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Background: Obesity is a multifaceted condition that impacts individuals across various age, racial, and socioeconomic demographics, hence rendering them susceptible to a range of health complications and an increased risk of premature mortality. The frequency of obesity among adolescent females in Iran has exhibited an increase from 6 to 9%, while among boys, it has risen from 2 to 7%. Due to the increasing prevalence and advancements in technology, the primary objective of this study was to develop and evaluate a smartphone-based app that would serve as an educational tool for parents about the matter of childhood overweight and obesity. Additionally, the app aimed to enhance parents' capacity to effectively address and manage their children's weight-related concerns. Methods: The design of the present study is of an applied-developmental type. In the first phase, the content of related smartphone-based app was determined based on the needs identified in similar studies and the findings of a researcher-made questionnaire. The versions of the app were designed in the android studio 3 programming environment, using the Java 8 programming language and SQLite database. Then, in order to evaluate the app's usability, ease of access, and different features, the standard usability evaluation questionnaire and the user satisfaction questionnaire (QUIS) were completed by the users. Results: The developed app has five main sections: the main page, recommendation section (with eight parts), charts over the time, child psychology, and reminders for each user. The designed app was given to 20 people including nutritionists and parents with children under 18 years of age for conducting usability evaluation. According to the scores of participants about the usability evaluation of the app, it can be concluded that groups participating in the study could use the program, and they rated the app at a "good" level. Overall performance of the app, screen capabilities, terms and information of the program, learnability, and general features are scored higher than 7.5 out of 9. Conclusion: By using this app, people can become familiar with the causes and symptoms of weight imbalance and manage their weight as best as possible. This app can be considered as a model for designing and creating similar broader systems and programs for the prevention, management, treatment and care of diseases, which aim to help control diseases as much as possible and increase the quality of life and reduce complications for be patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Childhood obesity and overweight have become major public health problems worldwide. To combat this problem, effective, sustainable, and consistent strategies are needed. In this study, the long-term effect of a school-based intervention for weight reduction was evaluated in primary school students in Tehran, Iran. Methods: This was a cluster randomized controlled trial (RCT) conducted in 12 primary schools in a low- to middle-class district in Tehran, Iran. The participants were 334 overweight or obese primary school students (girls =164) based on World Health Organization standards, equally distributed in the intervention (n=167) and comparison (n=167) groups. It was a multi-component intervention and included nutrition education and increased physical activity (PA), a lifestyle modification program for parents, and changing the food items sold in canteens of the schools. Body mass index Z-score [BMI-Z] was determined as the primary outcome and measured at baseline, three months after baseline, at post-test (after 18 weeks), and follow-up (13-month). In total, 205 students (59.5%) completed the follow-up. Analyses were carried out based on the intention-to-treat principle using linear mixed models. Results: After 13 months, the BMI Z-score decreased in both intervention and comparison groups. However, the change was more significantly observed in the intervention group (adjusted change: 0.098, 95% CI: (0.03-0.16) compared with comparison group (P=0.003(. The intervention had a more significant effect on BMI Z-score among girls (adjusted change: 0.36, 95% CI: (0.27-0.45) compared with the comparison group (P<0.001) (than among boys (adjusted change: -0.14, 95% CI: (-0.23--0.05) compared with the comparison group (P=0.002). Conclusion: The intervention was an effective way to reduce BMI in the girls and the effect lasted for a relatively long time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Childhood obesity can affect life in three aspects, including continuing obesity after childhood, increased risk of chronic diseases, and mortality. Over the last year, students' lifestyles have changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to plan educational interventions to improve students' health, this study aimed to investigate the prevalence of obesity among elementary students during COVID-19 pandemic in Yazd, Iran. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 583 elementary students in 4th-6th grades (aged 10-12 years) in Yazd in 2021. The participants were recruited using multistage sampling (cluster, stratified, and random) method. Data collection tools included the physical activity questionnaire for older children (PAQ-C) and a validated researcher-made questionnaire in terms of fast food and carbonated sweet beverages consumption. