Prevalence of overweight and obesity and anthropometric reference centiles for Albanian children and adolescents living in four Balkan nation-states

Abstract Background The extent of the obesity epidemic among youth is an important public health statistic which provides an indication of the future burden of non-communicable diseases. Many developing countries, including Albania, do not have systematic and repeated monitoring systems in operation. Methods The Balkan Survey of Inactivity in Children study is a population-based cross-sectional survey including Albanian children living in the four Balkan nation-states of Albania, Kosovo, FYR Macedonia and Montenegro. In total, 19,850 children from 49 schools were approached. The LMS method was used to provide body mass index (BMI), height, weight and waist circumference reference centiles for boys and girls. The World Health Organisation (WHO) and International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) age- and sex-specific BMI cut-points were applied to evaluate adiposity levels. Results A sample of 18,460 participants aged 6–16 years old was available for creation of the BMI for age and sex reference centiles. The prevalence of overweight (including obesity) in the full sample was 21% (95% CI: 20%–21%) according to IOTF cut-off points and 28% (95% CI: 28%–29%) at WHO cut-off points. Overweight/obesity levels where higher in boys than in girls irrespective of the cut-off points applied (p<0.001). Noticeable between-country differences were observed with a prevalence of overweight/obesity of 40% (95% CI: 38%–42%) in Montenegro but only 20% (95% CI: 19%–21%) in Kosovo (WHO cut-off points). Conclusions Overweight/obesity is highly prevalent in Albanian children and adolescents. The apparent sex and country differences may inform public health actions.

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The Prevalence of Childhood Underweight, Overweight, and Obesity based on Four Different Criteria

Journal of Nutrition and Food Security ◽

10.18502/jnfs.v5i4.4434 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Mojgan Amiri ◽

Nastaran Ahmadi ◽

Mohammad Reza Mohammadi ◽

Seyed Ali Mostafavi ◽

Mahla Zahedifard ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Children And Adolescents ◽

Task Force ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Overweight And Obesity ◽

The Body ◽

High Rate ◽

World Health ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Health Organization ◽

Iranian Children

Background: Childhood/adolescence under- and over-nutrition are among the major public concerns worldwide. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of underweight, overweight, and obesity among children living in Yazd, Iran using different criteria. Methods: This community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among children and adolescents aged 6-18 years. Body weight, height, waist, and hip circumference were measured. Furthermore, the body mass index (BMI) and waist to hip ratio were calculated. Afterwards, BMI was classified according to four criteria including the US center for disease control and prevention (CDC), world health organization (WHO), the international obesity task force (IOTF), and Iranian national cut-points. Results: The mean age of the included children was 11.32 ± 3.89 years. Overall, the highest rate of underweight was estimated by IOTF %16.9 and the lowest rate was estimated by the national criteria %1.2. Furthermore, the highest and the lowest rates for overweight were obtained by CDC2000 %19.0 and WHO criteria %12.2, respectively. The highest and lowest rates for obesity were obtained by the national %22.3 and the CDC2000 criteria %11.3, respectively. The selected criteria were significantly different in estimating underweight, overweight, and obesity (P < 0.05). Conclusions: All the mentioned criteria showed high rate of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents in Yazd. Furthermore, the highest rate of obesity was detected by national criteria. The national distribution of BMI in Iranian children is skewed to overweight and obesity.

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Breakfast Skipping Is an Independent Predictor of Obesity but not Overweight Among Children in a Southeastern European Population

International Journal for Vitamin and Nutrition Research ◽

10.1024/0300-9831/a000272 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 86 (5-6) ◽

pp. 242-248 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Genc Burazeri ◽

Jolanda Hyska ◽

Iris Mone ◽

Enver Roshi

Keyword(s):

Task Force ◽

Demographic Data ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

European Population ◽

Overweight And Obesity ◽

World Health ◽

Communist Country ◽

Western Balkans ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Breakfast Skipping

