The bidirectional association between body weight and mobility disability: A population-based cohort.

Background: Obesity is more common in people with mobility disability than in non-disabled individuals, but less is known about the longitudinal effects leading to this health state.

Objective: To explore the potential bidirectional association between mobility disability and obesity.

Methods: Participants were identified in the population-based Stockholm Public Health Cohort (2002-2010, n = 17 945).

Stability in the prevalence of Swedish children who were overweight or obese in 2003 and 2011.

Aim: We aimed to explore the prevalence and determinants of overweight including obesity among children in Sweden in 2003 and 2011.

Methods: Two population-based cross-sectional surveys included 7728 and 12 882 12-year-old children in Sweden, and 1198 and 2699 eight-year-old children in Stockholm County, in 2003 and 2011. Weighted prevalence of overweight including obesity and multivariate-adjusted relative risks (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) was calculated.

Longitudinal analysis of lifestyle habits in relation to body mass index, onset of overweight and obesity: results from a large population-based cohort in Sweden.

Aims: It is currently unknown whether the prevalence of obesity is increasing or has levelled off in Sweden and other Westernised countries. Given the major importance of lifestyle habits on weight status, we aimed to explore associations of longitudinal changes in lifestyle habits with changes in body mass index (BMI), and the onset of overweight and obesity.

Methods: Participants (aged 18-84 years at baseline) were included from the Stockholm Public Health Cohort 2002-2010 (n=23,108).

The association of leisure-time physical activity and active commuting with measures of socioeconomic position in a multiethnic population living in the Netherlands: results from the cross-sectional SUNSET study.

Background: In most European origin populations measures of socioeconomic position are positively associated with leisure time physical activity (LTPA), this is unclear for active commuting. In addition, these associations have scarcely been studied in ethnic minority groups, who often have a high cardiovascular disease risk. Because of the expected public health potential, we assessed the relationship of active commuting and LTPA with measures of socioeconomic position across two large ethnic minority groups in the Netherlands as compared to the European-Dutch population.

Cross national study of leisure-time physical activity in Dutch and English populations with ethnic group comparisons.

Background: Variations between countries in leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) can be used to test the convergence thesis, which expects that ethnic minority groups change towards the LTPA levels of the native population of host countries. The aim of this study was to test whether similar differences in LTPA between the native populations of England and the Netherlands are also observed among the Indian and African descent groups living in these countries.

Methods: We used English and Dutch population-based health surveys that included participants aged 35-60 years of European (n(english) = 14,723, n(dutch) = 567), Indian (n(english) = 1264, n(dutch) = 370) and African-Caribbean (n(english) = 1112, n(dutch) = 689) descent.

Association of physical activity, smoking, and alcohol intake with CVD-related hospital discharge in people of European, South Asian, or African descent.

Background: It is unclear whether the beneficial effects of certain lifestyle factors are equally strong in ethnic minority populations in Europe. This study explores whether this association of physical activity, smoking, and alcohol intake with cardiovascular disease (CVD)-related hospital discharge differs among South Asian Surinamese, African Surinamese, or Dutch descent living in the Netherlands.

Design: Prospective cohort.

Total physical activity might not be a good measure in the relationship with HDL cholesterol and triglycerides in a multi-ethnic population: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Evidence suggests that physical activity (PA) has a beneficial effect on high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) and triglycerides. However, observational studies show contrasting results for this association between different ethnic groups. It is unclear whether this is due to differences in the PA composition.

Blood pressure and BMI in adolescents in Aracaju, Brazil.

Objective: To assess the prevalence of high blood pressure (BP) and the association of overweight and obesity with high BP among adolescents in Aracaju, Brazil.

Design: Cross-sectional study. The main outcome measure was the proportion of adolescents with high BP (sex-, age- and height-specific ≥ 95th percentile).

Large ethnic variations in recommended physical activity according to activity domains in amsterdam, the netherlands.

Purpose: The level of recommended physical activity (PA) is met less frequently by people from some ethnic minorities than others. We explored whether these differences in recommended PA between ethnic minority groups and the general population varied by domain and type of culturally-specific activity.

Methods: Participants were sampled from the population based SUNSET study and were from ethnic Dutch (n = 567), Hindustani-Surinamese (n = 370) and African-Surinamese (n = 689) descent.

Whole grain, bran, and germ intake and risk of type 2 diabetes: a prospective cohort study and systematic review.

Background: Control of body weight by balancing energy intake and energy expenditure is of major importance for the prevention of type 2 diabetes, but the role of specific dietary factors in the etiology of type 2 diabetes is less well established. We evaluated intakes of whole grain, bran, and germ in relation to risk of type 2 diabetes in prospective cohort studies.

Methods And Findings: We followed 161,737 US women of the Nurses' Health Studies (NHSs) I and II, without history of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, or cancer at baseline.

Cross-sectional growth references and implications for the development of an international growth standard for school-aged children and adolescents.

Normative data are needed to create a reference that indicates optimal development of weight in relation to height and age, particularly in the face of the unfolding obesity epidemic. The body-mass index (BMI) has some serious limitations: it is a relatively poor predictor of current and future fatness. Currently, however, there are few available alternatives, with the possible exception of waist circumference or skinfolds.