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated using the students' height and weight information registered in student electronic registration system (SANAD). Results: The prevalence of overweight and obesity among primary school students was 23.9% and 14.5%, respectively. Gender (P < 0.0001), type of school (P < 0.0001), mother's education level (P = 0.03), amount of carbonated sweet beverages (P < 0.0001), and level of physical activity (P = 0.04) were associated with BMI status. There was no significant association between frequency of students' consumption of fast food (P = 0.41) or soft drinks and BMI status (P = 0.48). Conclusion: During the COVID-19 outbreak, students' weight gain has been more affected by reducing physical activity than consuming high-calorie foods. Therefore, it is required to create new infrastructure and opportunities for improving physical activity among students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. The prevalence of childhood obesity is increasing worldwide and can affect their linear growth through various mechanisms. Objectives. We aimed to investigate the association between obesity-related traits and height in adolescents. Material and methods. This was a categorized cross-sectional study carried out on 186 students (93 case and 93 control) 15 to 18 years of age who were randomly selected from three schools in Shiraz, Iran. Anthropometric indices including height, weight, body mass index (BMI), body fat percentage (BF) and body muscle percentage (BM) were measured. Statistical analysis was done by SPSS software (Version 16). A significance level was considered as being less than 0.05. Results. We found an inverse association for waist circumference (WC) and fat mass with height. In addition, there was a direct relationship between fat-free mass and trunk fat with height. The mean height of participants in the obesity group was significantly lower than the control group (p = 0.04). Participants in the obesity group had significant higher FM percentage (p < 0.001) and WC (p < 0.001) than the control group. There was a significant correlation between height and WC (p = 0.003), as well as between height and fat percentage (p < 0.001). We also found a direct relationship between fast-free mass and height (p < 0.001), as well as between trunk fat percentage and height (p = 0.026). We have suggested an equation to estimate adolescents’ height based on the anthropometric indices. Conclusions. Adiposity, especially central adiposity, is adversely associated with height. However, muscle percentage might reinforce linear growth. Further studies are warranted to confirm this finding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aim Considering the importance of childhood obesity and easier correction of related factors in this age group, the present study aimed to investigate the role of some factors related to family, nutrition, and lifestyle on childhood obesity. Methods & Materials This age-matched case-control study was performed on 150 obese and 150 healthy children, aged 2-15 years referring to Amir-Kabir Hospital in Arak City, Iran. Obesity was calculated based on Body Mass Index (BMI). Required information, including family factors, nutritional factors, and lifestyle characteristics were collected by a checklist. Ethical Considerations This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Arak University of Medical Sciences (Code: IR.ARAKMU.REC.1396.119). Results The results of Odds Ratio (OR) with 95% of Confidence Interval (CI) were in favor of father’s age of 25-35 and over 35 years (0.24), respectively, father’s overweight and obesity (3.87 and 3.57), mother’s overweight and obesity (3.81 and 5.5)7, more than three children per household (3.33), low and high consumption of fruits and vegetables (0.3 and 0.19), breakfast eating (0.43), dietary supplementation (2.68), consuming fast food (3.98), more than two hours of playing a computer game (3.5), chewing well (0.38), using food as a reward (1.89), as well as participating in food and table preparation (3.14). We found a dose-response association between children’s obesity and parents’ BMI, the number of children, and computer games. Conclusion Obesity is associated with some factors related to the family, such as nutrition, computer games, and lifestyle characteristics. Due to various risk factors and adjustable safeguards, it is necessary to provide families and children with proper education to reduce obesity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim was to determine the relationship between dietary patterns derived by principal component analysis (PCA) in association with obesity from a large group of Iranian adults in the urban and suburb areas. A cross‐sectional study was conducted on 10,693 Iranian adults. The data were collected from two cohort studies: Shahedieh city annexed to Yazd area as well as Yazd Health Study (YaHS)‐TAMYZ (Yazd Nutrition Survey in Persian) in urban area. Dietary intakes were assessed using a validated semi‐quantitative food frequency questionnaire. The PCA was applied to identify the dietary patterns. Multiple logistic regressions were run to assess the relationship between dietary patterns and obesity. In Shahedieh cohort study, three major dietary patterns were identified traditional, unhealthy, and prudent pattern. Prudent pattern was associated with lower odds of obesity (OR: 0.68; 95% CI: 0.53, 0.88). Higher adherence to the unhealthy (OR: 1.24; 95% CI: 1.02, 1.50) and traditional (OR: 1.38; 95% CI: 1.11, 1.72) patterns was related to greater odds of obesity. Moreover, we identified traditional and unhealthy dietary patterns in YaHS study. Higher adherence to the unhealthy dietary pattern was associated with greater odds of obesity (OR: 1.21 95% CI: 1.02, 1.44). Greater adherence to unhealthy dietary patterns was associated with higher odds of obesity in participants. Greater adherence to traditional and prudent dietary patterns increased and decreased the obesity odds, respectively. Further prospective studies are needed to find out the causal relationship between the variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Obesity is a major risk factor for chronic diseases and has a role on high blood pressure, diabetes type II, etc., This review assesses the prevalence of Iranian children obesity and