ABSTRACT
Background Overweight/obesity in children are a global health issue. Preschool age is an important stage of children's growth and development and dietary behaviors, so it is crucial to explore dietary behavior characteristics and childhood overweight/obesity. Objective To explore the association between dietary behavior characteristics and overweight/obesity in preschool children in Shanghai, and the consistency of children's eating behavior characteristics with their parents'. Methods The children aged 3 to 6 years in 5 kindergartens in Shanghai in 2015 were selected by convenience sampling and surveyed. Their height and weight were measured. Children's and parents' dietary behavior characteristics were self-reported by their parents. According to the weight-for-height recommended by the World Health Organization, excess weight was calculated by the following formula: excess-weight%=[(measured weight - standard weight)/standard weight×100%]; obese is determined at excess-weight% > 20%, overweight: excess-weight% at 10%-20%, normal weight: excess-weight% at −10%-<10%. Chi-squared test and t test were used to compare the differences of demographic and dietary behavior characteristics between overweight/obese and normal weight children. Multiple logistic regression models were used to evaluate the association between dietary behaviors and overweight/obesity. The consistency of dietary behavior characteristics was tested between children and their parents. Results Among the 897 preschool children, 217 (24.2%) were overweight/obese and 680 (75.8%) were of normal weight. The birth weight [(3439±472) g vs. (3361±418) g] and proportion of monthly household income < 10000 yuan (17.1% vs. 10.7%) in the overweight/obese children were significantly higher than those in the normal weight children, and there were no statistical differences in sex, age, gestational age, time of adding complementary foods, outdoor activities after school every day, and parental BMI. After adjusting for potential confounders such as sex, age, household income, outdoor activities after school every day, and parental overweight/obesity, frequently having puffed food (OR=2.46, 95%CI: 1.20-4.95), western-style fast food (OR=3.52, 95%CI: 1.41-8.79), and carbonated drinks (OR=2.92, 95%CI: 1.37-6.13), often eating a lot (OR=1.51, 95%CI: 1.09-2.08) and having a good appetite (OR=2.60, 95%CI: 1.87-3.62), having regular meals (OR=1.48, 95%CI: 1.07-2.03), and fast eating (OR=3.37, 95%CI: 2.10-5.42) were positively associated with children's overweight/obesity (P<0.05). Children's partial/picky eating was inconsistent with fathers' behavior (P<0.05), while the other dietary behaviors were similar with both mothers' and fathers'. Conclusion Eating behavior characteristics of preschool children are associated with overweight/obesity, and affected by their parents. Early identifying dietary behavior problems and improving dietary habits of children might be an effective strategy in preventing and controlling the occurrence and development of obesity in childhood.
ABSTRACT
Objective:To investigate the effects of osteocalcin (BGP) on bone growth and development and the expression levels of related hormones in offspring rats under the intervention of sodium fluoride.Methods:Twenty-four clean female SD rats and 24 clean male SD rats were selected, weighing 180-220 g, and the rats were mated in a 1∶1 cage for 10 d. The fluorosis rat model was established by drinking the fluorosis water method, female rats were divided into 3 groups according to body weight by random number table method, each group of 8 rats, including the high-dose, low-dose and control groups, with sodium fluoride of 200, 100, 0 mg/L in drinking water. The female rats were exposed to fluoride from the 0th day of pregnancy to the 3rd week after the offspring rats were born (before weaning). After weaning, 10 male offspring rats were selected from each group and continued to be exposed to fluoride in the same amount and manner until the 12th week after birth. The body weight and length of the offspring rats were measured every week before weaning and every two weeks after weaning. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect the serum BGP, parathyroid hormone (PTH), calcitonin (CT), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) contents in the offspring rats of each group exposed to fluoride for 12 weeks.Results:In the 2nd week of fluoride exposure, the body weights [(27.25 ± 3.57), (26.27 ± 4.48) g] and body lengths [(6.92 ± 0.46), (6.50 ± 0.54) cm] of the low-dose and high-dose groups were lower than those of the control group [(31.32 ± 3.62) g, (7.19 ± 0.26) cm, P < 0.05], but there were no significant differences in body weights and lengths between the high-dose group and the low-dose group ( P > 0.05). From the 3rd week of fluoride exposure, the body weight and length of the high-dose group were lower than those of the low-dose group and the control group ( P < 0.05). Serum BGP, PTH and ALP contents [(5.42 ± 0.26) mg/L, (157.53 ± 32.21) ng/L, (36.62 ± 6.01) U/L] in the control group were lower than those of the low-dose group [(6.15 ± 0.29) mg/L, (212.26 ± 51.97) ng/L, (50.68 ± 6.11) U/L] and high-dose group [(7.31 ± 0.77) mg/L, (274.21 ± 60.32) ng/L, (74.99 ± 9.08) U/L], and CT content [(182.40 ± 17.39) ng/L] was higher than those of the low-dose and high-dose groups [(135.77 ± 14.06), (70.09 ± 13.49) ng/L], and the differences were statistically significant ( P < 0.05); serum BGP, PTH and ALP contents in the high-dose group were higher than those in the low-dose group, and the CT content was lower than that in the low-dose group ( P < 0.05). Conclusion:Sodium fluoride may be involved in regulating the expression of related hormones by promoting the secretion of BGP, thereby affecting the bone growth and development of offspring rats.