Abstract.Aim: To assess the association of breakfast skipping with overweight and obesity among children in Albania, a post-communist country in the Western Balkans, which is undergoing a long and difficult political and socioeconomic transition towards a market-oriented economy. Methods: A nationwide cross-sectional study was carried out in Albania in 2013 including a representative sample of 5810 children aged 7.0 – 9.9 years (49.5% girls aged 8.4 ± 0.6 years and 51.5% boys aged 8.5 ± 0.6 years; overall response rate: 97%). Children were measured for height and weight, and body mass index (BMI) calculated. Cut-off BMI values of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) were used to define overweight and obesity in children. Demographic data were also collected. Results: Upon adjustment for age, sex, and place of residence, breakfast skipping was positively related to obesity (WHO criteria: OR = 1.5, 95% CI = 1.3–1.9; IOTF criteria: OR = 1.9, 95% CI = 1.4–2.5), but not overweight (OR = 1.1, 95% CI = 0.9–1.3 and OR = 1.1, 95% CI = 0.9–1.4, respectively). Furthermore, breakfast skipping was associated with a higher BMI (multivariable-adjusted OR = 1.05, 95% CI = 1.02–1.07). Conclusions: Our findings point to a strong and consistent positive relationship between breakfast skipping and obesity, but not overweight, among children in this transitional southeastern European population. Future studies in Albania and other transitional settings should prospectively examine the causal role of breakfast skipping in the development of overweight and obesity.

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Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity in Children and Adolescents from the Age Range of 2 to 19 Years Old in Brazil

International Journal of Pediatrics ◽

10.1155/2014/583207 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 2014 ◽

pp. 1-7 ◽

Cited By ~ 28

Author(s):

Janaina R. Niehues ◽

Ana Inês Gonzales ◽

Robson R. Lemos ◽

Poliana Penasso Bezerra ◽

Patrícia Haas

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Children And Adolescents ◽

National Level ◽

Public Health Problem ◽

Overweight And Obesity ◽

Obese Children ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Juvenile Obesity ◽

Age Range ◽

Obesity In Children

Introduction. Infant juvenile obesity is currently a worldwide public health problem and it is increasing at alarming rate in the Brazilian population, showing its relevance in terms of public health.Objectives. Determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity in children and adolescents between 2 and 19 years old in different regions of Brazil.Methods. The following electronic databases were searched (from September through November 2013): Medline (PubMed), LILACS, and SciELO, using the descriptors and Boolean operators (obesity) and (overweight) and (child) and (prevalence) and (Brazil). Prospective and/or cross-sectional designs studies were found regarding the prevalence of overweight and obese children and adolescents in the five regions of Brazil.Results. A total of 191 scientific articles were found of which 17 met all inclusion criteria. A higher prevalence of overweight was found in the south (25.7%) and north (28.8%) of the country, and obesity in the southeast (15.4%) and south (10.4%).Conclusions. The scope of the studies was mostly based on municipal coverage, which resulted in limitations for conclusive analysis, showing the need for further studies of prevalence at the national level, with emphasis on public health in obese children and adolescents throughout the Brazilian territory.

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Overweight and obesity of children in a brazilian elementary school: a comparison of three references

Journal of Human Growth and Development ◽

10.7322/jhgd.122817 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 26 (3) ◽

pp. 341

Author(s):

Marcella Evangelista Melo ◽

Giovanna Lima Miguéis ◽

Mikaela Silva Almeida ◽

Tatiane Dalamaria ◽

Wagner De Jesus Pinto ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Elementary School ◽

Task Force ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Overweight And Obesity ◽

World Health ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Kappa Index ◽

International Obesity Task Force ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Health Organization

Introduction: In the diagnosis of overweight and obesity based on body mass index in children and adolescents, several national and international anthropometric references are recommended. However, there is a divergence in the estimated prevalence of overweight and obesity among the references. Objective: To identify the prevalence of overweight and obesity and to analyse the magnitude of agreement among the three references. Methods: A cross-sectional study with 975 students from the early grades of elementary school. The prevalence of overweight and obesity were estimated according to the criteria of the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) and Conde and Monteiro. The Kappa weighted index was calculated to assess the agreement magnitude among the three references. Results: The highest prevalence of overweight and obesity was estimated by the Conde and Monteiro and WHO references, respectively. Overall, the IOTF revealed lower a magnitude of prevalence than the two other references. The agreement among the references identified by the Kappa index had a range of 0.66 to 0.94. Conclusion: Despite the satisfactory agreement among the three references, this research highlighted the differing magnitudes of the prevalence of overweight and obesity. This fact limits the ability to make comparisons among populations and impairs the development of overweight and obesity prevention actions.

