Financial hardship and obesity

There is a substantial correlation between household debt and health. Individuals with less healthy lifestyles are more likely to hold debt, yet there is little evidence as to whether this is merely a correlation or if financial hardship actually causes obesity. In this paper, we use data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Adolescent Health to test whether financial hardship affects body weight. We divide our sample into two groups: men and women, explore two different types of financial hardship: holding credit card debt and having trouble paying bills, and three outcomes: overweight, obese and body mass index (BMI). We use a variety of econometric techniques: Ordinary Least Squares, Propensity Score Matching, Sibling Fixed Effects, and Instrumental Variables to investigate the relationship that exists between financial hardship and body weight. In addition, we conduct several robustness checks. Although our OLS and PSM results indicate a correlation between financial hardship and body weight these results appear to be largely driven by unobservables. Our IV results suggest that there is no causal relationship between credit card debt and overweight or obesity for either men or women. However, we find suggestive evidence that having trouble paying bills may be a cause of obesity for women.     

Major gender difference in association of FTO gene variant among severely obese children with obesity and obesity related phenotypes

Recent studies have shown that SNPs in the FTO gene predispose to childhood and adult obesity. In this study, we examined the association between variants in FTO and KIAA1005, a gene that maps closely to FTO, and obesity, as well as obesity related traits among 450 well characterised severely obese children and 512 normal weight controls. FTO showed significant association with several obesity related traits while SNPs in KIAA1005 did not. When stratified by gender, the FTO variant rs9939609 showed association with obesity and BMI among girls (P = 0.006 and 0.004, respectively) but not among boys. Gender differences were also found in the associations of the FTO rs9939609 with obesity related traits such as insulin sensitivity and plasma glucose. This study suggests that FTO may have an important role for gender specific development of severe obesity and insulin resistance in children.     

The long-run effect of education on obesity in the US

The proportion of obese population has been gradually increasing in the US over the past few decades. In this study I investigate how education is associated with Body Mass Index (BMI) in later stages of life. BMI, weight(kg)/height(m)², is the principle measure used for classifying people as obese. Using sibling data and methods that take account of unobserved endowments and environment shared by siblings, I find that there is large variation in BMI between siblings and that education is negatively associated with BMI. One more year of schooling is associated with an estimated reduction of 0.15 in BMI. When considering different education levels, completing college education is associated with 0.7 reduction in BMI relative to high school graduation only. The significant effect of education on obesity that remains in the long-run has policy implications.     

Evolution of obesity by social status in France, 1981-2003

Although France is less affected by the rise in obesity than neighboring countries, the prevalence of obesity has increased, changing the distribution of this pathology in the population. We analyze this evolution by social status, education, income and gender, region of residence, using the three French national Health Surveys conducted in 1981, 1992 and 2003. The average body weight of both women and men has increased in France since 1981 and accelerated since the 1990s. This trend is obtained among all age groups. Nevertheless, this process did not affect all socioeconomic groups similarly. Geographical differences increased between north-east, where the prevalence of obesity is higher, and the Mediterranean region, where it is lower. Likewise, the gap between social and occupational categories has greatly widened: obesity has increased much faster among farmers and blue-collar workers than among managers and professionals. In contrast to women, poorer men are not more likely to be more obese than others. Our findings suggest that differences in BMI values increased substantially among social groups in France, in particular among women.     

Two centuries of growth among Czech children and youth

The trend of increasing height can be interpreted as a reflection of the unfolding progress of civilization. Height changes among children and adolescents are good markers of this trend. We analyze the secular trend in the heights of children and adolescents in the Czech Republic on the basis of data from anthropological surveys. The earliest height data pertain to Czech youths who attended the Military Schools in Austria in 1800-1809. Data also exist for 1895 and continue in 1951 and at 10-year intervals thereafter. Growth curves were obtained for separate age groups by fitting mean values via third-order polynomial smoothing splines. Between 1951 and 2001, the mean heights of boys and girls aged 2.5 years increased by 2.7 and 3 cm, respectively. Since 1895, the mean height of 13-year-old boys has increased by 19.4 cm, and the mean height of girls has increased by 18.3 cm.     

