Prevalence of Childhood Obesity and Overweight in Portugal and Greece COSI 2010

Introduction: WHO/Europe Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative (COSI) is an ongoing, systematic process of collection, analysis, interpretation and dissemination of descriptive information for monitoring excess body weight in the WHO European Region. The system aims to measure trends in overweight and obesity in children aged 6-8 year-olds, every two years. Here we are presenting and comparing the results of the second COSI round (2010), for schoolchildren age 7 years for two countries of Southern Europe: Portugal and Greece. Methods:4020 children(910 age 7 years) from 172 schools participated in the study in Portugal and 5701(1293 age 7 years) from 150 schools in Greece(national representative samples). Height and weight were directly measured by trained fieldworkers. Overweight (including obesity) and obesity prevalence were calculated using the international body mass index cut-offs according to WHO criteria. Dietary and exercise patterns were assessed through school and family questionnaires. Results: Prevalence of overweight (including obesity) in children age 7 years was 31,5% in boys and 36,2% in girls( according to WHO definition) in Portugal and 48,9% in boys and 44,8% in girls in Greece. In both countries dietary and exercise patterns were found very similar with children presenting poor food habits, low level of physical activity and high level of sedentary habits. Conclusion: Portugal and Greece are two of the countries with higher prevalence of overweight and obesity across Europe. This has been consistently higher in Southern European countries which also share several similarities on dietary patterns and physical activity levels among primary school children, suggesting that active implementation of policies or interventions to counteract overweight and obesity are needed

The Effect of Ergogenic Supplements and Mediterranean Diet on Cycling Performance. Differences According to Duration and Intensity.

Aims: To record the prevalence and the type of supplement use among cyclists and to estimate the effect of caffeine, carbohydrates, energy drinks and meddiet score on 200m and 4km cycling time-trial performances in a Greek sample.Methods: Fifty male cycling athletes aged 32±20 years participated in a randomized, double-blind study. The subjects were submitted to anthropometric measurements and body composition was assessed with bioelectrical impedance. All participants completed the meddiet Score questionnaire and a validated questionnaire about their ergogenic aids’ preference. The athletes performed two cycling trials (200m and 4km) and their records were taken down and were evaluated according to their consumption of caffeine, carbohydrates and energy drinks and their meddiet score. For the statistical analysis SPSS, v20 was used.Results: Greek cyclists had a mean BMI value of 23.65±2.74 and a mean body fat percentage of 15.82±8.33. Endurance and speed performances were improved with caffeine consumption when compared to no consumption (7.42±3.92min vs 12.5±3.16min, p<0.001 and 20.75±15.69sec vs 34.07±16.25sec, p<0.05, respectively), as well as with energy drinks’ consumption (8.77±4.15min vs 13.25±2.47min, p<0.001 and 20.35±14.08sec vs 39.14±14.38sec, p<0.001, respectively). Carbohydrates’ intake improved performance in the endurance test (7.60±3.72min vs 12.86±2.92min, p<0.001), but did not have a positive influence in the speed test (25.73±18.68sec vs 33.08±15.95sec, p>0.05).Conclusions: Ergogenic aids had a positive effect on the athletic performance in terms of speed and endurance in cyclists.

Marital status and educational level associated to obesity in Greek adults: data from the National Epidemiological Survey