overweight for different age categories and compares the three standard definitions of obesity. Materials and Methods: To retrieve desirable studies concerning childhood anthropometric data from different area of Iran, the MEDLINE, Scopus, and different local databases such as Scientific Information database were used. The studies reported the prevalence of obesity or overweight of children < 6, 6-12, and 12-20 years old, despite differences between definitions of childhood obesity, were included in the study. We combined the reported prevalence of the overweight and obesity with regard to age and gender, and also by the different standard references which are the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO) definition, and the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) references. The analysis was carried out using STATA software. Results: Our review covered 75 articles reported the prevalence of overweight or obesity among children and adolescents for different age groups in Iran. Our meta-regression analysis showed that the prevalence of obesity and overweight did not vary significantly in gender and age categories, but different definitions provide different prevalence of overweight and obesity. Conclusion: The effective factors on obesity and overweight included administration policy and organizational, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and social factors. CDC and WHO references intended in monitoring children's growth and the IOTF cutoffs would rather provide a common set of definitions that researchers and policymakers could use for descriptive and comparative purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Obesity induces endothelial dysfunction even in the pediatric age group. The possible protective effects of fruits and herbal products on the endothelial dysfunction of obese children remain to be determined. This study aims to investigate the effects of lemon and sour orange peels on endothelial function of adolescents with excess weight. Materials and Methods: This triple-masked, randomized placebo-controlled trial was conducted for 1-month among 90 overweight and obese participants, aged 6-18 years. They were randomly assigned into three groups of equal number receiving daily oral capsules containing lemon or sour orange powder or placebo. Flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) was compared between three groups by using analysis of covariance. Results: Overall, 30 participants in the lemon group, 27 in the sour orange group and 29 in the control group completed the trial. After the trial, mean FMD was significantly (P < 0.001) higher in the lemon group (11.99 ± 4.05) and in the sour orange group (12.79 ± 5.47) than in the placebo group (6.45 ± 2.79). FMD percent change was 145.02 ± 24.34 in the lemon group, 142.04 ± 16.11 in the sour orange group, and 46.73 ± 5.16 in controls (P < 0.001). Conclusion: This trial showed that consumption of extracts of lemon and sour orange peels, which contain plenty amounts of antioxidants, flavonoids, pectin, and vitamin C, might have significant benefits on endothelial function in children and adolescents with excess weight. Trial registry code: IRCT201311201434N10. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Anthropometrical surveys are used extensively to evaluate the growth of children as a strong tool for evaluation of the growth and nutritional status of children in various populations. This study was conducted on preschool children in Jahrom to evaluate the prevalence of underweight, stunting, wasting and obesity among them. Material and Method: In this cross-sectional study, 984 children referring to heath assessment center were evaluated. Sampling in this study was based on census and all the children studied. At baseline, the percentile and Z-Score of who wasting, stunting, underweight, overweight and obese school children were determined. Results: 984 infants (51.5boys) were enrolled in the study. Analysis of data through standard percentile and Z-Score showed wasting in 1.8%, 1.2%, Stunting 3.8%, 1.5%, underweight 2.4%, 1.2%, overweight 13.3%, 6.5% and obesity 10.9%, 9.7% of children. Conclusion: Comparison of the results of this study with other studies performed in Iran revealed that prevalence of underweight, wasting and stunting is not height. However, the high prevalence of overweight and obesity should be taken into account by authorities. Serious overview of children's nutritional program and recommending the appropriate pattern of nutrition for this group seem to be necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objective: Child obesity is increased in developing countries. This study assessed the prevalence of obesity on children which are exclusively on breast feeding and its duration among children aged 24-59 months in Bandar Turkmen district Northern, Iran. Materials and Methods: In this descriptive- analytical study, 343 in children aged 24-59 months were selected with stratified random sampling. Obesity was defined as >+2SD NCHS (National Center for Health Surveys) reference. Data were collected by questionnaire, interview with mothers and were analyzed with Chi-Square and Fisher tests and multiple regression logistic models. Results: In this study, 6.4% of children were obese. Prevalence of obesity was not significantly different between boys and girls (5.4% and 7.4% respectively). Breast feeding duration<18 months (P<0.005) and formula or cow's milk plus breast feeding up to 6 months old (P<0.01) was significantly correlated with children's obesity. Breast feeding duration more than 18 months reduced the obesity risk factor with 64%. Conclusion: This study demonestrated that exclusively breast feeding in the first 6 months of life and breast feeding duration more than 18 months reduce the child obesity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]