scholarly journals Cross-Country Variation in Obesity Patterns among Older Americans and Europeans

2007 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pierre-Carl Michaud ◽  
Arthur H.O. van Soest ◽  
Tatiana Andreyeva

While the fraction of obese people is not as large in Europe as in the United States, obesity is becoming an important issue in Europe as well. Using comparable data from the Survey of Health, Aging and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) and the Health and Retirement Study in the U.S. (HRS), we analyze the correlates of obesity in the population ages 50 and above, focusing on measures of energy intake and expenditure as well as socio-economic status. We find that obesity rates differ substantially on both sides of the Atlantic and across European countries, with most of the difference coming from the right tail of the weight distribution. The well-known SES gradient in the prevalence of obesity differs across countries and cannot be fully explained by the variation in food expenditure or physical activity. Obesity is associated with lack of physical activity, calorie intake, time spent on cooking, and time and money spent on eating at home and away from home, but some of these associations vary across countries. More research is needed to analyze why this is the case.

2020 ◽  
pp. 583-601
Author(s):  
Zaki Hasnain ◽  
Tanachat Nilanon ◽  
Ming Li ◽  
Aaron Mejia ◽  
Anand Kolatkar ◽  
...  

PURPOSE Performance status (PS) is a key factor in oncologic decision making, but conventional scales used to measure PS vary among observers. Consumer-grade biometric sensors have previously been identified as objective alternatives to the assessment of PS. Here, we investigate how one such biometric sensor can be used during a clinic visit to identify patients who are at risk for complications, particularly unexpected hospitalizations that may delay treatment or result in low physical activity. We aim to provide a novel and objective means of predicting tolerability to chemotherapy. METHODS Thirty-eight patients across three centers in the United States who were diagnosed with a solid tumor with plans for treatment with two cycles of highly emetogenic chemotherapy were included in this single-arm, observational prospective study. A noninvasive motion-capture system quantified patient movement from chair to table and during the get-up-and-walk test. Activity levels were recorded using a wearable sensor over a 2-month period. Changes in kinematics from two motion-capture data points pre- and post-treatment were tested for correlation with unexpected hospitalizations and physical activity levels as measured by a wearable activity sensor. RESULTS Among 38 patients (mean age, 48.3 years; 53% female), kinematic features from chair to table were the best predictors for unexpected health care encounters (area under the curve, 0.775 ± 0.029) and physical activity (area under the curve, 0.830 ± 0.080). Chair-to-table acceleration of the nonpivoting knee ( t = 3.39; P = .002) was most correlated with unexpected health care encounters. Get-up-and-walk kinematics were most correlated with physical activity, particularly the right knee acceleration ( t = −2.95; P = .006) and left arm angular velocity ( t = −2.4; P = .025). CONCLUSION Chair-to-table kinematics are good predictors of unexpected hospitalizations, whereas the get-up-and-walk kinematics are good predictors of low physical activity.


2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 105
Author(s):  
Yulia Fitri ◽  
Nunung Sri Mulyani ◽  
Eva Fitrianingsih ◽  
Suryana Suryana

Based on data from the Indonesian health profile 2011 for the province of Aceh alone prevalence of nutritional status of the adult population (> 18 years) are overweight get into the top ten highest in Indonesia, namely by 10.9% and 13.4% were obese. Granting activity physical (gymnastics healthy heart) is one activity that can affect blood pressure in obese people. Researchers in the United States explains that physical activity at least 15 minutes a day is estimated to decrease by 14% the risk of hypertension obesity which can lead to death. Usefulness study: the development of science can be known benefits of physical activity (aerobic exercise) on blood pressure, BMI and waist-hip ratio in obese women. The study design used was quasi-experimental, with a pre-posttest observational approach, to examine the provision of physical activity (aerobic exercise) on blood pressure, BMI and waist-hip ratio in women Obesity. The results showed that research there is the effect of physical activity (aerobic exercise) for IMT (p = 0,000), and blood pressure (p = 0,000) in obese women but no effect of physical activity on the ratio of the circumference pelvic waist (waist-hip ratio) (p = 0,230). Conclusion: From the results, it can be concluded that there is the influence of physical activity on blood pressure, BMI, and waist-hip ratio, but physical activity does not affect the waist-hip ratio. Keywords: Blood pressure, BMI, waist-hip ratio, obesity


2009 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
David W. Brock ◽  
Olivia Thomas ◽  
Charles D. Cowan ◽  
David B. Allison ◽  
Glenn A. Gaesser ◽  
...  

