Objective: Aboriginal children are disproportionately affected by obesity, as they are twice as likely to be classified as obese compared to their non-Aboriginal Canadian counterparts. Research indicates that income, food insecurity, and diet quality are important predictors of weight status, however these factors are not well explored among Aboriginal children living off reserve. This study aims to identify associations between food insecurity and diet on obesity status among off-reserve First Nations and Métis children. Methods: This study used both quantitative and qualitative research methods. Data from the 2006 Aboriginal Peoples Survey (APS) – Children and Youth component were analyzed using binary logistic regression and the proportional odds model to assess relationships between food insecurity, diet, and body mass index (BMI). Fruit and vegetable intake, as well as junk food consumption, were used as proxy measures for children’s diet quality. Additional analyses involving income instead of food insecurity, as well as food insecurity interaction terms, were also explored. Focus groups were conducted with caregivers of Métis and off-reserve First Nations children in Midland-Penetanguishene and London, Ontario, respectively. The focus groups were planned and carried out in partnership with the Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO) and the Southwest Ontario Aboriginal Health Access Centre (SOAHAC). A thematic analysis was conducted with the qualitative data, and the focus group discussions provided important contextual information to complement the statistical results. Results: Approximately 11% of First Nations and 6.8% of Métis children were food insecure according to the 2006 APS. The quantitative analysis did not find a significant association between food insecurity and diet, or food insecurity and BMI for First Nations or Métis children. Income was a better predictor of weight status than food insecurity. For First Nations children, having a household income higher than $60,000 decreased the risk of being overweight/obese. For Métis children, a household income of less than $20,000 increased the risk of overweight/obesity. Food insecurity was only significant as an interaction with parental education for First Nations children, and with parental education and number of people living in the household for Métis children. The proportional odds model produced similar results to the binary logistic regression procedure, and food insecurity remained insignificant in the analyses. Contrary to the quantitative findings, the focus group discussions indicated that caregivers perceived a positive relationship between low income and food insecurity, as well as adverse impacts on their children’s diets. While caregivers did not use the term “food insecurity” explicitly, conversations about not having enough food or money for food, as well as coping strategies for when these situations occurred, suggested that food insecurity manifests itself in different ways. Caregivers mentioned decreased variety of foods, compromised fruit and vegetable intake, as well as decreased traditional food consumption as examples of how families’ food consumption and purchasing patterns changed when food insecure. Food insecurity negatively impacted children’s diets, and many caregivers attributed the rise in overweight and obesity to poor diet quality. Some of the key barriers to children eating healthfully were unaffordability and limited access to healthy foods. Caregivers also discussed the role of various programs for improving child health within their communities. Conclusions: While food insecurity was not significantly associated with obesity in the quantitative analyses, discussions with caregivers of First Nations and Métis children identified food insecurity and low income as important predictors of poor diet, and consequently decreased well-being. Several limitations associated with the 2006 APS design may have prevented food insecurity from being significantly associated with obesity risk; however, it is clear from both the quantitative and qualitative components of this study that income consistently affects diet and child obesity risk. Findings from this study can inform necessary improvements to existing programs, interventions, and policies targeting obesity and health of Aboriginal children.

