Natural ways are better: Adolescents and the ‘anti-obesity’ gene

Empirical research with young people in Finland, Germany, Spain and Britain was carried out as part of the BIOCULT project funded by the European Union. The project focused on their attitudes to biotechnology and, in particular, the formation of arguments about risk and safety. This paper looks at the responses of 14–18 year olds to a story about the so called anti-obesity gene, in the form of advice to a friend who is taking it. The majority advised against taking it with some differences by gender and country. Most reservations were on grounds of safety and the feeling that ‘natural’ ways to lose weight are better: A minority questioned the idea of striving for a ‘perfect’ body. The types of arguments used by the young people reveal underlying perspectives on the place of human beings in the world and whether they have a right to manipulate nature and their own bodies. Marie Levitt is a sociologist with research interests in attitudes and values in relation to biotechnology, health and religion.     

AN INDEX FOR ASSESSING WEIGHT CHANGE IN CHILDREN: WEIGHT/HEIGHT RATIOS1

Weight and height data from two studies were recomputed, and original data were computed using a Weight Index formula that accounts for the interaction of actual weight/height changes in growing children and compares this ratio with that of normed weight/height ratios for equal-aged children. Recomputing the data of one study showed that the Weight Index is a more sensitive procedure for assessing long-term behavioral treatment of obesity for girls than weight alone. Recomputing the data of a second study showed that the Weight Index formula is consistent for boys and girls and is a more sensitive procedure for assessing long-term effects of a variety of medical treatments for obesity than the Ponderal Index or weight alone. Computation of the data for 17 “normal” children in a preschool class showed a zero Weight Index score before and after a six-month interval elapsed without treatment. The procedure may be useful in assessing ponderosity or anorexia over intervals of six months or more with growing children or difference between actual and normed weight over shorter intervals.     

Assessment of human obesity: The measurement of body composition

The most common methods of assessing degree of obesity in humans are reviewed. These include anthropometry, somatotyping, bodyweight, skinfold calipering, densitometry, and several nondensitometric procedures. The evidence suggests that bodyweight may often be an unreliable and invalid index of obesity. The parameters influencing its inaccuracy are discussed. These include age, height, sex, muscularity, and degree of obesity or amount of recent weight loss. The most reliable and valid measures of human bodyfat are generally the most complicated and impractical. Compromise assessment procedures involving nonintrusive measurement of subcutaneous fat and selected anthropometric dimensions may offer an incomplete but welcome improvement over sole reliance on bodyweight as an index of obesity.     

The Effect of Effort and Weight Controllability on Perceptions of Obese Individuals

We examined the impact of offset controllability (capability of losing weight) and offset effort (efforts to lose weight) on judgments of an obese target. Participants (n = 216) read about an obese person whose body weight was controllable/uncontrollable, and who did/did not put in effort to eat healthily and exercise. Effort played a more important role than controllability in evaluations of the target. Targets who put in effort to be healthy were ascribed fewer obesity stereotypes, evoked less disgust, and were considered to have a more acceptable lifestyle. These findings extend attribution theory and have implications for strategies to reduce weight bias.     

阿卡波糖、二甲双胍联合胰岛素类似物治疗肥胖糖尿病短期疗效

观察阿卡波糖、二甲双胍联合胰岛素类似物治疗肥胖2型糖尿病的短期疗效。将60例符合标准患者随机分为观察组和对照组各30例,均给予重组甘精胰岛素联合赖脯胰岛素强化治疗控制血糖,观察组同时给予阿卡波糖及二甲双胍口服,出院时进行疗效评价。观察组血糖达标时间、胰岛素用量少于对照组,餐时胰岛素停用比例大于对照组,差异有统计学意义（P＜0．05）;两组患者出院时体重较入院时均有所下降,观察组较对照组体重变化更明显（P＜0．01）。阿卡波糖、二甲双胍联合胰岛素类似物治疗方案,可作为初诊肥胖2型糖尿病治疗的理想方法之一。     

Generalization of theory-based predictions for improved nutrition to adults with morbid obesity: Implications of initiating exercise

Exercise is a robust predictor of long-term success with weight loss, and research based on social cognitive theory suggests that exercise program-induced changes in self-regulation, mood, and self-efficacy transfer to improved eating. These relationships were tested in adults with morbid obesity (overall M_age = 43 years; 86% female; M_{body mass index} = 45 kg/m²) participating in a 6-month treatment of cognitive-behaviorally supported exercise paired with either standard nutrition education (n = 87) or cognitive-behavioral methods for controlled eating (n = 89). Based on multiple mediation analyses, improvements in self-regulation and self-efficacy were significantly associated with increased fruit and vegetable intake and reduced body mass index (BMI). The cognitive-behavioral nutrition methods were associated with greater improvements in fruit and vegetable intake and BMI, however, within both models, complete mediation was found after simultaneous entry of changes in self-regulation, mood, and self-efficacy, and exercise volume as mediators. Only the indirect effect of change in self-regulation was a significant (or marginally significant) independent mediator. Generalization of previously identified relationships between exercise program-induced improvements in psychosocial variables and improvements in nutrition and BMI were supported for individuals with morbid obesity. Based on these relationships, implications for behavioral treatments were discussed.     

