Physical Activity and Social Network Use of Adolescents in Overweight and Obesity Treatment

Tackling obesity among adolescents requires the optimization of existing obesity treatment strategies. For this purpose, social and personal circumstances, individual needs and behavior of therapy participants need to be analyzed to tailor aims, content and methods of therapy interventions to the target groups. A total of 432 obesity therapy participants between 11 and 17 years completed a written survey in a national multi-center study conducted in 2015. The data collection on behavior, in terms of physical activity, media use and sociodemographic variables, was based on questionnaires from the KiGGS, HBSC and JIM studies. The results show that participants were found to be physically active together with friends (75.5%), alone (41.4%) and in sports clubs (34.9%). Girls (OR 1.55) were less likely to participate in sports clubs. Social networks, especially YouTube, WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook, were widely used. However, differences emerged among sociodemographic groups (e.g., boys vs. girls) regarding the use of social network features. A third of participants reported that smartphone apps regularly encouraged them to exercise. The findings imply that obesity therapy approaches need to be adapted and more differentiated according to the specific needs of the target groups.

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Levels of physical activity and screen time usage - Preliminary analysis from the Irish National Children's Food Consumption Survey II

Proceedings of The Nutrition Society ◽

10.1017/s0029665120003006 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 79 (OCE2) ◽

Author(s):

Aisling O'Donnell ◽

Maria Buffini ◽

Laura Kehoe ◽

Aoibhín Moore Heslin ◽

Anne Nugent ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Food Consumption ◽

Body Fat ◽

Preliminary Analysis ◽

Overweight And Obesity ◽

World Health ◽

Physically Active ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Food Consumption Survey ◽

Consumption Survey

AbstractBeing physically active is associated with fundamental health benefits and assists with the maintenance of normal weight in children. The current World Health Organizations’ recommendation is for children to accumulate 60 minutes of physical activity (PA) per day to obtain such benefits. Conversely, time spent in sedentary behaviours including watching screens (ST) are positively associated with the risk of overweight and obesity in young people. The aim of this research was to estimate PA levels and ST usage of Irish children and to examine the relationship with body fat.This analysis was based on data collected from a nationally representative sample of Irish children aged 5–12-years (n = 591, 50% female) from The National Children's Food Consumption Survey II (www.iuna.net). The Child/Youth Physical Activity Questionnaires (C-PAQ/Y-PAQ) were used to measure PA and ST in 5–8 and 9–12-year-olds respectively. Both questionnaires were self-administered, recall instruments that assessed the frequency/duration of activities participated in over the previous 7-day period. The MET minutes (metabolic cost of the activity multiplied by the duration in minutes) of the PA's were calculated per child. Percentage body fat (%BF) was measured by a Tanita BC420MA device and participants were classified into categories based on their %BF, age and gender. Independent t-tests and ANOVA (post-hoc DunnettT-3) were used to assess differences between gender and %BF category.Overall, children spent 93 mins/d being physically active with 69% meeting the > 1hr recommendation. There was a significant difference in the time spent undertaking PA between boys (99 mins/d) and girls (88 mins/d) p = 0.020. Children spent 107 mins/d watching screens with 68% meeting the < 2hr guidance. Girls spent significantly less time watching screens (89 mins/d) than boys (124 mins/d) p ≤ 0.001. Children who had a normal %BF accumulated more PA MET mins/day compared to those who were classified as obese, which was significant in the total population (p = 0.007), for boys (p ≤ 0.001), but not girls (p = 0.929).This preliminary analysis indicates that a high proportion of Irish children are meeting the PA and ST recommendations, with boys being more physically active and spending more time watching screens compared to girls. However, results should be interpreted with caution as PA and ST usage were self-reported by participants. The association between PA MET minutes and %BF suggest that advice to encourage PA participation to combat excess adiposity in Irish children is justified. Future work should examine the role of other potential determinants of obesity in this cohort.

