The prevalence of overweight, obesity and central obesity in six regions of Croatia: results from the Croatian Adult Health Survey [Prevalencija prekomjerne tjelesne težine, debljine i avdominalne debljine u šest regija Hrvatske]

Our aim was to estimate the prevalence of overweight, obesity and increased waist circumference in the adult population of Croatia and investigate regional differences in six regions of Croatia. Using the data from the 2003 Croatian Adult Health Survey we estimated the overall prevalence of overweight, obesity and increased waist circumference for the entire population of Croatia at 38.11%, 20.34% and 43.52%, respectively. For men, this was 43.2%, 20.1% and 34.98% and for women 33.6%, 20.6% and 51.13%, respectively for the three indicators of increased body weight. We found conflicting evidence as to whether the Mediterranean part of the country, compared with the continental part, bears a lesser degree of cardiovascular risk. Planners should pay particular attention to the Northern region, where the burden of increased body weight was the highest

Paving the Way for Personalised Behaviourally based Prevention of Obesity: Systematic Search of the Literature

We have identified in the literature variants in 64 genes that may be involved in gene-obesity-behaviour interactions. Personalisation of behaviourally based preventive approaches against obesity seems feasible, however obesity genomics is still in the discovery phase of translational research and abundant replication studies are needed before these largely pioneering findings can be extended to practice and population impact. Automation of search algorithms and development of more efficient tools for knowledge synthesis of genomic research into gene-obesity-behaviour interactions might facilitate the advent of widely available personalised prevention approaches. Our future efforts shall therefore concentrate on developing such tools, as well as a research repository dedicated to the use of public health genomics for obesity control

Paving the Way for Personalised Behaviourally based Prevention of Obesity: Systematic Search of the Literature

We have identified in the literature variants in 64 genes that may be involved in gene-obesity-behaviour interactions. Personalisation of behaviourally based preventive approaches against obesity seems feasible, however obesity genomics is still in the discovery phase of translational research and abundant replication studies are needed before these largely pioneering findings can be extended to practice and population impact. Automation of search algorithms and development of more efficient tools for knowledge synthesis of genomic research into gene-obesity-behaviour interactions might facilitate the advent of widely available personalised prevention approaches. Our future efforts shall therefore concentrate on developing such tools, as well as a research repository dedicated to the use of public health genomics for obesity control

Javnozdravstveni sadržaji u kurikulumu medicinskoga fakulteta u Zagrebu

Medicinski fakulteti u Republici Hrvatskoj započeli su 2004. godine stvarati jedinstveni i cjeloviti Katalog znanja i vještina u kojemu bi definirali nastavno gradivo koje student medicine treba usvojiti tijekom studija. Zamišljeno je da Katalog istovremeno posluži u svrhu poboljšanja organizacije i evaluacije nastavnih sadržaja. Nastavni sadržaji kurikuluma pomno su odabrani od strane stručnjaka pojedinih područja kako bi služili obrazovanju što kompetentnijih liječnika. Odakle uopće potreba za selekcijom određenih sadržaja, a odbacivanjem drugih? Danas kada se znanost razvija brže no što se dodiplomski studiji na medicinskim fakultetima tome prolagođavaju, teško je odrediti koja znanja i vještine student mora u svom dodiplomskom obrazovanju usvojiti, a koja “ostaviti” za specijalizaciju i ostala postdiplomska usavršavanja. To je zadaća kurikuluma – sistematizacija znanja. Kurikulumi za medicinske fakultete idealno bi trebali u svakoj zemlji biti jednaki, no to je cilj kojem se još uvijek tek teži

Prevalence and five-year cumulative incidence of abdominal obesity in Croatian women of childbearing age: the CroHort study [Prevalencija i petogodišnja kumulativna incidencija abdominalne pretilosti u žena fertilne dobi u Hrvatskoj]

Generalised obesity is increasing in prevalence globally, however trends in abdominal obesity are less well known. In 2003, 1,999 women of childbearing age participated in the Croatian Adult Health Survey, of whom 598 (29.9%) participated in the second cycle in 2008. For 2008, the prevalence of abdominal obesity using the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) criterion (waist circumference > or = 80 cm) was estimated at 70.3% (95% CI 61.8% to 75.7%), whereas the prevalence of abdominal obesity using the National Cholesterol Education Program, Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP ATP III) criterion (waist circumference > or = 88 cm) was estimated at 48.6% (42.6% to 54.7%). The preceding five-year cumulative incidence was 54.3% (44.5% to 64.2%) and 35.2% (28.0% to 42.4%) using the IDF and NCEP ATP III criteria, respectively. The burden of abdominal obesity is high and rapidly increasing in Croatian women of childbearing age, the key population subgroup for obesity control

VISCERAL OBESITY

U nekim istraživanjima visceralna debljina bolje predviđa obolijevanje i umiranje od kardiovaskularnih bolesti i dijabetesa tipa 2 u usporedbi s općom debljinom mjerenom indeksom tjelesne mase. Čini se da postoji uzročno-posljedična veza između nakupljanja visceralnoga masnog tkiva i nastanka kardiovaskularnih bolesti i dijabetesa tipa 2. Procjena kardiometaboličkog rizika uključuje uz tradicionalne čimbenike rizika i informacije o intra-abdominalnoj debljini. Masno tkivo nakupljeno unutar trbušne šupljine djeluje poput velike endokrine žlijezde te luči citokine odnosno adipokine koji pridonose nastanku inzulinske rezistencije i proupalnog stanja. Potkožno masno tkivo pak, čini se, djeluje kao protektivni metabolički spremnik. Od antropometrijskih metoda, opseg struka najbolje korelira s količinom visceralnoga masnog tkiva.Some studies indicate that visceral obesity may be a better predictor of morbidity and mortality related to cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes than general obesity measured by the body mass index. A causal relationship seems to exist between the accumulation of visceral fat and occurence of cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes. Assessment of cardiometabolic risk comprises information on intra-abdominal obesity, as well as traditional risk factors. Visceral fat acts as a large endocrine gland, excreting cytokines and adipokines which leads to insulin resistance and proinflammatory state, whereas subcutaneous fat may act as a protective metabolic sink. Of anthropometric measures, waist circumference seems to best correlate with visceral fat

Social Conditioning of Health Behaviors among Adults in Croatia: the CroHort Study

The aim of this study was to examine the social conditioning of health behaviors of adults in Croatia, based on the data from Croatian Adult Health Survey 2003. This cross-sectional study on a representative random sample of 9070 Croatian adults showed that obesity was significantly and socially conditioned in women, whereas for men the indication of social conditioning has not reached a statistically significant level. Health behaviors were socially conditioned in both sexes. Men’s living habits were more irregular than those of women. Compared with women, men consumed more cured meat products, consumed alcohol excessivelly and smoked cigarettes more often, whereas they ate less fruits and vegetables. Health promotion strategies based on the behavioral correlates of overweight and obesity are needed to prevent excess weight gain in the Croatian population. While for men a unique educational model is applicable, women require more specialized programs, adapted to their social background