Real World Adherence to a Severely Energy Restricted Meal Replacement Diet in Participants with Class II and III Obesity

Severely energy-restricted diets (SERDs) are an effective treatment for obesity, however, adherence to such diets is often perceived as poor by healthcare professionals. This investigation evaluated adherence to a 12-week SERD in participants with class II and III obesity. Reported food consumption was compared against individualised SERD prescriptions. Body weight measures were obtained at baseline, 12 and 52 weeks. The data were analysed in three groups (i) the entire cohort (n = 26), (ii) completers (n = 13) and (iii) non-completers (n = 13). SERD prescription elements included (i) the number of meal replacement products; (ii) total protein; (iii) total energy intake; (iv) level of dietary energy restriction; (v) vegetable serves; (vi) water serves, and (vii) how much physical activity was performed. A generalised repeated-measures mixed-effects model was used to investigate if adherence to the program elements individually, or collectively, influenced weight loss. Completers had an average (± SD) of 4549 ± 748 kJ energy intake per day, resulting in a mean energy restriction of 62% compared to the 69% prescribed, indicating a degree of non-adherence. The percent weight changes for completers and non-completers were −7.8 ± 4.7% and −1.6 ± 2.6% at 12 weeks, and −12.2 ± 12.1% and −1.8 ± 3.2% at 52 weeks, respectively. Complete dietary adherence to a SERD may not be necessary to achieve a clinically relevant weight loss of 12% at 52 weeks, if energy is restricted by at least 62% (~4600 kJ per day) relative to requirements.

Intermittent Fasting and Fat Mass: What Is the Clinical Magnitude?

Clinical studies addressing the benefits of intermittent fasting (IF) diets have evoked interest in the treatment of obesity. Herein, the overall effects of IF regimens on fat-mass loss are explained in a brief review through a recent literature update. To date, human studies show a reduction in fat mass from 0.7 to 11.3 kg after IF regimens, in which the duration of interventions ranges from two weeks to one year. In light of this, IF regimens can be considered a reasonable approach to weight (fat mass) loss. However, the benefits of IF regimens occur thanks to energy restriction and cannot hence be considered the best dietary protocol compared to conventional diets.

The Role of Water-Based Exercise on Vertical Ground Reaction Forces in Overweight Children: A Pilot Study

The aquatic environment represents an adequate and safe alternative for children with overweight to exercise. However, the magnitude of the vertical ground reaction force (Fz) during these exercises is unknown in this population. Therefore, our study aimed to compare the Fz during the stationary running exercise between the aquatic and land environments in children with overweight or obesity. The study is characterized as a cross-over study. Seven children, two with overweight and five with obesity (4 boys and 3 girls; 9.7 ± 0.8 years), performed two experimental sessions, one on land and another in the aquatic environment. In both conditions, each participant performed 15 repetitions of the stationary running exercise at three different cadences (60, 80, and 100 b min−1) in a randomized order. Their apparent weight was reduced by 72.1 ± 10.4% on average at the xiphoid process depth. The peak Fz, impulse, and loading rate were lower in the aquatic environment than on land (p < 0.001). Peak Fz was also lower at 80 b min−1 compared to 100 b min−1 (p = 0.005) and loading rate was higher at 100 b min−1 compared to 80 b min−1 (p = 0.003) and 60 b min−1 (p < 0.001) in the aquatic environment, whereas impulse was significantly reduced (p < 0.001) with the increasing cadence in both environments. It can be concluded that the aquatic environment reduces all the Fz outcomes investigated during stationary running and that exercise intensity seems to influence all these outcomes in the aquatic environment.