Background:Numerous public health organizations have adopted national physical activity recommendations. Despite these recommendations, over half of the US population does not meet the minimum recommendation for physical activity, with large variations across individual US states.Methods:Using the 2005 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) prevalence data for physical activity and obesity by state, we performed a weighted least squares regression using prevalence of obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2) as the dependent variable and insufficiently physically active (included completely sedentary), age, race, gender, and median household income as the independent variables.Results:The unadjusted weighted least squares regression revealed a strong correlation between a state’s prevalence of obesity and the prevalence of insufficiently physically active (R = .76, R2 = .58, P < .0001). After adjusting for age, gender, race, and median household income, the prevalence of insufficiently physically active is still a significant predictor of the state prevalence of obesity (partial R = .44, R2 = .19 P = .004).Conclusion:Macroenvironmental and sociopolitical disparities between individual US states that transcend simple state-level demographic factors need to be examined more rigorously to identify unique barriers and promoters of physical activity.


2011 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 139-158 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jay Bhattacharya ◽  
Neeraj Sood

Adult obesity is a growing problem. From 1962 to 2006, obesity prevalence nearly tripled to 35.1 percent of adults. The rising prevalence of obesity is not limited to a particular socioeconomic group and is not unique to the United States. Should this widespread obesity epidemic be a cause for alarm? From a personal health perspective, the answer is an emphatic “yes.” But when it comes to justifications of public policy for reducing obesity, the analysis becomes more complex. A common starting point is the assertion that those who are obese impose higher health costs on the rest of the population—a statement which is then taken to justify public policy interventions. But the question of who pays for obesity is an empirical one, and it involves analysis of how obese people fare in labor markets and health insurance markets. We will argue that the existing literature on these topics suggests that obese people on average do bear the costs and benefits of their eating and exercise habits. We begin by estimating the lifetime costs of obesity. We then discuss the extent to which private health insurance pools together obese and thin, whether health insurance causes obesity, and whether being fat might actually cause positive externalities for those who are not obese. If public policy to reduce obesity is not justified on the grounds of external costs imposed on others, then the remaining potential justification would need to be on the basis of helping people to address problems of ignorance or self-control that lead to obesity. In the conclusion, we offer a few thoughts about some complexities of such a justification.


2004 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emy Huriyati ◽  
Hamam Hadi ◽  
Madarina Julia

Background: The prevalence of obesity is markedly increasing, both in developed and developing countries. Whether physical activity contributes to the obesity in Indonesian adolescents is still unknown.Objective: To assess whether physical activity is associated with obesity in junior high school adolescents in Yogyakarta. Methods: A case control study was conducted in Yogyakarta Province in 2003. Subjects were 140 obese and 140 non- obese junior high school adolescents in Yogyakarta and Bantul, randomly chosen from an obesity survey performed previously. Pattern and duration of activity were assessed using IPAQ modified questionnaire. The activities were than sorted into light (sedentary), moderate and vigorous activities.Results: There was significant difference in the distribution sedentary activity between adolescents of Yogyakarta and Bantul (p<0.0001). The mean duration of sedentary activity in Yogyakarta was 12.4 hours/day while in Bantul was 11.0 hours/day. Obese adolescents spent longer time in sedentary activity than non-obese adolescents (p=0.002). The odds of being obese in adolescent whose sedentary activity was longer than 13 hours/day were almost doubled.Conclusions: Urban adolescents spent more time for sedentary activities than rural adolescents, so were obese adolescents. The association of sedentary activities to obesity is independent from other factors such as calorie intake and parental obesity status.


2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (8) ◽  
pp. 1084-1089
Author(s):  
T. A. Zapara ◽  
A. V. Romashchenko ◽  
A. L. Proskura ◽  
A. S. Ratushnyak

The relevance of studies of adult neurogenesis is evident in connection with the potential use of these new neurons to replace neurons lost in the process of life. Despite considerable efforts, little is known about the fnal fate of these cells, the functional signifcance of their connections and the regulation of their development. It is known that physical activity signifcantly increases the number of fssile progenitors, the precursors of new neurons in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus. The existing immunohistochemical methods for labeling new neurons do not allow tracing the temporal dynamics of changes in the volume of brain structures in the same animal, induced by external impacts, such as voluntary exercise. This makes it an urgent task to develop and improve methods for long­term control of changes that occur in the adult hippocampus due to the induction of neurogenesis. The main purpose of this work was to non­invasively track, by using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), the temporal dynamics of changes in the volume of the hippocampus in the same animals that had voluntary physical activity. It was found that voluntary exercise did not change the total volume of the mouse hippocampus. However, the difference in the volume ratio between the right and left parts of the hippocampus was signifcantly lower compared with the control group. The reconstruction and analysis of protein­protein interactions that ensure the survival of a large number of new neurons and their integration into existing neural networks in the hippocampus have been carried out. The proposed approach allows the non­invasive registration of changes in the ratio of the volumes of these paired brain structures.


2012 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 801-808 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anders Raustorp ◽  
Peter Pagels ◽  
Cecilia Boldemann ◽  
Nilda Cosco ◽  
Margareta Söderström ◽  
...  