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Neck circumference as a discriminator of obesity in older women enrolled in a physical activity program

Brazilian Journal of Kinanthropometry and Human Performance ◽

10.5007/1980-0037.2017v19n6p710 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 19 (6) ◽

pp. 710-719

Author(s):

Daniel Rogério Petreça ◽

Enaiane Cristina Menezes ◽

Paula Fabricio Sandreschi ◽

Felipe Fank ◽

Giovana Zarpellon Mazo

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Older Women ◽

Roc Curve ◽

Roc Curves ◽

Overweight And Obesity ◽

Neck Circumference ◽

The Body ◽

Anthropometric Measures ◽

Anthropometric Parameter ◽

Physically Active

The aim of this study was to evaluate neck circumference (NC) as a discriminator of overweight and obesity and to establish cut-off points for physically active older women. The sample consisted of 170 older women (69.5 ± 6.8 years) practicing physical activity. Anthropometric measures (body weight, height, waist circumference – WC, and NC) were obtained and the body mass index (BMI) was calculated. Correlation analysis was performed and ROC curves were constructed. NC was significantly correlated with BMI (rho = 0.656; p<0.0001) and WC (r = 0.561; p<0.0001). Correlating BMI with NC, areas under the ROC curve of 0.819 (p=0.0001) for overweight and of 0.902 (p=0.0001) for obesity were obtained, with suggested cut-off points of 33.07 and 34.05 cm, respectively. Correlating WC with NC, areas under the ROC curve of 0.711 (p=0.0014) for moderate risk (WC) and of 0.864 (p=0.0001) for high risk were obtained, with suggested cut-off points of 32.15 and 34.15 cm, respectively. NC was associated with BMI and WC. An NC ≥ 34 cm was a risk factor for obesity and abnormal body fat distribution in the older women studied. This anthropometric parameter is an alternative to discriminate overweight and obesity in physically active older women.

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Another Weapon against Cancer and Metastasis: Physical-Activity-Dependent Effects on Adiposity and Adipokines

International Journal of Molecular Sciences ◽

10.3390/ijms22042005 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 22 (4) ◽

pp. 2005

Author(s):

Silvia Perego ◽

Veronica Sansoni ◽

Ewa Ziemann ◽

Giovanni Lombardi

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Cancer Patients ◽

Tumor Development ◽

Overweight And Obesity ◽

Moderate Intensity ◽

Elderly Subjects ◽

Low Grade ◽

Physically Active ◽

Active Behavior ◽

Psychological Conditions

Physically active behavior has been associated with a reduced risk of developing certain types of cancer and improved psychological conditions for patients by reducing anxiety and depression, in turn improving the quality of life of cancer patients. On the other hand, the correlations between inactivity, sedentary behavior, and overweight and obesity with the risk of development and progression of various cancers are well studied, mainly in middle-aged and elderly subjects. In this article, we have revised the evidence on the effects of physical activity on the expression and release of the adipose-tissue-derived mediators of low-grade chronic inflammation, i.e., adipokines, as well as the adipokine-mediated impacts of physical activity on tumor development, growth, and metastasis. Importantly, exercise training may be effective in mitigating the side effects related to anti-cancer treatment, thereby underlining the importance of encouraging cancer patients to engage in moderate-intensity activities. However, the strong need to customize and adapt exercises to a patient’s abilities is apparent. Besides the preventive effects of physically active behavior against the adipokine-stimulated cancer risk, it remains poorly understood how physical activity, through its actions as an adipokine, can actually influence the onset and development of metastases.

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Adolescents who are overweight or obese - the relevance of a social network to engaging in physical activity: a qualitative study

BMC Public Health ◽

10.1186/s12889-021-10727-7 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Ingeborg B. Skogen ◽

