Övervikt och fetma hos vuxna och barn är både ett komplext och ständigt växandeproblem inom alla samhällsklasser. Komplexiteten beror på att övervikt och fetmaär ett resultat av olika faktorer och med konsekvenser som är både fysiska,psykiska och sociala. Eftersom barn inte har mandat över sina egna liv är deuteslutande beroende av sin egen familj och andra vuxna i sin omgivning. Dettagör att de inte kan påverka tillgång till mat och motion i samma utsträckning somen vuxen och därför hamnar ansvaret om barns övervikt uteslutande påföräldrarna. Dock gör komplexiteten av övervikt och fetma att föräldrar ibland harväldigt liten möjlighet att vara med och påverka sitt barns vikt eller ens se hur detkan vara ett problem. Detta påverkar barnets fortsatta möjlighet till en hälsosamlivsstil och därmed full tillgång till sitt liv på samma villkor som andra. Syftetmed denna uppsats är att undersöka hur yrkesprofessionella kring barn medövervikt eller fetma upplever barnets livsvillkor. Detta har gjorts genomkvalitativa intervjuer med relevanta professionella runt barn som lider av övervikteller fetma. Inkluderat i arbetet är personal på BVC, skola, socialtjänst, barnkliniksamt klinik för preventivt arbete för psykisk hälsa. Resultatet visar att barn medövervikt eller fetma är en väldigt utsatt grupp som ofta utsätts för mobbning iskolan eller kränkande behandling av sin familj eller andra i barnets närhet. Bästabehandlingen mot övervikt och fetma är preventivt och bör ske innan barnet fylltfyra år. Det största hindret för behandling är föräldrarnas ovilja att se sitt barn somöverviktigt. Det framkommer av uppsatsens empiri, teori och forskning att dennaovilja hos föräldrarna med största sannolikhet beror på rådande stigmatiseringen isamhället mot överviktiga och de som lider av fetma. / Overweight and obesity in adults and children is a complex and growing matterwithin all social classes. The complexity is due to overweight and obesity being aresult of different factors with consequences that are both physical, psychologicaland social. Children not having great influence over their lives makes them dependent ontheir parents and other grown ups in their surroundings. This constrains them toimpact their access to food and movement, which is why the responsibility ofobesity in the child lands upon the parents. However, the complexity of theproblem limits the parents to what extent they can impact their child's weight andalso to what degree they address their child’s weight to be a problem at all. Thiswill affect the ongoing possibilities for the child to get a healthy lifestyle andthereby access to its life on the same terms as everyone else. The aim of this studyis to explore how professionals around children with obesity or overweightcomprehend the life conditions of the child. This has been done throughqualitative interviewing with relevant professionals that are working with childrenwith obesity or overweight. Included in this work is staff from a nursing center,school, social services, children’s clinique, and a clinique that works withpreventing and encouraging mental health. The results shows that obesity inchildren is a very exposed group that is often affected by bullying in school orabusive treatment from their family. The best intervention towards obesity inchildren is to treat the child before the age of four. The biggest obstacle to accessthis treatment are the parents unwillingness to see and address their child asoverweight. Due to this study's empirical material, research and theoreticalframework shows that this neglection most likely is founded in the prevailing biastowards obesity and overweight in general in society.

Adult women are disproportionately burdened by overweight and obesity in Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries and there is limited understanding of the sociocultural context of this problem. In this qualitative research synthesis, we aimed to surface contextual influences that potentially predispose adult women and adolescent girls to overweight and obesity. PubMed, CINAHL, PsychInfo, PROQUEST, EMBASE, Web of Science were searched to locate qualitative research articles conducted in sub-Saharan African countries beginning in year 2000. After assessment for eligibility and critical appraisal, 16 studies were included in the synthesis. Textual data and quotes was synthesized using the methods proposed by the Joan Briggs Institute and a thematic analysis framework. The synthesized studies were conducted in South Africa, Ghana, Kenya and Botswana. The three overarching themes across these studies were body size and shape ideals, barriers to healthy eating, and barriers to physical activity with cultural and social factors as cross-cutting influences within the major themes. Culturally, the ideal African woman was expected to be overweight or obese, and voluptuous and this was associated with their identity. While overweight and obesity was not acceptable among adolescent girls, they also desired to be voluptuous. Healthy food choices among women and girls were hampered by several factors including affordability and peer pressure. Both adult women and girls experienced ageism and institutional discrimination as barriers to physical activity. This is the first qualitative research synthesis to amplify the voices of women and girls in SSA countries highlighting the challenges they face in maintaining a healthy weight. Sociocultural, institutional and peer-related factors were powerful forces shaping body size preferences, food choices and participation in physical activity. Our study findings provide insights for the design of contextually appropriate interventions and lay the foundation for further research studies.