The relationships between serum copper levels and overweight/total obesity and central obesity in children and adolescents aged 6-18 years

ObjectiveTo explore the relationships between serum copper levels and overweight/total obesity and central obesity in children and adolescents.MethodsWe included 2,000 children and adolescents from the 2011-2016 US National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys. The multivariable linear model, logistic model and restricted cubic splines were adopted to assess the relationships. Models were adjusted for data release cycle, age, sex, race/ethnicity, ratio of family income to poverty, and dietary intakes of protein, total sugars, total fat, fiber, energy, calcium, vitamin D, vitamin C, and hours watch television or videos.ResultsThe prevalences of overweight/total obesity and central obesity were 37.38% and 33.40%, respectively. For per-quintile increment in serum copper levels, body mass index increased by 1.06 (0.79-1.33) (kg/m²) and waist circumference increased by 2.43 (1.58-3.27) (cm). The odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) for overweight/total obesity and central obesity among participants with the highest quintile compared with those with the lowest quintile of serum copper levels were 5.46 (3.31-8.98) and 5.64 (3.31-9.58), respectively. The above-mentioned associations were not modified by age (children: 6-12 years, adolescents: 13-18 years) and sex. Dose-response analysis showed that the odds of overweight/total obesity and central obesity increased with increasing serum copper levels to a level of approximate 140 ug/dL where the association seemed to reach a plateau, respectively.ConclusionsSerum copper levels were positively associated with body mass index and waist circumference, and elevated serum copper levels were associated with higher odds of overweight/total obesity and central obesity in children and adolescents.     

Obesity inequality and well-being in Germany

Using 2002–2018 German Socio-Economic Panel (GSOEP) data for German adults aged 18 + , this study measures changes in the body mass index (BMI) distribution and obesity inequality to estimate the relation between the latter and subjective well-being. In addition to documenting a significant association between the various measures of obesity inequality and subjective well-being, especially among women, we show a significant increase in obesity inequality, particularly among females and those with low education and/or low income. This rising inequality points to the need to combat obesity through initiatives targeted at specific sociodemographic groups.     

On the incidence of diarrhoea among young Indian children

Diarrhoea, claiming over three million young lives in the world every year, is the second biggest killer of children in developing countries. Using data for over 13,000 children in rural India, under the age of 3 years, this paper examines the relative effects of the different factors--inter alia the quality of the water supply, mother's literacy, housing conditions, and the level of development of the villages in which the children lived--contributing to diarrhoea. The paper highlights the importance of two factors: that children born to undernourished mothers may be more susceptible to infection than children whose mothers are well nourished, and that good hygienic practices within the home, such as washing hands with soap before feeding a child, can reduce the incidence of diarrhoea. The paper also quantifies the relative strength of the factors that determine whether mothers do so. The results emphasize the importance of mothers being literate, of household affluence and of institutional support (through the availability of trained midwives and mother and child centres in villages) in promoting domestic hygiene.     

Socioeconomic inequality in excessive body weight in Indonesia

Exploiting the Indonesian Family Life Survey (IFLS), this paper studies the transition of socioeconomic-related excess weight disparity, including overweight and obesity, from 1993 to 2014. First, we show that the proportions of overweight and obese people in Indonesia increased rapidly during the time period covered and that poorer groups exhibited a larger annual excess weight growth rate than richer groups (7.49 percent vs. 3.01 percent). Second, by calculating the concentration index, we confirm that the prevalence of obesity affected increasingly poorer segments of Indonesian society. Consequently, the concentration index decreased during the study period, from 0.287 to 0.093. Finally, decomposing the change in the concentration index of excess weight from 2000 to 2014, we show that a large part of the change can be explained by a decrease in the elasticity of wealth and improved sanitary conditions in poorer households. Overall, obesity in Indonesia no longer affects purely the wealthier segments of the population but the entire socioeconomic spectrum.     

Resistin levels are related to fat mass,but not to body mass index in children

The relationship of resistin levels with obesity remains unclear. The aim of this study was to determine resistin levels in prepubertal children and adolescents and evaluate their association with anthropometric parameters and body composition. The study population included 420 randomly selected 6–8-year-old children and 712 children aged 12–16 years. Anthropometric data were measured and body mass index (BMI) and waist-to-hip and waist-to-height ratios were calculated. Body composition was assessed using an impedance body composition analyzer. Serum resistin levels were determined using a multiplexed bead immunoassay. Resistin levels were not significantly different between sexes. No significant differences in serum resistin concentrations were found between obese, overweight, and normal weight children at any age, and no significant correlations were observed between resistin concentrations and weight or BMI. However, resistin levels showed a significant positive correlation with fat mass in 12–16-year-old children, particularly in girls. In addition to describing serum resistin levels in prepubertal children and adolescents, our study suggests that resistin is related to body fat rather than to BMI in adolescents.     