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Obesity is an important public health issue and its prevalence is reaching epidemic proportions in both developed and developing countries. The aim of the present study was to determine associations of overweight (OW), obesity (OB) and abdominal obesity (AO) with marital status and educational level in Greek adults of both genders based on data from the National Epidemiological Survey on the prevalence of obesity.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The selection was conducted by stratified sampling through household family members of Greek children attending school during 2003. A total of 17,341 Greek men and women aged from 20 to 70 years participated in the survey and had anthropometric measurements (height, weight, and waist circumference) for the calculation of prevalence of OW, OB and AO. WHO cut-offs were used to define overweight and obesity categories. Waist circumference of more than 102 cm in men and 88 cm in women defined AO. Marital status and educational level were recorded using a specially designed questionnaire and were classified into 4 categories.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The overall prevalence of OB was 22.3% (25.8% in men, 18.4% in women), that of OW 35.2% (41.0% in men, 29.8% in women) and that of AO 26.4% in men and 35.9% in women. A<b/>higher risk of OB was found in married men (OR: 2.28; 95% CI: 1.85-2.81) and married women (OR: 2.31; 95% CI: 1.73-3.10) than in the respective unmarried ones. Also, a higher risk of AO was found in married men (OR: 3.40; 95% CI: 2.86-4.03) and in married women (OR: 2.40; 95% CI 2.00-2.88) compared to unmarried ones. The risk for being obese was lower among educated women (primary school, OR: 0.76; 95% CI: 0.60-0.96, high school, OR: 0.58; 95% CI: 0.46-0.74 and University, OR: 0.64; 95% CI: 0.49-0.81) than among illiterates. No significant differences were found among men.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>In Greek adults, marital status was significantly associated with obesity and abdominal obesity status in both genders while educational level was inversely associated with obesity status only in women.</p

Sodium and potassium intake in healthy adults in Thessaloniki Greater Metropolitan Area—the salt intake in Northern Greece (SING) Study.

A reduction in population sodium (as salt) consumption is a global health priority, as well as one of the most cost-effective strategies to reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease. High potassium intake is also recommended to reduce cardiovascular disease. To establish effective policies for setting targets and monitoring effectiveness within each country, the current level of consumption should be known. Greece lacks data on actual sodium and potassium intake. The aim of the present study was therefore to assess dietary salt (using sodium as biomarker) and potassium intakes in a sample of healthy adults in northern Greece, and to determine whether adherence to a Mediterranean diet is related to different sodium intakes or sodium-to-potassium ratio. A cross-sectional survey was carried out in the Thessaloniki greater metropolitan area (northern Greece) (n = 252, aged 18–75 years, 45.2% males). Participants’ dietary sodium and potassium intakes were determined by 24-hour urinary sodium and potassium excretions. In addition, we estimated their adherence to Mediterranean diet by the use of an 11-item MedDietScore (range 0–55). The mean sodium excretion was 175 (SD 72) mmol/day, equivalent to 4220 (1745) mg of sodium or 10.7 (4.4) g of salt per day, and the potassium excretion was 65 (25) mmol/day, equivalent to 3303 (1247) mg per day. Men had higher sodium and potassium excretions compared to women. Only 5.6% of the sample had salt intake <5 g/day, which is the target intake recommended by the World Health Organization. Mean sodium-to-potassium excretion ratio was 2.82 (1.07). There was no significant difference in salt or potassium intake or their ratio across MedDietScore quartiles. No significant relationships were found between salt intake and adherence to a Mediterranean diet, suggesting that the perception of the health benefits of the Mediterranean diet does not hold when referring to salt consumption. These results suggest the need for a larger, nation-wide survey on salt intake in Greece and underline the importance of continuation of salt reduction initiatives in Greece

BigO: A public health decision support system for measuring obesogenic behaviors of children in relation to their local environment

Obesity is a complex disease and its prevalence depends on multiple factors related to the local socioeconomic, cultural and urban context of individuals. Many obesity prevention strategies and policies, however, are horizontal measures that do not depend on context-specific evidence. In this paper we present an overview of BigO (http://bigoprogram.eu), a system designed to collect objective behavioral data from children and adolescent populations as well as their environment in order to support public health authorities in formulating effective, context-specific policies and interventions addressing childhood obesity. We present an overview of the data acquisition, indicator extraction, data exploration and analysis components of the BigO system, as well as an account of its preliminary pilot application in 33 schools and 2 clinics in four European countries, involving over 4,200 participants.Comment: Accepted version to be published in 2020, 42nd Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBC), Montreal, Canad

WHO European Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative: body mass index and level of overweight among 6-9-year-old children from school year 2007/2008 to school year 2009/2010.

