Social, economic and demographic correlates of overweight and obesity in primary-school children: preliminary data from the Healthy Growth Study

Moschonis, George; Tanagra, Sofia; Vandorou, Anastasia; Kyriakou, Aikaterini; Dede, Vasiliki; Siatitsa, Paraskevi E; Koumpitski, Alexandra; Androutsos, Odysseas; Grammatikaki, Evangelia; Kantilafti, Maria; Naoumi, Anthi; Farmaki, Aliki Eleni; Siopi, Aikaterini; Papadopoulou, Eleni; Voutsadaki, Elpida; Chlouveraki, Fanouria; Maragkopoulou, Konstantina; Argyri, Efstathoula; Giannopoulou, Angeliki; Μanios, Yannis

doi:10.1017/s1368980010002247

Cited by 87 publications

(98 citation statements)

References 30 publications

(47 reference statements)

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“…Education could provide an important socio-economic influence on health-related behaviour as it may increase the use of health-related information (32) . Although some other SES indicators, mainly occupational position and income, have been shown to have an impact on food intake (33)(34)(35)(36)(37) , parental education level, especially maternal education level, has been strongly related to children's dietary habits (14,38,39) and to childhood overweight and obesity (13,40,41) . An important strength of the present study is its large sample size and international multicentric nature, which allowed us to investigate the research question in different cultural settings with a wider variety of food consumption patterns.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Parental education and frequency of food consumption in European children: the IDEFICS study

Fernández-Alvira¹,

Mouratidou²,

Bammann³

et al. 2012

Public Health Nutr.

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Objective: To assess the relationship between parental education level and the consumption frequency of obesity-related foods in European children. Design: The analysis was based on data from the cross-sectional baseline survey of a prospective cohort study. The effects of parental education on food consumption were explored using analysis of covariance and logistic regression. Setting: Primary schools and pre-schools of selected regions in Italy, Estonia, Cyprus, Belgium, Sweden, Hungary, Germany and Spain. Subjects: Participants (n 14 426) of the IDEFICS baseline cohort study aged 2 to 9 years. Results: Parental education level affected the intake of obesity-related foods in children. Children in the low and medium parental education level groups had lower odds of more frequently eating low-sugar and low-fat foods (vegetables, fruits, pasta/noodles/rice and wholemeal bread) and higher odds of more frequently eating high-sugar and high-fat foods (fried potatoes, fruits with sugar and nuts, snacks/desserts and sugared beverages; P , 0?001). The largest odds ratio differences were found in the low category (reference category: high) for vegetables (OR 5 0?56; 95 % CI 0?47, 0?65), fruits (OR 5 0?56; 95 % CI 0?48, 0?65), fruits with sugar and nuts (OR 5 2?23; 95 % CI 1?92, 2?59) and sugared beverages (OR 5 2?01; 95 % CI 1?77, 2?37). Conclusions: Low parental education level was associated with intakes of sugar-rich and fatty foods among children, while high parental education level was associated with intakes of low-sugar and low-fat foods. These findings should be taken into account in public health interventions, with more targeted policies aiming at an improvement of children's diet.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Parental education and frequency of food consumption in European children: the IDEFICS study

Fernández-Alvira¹,

Mouratidou²,

Bammann³

et al. 2012

Public Health Nutr.

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“…This cohort was part of the 'Healthy Growth Study' , a large-scale cross-sectional epidemiological study initiated in May 2007 as described previously. 17,18 An extended letter explaining the aims of the current study and a consent form were provided to each parent who had a child in one of the primary schools participating in the study. Those parents who agreed to participate in the study gave their informed consent by signing the consent form, and provided their contact details.…”

Section: Subjects and Phenotype Characterizationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Food preference and body weight in a rodent food choice model 17 were also correlated to expression levels of Tmem18 in several tissues involved in different aspects of feeding, such as components of the mesolimbic and mesocortical pathways: the amygdala, nucleus accumbens and hippocampus, as well as the prefrontal cortex (PFC), which is involved in behavioral inhibition and executive function.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Association of TMEM18 variants with BMI and waist circumference in children and correlation of mRNA expression in the PFC with body weight in rats

