This study was designed to provide estimates of overweight (OW), obesity (OB), and abdominal OB (AO) in a representative sample of adolescents throughout the whole of Greece. A total of 14,456 adolescents aged 13-19 years (6,677 boys and 7,779 girls) had direct measurements (height, weight, waist circumference (WC)) taken at school during 2003. The overall prevalence of OW including OB in the population studied was 29.4% in boys and 16.7% in girls. OB prevalence was also higher in boys than in girls (6.1% vs. 2.7%), whereas prevalence of AO was higher in girls than in boys (21.7% vs. 13.5%). Rates of OW, OB, and AO were significantly more prevalent in the Greek than in the foreign male population (immigrants). OW% in adolescent girls was independently associated with smoking and alcohol consumption. The prevalence of OW and OB in Greek adolescents is high, particularly in boys, comparable with that reported for most Mediterranean European countries. AO, mainly in adolescent girls, also appears high. Preventive and treatment strategies are urgently needed to combat this OB epidemic in Greece.

Aim: To provide estimates of the prevalence of obesity, overweight and body fat distribution among the adult population of Greece. Design: Epidemiological, cross-sectional nationwide survey providing self-reported data. Subjects: A total of 17,341 men and women aged from 20 to 70 years and classified into five 10-year age groups participated. The selection was conducted by stratified sampling through household family members of Greek children attending school. Measurements: The participants reported data on weight, height, waist and hip circumference. BMI and waist-to-hip ratio were calculated. Abdominal obesity was defined as waist circumference ≧102 cm in men and ≧88 cm in women. Results: In the total population, the mean BMI was 26.5 kg/m², (27.3 in men, 25.7 in women). The overall prevalence of obesity was 22.5%, (26% in men, 18.2% in women) while that of overweight was 35.2% (41.1% in men, 29.9% in women). The percentages of obesity and overweight in men were similar in almost all age groups, while in women they progressively increased with age. Abdominal obesity was more frequent among women than men (35.8 vs. 26.6%, respectively), especially after the age of 50. Conclusions: Excess body weight is reaching epidemic proportions in Greece and obesity rates are among the highest, if not the highest, in Western society. The problem affects particularly men, and women after menopause. Interestingly, more women than men present with abdominal obesity. Preventive and treatment strategies are urgently needed to stop the obesity epidemic in this Mediterranean European country.

BackgroundThere are about 70 small islands in the Aegean and Ionian Sea, of less than 300 Km2 and 5000 inhabitants each, comprising a total population of more than 75,000 individuals with geographical and socioeconomic characteristics of special interest. The objective of the present study was to assess lifestyle characteristics and the state of cardiovascular risk of the population of a small Eastern Mediterranean island, Elafonisos.MethodsPERSEAS (Prospective Evaluation of cardiovascular Risk Surrogates in Elafonisos Area Study) is an ongoing, population-based, longitudinal survey of cardiovascular risk factors, life-style characteristics and related morbidity/mortality performed in a small and relatively isolated island of the Aegean Sea, named Elafonisos. Validated, closed-ended questionnaires for demographic, socio-economic, clinical and lifestyle characteristics were distributed and analyzed. The MedDietScore, a validated Mediterranean diet score was also calculated. In addition, all participants underwent measurement of anthropometric parameters, blood pressure and a full blood panel for glucose and lipids.ResultsThe analysis included 596 individuals who represented 74.5% of the target population. The mean age of the population was 49.5 ± 19.6 years and 48.2% were males. Fifty participants (8.4%) had a history of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The rates of reported diabetes, hypertension, and hypercholesterolemia were 7.7%, 30.9% and 30.9% respectively, with screen-detection of each condition accounting for an additional 4.0%, 12.9%, and 23.3% of cases, respectively. Four hundred and seven individuals (68.3%) were overweight or obese, 25% reported being physically inactive and 36.6% were active smokers. The median MedDietScore was 25 [interquartile range: 6, range 12–47] with higher values significantly associated with older age, better education, increased physical activity, absence of history of diabetes and known history of hypercholesterolemia.ConclusionsObesity and traditional risk factors for CVD are highly prevalent among the inhabitants of a small Mediterranean island. Adherence to the traditional Mediterranean diet in this population is moderate, while physical activity is low. There seems to be a need for lifestyle modification programs in order to reverse the increasing cardiovascular risk trends in rural isolated areas of the Mediterranean basin.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12889-017-4053-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Background/aim: Previous studies have shown that there may be a diversity in the ultrasonographic (US) features discriminating a malignant from a benign thyroid nodule. We determined the reliability of the specific nodule shape in combination with other US features in predicting thyroid carcinomas. Patients and Methods: This was a retrospective single-center study investigating the association of the morphological characteristics of nodular goiters from preoperative US and color Doppler images with malignancy based on pathology. Results: We evaluated 254 thyroid nodules (malignant, n=131) from 205 patients. Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that taller-than-wide shape [odds ratio (OR)=25.3, 95% confidence interval (CI)=5.4-118.9; p<0.001], microcalcifications (OR=4.9, 95% CI=2.5-9.5; p<0.001), hypoechogenicity (OR=4.5; 95% CI=2-10.3; p<0.001) and size (OR=0.93; 95% CI=0.89-0.98; p=0.002) were independently associated with thyroid nodule malignancy. Additionally, we found a strong negative correlation between size and taller-than-wide shape of a thyroid nodule (r=−0.41, p<0.001). Conclusion: Among the important indicators of thyroid malignancy, taller-than-wide nodules with microcalcifications are most likely to be malignant.

AbstractsBackground Childhood obesity increases the likelihood of several consequences for a child (precocious puberty, polycystic ovary syndrome, diabetes mellitus type 2, etc) and also later in adulthood (increased mortality due to cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, etc). Aim The aim of the current study was to investigate the prevalence of overweightness and obesity among Greek students and to determine the correlation between diet and physical activity. Methods 2374 pupils in primary education were considered for the study (1206 boys and 1168 girls). Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS version 15.0 (SPSS Chicago, IL USA). A p-value < 0.05 was accepted for statistical significance. Results Cross-correlation between overweight and obese children and sex showed that more males (9.2%) are obese than females (5.3%). The rate of overweight children was at 23.9%, of obese children at 7.3% and the rate of central obesity was at 35.5%. Regarding children that did not follow a healthy diet in school, 34.1% of them were overweight or obese and 38.6% had central obesity; 32% of the children that had a healthy diet in school were overweight or obese, and 27.8% of them had central obesity. In multiple regression analyses, central obesity was associated with hours of daily TV watching and with the hours of daily computer use. Conclusions It is important adhering to a healthy lifestyle which emphasizes healthy food choices and habits, regular physical activity, and limiting screen time.