BACKGROUND: The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Europe has established the Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative (COSI) to monitor changes in overweight in primary-school children. The aims of this paper are to present the anthropometric results of COSI Round 2 (2009/2010) and to explore changes in body mass index (BMI) and overweight among children within and across nine countries from school years 2007/2008 to 2009/2010. METHODS: Using cross-sectional nationally representative samples of 6-9-year-olds, BMI, anthropometric Z-scores and overweight prevalence were derived from measured weight and height. Significant changes between rounds were assessed using variance and t-tests analyses. RESULTS: At Round 2, the prevalence of overweight (including obesity; WHO definitions) ranged from 18% to 57% among boys and from 18% to 50% among girls; 6 - 31% of boys and 5 - 21% of girls were obese. Southern European countries had the highest overweight prevalence. Between rounds, the absolute change in mean BMI (range: from -0.4 to +0.3) and BMI-for-age Z-scores (range: from -0.21 to +0.14) varied statistically significantly across countries. The highest significant decrease in BMI-for-age Z-scores was found in countries with higher absolute BMI values and the highest significant increase in countries with lower BMI values. The highest significant decrease in overweight prevalence was observed in Italy, Portugal and Slovenia and the highest significant increase in Latvia and Norway. CONCLUSIONS: Changes in BMI and prevalence of overweight over a two-year period varied significantly among European countries. It may be that countries with higher prevalence of overweight in COSI Round 1 have implemented interventions to try to remedy this situation

Childhood overweight and obesity in Europe: Changes from 2007 to 2017

The Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative (COSI) routinely measures height andweight of primary school children aged 6–9 years and calculates overweight andobesity prevalence within the World Health Organization (WHO) European Regionusing a standard methodology. This study examines the trends in the prevalence ofoverweight and obesity from the first round of COSI carried out in 2007/2008 to thelatest of 2015/2017 in 11 European countries in which data were collected for atleast three rounds. In total 303,155 children were measured. In general, the preva-lence of overweight and obesity among boys and girls decreased in countries withhigh prevalence (Southern Europe) and remained stable or slightly increased in North-ern European and Eastern European countries included in the analysis. Among boys, the highest decrease in overweight (including obesity) was observed in Portugal (from40.5% in 2007/2008 to 28.4 in 2015/2017) and in Greece for obesity (from 30.5% in2009/2010 to 21.7% in 2015/2017). Lithuania recorded the strongest increase in theproportion of boys with overweight (from 24.8% to 28.5%) and obesity (from 9.4% to12.2%). The trends were similar for boys and girls in most countries. Several countriesin Europe have successfully implemented policies and interventions to counteract theincrease of overweight and obesity, but there is still much to be done.The authors gratefully acknowledge support through a grant from the Russian Government in the context of the WHO European Office for the Prevention and Control of NCDs. The Ministries of health of Austria, Croatia, Greece, Italy, Malta, Norway, and the Russian Federation provided financial support for the meetings at which the protocol, data collection procedures, and analyses were discussed. Data collection in the countries included in this study was made possible through funding from: Bulgaria: Ministry of Health, National Center of Public Health and Analyses, and WHO Regional Office for Europe; Czechia: WHO grants AZV MZČR 17-31670 A MZČR-RVO EÚ 00023761, World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe, and WHO country office; Greece: International Hellenic University and Hellenic Medical Association for Obesity; Ireland: Health Service Executive; Italy: Ministry of Health and Italian National Institute of Health; Latvia: Ministry of Health and Centre for Disease Prevention and Control; Lithuania: Science Foundation of Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Lithuanian Science Council, and WHO; Norway: Ministry of Health and Norwegian Institute of Public Health; Portugal: Ministry of Health Institutions, the National Institute of Health, Directorate General of Health, Regional Health Directorates, and the kind technical support from the Center for Studies and Research on Social Dynamics and Health (CEIDSS); Slovenia: Ministry of Education and Science and Sport of the Republic of Slovenia within the SLOfit surveillance system; and Spain: Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition (AESAN).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

