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Background: It has been pointed out that ghrelin and obestatin could have an impact on the genesis of obesity, since they estimulate and inhibit apetite and, therefore, food consumption., Objective: To compare the metabolic profile, lipid profile and the concentrations of ghrelin and obestatin in children with normal weight or obesity., Material and Methods: Cross-sectional design with 97 normal weight or obese children, 6 to 18 years of age, who did not present systemic diseases. The serum concentrations of glucose, insulin, total cholesterol, triglycerides, high (HDL), low (LDL) and very low density (VLDL) lipoproteins, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), ghrelin and obestatin were determined. Descriptive statistics were performed. Student's t test was used to compare groups, and correlation coefficients of ghrelin and obestatin values with biochemical and anthropometric variables. A p value of ≤ 0.05 was significant., Results: 55 children with normal weight and 42 with obesity were included; mean age was 10.7 years. Triglycerides, LDL, VLDL, ALT and insulin were higher, and HDL lower in obese children (p < 0.05). Ghrelin values were higher in normal weight children (p < 0.05), and there was no difference in obestatin values., Conclusions: The lower concentration of ghrelin in obese children may indicate a negative feedback to regulate energy consumption. Children and adolescents with obesity show metabolic and lipid profile alterations that place them at risk of early development of cardiovascular risk factors., (© 2022 Revista Medica del Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social.)

Background: Meeting the nutritional needs of pediatric patients on oncology services in low budget public hospitals of Mexico is a continuous challenge, due to its financial resources., Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of a nutritional strategy for children and adolescents with cancer in a public hospital of Mexico, based on a complacency diet., Methods: Across-sectional study included 58 children and adolescents (1-18 years old). An assessment of nutritional status was applied and a dietary diary was elaborated for 24 hours with the double weight method., Results: 43 patients (74.4%) had an adequate nutritional status. The average energy intake was 72.8% and average protein intake 168.3% of the requirements. The hospital meals accounted for 67.5% of the energy intake, 28.5% resulted from snacks and 3.9% from oral nutritional supplements or polymeric smoothies., Conclusion: The nutritional strategy based on offering a menu at the request supported by smoothies or oral nutritional supplements and the permission to introduce snacks to the hospital offers convenience and flexibility for meal times and favors the energy intake in hospitalized pediatric oncology patients.

Background: Nutrition transition provokes changes in the nutritional status of individuals subjected to the interaction of various environmental factors; therefore, the aim was to demonstrate that nutrition transition is associated with socioeconomic changes, eating habits and physical activity, potentially involved in stunting, overweight and obesity of schoolchildren., Methods: Case-control study. 102 participants from the Instituto Alteño para el Desarrollo de Jalisco (cases) and 194 from the elementary school system (controls), aged 5 to 12 years, were included. Dependent variables were these indexes weight/age (Z), height/age (Z), BMI (Z). Independent variables were the socioeconomic and demographic characteristics. Student's t test, chi square, odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were estimated., Results: Family income was low (p = 0.031) and unstable job was higher in cases: OR = 4.1, 95% CI = 2.8-6.0. The frequency of stunting was higher in cases (9.9% vs. 5.9%). The combination of overweight/obesity was higher in controls (27.3% vs. 16.8%), OR = 1.85, 95% CI = 1.0-3.4., Conclusions: The nutritional status of children of Arandas, Jalisco, has been modified by an accelerate nutrition transition, provoked by socioeconomic, educational and demographic factors that might have influence on the persistence of stunting and an increasing prevalence of overweight/obesity.

Background: In 2015, Mexico was the top country for childhood obesity. The objective was to identify the association between physical activity and sedentary lifestyle with the social and demographic characteristics of families of schoolchildren in Arandas, Jalisco, Mexico., Methods: In a cross-sectional study, 192 schoolchildren were randomly selected. Body mass index (BMI), active and sedentary behaviors, and socio-demographic characteristics of families were obtained. Logistic regression models with the included variables were constructed., Results: Males living in not-crowding houses [OR 6.12 (2.17-17.25), p = 0.001], whose mothers were housewives [OR 2.44 (1.00, 5.94), p = 0.05], practiced more physical activity. Active transport to school was more common in schoolchildren whose fathers had lower income [OR 3.13 (1.27, 7.7), p = 0.013] and employment as peasant or mason [OR 5.12 (1.13, 23.3), p = 0.034]. Schoolchildren of nuclear families spent more hours watching television [OR 2.69 (1.10, 6.58), p = 0.03]. The frequency of outdoor playing was higher in males whose fathers had unstable employment [OR 2.93 (1.06, 8.1), p = 0.038] and low education [OR 2.94 (0.96, 8.98), p = 0.059]., Conclusion: Families with lower socioeconomic strata (less educated parents, unstable employment and family overcrowding) are more associated with active activities that do not require active economic spending.

