Handgrip strength (HGS) is a well-established indicator of muscle strength and can help to identify risk of sarcopenic obesity in children. This study explores the relationship between adiposity and muscular strength in healthy Chilean adolescents. Adolescents (n = 491) aged 10-17 were selected from five schools in Santiago, Chile. HGS was determined by dynamometry. Anthropometry (weight, height, waist and mid arm circumference), physical activity and socioeconomic status were also measured. Relative HGS (RHGS) was calculated by dividing maximum HGS of the dominant hand by body-mass index (BMI) and low RHGS was categorized as <25 th percentile by sex. Logistic regression was used to determine the relationship between two markers of adiposity (abdominal obesity category by waist circumference and nutritional status measured by BMI category) and low RHGS, adjusting for possible confounding variables. Participants were on average 13.6y (2.4), 32.8% were overweight or obese and 37.5% were at risk of or had abdominal obesity. RHGS was 1.25 kg/kg/m 2 overall, with a significant difference by sex (1.51 for boys versus 1.14 for girls). In adjusted analyses, boys and girls with risk of abdominal obesity, had 3.3 (1.6-6.6) and 4.1 (1.8-9.3) increased odds of low RHGS, respectively, compared to boys and girls with normal waist circumference. Those with abdominal obesity compared to normal WC, had 8.5 (3.4-21.4) and 6.5 (2.0-21.3) increased odds of low RHGS for boys and girls, respectively. We observed similar associations for BMI category. In our sample of healthy adolescents, higher adiposity related to greater odds of low muscle strength measured by dynamometry. Considering the demographic shift from a young to an aging population in many countries, along with the increasing prevalence of obesity beginning in childhood, understanding how adiposity relates to low muscle strength is of growing importance.

The aim of the present study was to analyze the anthropometric changes in a home-based cohort of Brazilian older adults who participated in the SABE Survey, conducted in 2000 and 2006. A total of 1030 men and women were examined by age group: 60–69, 70–79, and ≥80 years. This representative sample consists of the survivors of the 2000 cohort. The following anthropometric variables were assessed: body mass, arm muscle, waist and calf circumferences, triceps skinfold thickness, body mass index, waist-hip ratio, and arm muscle area according to mean values and percentile distribution. Except for body mass and body mass index, a significant difference (P < 0.05) was observed among the assessed anthropometric variables during the follow-up period. The older adults ≥80 years presented the lowest values. The reduction in the mean values of triceps skinfold thickness was greater (30%) than that of waist circumference (9%) and was more pronounced in women (21%) than in men (9%). Arm muscle circumference and area reduced by 8% and 19%, respectively, in men and 1% and 3%, correspondingly, in women. Our findings revealed reductions in the mean values for all anthropometric variables in the follow-up period from 2000 to 2006 among older adults.

No abstract

Resumo Verificar a associação da incidência de diabetes melito (DM) e variáveis determinantes em coorte de idosos. Foram analisados idosos, participantes do Estudo SABE – Saúde, Bem-Estar e Envelhecimento, realizado no município de São Paulo, em 2000 (2.143 idosos), e em 2006 (1.115 idosos). As variáveis de estudo foram: DM; sociodemográficas (sexo, grupo etário, escolaridade, companhia no domicílio), estado nutricional (risco para obesidade, obesidade e gordura abdominal), clínicas (número de doenças referidas) e de estilo de vida (ingestão de bebida alcoólica, hábito de fumar, ingestão de carnes e de frutas, legumes e verduras). Utilizou-se regressão logística múltipla para verificar a associação entre variáveis de estudo, utilizando o programa Stata/SE 10.0. Em 2006, 914 idosos, sobreviventes de 2000, foram analisados, dos quais 72 constituíram os novos casos de DM (incidência de 7,7/1.000 pessoas-ano). Verificou-se associação (p < 0,000) entre incidência de DM com obesidade corporal (OR = 1,67; IC = 1,00–2,81) e gordura abdominal elevada (OR = 2,32; IC = 1,47-3,67). Concluiu-se que a obesidade corporal e a gordura abdominal elevada foram as variáveis que contribuem para o desenvolvimento da DM em idosos.