Health literacy as a determinant of childhood and adult obesity: a systematic review

Abstract Objectives To assess whether Health Literacy (HL) acts as a determinant of obesity in adults and children by synthesizing the results of recent scientific evidence. Content This is a systematic qualitative review following the MOOSE guidelines. A systematic, computer-assisted literature search via PubMed scientific database, between January 1st, 2000, and September 30th 2020, was conducted. Only cross-sectional epidemiologic research studies that were published in the English language, investigating HL’s possible role as a determinant of childhood and adult obesity, were included. Summary After screening 725 citations from the PubMed database, 39 (n=39) studies in total were included in this literature review; Four (n=4) studies were conducted in the children population, seven (n=7) studies were performed in children-parent/caregiver dyads, and 28 studies (n=28) enrolled adults. There is significant evidence that HL knowledge and skills determine the consequent management of obesity and BMI rates in children and adult populations. Outlook Despite policies and action plans put in place by countries globally, overweight and obesity continue to be a pressing public health issue and one of the critical drivers of non-communicable diseases, constituting a health, social and economic burden worldwide. Health Literacy as an essential health policy and promotion agenda item and a critical empowerment strategy could increase children’s and adults’ control over their overall health and awareness to overcome obesity issues. Initiatives to improve HL levels could be useful tools in managing the obesity epidemic, starting from integrating HL in the school curriculum and further in family and community action plans.

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Prevalence and risk factors for overweight and obesity: a cross-sectional countrywide study in Burkina Faso

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2019-032953 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (11) ◽

pp. e032953

Author(s):

Seydou Kaboré ◽

Tieba Millogo ◽

Joseph Kouesyandé Soubeiga ◽

Hermann Lanou ◽

Brice Bicaba ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Burkina Faso ◽

Weight Status ◽

Fasting Blood Glucose ◽

Population Based ◽

Overweight And Obesity ◽

Blood Cholesterol ◽

Public Health Issue ◽

Proportional Odds ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Current Smoking

ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to determine the prevalence and predictors of overweight and obesity in Burkina Faso using a population-based countrywide sample. We hypothesise that there is a significant burden related to overweight/obesity in Burkina Faso.DesignSecondary analysis of a population-based countrywide cross-sectional study.SettingBurkina Faso, all the 13 regions including both rural and urban residential areas.Participants4800 participants of both sexes, aged between 25 and 64 years.Main outcomesOverweight and obesity using body mass index cut-off levels of the WHO.ResultsThe prevalence of overweight and obesity in Burkina Faso were 13.82% (95% CI: 12.25 to 15.55) and 4.84% (95% CI: 3.99 to 5.86), respectively. Among men, the proportional odds of overweight/obesity increase with urban residency (p<0.001), greater age (p<0.002), marital status different from single (p≤0.007) and decrease with current smoking (p=0.009). Among women, the proportional odds of overweight/obesity increase with urban residency (p<0.001), primary educational level (p=0.01), high total blood cholesterol level (p<0.001) and high fasting blood glucose level (p=0.02), and decrease with current smoking (p<0.001).ConclusionOur study showed that nearly one person out of five in the adult population of Burkina has an abnormal weight status with women being more affected than men. Urban residency is a consistent risk factor in both men and women. Alcohol consumption and education were associated with an increased odds in only women. Overnutrition needs to be recognised as an important public health issue in Burkina Faso and nutrition interventions need to be reshaped to account for it.

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Association between Pre-pregnant Overweight and Obesity and Periodontal Disease during Pregnancy: A Cross Sectional Study

International Journal of Studies in Nursing ◽

10.20849/ijsn.v3i1.207 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 3 (1) ◽

pp. 1

Author(s):

Eman Ali Abd El Moaty Sheha ◽

Hanan Elzeblawy Hassan ◽

Wafaa Mostafa Ahmed Gamel

Keyword(s):

Periodontal Disease ◽

Pregnant Women ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Overweight And Obesity ◽