Objective: Aboriginal children are disproportionately affected by obesity, as they are twice as likely to be classified as obese compared to their non-Aboriginal Canadian counterparts. Research indicates that income, food insecurity, and diet quality are important predictors of weight status, however these factors are not well explored among Aboriginal children living off reserve. This study aims to identify associations between food insecurity and diet on obesity status among off-reserve First Nations and Métis children. Methods: This study used both quantitative and qualitative research methods. Data from the 2006 Aboriginal Peoples Survey (APS) – Children and Youth component were analyzed using binary logistic regression and the proportional odds model to assess relationships between food insecurity, diet, and body mass index (BMI). Fruit and vegetable intake, as well as junk food consumption, were used as proxy measures for children’s diet quality. Additional analyses involving income instead of food insecurity, as well as food insecurity interaction terms, were also explored. Focus groups were conducted with caregivers of Métis and off-reserve First Nations children in Midland-Penetanguishene and London, Ontario, respectively. The focus groups were planned and carried out in partnership with the Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO) and the Southwest Ontario Aboriginal Health Access Centre (SOAHAC). A thematic analysis was conducted with the qualitative data, and the focus group discussions provided important contextual information to complement the statistical results. Results: Approximately 11% of First Nations and 6.8% of Métis children were food insecure according to the 2006 APS. The quantitative analysis did not find a significant association between food insecurity and diet, or food insecurity and BMI for First Nations or Métis children. Income was a better predictor of weight status than food insecurity. For First Nations children, having a household income higher than $60,000 decreased the risk of being overweight/obese. For Métis children, a household income of less than $20,000 increased the risk of overweight/obesity. Food insecurity was only significant as an interaction with parental education for First Nations children, and with parental education and number of people living in the household for Métis children. The proportional odds model produced similar results to the binary logistic regression procedure, and food insecurity remained insignificant in the analyses. Contrary to the quantitative findings, the focus group discussions indicated that caregivers perceived a positive relationship between low income and food insecurity, as well as adverse impacts on their children’s diets. While caregivers did not use the term “food insecurity” explicitly, conversations about not having enough food or money for food, as well as coping strategies for when these situations occurred, suggested that food insecurity manifests itself in different ways. Caregivers mentioned decreased variety of foods, compromised fruit and vegetable intake, as well as decreased traditional food consumption as examples of how families’ food consumption and purchasing patterns changed when food insecure. Food insecurity negatively impacted children’s diets, and many caregivers attributed the rise in overweight and obesity to poor diet quality. Some of the key barriers to children eating healthfully were unaffordability and limited access to healthy foods. Caregivers also discussed the role of various programs for improving child health within their communities. Conclusions: While food insecurity was not significantly associated with obesity in the quantitative analyses, discussions with caregivers of First Nations and Métis children identified food insecurity and low income as important predictors of poor diet, and consequently decreased well-being. Several limitations associated with the 2006 APS design may have prevented food insecurity from being significantly associated with obesity risk; however, it is clear from both the quantitative and qualitative components of this study that income consistently affects diet and child obesity risk. Findings from this study can inform necessary improvements to existing programs, interventions, and policies targeting obesity and health of Aboriginal children.

Childhood obesity has increased significantly in the past decade. The same factors putting adults at risk for obesity apply to children as well. For children, the family environment may be one of the largest factors. Obesity affects both adults and children of low socioeconomic status. It also affects families living in the Appalachian region of the United States more frequently than other regions. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between obesity related behaviors and nutrition education among Appalachian participants in the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP). For this study eleven educators from the Appalachian region who work with the EFNEP/SNAP-Education program were interviewed by telephone. Their responses to questions were coded according to a pre-prepared answer guide. From answers provided by staff there are some areas that the EFNEP program could focus on more. Some of these areas include educating participants on budgeting and family finance, cooking skill, parenting skills and physical activity. Answers provided by participants in this study suggest that educators feel fairly successful with making changes related to healthy eating but less successful with making changes in participant’s physical activity.