Kjetil L. Høydal

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Health Care ◽

Social Networks ◽

Social Network ◽

Young People ◽

School Health ◽

Overweight And Obesity ◽

Primary Health ◽

Overweight Or Obesity

Abstract Background Increased level of physical activity (PA) is one of the approaches offered by school health services in Norway for the prevention and treatment of children and adolescents with overweight and obesity. Research has found that young people with overweight and obesity tend to participate in less physical activity than youth of healthier weight. They also tend to perceive several barriers to PA at the environmental, interpersonal, and individual levels. This paper explores how adolescents’, who receive follow-up of weight management in primary health care, experience barriers to and facilitators for engaging in physical activity within their social networks. Methods This is a qualitative study with an explorative design inspired by phenomenological ideas based on analysis of semi-structured interviews with 10 adolescents aged 13–18. Interviews were conducted with young people with overweight or obesity in weight-related follow-up in primary health care settings in various regions in Norway. Results The results describe the barriers to and facilitators of PA in the adolescents’ social networks. The study reveals a strong emphasis on the importance of a social network for engaging in PA. According to these adolescents’ experiences of PA in their social networks, organizing PA groups that consist of similarly young people with overweight can contribute to an increased level of PA and help modify their negative perceptions of such activity. Conclusions This study finds that young people with overweight and obesity place a strong emphasis on a social network where they feel equal to others if they are to engage in PA. The study suggests that School Health Nurses should establish a social network of adolescents in the same situation, in the form of organized activity groups for young people with overweight or obesity, rather than advice on increased participation in ordinary organized sports or individual exercising. This can facilitate an increase in the PA level among this group of young people.

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Features of Physical Development of Schoolchildren and Students Engaged in Physical Education and Sports

ЗДОРОВЬЕ НАСЕЛЕНИЯ И СРЕДА ОБИТАНИЯ - ЗНиСО / PUBLIC HEALTH AND LIFE ENVIRONMENT ◽

10.35627/2219-5238/2020-323-3-4-9 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 4-9 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

AI Agafonov ◽

ТR Zulkarnaev ◽

EA Povargo ◽

ЕG Stepanov ◽

RA Akhmetshina ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Leisure Time ◽

Physical Development ◽

Daily Routine ◽

Physically Active ◽

Sports Clubs ◽

Insufficient Physical Activity ◽

Negative Effect ◽

And Gender ◽

Physically Inactive

Introduction. A distinctive feature of the modern lifestyle of children and adolescents is insufficient physical activity having a negative effect on their health. We conducted a physical activity survey for 997 schoolchildren and 597 students of the city of Ufa. Results. The results showed that 688 respondents (43.16%) did not do sport outside school or university. 272 people (17.06%) reported jogging and playing sports games on their own. 634 respondents (39.78%) attended sports clubs and sections on a regular basis. The survey demonstrated that physically inactive students and schoolchildren violated daily routine. Such schoolchildren spent significantly more leisure time on television viewing (52.78%) compared to their peers attending sports clubs (41.36%). The percentage of schoolchildren spending much time on the computer among those not doing sport was also higher (58.59% vs 41.47%). The same trend was observed in the students: 36.24% of the students not practicing sport spent most of their leisure time on the computer. Physically active students spent enough time outdoors as compared to those not doing sport (23.40% vs 11.15%). Conclusions. The surveyed schoolchildren and students revealed age and gender differences in sports patterns. The duration of training and the level of sportsmanship was higher in boys than in girls. We also observed the increase with age in the number and duration of training, as well as the level of sportsmanship. The health status analysis showed that the schoolchildren and students doing sport had significantly more harmonious physical development, while disharmonious physical development was more common among physically inactive persons. The pupils and students practicing sport regularly showed higher lung vital capacity, hand muscle strength, and a higher level of adaptation.

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A User-Centered Chatbot (Wakamola) to Collect Linked Data in Population Networks to Support Studies of Overweight and Obesity Causes: Design and Pilot Study (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.17503 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Sabina Asensio-Cuesta ◽

Vicent Blanes-Selva ◽

J Alberto Conejero ◽

Ana Frigola ◽

Manuel G Portolés ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Social Network ◽