Self-Control at Meals in Order Not to Gain Weight and Its Relationship with Food Cravings in Low-Carb Dieters

Aims: This study’s objective was to verify the level of food cravings and cognitive restraint in women who reported having followed a low-carb diet. Methods: The volunteers filled out the binge eating scale, the cognitive restraint subscale, the food cravings trait and state questionnaires, and the food frequency questionnaire. This study has also compared participants according to the self-reported practice of a low-carb diet. Parametric tests were used to compare the groups and Pearson’s correlations between some variables of interest (p > 0.05 adopted). Results: According to the question regarding the practice of the low-carb diet, 39 participants had tried a low-carb diet in the last six months (46.2% of these with binge eating) and 48 did not (16.7% with binge eating). Dieters showed higher levels of binge eating, cognitive restriction, and food cravings (trait and state). Dieters consumed less rice and bread but did not present lower consumption of sweets. Correlations showed that for dieters who ‘Consciously hold back at meals in order not to gain weight’, it was negatively associated with ‘Intention and plans to eat’, ‘positive reinforcement’ and ‘relieving negative states’ and food cravings scores. Conclusions: Despite the higher levels of cognitive restriction in dieters, they are negatively correlated with food craving factors and negatively associated with the consumption of sweets.

Shorter Women Are More Dissatisfied with Their Height: An Exploration of Height Dissatisfaction in Australian Women

Height dissatisfaction has recently been found to be an important contributor to body dissatisfaction in males, however, there is currently limited research examining this relationship in women. The present cross-sectional study aimed to examine the link between height and height dissatisfaction in Australian women, and the extent to which height and height dissatisfaction relate to body dissatisfaction and quality of life. Additionally, it explored the height preferences of oneself and romantic partners in Australian women. A final sample of 172 Australian women was recruited to complete an online survey relating to height preference, height dissatisfaction, muscularity, drive for thinness, and quality of life. Results showed that there was a significant difference between the reported actual height of participants and their ideal height. We also found that shorter women tended to be more dissatisfied with their height and were more likely to believe that they were treated poorly due to their height. Our study also identified that the vast majority (84%) preferred a romantic partner taller than them. Results were comparable to men aspiring to be taller than they were. Future studies should consider height dissatisfaction as a potential contributing factor to poor quality of life and negative affect.

Neighbourhood Socio-Economic Circumstances, Place of Residence and Obesity amongst Australian Adults: A Longitudinal Regression Analysis Using 14 Annual Waves of the HILDA Cohort

The prevalence of overweight and obesity is rising dramatically worldwide, including in Australia. Therefore, the necessity of identifying the risk factors of overweight and obesity is pivotal. The main objective of this study is to investigate the influence of neighbourhood socio-economic circumstances and place of residence on obesity amongst Australian adults. This study has used nationally representative panel data on 183,183 person-year observations from 26,032 unique Australian adults from the Household, Income, and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA). Random-effects logistic regression technique was employed to examine the relationships. The prevalence of overweight and obesity has been found at approximately 34% and 24%, respectively. The most striking result to emerge from the analyses is that adults living in the most socio-economic disadvantaged area were 2.04 times (AOR: 2.04, 95% CI: 1.57–2.65) and adults from regional cities of Australia were 1.71 times (AOR: 1.71, 95% CI: 1.34–2.19) more prone to be obese compared to their healthy counterparts. The prevalence of overweight and obesity is very high among Australian adults, especially those living in disadvantaged neighbourhoods and the regional cities. Unhealthy levels of BMI have costly impacts on the individual, the economy, and the health care system. Therefore, this study emphasises effective weight control strategies that can potentially tackle the obesity epidemic in Australia.

Changes in Adherence to the 24-Hour Movement Guidelines and Overweight and Obesity among Children in Northeastern Japan: A Longitudinal Study before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic

There are few studies comparing adherence to Canadian 24-hour Movement Guidelines (24-h MG) before and during the COVID-19 pandemic and exploring the pandemic’s effect on childhood obesity. This survey-based 2-year study investigated changes in obesity and adherence to the 24-h MG in children before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were collected at two points in time: pre-COVID-19 (May 2019; T1; n = 247) and during-COVID-19 (May 2021; T2; n = 171). Participants were healthy elementary school children aged between 6–12 years in northeastern Japan. The questionnaire comprised items on physical activity, screen time, sleep duration, adherence to the 24-h MG, and anthropometric and demographic characteristics. Among all participants, a statistically significant difference (p < 0.001) between the average body mass index at T1 (M = 16.06 kg/m2, SD = 2.08 kg/m2) and T2 (M = 18.01 kg/m2, SD = 3.21 kg/m2) was observed, where 17.8% were overweight and obese at T1 and 24% at T2, and 10.9% adhered to all 24 h MG at T1 and 4.1% at T2. To prevent obesity in children during the COVID-19 pandemic, environmental changes should be evaluated and appropriate preventive measures taken, including pro-community health programs that encourage parent-children outdoor activities.