A obesidade é considerada atualmente como uma doença com proporções epidêmicas. O excesso de peso está relacionado com a falta de atividade física suficiente e tem sido diagnosticado, de forma crescente, desde a infância. Diversos fatores de risco estão ligados à obesidade, como diabetes tipo 2, hipertensão arterial, dislipidemias entre outros. A caminhada apresenta associação com a diminuição desses fatores de risco, além da melhora na saúde ortopédica e metabólica, principalmente em crianças e adolescentes obesos. Embora existam evidências sobre a marcha de adultos e adolescentes obesos, informações sobre a mecânica da marcha de crianças obesas são limitadas. Especificamente, um quadro detalhado dos determinantes mecânicos relacionados à energética da marcha de crianças obesas, para nosso conhecimento, é ausente na literatura. Neste sentido, o objetivo do presente estudo foi verificar os efeitos da obesidade nos parâmetros biomecânicos e metabólicos de crianças, durante a caminhada em diferentes velocidades. Para isso, participaram do estudo 24 crianças, entre sete e nove anos de idade, divididos em dois grupos (grupo de obesos (GO), com n=12 e grupo eutrófico (GE), com n=12), pareados por sexo. Foi realizada uma coleta cinemática (para determinar os componentes espaço-temporais e os componentes do trabalho mecânico) em conjunto com uma coleta metabólica (para determinar o custo energético da caminhada). Foi utilizada estatística descritiva, com médias e desvios padrão, além de análise de variância (ANOVA) de dois caminhos (para verificar os efeitos do grupo e das velocidades de caminhada) e foi utilizado o teste post-hoc de Bonferroni para localizar as diferenças. O nível de significância adotado foi α = 0,05. Os resultados demonstraram que há efeito da obesidade sobre a mecânica e a energética da caminhada de crianças. Crianças obesas utilizam uma estratégia locomotora em que há maior tempo de contato com o solo (em média 14% maior) durante a passada e maior comprimento de passada (em média 9% maior), o que pode estar relacionado com a manutenção da estabilidade entre os grupos. Na análise do trabalho mecânico total (J.kg-1.m-1), não foram identificadas diferenças significativas em nenhuma velocidade, apesar de as crianças obesas apresentarem maior trabalho interno nas maiores velocidades (4km.h-1 no GO foi 0,30 ± 0,04 e no GE foi 0,24 ± 0,04, p=0,022; 5km.h no GO foi 0,42 ± 0,09 e no GE foi 0,33 ± 0,03, p=0,041). A análise dos componentes metabólicos demonstrou importante influência da normalização dos dados, uma vez que, com a normalização pela massa corporal total e com o coeficiente alométrico, o grupo eutrófico apresentou maiores valores na maioria das velocidades, contudo sem a normalização (valores brutos) o custo metabólico foi maior para o grupo obeso em todas as velocidades. Conclui-se que a estratégia locomotora do grupo obeso foi eficiente em aumentar a estabilidade da caminhada, diminuir as diferenças esperadas quanto à realização de trabalho mecânico em relação ao grupo eutrófico, sendo mais econômicas na análise de quantidade de energia consumida por unidade de massa corporal e por unidade de metro percorrido, contudo menos econômicas na análise da quantidade de energia bruta consumida por tempo. / Obesity is currently considered a disease with epidemic proportions. Overweight is related to the lack of physical activity at sufficient level and has been diagnosed from childhood. Several risk factors are associated with obesity, such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia and others. Walking practice is associated with a decreased in these risk factors, in addition to improved orthopedic and metabolic health, especially in obese children and adolescents. Although there is evidence about obese adolescents and adults, information regarding the mechanics of the gait of obese children are limited. Specifically, details of the mechanical determinants related to energy gait of obese children, to our knowledge, is absent in the literature. In this regard, the aim of this study was to investigate the obesity effects on biomechanical and metabolic parameters in children during walking at different speeds. The study included 24 children, between seven and nine years old, divided into two groups (obese group (OG), n=12; eutrophic group (EG), n=12), paired by sex. A kinematic collect was performed to determine the spatiotemporal parameters and the mechanical work components with a metabolic collect to determine the walking energy cost. Descriptive statistics were used with means and standard deviations, as well as a two-way ANOVA (to check the effects of the group and speeds) and we used the post-hoc test of Bonferroni to identify the differences. The significance level was α = 0.05. The results showed that there is influence of obesity on mechanics and energetics parameters in children’s walking. Obese children use a locomotors strategy in which there is longer stance time and (on average 14% higher) and greatest stride length (on average 9% higher), and it can be related to the maintenance of stability between groups. In the total mechanical work analyses, no significant differences were identified in any speeds, although obese children showed grater internal work in the higher speeds (4km.h-1 on OG was 0,30 ± 0,04 and on EG was 0,24 ± 0,04, p=0,022; 5km.h on OG was 0,42 ± 0,09 and on EG was 0,33 ± 0,03, p=0,041). The metabolic components analyses showed great influence of the data normalization, because with the normalization, by total body mass and by allometric coefficient normalization, the eutrophic group showed higher values in most speeds, but without normalization the gross metabolic cost was higher for the obese group at all speeds. We concluded that locomotors strategy of the obese group was effective to increase the stability of walking, reduce the expected differences on the achievement of mechanical work in relation to the eutrophic group, being more economical in the amount of energy expenditure by unity of total body mass, however less economic by a gross metabolic analyses.

