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Background: Obesity is associated with an increased risk of morbidity and mortality as well as reduced life expectancy. The last two decade of previous century have witnessed dramatic increase in health care cost due to obesity and related issues among children and adolescents.The main objective of the study was to find out determinants of obesity and overweight among school children. Methods: The present cross sectional study was undertaken during July 2009 to April 2011 in randomly selected 4 schools of Pune city, India. Total 1281 children between the age group of 10 to 15 years were examined after taking written informed consent of their parents using pre-designed, pre-tested, semi-structured performa. Anthropometric measurements were taken and BMI were calculated. The prevalence of overweight and obesity were determined based on the IOTF (International Obesity Task Force) criteria. Various determinants of obesity and overweight were studied by interviewing children. Thus collected data was analyzed using Microsoft Excel and Open-Epi Software (Version 2.3). Results: Out of 1281 children, 54.09% were males. Overall prevalence of obesity and overweight was 5.62% and 9.99% respectively. The prevalence of obesity and overweight was significantly higher amongst less active group (9.3 % and 13.95%, respectively) as compared to more active group. Prevalence of obesity and overweight was significantly higher in the group of children who spent >3 hours for study and who spent >2 hours daily in front of television or computers. The prevalence of obesity and overweight was significantly higher amongst group of children who took daily calories above RDA (18.57% and 15.19% , respectively) as compared to the other group. The prevalence of obesity and overweight was significantly higher in them (8.91% and 13.36%) as compared to those who took junk food less than or equal to 2 times per week (1.71% and 5.98%,respectively). The prevalence of obesity and overweight among children having parents with history of obesity was 46.15% and 17.94%, respectively which was significantly higher than those without parental history of obesity (4.34% and 9.74%). Conclusions:The prevalence of obesity and overweight was significantly higher in children with sedentary lifestyle, high consumption of junk food and high calorie diet with positive family history of obesity.

Background In today’s busy world, health is often neglected especially among full-time workers. Consequently, lifestyle disorders such as vitamin deficiencies are increasing, perhaps because of inadequate nutrition and lack of sunlight due to long hours working indoors. These deficiencies can lead to various short-term and long-term complications. Objective To estimate serum levels of vitamin B12 and vitamin D3 among vegetarian employees. Methods and materials A questionnaire about dietary and exercise habits was administered to participants who fulfilled the inclusion criteria and provided informed written consent. Participants also were asked about drug and supplement intake, history of smoking and alcohol, specific symptoms of vitamin B12 and D3 deficiency, and sociodemographic status. Blood samples were collected to estimate serum B12 and D3 levels. Results The results indicated that 14.00% of participants were vitamin B12 deficient and 82.00% were D3 deficient. Differences by gender were not statistically significant; vitamin B12 deficiency was identified in 10.00% of women and 14.44% of men, and vitamin D3 deficiency occurred in 100.00% of the women and 80.00% of men. Among 71 participants aged 35-45 years, 15.49% and 91.55% were deficient in B12 and D3, respectively; among 25 participants aged 46-55, 12.00% and 64.00% were deficient in B12 and D3, respectively; among four participants older than 55, no vitamin B12 deficiency was observed, but 25.00% were deficient in vitamin D3 (p=0.00002). Nearly all (96.15%) participants who reported never exercising were found to be vitamin D3 deficient, compared to 77.02% of those who exercised (OR=0.13, p=0.043). No significant association was found between alcohol consumption and vitamin B12 (p=1) or D3 (p=0.713) deficiency. Conclusions The results revealed a prevalence of both vitamin B12 and D3 deficiencies among corporate employees who identified as vegetarians. Increased awareness, dietary modifications, conscious physical activity, and most importantly, attention to one’s health may help improve vitamin sufficiency. Women over age 45 should pay particular attention due to their increased risk of vitamin D3 deficiency. Further research is needed to assess nutrition profiles among other populations to better understand vitamin deficiencies and design adequate preventive measures.

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