 1.291; 7.026; p = 0.011]. Conclusions: In a cohort of Spanish schoolchildren with low adherence to the MD, a higher cost of the diet standardized to 1000 kcal was associated with above-average MAI values.


2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 156-162
Author(s):  
Ruhaya Salleh ◽  
Rashidah Ambak ◽  
S. Maria Awaluddin ◽  
Mohamad Hasnan Ahmad ◽  
Noor Safiza Mohamad Noor ◽  
...  

Carbonated soft drinks (CSD) consumption is one of the contributing factors to weight gain, dental caries and non-communicable diseases among adolescents. This study aims to determine CSD consumption among Malaysian adolescents and their associated factors. The Adolescent Health Survey 2017, was a nationally representative survey sampled school-going adolescents aged 13 to 17 years. Findings reported that 36.9% of adolescents reported CSD consumption at least once daily in the past 30 days, and the prevalence was higher than a similar study conducted in 2012. Boys, schools in rural areas, lower secondary schoolers, not physically active, consuming fast food, having food insecurity, and truancy problem reported significantly higher odds of consuming CSD compared to their counterparts. By ethnicity, Bumiputera Sarawak adolescents showed the highest odds of consuming CSD and followed by Bumiputera Sabah. Thus, interventions to limit CSD consumption among Malaysian adolescents should consider the factors highlighted in this study.


2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Supa Pengpid ◽  
Karl Peltzer

Abstract Background The goal of the study was to estimate the prevalence and correlates of psychological distress among adolescent school children in Morocco. Methods Nationally representative cross-sectional data were analysed from 6745 adolescents (15 years median age) that responded to questions on a two-item measure of psychological distress from “2016 Morocco Global School-Based Student Health Survey (GSHS).” Results The prevalence of psychological distress was 23.3, 18.0% among males and 29.2% among females. In adjusted logistic regression analysis, female sex, older age, bullying victimization, infrequently physically attacked, frequent participation in physical fights, having no close friends, frequent experience of hunger, parental emotional neglect, parental disrespect of privacy, school truancy, sedentary behaviour and having sustained a single or multiple serious injuries (past year) were associated with psychological distress. In addition, in unadjusted analysis, low peer support, parents never check homework, exposure to passive smoking, substance use (current tobacco use, current cannabis use and ever used amphetamine), frequent soft drink and frequent fast food consumption were positively and fruit and vegetable intake was negatively associated with psychological distress. Conclusion Almost one in four students reported psychological distress and several associated factors were identified which can aid prevention and control strategies.


2014 ◽  
Vol 17 (11) ◽  
pp. 2398-2406 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole M Kasper ◽  
Oscar F Herrán ◽  
Eduardo Villamor

AbstractObjectiveLow- and middle-income countries are experiencing rises in the prevalence of adult obesity. Whether these increases disproportionately affect vulnerable subpopulations is unclear because most previous investigations were not nationally representative, were limited to women, or relied on self-reported anthropometric data which are subject to bias. The aim of the present study was to assess changes in the prevalence of obesity from 2005 to 2010 in Colombian adults; overall and by levels of sociodemographic characteristics.DesignTwo cross-sectional, nationally representative surveys.SettingColombia.SubjectsMen and women 18–64 years old (n 31 105 in 2005; n 81 115 in 2010).ResultsThe prevalence of obesity (BMI ≥30 kg/m2) was 13·9 % in 2005 and 16·4 % in 2010 (prevalence difference = 2·7 %; 95 % CI 1·9, 3·4 %). In multivariable analyses, obesity was positively associated with female sex, age, wealth, and living in the Pacific or National Territories regions in each year. In 2010, obesity was also associated with living in an urban area. The change in the prevalence of obesity from 2005 to 2010 varied significantly according to wealth; 5·0 % (95 % CI 3·3, 6·7 %) among the poorest and 0·3 % (95 % CI −1·6, 2·2 %) in the wealthiest (P, test for interaction = 0·007), after adjustment. Obesity rates also increased faster in older than younger people (P, test for interaction = 0·01), among people from urban compared with non-urban areas (P, test for interaction = 0·06) and in adults living in the Atlantic region compared with others.ConclusionsAdult obesity prevalence has increased in Colombia and its burden is shifting towards the poor and urban populations.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 148
Author(s):  
Supa Pengpid ◽  
Karl Peltzer

Persistent worry can cause significant distress among adolescents. The goal of this study was to estimate the prevalence and correlates of worry-induced sleep disturbance (WISD) among adolescent school children in Lebanon. Cross-sectional, nationally representative data were analysed from 5849 adolescents (15 years median age) that took part in the “2017 Lebanon Global School-Based Student Health Survey (GSHS)”. The results indicate that the prevalence of WISD was 14.7%, 9.6% among males and 17.2% among females. In adjusted logistic regression analysis, loneliness, older age, female sex, having no close friends, infrequent bullying victimization, parents disrespected privacy, current tobacco use, ever cannabis use, high leisure-time sedentary behaviour and having sustained multiple serious injuries (past year) were associated with WISD. In addition, in unadjusted analysis, mostly or always feeling hungry (or low economic status), school truancy, having been physically attacked, frequently being in physical fights (past year), low peer support, parental emotional neglect, parents never checking homework, ever drunk and frequent soft drink intake were positively, and infrequent fast food intake was negatively, associated with WISD. One in seven students reported WISD and several associated factors were identified, which can aid intervention strategies. Multi-level interventions are needed targeting psychosocial distress, social-environmental factors and health risk behaviours to prevent WISD in this adolescent school population.


