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PubMed1992

[Somatic development of Czech and Slovak children and adolescents in the 80s].

The paper introduces the new growth values of body height and body weight of the Czech and Slovak children and youth aging 1 1/2 to 18 years. The research was carry out during the 1987-1988 years on the whole territory of Czech and Slovak Federative Republic. It embraceds 47,099 probands. In comparison with the oldest and more new czech and slovak values the both characteristics in interpretation of long-termed and short-termed action of secular trend is percetible the further enlargement of the body height and body weight. In contrast to ancient is perceptible that the Slovak children in the present time are equal or higher from the Czech children. During the period of adolescence they are however exceed from the Czech probands. The like relation exists by the boys in the body weight. However, the Slovak girls are in mean lighter than the Czech girls already from 9 years of age. The counterpoise of body weight and eventual exceeding of Czech children theirs Slovak contemporaries can be possible originates with improve nutritional conditions of the Slovak populations in the antecendent periods after the Second World War. The mean intersexual differences on the end of adolescent period by both of our nationalities are 11-12 cm of body height and 12-13 kg of body weight.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

The family environment and American adolescents' risk of obesity as young adults.

In this article, the effects of the family environment and adolescents' behaviors while in school grades 7 through 12 on their weight status 6 years later are examined using data from the United States National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. Ordinal regression models of 6378 adolescents reveal that their family environments exert an influence on their weight that lasts into young adulthood. Parental obesity puts both males and females at greater risk for being overweight or obese as young adults, as does already having excessive weight in adolescence. The findings also reveal significant gender differences in the intergenerational transmission of body weight within families. Higher parental educational attainment, a stronger perception that parents care about them, and a higher self-esteem reduce female adolescents' risk for excessive weight as young adults, while being African American or Native American increases it. In contrast, only a perception that their parents are trying to control their diets and a higher degree of closeness with a parent put male adolescents at greater risk for excessive weight as young adults. Adolescents' participation in physical activities does not predict subsequent weight for either males or females, although the amount of time spent in sedentary activities does for females, but not males. The only adolescent behavior examined that influenced male weight in young adulthood was eating breakfast.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

The role of familial values in understanding the impact of social class on weight concern.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the role of social class on aspects of weight concern and to assess the possible impact of values on mediating this association. METHOD: Two hundred fifty-seven girls ranging in age from 13 to 16, from either a fee paying inner city independent girls school (higher class school, n = 135) or a state comprehensive, inner city girls school (lower class school, n = 122) completed a questionnaire concerning their profile characteristics (age, social class), aspects of their weight concern, and their own and their perceptions of their significant others' values (achievement, family life, and physical appearance). RESULTS: The results showed consistent effects of class on weight concern, with the higher class subjects reporting higher levels of restrained eating, greater body dissatisfaction, and body distortion than their lower class counterparts. The results also showed an effect of class on values, with the lower class subjects placing more importance on family life from both their own perspective and that of their parents and friends, and rating their friends as valuing achievement and physical appearance more than the higher class subjects. In terms of the best predictors of weight concern, the results showed that higher levels of restrained eating were related to being from a higher class, placing greater importance upon physical appearance, preferring a thinner ideal female body, and placing less importance upon family life; greater body dissatisfaction was related to being from a higher social class, placing greater importance upon physical appearance and a lower importance upon achievement, and greater body distortion was related to being from a higher social class and a high value placed upon physical appearance. CONCLUSION: The results indicate both a direct social class/weight concern link and a relationship which is mediated by values. The results are discussed in terms of developing an improved measure of class values and the relatively stable nature of class boundaries.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Pune low birth weight study--cognitive abilities and educational performance at twelve years.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the intelligence, visuo-motor perception, motor competence and school performance of children with birth weight less than 2000 grams, at the age of 12 years. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: Infants discharged from a Neonatal Special Care Unit of a referral hospital with birth weight less than 2000 g between 1987-89 and followed up in the High Risk Clinic. METHODS: The children were assessed by the Weschler's Intelligence Scale, Bender Gestalt test for visuo-motor perception, Wide Range Achievement Test for specific learning disability, Draw-a-Person screening test for emotional problems and Movement Assessment Battery for motor competence. Academic achievement was also scrutinised. RESULTS: One hundred and eighty children weighing less than 2000 grams at birth and ninety control children were assessed. The mean IQ of the study group was normal (89.5 +/- 16.9), though significantly lower than that of controls (97.2 +/- 14.1; p<0.05). Pre term SGA children had the lowest mean IQ (85.4 +/- 17.7). In the 78 VLBW children, there were 12 (15.4%) mentally retarded children as compared to only 3 (3.3%) amongst controls (p<0.001). There were only 3 (3.8%) 'bright' children among the VLBW group, as compared to 20 (22.2%) in the control group (p<0.001). Visuo-motor perception and motor competence of the study group was poor, and they had writing and mathematics learning disability, especially the preterm SGA and VLBW group. Academic achievement was poor and the incidence of borderline intelligence was 24.4%, which has increased from 13.4% at 6 years. CONCLUSIONS: The intelligence and academic performance of the children weighing less than 2000 grams is significantly lower than that of controls, though within normal limits. They also have poor visuo-motor perception, motor incompetence, reading and mathematics learning disability. The preterm SGA and VLBW children had the poorest cognitive abilities.

