scholarly journals Tracking Changes of Chinese Pre-Service Teachers’ Aerobic Fitness, Body Mass Index, and Grade Point Average Over 4-years of College

Author(s):  
Xiaofen Keating ◽  
Rulan Shangguan ◽  
Kunpeng Xiao ◽  
Xue Gao ◽  
Connor Sheehan ◽  
...  

Although increasing attention has been given to student academic achievement, usually measured by grade point average (GPA), and fitness in children and adolescents, much fewer studies have been conducted in higher education settings, especially in China. This study investigated the longitudinal associations of aerobic fitness (AF), body mass index (BMI), and GPA in Chinese pre-service teachers at a university. A longitudinal research design was employed to track changes in AF, BMI, and GPA, for a total of 1980 students for four years. Multi-level growth models were used to examine the interactive changes of the above three variables. It was found that GPA and BMI increased each year, while AF declined dramatically at the fourth year. The three-way interaction among GPA, gender, and BMI was significant, suggesting females who were overweight/obese had lower GPA. The data from the current study suggested that AF did not impact students’ GPA. Class standing (i.e., the fourth year) and gender (i.e., females) need to be taken into consideration when designing interventions to improve student overall fitness and academic performance in Chinese pre-service teacher populations.

2019 ◽  
Vol 75 (6) ◽  
pp. 1264-1274 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chioun Lee ◽  
Soojin Park

Abstract Objectives Socioeconomic status (SES) is among the strongest determinants of body mass index (BMI), particularly for women. For older populations, selection bias due to attrition is a large barrier to assessing the accumulation of inequality. Under multiple missing data mechanisms, we investigated the extent to which childhood and midlife SES affects BMI from midlife to old age and gender differences in the association. Method Data come from a longitudinal national study of 2,345 U.S. adults aged 40–54 at baseline. We used latent growth models to estimate BMI trajectory over a period of 20 years. We examined results under different missing data patterns and applied methods that account for nonrandom-selection bias. Results Compared with individuals who had higher childhood SES, individuals who had lower childhood SES have higher BMI in midlife and experience a faster increase in BMI between midlife and old age. The observed associations remain significant even after controlling for midlife SES. After addressing nonrandom selection, the gap in BMI between high and low childhood SES widens from midlife to old age for women. Discussion The findings provide new evidence of cumulative inequality among older adults, documenting increasing BMI inequality from midlife to old age, particularly for women from low-SES families.


Author(s):  
Kelsey C. Bourbeau ◽  
Mattina M. Rosinski ◽  
Taylor M. Szczygiel ◽  
Ryan Pettit-Mee ◽  
Jenna E. Sessions ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Ali Al-Zubaidi ◽  
Abdo Alzobydi ◽  
Saeed Alsareii ◽  
AbdulazizTurky Al-Shahrani ◽  
Naweed Alzaman ◽  
...  

Objective: We examine obese and non-obese patients with respect to Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) positive-infection (HPPI) and associated factors, specifically body mass index (BMI). Methods: This study took place in the Department of Endoscopy of a central hospital in the Najran region of Saudi Arabia (SA). A total of 340 obese Saudi patients (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2) who had undergone diagnostic upper endoscopy before sleeve gastrectomy, were compared with 340 age and gender-matched control patients (BMI < 30 kg/m2) who had undergone diagnostic upper endoscopy for other reasons. Data collected included diagnosis of HPPI. Descriptive and multivariable binary logistic regression was conducted. Results: Mean patient age was 31.22 ± 8.10 years, and 65% were males. The total prevalence of HPPI was 58% (95% CI = 54–61%) with obese patients presenting significantly more HPPI than non-obese patients (66% vs. 50%, OR = 1.98, 95% CI = 1.45–2.70, p < 0.0005). Age and gender did not associate significantly with HPPI (p = 0.659, 0.200, respectively) and increases in BMI associated significantly with increases in HPPI (p < 0.0005). BMI remained a significant factor in HPPI when modelled with both age and gender (OR = 1.022, 95% CI = 1.01–1.03, p < 0.0005). Conclusions: Within the limitations of this study, the significance of HPPI in obese Saudi patients residing in the Najran region in SA was demonstrated alongside the significance role of BMI in HPPI.


2005 ◽  
Vol 90 (3) ◽  
pp. 1563-1569 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiao-Dan Qu ◽  
Irene T. Gaw Gonzalo ◽  
Mohammed Y. Al Sayed ◽  
Pejman Cohan ◽  
Peter D. Christenson ◽  
...  

The aim of this study is to assess whether gender and body mass index (BMI) should be considered in developing thresholds to define GH deficiency, using GH responses to GHRH + arginine (ARG) stimulation and insulin tolerance test (ITT). Thirty-nine healthy subjects (19 males, 20 females; ages 21–50 yr) underwent GHRH + ARG, and another 27 subjects (19 males, 8 females; ages 20–49 yr) underwent ITT. Peak GH response was significantly higher (P = 0.005) after GHRH + ARG than with ITT, and this difference could not be explained by age, gender, or BMI. Peak GH response was negatively correlated with BMI in both tests (GHRH + ARG, r = −0.76; and ITT, r = −0.65). Peak GH response to GHRH + ARG was higher in females than males (P = 0.004; ratio = 2.4), but it was attenuated after eliminating the influence of BMI (P = 0.13; ratio = 1.6). No significant gender differences were found in peak GH responses to ITT, which could be due to the smaller number of female subjects studied. GH response to GHRH + ARG and ITT stimulation is sensitive to BMI differences and less so to gender differences. A higher BMI is associated with a depressed GH response to both stimulation tests. BMI should therefore be considered as a factor when defining the diagnostic cut-off points in the assessment of GH deficiency, whereas whether gender should be likewise used is inconclusive from this study.