University Hospital ◽

Public Health Issue ◽

Obese Women ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Increased Risk

Background: Obesity is considered а noteworthy public health issue in both developed & developing countries. Among the 1.5 billion overweight individuals worldwide, 300 million of them were obese women. In the general, the prevalence of maternal obesity has increased 60% in the previous two decades with nearly 1 in 3 women now entering pregnancy obese. Also, the periodontаl disease has been observed to be prevalent in pregnant women with the prevalence ranging from 20% to more than 50%, especially economically disadvantaged women.Aim: explore the relation between pre-pregnant overweight and obesity with periodontal disease during pregnancy.Subjects & Methods: cross-sectional study among 400 pregnant women were booked in the high-risk obstetric departments and the antenatal outpatient clinics at governmental general hospitals in El-Fayoum City and governmental university hospital in El-Mansoura city.Results: The mean age of pregnant women was 29.9 ± 6.2 with increase the prevalence of periodontal disease in pregnant women (83.5%). Statistically significant correlation was found between prenatal weight and periodontаl disease during pregnancy (p ≤ 0.0001) with increasing the prevalence of periodontal disease in prenatal obese women (53.2%) and over weight (39.7%) were observed in women who were in their 3rd trimester (р = 0.011). Increase prevalence of periodontal with poor oral hygiene and sedentary activity.Conclusion: increased pre-pregnancy obesity & overweight are positively correlated with periodontal disease prevalence among pregnant women, and Pregnancy itself may also be associated with аn increased risk of periodontal disease.Recommendations: Activating the role of the maternity and community health nurse in branches of Obstetrics and antenatal clinics to enhance pregnant women's knowledge regarding oral health risks of obesity & overweight.

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Prevalence of blood pressure among students in Jiangsu Province, China

Biomedical Research and Therapy ◽

10.15419/bmrat.v6i8.560 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 6 (8) ◽

pp. 3333-3335

Author(s):

Taha Hussein Musa ◽

Wei Li ◽

Tauseef Ahmad ◽

Chu Jinjin ◽

Hassan Hussein Musa ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Blood Pressure ◽

Overweight And Obesity ◽

Jiangsu Province ◽

Effective Control ◽

Public Health Issue ◽

Chinese Han ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Student Gender ◽

Important Message ◽

Significant Difference

Aim: Obesity and Blood Pressure (BP) is a serious public health issue. The study aims to assess the prevalence of BP and the factors associated with High Blood Pressure (HBP) among student in Jiangsu Province, China. Methods: A cross-sectional epidemiological study. A total of 101886 students (62,065 boys and 39,821 girls) aged range from 7-22 yea rs were recruited in 2010-2013. Anthropometric measurements and BP prevalence were measured, and in addition, body mass index (BMI) was calculated. We assess the prevalence of BP according to the National Blood Pressure Reference for Chinese Han children and adolescents. Results: A significant difference was observed in HBP prevalence in terms of student gender, region, age and BMI (P<0,001). Overweight and obesity were significantly associated with HBP (P<0.001). Conclusions: The findings convey an important message to the parents, health institutions that urgent action is needed to enhance effective control of HBP among the overweight and obese, and among those are living in a rural area.

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The Relationship between Body Mass Index and Physical Fitness among Chinese University Students: Results of a Longitudinal Study

Healthcare ◽

10.3390/healthcare8040570 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 (4) ◽

pp. 570

Author(s):

Chen Ding ◽

Yumei Jiang

Keyword(s):

Physical Fitness ◽

Overweight And Obesity ◽

Public Health Issue ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Physical Fitness Test ◽

Explosive Power ◽

Random Intercept ◽

Positive Correlations ◽

The Relationship ◽

Cardiorespiratory Endurance

Over the past few decades, a gradual increase in sedentary lifestyles along with the increased consumption of a modern, hypercaloric diet has resulted in a substantial increase in the number of those classified as overweight or obese in China. The prevalence of overweight and obesity has become a key public health issue. However, it is important to be cautious when interpreting the literature as the majority of studies apply cross-sectional data to assess and subjectively compare the relationship between physical fitness and being overweight and obese. In the present study, longitudinal data were collected from 3066 students (enrolled in 2014) at a university in China at the beginning of each academic year throughout their four-year university program. The aim of this study was to analyze the various associations between BMI, explosive power, flexibility, and cardiorespiratory endurance, and a random-intercept panel model (RIPM) was separately employed on male and female participants to identify between- and within-person variations. In this way, the associations for between-person physical fitness and normal/overweight/obese weight ranges, and for within-person physical fitness and normal/overweight/obese weight ranges could be observed. The results of this study revealed that every physical fitness test chosen for evaluation (such as the standing long jump for explosive power or the distance run for cardiorespiratory endurance) was negatively related to the BMI results, irrespective of sex, with the notable exception of the flexibility results. In addition, this study showed that both males and females exhibited positively correlated results in both between-person BMI and flexibility as well as within-person BMI and flexibility. Furthermore, the relationships between and within persons of cardiorespiratory endurance, explosive power, and flexibility all showed positive correlations across both sexes. The dynamics between physical fitness and BMI identified in this study could prove useful to practitioners and researchers investigating such relationships in the future.

