Anthropometric nutritional status of children (0-18 years) in South Africa 1997-2022: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: To conduct a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis of the available literature on the anthropometric nutritional status of South African infants and children, 0-18 years old and to report on trends of changes in nutritional status over the period 1997-2022.

Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

Setting: Review of the available literature on the anthropometric nutritional status of South African infants and children, 0-18 years old, over the period 1997-2022.

Differences in calculated body fat percentage estimated from published equations based on bioelectric impedance analysis in healthy young South African adults.

Background: Adult overweight and obesity, in addition to the intake of saturated fat and total serum cholesterol must be monitored as biological risk factors for non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Bioelectric impedance analysis (BIA) provides data on body fat for use in epidemiological settings. However, optimized equations should be used to calculate percentage body fat (%BF).

Birth Weight and Body Composition as Determined by Isotopic Dilution with Deuterium Oxide in 6- to 8-Year-Old South African Children.

Low and high birth weight (BW) are associated with obesity later in life; however, this association has not been extensively studied in African countries. This study determines the association between BW and body composition derived from deuterium oxide (D2O) dilution in 6- to 8-year-old South African children (n = 91; 40 boys, 51 girls). BW was recorded retrospectively from the children’s Road-to-Health cards.

The Metabolic Profiles of Metabolically Healthy Obese and Metabolically Unhealthy Obese South African Adults over 10 Years.

Obesity is associated with an increased cardiometabolic risk, but some individuals maintain metabolically healthy obesity (MHO). The aims were to follow a cohort of black South African adults over a period of 10 years to determine the proportion of the group that maintained MHO over 10 years, and to compare the metabolic profiles of the metabolically healthy and metabolically unhealthy groups after the follow-up period. The participants were South African men ( = 275) and women ( = 642) from the North West province.

A demographic approach to assess elevated blood pressure and obesity in prepubescent children: the ExAMIN Youth South Africa study.

Background: Obesity and hypertension prevalence among children are a concern, with limited evidence available on sex and ethnic differences in childhood blood pressure. We aimed to determine the number of children with hypertension and obesity to identify unique adiposity and blood pressure characteristics by sex and ethnicity, and to estimate the odds of having elevated blood pressure with increasing adiposity.

Methods: We included 1062 healthy children (5-9 years of age) in an observational school-based study in South Africa.

Physical activity, diet and quality of life during mandatory (COVID-19) quarantine following repatriation.

The coronavirus disease 2019 crisis in South Africa has been managed through an effective evidence-based approach. The aim of this case report was to determine the value of staying physically active during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, using online resources to prevent the harmful effects of sedentary behaviour under confined living conditions. A repatriated South African citizen was placed into monitored 14-day quarantine confined to a room, self-monitoring dietary intake and physical and health measures, while engaged in online exercise videos and indoor walking.

The Exercise, Arterial Modulation and Nutrition in Youth South Africa Study (ExAMIN Youth SA).

The impact of a sedentary and unhealthy lifestyle on cardiovascular health is well-documented, however the current obesity and hypertension trends among children is concerning. The ExAMIN Youth SA study aims to investigate the impact of lifestyle behaviors (physical fitness/activity, dietary intake and psychosocial factors) involved in early vascular aging among South African children. This study is an analytical, multidisciplinary, observational cohort study in a school-based setting.

Plasma phospholipid fatty acid patterns are associated with adiposity and the metabolic syndrome in black South Africans: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Diets rich in n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and saturated fatty acids (SFA) have been associated with increased risk of obesity and the metabolic syndrome (MetS), but the evidence is inconsistent, whereas diets high in n-3 long-chain (LC) -PUFAs are associated with lower risk. There is limited information about the association of plasma phospholipid fatty acids (FAs) with obesity and the MetS among black South Africans.

Objective: To investigate the association of dietary FAs and plasma phospholipid FA patterns, respectively, with measures of adiposity (body mass index, waist circumference, waist-to-height ratio) and the MetS in black South Africans.

Type of dietary fat intakes in relation to all-cause and cause-specific mortality in US adults: an iso-energetic substitution analysis from the American National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey linked to the US mortality registry.

Accumulating evidence indicates that saturated fat intake is related to mortality risk increase, whereas unsaturated fat intake is associated with reduced mortality risk. The aim of the present study was to estimate the mortality risk reduction related to a dietary change from saturated fat to mono- or polyunsaturated fat intake. The American National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys conducted between 1999 and 2010 were linked to the 2011 national US death registry resulting in an observational prospective mortality study.

Association of 25-hydroxyvitamin D and parathyroid hormone with the metabolic syndrome in black South African women.

The relationship between 25 hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D), parathyroid hormone (PTH) and metabolic traits appear to differ among ethnicities and may be influenced by obesity. The aim of the study was to examine the association of serum 25(OH)D or PTH with metabolic syndrome (MetS) while controlling for adiposity in black women. Using a cross-sectional study design, 209 urban black women aged ≥ 43 years from the North West Province, South Africa, were included.

Disordered Eating Behavior, Body Image, and Energy Status of Female Student Dancers.

Background: Modern culture has stereotyped the female body as one that is continually getting thinner. Internalization of the 'thin' ideal is partly attributable to the inner ideal to be successful combined with the external pressure imposed by media and others. Many individuals attempt to achieve these ideals by behavior modification that imposes health risks.

Stunting, adiposity, and low-grade inflammation in African adolescents from a township high school.

Objective: The objective of this study was to compare the inflammatory status of children with differences in nutritional status.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of 184 African children aged 13-18 y from a low socioeconomic background that compared stunted with non-stunted and lean with over-fat (percentage of body fat above normal cutoff points) children. Fasting serum tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin-6, C-reactive protein, and insulin were measured using high-sensitivity methods.