Prevalence and correlates of metabolic syndrome in Hong Kong Chinese adults—a random community sample study

The study investigates the prevalence and correlates of metabolic syndrome (MS) among Hong Kong Chinese adults. Random cluster sampling design and International Diabetes Federation (IDF) MS criteria were adopted. Totally 737 adults participated in questionnaire survey and received waist circumference (WC) measurement. Among them 335 showed central obesity (WC > 80 and 85 cm for women and men respectively). Subsequently 229 accepted blood test. Totally 71 participants met MS criteria, suggesting an overall prevalence of 14.1%. Both central obesity and MS increase sharply with age. Chi-square/ANOVA analyses revealed significant positive associations between central obesity with: being male, marital status being married/cohabit, lower education level, occupation as managers or housewives, and alcohol consumption. For MS, the significant positive correlates were: lower education level, occupation as service workers or housewives, lower income level, and alcohol consumption. After controlling for age, binary logistic regression analyses suggested the significant risk factors for central obesity were being male (OR = 1.4), married/cohabit (OR = 1.8), longer working hours (OR = 1.5), eating less vegetables (OR = 1.5), and alcohol consumption (OR = 1.8). For MS, only alcohol consumption appeared to be a significant risk factor (OR = 2.3). Multivariate binary logistic regressions also supported that age group and alcohol consumption were significant predictors of MS. To conclude, adopting randomized cluster sampling and IDF criteria, the study revealed a prevalence rate of MS at 14.1%. Alcohol consumption appears to be the strongest risk factor of MS, which however needs further investigation.     

Mental health consequences of weight cycling in the first-year post-treatment for breast cancer

Objectives: Weight cycling is linked with advanced breast cancer diagnosis, increased risk of cancer reoccurrence and cancer-related mortality. While women treated for breast cancer report challenges with navigating their post-treatment body shape and weight, the effects of weight cycling on body image and mental health have not been elucidated. This study examined associations between weight changes and weight cycling on psychological health (i.e. weight-related guilt, shame and depressive symptoms) among women in the first-year post-treatment.

Design and Outcome Measures: Self-reported assessments of pre-cancer weight cycling, post-treatment weight-related guilt, shame and depressive symptoms, and objective assessments of weight were assessed in a longitudinal sample of 173 women treated for breast cancer (M_age = 55.01 ± 10.96 years).

Results: Based on findings from multilevel models, women experienced the most weight-related shame when their weight was heavier than their personal average. Additionally, heavier weight was associated with worse psychological health, particularly for women with a history of stable (vs. cycling) weight pre-cancer.

Conclusions: Weight cycling pre-cancer and post-treatment weight change have important implications for psychological well-being. Due to the potential psychological consequences associated with a history of weight cycling, targeted strategies are needed to improve overall health outcomes for women’s survivorship after breast cancer.     

Understanding the prevalence and correlates of implicit theories of weight in the United States: Insights from a nationally representative sample

Objectives: The primary aim of this research is to understand how mindsets about weight controllability in the United States relate to population health. We examined the distribution of people’s implicit theories of weight, from an incremental (controllable) to an entity (not controllable) mindset, in a nationally representative sample, as well as their relation to: sociodemographic factors, beliefs about behaviour and genetics as causes of obesity and engagement in weight management-relevant behaviours.

Methods: We report data from the National Cancer Institute’s Health Information National Trends Survey 4.

Results: A majority of respondents endorsed an incremental mindset of body weight, but endorsement of this mindset was stronger among younger, white respondents, and those with a higher income and more educational attainment. A stronger incremental mindset was related to stronger behaviour and weaker genetic causal beliefs about obesity, as well as a tendency to report increased engagement in weight management-relevant behaviours.

Conclusions: Our research provides evidence that although incremental mindsets are more common overall and associated with engagement in health behaviours that can contribute to or detract from population health, incremental mindsets are less common among individuals from more marginalised groups.     

Bi-Directional Relationship Between Self-Regulation and Improved Eating: Temporal Associations With Exercise,Reduced Fatigue,and Weight Loss

ABSTRACT. Severely obese men and women (body mass index ≥ 35 ≤ 55 kg/m²; M_age = 44.8 years, SD = 9.3) were randomly assigned to a 6-month physical activity support treatment paired with either nutrition education (n = 83) or cognitive-behavioral nutrition (n = 82) methods for weight loss. Both groups had significant improvements in physical activity, fatigue, self-regulation for eating, and fruit and vegetable intake. Compared to those in the nutrition education group, participants in the behavioral group demonstrated greater overall increases in fruit and vegetable intake and physical activity. These group differences were associated with changes that occurred after Month 3. Increased physical activity predicted reduced fatigue, β = ?.19, p =.01. A reciprocal relationship between the mediators of that relationship, which were changes in self-regulation and fruit and vegetable intake, was identified. There was significantly greater weight loss over six months in the behavioral nutrition group when contrasted with the nutrition education group. Self-regulation for eating and fruit and vegetable intake were significant predictors of weight loss over both three and six months. Findings enabled a better understanding of psychosocial effects on temporal aspects of weight loss and may lead to more effective behavioral treatments for weight loss.