abstract: Objectives: This study examines weight loss strategies (eating, physical activity (PA), or both) adopted by overweight or obese (OWOB) parents and children in relation to age, income, gender, education, and race/ethnicity in a predominantly low-income and high minority sample. We also examine if OWOB parent-child dyads employed the same strategies to lose weight, and how these strategies vary by demographic variables. Methods: Data was compiled from the New Jersey Childhood Obesity Study (NJCOB). A random digit dial household phone survey was used to select 1,708 households with at least one child aged 3-18 years from five cities in New Jersey. There were 231 OWOB parent-child dyads in this sample. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were performed to determine the demographic variables significantly associated with the type of weight loss strategy chosen. Results: Males had higher odds of using PA and both eating and PA when compared to females. Higher income adults had higher odds of using all types of weight loss strategies compared to lower income adults. Adults with college education had higher odds of using eating and both eating and PA when compared to those with high school education. Older children (6-11 and 12-19 years) had higher odds of using PA when compared to younger children (2-5 years). Children of foreign-born parents (> 10 years in the US) had higher odds of using eating to lose weight compared to the children of US born parents. Children overall had higher odds of adopting a weight loss strategy if it was also adopted by the parent. In subgroup analysis, parent-child dyads had higher odds of adopting similar strategies among older children (12-19) and among girls, but this association did not hold true for younger children (2-11 years) and among boys for PA. Conclusion: Older OWOB children (12-19) and female children had higher odds of adopting their parents’ weight loss strategies. Younger children did not follow the same pattern as their parents and among boys concordance was observed only for eating strategies. Results from the study may inform future family-based weight management interventions. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Exercise and Wellness 2016

Mudanças nos hábitos alimentares somadas ao sedentarismo são os principais fatores do aumento da prevalência do excesso de peso. A obesidade infantil é uma realidade, tornando-se um grave problema de saúde pública mundial. Na infância, a família é considerada o principal apoio ao indivíduo interferindo diretamente no desenvolvimento dos jovens. O presente estudo teve como objetivos verificar a influência dos estilos parentais na prática de atividade física e no estado nutricional dos estudantes de três escolas do ensino fundamental; avaliar a acurácia e satisfação na percepção do tamanho corporal dos estudantes e também a percepção dos pais em relação ao tamanho corporal dos filhos. A amostra consistiu em 154 estudantes, com idade entre nove e 12 anos, de ambos os sexos e seus respectivos responsáveis, sendo um total de 308 participantes. Para classificar o estilo parental foi utilizado as Escalas de Exigência e Responsividade e a percepção da imagem corporal foi investigada por meio da Escala de Silhuetas Infantis. Para análise dos resultados foram utilizados o teste de Correlação Linear de Pearson e Análise de Variância (ANOVA). Os resultados mostraram que 40% dos estudantes estavam acima do peso, e a prática de atividade física foi menor nos estudantes com pais menos exigentes. O estilo parental mais frequente avaliado tanto pelas crianças quanto pelos pais foi o autoritativo. Apenas 23,4% dos estudantes apresentaram uma percepção acurada do seu tamanho corporal e 50% dos pais subestimaram o tamanho corporal de seus filhos. Essa subestimação foi maior quanto maior o índice de massa corporal da criança. Concluímos que uma pequena parcela dos estudantes tem uma percepção acurada do seu tamanho corporal, e que há uma tendência dos pais subestimarem o tamanho corporal dos filhos. Poucos estudantes foram considerados ativos fisicamente. Não encontramos relação entre o estado nutricional da criança e o estilo parental da família. / Changes in eating habits coupled with physical inactivity are the main factors in increasing the prevalence of overweight. Childhood obesity is a reality, making it a serious public health problem worldwide. In childhood, the family is considered the main support to the individual directly interfering in the development of the young. The present study had as objective to verify the influence of the parental styles in the practice of physical activity and nutritional status of the students; and assess the accuracy and overall satisfaction of students and their caregivers with their body image. The sample consisted of 154 students, aged between 9 and 12 years, of both sexes and their respective responsible ones, being 308 participants. To classify the parenting style was used the Scales of Responsiveness and Demandingness and the physical activity practice of the students was evaluated by the questionnaire to evaluate the Physical Activities of children and adolescents. The perception of the corporal image was investigated through the Scale of Silhouettes for children. To analyze the results, Pearson\'s linear correlation and Variance Analysis were used to analyze the results. The results showed that 40% of the students are overweight. The practice of physical activity was lower in students with less demanding parents. 23.4 % of students had an accurate perception of their body size and 50% of the parents underestimated the size of their children. This underestimation was greater the higher the body mass index of the child. We conclude that a small portion of the students has an accurate perception of their body size, and that parents have a distorted perception of the children\'s body image. There was no relationship between the child\'s nutritional status and the family\'s parental style.

