Tehran University Medical Journal

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Background: Increase in obesity prevalence in recent years are associated to genetics as well environmental and behavioral factors. Change in dietary patterns including fatty and high density energy foods consumption have been reported to be very important. This study aimed to determine dietary factors (daily energy and macronutrient intakes, energy percentage of macronutrient, energy and macronutrient intakes per kilogram body weight, frequency of cola, natural fruit juice drinking, dairy products except cheese, tomato chips, puff, chocolate and fast food consumption and eating speed) associated to obesity in Ahwaz primary school pupils.

Materials and Methods: Using two stage cluster sampling from 35 Ahwaz primary schools, all 10-11y students who had a BMI 95th percentile of Hosseini et al. (1999) reference, were identified as obese (n=150) and 150 same age and gender pupils (having BMI<85 percentile) were studied. Data on daily energy and macronutrient intakes were collected using 24 hour recall. Frequency of cola, natural fruite juice, dairy products except cheese, tomato chips, puff, chocolate and fast food consumption were obtained by food frequency questionnaire. Eating speed was asked from the pupil mother.

Results: Results indicated that daily energy, protein and carbohydrate intakes were significantly higher in obese students (p<0.05), but daily fat intake and energy percentage of macronutrient had no significant difference between two groups (p>0.05). macronutrient intakes per kilogram body weight were significantly lower in obese group (p<0.001). obese students had significantly higher potato chips and puff consumption (p<0.05). There was no significant difference between other foods consumption (p>0.05). Obese students used to eat faster (p<0.05).

Conclusion: In conclusion, high intakes of energy, protein, carbohydrate, tomato chips and puff and high eating speed were associated to obesity in Ahwaz primary school pupils.

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Background: The effects of population aging are becoming apparent throughout the world. Diseases, such as cardio-vascular disease (CVD) and diabetes, are among the most important factors affecting morbidity and mortality, especially in the elderly. These diseases not only result in huge economic costs for treatment and care, but also results in hardship and time lost for relatives of the afflicted individuals. The association between nutritional status and disease is well known. In the present study, the effects of both under-nutrition and over-nutrition on the prevalence of disease are monitored in an urban Iranian elderly population. Thus far, no similar study has been performed in the Iran.
Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Isfahan, Iran, during late 2003 on 1694 elderly people (731 males, 963 females), aged 60 years and older. Subjects were randomly chosen from all urban elderly people during a door-to-door and weight and height survey. They were selected using a cluster sampling method, each containing 30 clusters. From each cluster, 58 elderly were selected at random. Using each subjects body mass index (BMI), the nutritional status was categorized as overweight (BMI greater than 25), underweight (BMI less than 19) and normal (having a BMI equal to or more than 19 and equal to or less than 25). Any illnesses known to each subject were also recorded.
Results: Results showed that 4.7% of the subjects were underweight and 61.2% overweight. Women were more likely to be overweight and long periods of watching television increased the risk of overweight in all subjects. Being overweight was associated with diabetes and coronary vascular diseases, and lean people were less likely to suffer from such diseases.
Conclusion: This study indicates a high prevalence of overweight among the Iranian elderly population, indicating the need for improvement in nutritional status in order to reduce the prevalence of diabetes and CVD.

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Background: Food security is defined as access, for all people at all times, to enough food for an active and healthy life. Food security includes: 1) the ready availability of nutritionally-adequate and safe food, and 2) an assured ability to acquire acceptable foods in socially acceptable ways. The increase in childhood as well as adulthood obesity and food insecurity has caused many recent investigations on obesity, food insecurity and some associated factors. However, there appears to be a lack of published information regarding some factors affecting obesity and food insecurity. This study aimed to determine the prevalence obesity and food insecurity and some associated factors among Yazd province primary school students in Iran.

Methods: Using two-stage cluster sampling, a total of 3245 students (1587 boys and 1658 girls), aged 9-11 years, were randomly selected from primary school pupils in Yazd, Iran. From these, 187 students having BMIs ≥95^th percentile, as defined by Hosseini et al. (1999), were identified as obese and 187 pupils of the same age and gender having BMIs between the 15^th and 85^th percentiles were selected as controls. Data were collected using 24-hour food-recall and USDA food insecurity questionnaires.

Results: We found that the prevalence of obesity among students aged 9-11 years was 13.3%, and the prevalence of food insecurity was 30.5%. Daily energy intakes, compared to those recommended by the RDA, carbohydrate intake and energy percentages from proteins and carbohydrates were higher in obese children, and all macronutrient intakes per kilogram of body weight were significantly higher. An association between obesity and food insecurity was observed with adjusted fat intake.

Conclusion: In conclusion, the prevalence of obesity and food insecurity is high among Yazd primary school students, and high-level intakes of energy, protein, carbohydrate are associated with obesity. Furthermore, variation in the rate of fat intake is a relative factor for food insecurity.

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Background: The sensitivity and specificity of body mass index (BMI) percentiles of CDC2000 standard which is used in determining obesity in Iranian children was compared with child real obesity identified by fat mass index (FMI) and obesity status in these children based on BMI and FMI was compared too.
Methods: Weight, height and triceps skinfold (TSF) thickness were measured in 1800 primary school children in Sabzevar, Iran. Fat mass (estimated from TSF) and weight were divided by height squared to calculate FMI and BMI, respectively. FMI at or above the 90th percentile of age- and sex- specific data in this study was considered as criterion for real obesity, and BMI≥95th and 85thResults: Based on the CDC cut-offs, the prevalence of overweight and obesity in our children were 7.9% and 4.8%, respectively. From the real obese and non-obese children identified by the FMI, 43.3% and 0.6% were identified as obese according to BMI, respectively. In addition, the sensitivity and specificity of 90th percentile of BMI to identify children as obese, were 71.1% and 98% respectively.
Conclusions: The efficacy of BMI in determining childhood obesity may be less than expected and it appears that FMI in comparison with BMI, is a better indicator of obesity in children, but more studies in this area are required.