Age Distribution↗
PubMed1991

Attentionally splitting the mass distribution of hand-held rods.

Two experiments on the length-perception capabilities of effortful or dynamic touch differed only in terms of what the subject intended to perceive, while experimental conditions and apparatus were held constant. In each trial, a visually occluded rod was held as still as possible by the subject at an intermediate position. For two thirds of the trials, a weight was attached to the rod above or below the hand. In Experiment 1, in which the subject's task was to perceive the distance reachable with the portion of the rod forward of the hand, perceived extent was a function of the first moment of the mass distribution associated with the forward portion of the rod, and indifferent to the first moment of the entire rod. In Experiment 2, in which the task was to perceive the distance reachable with the entire rod if it was held at an end, the pattern of results was reversed. These results indicate the capability of selective sensitivity to different aspects of a hand-held object's mass distribution, without the possibility of differential exploration specific to these two tasks. Results are discussed in relation to possible roles of differential information, intention, and self-organization in the explanations of selective perceptual abilities.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

In the eye of the beholder: social and personal characteristics of teenagers and their impressions of themselves and fat and slim people.

Fifty-nine female and 79 male secondary students rated six stimulus figures (self, ideal self, fat young man/woman, slim young man/woman) on 28 personal rating scales. They also complete the Eysenck personality Inventory. Each of the stimulus-figure data sets was factor analysed and the factor scores were related to role, personality, and perceived weight status by means of correlational and discriminant function analyses. The results showed that the perceives' sex, ethnicity and perceived weight status were related to their perception of the stimulus figures. These relationships included interactions between sex and ethnicity in their effects on reported views of ideal self and fat young woman (FYW). Daughters of European migrants reported more independent and stronger self-aspiration than did their peers, and sons of European migrants saw FYW mor positively that did the other subjects. The observed relationship between females' perceived weight status and their self-concepts suggest that body image may be of greater importance for girls that for boys of this age. Extraversion and neuroticism differed according to sex in their relationships with the subjects' perceptions of the FYW figure. These and other findings indicate that the presence or absence of obesity has relevance for social and psychological processes as well as for medical issues.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Physical activity and self-perception in school children assessed with the Children and Youth--Physical Self-Perception Profile.

AIM: This study validated the Swedish translation of the Children and Youth--Physical Self-Perception Profile (CY-PSPP) scale and examined the relation between physical self-perception and daily physical activity as well as the relationship between physical self-perception and body mass index (BMI) among Swedish school children. METHODS: Forty-eight children aged 11-12 years completed the CY-PSPP twice with 2 weeks in between. Test-retest reliability, concurrent and content validity were calculated. Five hundred and one children, aged 10-14 years, were measured for height and weight and perceived physical self-perception. Activity levels were analyzed using pedometers for 4 consecutive days. RESULTS: Good validity concerning concurrent and content validity was found. Test-retest reliability over a 2-week period was acceptable. In boys a fair and in girls a poor correlation between the sub-domains of the CY-PSPP and physical activity were found and a fair negative correlation between the sub-domains and BMI except for Physical Strength. CONCLUSION: The CY-PSPP distinguishes between children with low and high physical self-perception. The information is of importance when designing physical activity programs reachable for children with low physical self-esteem. According to the findings it is important to form physical activity programs that support and develop Sport Competence, Physical Condition and sense of Body Attractiveness among children.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Overweight men's motivations and perceived barriers towards weight loss.