A obesidade é considerada atualmente como uma doença com proporções epidêmicas. O excesso de peso está relacionado com a falta de atividade física suficiente e tem sido diagnosticado, de forma crescente, desde a infância. Diversos fatores de risco estão ligados à obesidade, como diabetes tipo 2, hipertensão arterial, dislipidemias entre outros. A caminhada apresenta associação com a diminuição desses fatores de risco, além da melhora na saúde ortopédica e metabólica, principalmente em crianças e adolescentes obesos. Embora existam evidências sobre a marcha de adultos e adolescentes obesos, informações sobre a mecânica da marcha de crianças obesas são limitadas. Especificamente, um quadro detalhado dos determinantes mecânicos relacionados à energética da marcha de crianças obesas, para nosso conhecimento, é ausente na literatura. Neste sentido, o objetivo do presente estudo foi verificar os efeitos da obesidade nos parâmetros biomecânicos e metabólicos de crianças, durante a caminhada em diferentes velocidades. Para isso, participaram do estudo 24 crianças, entre sete e nove anos de idade, divididos em dois grupos (grupo de obesos (GO), com n=12 e grupo eutrófico (GE), com n=12), pareados por sexo. Foi realizada uma coleta cinemática (para determinar os componentes espaço-temporais e os componentes do trabalho mecânico) em conjunto com uma coleta metabólica (para determinar o custo energético da caminhada). Foi utilizada estatística descritiva, com médias e desvios padrão, além de análise de variância (ANOVA) de dois caminhos (para verificar os efeitos do grupo e das velocidades de caminhada) e foi utilizado o teste post-hoc de Bonferroni para localizar as diferenças. O nível de significância adotado foi α = 0,05. Os resultados demonstraram que há efeito da obesidade sobre a mecânica e a energética da caminhada de crianças. Crianças obesas utilizam uma estratégia locomotora em que há maior tempo de contato com o solo (em média 14% maior) durante a passada e maior comprimento de passada (em média 9% maior), o que pode estar relacionado com a manutenção da estabilidade entre os grupos. Na análise do trabalho mecânico total (J.kg-1.m-1), não foram identificadas diferenças significativas em nenhuma velocidade, apesar de as crianças obesas apresentarem maior trabalho interno nas maiores velocidades (4km.h-1 no GO foi 0,30 ± 0,04 e no GE foi 0,24 ± 0,04, p=0,022; 5km.h no GO foi 0,42 ± 0,09 e no GE foi 0,33 ± 0,03, p=0,041). A análise dos componentes metabólicos demonstrou importante influência da normalização dos dados, uma vez que, com a normalização pela massa corporal total e com o coeficiente alométrico, o grupo eutrófico apresentou maiores valores na maioria das velocidades, contudo sem a normalização (valores brutos) o custo metabólico foi maior para o grupo obeso em todas as velocidades. Conclui-se que a estratégia locomotora do grupo obeso foi eficiente em aumentar a estabilidade da caminhada, diminuir as diferenças esperadas quanto à realização de trabalho mecânico em relação ao grupo eutrófico, sendo mais econômicas na análise de quantidade de energia consumida por unidade de massa corporal e por unidade de metro percorrido, contudo menos econômicas na análise da quantidade de energia bruta consumida por tempo. / Obesity is currently considered a disease with epidemic proportions. Overweight is related to the lack of physical activity at sufficient level and has been diagnosed from childhood. Several risk factors are associated with obesity, such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia and others. Walking practice is associated with a decreased in these risk factors, in addition to improved orthopedic and metabolic health, especially in obese children and adolescents. Although there is evidence about obese adolescents and adults, information regarding the mechanics of the gait of obese children are limited. Specifically, details of the mechanical determinants related to energy gait of obese children, to our knowledge, is absent in the literature. In this regard, the aim of this study was to investigate the obesity effects on biomechanical and metabolic parameters in children during walking at different speeds. The study included 24 children, between seven and nine years old, divided into two groups (obese group (OG), n=12; eutrophic group (EG), n=12), paired by sex. A kinematic collect was performed to determine the spatiotemporal parameters and the mechanical work components with a metabolic collect to determine the walking energy cost. Descriptive statistics were used with means and standard deviations, as well as a two-way ANOVA (to check the effects of the group and speeds) and we used the post-hoc test of Bonferroni to identify the differences. The significance level was α = 0.05. The results showed that there is influence of obesity on mechanics and energetics parameters in children’s walking. Obese children use a locomotors strategy in which there is longer stance time and (on average 14% higher) and greatest stride length (on average 9% higher), and it can be related to the maintenance of stability between groups. In the total mechanical work analyses, no significant differences were identified in any speeds, although obese children showed grater internal work in the higher speeds (4km.h-1 on OG was 0,30 ± 0,04 and on EG was 0,24 ± 0,04, p=0,022; 5km.h on OG was 0,42 ± 0,09 and on EG was 0,33 ± 0,03, p=0,041). The metabolic components analyses showed great influence of the data normalization, because with the normalization, by total body mass and by allometric coefficient normalization, the eutrophic group showed higher values in most speeds, but without normalization the gross metabolic cost was higher for the obese group at all speeds. We concluded that locomotors strategy of the obese group was effective to increase the stability of walking, reduce the expected differences on the achievement of mechanical work in relation to the eutrophic group, being more economical in the amount of energy expenditure by unity of total body mass, however less economic by a gross metabolic analyses.

