Traffic noise can act as a stressor and disturb sleep, and has been associated with cardiovascular disease. Recent studies suggest a possible association to metabolic outcomes and adiposity through ...biological mechanisms related to physiological stress and sleep disturbance.
We aimed to investigate the association between long-term residential traffic noise and changes in adiposity.
The study was based on 39,720 middle-aged Danish men and women from a cohort, with information on weight and waist circumference at two points in time. Residential exposure to traffic noise was calculated for all participants’ present and historical addresses using the Nordic prediction method. The associations between traffic noise and changes in adiposity measures after a mean follow-up of 5.3 years were analyzed by linear and logistic regression with adjustments for age, sex, socioeconomic position and lifestyle factors in three models with increasing adjustment.
In linear models adjusted for sex, age, socioeconomic position and competing noise sources we found road traffic noise to be significantly associated with small gains in both weight and waist circumference. For example, time-weighted mean exposure 5-years preceding follow-up was associated with a yearly weight gain of 15.4g (95% confidence interval (CI): 2.14; 28.7) and a yearly increase in waist circumference of 0.22mm (95% CI: 0.018; 0.43) per 10dB. Similarly, in Poisson regression models we found an 10% increased risk for gaining more than 5kg body weight during follow-up (95% CI: 1.04; 1.15) per 10dB higher 5 years exposure preceding follow-up. Exposure to railway noise above 55dB was associated with weight gain (39.9g/year (95% CI: 10.2; 69.6)), but not with a significant change in waist circumference. We found baseline BMI (p<0.001) and waist circumference (p=0.001) to be significant effect modifiers for the association between road traffic noise and waist circumference, with gain in waist circumference only among the obese (BMI≥30) participants (1.20mm/year (95% CI: 0.68; 1.72)) and participants with a large waist circumference (0.83mm/year (95% CI: 0.42; 1.23)).
The findings supports previous studies suggesting that traffic noise may be associated with development of adiposity. However, the potential effects are small and suggest an effect mainly among obese participants.
•Traffic noise induce sleep disturbance and stress.•Sleep disturbances and stress may affect the human metabolism and lead to changes in weight and waist circumference.•A nationwide case-control study with historical, residential modeling of traffic noise.•We find small effects of traffic noise on development of adiposity.
Stunted growth is a significant public health problem in many low-income countries.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of 1 egg per day on child growth in rural Malawi.
We conducted an ...individually randomized controlled trial in which 660 children aged 6–9 mo were equally allocated into an intervention (1 egg/d) or control group. Eggs were provided during twice-weekly home visits for 6 mo. Control households were visited at the same frequency. Assessors blinded to intervention group measured length, weight, head circumference, and midupper arm circumference at baseline and the 6-mo follow-up visit. To assess adherence, multipass 24-h dietary recalls were administered at baseline, 3-mo, and 6-mo visits.
Between February and July 2018, 660 children were randomly assigned into the intervention (n = 331) and control (n = 329) groups. Losses to follow-up totaled 10%. In the intervention group, egg consumption increased from 3.9% at baseline to 84.5% and 70.3% at the 3-mo and 6-mo visits, whereas in the control group, it remained below 8% at all study visits. The baseline prevalence of stunting was 14%, underweight was 8%, and wasting was 1% and did not differ by group. There was no intervention effect on length-for-age, weight-for-age, or weight-for-length z scores. There was a significantly higher head circumference for age z score of 0.18 (95% CI: 0.01, 0.34) in the egg group compared with the control group. There was a significant interaction with maternal education (P = 0.024), with an effect on length-for-age z score only among children whose mothers had higher education.
The provision of 1 egg per day to children in rural Malawi had no overall effect on linear growth. A background diet rich in animal source foods and low prevalence of stunting at baseline may have limited the potential impact. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT03385252.