2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stalo Karageorgi ◽  
Osama Alsmadi ◽  
Kazem Behbehani

Objective. Kuwait is among the countries with the highest obesity rates worldwide; however, little is known about the state of obesity epidemiology research in Kuwait. In this paper, we therefore review the findings and methodology of studies on the prevalence, trends and risk factors of obesity in Kuwait.Methods. The PubMed database was searched using the keyword combination: obesity and adults and Kuwait. Out of 111 articles, 39 remained after abstract review, and 18 were selected after full-text review.Results. The studies were all cross-sectional and published in the last fifteen years (1997–2012). The sample size ranged from 177 to 38,611 individuals. Only 30% of studies used random sampling. The prevalence (BMI ≥ 30) in studies with a nationally representative sample ranged from 24% to 48% overall and in adults>50 years was greater than 52%. Rates were significantly higher in women than those in men. Studies that examined trends showed an increase in obesity prevalence between 1980 and 2009. Multiple risk factors including sociocultural factors were investigated in the studies; however, factors were only crudely assessed.Conclusion. There is a need for future studies, particularly surveillance surveys and prospective cohort studies utilizing advanced methods, to monitor trends and to comprehensively assess the factors contributing to the obesity epidemic in Kuwait.


2008 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 134-147 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sigrid Gibson

Sugar-sweetened soft drinks (SSD) are a special target of many obesity-prevention strategies, yet critical reviews tend to be more cautious regarding the aetiological role of SSD in promoting excess body weight. Since ongoing evaluation of this issue is important, the present systematic review re-examined the evidence from epidemiological studies and interventions, up to July 2008. Database searches of Medline, Cochrane reviews, Google scholar and a hand search of cross-references identified forty-four original studies (twenty-three cross-sectional, seventeen prospective and four intervention) in adults and children, as well as six reviews. These were critically examined for methodology, results and interpretation. Approximately half the cross-sectional and prospective studies found a statistically significant association between SSD consumption and BMI, weight, adiposity or weight gain in at least one subgroup. The totality of evidence is dominated by American studies where SSD consumption tends to be higher and formulations different. Most studies suggest that the effect of SSD is small except in susceptible individuals or at high levels of intake. Methodological weaknesses mean that many studies cannot detect whether soft drinks or other aspects of diet and lifestyle have contributed to excess body weight. Progress in reaching a definitive conclusion on the role of SSD in obesity is hampered by the paucity of good-quality interventions which reliably monitor diet and lifestyle and adequately report effect sizes. Of the three long-term (>6 months) interventions, one reported a decrease in obesity prevalence but no change in mean BMI and two found a significant impact only among children already overweight at baseline. Of the six reviews, two concluded that the evidence was strong, one that an association was probable, while three described it as inconclusive, equivocal or near zero. Reasons for some discrepancies are presented.


1999 ◽  
Vol 2 (1a) ◽  
pp. 79-86 ◽  
Author(s):  
JM Kearney ◽  
MJ Kearney ◽  
S McElhone ◽  
MJ Gibney

AbstractObjectiveThe purpose of conducting this survey was to identify data on consumer attitudes towards and beliefs about physical activity, body weight and health among the 15 countries of the EU.DesignA cross-sectional study to get a picture of the attitudes to physical activity, body weight and health in the EU. For this, it was considered important that samples be nationally representative so that inferences drawn from the data could be applied to the population in each country as well as to the EU population as a whole. Using a non-probability sampling method employing quota controls (and the national weight) we obtained large sample sizes from each country which were nationally representative in terms of the variables age, sex and regional distribution. To ensure samples were truly nationally representative a national weight was used when analysing the data using the same characteristics as those used to define quotas. When examining pooled estimates for the total EU sample a population weight was applied.ResultsIn total, 15 239 subjects aged 15 years and upwards in the EU completed the survey. This article gives details on the methods used in carrying out the survey from design of the questionnaire to sample selection, questionnaire administration and analysis of the data. The methods and their limitations are discussed.


2017 ◽  
Vol 70 (8) ◽  
pp. 1017-1037 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alex Bryson ◽  
John Forth ◽  
Lucy Stokes

This article uses linked employer–employee data to investigate the relationship between employees’ subjective well-being and workplace performance in Britain. The analyses show a clear, positive and statistically significant relationship between the average level of job satisfaction at the workplace and workplace performance. The relationship is present in both cross-sectional and panel analyses and is robust to various estimation methods and model specifications. In contrast, we find no association between levels of job-related affect and workplace performance. Ours is the first study of its kind for Britain to use nationally representative data and it provides novel findings regarding the importance of worker job satisfaction in explaining workplace performance. The findings suggest that there is a prima facie case for employers to maintain and raise levels of job satisfaction among their employees. They also indicate that initiatives to raise aggregate job satisfaction should feature in policy discussions around how to improve levels of productivity and growth.


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