A obesidade é considerada atualmente como uma doença com proporções epidêmicas. O excesso de peso está relacionado com a falta de atividade física suficiente e tem sido diagnosticado, de forma crescente, desde a infância. Diversos fatores de risco estão ligados à obesidade, como diabetes tipo 2, hipertensão arterial, dislipidemias entre outros. A caminhada apresenta associação com a diminuição desses fatores de risco, além da melhora na saúde ortopédica e metabólica, principalmente em crianças e adolescentes obesos. Embora existam evidências sobre a marcha de adultos e adolescentes obesos, informações sobre a mecânica da marcha de crianças obesas são limitadas. Especificamente, um quadro detalhado dos determinantes mecânicos relacionados à energética da marcha de crianças obesas, para nosso conhecimento, é ausente na literatura. Neste sentido, o objetivo do presente estudo foi verificar os efeitos da obesidade nos parâmetros biomecânicos e metabólicos de crianças, durante a caminhada em diferentes velocidades. Para isso, participaram do estudo 24 crianças, entre sete e nove anos de idade, divididos em dois grupos (grupo de obesos (GO), com n=12 e grupo eutrófico (GE), com n=12), pareados por sexo. Foi realizada uma coleta cinemática (para determinar os componentes espaço-temporais e os componentes do trabalho mecânico) em conjunto com uma coleta metabólica (para determinar o custo energético da caminhada). Foi utilizada estatística descritiva, com médias e desvios padrão, além de análise de variância (ANOVA) de dois caminhos (para verificar os efeitos do grupo e das velocidades de caminhada) e foi utilizado o teste post-hoc de Bonferroni para localizar as diferenças. O nível de significância adotado foi α = 0,05. Os resultados demonstraram que há efeito da obesidade sobre a mecânica e a energética da caminhada de crianças. Crianças obesas utilizam uma estratégia locomotora em que há maior tempo de contato com o solo (em média 14% maior) durante a passada e maior comprimento de passada (em média 9% maior), o que pode estar relacionado com a manutenção da estabilidade entre os grupos. Na análise do trabalho mecânico total (J.kg-1.m-1), não foram identificadas diferenças significativas em nenhuma velocidade, apesar de as crianças obesas apresentarem maior trabalho interno nas maiores velocidades (4km.h-1 no GO foi 0,30 ± 0,04 e no GE foi 0,24 ± 0,04, p=0,022; 5km.h no GO foi 0,42 ± 0,09 e no GE foi 0,33 ± 0,03, p=0,041). A análise dos componentes metabólicos demonstrou importante influência da normalização dos dados, uma vez que, com a normalização pela massa corporal total e com o coeficiente alométrico, o grupo eutrófico apresentou maiores valores na maioria das velocidades, contudo sem a normalização (valores brutos) o custo metabólico foi maior para o grupo obeso em todas as velocidades. Conclui-se que a estratégia locomotora do grupo obeso foi eficiente em aumentar a estabilidade da caminhada, diminuir as diferenças esperadas quanto à realização de trabalho mecânico em relação ao grupo eutrófico, sendo mais econômicas na análise de quantidade de energia consumida por unidade de massa corporal e por unidade de metro percorrido, contudo menos econômicas na análise da quantidade de energia bruta consumida por tempo. / Obesity is currently considered a disease with epidemic proportions. Overweight is related to the lack of physical activity at sufficient level and has been diagnosed from childhood. Several risk factors are associated with obesity, such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia and others. Walking practice is associated with a decreased in these risk factors, in addition to improved orthopedic and metabolic health, especially in obese children and adolescents. Although there is evidence about obese adolescents and adults, information regarding the mechanics of the gait of obese children are limited. Specifically, details of the mechanical determinants related to energy gait of obese children, to our knowledge, is absent in the literature. In this regard, the aim of this study was to investigate the obesity effects on biomechanical and metabolic parameters in children during walking at different speeds. The study included 24 children, between seven and nine years old, divided into two groups (obese group (OG), n=12; eutrophic group (EG), n=12), paired by sex. A kinematic collect was performed to determine the spatiotemporal parameters and the mechanical work components with a metabolic collect to