CrossFit is recognized as one of the fastest-growing high-intensity functional training modes in the world. The study aimed to compare the effects of the CrossFit training program and traditional gym ...training on anthropometric measurements in healthy, active men. The study sample consisted of 50 participants who were divided into two groups, 22 participants who practiced the CrossFit training program (CFT group; 28.64±2.04 years; body height 181.74±6.96 cm; body mass: 72.75±5.53 kg), and 28 participants who applied traditional gym training (GT group; 26.89±2.99 years; body height: 184.52±7.80 cm; body mass: 74.86±8.48 kg). A total of ten anthropometric measurements (Body height, Body mass, BMI, Subscapular, Abdominal and Triceps skinfolds, Chest, Forearm, Upper arm, and Thigh circumferences) were monitored before and after twelve weeks. The Shapiro-Wilk test was used to test the normality of distribution. The multivariate analysis covariance (MANCOVA) and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) were used to analyze the data. The results of this study indicated that there were statistically significant differences between groups in the Circumference of the upper arm (p=0.02), Thigh circumference (p=0.00), Chest circumference (p=0.03), and Subscapular skinfold (p=0.00). The findings of this study demonstrated that healthy, active males who participated in the 12-week CrossFit training program improved their anthropometric measurements more than those who trained in the traditional gym training.
We investigated the missed treatment opportunities affecting programmes using mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) as the sole anthropometric criterion for identification and monitoring of children ...suffering from severe acute malnutrition (SAM).
Alongside MUAC, we assessed weight-for-height
-score (WHZ) in children screened and treated according to the national MUAC only protocol in Pakistan. Besides, we collected parents' perceptions regarding the treatment received by their children through qualitative interviews.
Data were collected from October to December 2021 in Tando Allah Yar District, Sindh.
All children screened in the health facilities (
8818) and all those discharged as recovered (
686), throughout the district, contributed to the study. All children screened in the community in the catchment areas of five selected health facilities also contributed (
8459). Parents of forty-one children randomly selected from these same facilities participated in the interviews.
Overall, 80·3 % of the SAM cases identified during community screening and 64·1 % of those identified in the health facilities presented a 'WHZ-only' diagnosis. These figures reached 93·9 % and 84·5 %, respectively, in children aged over 24 months. Among children treated for SAM and discharged as recovered, 25·3 % were still severely wasted according to WHZ. While parents positively appraised the treatment received by their children, they also recommended to extend eligibility to other malnourished children in their neighbourhood.
In this context, using MUAC as the sole anthropometric criterion for treatment decisions (referral, admission and discharge) resulted in a large number of missed opportunities for children in need of timely and adequate care.
•Data on mid-upper arm circumference, including centiles and cutoffs for over- and undernutrition for Asian Indian children 5 to 17 y of age are presented for the first time.•Multicentric data and ...standardized methodology are used throughout the study.•These ethnic-specific data may be used for quick assessment of nutritional status in children with chronic disorders such as cancer.
Malnutrition is common in developing countries and is not restricted to young children. It has been suggested that measuring mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) is an easy, accurate, and low-cost method of identifying malnutrition in the early stages. The aims of this study were to construct age- and sex-specific MUAC reference centiles, and to define and validate cutoffs for assessment of under- and overnutrition in Indian children 5 to 17 y of age.
This was a cross-sectional, multicentric, observational study conducted in seven schools in seven states from June 2018 to November 2019. The study included 6680 healthy 5- to17-y-old children. MUAC was measured using non-stretch tapes (UNICEF). Sex-specific MUAC percentiles were computed for age and height. Cutoffs for MUAC z-scores for thinness and overnutrition were defined and validated for healthy school children (n = 726) and children with cancer (n = 500).
Reference centiles for MUAC for age (and height) for boys and girls are presented. Cutoffs defined for thinness and for obesity were –0.7 and +1.5 z-score, respectively (corresponding to 25th and 95th percentiles of the MUAC for age/height). For ease of use, rounded cutoffs for thinness were 16 and 18.5 cm from 5 to 9 and 10 to 14 y of age, respectively, in both sexes, and a cutoff of 22 cm in boys and 20 cm in girl from 15 to 17 y of age. For obesity, 20 and 25.5 cm from 5 to 9 and 10 to 14 y of age, respectively, in both girls and boys and a rounded cutoff of 29 cm in boys and 27 cm in girls from 15 to17 y are proposed.
We presented MUAC percentiles and cutoffs for screening for thinness and overnutrition in Indian children from 5 to 17 y of age. These data may also be used in children with cancer and other chronic disorders with growth failure.
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