>Magister Scientiae - MSc / Overweight and Obesity are conditions of excessive fat accumulation in the body of an individual. Due to the growing prevalence of the obesity epidemic, obesity has become a global public health concern. Overweight among South African children is on the increase as many young people now suffer from diseases related to obesity. Given the prevalent conditions of weight gain amongst children, tackling obesity in children should be given greater attention as children are twice at risk of becoming obese in the later stage in life. Such intentional efforts could contribute significantly to reducing public spending in the treatment of noncommunicable disease. This research aimed at understanding the Environmental and Parental Factors Influencing childhood overweight and obesity. The research identified the different factors that were associated with child overweight and obesity in the study area. Besides, the research was aimed at raising awareness of the need to sensitize parents and stakeholders on the factors associated to child obesity and proposed possible recommendations. To achieve these aims, one of the objectives was to statistically evaluate the extent of the prevalence of overweight and obesity in the study area as well as identify the types of food choices available to children. Furthermore, it analyzed dietary intake in households with obese parents and children, to determine the relationships that exist.

African American (AA) adolescents have higher rates of obesity than many other ethnic groups, which increases their risk for obesity-related diseases. Culturally sensitive obesity preventive interventions have been unsuccessful, resulting in a steady increase of obesity among AA adolescents. AA adolescents in the southern region of the United States are at a higher risk for obesity and physical inactivity; knowledge and understanding of causative factors remains limited. To identify the impact of programs, a systematic review of the literature focused on structured physical activity and/or dietary education interventions in Mississippi. The ecological framework was used to guide this study. The Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Checklist for Systematic Reviews and Research Syntheses was used to evaluate the effectiveness of programs on reducing the body mass index of AA adolescents in Mississippi. Two reviewers evaluated the identified articles and reached agreement in identifying the body of literature as well as including/excluding the same papers. Eight papers were selected for review. Recommendations from all 8 studies indicated that structured physical activity, dietary education programs, and parental/caregiver involvement in the development of healthy eating habits are necessary to decrease body mass index among AA adolescents. This project might contribute to social change by providing evidence to support programs to reduce obesity and improve health among AA adolescents in Mississippi.

In a time where child obesity is reaching an alarming level it is important to provide tools for weight loss that are accessible to many children. Furthermore, it is important for these tools to be easy and fun to use to keep the users engaged in the tool over a long period of time, since losing weight is nothing that can be done in a day. By designing and implementing a mobile application for logging food intake and the incorporation of gamification elements, this study seeks to address the problem of users losing interest in the tool and rebounding to unhealthy eating. Gamification is a concept of making applications that traditionally has nothing to do with games into a more game-like experience to enhance user engagement. After the development of the application was complete, the participants of the study used the application as a part of their daily routine to log all the food they consumed. When interviewing the participants after testing the application the overall response for the gamification elements was positive. However, the general design and implementation of the application seemed to affect the user engagement more than the additional gamification elements.

The fast-food (FF) industry and obesity rates have rapidly increased in China. This study examined the FF industry growth in China, key factors contributing to the growth, and the association between FF consumption (FFC) and obesity. We collected related data from multiple sources and conducted analysis including linear regression analysis on the increase in FF revenue. It was found that FF industry in China is large, with over two million FF facilities. Its total revenue (in million US$) increased from 10,464 in 1999 to 94,218 in 2013, and by 13% annually since 2008. Increased income, urbanization, busier lifestyle, speedy FF service, assurance of food safety, new brands and foods have stimulated demand for FF. Studies have linked FFC with obesity risk, including a few reporting a positive association between FFC and obesity in China. Rapid expansion of Western-style FF restaurants has also stimulated local FF industry growth. Government regulation and public health education need to address the health consequences of rapidly increasing FFC. Lessons learned in China will help other countries.