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Salt intake and its sources in children, adolescents and adults in Isfahan, Islamic Republic of Iran

Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal ◽

10.26719/emhj.20.142 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Noushin Mohammadifard ◽

Atena Mahdavi ◽

Alireza Khosravi ◽

Ahmad Esmaillzadeh ◽

Awat Feizi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Children And Adolescents ◽

Salt Intake ◽

World Health ◽

Food Sources ◽

Islamic Republic ◽

Dietary Salt ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Islamic Republic Of Iran ◽

Added Salt

Background: There is little evidence about salt intake and its food sources in the Iranian population, especially in children and adolescents. Aims: To investigate salt intake and dietary sources in Isfahan, Islamic Republic of Iran. Methods: This was a cross-sectional survey conducted in 2014–2015. We randomly selected 1384 adults (50.3% female, 49.7% male) aged > 18 years [mean 37.9 (10.6) years], and 786 children and adolescents (50.9% male, 49.1% female) aged 618 years [mean 12.5 (3.4) years]. All participants underwent a dietary assessment for salt intake, using a validated food frequency questionnaire. Results: The total salt intake was 10.9 (3.4) g/day in adults and 10.3 (2.9) g/day in children and adolescents. Added salt was the primary source of salt intake, followed by bread and cheese in both groups. Salt intake was related significantly to being younger, male, a smoker, less educated and physically active in the adult group. In children and adolescents, it was significantly associated with increasing age, male sex, low physical activity and parents’ education level (all P < 0.05). Conclusions: Salt intake in Isfahan was more than twice that recommended by the World Health Organization. The main source of sodium was added salt, followed bread and cheese. Future national studies are warranted to assess the dietary salt intake and its main sources in different provinces in the Islamic Republic of Iran.

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Dietary Patterns and Weight Status of Primary School Children in Serbia

Frontiers in Public Health ◽

10.3389/fpubh.2021.678346 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

Author(s):

Predrag Bozic ◽

Visnja Djordjic ◽

Lidija Markovic ◽

Dragan Cvejic ◽

Nebojsa Trajkovic ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Dietary Patterns ◽

Weight Status ◽

Vegetable Consumption ◽

Task Force ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Overweight And Obesity ◽

Primary School Children ◽

World Health ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Health Organization

The purpose of the present cross-sectional study was to examine dietary patterns and the prevalence of underweight, overweight, and obesity among Serbian children. Furthermore, the study analyzed the association between dietary patterns and weight status. A nationally representative sample of 6–9-year-old children (n = 3,067) was evaluated as part of the Fifth Round World Health Organization European Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative. The children's height and weight were measured by trained field examiners, while their parents or guardians filled paper versions of the food frequency questionnaire to collect information related to the child's breakfast habits and food and beverage intake. According to the International Obesity Task Force cut-off points, the overall prevalence of overweight (including obesity) and underweight were 28.9 and 8.1%, respectively. The majority of parents reported that their children (84.5%) had breakfast every day, while only 39.5 and 37% of children had daily fruit and vegetable consumption, respectively. The children who do not eat breakfast every day are more likely to be obese (OR = 1.50), while a higher intake frequency of nutrient-poor beverages such as soft drinks increases the risk of being not only overweight (OR = 1.32) but also underweight (OR = 1.39). Regular monitoring and understanding of dietary patterns and weight status is crucial to inform, design, and implement strategies to reduce national and global diet and obesity-related diseases. Urgent actions need to be taken from public policymakers to stop and reverse the increasing trend of overweight (including obesity) among Serbian children.