Pilot Study ◽

Linked Data ◽

Normal Weight ◽

Overweight And Obesity ◽

User Centered Design ◽

Diet Patterns ◽

Status Score ◽

User Centered

BACKGROUND Obesity and overweight are a serious health problem worldwide with multiple and connected causes. Simultaneously, chatbots are becoming increasingly popular as a way to interact with users in mobile health apps. OBJECTIVE This study reports the user-centered design and feasibility study of a chatbot to collect linked data to support the study of individual and social overweight and obesity causes in populations. METHODS We first studied the users’ needs and gathered users’ graphical preferences through an open survey on 52 wireframes designed by 150 design students; it also included questions about sociodemographics, diet and activity habits, the need for overweight and obesity apps, and desired functionality. We also interviewed an expert panel. We then designed and developed a chatbot. Finally, we conducted a pilot study to test feasibility. RESULTS We collected 452 answers to the survey and interviewed 4 specialists. Based on this research, we developed a Telegram chatbot named Wakamola structured in six sections: personal, diet, physical activity, social network, user's status score, and project information. We defined a user's status score as a normalized sum (0-100) of scores about diet (frequency of eating 50 foods), physical activity, BMI, and social network. We performed a pilot to evaluate the chatbot implementation among 85 healthy volunteers. Of 74 participants who completed all sections, we found 8 underweight people (11%), 5 overweight people (7%), and no obesity cases. The mean BMI was 21.4 kg/m<sup>2</sup> (normal weight). The most consumed foods were olive oil, milk and derivatives, cereals, vegetables, and fruits. People walked 10 minutes on 5.8 days per week, slept 7.02 hours per day, and were sitting 30.57 hours per week. Moreover, we were able to create a social network with 74 users, 178 relations, and 12 communities. CONCLUSIONS The Telegram chatbot Wakamola is a feasible tool to collect data from a population about sociodemographics, diet patterns, physical activity, BMI, and specific diseases. Besides, the chatbot allows the connection of users in a social network to study overweight and obesity causes from both individual and social perspectives.

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Dietary and physical activity habits of All Saints University College of Medicine Students, St Vincent and the Grenadines

International Journal of Research in Medical Sciences ◽

10.18203/2320-6012.ijrms20184027 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 6 (10) ◽

pp. 3251

Author(s):

Joshua B. Owolabi ◽

Habibah O. Ayantayo ◽

Nicholas F. Nwachukwu ◽

Thomas K. Thomas ◽

Ekei E. Ekpenyong

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Fast Food ◽

Vegetable Intake ◽

Overweight And Obesity ◽

Dietary Guidelines ◽

Normal Body Mass Index ◽

Physically Active ◽

Medical College ◽

University College ◽

High Level

Background: The purpose of this research was to assess the dietary and physical activity habits of All Saints University College of Medicine students to determine if they were meeting the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines government’s dietary guidelines and to ascertain the prevalence of overweight and obesity among the students.Methods: Data were collected from the participants using a survey concerned with demographics, and self-assessment on dietary and physical activity habits. Descriptive statistics was used to report and analyse the data.Results: Study subjects consisted of 76 students. Eighty three percent of them were between the ages of 16 and 25 years. Sixty–one percent were female and 39% were male. The majority of the student respondents (76%) were aware of the importance of eating healthy and being physically active each day, and 50-66% of the respondents engaged in and enjoyed physical activity, achieved the recommended daily amount of vegetable intake, were at a normal body mass index (18.5-24.9 kg/m2) and reported satisfaction with their weight. However, majority (80%) of the respondents consumed fast food; about a third of them did not consume fruits nor exercise regularly, reporting lack of time, interest and self-discipline as major reasons.Conclusions: The results indicate that the majority of All Saints University Medical College students had high level of knowledge of overweight and obesity and were involved in some healthy behaviours that helped them achieve normal BMI. However, the poor nutritional and physical activity habits of many of the students could benefit from intervention programs to moderate the tendency for overweight and obesity in the student population.

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Preffered Methods of Treating Obesity in Late Adulthood and Senior Age

Clinical Social Work and Health Intervention ◽

10.22359/cswhi_12_5_07 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (5) ◽

pp. 47-54

Author(s):