PEDIATRICS ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 94 (4) ◽  
pp. 465-470
Author(s):  
Steven Shea ◽  
Charles E. Basch ◽  
Bernard Gutin ◽  
Aryeh D. Stein ◽  
Isobel R. Contento ◽  
...  

Objective. To determine whether changes in aerobic fitness and body mass index are related to the age-related rise in blood pressure in healthy preschool children. Study design. Longitudinal analyses of 196 free-living children aged 5 years at baseline who were followed over a mean of 19:7 months. Aerobic fitness was assessed using a treadmill All measures were obtained on multiple occasions at scheduled visits as part of a longitudinal cohort study. Setting. An inner-city medical center. Outcome measures. Blood pressure was measured using an automated Dinamap device. Results. Mean systolic blood pressure was 95.3 mmHg (SD 8.38) at baseline and increased by 4.46 mmHg per year. Mean diastolic blood pressure was 53.9 mmHg (SD 5.81) at baseline and did not change significantly. Children in the highest quintile of increase in fitness had a significantly smaller increase in systolic blood pressure compared to children in the lowest quintile (2.92 vs 5.10 mmHg/year; P = .03). Children in the lowest quintile of increase in body mass index did not differ significantly in rate of increase in systolic blood pressure compared to children in the highest quintile (3.92 vs 4.96 mmHg/year). In a multiple regression model including baseline systolic blood pressure, fitness, height, body mass index, and other covariates, greater increase in fitness (P = .03) and lesser increase in body mass index (P &lt; .01) were associated with lower rates of increase in systolic blood pressure. In a similar multivariate analysis, an increase in fitness was also associated with a lower rate of increase in diastolic blood pressure (P = .02) Conclusion. Young children who increase their aerobic fitness or decrease their body mass index reduce the rate of the age-related increase in blood pressure. These observations may have implications for development of interventions directed at the primary prevention of hypertension.


Author(s):  
Harvinder Kaur ◽  
Anil Kumar Bhalla ◽  
Inusha Panigrahi

AbstractGrowth charts are used to detect growth impairment, overweight, and obesity among Down syndrome (DS) children belonging to different population groups. Due to nonavailability of similar information, age, and gender specific body mass index (BMI) charts for DS children of Indian origin, based on serial data, have been developed. A total of 752 boys and 373 girls diagnosed as cases of DS at <1 month to 10 years of age enrolled from the “genetic clinic” were followed up in the “growth clinic/growth laboratory” of the institute, following a mixed-longitudinal growth research design. BMI was calculated from body weight and length/height measured at 6-month-age intervals by using standardized techniques and instruments. Age and sex-specific percentile growth charts for BMI were generated for age range <1 month to 10 years by using the LMS method. DS children remained wasted (BMI <3rd percentile) up to 6 months of age; thereafter, BMI increased to exhibit close similarity with their normal Multicentre Growth Reference Study (World Health Organization 2006) and Indian Academy of Pediatrics (2015) counterparts up to 5 to 10 years, respectively. The percentage of obese DS girls (8.76%) outnumbered boys with DS (4.1%). The use of age and gender specific BMI growth charts may be made for comparative purpose, to assess nutritional status of Indian children with DS, to initiate suitable need-based intervention to improve their overall health and for timely institution of target interventions to prevent growth faltering in this vulnerable population.


2016 ◽  
pp. 125-135 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. T. Heazlewood ◽  
J. Walsh ◽  
M. Climstein ◽  
K. Adams ◽  
T. Sevene ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  

2002 ◽  
Vol 41 (03) ◽  
pp. 202-208 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. Yamasawa ◽  
S. Kamohara ◽  
M. Shiota ◽  
T. Komori ◽  
Y. Watanabe ◽  
...  

Summary Objectives: To improve insight into age and gender related distributions of serum lipids and their correlation with body mass index (BMI). Methods: Serum lipids embracing atherogenic index (AI) and BMI were analyzed from the results obtained in 19,823 men and 14,788 women undergoing a health examination between 1986 and 1996. Results: The changes in total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), AI and BMI differed regarding gender. Although high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) showed a flat pattern for all ages in both genders, its level in women was higher than in men. The ratio of the number in the unsuitable range to those in the suitable range increased with age as to TC in both sexes, then more than half of the population have an unsuitable level in the sixth decade. As for the correlation between serum lipids and BMI: TC, TG and AI correlated positively, but HDL-C correlated negatively. There were significant gaps between both age and gender. Conclusions: We suggest that the normal range of values of serum lipids needs to be revised according to gender and age to evaluate the risk status for a cardio-cerebrovascular disease more precisely in the field of preventive medicine. Simpler guidelines are preferable in specialized care as well as in general practice, particularly since computer technology is not yet universally adapted. In the near future, when computed information technology will be as common as the electricity and the telephone are current on the whole earth, all guidelines will have to be computed on the spot and personally.


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