Background:It is important to understand the correlates of physical activity (PA) to influence policy and create environments that promote PA among preschool children. We compared preschoolers’ PA in Swedish and in US settings and objectively examined differences boys’ and girls’ indoor and outdoor PA regarding different intensity levels and sedentary behavior.Methods:Accelerometer determined PA in 50 children with mean age 52 months, (range 40–67) was recorded during preschool time for 5 consecutive weekdays at 4 sites. The children wore an Actigraph GTIM Monitor.Results:Raleigh preschool children, opposite to Malmö preschoolers spent significantly more time indoors than outdoors (P < .001). Significantly more moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity (MVPA) was observed outdoors (P < .001) in both settings. Malmö children accumulated significantly more counts/min indoors (P < .001). The percent of MVPA during outdoor time did not differ between children at Raleigh and Malmö.Conclusion:Physical activity counts/minutes was significantly higher outdoors vs. indoors in both Malmö and Raleigh. Malmö preschoolers spent 47% of attendance time outdoors compared with 18% for Raleigh preschoolers which could have influenced the difference in preschool activity between the 2 countries. Time spent in MVPA at preschool was very limited and predominantly adopted outdoors.


Author(s):  
Donald D. Hensrud

The prevalence of obesity has increased markedly over the past few decades in the United States. This increase has occurred across all ethnic groups and all ages, including childhood and adolescence. After obesity has developed, long-term results from the treatment of obesity are generally poor. The importance of diet and nutrition in the prevention of the disease has been widely reported. An estimated 365,000 deaths occur each year because of suboptimal diet and activity habits. Dietary factors play a prominent role in 5 of the 10 leading causes of death for Americans: heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes mellitus, and cerebrovascular disease. The health benefits of physical activity and exercise are broad, strong, and well-documented. Health benefits appear to increase linearly with the total amount of physical activity.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Seyed Alireza Dastgheib ◽  
Abbas Rezaianzadeh ◽  
Najmeh Maharlouei ◽  
Salar Rahimikazerooni ◽  
Kamran B. Lankarani

Abstract Background Iranians face being overweight as one of the most common health problems, which is more prevalent among women. This study aimed to identify gender differences in determinants of being overweight in 40- to 70-year-old participants from Kharameh, Iran. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted during 2015–2016. The total 10,663 inhabitants of Kharameh, Iran, aged 40–70 years old, were target population. Those with a body mass index (BMI) < 18.5 or > 29.9 were excluded. A checklist composed of socio-demographic, lifestyle, and BMI items was used; a p-value < 0.05 was considered significant. Results Overall, 53.4% of 8222 participants were overweight. The prevalence of overweight women (62.7%) was significantly higher (p <  0.001) than men (43.6%). The logistic regression model for men showed that being overweight was more likely among men with cigarette smoking history (OR = 1.49) and those with a moderate physical activity level (OR = 1.35), but less likely among those with a higher socio-economic status (SES) (OR = 0.74). Among women, being overweight was associated with high SES (OR = 1.61), an education level below high school diploma (OR = 1.57) and primary school education (OR = 1.50), being married (OR = 2.39), widowed (OR = 2.11) and having a greater calorie intake (OR = 1.01). Being overweight was less likely among employed women (OR = 0.85), those with cigarette smoking history (OR = 0.65), and those with high (OR = 0.72) and intensive physical activity (OR = 0.73). Conclusions This study revealed the gender differences in determining factors affecting being overweight. As being overweight was more prevalent among women, the priority of health policies to control this issue should also be focused on women.


2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 31
Author(s):  
Agus Hendra Al Rahmad

Background: The prevalence of obesity in the world is getting higher, so it becomes a severe health problem. Some factors that contribute to the problem of obesity are increased calorie intake, including the consumption of junk food and sedentary, and low physical activity. School teachers are one of the most crucial labor elements in improving the human development indeks.Objectives: The study aims to determine the risk factors for obesity in female teachers as well as some non-communicable health problems during the Covid-19 pandemic.Methods: This quantitative study uses a cross-sectional design, which was conducted on 270 female school teachers; the sample was taken by purposive sampling. Participants measured weight, height, waist circumference data. Blood pressure data were also recorded by participants, including data on diabetes, cholesterol, arthritis, coronary heart disease. While the BMI value data is calculated by the researcher Data collection using a questionnaire distributed from Google Form. Statistical analysis using test Chi-Square and Logistic Regression. Results: The results showed risk factors for obesity in female school teachers were age, waist circumference, consuming junk food, type of diet and physical activity (p< 0.05), with the main predictor being consumption junk food (OR= 3.2). Also, obesity in women is closely related to several non-communicable diseases such as hypertension and arthritis.Conclusions: The main risk factors that cause the high prevalence of obesity in female school teachers in Banda Aceh City are due to consumption habits junk food during the Covid-19 pandemic, and are strongly related to health problems such as hypertension and arthritis.


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