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Global community perception of ‘surgical care’ as a public health issue: a cross sectional survey

BMC Public Health ◽

10.1186/s12889-021-10936-0 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Nurhayati Lubis ◽

Meena Nathan Cherian ◽

Chinmayee Venkatraman ◽

Fiemu E. Nwariaku

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Surgical Care ◽

World Health ◽

Health Issue ◽

Public Health Issue ◽

Community Perception ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

World Health Assembly Resolution ◽

A Priority

Abstract Background In the last decade surgical care has been propelled into the public health domain with the establishment of a World Health Organisation (WHO) designated programme and key publications. The passing of the historic World Health Assembly Resolution (WHA) acknowledged surgical care as a vital component towards achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC). We conducted the first worldwide survey to explore the perception of surgical care as a public health issue. Method The anonymous, cross sectional survey targeted worldwide participants across a range of professional backgrounds, including non-medical using virtual snowball sampling method (in English) using Google Forms (Google Inc., Mountain View, CA, USA) from 20th February 2019 to 25th June 2019. The survey questions were designed to gauge awareness on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), UHC, WHO programmes and key publications on surgical care as well as perception of surgical care as a priority topic in public health. Results The survey was completed by 1954 respondents from 118 countries. Respondents were least aware of surgical care as a teaching topic in public health courses (27%; n = 526) and as a WHO programme (20%; n = 384). 82% of respondents were aware of UHC (n = 1599) and of this 72% (n = 1152) agreed that surgical care fits within UHC. While 77% (n = 1495) of respondents were aware of SDGs, only 19% (n = 370) agreed that surgery was a priority to meet SDGs. 48% (n = 941) rated surgical care as a cost-effective component of Primary Health Care. 88% (n = 1712) respondents had not read the WHA Resolution on ‘Strengthening emergency and essential surgical care and anaesthesia as a component of UHC’. Conclusion There is still a widespread gap in awareness on the importance of surgical care as a public health issue amongst our respondents. Surgical care was not seen as a priority to reach the SDGs, less visible as a WHO programme and not perceived as an important topic for public health courses.

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Nutritional status of children and adolescents in three Serbian enclaves in Kosovo and Metohija

BMC Public Health ◽

10.1186/s12889-021-10848-z ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Valentina Fabiano ◽

Lucia Barcellini ◽

Marco Ugo Andrea Sartorio ◽

Erica Pendezza ◽

Alessandro Leone ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Nutritional Status ◽

Children And Adolescents ◽

Overweight And Obesity ◽

World Health ◽

Obesity Prevalence ◽

Male Population ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Z Scores ◽

Nutritional Status Of Children

Abstract Objective To evaluate nutritional status of children and adolescents living in three Serbian enclaves in Kosovo and Metohija. Methods We conducted an observational cross-sectional, population-based study, enrolling children and adolescents who underwent a pediatric screening performed in the three Serbian enclaves of Gračanica, Gornje Kusce and Velika Hoča in Kosovo and Metohija. Children and adolescents (5–19 years) of all ethnic groups were evaluated in one of the three free outpatient medical facilities in rural villages in Kosovo. Body weight and height were measured, height-for-age z- scores (HAZ) and BMI-for-age z-scores (BAZ) indicators were analyzed. The anthropometric indicators HAZ and BAZ distributions were compared between sex and ages using Fisher’s exact test. A two-sample Z-test for proportions was used to detect differences in individual categories of height- and BMI-for-age categories across sexes and age classes. Results Three hundred twenty-eight children and adolescents (184 females, 56.1% and 144 males, 43.9%) aged between 5 and 19 years were enrolled in the study. 241/328 participants showed a normal linear growth; with significantly more girls (78.3%) than boys (67.4%) being in the normal category. Similarly, a significant difference in BAZ distribution between sexes was noted, with more females being in the normal BMI category compared to males (63.0% vs 50.0%, respectively). Underweight and severe underweight subjects showed a prevalence of 1.5 and 0.6%, respectively. Overweight and obesity prevalence was 19.5 and 9.1%, respectively, which was comparable to World Health Organization overweight and obesity prevalence data for Serbia. Conclusions Prevalence of undernutrition and severe undernutrition in children and adolescents living in three Serbian enclaves in Kosovo and Metohija is small. By contrast, a tendency to an increase in overweight and obesity, especially in the male population, was noted.