Middle school transition and body weight outcomes: Evidence from Arkansas Public Schoolchildren

There is evidence that middle school transition adversely affects educational and psychological outcomes of pre-teen children, but little is known about the impacts of middle school transition on other aspects of health. In this article, we estimate the impact of middle school transition on the body mass index (BMI) of public schoolchildren in Arkansas, United States. Using an instrumental variable approach, we find that middle school transition in grade 6 led to a moderate decrease of 0.04 standard deviations in BMI z-scores for all students. Analysis by subsample indicated that this result was driven by boys (0.06–0.07 standard deviations) and especially by non-minority boys (0.09 standard deviations). We speculate that the changing levels of physical activities associated with middle school transition provide the most reasonable explanation for this result.     

Novel spirochetes isolated from mosquitoes and black flies in the Czech Republic

During the years 1999–2002, a total of 4,898 individuals of 26 species of hematophagous insects (4,149 mosquitoes, 583 black flies, and 166 tabanid flies) was examined for the presence of spirochetes using dark‐field microscopy. There was an overall recovery of spirochetes from the midguts of Culicidae and Simuliidae of 23.5% and 11.4%, respectively. Spirochetes were not detected in Tabanidae. Seven spirochetal strains have been successfully recovered from mosquitoes and black flies: BR149 (Culex pipiens), BR151 (Cx. pipiens), BR173 (Cx. pipiens), BR177 (Cx. pipiens), BR193 (Aedes cinereus), BR208 (Cx. pipiens), and BR231 (Simulium noelleri). The strains have been adapted to laboratory conditions (BSK‐H Complete medium). Their preliminary determination based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing has shown that they differ from the Lyme disease spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato as well as other members of the Order Spirochaetales indicating novel bacterial species in the Family Spirochaetaceae.     

Effects of different cultivation types on native and alien weed species richness and diversity in Moravia (Czech Republic)

Changes in weed species richness and beta-diversity are partly attributable to different types and intensity of disturbance and partly to broad-scale variation in environmental conditions. We compiled a data set of 434 vegetation plots of weed vegetation in root crop and cereal fields in Moravia (eastern Czech Republic) to compare the effects of environmental conditions and different disturbance regimes on species richness and beta-diversity. To detect changes in species richness, we related the variation in species richness to individual environmental conditions. To assess differences in beta-diversity between the vegetation of cereal and root crop fields, we used Whittaker's measure of beta-diversity. The relative importance of each environmental variable for the variation in species composition was evaluated using canonical correspondence analysis. All analyses were done for all vascular plant species and separately for native species, archaeophytes and neophytes. A comparison of weed vegetation of root crops and cereals showed a distinct dichotomy between these two types of weed vegetation. There was no significant difference in total species richness and native species richness; however, cereal fields were richer in archaeophytes and root crop fields were richer in neophytes. The beta-diversity of weed vegetation was higher in root crops. Environmental factors explained a significant part of the variability in richness of both natives and aliens. The richness of native species increased and beta-diversity decreased with increasing precipitation. The opposite relationship was found for archaeophytes, in both cereals and root crops. These results confirmed the importance of climatic factors and management practices for changes in weed species composition. They also showed a distinct pattern of species richness and beta-diversity of native and alien weed species.     

Screening for obesity in the offspring of first-cousin consanguineous couples: A Phase-I study in Saudi Arabia

Consanguineous or cousin marriages are very common in Saudi Arabia. However, owing to limited studies and insufficient knowledge about genetic diseases/disorders, many couples are unaware of the increased health risks for their offspring. Among the inherited and complex diseases from parents’ consanguinity, obesity is common; therefore, we examined the prevalence of obesity in the offspring of first-cousin consanguineous couples in Saudi Arabia. In this questionnaire-based study, 657 individuals (mean age = 18.7 ± 10.2 years; age range = 2–65 years) who were residing in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia participated. Among them, almost 90% were native Saudis. Participants mean body mass index (BMI) was 24.5 ± 9.1 kg/m2. Sex- stratified demographic details confirmed a significant association between age and BMI (p < .001). We confirmed that adolescents and adults were more prone to develop obesity. Adults and non-Saudi participants were three times more likely to develop obesity if they had first-cousin consanguineous parents than those who did not. Of the 30% of participants who were obese, 100 will be selected for Phase II, in which we plan to perform exome sequencing.     