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Ethnic Variations in Nutritional Status among Preschool Children in Northern Vietnam: A Cross-Sectional Study

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph16214060 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 16 (21) ◽

pp. 4060

Author(s):

Thi Tuyet Le ◽

Thi Thuy Dung Le ◽

Nam Khanh Do ◽

V. Savvina Nadezhda ◽

M. Grjibovski Andrej ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Preschool Children ◽

Nutritional Status ◽

Ethnic Groups ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Child Growth ◽

Overweight And Obesity ◽

Public Health Issue ◽

P Value ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional

(1) Background: Vietnam is a multiethnic country undergoing rapid economic development, the improvement in nutritional status in preschool children is not equally shared by all ethnic groups; (2) Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed from September–December 2018 on 16,177 children aged 24–60 months representing Kinh (n = 14421), Muong (n = 1307) and Tay (n = 449) ethnic groups. Prevalence of malnutrition, overweight, obesity and anthropometric indices were compared across ethnic groups, using WHO 2006 child growth standards; (3) Results: The prevalence of malnutrition among children of Kinh, Muong and Tay origins was 14.7%, 34.3% and 43.2%, respectively. The corresponding data for overweight was 5.5%, 2.7%, 2.2% and for obesity 2.8%, 0.8% and 0.4%, respectively. The prevalence of stunting remained the highest in three subtypes of malnutrition in all ethnic groups. Kinh children were heavier and taller than the other groups, while Muong children were taller than Tay children (p-value < 0.001); and (4) Conclusions: Malnutrition remains a major public health issue among children of minor ethnicities while overweight and obesity is an emerging challenge for the Kinh ethnic group. The results imply that a community-based intervention should be specific to ethnicity to reduce the gap in nutritional status between ethnic groups in Vietnam.

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The prevalence and trends in overweight and obesity in Irish adults between 1990 and 2011

Public Health Nutrition ◽

10.1017/s1368980014000536 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 17 (11) ◽

pp. 2389-2397 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Elaine A Boylan ◽

Breige A McNulty ◽

Janette Walton ◽

Albert Flynn ◽

Anne P Nugent ◽

...

Keyword(s):

At Risk ◽

Waist Circumference ◽

Food Consumption ◽

Overweight And Obesity ◽

Public Health Issue ◽

Nutrition Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Effective Prevention ◽

The North ◽

Food Consumption Survey

AbstractObjectiveObesity is a serious public health issue, the prevalence of which is increasing globally. The present study aimed to investigate trends in overweight and obesity in Irish adults between 1990 and 2011.DesignAnthropometric data from three Irish national food consumption surveys were used to calculate trends in BMI, waist circumference and waist:hip ratio.SettingThree cross-sectional food consumption surveys: the Irish National Nutrition Survey (1990), the North/South Ireland Food Consumption Survey (2001) and the National Adult Nutrition Survey (2011).SubjectsA collective sample of free-living Irish adults (n3125), aged 18–64 years.ResultsThere were significant increases in mean weight, height and BMI from 1990 to 2011. Significant increments were also reported in waist and hip circumferences and waist:hip ratio between 2001 and 2011, with concurrent increases in the proportion of individuals at risk of developing CVD, particularly females aged 18–35 years. In 2011, 23·4 % of the Irish population was classified as obese; with the mean BMI increasing by 1·1 kg/m2between 1990 and 2001 and by 0·6 kg/m2between 2001 and 2011.ConclusionsThe present paper characterises obesity levels in Irish adults from 1990 to 2011. Absolute levels of overweight and obesity have increased between these time points. Of concern is the increase in the proportion of young women classified as at risk of CVD, using waist circumference and waist:hip ratio. Effective prevention strategies are needed to avoid further increases.

