RESUMEN
Objective: We examined the ‘nutrients of concern’ in pre-packaged food products that are commonly advertised, as per WHO standards and Nova Classification. Methods: This was a qualitative study, using a convenience sampling method, to identify advertisements of prepackaged food products. We also analyzed their content from information on the packets, and their compliance with applicable Indian laws. Results: We found that all the advertisements of the food products in this study did not provide important information about the amount of nutrients of concern i.e., total fat, sodium, and total sugars. These advertisements mostly targeted children, made health claims, and used endorsements of celebrities. All the food products were also found to be ultra-processed in nature and high in one or more nutrients of concern. Conclusion: Most of the advertisements are misleading, needing effective monitoring. Health warnings on the front-of- pack label and restrictions on marketing of such food products may go a long way in reducing non-communicable diseases.
RESUMEN
Background: We compared clinical and biochemical parameters of obese children aged 6 to 18 years with normal controls visiting to outpatient department in a tertiary care hospital. It was a prospective case control study.Methods: Obese children with Body Mass Index > 2 standard deviation according to WHO chart were included. Endocrinological and syndromic obese children were excluded.' We described risk factors for obesity and compared clinical and biochemical parameters between cases and controls. Student's t test, Chi-square test and ANOVA (analysis of variance) were used for statistical analysis.Results: We noted higher prevalence of intake of junk food and sedentary lifestyle in obese group. Anthropometric parameters including BMI, skin fold thickness and abdominal circumference were higher in obese children compared to control group. Both systolic and diastolic blood pressures were high in obese children compared to control group. We observed higher prevalence of insulin resistance and dyslipidaemia among obese children.Conclusions: This study reemphasises that junk foods and sedentary lifestyle are important risk factors for obesity. Always screen for glucose intolerance, hypertension, insulin resistance and dyslipidaemia in obese children.