Background: The prevalence of overweight and obesity in children in Mexico are high, as well as the complications associated with their presence. The objective of this work was to estimate the prevalence of metabolic syndrome in obese children and adolescents attending a Hospital Clinic and identify the associated factors., Methods: Cross sectional design with 120 children and adolescents; of either sex, with exogenous obesity and BMI > 2.0 standard deviations. Personal and family history was collected, blood pressure was measured and determination of serum glucose, insulin, lipoprotein HDL cholesterol and triglycerides were performed. The presence of metabolic syndrome with the ATPIII, WHO and International Diabetes Federation criteria was identified. The association of metabolic syndrome with different variables was identified with chi square test and calculation of odds ratio., Results: Mean age was 10.6 ± 2.7 years. The prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 37.5% to 54.5% depending on the criteria used. The presence of metabolic syndrome was associated with a history of large birth weight (OR= 2.21 [1.01-4.82]), and insulin resistance (OR= 6.53 [2.40-18.2])., Conclusions: The prevalence of metabolic syndrome is high in this group of children and adolescents with obesity. The history of large birth weight and the presence of insulin resistance should alert us to the presence of the disease.

Background: There are few articles that document the association between growth and obesity. The objective of this study was to compare height between obese schoolchildren and healthy weight schoolchildren., Methods: Cross-sectional study performed in 369 healthy weight schoolchildren and 162 obese schoolchildren of an elementary school; 49.4 % were females. Subjects were classified by body mass index percentiles in healthy weight (5-84), and obese (&gt; 95), and grouped by gender and one-year class intervals. It was used Mann-Whitney U test for statistical analysis., Results: In all class intervals, height was higher in obese schoolgirls when we compared them with healthy weight schoolgirls; we did not identify an increasing or decreasing trend related to age. No height difference was observed in 6 and 7 years old obese/healthy weight schoolboys; however, from 8 to 11 years, height increased progressively in obese schoolchildren with a difference of 8.8 cm at the age of 10., Conclusions: The association of obesity with periods of accelerated growth suggests the existence of phenotypic variants related to metabolic and hormonal factors. Significant higher height values were identified in obese schoolchildren when they were compared with their healthy weight peers.

Background: If obesity results from the interaction of variables that involve the subject and his environment, the alternatives to face the problem could be very diverse. The objective of this study was to seek for the best predictive model of childhood obesity from energy ingestion, dietary habits and physical activity., Methods: Case control study of 99 obese and 100 healthy weight children (Center for Diseases Control criteria). Energy ingestion was estimated by means of a 24-hour recall, dietary and physical activity habits by validated questionnaires. A logistic regression analysis was made., Results: Variables independently associated to obesity were higher energy ingestion; lower frequency in mealtimes; having the afternoon lunch outside home; higher frequency of consumption of fat, junk food and sweetened beverages; lower time of moderate physical activity at school and at home; and increased time for homework and watching TV. The variables included in the regression model were energy intake; frequency of ingestion of fat, junk foods and sweetened beverages; and physical activity at home and at school., Conclusion: The diversity of associated variables underlines the complexity and multi-causal condition of obesity.

Objective: To identify the association between family dysfunction and obesity in children six to nine year-old., Methods: A case-control study that included children with obesity (cases, n = 64) with body mass index (BMI) > 95th percentile and triceps skinfold (TSF) > 90th percentile; and a control group (n = 120) with BMI < 85th percentile and TSF < 90th percentile was performed. Anthropometric measurements were made and a questionnaire assessing eight areas of family dynamics was applied. We compared the frequency of family dysfunction among cases and controls with the χ² test and its association with obesity through the odds ratio., Results: The average score of the questionnaire was 80.8 ± 11.3 with no differences between groups. The categories "probably dysfunctional" and "dysfunctional" were more common in the obese group but the differences were not significant. The score of the areas "dynamics of parents as a couple" (p = 0.053) and "structure of authority in the family" (p = 0.061) was higher in the control group., Conclusions: Although no association was seen between family dysfunction and obesity, we found a tendency toward obesity in dysfunctional families.

The prevalence of overweight has significantly increased thorough the world and Mexico is not an exception considering that the National Survey of Nutrition (1999) showed that 19.5% of scholar children in Mexico have overweight and other survey from Mexico City (ENURBAL, 2002) have shown that 17% in the same range of age are obese. Therefore, this clinical guide pretends to be an instrument for supporting the professionals of health for the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of obesity in children using the levels of medical attention. It is known that the treatment is difficult and it requires a full multidisciplinary team of professionals and that the key of prevention is the modification of the sedentary lifestyle and the decrease of energy intake. This guide was elaborated by pediatricians working in nutrition in public and university institutions, family and general physicians and pediatricians with private practice.