OBJECTIVE: To explore motivation and perceived barriers towards weight loss among Danish men. DESIGN: The study was of an explorative nature, using qualitative focus group interviews as a method. SETTING: Copenhagen, Denmark. SUBJECTS: Twenty-two overweight men, at the age of 25-44 years and motivated for weight loss, were recruited and distributed into four focus groups. The men were primarily unskilled workers. Overall 13 men participated and each group contained three or four participants. INTERVENTION: The interview guide was partly structured, partly unstructured and the themes of the interviews were motives and perceived barriers towards weight loss. RESULTS: Main barriers for losing weight appeared to be lack of motivation and the perception of the slimming diet. The men had a desire to have a lean appearance and avoid illness, but in all the interviews it appeared that the strongest motive for losing weight was a strong desire to become more effective and a greater asset for one's workplace. Overweight subjects were considered less effective and attractive for the labour market. CONCLUSION: This study indicates that if men from lower socioeconomic backgrounds are to be motivated to weight loss the focus should not be on leanness and good health but rather on increased effectiveness and performance, and the arena should include the working place. SPONSORSHIP: The Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University supplied the necessary equipment and conference rooms.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Food behaviors of southern rural community-living elderly.

OBJECTIVE: To examine how food behaviors and indicators of nutritional status of elderly living in rural communities might relate to age, race, income, medication use, activities of daily living and instrumental activities of daily living, living arrangements, and other lifestyle and health measures. DESIGN: In-home survey administered by trained interviewers. SETTING: Communities in rural North Carolina. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 2178 adults, aged 60 years and older, representing a 2% random stratified example of the region's elderly. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Weight status described by body mass index, functional status as activities of daily living and instrumental activities of daily living, and self-reported food and health behaviors. RESULTS: Substantial diversity exists among households by age, race, residential location, and household size. Almost three fourths of respondents had seen a physician in the last 6 months. More than 33% of women and 28% of men were obese, but none reported having been prescribed a weight-loss diet. About 18% of the respondents were underweight. Weight was not related to income, perceptions of health, chronic disease, medication use, feelings of depression, instrumental activities of daily living, or exercise. Most (65%) ate three meals per day, and almost all were able to eat without assistance. Few drank much liquid or participated in structured exercise programs. Research is needed to determine the impact of weight status on the quality of life of elderly persons living in rural areas. CONCLUSIONS: Current literature descriptions of food behaviors and nutritional status of the elderly may not appropriately describe rural elderly. Attention should be given to the identification and treatment of malnutrition in the elderly.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed2004

Metamers in the haptic perception of heaviness and moveableness.

It is hypothesized that heaviness perception for a freely wielded nonvisible object can be mapped to a point in a three-dimensional heaviness space. The three dimensions are mass, the volume of the inertia ellipsoid, and the symmetry of the inertia ellipsoid. Within this space, particular combinations yield heaviness metamers (objects of different mass that feel equally heavy), whereas other combinations yield analogues to the size-weight illusion (objects of the same mass that feel unequally heavy). Evidence for the two types of combinations was provided by experiments in which participants wielded occluded hand-held objects and estimated the heaviness of the objects relative to a standard. Further experiments with similar procedures showed that metamers of heaviness were metamers of moveableness but not metamers of length. A promising conjecture is that the haptic perceptual system maps the combination of an object's inertia for translation and inertia for rotation to a perception of the object's maneuverability.

Humans↗
PubMed1984

General practitioner and health promotion: what patients think.

Although there has been growing interest in general practitioners' participation in promoting health, little is known about the attitudes of their patients. Thus we sent a copy of a self administered questionnaire (the Health Survey Questionnaire) to 3452 patients aged 17-70 who were registered with two practices in north west London. Questions about attitudes to and perceptions of general practitioners' interest in weight, smoking, drinking, and fitness problems were included. The patients were also asked whether they thought that they had a problem in any of these areas. The response rate was 72%. Of those who responded, the proportions who thought that their general practitioners should be interested ranged from 72% in the case of fitness to 83% for weight, but only 38% thought that general practitioners had in fact been interested in fitness and only 48% thought so about weight. Forty one per cent of the respondents thought that they had a fitness problem, 42% a weight problem, and 59% of the smokers thought that they had a smoking problem. Four per cent of respondents stated that they had a drinking problem. Of those patients who said that they had a problem, the proportions who thought that their general practitioners had seemed interested ranged from 43% for fitness to 69% for smoking. The findings of this study suggest that greater participation by general practitioners in health promotion would be well received by most patients and that currently there may be considerable discrepancies between patients' expectations and their perception of their general practitioner's interest in these areas of preventive medicine.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

What is a demanding lifting job for manual handling workers in Hong Kong?