J. Babecka ◽

M. Popovicova ◽

M. Belovicova ◽

P. Snopek

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Statistical Significance ◽

Statistical Processing ◽

Overweight And Obesity ◽

Age Group ◽

Chi Square ◽

Obesity Therapy ◽

Chi Square Test ◽

Age Range ◽

Preferred Solutions

Objective: To identify preferred solutions – therapy - for over- weight and obesity in older adults and seniors Participants: Atotal of 110 respondents were contacted, out of which 14 refused to cooperate or filled in the questionnaire incor- rectly. The return of questionnaires was 96, i.e. 100%. The group of respondents consisted of individuals of both sexes, aged 50 and over, living in anatural social environment or in one of the se- lected institutions. Due to the fact that - in our opinion - arela- tively large amount of attention is paid to the senior age group while the group of people in the age range of 50-64 is forgotten, we have not chosen the senior age respondents exclusively. Methods: The data obtained by the processing of the question- naires were analytically evaluated. For statistical processing apro- gram StatisticaCz version 9 was chosen, adescriptive analysis of the data was performed, followed by analysis by comparing av- erages and particular tests of statistical significance (Chi-square test, Kruskal Wallis, KendalovoTau). Results: An adjustment of the diet as apart of the solution of the overweight and obesity therapy would be chosen by the most re- spondents, 75 (46.5%) of them. 44 (27.0%) respondents would choose sport or other physical activity. 11 (6.7%) respondents would deal with overweight and obesity pharmacologically - with the help of medications, and only 25 (15.3%) respondents would choose surgery as away of dealing with overweight and obesity. On the contrary, only 8 (4.9%) respondents were not interested in dealing with the weight gain. 24 (25.0%) respondents would choose the surgical way of solving obesity. Ananswer“possibly yes”was chosen by13 (13.5%) respondents. 21 (21.9%) individu- als inclined to the “rather not” variant. 33 (34.4%) respondents chose the “certainly not”answer. An answer“I don't know” was chosen by 5 (5.2%) respondents. Conclusion:Obesity is aglobal social problem which is not to be solved just in healthcare and it is certainly not an issue of an individual.

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A User-Centered Chatbot (Wakamola) to Collect Linked Data in Population Networks to Support Studies of Overweight and Obesity Causes: Design and Pilot Study

JMIR Medical Informatics ◽

10.2196/17503 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (4) ◽

pp. e17503

Author(s):

Sabina Asensio-Cuesta ◽

Vicent Blanes-Selva ◽

J Alberto Conejero ◽

Ana Frigola ◽

Manuel G Portolés ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Social Network ◽

Pilot Study ◽

Linked Data ◽

Normal Weight ◽

Overweight And Obesity ◽

User Centered Design ◽

Diet Patterns ◽

Status Score ◽

User Centered

Background Obesity and overweight are a serious health problem worldwide with multiple and connected causes. Simultaneously, chatbots are becoming increasingly popular as a way to interact with users in mobile health apps. Objective This study reports the user-centered design and feasibility study of a chatbot to collect linked data to support the study of individual and social overweight and obesity causes in populations. Methods We first studied the users’ needs and gathered users’ graphical preferences through an open survey on 52 wireframes designed by 150 design students; it also included questions about sociodemographics, diet and activity habits, the need for overweight and obesity apps, and desired functionality. We also interviewed an expert panel. We then designed and developed a chatbot. Finally, we conducted a pilot study to test feasibility. Results We collected 452 answers to the survey and interviewed 4 specialists. Based on this research, we developed a Telegram chatbot named Wakamola structured in six sections: personal, diet, physical activity, social network, user's status score, and project information. We defined a user's status score as a normalized sum (0-100) of scores about diet (frequency of eating 50 foods), physical activity, BMI, and social network. We performed a pilot to evaluate the chatbot implementation among 85 healthy volunteers. Of 74 participants who completed all sections, we found 8 underweight people (11%), 5 overweight people (7%), and no obesity cases. The mean BMI was 21.4 kg/m2 (normal weight). The most consumed foods were olive oil, milk and derivatives, cereals, vegetables, and fruits. People walked 10 minutes on 5.8 days per week, slept 7.02 hours per day, and were sitting 30.57 hours per week. Moreover, we were able to create a social network with 74 users, 178 relations, and 12 communities. Conclusions The Telegram chatbot Wakamola is a feasible tool to collect data from a population about sociodemographics, diet patterns, physical activity, BMI, and specific diseases. Besides, the chatbot allows the connection of users in a social network to study overweight and obesity causes from both individual and social perspectives.

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Physical activity as a part of overweight and obesity treatment

Acta Gymnica ◽

10.5507/ag.2011.022 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 41 (4) ◽

pp. 17-27 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Radana Podebradska ◽

Pavel Stejskal ◽

Daniel Schwarz ◽

Jiri Podebradsky

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Obesity Treatment ◽

Overweight And Obesity

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