combating obesity in Maori and Pasifika adolescent school-children study: COMPASS methodology and study protocol

Lifestyle modifications including, physical activity can reduce obesity-related morbidity and subsequent cardiovascular disease in youth. This study will investigate the efficacy of a culturally-sensitive, non-contact, boxing-orientated training program on obesity and related cardio-metabolic conditions in Maori and Pasifika adolescents. Details of the methodological aspects of recruitment, inclusion criteria, randomization, cultural sensitivity, intervention program, assessments, process evaluation, and statistical analyses are described. This study will be a community based, New Zealand, randomized control trial [RCT]. Male and female obese [body mass index >95[th] percentile] Maori and Pasifika adolescents aged 14-16 years will be recruited and the sample size will be confirmed through a feasibility study. Combating Obesity in Maori and Pasifika Adolescent School-children Study [COMPASS] is a 6-month, theory-based program, conducted 3-times/week in a culturally appropriate setting. Each session includes 40 min boxing orientated training and 30 min resistance training. Assessments will be made at baseline, 3-months, 6-months, 12-months, and 24-months. Main outcomes include abdominal obesity, endothelial function, and insulin resistance. Other outcomes include arterial stiffness, lipid profile, inflammatory biomarkers, well-being, and aerobic fitness. Control measures include physical activity, sleep behavior, and dietary intake. Analysis will by intention to treat. As a protocol paper there are no specific results to present, our purpose is to share our RCT design with the scientific community. COMPASS will be used to provide direction for exercise prescription policy in at-risk Maori and Pasifika adolescents

Preterm delivery risk in relation to maternal occupational and leisure time physical activity among Thai women

Background: Little is known about the relationship between maternal occupational physical exertion and leisure time physical activity (LTPA) with preterm delivery (PTD) among Thai women, a population that differs in many respects from women in Western countries.Objectives: To evaluate associations of maternal occupational physical exertion and LTPA with PTD in aggregate and in subgroups (i.e., spontaneous preterm labor, preterm premature rupture of membrane, medically indicated preterm delivery, moderate preterm delivery [gestational age 32-36 weeks], and very preterm delivery [\< 32 weeks]) among Thai women.Methods: This case-control study included 467 PTD cases and 467 term controls. Maternal occupational exertion during pregnancy, as well as habitual engagement in LTPA before and during pregnancy was assessed using a structured questionnaire administered after delivery. Logistic regression procedures were used to examine relationships between both occupational and leisure time physical activity and PTD.Results: After controlling for potential confounders, women who reported heavy physical occupational exertion during pregnancy, compared with other women, had a 2.42-fold increased risk of PTD overall [OR=2.42, 95% CI: 1.15, 5.09]. Very PTD [OR=4.57, 95% CI: 1.65, 12.64] and medically indicated PTD [OR=3.79, 95% CI: 1.54, 9.32] were particularly strongly associated with heavy occupational exertion. Maternal participation in LTPA before pregnancy was associated with a 24% reduction in PTD risk overall [OR=0.76, 95% CI: 0.57, 1.00], though no similar pattern in risk reduction was observed for LTPA performed during the first 6 months of pregnancy [OR=0.96, 95% CI: 0.68, 1.36].Conclusion: Consistent with some previous reports, we noted that heavy occupational physical exertion is associated with at least a doubling in PTD risk. Patterns of associations of PTD risk with LTPA were less well delineated in this Thai population.

Risk factors of early and late onset preeclampsia among Thai women

Background: Little research has been conducted to specifically identify risk factors of early and late onset preeclampsia among Thai women.Objective: To examine risk factors of the early and late onset of preeclampsia among Thai women. Methods: A case-control study of 150 preeclampsia cases with an equal number of normotensive controls was conducted among women who delivered live-born singleton infants at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Rajavithi Hospital, and Police General Hospital in Bangkok, Thailand between July 2006 and November 2007. Multivariable logistic regression procedures were used to calculate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) of potential risk factors associated with preeclampsia.Results: Pre-pregnancy body mass index ≥ 30 kg/m² (OR=5.25, 95%CI: 1.80, 15.32) and failure to use prenatal care services (OR=6.37, 95%CI: 1.26, 32.27) were associated with increased risk of preeclampsia. OR’s of similar magnitude were observed when risk factors of early and late onset preeclampsia were assessed separately.Conclusion: Advanced maternal age, obesity, and no utilization of prenatal care were covariates identified as risk factors for preeclampsia.