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Intentional and unintentional medication non-adherence in hypertension: the role of health literacy, empowerment and medication beliefs

Journal of Public Health Research ◽

10.4081/jphr.2016.762 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 5 (3) ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

Lilla Náfrádi ◽

Elisa Galimberti ◽

Kent Nakamoto ◽

Peter J. Schulz

Keyword(s):

Medication Adherence ◽

Health Literacy ◽

Self Efficacy ◽

Public Health Issue ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Medication Beliefs ◽

Psychological Determinants ◽

Design And Methods

Background: Medication non-adherence is a major public health issue, creating obstacles to effective treatment of hypertension. Examining the underlying factors of deliberate and non-deliberate non-adherence is crucial to address this problem. Thus, the goal of the present study is to assess the socio-demographic, clinical and psychological determinants of intentional and unintentional non-adherence. Design and methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted between March, 2015 and April, 2016. The sample consisted of hypertension patients holding at least one medical prescription (N=109). Measurements assessed patients’ medication adherence, health literacy, empowerment, self-efficacy, medication beliefs, and patients’ acceptance of their doctor’s advice, socio-demographic and clinical characteristics. Results: Patients who occasionally engaged in either intentional or unintentional non-adherence reported to have lower adherence selfefficacy, higher medication concern beliefs, lower meaningfulness scores and were less likely to accept the doctor’s treatment recommendations. Patients who occasionally engaged in unintentional nonadherence were younger and had experienced more side effects compared to completely adherent patients. Adherence self-efficacy was a mediator of the effect of health literacy on patients’ medication adherence and acceptance of the doctor’s advice was a covariate. Conclusions: Regarding the research implications, health literacy and adherence self-efficacy should be assessed simultaneously when investigating the factors of non-adherence. Regarding the practical implications, adherence could be increased if physicians i) doublecheck whether their patients accept the treatment advice given and ii) if they address patients’ concerns about medications. These steps could be especially important for patients characterized with lower self-efficacy, as they are more likely to engage in occasional nonadherence.

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Health Literacy of Osteoporosis Risks among Caregivers Serving in Disability Care Facilities

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph17134903 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (13) ◽

pp. 4903

Author(s):

Lan-Ping Lin ◽

Wei-Ju Lai ◽

Shang-Wei Hsu ◽

Jin-Ding Lin

Keyword(s):

Health Literacy ◽

Bone Density ◽

Physical Fitness ◽

Junior High ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Multivariate Logistic Regression Model ◽

Public Health Issue ◽

Global Public Health ◽

Future Health ◽

Cross Sectional

Osteoporosis is a global public health issue and its consequent effects are a growing concern worldwide. Caregivers generally experience occupational physical ailments and they have less of a tendency to engage in preventive health behaviors, leading them to be in a higher risk group for osteoporosis. This study aims to present a general profile of health literacy related to osteoporosis risks and identify its associated factors among disability institutional caregivers. A cross-sectional study with a structured questionnaire was used to collect information on 465 caregivers from seven disability care institutions regarding their awareness of the health literacy related to osteoporosis risks. The results indicate that the average literacy score related to osteoporosis risks among the respondents was 60 points (full score is 80 points), with 50–59 being the most common range (51.9%), followed by 60–69 points (43.5%), and 4.4% of cases had more than 70 points. A multivariate logistic regression model revealed that respondents’ age (40–49 vs. 18–29; odds ratio (OR) = 2.53, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.31–4.87), education level (senior high vs. primary and junior high, OR = 2.00, 95% CI = 1.03–3.89; college and above vs. primary and junior high, OR = 3.66, 95% CI = 1.84–7.31), experience in undergoing a bone density test (OR = 1.94, 95% CI = 1.28–2.93), and poor physical fitness status (OR = 0.64, 95% CI = 0.43–0.95) were the significant predictors of the osteoporosis health literacy level. The osteoporosis health literacy of institutional caregivers is moderate, and there are many items that are worthy of attention in future health promotion programs. This study highlights risk factors related to a lower level of osteoporosis healthy literacy such as older age, less education, no experience of bone density test, and poor physical fitness that highlight the need to raise further awareness in order to improve caregivers’ bone health.

