RESUMO
We assessed risk for obesity in 1743 first-degree relatives (parents and siblings) of 566 obese patients at three sites in the USA and one in Argentina. Onset of obesity prior to adulthood, and especially by age 10, significantly increased relative risk (2.14) for obesity in adult first-degree relatives. This increase in risk was consistent across four different patient samples from two different countries. Higher levels of obesity in patients were also associated with increased familial risk. Age of onset of obesity may be used to select obese adults with high genetic loading--an approach that should facilitate the identification of specific genes for human obesity. The enhanced ability to identify persons at high genetic risk for obesity provided by this study should increase the effectiveness of efforts to prevent obesity.
Assuntos
Obesidade/genética , Adolescente , Adulto , Argentina , Composição Corporal/genética , Peso Corporal/genética , Criança , Feminino , Marcadores Genéticos/análise , Humanos , Masculino , Fatores de Risco , Estados UnidosRESUMO
To explore the relationship between obesity and self-esteem, the Piers-Harris Self-Esteem Inventory was administered to black inner-city children (grades 4 through 12). Those with chronic illnesses or in special education were excluded, yielding 851 for the study. Body mass index (BMI) served to estimate adiposity, and Ten State Nutrition Survey (TSNS) data yielded reference growth curves. BMI and BMI relative to TSNS ideals were calculated for each child. Using analysis of variance to compare groups based on relative BMI, small differences in mean self-esteem scores were detected (3 to 4 units or one-third standard deviation). These statistically significant differences are unlikely to be clinically significant. The correlation between BMI and self-esteem was small: BMI accounted for only 1% of the variance in self-esteem score. Moreover, all self-esteem scores fell within the normal range. Neither age nor sex affected the relationship. The consequences of childhood obesity may be less harmful than formerly assumed. Our findings may explain why the promise of enhanced self-esteem fails to motivate weight loss in many children.