Relationship between Depressive Symptomatology, Physical Activity, and Response to Online Health Messages

Although physical activity interventions are efficacious for decreasing depressive symptomatology severity, there are several barriers to accessing treatment, supporting the need for intervention delivery in more accessible and cost-effective modes. However, individuals may respond defensively to health messages if perceiving them as threatening, and thereby fail to change behaviors. Although online, health-based interventions are effective in leading to behavior change, limited research has been conducted to identify ways in which people respond differently to online health messages. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate how individuals differ in their acceptance and interpretation of online health-related messages as threatening, as well as their desire to improve health behaviors based on their current depressive and physical activity levels. A total of 197 participants (MAGE = 36.17 years, SDAGE = 12.52 years) drawn from Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) were asked to read a message regarding the importance of physical activity for health. Their defensiveness and behavior change intentionality were evaluated in relation to physical activity and depressive symptomatology. Individuals who engaged in less physical activity were more accepting of the health message, more likely to find the article threatening, agree that less exercise was related to negative health issues, and agree they should increase their physical activity. Individuals with higher self-ratings of depressive symptomatology were less accepting of the health message, found the article more threatening, and believed it to be less important to increase their physical activity levels. However, neither physical activity nor depression symptom severity were related to whether an individual would actually increase their physical activity. There was no statistically significant correlation between physical activity and depression. Explanations for these findings are provided.

Overweight or Obesity Onset and Past Attempts to Lose/Manage Weight: A Qualitative Study

This study aims to investigate the prevalence of weight control attempts along with their strategies and motivations. This study used a retrospective observational qualitative method, and adults who had body mass index (BMI) of at least 25 kg/m2 were included. The qualitative data were analyzed using a descriptive phenomenological approach. The summaries and emergence of major concepts identified by the participants were analyzed in-depth using a systematized retrieval and review of the data. NVivo was used to establish interrater reliability and percent agreement and analyze and manage the data. 91.7% of participants had tried to lose weight, and 72% were successful at least in one of their attempts. Health, appearance, and sports training were salient motivating factors. Their attempts to lose weight ranged from 2 to 30 times (median 4 times). Different dietary strategies and physical exercises were often tried. Among the most notable strategies were diet methods, following weight management programs, and consulting with dietitians. A number of barriers were reported, including ineffective weight loss, non-sustainability, demotivation, and unaffordability. For advancing evidence-based long-term weight control, it is vital to evaluate the quality and nature of weight management strategies and services from the perspective of users.

Trends in the Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity and Associated Socioeconomic and Household Environmental Factors among Women in Nepal: Findings from the Nepal Demographic and Health Surveys

This study aimed to examine the trends in the prevalence of overweight and obesity and to determine the associated socioeconomic and household environmental factors among women in Nepal. Using nationally representative data from the 1996, 2001, 2006, 2011, and 2016 cross-sectional Nepal Demographic and Health Surveys (NDHSs) (n = 33,507), the prevalence of overweight–obesity (body mass index (BMI) ≥ 25 kg/m2) and obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2) among women aged 15–49 years were examined. From the latest NDHS 2016, non-pregnant women with recorded anthropometric measurements (n = 6165) were included in the final analyses. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to determine the socioeconomic and household environmental factors associated with BMI ≥ 25 and BMI ≥ 30. Between 1996 and 2016, the prevalence of overweight–obesity increased from 1.8% to 19.7%, while the prevalence of obesity increased from 0.2% to 4.1%. Age, marital status, wealth index, province of residence, type of cooking fuel, and household possessions—refrigerator and bicycle were significantly associated with having overweight–obesity and obesity. Similarly, educational status, religion, type of toilet facility, and household possessions—television and mobile phone were significantly associated with having overweight–obesity. Given the alarming increase in the prevalence of overweight and obesity among Nepalese women, there is an urgent need for interventions addressing these critical socioeconomic and household environmental factors.