Although lifting tasks are traditionally evaluated by researchers, through the use of methods which depend on one or more approaches (i.e., psychophysical, biomechanical and physiological methods), none of these approaches makes use of expert workers in the evaluation of lifting activities. Given that 97% of lower back symptoms are aches, pains and discomfort and rely on self-reports, it is intuitive to use expert workers in evaluating the stressfulness of lifting activities. In this investigation, 217 workers from three industries in the Hong Kong area were surveyed to determine what constitutes a demanding lifting job from a worker standpoint. This was achieved by asking workers to map, in numerical terms, the level of lifting task parameter described in linguistic values. For example, the weight of load was described in three linguistic descriptors, namely, 'light', 'moderate' and 'heavy'. Then, each worker was asked to assess the meaning of these linguistic descriptors in numerical terms, based on their perception and experience with manual handling work. In this study, workers were asked to map the physical analogue of linguistic descriptors for seven lifting task parameters which are utilized in the NIOSH lifting equation, that is, weight of load, horizontal distance, vertical travel distance, vertical origin of lift, angle of asymmetry, frequency of handling and task duration. The data obtained from the workers were then subjected to validity testing in relation to norms and values reported in the published literature. On a preliminary basis, it appears that workers' assessments are logical and valid. The results suggest that the worker-based methodology is a promising approach and that it is worthwhile to pursue this approach further in the evaluation of industrial lifting activities.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Infant weight and gestational age effects on thermoneutrality in the home environment.

OBJECTIVE: To describe infant temperature in the home environment and explore factors, particularly weight and gestational age at birth, associated with maintenance of thermal neutral temperatures in the home. DESIGN: Continuous abdominal skin temperature was recorded at 1-minute intervals for a 24-hour period in both full-term and preterm infants, using a two-group exploratory design. SETTING: Infants were studied in the home environment. PATIENTS/PARTICIPANTS: Twenty-four preterm and 16 full-term infants were studied at approximately 44 weeks postconceptional age. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Abdominal skin temperature was coded as within, over, or under the thermal neutral zone, and the percentage of time in these thermal conditions was calculated. RESULTS: Regression analysis was conducted, and weight, gestational age, and weight by gestational age interaction were found to be statistically significant predictors of percent of time over and under the thermal neutral zone. Smaller preterm infants were overheated, whereas heavier preterm infants were underheated. Smaller full-term infants were underheated, and heavier full-term infants were overheated. CONCLUSION: Thermal care of infants in the home may be influenced by parental perception of thermal vulnerability relative to weight and gestational age at birth.

Body Temperature Regulation↗
PubMed2005

Prevalence, characteristics, and correlates of teasing experiences among overweight children vs. non-overweight peers.

OBJECTIVE: Information regarding the prevalence, nature, sources, and psychosocial correlates of teasing was obtained for overweight (OV) children (10 to 14 years of age) vs. non-overweight (non-OV) peers. It was hypothesized that weight-related teasing would be negatively correlated with self-esteem in specific domains and with enjoyment of physical/social activities and positively correlated with loneliness, bulimic behaviors, body dissatisfaction, and enjoyment of sedentary/isolative activities. RESEARCH METHODS AND PROCEDURES: Teasing experiences and psychosocial correlates were assessed among OV children from a fitness camp and a demographically similar school sample of non-OV children. RESULTS: Among the OV children, appearance-related teasing was more prevalent, frequent, and upsetting, involved disparaging nicknames focusing more on weight rather than less stigmatized aspects of appearance, and more often perpetrated by peers in general rather than a specific peer. Degree of teasing within the full sample was significantly associated with higher weight concerns, more loneliness, poorer self-perception of one's physical appearance, higher preference for sedentary/isolative activities, and lower preference for active/social activities, all but the latter association holding up above and beyond actual weight status and demographics. Among OV children, teasing was associated with bulimic behaviors. Associations with type of teasing showed specificity, with weight-related teasing predicting weight and appearance variables and competency-related teasing related to social domain factors. DISCUSSION: When frequency, intensity, emotional impact, and stigmatized content are examined, findings indicate that teasing is more severe for OV children. Effective interventions are needed to help victims cope with and prevent further weight-related teasing, which may improve peer functioning, enhance weight control efforts, and reduce risk for future eating disturbance.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

The Bristol-Myers Anorexia/Cachexia Recovery Instrument (BACRI): a brief assessment of patients' subjective response to treatment for anorexia/cachexia.

