Diminishing benefits of urban living for children and adolescents’ growth and development

AbstractOptimal growth and development in childhood and adolescence is crucial for lifelong health and well-being1–6. Here we used data from 2,325 population-based studies, with measurements of height and weight from 71 million participants, to report the height and body-mass index (BMI) of children and adolescents aged 5–19 years on the basis of rural and urban place of residence in 200 countries and territories from 1990 to 2020. In 1990, children and adolescents residing in cities were taller than their rural counterparts in all but a few high-income countries. By 2020, the urban height advantage became smaller in most countries, and in many high-income western countries it reversed into a small urban-based disadvantage. The exception was for boys in most countries in sub-Saharan Africa and in some countries in Oceania, south Asia and the region of central Asia, Middle East and north Africa. In these countries, successive cohorts of boys from rural places either did not gain height or possibly became shorter, and hence fell further behind their urban peers. The difference between the age-standardized mean BMI of children in urban and rural areas was &lt;1.1 kg m–2 in the vast majority of countries. Within this small range, BMI increased slightly more in cities than in rural areas, except in south Asia, sub-Saharan Africa and some countries in central and eastern Europe. Our results show that in much of the world, the growth and developmental advantages of living in cities have diminished in the twenty-first century, whereas in much of sub-Saharan Africa they have amplified.</jats:p

Worldwide trends in underweight and obesity from 1990 to 2022: a pooled analysis of 3663 population-representative studies with 222 million children, adolescents, and adults

Background Underweight and obesity are associated with adverse health outcomes throughout the life course. We estimated the individual and combined prevalence of underweight or thinness and obesity, and their changes, from 1990 to 2022 for adults and school-aged children and adolescents in 200 countries and territories. Methods We used data from 3663 population-based studies with 222 million participants that measured height and weight in representative samples of the general population. We used a Bayesian hierarchical model to estimate trends in the prevalence of different BMI categories, separately for adults (age ≥20 years) and school-aged children and adolescents (age 5–19 years), from 1990 to 2022 for 200 countries and territories. For adults, we report the individual and combined prevalence of underweight (BMI 2 SD above the median). Findings From 1990 to 2022, the combined prevalence of underweight and obesity in adults decreased in 11 countries (6%) for women and 17 (9%) for men with a posterior probability of at least 0·80 that the observed changes were true decreases. The combined prevalence increased in 162 countries (81%) for women and 140 countries (70%) for men with a posterior probability of at least 0·80. In 2022, the combined prevalence of underweight and obesity was highest in island nations in the Caribbean and Polynesia and Micronesia, and countries in the Middle East and north Africa. Obesity prevalence was higher than underweight with posterior probability of at least 0·80 in 177 countries (89%) for women and 145 (73%) for men in 2022, whereas the converse was true in 16 countries (8%) for women, and 39 (20%) for men. From 1990 to 2022, the combined prevalence of thinness and obesity decreased among girls in five countries (3%) and among boys in 15 countries (8%) with a posterior probability of at least 0·80, and increased among girls in 140 countries (70%) and boys in 137 countries (69%) with a posterior probability of at least 0·80. The countries with highest combined prevalence of thinness and obesity in school-aged children and adolescents in 2022 were in Polynesia and Micronesia and the Caribbean for both sexes, and Chile and Qatar for boys. Combined prevalence was also high in some countries in south Asia, such as India and Pakistan, where thinness remained prevalent despite having declined. In 2022, obesity in school-aged children and adolescents was more prevalent than thinness with a posterior probability of at least 0·80 among girls in 133 countries (67%) and boys in 125 countries (63%), whereas the converse was true in 35 countries (18%) and 42 countries (21%), respectively. In almost all countries for both adults and school-aged children and adolescents, the increases in double burden were driven by increases in obesity, and decreases in double burden by declining https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/images/research_banner_face_lab_290.jpgunderweight or thinness. Interpretation The combined burden of underweight and obesity has increased in most countries, driven by an increase in obesity, while underweight and thinness remain prevalent in south Asia and parts of Africa. A healthy nutrition transition that enhances access to nutritious foods is needed to address the remaining burden of underweight while curbing and reversing the increase in obesity