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Step-Based Metrics and Overall Physical Activity in Children With Overweight or Obesity: Cross-Sectional Study

JMIR mhealth and uhealth ◽

10.2196/14841 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 (4) ◽

pp. e14841

Author(s):

Jairo H Migueles ◽

Cristina Cadenas-Sanchez ◽

Elroy J Aguiar ◽

Pablo Molina-Garcia ◽

Patricio Solis-Urra ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Physical Activity ◽

Best Practice ◽

Movement Pattern ◽

Cost Effective ◽

Human Movement ◽

Overweight And Obesity ◽

World Health ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Steps Per Day

Background Best-practice early interventions to increase physical activity (PA) in children with overweight and obesity should be both feasible and evidence based. Walking is a basic human movement pattern that is practical, cost-effective, and does not require complex movement skills. However, there is still a need to investigate how much walking—as a proportion of total PA level—is performed by children who are overweight and obese in order to determine its utility as a public health strategy. Objective This study aimed to (1) investigate the proportion of overall PA indicators that are explained by step-based metrics and (2) study step accumulation patterns relative to achievement of public health recommendations in children who are overweight and obese. Methods A total of 105 overweight and obese children (mean 10.1 years of age [SD 1.1]; 43 girls) wore hip-worn accelerometers for 7 days. PA volumes were derived using the daily average of counts per 15 seconds, categorized using standard cut points for light-moderate-vigorous PA (LMVPA) and moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA). Derived step-based metrics included volume (steps/day), time in cadence bands, and peak 1-minute, 30-minute, and 60-minute cadences. Results Steps per day explained 66%, 40%, and 74% of variance for counts per 15 seconds, LMVPA, and MVPA, respectively. The variance explained was increased up to 80%, 92%, and 77% by including specific cadence bands and peak cadences. Children meeting the World Health Organization recommendation of 60 minutes per day of MVPA spent less time at zero cadence and more time in cadence bands representing sporadic movement to brisk walking (ie, 20-119 steps/min) than their less-active peers. Conclusions Step-based metrics, including steps per day and various cadence-based metrics, seem to capture a large proportion of PA for children who are overweight and obese. Given the availability of pedometers, step-based metrics could be useful in discriminating between those children who do or do not achieve MVPA recommendations. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02295072; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02295072

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Changes from 1986 to 2018 in the Prevalence of Obesity and Overweight, Metabolic Control and Treatment in Children with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus

10.21203/rs.3.rs-669040/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

María Teresa Pastor-Fajardo ◽

María Teresa Fajardo-Giménez ◽

Vicente Bosch-Giménez ◽

José Pastor-Rosado

Keyword(s):

Type 1 Diabetes ◽

Children And Adolescents ◽

Metabolic Control ◽

Overweight And Obesity ◽

World Health ◽

Diabetic Patients ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Diabetic Children ◽

Health Organization

Abstract Background: In recent decades, a global increase in the prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity has been observed in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes.Methods: This retrospective, cross-sectional, population study examined three groups (1986, 2007, and 2018) of children and adolescents aged <16 years diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Overweight and obesity were defined according to the World Health Organization recommendations.Results: The prevalence of overweight and obesity in diabetic children and adolescents was 30.2% (95% CI: 23.1-38.3). There was a significant increase from 1986 to 2007 (11.9% to 41.7%, p=0.002) and from 1986 to 2018 (11.9% to 34.8%, p=0.012), but no significant differences were found from 2007 to 2018 (41.7% to 34.8%, p=0.492). The age at diagnosis was lower in the group with excess body mass (p=0.037). No significant differences were observed in age (p=0.690), duration of diabetes (p=0.163), distribution according to sex (p=0.452), metabolic control (HbA1c, p=0.909), or insulin units kg/day (p=0.566), in diabetic patients with overweight or obesity. From 2007 to 2018, the use of insulin analogs (p=0.009) and a higher number of insulin doses (p=0.007) increased significantly, with no increase in the prevalence of overweight and obesity.Conclusions: The evolution of the prevalence of overweight and obesity in diabetic children and adolescents during the study period is a reflection of the epidemic of childhood obesity in a global obesogenic environment.

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