A brief visual analogue instrument was developed and tested in the context of a multicentre randomized double-blinded four-dose trial of megestrol acetate for the treatment of AIDS-related anorexia/cachexia. This nine-item instrument, the Bristol-Myers Anorexia/Cachexia Recovery Instrument (BACRI), was administered every 4 weeks after initiation of study drug (placebo vs 100 mg, 400 mg or 800 mg of drug). The purpose of the instrument was to quantify patient perception of benefit in areas such as decreased concern over weight, decreased concern over appearance, increased pleasure in eating and increase in global perception of quality of life. Post-trial psychometric evaluation of the instrument strongly supported the use of a seven-item index of subjective recovery from symptoms of anorexia/cachexia (BACRI-7) and a single criterion item depicting patient perception of benefit (BACRI-1). The BACRI-7 and BACRI-1 scales showed significant improvement over 12 weeks in patients who received higher dose active drug (400 and 800 mg) compared with the placebo and 100 mg doses. Further differentiation of 400 vs 800 mg arms was seen in the BACRI-7 results, consistent with dose-response improvements in weight and lean body mass changes. Quadratic trends over time in lean body mass change and provider-rated appetite grade suggested peak therapeutic effect at 8 weeks for these endpoints, whereas the absence of these trends in overall weight and patient-reported BACRI scores suggested that these benefits are more persistent. Although subjective (patient-reported) benefit is strongly associated with objective indicators of improvement, there remains the possibility that there is some added, independent benefit of megestrol acetate to subjective well-being.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed2002

Young children's performance on the balance scale: the influence of relational complexity.

Three experiments investigated the effect of complexity on children's understanding of a beam balance. In nonconflict problems, weights or distances varied, while the other was held constant. In conflict items, both weight and distance varied, and items were of three kinds: weight dominant, distance dominant, or balance (in which neither was dominant). In Experiment 1, 2-year-old children succeeded on nonconflict-weight and nonconflict-distance problems. This result was replicated in Experiment 2, but performance on conflict items did not exceed chance. In Experiment 3, 3- and 4-year-olds succeeded on all except conflict balance problems, while 5- and 6-year-olds succeeded on all problem types. The results were interpreted in terms of relational complexity theory. Children aged 2 to 4 years succeeded on problems that entailed binary relations, but 5- and 6-year-olds also succeeded on problems that entailed ternary relations. Ternary relations tasks from other domains--transitivity and class inclusion--accounted for 93% of the age-related variance in balance scale scores.

Age Factors↗
PubMed2003

Short-term changes of fatigability and muscle performance in severe obese patients after an integrated body mass reduction program.

The effects of a short-term (3-week) integrated body weight reduction (BWR) program on fatigue perception and on lower limb anaerobic power output were evaluated in 200 severely obese in-patients (40 males and 160 females, age: 18-83 yr, BMI: 35.0-65.3 kg/m2). Fatigue was assessed by a 7-point Likert-type scale questionnaire (Fatigue Severity Scale, FSS), while average lower limb power output (W) during a maximal effort was determined with a modification of the Margaria test for stair climbing. In both genders, total FSS score was influenced by both age and obesity level, resulting significantly (p < 0.001) lower in younger subjects (< 45 yr) than in older (> 45 yr) and in patients with lower BMI (< 40 kg/m2) than in those with a higher one (> 40 kg/m2). An opposite trend was observed in W. The 3-week BWR integrated program with moderate aerobic exercise and free standing and ground gymnastic routines induced a significant reduction in body weight (p < 0.001), in total FSS score (p < 0.001) and a significant increase in W, both in absolute terms (p < 0.05) and relative to body mass (p < 0.001). Total FSS score and absolute or relative power output were positively correlated both before and after the BWR program (p < 0.001, Wilcoxon rank test). It is concluded that: a) subjective fatigue perception, assessed by a FSS questionnaire, can be considered an indirect indicator of effective lower limb power output in severely obese patients and, b) in spite of a relatively small, although significant, decline of BMI, the full-time participation in a hospital-based, integrated BWR program with moderate exercise activity is associated with significant short-term improvements of both fatigue sensation and power output. Dia

Adolescent↗