et al. 2011

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Genome-wide association studies have shown a strong association of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the near vicinity of the TMEM18 gene. The effects of the TMEM18-associated variants are more readily observed in children. TMEM18 encodes a 3TM protein, which locates to the nuclear membrane. The functional context of TMEM18 and the effects of its associated variants are as of yet undetermined. To further explore the effects of near-TMEM18 variants, we have genotyped two TMEM18-associated SNPs, rs6548238 and rs4854344, in a cohort of 2352 Greek children (Healthy Growth Study). Included in this study are data on anthropomorphic traits body weight, BMI z-score and waist circumference. Also included are dietary energy and macronutrient intake as measured via 24-h recall interviews. Major alleles of rs6548238 and rs4854344 were significantly associated with an increased risk of obesity (odds ratio¼1.489 (1.161-1.910) and 1.494 (1.165-1.917), respectively), and positively correlated to body weight (P¼0.017, P¼0.010) and waist circumference (P¼0.003, P¼0.003). An association to energy and macronutrient intake was not observed in this cohort. We also correlated food intake and body weight in a food choice model in rats to Tmem18 expression in central regions involved in feeding behavior. We observed a strong positive correlation between TMEM18 expression and body weight in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) (r¼0.5694, P¼0.0003) indicating a potential role for TMEM18 in higher functions related to feeding involving the PFC. Keywords: obesity; TMEM18; FTO INTRODUCTION Genome-wide association (GWA) studies have led to the identification of several loci in the human genome containing genetic variants conferring an increased risk of developing overweight and obesity. 1-2 One such gene to be associated with a higher BMI, the fat mass and obesity-associated gene (FTO) was identified by Frayling et al in 2007. 3 FTO has since been shown to be involved in regulation of feeding behavior via homeostatic hypothalamic pathways, 4-6 and its obesityassociated variants to confer gain-of-function by increasing gene transcription. 7 The most recent meta analyses of GWA studies on obesity, which included genetic information from 249 796 individuals, identified variants at a total of 32 genetic loci affecting the development of BMI. 2 Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the FTO gene, followed by SNPs in the proximity of TMEM18 and MC4R, have consistently given the strongest associations to obesity in large-scale GWA studies. TMEM18-associated SNPs were first found to be associated with a higher BMI in 2009 by the GIANT consortium, 1 and this was confirmed in the same year by an independent group. 8 Results from child cohorts have shown stronger effects of near-TMEM18 SNPs to obesity, compared with adults. Zhao et al 9 found near-TMEM18 SNPs to confer the strongest effect on pediatric BMI out of 25 studied obesity-associated variants in a cohort of 6078

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“…Furthermore, it provides evidence for regional differences across Poland, but no urban/rural differences in prevalence of overweight were found. Moschonis et al (9) present preliminary data from the Grow Healthy Study with a special focus on social, economic and demographic correlates of overweight in their urban sample of 10-12-year-olds from Athens, Greece. They found 29?6 % overweight and 11?1 % obesity in this representative sample.…”

Section: This Special Issuementioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring overweight, obesity and their behavioural correlates among children and adolescents: results from the Health-promotion through Obesity Prevention across Europe project

Brug

Lien

Klepp

et al. 2010

Public Health Nutr.

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Objectives: The Health-promotion through Obesity Prevention across Europe (HOPE) project aims to bring the European scientific knowledge on overweight, obesity and their determinants together and use the expertise of researchers across Europe to contribute to tackling the obesity epidemic. Design/subjects/results: This special issue of Public Health Nutrition presents important results from one of the work packages of the HOPE project that aims at gaining and integrating knowledge on the determinants of nutrition, physical activity and obesity among schoolchildren and adolescents (aged 10-18 years) in different European regions. It includes contributions from Northern Europe (Norway), Central and Eastern Europe (Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic), Southern Europe (Greece) and Western Europe (Belgium and The Netherlands), as well as an overview of the availability of good-quality data on prevalence rates and trends in overweight (including obesity) among adolescents in European Union (EU) countries. The studies that are included report prevalence differences, data on relevant nutrition and physical activity behaviours, as well as potential physical and environmental behavioural determinants. Conclusion: These papers provide further evidence on differences in obesity and overweight prevalence among different EU regions and countries, and contribute to the further exploration of risk factors that may or should be addressed in obesity prevention efforts for school-aged children and adolescents in EU countries. Keywords Obesity prevention Adolescents OverviewThe background and aims of the Healthpromotion through Obesity Prevention across Europe projectThe prevalence of overweight and obesity in Europe has been steadily increasing, with rates doubling during recent decades in several countries. An increasing number of countries in the European Union (EU) have obesity levels exceeding 20 % in the adult population, and more than 50 % of the total European adult population is regarded as overweight. Up to 20 % of children in several European countries are overweight (1,2) . Weight gain and subsequent overweight are a result of an imbalance between food intake and physical activity. However, insight into the more specific risk behaviours, sometimes referred to as 'obesogenic behaviours', and the underlying determinants of these obesogenic behaviours across Europe is limited. Subsequently, information about effective obesity prevention interventions and policies is scattered. Systematic attempts are ongoing and necessary to increase knowledge of these determinants and interventions and to translate this knowledge into effective intervention strategies and policy measures. These attempts should take into account the great need for obesity prevention among the lower socio-economic groups. The Health-promotion through Obesity Prevention across Europe (HOPE) project, funded by the European Commission's Sixth Framework Programme, is one such attempt that aims at supporting and advancing the development and implemen...

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Social, economic and demographic correlates of overweight and obesity in primary-school children: preliminary data from the Healthy Growth Study

Cited by 87 publications

References 30 publications

Parental education and frequency of food consumption in European children: the IDEFICS study

Parental education and frequency of food consumption in European children: the IDEFICS study

Association of TMEM18 variants with BMI and waist circumference in children and correlation of mRNA expression in the PFC with body weight in rats

Exploring overweight, obesity and their behavioural correlates among children and adolescents: results from the Health-promotion through Obesity Prevention across Europe project

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