Validity Of Self-Reported Weight, Height And Body Mass Index Among Malaysian Late Adolescents

Introduction: Malaysia suffers from obesity problems with nearly a quarter of the children and adolescents being overweight or obese. Validated methods are needed to measure the trend of overweight and obesity easily.Objective: The study investigates the precision of Malaysian late adolescents' self-reported height and weight compared to direct-measured methods.Methods: About 114 young adults aged 19-20 years old participated in this cross sectional study in 2019. Self-reported and direct-measured anthropometrics including height and weight were gathered through phone calls and study instruments. The obtained height and weight values calculates BMI and determines classifications.Results: The ICC value were excellent between reported and measured weight (ICC= 0.94; 95% CI=0.91-0.96), height (ICC= 0.95; 95% CI=0.83-0.98) and BMI (ICC = 0.89; 95% CI=0.78-0.94) were found. Additionally, good agreement observed from B & A plots indicated that the differences between both independent measurement variables were minor and most of the differences were within the area of the limit of agreement at the population level for their anthropometric measurements. The Cohen’s Kappa showed substantial agreement of BMI calculated from reported weight and height (ҡ = 0.61; 95% CI= 0.48-0.74), boys (ҡ = 0.67; 95% CI=0.43-0.91) and girls (ҡ = 0.58; 95% CI=0.43-0.73).Conclusion: This validation study concluded that self-reported height and weight were in agreement with direct-measured methods. This technique can be utilized to assess the anthropometric status of Malaysian late adolescents for population studies.

Gender Differences in Child Malnutrition in Ethiopia: Evidence from Three Decomposition Techniques

Ethiopia has one of the highest under-five child mortality rate in the world, which is higher for boys than for girls. Malnutrition is a major contributing factor to child mortality and that is why we assess the differences in child malnutrition status of boys and girls. Specifically, we study the extent to which the gender differences in malnutrition are associated with observable factors and socio-economic characteristics and to what extent these differences are unexplained and attributable to factors such as latent parental preferences, societal biases, and other unobservable factors. We use data from the Ethiopia Demographic and Health Survey and evaluate three anthropometric status measures – wasting, stunting, and being underweight. We utilize a reduced-form demand for nutrition framework and several decomposition techniques: Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition for non-linear models, Machado-Mata quantile decomposition, and the recentered influence function. The results indicate that measurable socioeconomic and locational characteristics have significant and plausible associations with malnutrition by gender. We also find that 3% to 4% of the difference in the anthropometric status may be attributable to unobservable factors that may include implicit parental preferences. This approach is useful in evaluating gender differences in other human capital development outcomes such as health and education, as well as those in malnutrition.

Prevalence of type-II diabetes mellitus in relation to dietary habits and anthropometric status among adults

Background: Type 2 diabetes is a metabolic-cum-vascular syndrome characterized by predominant insulin resistance with varying degrees of insulin secretory defect. It is more common in overweight and obese individuals of middle to late age but is increasingly being seen in younger age groups and in those with lower BMI as well. To determine the prevalence of type-II diabetes mellitus (DM) in relation to dietary habits among adult population of urban Meerut and to study anthropometric status associated with type-II diabetes mellitus.Methods: The present study was conducted in the field practice area of urban health training centre, LLRM medical college, Meerut by house-to-house survey among adults 30 years and above.Results: Prevalence of diabetes mellitus in the present study was found to be 13.1%. When prevalence of DM in relation to the type of diet was observed, it was more among those who were non vegetarians (17.8%) while it was only 7.2% among those who were vegetarians. The prevalence of diabetes in relation to the body mass index, waist-hip ratio shows statistically significant association.Conclusions: Inappropriate and unhealthy dietary patterns, obesity and increased waist hip ratio (WHR) were the major risk factors to cause diabetes mellitus.

Anthropometric Status, Diet, and Dental Caries among Schoolchildren

Childhood dental caries and obesity are prevalent health problems. Results from previous studies of the caries–obesity relationship are conflicting. This study aimed to assess the association between anthropometric status and dental caries among schoolchildren, taking into account dietary habits, oral hygiene, and sociodemographic factors. This cross-sectional study recruited 569 children aged 6–12 years from five elementary schools in central Taiwan. Each child underwent an oral health examination and anthropometric measurements. The DMFT (decayed, missing due to caries, and filled permanent teeth) and deft (decayed, extracted, and filled primary teeth) indexes were calculated to record caries experience. A structured questionnaire was used to collect information on food intake frequency and other related factors. The World Health Organization’s reference data was applied to define weight status: obese, overweight, and normal/underweight. The results showed that the mean (±standard deviation) deft and DMFT scores were 2.3 ± 2.6 and 0.7 ± 1.2, respectively, among participating children. The prevalence of obesity and overweight was 18.1% and 18.5%, respectively. After comprehensive evaluation of potential confounders, weight status was not an independent predictor of DMFT or deft scores in the negative binomial regression models. In conclusion, weight status was not associated with caries scores in primary or permanent teeth among 6–12 year-old schoolchildren.