Mortality and displaced mortality during heat waves in the Czech Republic

The aims of this study were to assess impacts of hot summer periods on mortality in the Czech Republic and to quantify the size of the short-term displacement effect which resulted in lower than expected mortality after heat waves. The analysis covered the period 1982–2000 when several extraordinarily hot summers occurred in central Europe. Daily total all-cause mortality and mortality due to cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in the entire population of the Czech Republic (approximately 10 million inhabitants) were examined. The daily death counts were standardized to account for the long-term decline in mortality and the seasonal and weekly cycles. Heat-related mortality is better expressed if 1-day lag after temperature is considered compared to the unlagged relationship. With the 1-day lag, both excess total mortality and excess CVD mortality were positive during all 17 heat waves, and in 14 (12) heat waves the increase in total (CVD) mortality was statistically significant (P=0.05). The mean relative rise in total mortality during heat waves was 13%. The response was greater in females than males and similar regardless of whether total or CVD mortality was used. The largest relative increases, exceeding 20% in both total and CVD mortality, were associated with heat waves which occurred in early summer (the first half of July 1984 and June 1994). The mortality displacement effect played an important role since mortality tended to be lower than expected after hot periods. The mean net mortality change due to heat waves was estimated to be about a 1% increase in the number of deaths. The large relative increases during some heat waves were particularly noteworthy since the study (in contrast to most analyses of the heat stress/mortality relationship) was not restricted to an urban area and/or an elderly population.     

Long-term changes in body weight, BMI, and adiposity rebound among children and adolescents in the Czech republic

The Czech Republic has undergone rapid political, social, and economic transformation since the late 1980s. While obesity rates among children and adolescents in the Czech Republic have been previously relatively low, this has changed in recent years. Across the past 50 years, body weight, body mass index (BMI)-for-age, and adiposity rebound (AR) (the time when a child reaches the lowest BMI before their BMI gradually begins to increase until adulthood) occurs earlier. The most dramatic changes have been observed among school-aged children, where BMI values have increased at the 50th, 90th, and 97th percentiles. In contrast, adolescent girls appear to be thinner than in the past. The analyses of weight-for-height percentiles indicated that the 50th percentile of the body weight among boys and girls remained similar in nearly all age categories across the past 50 years. Although the growth pattern of children at the 50th percentile has not changed, the 10th and 90th percentiles have expanded. Our findings suggest that the secular trend of increased height, accelerated growth, and earlier maturation is responsible for Czech children experiencing adiposity rebound at earlier ages compared to the past.     

中国藏缅语族成人的超重与肥胖

运用人体测量学的方法,研究组从2015年到2019年在贵州、云南、四川、西藏、湖北、湖南6省区调查藏缅语族17个少数民族成人的体质指标。测量指标包括体质量、身高与皮褶厚度。计算指标包括身体质量指数、体密度和体脂率。藏缅语族民族的身体质量指数与人均GDP呈正相关。藏缅语族民族的肥胖与超重率受社会经济因素和历史文化因素影响。藏缅语族男女的肥胖与超重率都较高,迫切需要采取积极的措施来应对和预防。     

Future direct and indirect costs of obesity and the influence of gaining weight: Results from the MONICA/KORA cohort studies, 1995-2005

Over the last two decades, the prevalence of obesity has risen worldwide. As obesity is a confirmed risk factor for a number of diseases, its increasing prevalence nurtures the supposition that obesity may present a growing and significant economic burden to society.The objective of this study is to analyse the correlation between body mass index (BMI) and future direct and indirect costs, as well as the correlation between changing BMI and future in(direct) costs. Health care utilisation and productivity losses were based on data from 2581 participants aged 25-65 years (1994/95) from two cross-sectional, population-representative health surveys (MONICA/KORA-survey-S3 1994/95 and follow-up KORA-survey-F3 2004/05) in Augsburg, Germany.The predicted average adjusted total direct costs per year and per user were estimated to be €1029-(healthy weight), €1093-(overweight) and €1040-(obesity). There are significantly greater future costs in the utilisation of general practitioners per user and per year at higher obesity levels (€72; €75; €96).The average total direct costs per person for those who stay in the same BMI class are €982, €1000 and €973. An overweight participant who becomes obese incurs significant costs of internists of €160 compared with those who remain overweight (€124). An overweight user incurs indirect costs of €2474, compared with €2136 for those who remain a healthy weight.There is a trend for higher predicted (in)direct costs when people are overweight or obese compared with healthy weight persons 10 years earlier. Potential cost savings could be attained if preventive programs effectively targeted these individuals.