This study examined health-related quality of life (HRQoL) across weight categories in adolescents using both a general and a condition-specific measure sensitive to fatigue symptoms. Participants (N = 918) completed the Pediatric Quality of Life (PedsQL) Inventory and PedsQL Multidimensional Fatigue Scale measures. Actual height and weight were used to calculate body mass index for age and sex percentiles and assign weight categories. No interaction effects between total HRQoL and weight category and gender were found; however, main effects were found for both weight category and gender. Future research should examine the impact of using different measures to assess HRQoL outcomes across weight categories.

Purpose: To determine the difference of Body Mass Index (BMI), the prevalence of overweight and obesity, and their predictors among residents of different urbanization levels in China. Methods: A stratified, multistage, random cluster sampling method was used to select a representative sample aged 18-60 years in metropolitan, prefecture, and rural areas in 4 provinces and Beijing City in China. A total of 6,159 residents were interviewed. Multiple logistic regression was used to evaluate the association between urbanization levels and the prevalence of overweight/obesity adjusted for sociodemographic characteristics and lifestyle factors. Findings: The prevalence of overweight and obesity was 21.0% and 2.5%, respectively. Compared to metropolitan residents (BMI = 22.76 ± 3.20 kg/m2), rural and prefecture residents had a higher BMI, 23.17 ± 3.49 kg/m2 (P <001) and 23.06 ± 3.31 kg/m2 (P =.004), respectively. Multiple logistic regression showed that, compared to the rural residents, those in prefecture and metropolitan areas were less likely to be overweight and obese (OR = 0.80 [95% CI: 0.68-0.94] and OR = 0.68 [95% CI: 0.57-0.80], respectively). The prevalence of overweight/obesity was higher in males (OR = 1.68 [95% CI: 1.43-1.97]) and patients with noncommunicable chronic diseases (NCD; OR = 2.50 [95% CI: 2.16-2.89]). Less frequency of physical activity was associated with a higher prevalence of overweight/obesity (OR: 0.85, [95% CI: 0.74, 0.97]). Conclusions: The rural population had an increased prevalence of overweight/obesity compared to both the prefecture and metropolitan populations. Male gender, older age, and NCD were positively associated with the prevalence of overweight/obesity. Policies are urgently needed to combat the overweight and obesity challenge in rural China.

Background: Although several reports have shown an adverse cardiovascular and metabolic risk profile associated with childhood obesity, few reports have examined the effects of childhood obesity on pulmonary function. Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of obesity on pulmonary function in Navajo and Hopi children. Methods: Subjects included 256 (110 males, 16 females) Hopi children 6-12 years of age and 557 (274 males, 283 females) Navajo children 6-12 years of age (N=813). The body mass index was used to classify subjects as normal weight, overweight, or obese on the basis of international reference values. Forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expired volume in one second (FEVl), FEV1% (FEV1 to FVC ratio; FEV1/FVC), and forced expiratory flow between 25%-75% of vital capacity (FEF25-75) were determined according to the American Thoracic Society recommendations. Results: Approximately 26% of Navajo and Hopi children were defined as overweight (26.0% of boys and 25.6% of girls) and an additional 16% (14.6% of boys and 17.7% of girls) were defined as obese. In general, the patterns showed an increase in pulmonary function between normal weight and over-weight children and a decrease in pulmonary function of obese children. Significant differences among groups existed for FEV1% and FEF25-75 in boys and FVC and FEV1 in girls. Conclusions: The results indicate the pulmonary consequences of obesity in children and provide further evidence of the adverse consequences, of pediatric obesity among Native Americans.

Child overweight has reached an epidemic level throughout the United States. A total of 65 primary care providers in southern Appalachia were surveyed to understand current issues in addressing child overweight in rural primary care practice. The study shows that while providers realized the importance of child overweight intervention, many were not ready and did little to address child overweight in their practices. The providers' skill levels in addressing child overweight were generally less than sufficient. Common barriers to child overweight treatment included lack of parental motivation and involvement, lack of supportive services, and lack of clinician time. In conclusion, rural primary care is facing many challenges in addressing child overweight. However, with more training in behavioral intervention skills and through establishing a family-based intervention and a group visit approach, primary care providers could play a more active role in the fight against the epidemic of child overweight.