determine the walking energy cost. Descriptive statistics were used with means and standard deviations, as well as a two-way ANOVA (to check the effects of the group and speeds) and we used the post-hoc test of Bonferroni to identify the differences. The significance level was α = 0.05. The results showed that there is influence of obesity on mechanics and energetics parameters in children’s walking. Obese children use a locomotors strategy in which there is longer stance time and (on average 14% higher) and greatest stride length (on average 9% higher), and it can be related to the maintenance of stability between groups. In the total mechanical work analyses, no significant differences were identified in any speeds, although obese children showed grater internal work in the higher speeds (4km.h-1 on OG was 0,30 ± 0,04 and on EG was 0,24 ± 0,04, p=0,022; 5km.h on OG was 0,42 ± 0,09 and on EG was 0,33 ± 0,03, p=0,041). The metabolic components analyses showed great influence of the data normalization, because with the normalization, by total body mass and by allometric coefficient normalization, the eutrophic group showed higher values in most speeds, but without normalization the gross metabolic cost was higher for the obese group at all speeds. We concluded that locomotors strategy of the obese group was effective to increase the stability of walking, reduce the expected differences on the achievement of mechanical work in relation to the eutrophic group, being more economical in the amount of energy expenditure by unity of total body mass, however less economic by a gross metabolic analyses.

O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar a imagem corporal, os comportamentos alimentares e o autoconceito de pré-adolescentes com sobrepeso, obesos e não-obesos. Trata-se de um estudo com delineamento de comparação de grupos e amostra de conveniência. Participaram do mesmo, dois grupos com sobrepeso e obesos e não-obesos constituídos, respectivamente, por 54 pré-adolescentes com sobrepeso e obesos e 50 não-obesos, de escolas da rede pública da cidade de Ribeirão Preto - SP. O grupo com sobrepeso e obesos caracterizou-se por 29 meninas e 25 meninos, e o grupo dos não-obesos foi constituído de 28 meninas e 22 meninos, tendo estes sido avaliados por dois instrumentos: EBBIT- Teste de Comportamento Alimentar e Imagem Corporal de Pré- Adolescentes e Escala Infantil Piers-Harris de Autoconceito. O que sinto e penso sobre mim mesmo. Foram medidos seus pesos e alturas, a fim de se obter o Índice de Massa Corporal para a idade e o gênero. A análise dos dados se deu por meio dos resultados descritivos e resultados comparativos, utilizando-se o teste estatístico não-paramétrico Mann-Whitney, comparando-se os grupos entre si e os gêneros (p<=0,05). Os resultados mostraram que os pré-adolescentes obesos estão mais insatisfeitos com seus corpos e apresentam mais sinais de restrição alimentar que os pré-adolescentes não-obesos. Apesar disso, ao comparar meninas não-obesas com meninos não-obesos, verificou-se maior insatisfação naquelas que nestes, indicando que a pressão sociocultural para um corpo magro tende a ser maior no sexo feminino, e, por isso, há maior insatisfação apresentada nesse grupo, apesar dessas meninas possuírem o peso dentro dos parâmetros de normalidade. Nenhum dos grupos apresentou indícios significativos de vii desordens no comportamento alimentar. Quanto à avaliação do autoconceito, o grupo com sobrepeso e obesos não diferiu do grupo dos não-obesos de um modo geral, mostrando que, apesar de estarem com o peso acima do esperado, eles se avaliam com características físicas e atributos pessoais positivos. Observou diferença ao avaliar meninas não-obesas e meninos não-obesos, com relação ao escore total do autoconceito, ao status intelectual acadêmico e ao comportamento, indicando que elas apresentaram um autoconceito, um status intelectual acadêmico e um comportamento inferior aos dos meninos não obesos. No que diz respeito à popularidade e à aparência física e atributos pessoais - subescalas avaliadas na escala de autoconceito - também não se confirmaram diferenças. A diferença encontrada esteve na avaliação da felicidade e satisfação, na qual as meninas obesas mostraram-se menos felizes e satisfeitas que os meninos obesos e as meninas não-obesas. Quanto à ansiedade, os meninos obesos mostraram-se mais ansiosos que os meninos não-obesos e menos ansiosos que as meninas obesas. O comportamento foi avaliado com índice