Health

Home > Science/Health > Health

Women and Black Americans More Likely To Face Severe Adult Obesity

Oct 10, 2019 12:15 AM EDT

Severe adult obesity carries many risks to health, but until now, little has been known about childhood risk factors involved. Now, a multi-national study led by experts at Cincinnati Children's shows how adult severe obesity risk rates vary by sex, race and other factors identifiable in childhood. The study, led by corresponding author Jessica Woo, PhD, was published online Oct. 9, 2019, in the International Journal of Obesity, offers a predictive tool that doctors can use to focus intervention efforts on children and teens who are most likely to suffer health risks from obesity. "Early prevention and treatment are critical, because severe adult obesity has significant adverse health outcomes, such as diabetes and heart disease," Woo says. "And unfortunately, severe obesity is rarely reversible, even with bariatric surgery." More than 12,000 people tracked This study focused on "adult class II/III obesity," defined as having a body mass index (BMI) of 35 and up. The team analyzed data about more than 12,000 people who enrolled as children in the International Childhood Cardiovascular Cohort Consortium in the 1970s and 1980s, then were tracked into adulthood. At the beginning, 82% were children of normal weight, 11% were overweight, 5% were obese and 2% were severely obese. Around 20 years later, just 41% of the adults were normal weight, 32% were overweight, 15% were obese and 12% were severely obese. Overall, obesity rates were higher among American participants than from other nations. Importantly, although the highest risks for adult severe obesity were among those with childhood severe obesity, more than one-third of the severely obese adults were normal weight as children. "The risk of severe obesity in adulthood was substantially higher for girls than boys, for black participants than white, and for those with lower education levels," Woo says. BMI trajectory charts for doctors The study produced a series of figures resembling growth charts that doctors can use to show children and their families what their chances are of being obese in later years. For example, a 5-year-old white girl with obesity has a 60% chance of being severely obese by age 35, and an 80% chance of being severely obese by age 45. The study could not answer, at an individual level, which children of normal weight were most likely to become severely obese in adulthood. The team did not have complete information on genetic and lifestyle risk factors. However, black girls emerged as having the highest obesity risks as a group. "These findings suggest that greater clinical attention should be focused on both the prevention of childhood obesity at all ages, especially in girls and black populations, and to preventing children with normal weight in these groups from developing into adults with class II/III obesity," Woo says. "With tailored childhood monitoring through childhood, adolescence and young adulthood, it may be possible to prevent the high rate of progression to adult obesity."

Cost Overview Of A Tankless Gas Water Heater

Aug 23, 2019 09:53 AM EDT

Purchasing a new tankless gas water heater is an important decision that requires planning and analysis. The cost of a tankless gas water heater can vary drastically based on several factors:

Somniphobia: What It Is and How to Overcome Somniphobia

Aug 23, 2019 09:18 AM EDT

Somniphobia is a condition where the victim is afraid of going to sleep. It is, however, a very uncommon sleep disorder that affects more children than it does adults.

These Ingredients in Your Products Are Ruining Your Hair

Aug 16, 2019 11:46 AM EDT

Hair products, like most beauty items, tend to come with a long list of ingredients - and it's time to start reviewing that list a lot more closely. Spoiler alert: if a product has ingredients you can't pronounce, then it's probably not very good for you.

The Most Effective Ways to Recover From Addiction

Aug 15, 2019 09:23 PM EDT

Overcoming addiction is not easy. It can be a long journey but it starts with small steps. To fight against substance abuse some people may turn to help of their family members or friends, some enroll a drug rehabilitation center whereas others try to beat addiction on their own.

Poor Fit Between Job Demands, Reasoning Abilities Associated with Health Conditions

Aug 13, 2019 04:45 AM EDT

WASHINGTON -- Older workers whose reasoning abilities no longer allow them to meet the demands of their jobs may be more likely to develop chronic health conditions and retire early, which may not be ideal for the employee or employer, according to research published by the American Psychological Association.

CSU Team Uncovers Potential for Rift Valley Fever Virus Transmission in Colorado Livestock

Aug 13, 2019 04:45 AM EDT

Rift Valley fever virus is a global health concern that is caused by infected mosquitos and the handling of infected animal carcasses.

Why Stress and Anxiety Aren't Always Bad

Aug 12, 2019 03:16 AM EDT

CHICAGO -- People generally think of stress and anxiety as negative concepts, but while both stress and anxiety can reach unhealthy levels, psychologists have long known that both are unavoidable -- and that they often play a helpful, not harmful, role in our daily lives, according to a presentation at the annual convention of the American Psychological Association.

The Lancet Global Health: Automatically Chlorinating Water at Public Taps Cuts Child Diarrhea by Almost a Quarter in Urban Bangladesh

Aug 09, 2019 03:44 AM EDT

A novel water treatment device that delivers chlorine automatically via public taps without the need for electricity, reduced child diarrhoea by 23% compared with controls (156 cases out of 2,073 child measurements [7.5%] vs 216/2,145 [10%]) over 14 months in two urban neighbourhoods of Bangladesh, according to a randomised trial following more than 1,000 children published in The Lancet Global Health journal.

1-2 Caffeinated Drinks Not Linked With Higher Risk of Migraines; 3+ May Trigger Them

Aug 08, 2019 03:49 AM EDT

BOSTON - Afflicting more than one billion adults worldwide, migraine is the third most prevalent illness in the world. In addition to severe headaches, symptoms of migraine can include nausea, changes in mood, sensitivity to light and sound, as well as visual and auditory hallucinations.

City of Hope First in US to Offer this Experimental Drug for Liver Cancer Patients

Aug 06, 2019 04:23 AM EDT

DUARTE, Calif. The-- City of Hope is the first institution in the United States to open an immunotherapy clinical trial for liver cancer that, if successful, eventually could transform the treatment of the usually fatal disease into an outpatient procedure. Patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma, the most predominant type of liver cancer, have a very poor prognosis and limited treatment options.

nTIDE July 2019 Jobs Report: Positive Pattern Continues for Job Seekers With Disabilities

Aug 06, 2019 04:13 AM EDT

East Hanover, NJ - August 2, 2019 - Economic indicators rose again for Americans with disabilities, outpacing the modest gains for people without disabilities, according to today's National Trends in Disability Employment - Monthly Update (nTIDE), issued by Kessler Foundation and the University of New Hampshire's Institute on Disability (UNH-IOD).

Whole Body Vibration Shakes up Microbiome, Reduces Inflammation in Diabetes

Aug 05, 2019 04:10 AM EDT

AUGUSTA, Ga. (Aug. 5, 2019) - In the face of diabetes, a common condition in which glucose and levels of destructive inflammation soar, whole-body vibration appears to improve how well our body uses glucose as an energy source and adjust our microbiome and immune cells to deter inflammation, investigators report.

8 Things You Must Absolutely Know About CBD Oil

Jul 30, 2019 12:01 PM EDT

CBD is one of the most talked-about developments in modern medicine in recent memory. But with all of the hype that surrounds the seemingly magical healing oil, a gap in public knowledge has formed with plenty of people asking - 'what's the deal with CBD anyway?'.

6 Reasons For Considering Laser Eye Surgery

Aug 01, 2019 02:51 AM EDT

Why would we need to have laser eye surgery? What are the reasons that we may need to undergo this expensive operation? There are many reasons why some people may undergo this procedure. This surgery is a life-changer.