Neighbourhood fast food outlets and obesity in children and adults: the CLAN Study.

OBJECTIVE: We examined associations between density of and proximity to fast food outlets and body weight in a sample of children (137 aged 8-9 years and 243 aged 13-15 years) and their parents (322 fathers and 362 mothers). METHODS: Children's measured and parents' self-reported heights and weights were used to calculate body mass index (BMI). Locations of major fast food outlets were geocoded. Bivariate linear regression analyses examined associations between the presence of any fast food outlet within a 2 km buffer around participants' homes, fast food outlet density within the 2 km buffer, and distance to the nearest outlet and BMI. Each independent variable was also entered into separate bivariate logistic regression analyses to predict the odds of being overweight or obese. RESULTS: Among older children, those with at least one outlet within 2 km had lower BMI z-scores. The further that fathers lived from an outlet, the higher their BMI. Among 13-15-year-old girls and their fathers, the likelihood of overweight/obesity was reduced by 80% and 50%, respectively, if they had at least one fast food outlet within 2 km of their home. Among older girls, the likelihood of being overweight/obese was reduced by 14% with each additional outlet within 2 km. Fathers' odds of being overweight/obese increased by 13% for each additional kilometre to the nearest outlet. CONCLUSIONS: While consumption of fast food has been shown to be associated with obesity, this study provides little support for the concept that exposure to fast food outlets in the local neighbourhood increases risk of obesity.

Mismatch between perceived and objective measures of physical activity environments.

OBJECTIVES: This study investigated the correspondence between measures of physical activity facilities obtained through self-report and objective audits; and identified the socio-demographic, cognitive and behavioral characteristics of those who perceive their physical activity environment to be less supportive than objective measures indicate. METHODS: Self-report surveys were completed by 1540 women recruited from 45 neighborhoods in Melbourne, Australia. Women reported perceived access to physical activity facilities within 2 km from home, and also socio-demographic, cognitive and behavioral factors. Objective data on physical activity facilities within a 2 km pedestrian catchment area around women's homes were sourced. RESULTS: There was relatively poor agreement between measures of access to physical activity facilities obtained via self-report and objective assessment. Mismatch between perceived and objectively-assessed environments was more common amongst younger and older women, and women of low income, with low self-efficacy for physical activity, who were less active, who reported using fewer facilities and who had lived in the neighborhood for less than 2 years. CONCLUSIONS: Future studies of environmental determinants of physical activity should consider incorporating objective indices of access to facilities, or accounting for the systematic bias that may result from relying on self-report perceptions as an indicator of the actual physical activity environment.

Sirolimus-induced pneumonitis following liver transplantation.

Sirolimus-induced pneumonitis has emerged as a potentially serious complication in renal transplantation but only single case reports of this condition have been described after liver transplantation (LT), where experience with sirolimus is relatively limited. We report our experience, the largest to date, of sirolimus-induced pneumonitis following LT. Between 1999 and 2006, 186 liver transplant patients received sirolimus-based immunosuppression, after initial therapy with calcineurin inhibitors (CNIs). All cases of sirolimus-induced pneumonitis were recorded and a retrospective review of the case notes of such patients was undertaken for the purpose of this analysis. Of 186 liver transplant patients receiving sirolimus, 4 (2.2%) developed pneumonitis that was attributed to the drug; the time from starting sirolimus to presentation was varied (1.5-30 months). The most common presenting symptoms were dyspnea, cough and fatigue. The median sirolimus level at the time of diagnosis was 9.7 ng/mL (range, 7-19.5 ng/mL). All patients in the series underwent thoracic computed tomography, which showed similar changes in all patients, and lung biopsy, which revealed features consistent with a drug-induced pneumonitis. In all 4 patients, sirolimus-induced pneumonitis resolved following cessation of therapy but took weeks to months for complete recovery. In conclusion, sirolimus-induced pneumonitis occurred in at least 2% of liver transplant recipients and should be suspected in patients who develop respiratory symptoms while on sirolimus. Although it may be life threatening, early recognition and cessation of sirolimus can lead to complete resolution of pneumonitis.