Background The well-being of persons with overweight and obesity, in particular of children and adolescents, may be impaired. The present study investigates the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of girls and boys with overweight and obesity living in Germany as compared to those of normal-weight, while taking a selection of relevant determinants of HRQoL into account. Methods The sample comprises 1771 children and adolescents aged 11 to 17 years that took part in the cross-sectional German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents (KIGGS Wave 2, 2014–2017). Sex-and age-specific BMI (kg/m2) percentiles were utilized to classify overweight and obesity. HRQoL was measured with the KIDSCREEN-27 questionnaire, which gathers detailed information about the five dimensions physical and psychological well-being, well-being regarding peers (i.e., social acceptance), parents (i.e., autonomy) and within the school environment. Multiple regression analyses were performed with HRQoL dimensions as outcomes to test for differences between children and adolescents with normal-weight vs. those with overweight and vs. those with obesity, separately for girls and boys. In a next step, age, physical activity, media consumption, social support and self-efficacy were considered as potential confounders in the analyses. Results 18.7% of the children and adolescents under study were affected by overweight and among them 8.0% by obesity. After adjusting for potential confounders, overweight and obesity were associated with lower physical well-being as compared to normal weight in both sexes (boys with overweight: standardized beta [β] = −.14, standard error [SE] = .03, p < .001, and obesity: β = −.16, SE = .03, p < .001; girls with overweight: β = −.09, SE = .04, p = .011, and obesity: β = −.11, SE = .03, p = .003). Results moreover suggest lower levels of psychological (β = −.10, SE = .04, p = .002) and parent-related well-being (β = −.08, SE = .04, p = .036) of boys with obesity as compared to normal-weight peers. Conclusion HRQoL of German children and adolescents with overweight and obesity is impaired according to physical well-being in general, while psychological and parent-related well-being is particularly affected in boys. Public health approaches should therefore promote children and adolescents with overweight and obesity by improving diverse facets of HRQoL as well as relevant associated factors (i.e., media consumption, self-efficacy) in general and in boys in particular.

Background Up to 8% of all children in industrialized countries suffer from food allergies, whereas children with atopic eczema are affected considerably more frequently. In addition, the type and starting time of weaning foods seem to influence the development of food allergies. However, data from interventional studies on weaning are controversial. The aim of this randomized-controlled clinical trial is to investigate, whether an early introduction of hen's egg (HE), cow’s milk (CM), peanut (PN), and hazelnut (HN) in children with atopic eczema can reduce the risk for developing food allergies in the first year of life. Methods This is a protocol for a randomized, placebo controlled, double blind, single-center clinical trial. One hundred fifty infants with atopic eczema at 4–8 months of age will be randomized in a 2:1 manner into an active group that will receive rusk-like biscuit powder with HE, CM, PN, and HN (initially approximately 2 mg of each food protein) for 6–8 months or a placebo group, whose participants will receive the same rusk-like biscuit powder without HE, CM, PN, and HN on a daily basis. During the interventional period, the amount of allergens in the study product will be increased three times, each after 6 weeks. All study participants who are sensitized to HE, CM, PN, or HN at the end of the interventional period will undergo an oral food challenge to the respective food in a further visit. Primary endpoint is IgE-mediated food allergy to at least one of the four foods (HE, CM, PN or HN) after 6–8 months of intervention (i.e., at around 1 year of age). Secondary endpoints include multiple food allergies, severity of eczema, wheezing, and sensitization levels against food allergens. Discussion This clinical trial will assess whether an early introduction of allergenic foods into the diet of children with atopic eczema can prevent the development of food allergies. This trial will contribute to update food allergy prevention guidelines. Trial registration German Clinical Trials Register DRKS00016770. Registered on 09 January 2020.

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