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BackgroundThere are limited studies about the association of physical activity (PA) and screen time (ST) with psychiatric distress (PD) among children and adolescents including Iranian populations.ObjectiveWe aimed to examine the independent and combined associations of PA and ST with PD among children and adolescents.MethodThis school-based nationwide survey was carried out among 14 880 students (50.8% boys and 75.6% urban inhabitants), of age 6–18 years by cluster and the stratified multistage sampling method from 30 provinces of Iran. The students and their parents completed two sets of questionnaires obtained from Global School Health Survey with several questions about the PD. The time spent on watching TV/video and computer games and PA were assessed by self-administered validated questionnaires.ResultsThe study had a participation rate of 90.6%. Of the studied students, 45.85%, 83.62%, 37.81% and 23.92% had depression, anger, insomnia and worthlessness, respectively. The prevalence of confusion, anxiety and worry was reported in 19.6%, 55.17% and 75.31% of the students, respectively. The combined effect of PA and that of ST showed that students with high PA and low ST had the lowest prevalence of PD, while the highest prevalence of these PD was observed among students with low PA combined with high ST (p ConclusionsIncreasing PA and reducing ST should both be considered for improving the mental health status of children and adolescents.

Background Physical activity (PA) and weight status have been suggested as predictors of life satisfaction (LS) and perceived health status (PHS). Therefore the present study aims to investigate and compare the impacts of body mass index (BMI) and PA on LS and PHS in a population of Iranian children and adolescents. Material and methods This study was conducted in 2011-12 as a nationwide population-based study among 14 880 students of age 6-18 years. Students were selected via a multistage cluster sampling method from 30 provinces of Iran. Information on demographics, PA, PHS and LS was obtained using the World Health Organization Global School-based Student Health Survey (WHO-GSHS) questionnaire. PA values were considered as low ( 2 h/week). Results The current study has a participation rate of 90.6% (50.8% boys). PA was significantly associated with both LS and PHS [odds ratio (OR), 1.37 in both), while in BMI, this association was significant for only PHS (in underweight: OR, 0.65; 95% CI, 0.57-0.75; in excess weight: OR, 0.82; 95% CI, 0.73-0.93). In the combined group of BMI-PA, the influence of PA prevailed over the impact of BMI on PHS and LS, and therefore, PA was found to be the stronger factor. Conclusion Although BMI and PA could both significantly impact LS and PHS, the stronger influence of PA on LS and PHS suggests that upgrading the 'activity level' of children and adolescents should be underscored and included on the agenda, rather than merely focusing on their BMI and weight status.

OBJECTIVES We investigated the association of generalized and abdominal obesity with cardiometabolic risk factors in children and adolescents. METHODS Data were obtained from a surveillance system entitled CASPIAN-III study in school students aged 10-18 years in Iran. Data of subjects with normal body mass index (BMI) or above (BMI ≥ 5th percentile) were analyzed. The associations of obesity with cardiometabolic risk factors were tested using logistic regression models. RESULTS In the sample of 4641 children and adolescents, overweight/obese children were more likely to have metabolic syndrome and cardiometabolic risk factors compared with their normal weight counterparts. Among these parameters, elevated TG had the strongest association with degree of obesity (overweight: OR = 2.28 [95% CI 1.59-3.26]; obesity: OR = 5.63 [95% CI 4.27,7.43]). Combined generalized and abdominal obesity increased the risk of high blood pressure, elevated triglyceride and total cholesterol. CONCLUSIONS Combined type of generalized and abdominal obesity is a predictor of cardiometabolic risk factors.

The objectives of the current study, that is the first of its kind, were to determine the prevalence of the hypertriglyceridemic waist (HW) phenotype in a nationally representative sample of children, as well as the metabolic risk factors identified by HW, and to identify lifestyle habits related to this phenotype. This national survey was conducted on 4811 representative school-students. We assessed the sensitivity and specificity of the HW phenotype for abnormal anthropometric and biochemical factors by using receiver operator characteristic curves. We determined the association of dietary patterns (obtained by factor analysis), physical activity level and some environmental factors with the HW phenotype. Overall, 8.52% of participants had the HW phenotype. Those children with the HW phenotype were more likely to have cardiovascular risk factors, notably for overweight and hypercholesterolemia. The dietary pattern characterized by junk foods increased the odds of having the HW phenotype, OR = 1.426 (95%CI, 1.109, 1.892), whereas the other dietary pattern including healthy foods decreased this odds, OR = 0.874 (95%CI, 0.765, 0.998). The risk of the HW phenotype rose with the consumption of solid hydrogenated fat as well as white-flour bread. Low education of parents and a positive family history of diabetes mellitus, obesity and or premature cardiovascular disease were the other risk factors for the HW phenotype. Low levels of physical activity significantly increased the risk of having the HW phenotype. The HW phenotype can be used as an accurate and easy tool for screening children at metabolic risk in population-based studies.

Vitamin D is important for calcium absorption and skeletal growth. Vitamin D insufficiency (VDI) is a prevalent health problem in children. A study was performed to determine the prevalence of VDI in healthy children living in Tehran, Iran. In a cross-sectional study, 963 students (424 boys and 539 girls) aged 7-18 years were selected by random sampling. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OHD), calcium, alkaline phosphatase and phosphorus were measured. VDI was defined as serum 25-OHD

The Objective of the present study is to develop the first age- and gender-specific reference curves for waist and hip circumferences in an Asian population of youths. This cross-sectional population survey was conducted in 2003-04 on a nationally representative sample of 21111 school-students living in urban (84.6%) and rural (15.4%) areas of 23 provinces in Iran. After anthropometric measurements, smoothed reference curves for waist and hip circumference (WC, HiC) and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) were developed by the LMS method. In both genders, WC and HiC percentile values increased with age. For girls, the 50th to 95th percentile curves for WC had a sharp increase between 8 and 13 years and 11-15 years, respectively, and began to plateau after this age, whereas for boys, these curves had a persistent and less sharp increase with age, until the age of 18 years. The WHR curves of girls decreased with age until 15 years and began to plateau thereafter, whereas for boys the 25th to 95th curves had a plateau pattern. Comparison of the current reference curves with the British ones showed that in boys, the 5th and 50th percentile curves were similar in both studies, but the 95th percentile curve of our study was higher than the British curves. For girls, the 5th percentile curves of both studies were similar, but the 50th and 95th percentile curves of our study were higher than the British ones. These curves represent the first childhood WC, HiC and WHR reference curves obtained in Asia. These curves can provide baseline data for analysis of time trends, as well as for international comparisons.