Relationship between the formation of volatile sulfur compounds (VSC) and the severity of the periodontal disease: a pilot study

This aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between the formation of volatile sulfur compounds (VSC) and the severity of different kinds of periodontal disease. Twenty patients suffering from biofilm-related periodontal diseases and a control group of ten healthy individuals were selected. The patients were divided according to their periodontal diagnoses: marginal gingivitis (MG/n = 10) and chronic periodontitis (CP/n = 10). The patients received non-surgical therapy that consisted of motivation, scaling and root planing. Two experimental periods were used: T1 = baseline and T2 = final evaluation after three months. The data analysis showed that CP group had a significant reduction (p < 0.05) in probing depth (PD) and clinical attachment level (CAL), and group MG presented a reduction in GI (p < 0.05). There was a significant reduction (p < 0.05) in the aspartate aminotransferase (AST), N-a-benzoyl-DL-arginine-p-nitroanilide (BAPNA) and VSC levels in both MG and CP groups, although the deeper residual pockets led to higher AST and VSC levels in the CP group. Within the limits of the present pilot study, it can be concluded that the non-surgical therapy may influence VSC formation in a manner dependent on periodontal disease severity.2

O processo de humanização do ambiente hospitalar centrado no trabalhador El proceso de humanización del ambiente hospitalario centrado en el trabajador The humanization process of the hospital environment centered around the worker

A humanização do ambiente hospitalar não se concretiza se estiver centrada unicamente em fatores motivacionais externos ou somente no usuário. Um programa de humanização necessita ser assumido como um processo de construção participativa que requer respeito e valorização do ser humano que cuida. Pautado em valores e princípios humanos e éticos e em idéias de Freire, este trabalho tem por objetivo explicitar como se desencadeou um processo de humanização, numa instituição hospitalar, centrado, inicialmente, no trabalhador, mediante a problematização coletiva da realidade concreta e a construção de relações dialógicas, horizontais e reflexivas. A proposta possibilitou maior compreensão do significado de humanização, com o resgate de iniciativas anteriores de humanização já adotadas, a adoção de um Banco de Idéias como um espaço para a emersão de subjetividades, a organização de ambientes coletivos acolhedores e uma maior aproximação entre a direção e trabalhadores.<br>La humanización del ambiente hospitalario no se concretiza si estuviera centrada únicamente en factores de motivación externas o solamente en el usuario. Un programa de humanización necesita ser asumido como un proceso de construcción participativa que requiere respeto y valorización del ser humano que cuida. Basados en valores y principios humanos y éticos y en ideas de Freire, este trabajo tuvo por objetivo explicitar cómo se desencadenó el proceso de humanización, en una institución hospitalaria, centrado, inicialmente, en el trabajador, mediante la problematización colectiva de la realidad concreta y la construcción de relaciones dialógicas, horizontales y reflexivas. La propuesta posibilitó mayor comprensión del significado de humanización, con el rescate de iniciativas anteriores de humanización ya adoptada, la adopción de un Banco de Ideas como un espacio para la emergencia de subjetividades, la organización de ambientes colectivos acogedores y una mayor aproximación entre la dirección y los trabajadores.<br>The humanization of the hospital environment cannot be achieved if the focus is directed only to external motivational factors or just to the user. A humanization program needs to be assumed as a participative construction process that demands respect and valuing of the human being that provides care. Based on human and ethics values and principles and on Freire's ideas, this study aims to describe how a humanization process was unchained in a hospital, initially centering on the worker, through the collective discussion of concrete problems and the construction of horizontal, reflective dialogical relations. The proposal made possible a better comprehension of the meaning of humanization, with the rescue of previous initiatives of humanization, the elaboration of a databank in which there is room for subjectivity, the creation of warm collective areas and a closer relationship between directors and workers