Food Reward and Obesity

This study aimed to examine the effect of a lifestyle intervention (LSI) on overweight or obese female university students. Participants: A total of 53 overweight or obese female college students participated. This study was conducted from May to December 2017 in Jeonbuk Province, South Korea. A quasi-experimental design using a non-equivalent control group pretest-posttest was used. The LSI consisted of providing health information, individual health counseling, lifestyle monitoring, and effective support based on the interaction model of client health behavior, which was implemented for 12 weeks. Significant group differences were found in health-promoting behavior, psychological distress, reproductive health, body weight, body fat, and triglyceride level among participants. LSIs are effective in improving health-promoting behavior, psychological distress, reproductive health, and body composition. Therefore, healthcare providers should develop and apply LSIs through interaction for overweight or obese female college students. Full article

Background: Despite strong evidence for supervised pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) for women with urinary incontinence (UI), and weight loss and exercise for overweight and obese women with UI, implementation literature on these combined interventions is limited. This paper aimed to describe the rigorous and systematic processes involved in the collaborative development, implementation, refinement and evaluation of a novel, holistic 12 week exercise training and healthy eating group program (ATHENA) for overweight and obese women with UI. Methods/Design: This intervention description paper is part of a larger mixed-methods feasibility study of implementing the ATHENA intervention within a physiotherapy service at a public hospital in Australia. The collaborative intervention design had input from clinicians, researchers and a consumer representative. Results: The intervention involved four evidence-based components—(1) supervised PFMT; (2) general exercise training; (3) pelvic health education; and (4) healthy eating education—delivered face to face over a 12 week period. Supporting resources developed included a Facilitator’s Guide and Participant Workbook. Conclusion: ATHENA is an evidence-based, multifaceted, group-based intervention targeting exercise training and healthy eating for management of UI for overweight and obese women. The structured development process and transparency of intervention content and resources aims to enhance practical application and success in future studies. Full article

A cross-sectional study was conducted to evaluate 199 health sciences students in the city of Iquitos. Their socio-demographic characteristics, lifestyle, level of physical activity, type of food, substance abuse, and prevalence of overweight and obesity were ascertained using purpose-validated questionnaires, i.e., the Systematic Alcohol Consumption Interview (Interrogatorio Sistematizado de Consumos Alcohólicos/ISCA), a questionnaire on the frequency of dietary intake (CFCA), the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), and anthropometric measurements. The prevalence of overweight (body mass index (BMI) of 25.0–29.9 kg/m²) was 26.5% (95% CI = 19.9–33.0%) and that of obesity (BMI ≥ 30.0 kg/m²) was 7.9% (95% CI = 3.8–12.1%). A total of 34.4% of students (95% CI = 27.4–41.4%) presented with a BMI > 25 kg/m². The frequency of overweight was significantly higher in persons aged over 20 years (OR = 2.5) and smokers (OR = 3.2), and the frequency of obesity was significantly higher in older students (OR = 4.1) and males (OR = 5.5). In conclusion, a considerable proportion of health sciences students in the Amazonia region presented with a high BMI. The proportion of students with overweight was higher among students aged over 20 years and smokers, while that of obesity was also higher among males. In the university setting, the development of more overweight- and obesity-preventive activities and educational interventions would therefore be desirable. Full article

The obesity epidemic in the United States has been well documented and serves as the basis for a number of health interventions across the nation. However, those who have served in the U.S. military (Veteran population) suffer from obesity in higher numbers and have an overall disproportionate poorer health status when compared to the health of the older non-Veteran population in the U.S. which may further compound their overall health risk. This study examined both the commonalities and the differences in obesity rates and the associated co-morbidities among the U.S. Veteran population, utilizing data from the 2018 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). These data are considered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to be the nation’s best source for health-related survey data, and the 2018 version includes 437,467 observations. Study findings show not only a significantly higher risk of obesity in the U.S. Veteran population, but also a significantly higher level (higher odds ratio) of the associated co-morbidities when compared to non-Veterans, including coronary heart disease (CHD) or angina (odds ratio (OR) = 2.63); stroke (OR = 1.86); skin cancer (OR = 2.18); other cancers (OR = 1.73); chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (OR = 1.52), emphysema, or chronic bronchitis; arthritis (OR = 1.52), rheumatoid arthritis, gout, lupus, or fibromyalgia; depressive disorders (OR = 0.84), and diabetes (OR = 1.61) at the 0.95 confidence interval level. Full article

Current trends suggest that adolescent obesity is an on-going and recurrent decimal that is still on the rise in Australia and the social burden associated with it can significantly cause low self-esteem and lack of confidence in personal body image in adulthood. Nonetheless, evidence-based prevention programs are not widely implemented in schools, even though they are commonplace for easy access to adolescents. The primary objective of this systematic review was to assess the scope and efficacy of adolescent obesity intervention strategies in Australian schools, to guide future research. Seven electronic databases were searched for peer-reviewed school-based intervention articles written in the English language and targeting 12–18-year-old adolescents. Intervention characteristics were extracted, and quality, efficacy and outcome measures were assessed utilizing thirteen studies that met the inclusion criteria for this review. Most of the Australian adolescent obesity research emanated from the State of New South Wales and none were nationwide. Five studies successfully met all the requirements in all measured outcomes, four met at least one measured outcome and the remaining four were unsuccessful. Despite the weak evidence of intervention efficacy for most of the reviewed studies, school-based interventions with multi-component combinations of physical activity, nutrition and alignment to a theory yielded promising results. Our findings point to the need for future research to assess the perceptions of school stakeholders in relation to the barriers and enablers to establishing school-based prevention and intervention programs for adolescents. Full article