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Distribution and social determinants of overweight and obesity: a cross-sectional study of non-pregnant adult women from the Malawi Demographic and Health Survey (2015-2016)

Epidemiology and Health ◽

10.4178/epih.e2019039 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 41 ◽

pp. e2019039 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Leonard Mndala ◽

Abhay Kudale

Keyword(s):

Health Survey ◽

Social Determinants ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Overweight And Obesity ◽

Demographic And Health Survey ◽

Outcome Variable ◽

Public Health Issue ◽

Adult Women ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional

OBJECTIVES: Hitherto regarded as a public health issue of well-heeled nations, overweight and obesity have emerged as a problem of concern in developing nations. Although social and demographic factors are equally important as proximal lifestyle factors affecting health, their role is neither well researched nor well understood. We conducted a novel study to determine the distribution, prevalence, and social and demographic determinants of overweight/obesity in Malawi.METHODS: A population-based, quantitative cross-sectional study using data from the Malawi Demographic and Health Survey (2015-2016) was conducted among non-pregnant women aged 18-49 years. A total of 6,443 women were included in the analysis. Overweight/obesity, defined as a body mass index (BMI) ≥25.0 kg/m2 , was the main outcome variable. The analysis was done in SPSS version 20.0; after calculating descriptive statistics, bivariate and multivariate logistic regression was conducted to evaluate associations and determine odds.RESULTS: In total, 16.8% and 6.3% of women were overweight and obese, respectively (p<0.001). Overweight and obesity were more prevalent in urban than in rural areas. The BMI distribution among women varied across different background characteristics. Women from the Ngoni ethnicity were more likely to be overweight/obese than others (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.54; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.14 to 2.08). Socioeconomic status (SES) and the age of the respondent were highly significant determinants that were strongly associated with being overweight/obese. The richest women were 3 times more likely to be overweight/obese than the poorest (aOR, 3.30; 95% CI, 2.46 to 4.43).CONCLUSIONS: Overweight and obesity were highly prevalent and significantly associated with increasing SES, age, and being from the Ngoni ethnicity. Holistic interventions should also focus on improving social determinants in order to entirely curb the epidemic.

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Stunting, wasting, overweight and their coexistence among children under 7 years in the context of the social rapidly developing: Findings from a population-based survey in nine cities of China in 2016

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0245455 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (1) ◽

pp. e0245455

Author(s):

Ya-Qin Zhang ◽

Hui Li ◽

Hua-Hong Wu ◽

Xin-Nan Zong

Keyword(s):

Population Level ◽

Population Based ◽

Overweight And Obesity ◽

Public Health Issue ◽

Cluster Sampling ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Body Proportion ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Growth Standards ◽

Overweight Or Obesity

The prevalence of stunting, wasting, overweight and their coexistence are various in different populations and they also have changed with social developing and environmental improving. In this paper, we aimed to analyze the prevalence of stunting, wasting, overweight and their coexistence in some developed regions of China. Data were collected in a population-based cross-sectional survey by a multi-stage cluster sampling method in nine cities located in the northern, central, and southern region of China in 2016. Children under seven years (n = 110,491) were measured. WHO growth standards were used to assess the growth status. Stunting, underweight, wasting, overweight and obesity were considered as the primary forms of malnutrition (includes undernutrition and overnutrition) for infant or young children at population-levels. The prevalence of stunting, underweight, wasting, and overweight or obesity were respectively 0.7%, 0.6%, 1.2%, and 7.6%. Most of these children (95.4%) suffered from one form of malnutrition, and only 0.2% of them concurrently stunted and wasted, 0.4% concurrently stunted and overweight, 1.7% concurrently stunted and underweight, 2.3% concurrently underweight and wasted. Among stunted children, 91.2% were appropriate body proportion, and only 2.3% were wasted, 6.5% were overweight or obesity. Among overweight or obese children, only 0.6% were stunted, whereas, 15.8% were high stature and 83.6% were the appropriate ranges of stature. Sex, age, urban/suburban, and region were associated with these primary forms of malnutrition in the multivariate logistic analysis. In conclusion, we found that the coexistence of stunting and overweight was not common at both population-level and individual-level. The situation for undernutrition had significantly improved, and overweight may be the leading public health issue for children under seven years in the nine cities of China.

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