Evaluation of Nutrition Intervention On Snack's Eating Habits and Anthropometric Status of College Students in Malang City

Background: Problems that arise in students based on the results of the 2016 study indicate that more than 80% of students like to eat unhealthy snacks such as packaging snacks, fried foods, instant noodles, and meatballs. Where snacks contain high energy, carbohydrates, protein, saturated fat, and salt. The excess energy and nutrients intake are related to increasing the metabolic incidence of syndromes and the main risk factors for cardiovascular disease.Objectives: This study aims to determine the effectiveness of giving nutritional interventions to eating habits and anthropometric status of college students in Malang.Methods: The quasi-experimental design with 31 participants from college students in Malang. Nutrition interventions provided in the form of education related to healthy snacks and assistance in making healthy snacks. The instruments used were pretest-posttest, questionnaire, and semi FFQ. Data processing was carried out by descriptive statistical analysis and dependent t-test at a 95% confidence level.Results: There was a significant increase in knowledge related to healthy snacks for subyek penelitiants (p <0.01) indicated by the results of the pre-test and post-test. There was an increase in the influence with nutrition claims by 31% and there was a significant difference between before and after the intervention (p = 0.013). The results of a healthy semi FFQ snack for the fruit category experienced a significant increase after being given an intervention program (p <0.01), while the semi FFQ results for unhealthy snacks for the category of salted crackers, chocolate/candy, pudding, and market snacks tended to decrease in consumption although not significant. The prevalence of overweight and obese in participants before being given intervention was 29% and decreased after being given intervention to 22.6% even though there was no significant difference (p = 0.096).Conclusions: There is an increase in the influence of 'nutrition claims' and fruit consumption significantly. While the prevalence of obese tends to fall even though it is not significant between college students.

Application of the WHO (2007) Growth Reference in Assessing the Anthropometric Status of Nigerian Adolescents; a Systematic Review and Meta Analysis

Objectives The study was designed to assess the application of WHO 2007 growth reference by local studies published from 2008 to 2020 in data generation of Nigerian adolescents’ anthropometric status. Methods Meta-analysis of literatures on anthropometric status of adolescents in Nigeria by articles published from 2009–2020 was conducted. A bibliographic survey was carried out in several databases –Google Scholar, PubMed and African Journal Online. Review of abstracts and full texts followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The methodology for anthropometric assessment of these eligible studies were compared to WHO 2007 growth reference. Data was analysed using IBM SPSS version 25. Results A total of 24 articles which captured 12,482 adolescents met the inclusion criteria. More than one fifth (20.8%) of the studies adopted the WHO 2007 growth references in their data generation. A weak positive correlation was observed between year of publication and application of WHO 2007 reference in data generation (r = .0.28; p = 0.04). Conclusions The low application of an age long guideline by local researchers is of concern. Hence, the need to ensure quick adoption of standard indicators/guidelines in local studies will not only promote the generation of pooled evidence to reveal cross-cutting gaps but also ensure that the public health situation is not under/over estimated. Funding Sources This research work received no funding.

Association of Food Insecurity with Nutrition Status, Food Diversity and Anthropometric Status in Iranian Elderlies: A Cross-sectional Study

Background: Health and nutritional issues of the elderly are different from other age groups. The results of studies cannot be compared and concluded, because these studies have different operational definitions, such as considering food quality rather than the amount of food intake and also limiting some causes of food insecurity in the analysis and the presentation of results in others. Therefore, we investigated the effects of food insecurity on food diversity and the nutritional and anthropometric status of the elderly in Tehran. Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on 300 elderly residents in Tehran, with a mean age of 67.5 ± 5.74. Food insecurity was evaluated using the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS). The nutritional status and health of the elderlies were assessed using the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA). Waist circumference, weight, and height were measured and BMI was calculated. All statistical calculations were performed with the SPSS. Results: The prevalence of malnourishment was significantly (p < 0.001) higher in the severely food-insecure group (62.5%). A significant inverse relationship was observed between the HFIAS scores and weight (β = -4.38, p < 0.001), body mass index (β = -1.46, p < 0.001), waist circumference (β = -3.37, p = 0.002), and dietary diversity score (DDS) (β = -0.738, p < 0.001). Moreover, we found a significant relationship between HFIAS and MNA scores (β = 0.486, p < 0.001). Participants in the food-insecure group had a greater risk of developing malnourishment (OR, 16.45; 95% CI, 8.55-31.66) and having poor dietary diversity (OR, 7.42; 95% CI, 2.87-19.16) compared with the food-secure group. Conclusion: After adjusting for possible confounding factors, we found that food insecurity was associated with MNA score. We also found an inverse association between food insecurity and socioeconomic status, anthropometric measurements, and dietary diversity.

Social position and anthropometric status among adults in the ELSA-Brasil study: a latent class analysis

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the association between social position and anthropometric status in women and men Brazilian adult. This was a cross-sectional study that used baseline data collected from 2008 to 2010 for the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil, in Portuguese), in the six major Brazilian state capital cities. A total of 15,105 active and retired civil servants aged from 35 to 74 years. Two latent variables were defined by latent class analysis, social position and anthropometric status. Both constructs and the analyses were separately evaluated by sex. Associations were assessed using multivariate logistic regression analysis with adjustment for age, self-reported skin color/race, and marital status. Around 44% of the women and 26% of the men were classified as overweight or obese. Social position tended to be lower in women (43.2%) and higher among men (40.4%). Heavier women were more likely to be black and brown-skinned, whereas slimmer women were more likely to be white. After adjustment, women’s weight increased as social position decreased (OR = 1.52; 95%CI: 1.36-1.70), whereas in men weight decreased as social position decreased (OR = 0.87; 95%CI: 0.76-0.99). Social position affected the anthropometric status of women and men differently, with body patterns also being affected by ethnicity/skin color, showing the potentiality of taking the intersectional perspective when investigating the possible social determinants of the phenomenon.