BackgroundAssociations of dietary patterns in Chinese adolescents and children with later obesity have not previously been investigated. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the associations between dietary patterns and the risk of obesity in Chinese adolescents and children by using a longitudinal design.MethodsData from the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS), a nationally representative survey, were used for our analysis. 489 participants 6–14 years of age were followed from 2006 to 2011. Factor analysis was used to identify the dietary patterns in Chinese adolescents and children. Ordered logistic regression models were used to examine the association between dietary patterns and later obesity.ResultsTwo dietary patterns were revealed by factor analysis, the traditional Chinese dietary pattern (with high intake of rice, vegetables, poultry, pork and fish and the modern dietary pattern (with high intake of wheat, processed meat and fast food). Children in the highest quartile and the second-highest quartile of the traditional Chinese dietary pattern was inversely associated with later obesity compared with children in the lowest quartile over 5 years (OR = 0.19, 95%CI: 0.09, 0.40 for Q4; OR = 0.47, 95%CI: 0.33, 0.67 for Q3); Children in the highest quartile of the modern dietary pattern was positively associated with later obesity compared with children in the lowest quartile over 5 years (OR = 2.02, 95%CI: 1.17, 3.48).ConclusionsDietary patterns in Chinese adolescents and children are associated with later obesity. These findings further confirm the importance of children’s dietary patterns in later obesity and lay groundwork for dietary culture-specific interventions targeted at reducing rates of obesity in children and adolescents.

<b><i>Objectives:</i></b> The purpose of this research was to conduct a meta-analysis of the role that physical activity (PA) plays in influencing the critical proinflammatory cytokine levels associated with overweight/obese children and adolescents to explore the effectiveness of exercise intervention within this population. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> With searches of the PubMed, EMBASE, and CENTRAL databases, we updated our meta-analysis up to November 2018. The randomized controlled trials (RCT) evaluated the ability of exercise training to increase the following factors in children and/or adolescents classified as obese or overweight: tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-6, and C-reactive protein (CRP). <b><i>Results:</i></b> Eleven RCT comprising 623 children and/or adolescents who were obese or overweight (i.e., 393 with PA and 230 controls) were suitable for use in this study. The meta-analysis showed that PA in general was associated with a significant reduction of CRP levels (mean difference = –0.45 mg/L, <i>p</i> = 0.02) in overweight/obese children and adolescents. Based on 115 overweight and obese youths, this study suggests that PA does not significantly mitigate IL-6 levels (mean difference = –0.39 pg/mL, <i>p</i> = 0.08), although there was a trend towards a reduction. Additionally, no close connection was observed between PA and TNF-α levels at 0.04 pg/mL (<i>p</i> = 0.78). Moreover, meta-regression analysis revealed a statistical association between CPR levels and changes in BMI or changes in adiponectin; likewise, IL-6 levels dramatically impacted the effect of exercise on changes in adiponectin. <b><i>Conclusions:</i></b> PA was associated with significantly reduced CRP levels, whereas there was no significant association with IL-6 or TNF-α in overweight/obese children or adolescents; however, there was a trend towards a reduction of IL-6.

Background: Most studies related to food addiction have focused on assessing food addiction among adult populations. However, evidence in adolescents has been limited. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of food addiction in a non-clinical adolescent sample. Psychosocial correlations of food addiction and associations with different quality of life dimensions were also tested. Methods: The sample included 593 Chinese adolescents (51.9% female; age range: 13–17 years). All participants provided sociodemographic information and completed questionnaires regarding food addiction, depression, self-esteem, loneliness, psychosocial problems, and quality of life (QoL). Results: The prevalence of food addiction was 6.91% in our sample. A multivariable logistic regression indicated that food addiction was associated with depression (AOR = 2.58; 95% CI: 1.32–5.05), low self-esteem (AOR = 2.75; 95% CI: 1.31–5.78), and loneliness (AOR = 2.30; 95% CI: 1.14–4.65). After multivariable adjustments for sociodemographic and psychological variables, food addiction was associated with lower overall QoL and psychosocial health of QoL. Conclusions: Food addiction may be common among Chinese adolescents. Food addiction was associated with depression, low self-esteem, and loneliness. Lastly, food addiction was also associated with lower overall QoL and psychosocial health of QoL. Future public health programs and interventions consider targeting the factors associated with food addiction to increase healthy eating behaviors among adolescents.

Purpose: To determine the plasma concentrations of butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), also known as pseudocholinesterase, in different weight categories of adolescents, and to explore the possible association between plasma BChE and overweight (OW), obesity, and metabolic syndrome (MetS) in Chinese adolescents. Patients and methods: This cross-sectional study included 1,236 Chinese adolescents (194 obese [OB], 188 OW, 732 normal weight [NW], and 122 underweight [UW]). The biochemical variables and anthropometric variables of the study participants were evaluated. Plasma BChE level was measured by DGKC method. Results: OB was associated with a higher prevalence of upper strata plasma BChE levels when compared with the BChE levels in UW, NW, and OW group. A logistic regression analysis showed that plasma BChE was positively associated with the OB group when compared with the NW group. Boys in the OW group, but not the OB group, had a significantly higher prevalence of upper stratum of BChE levels. Plasma triglyceride, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, and ApoB levels were positively associated with the upper stratum of BChE levels when compared with lower stratum. MetS and most of its components were more prevalent among subjects with upper stratum rather than lower stratum BChE levels. Receiver operating characteristic curves for plasma BChE in subjects with MetS indicated that the AUC was 0.80 (95%CI:0.70–0.90, P <0.001) and 0.89 (95%CI:0.82–0.95, P <0.001) in girls and boys, respectively. After adjusting for age, the multivariate-adjusted odds ratio for MetS in the upper stratum of BChE levels was 8.73 (95%CI: 3.49–21.84) in the boys cohorts and also in the girls cohorts (OR=1.71, 95%CI: 1.35–21.70). Conclusion: This study confirmed an association between BChE levels and weight status in Chinese adolescents, and demonstrated that the upper strata of plasma BChE levels were associated with being OW, and even more highly associated with obesity. Plasma BChE levels were positively associated with MetS and its components and could be useful for identifying adolescents with MetS.

BackgroundThe aims of this study were to determine the association between sibling rank and childhood obesity among children ≤ 5 years of age in rural China, and to investigate the effect of child gender and the obesity status of other siblings on this association.MethodsData from the China Family Panel Studies, a nationally representative survey, was used for the analysis. Sibling rank was defined as the birth order of all children with the same biological mother. A total of 1116 children ≤ 5 years of age were divided into four groups: children without siblings, first-born children, second-born children, and third-born or younger children. For each child, the body mass index and standard deviation (BMI z score) was calculated according to WHO standards; children with BMI z scores > 2 were classified as obese or overweight (ObOw). Logistic regression models were used to estimate the association between sibling rank and ObOw status, and the possible influence of gender and ObOw status among other siblings.ResultsThe second and third-born or younger children had a significantly higher risk of becoming ObOw than children without siblings (odds ratio [OR]: 1.32, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.07–1.63 and OR:1.38, 95% CI: 1.17–1.63, respectively). Specifically, female second-born children and male third-born or younger children had a significantly higher risk of ObOw (OR: 1.50, 95% CI: 1.11–2.01 and OR: 1.57, 95% CI: 1.07–2.32, respectively). Having an ObOw sibling increased the probability of being ObOw and the magnitude of the effect was larger if siblings were younger.ConclusionsSibling rank was shown to be associated with ObOw status among children 0–5 years of age in rural China. Our findings can help healthcare practitioners and authorities to identify children at risk of obesity. Future studies should focus on the mechanisms of this association.