melhor nos meninos não-obesos, que nos meninos obesos. Portanto, este estudo mostrou que os pré-adolescentes obesos estão mais insatisfeitos com suas imagens corporais e tendem a apresentar mais comportamentos de restrição alimentar quando comparados com os pré-adolescentes não-obesos. Por outro lado, parte dos resultados obtidos minimizou a concepção de que pré-adolescentes obesos têm problemas comportamentais, baixa auto-estima, baixo rendimento escolar e competência social. / This study aimed to assess the body image, eating behaviors and self-concept of overweight, obese and non-obese preadolescents. We carried out a group comparison study with a convenience sample. Two groups participated: overweight, obese and nonobese, which included, respectively, 54 overweight and obese and 50 non-obese preadolescents from public schools in Ribeirão Preto-SP, Brazil. The overweight and obese group consisted of 29 girls and 25 boys, and the non-obese group of 28 girls and 22 boys, who were assessed through two instruments: EBBIT Preadolescent Eating Behaviors and Body Image Test and the Piers-Harris Children\'s Self-Concept Scale What I feel and think about myself. Weight and height were measured to obtain the Body Mass Index (BMI) for their age and gender. Data were analyzed through descriptive and comparative results, using Mann-Whitneys non-parametric statistical test for intergroup and gender comparison (p<=0,05). Results showed that obese preadolescents are more dissatisfied about their bodies and present more signs of eating restrictions than non-obese preadolescents. Nevertheless, when comparing non-obese boys with girls, we found greater dissatisfaction among girls than boys. None of the groups presented significant eating behavior disorder rates. As to the assessment of their self-concept, in general, we found no difference between the overweight and obese and the non-obese group, showing that, although their weight exceeds expected levels, they assess their physical characteristics and personal attributes positively. Total self-concept scores, intellectual academic status and behavior differed between non-obese girls and boys, indicating that they presented a self-concept, an academic intellectual status and a behavior inferior to that of non-obese boys.. With respect to popularity, physical appearance and personal attributes subscales assessed on the Self-Concept Scale -, no differences were confirmed either. We found differences for happiness and satisfaction assessment, in which obese girls showed to be less happy and satisfied than obese boys and non-obese girls. What anxiety is concerned, obese boys showed to be more anxious than non-obese boys and less anxious than obese girls. Non-obese boys behaviors were assessed better than that of obese boys. Therefore, this study showed that obese preadolescents are more dissatisfied with their body images and tend to present more food restriction behaviors in comparison with non-obese pre-adolescents. On the other hand, part of the obtained results minimized the conception that obese preadolescents have behavioral problems, low self-esteem, low school results and social competence.

The objective of this study was to find out if patiens with obesity were adequately educated in the area of the food composition since they were staying at Bludov Spa for the therapeutic program. In addition, determine whether family food consumption affects the percentile value of children, and whether frequency of breakfast and snack classification in children with optimal weight and children with overweight or obesity is different. Methodology: The practical part of this work is based on a questionnaires survey. The questionnaires were filled by 210 respondent in total. Pupils from primary school answered 104 questionnaires and patiens from the spa filled 106 questionnaires. Pupils from primary school were aged between 14 - 16 years, thein questionnaires were categorized according to percentile values per group below 90th percentile and above 90th percentile, based on age and calculated BMI. The patiens at the spa were aged between 7 - 18 years and all were in the group over the 97th percentile, but then question naires had to be categorized by age, in the 7 - 14 age group (younger and older schoolage), 15-18 years (adolescence), also a group aged 14 - 16 years was created to compareit with a group from the spa. There sults were plotted and compared to each other. Results: The evaluation of the...