WHO European Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative: Impact of Type of Clothing Worn during Anthropometric Measurements and Timing of the Survey on Weight and Body Mass Index Outcome Measures in 6–9-Year-Old Children

Background. The World Health Organization European Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative (COSI) conducted examinations in 6–9-year-old children from 16 countries in the first two rounds of data collection. Allowing participating countries to adhere to their local legal requirements or adapt to other circumstances required developing a flexible protocol for anthropometric procedures. Objectives. (1) Review intercountry variation in types of clothing worn by children during weight and height measurements, clothes weight adjustments applied, timing of the survey, and duration of data collection; (2) assess the impact of the observed variation in these practices on the children’s weight or body mass index (BMI) outcome measures. Results. The relative difference between countries’ unadjusted and clothes-adjusted prevalence estimates for overweight was 0.3–11.5%; this figure was 1.4–33.3% for BMI-for-age Z-score values. Monthly fluctuations in mean BMI-for-age Z-score values did not show a systematic seasonal effect. The majority of the monthly BMI-for-age Z-score values did not differ statistically within a country; only 1–3 monthly values were statistically different within some countries. Conclusions. The findings of the present study suggest that the built-in flexibility in the COSI protocol concerning the data collection practices addressed in the paper can be kept and thus do not necessitate a revision of the COSI protocol.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

European association for the study of obesity position statement on the global COVID-19 pandemic

COVID-19, the infectious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization on March 12, 2020. The European Association for the Study of Obesity (EASO), as a scientific and medical society dedicated to the promotion of health and well-being, is greatly concerned about this global health challenge and its significant impacts on individuals, families, communities, health systems, nations, and wider society

Changes in body weight, body composition and cardiovascular risk factors after long-term nutritional intervention in patients with severe mental illness: an observational study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Compared with the general population, individuals with severe mental illness (SMI) have increased prevalence rates of obesity and greater risk for cardiovascular disease. This study aimed to investigate the effects of a long term nutritional intervention on body weight, body fat and cardiovascular risk factors in a large number of patients with SMI.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Nine hundred and eighty-nine patients with a mean ± S.D age of 40 ± 11.7 yrs participated in a 9 mo nutritional intervention which provided personalised dietetic treatment and lifestyle counselling every two weeks. Patients had an average body mass index (BMI) of 34.3 ± 7.1 kg.m^-2and body weight (BW) of 94.9 ± 21.7 kg. Fasted blood samples were collected for the measurement of glucose, total cholesterol, triglycerides and HDL- cholesterol. All measurements were undertaken at baseline and at 3 mo, 6 mo and 9 mo of the nutritional intervention.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Four hundred and twenty-three patients of 989 total patients' cases (42.8%) dropped out within the first 3 months. Two hundred eighty-five completed 6 months of the program and 145 completed the entire 9 month nutritional intervention. There were progressive statistically significant reductions in mean weight, fat mass, waist and BMI throughout the duration of monitoring (p < 0.001). The mean final weight loss was 9.7 kg and BMI decreased to 30.7 kg.m^-2(p < 0.001). The mean final fat mass loss was 8.0 kg and the mean final waist circumference reduction was 10.3 cm (p < 0.001) compared to baseline. Significant and continual reductions were observed in fasting plasma glucose, total cholesterol and triglycerides concentrations throughout the study (p < 0.001).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The nutritional intervention produced significant reductions in body weight, body fat and improved the cardiometabolic profile in patients with SMI. These findings indicate the importance of weight-reducing nutritional intervention in decreasing the cardiovascular risk in patients with SMI.</p