Background: Obesity-related diseases are arising as a major problem among children. inflammation has recently been identified to play an important role in the relationship between obesity.- as well as stunting-related diseases. Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the association between serum tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and C-reactive protein (CRP) concentrations and a variety of cardiometabolic and anthropometric indices of children in a township outside Potchefstroom, South Africa. Methods: Blood samples of 115 girls and 78 boys (mean age 15.6 ± 1.35) in the Physical Activity in the Young (PLAY) study were cross-sectionally analysed. Trained fieldworkers collected the demographic, Tanner growth stage and habitual physical activity information. Physiologists measured the children’s blood pressure. Anthropometric measurements were taken by. trained post-graduate students with level 1 or 2 qualifications in anthropometrics. A standard test battery was administered by trained postgraduate students in Human Movement Science to assess muscular strength. flexibility and endurance of the children. Blood samples were collected, centrifuged and stored frozen until further analyses. Results: Stunted girls had a significantly higher serum TNF-α concentration than the non-stunted girls (p=0.03). The factor analyses showed that the inflammatory. status clustered with the height for age-z-scores (HAZ) scores and the waist-hip-ratio (WHR). The HAZ-score of the over-fat boys (- 1.46) was significantly smaller than the lean boys (- 1.14, p=0.0 1). whereas the over-fat girls had a trend for a smaller HAZ-score (-1.07) than the lean girls (-0.89). No significant differences were found between the over-fat and the lean children-s inflammatory status. TNF-α and CRP levels tended to be higher in the over-fat children than in lean children. The girls' scrum IL-6 and CRP concentrations correlated significantly with their body mass index (BMI) and WHR (p<0.05 )and their TNF-α and IL-6 concentrations correlated significantly with their WHR (p<0.01 and p<0.05, respectively). Conclusion: In comparison to the non-stunted girls, stunted girls had a statistically significantly higher TNF-α concentration. Unusual fat distribution that is found in over-fat and stunted children may be associated with low-grade inflammation in children. More research is needed on these associations with markers of inflammation in a long-term longitudinal study. / Thesis (M.Sc. (Nutrition))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-03-22T17:27:40Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Marcia Anderson.pdf: 343405 bytes, checksum: fbaa05e7e1acaa4309cc53218a5f283d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2001-12-18 / A cross-sectional household population based study of height among 12-59 months children (n = 2632) was conducted in the city of Porto Alegre, Brazil. Multilevel linear regression was applied to investigate the effect of socio-economic and demographic conditions, physical and social environment, and health conditions on children s height, measured by the height for age z-scores from the median of the American standard NCHS. On average, children s height was - 0.18 z score. Children s height increased with the levels of maternal and paternal education, work qualification of the parents, family income per capita, better housing conditions, maternal age, birth intervals and birth weight. Average height decreased with the number of under-fives in household, hospitalization in the first two years of life and preterm birth. The positive effect of maternal education were twice in the areas of the city which were relatively more deprived in housing quality in terms of building material, quality of construction, water and electricity and sanitation infrastructure. The positive effect of work qualification of the parents was evident in the more deprived areas, but not in the better provided areas. The results suggest that the area of residence modifies the effects of socioeconomic conditions on children s growth. Social policies and programmes that increase education and economic conditions of the families are needed. Housing and sanitation programmes are potentially beneficial to decrease the negative effect of social disadvantage on child growth / Um estudo transversal, de base populacional, sobre a altura de crianças de 12 a 59 meses (n=2632) foi conduzido em Porto Alegre, Brasil. Regressão linear multinível foi usada para investigar o efeito de condições socioeconômicas, demográficas, do ambiente físico e social e de saúde sobre a altura das crianças, medida em escores z do padrão americano NCHS. Em média, a altura para idade foi -0.18 escore z, aumentando com a escolaridade e qualificação profissional dos pais, renda, qualidade de moradia, idade materna, intervalo interpartal e peso de nascimento. A média de altura diminuiu com o maior número de menores de 5 anos no domicílio, hospitalização nos dois primeiros anos de vida e prematuridade. O efeito positivo da educação materna foi o dobro nas áreas da cidade mal providas em qualidade de moradia, definidas pelo tipo de material e qualidade da construção, água, eletricidade e infra-estrutura sanitária. O efeito positivo da qualificação profissional dos pais foi evidente nas áreas mal providas, mas não nas áreas bem providas. Os resultados sugerem que a área de residência modifica o efeito das condições socioeconômicas sobre o crescimento infantil. Investimentos sociais para melhorias na educação e situação econômica das famílias são necessários. Programas habitacionais e de saneamento básico são potencialmente úteis para diminuir o efeito das condições socioeconômicas desfavoráveis das famílias sobre o crescimento infantil

Background: Obesity-related diseases are arising as a major problem among children. inflammation has recently been identified to play an important role in the relationship between obesity.- as well as stunting-related diseases. Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the association between serum tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and C-reactive protein (CRP) concentrations and a variety of cardiometabolic and anthropometric indices of children in a township outside Potchefstroom, South Africa. Methods: Blood samples of 115 girls and 78 boys (mean age 15.6 ± 1.35) in the Physical Activity in the Young (PLAY) study were cross-sectionally analysed. Trained fieldworkers collected the demographic, Tanner growth stage and habitual physical activity information. Physiologists measured the children’s blood pressure. Anthropometric measurements were taken by. trained post-graduate students with level 1 or 2 qualifications in anthropometrics. A standard test battery was administered by trained postgraduate students in Human Movement Science to assess muscular strength. flexibility and endurance of the children. Blood samples were collected, centrifuged and stored frozen until further analyses. Results: Stunted girls had a significantly higher serum TNF-α concentration than the non-stunted girls (p=0.03). The factor analyses showed that the inflammatory. status clustered with the height for age-z-scores (HAZ) scores and the waist-hip-ratio (WHR). The HAZ-score of the over-fat boys (- 1.46) was significantly smaller than the lean boys (- 1.14, p=0.0 1). whereas the over-fat girls had a trend for a smaller HAZ-score (-1.07) than the lean girls (-0.89). No significant differences were found between the over-fat and the lean children-s inflammatory status. TNF-α and CRP levels tended to be higher in the over-fat children than in lean children. The girls' scrum IL-6 and CRP concentrations correlated significantly with their body mass index (BMI) and WHR (p<0.05 )and their TNF-α and IL-6 concentrations correlated significantly with their WHR (p<0.01 and p<0.05, respectively). Conclusion: In comparison to the non-stunted girls, stunted girls had a statistically significantly higher TNF-α concentration. Unusual fat distribution that is found in over-fat and stunted children may be associated with low-grade inflammation in children. More research is needed on these associations with markers of inflammation in a long-term longitudinal study. / Thesis (M.Sc. (Nutrition))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007.