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Introduction: There is a growing body of evidence against using World Health Organization (WHO) charts for developing nations. Our objectives were: 1) To compare nutritional status of -0.5 (clinically significant), whereas on WHO charts all wealth classes had WHZ

Objective and Aims: Overweight/obese children are at risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus. Random glucose elevations provide early warning signs of glycemic dysregulation. To assess random blood glucose (RBG) concentrations and risk factors associated with prediabetes in children aged 3-18 years from six Indian regions. Method: Multicenter, cross sectional, observational school-based study; multi-stage stratified random sampling was carried out. Height and weight measured; body mass index (BMI) was computed. RBG measured using a glucometer. National sample survey was used for dietary patterns. Data were analyzed using SPSS 25.0 for Windows. Setting: Study centers were from Maharashtra, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Assam, Tamil Nadu and Punjab from 40 selected schools. Participant: Children aged 3-18 years were measured. Results: Data on 14339 subjects (7413 boys) were analyzed. Prevalence of obesity was 5.8% and overweight-10.6%. Overall, 1% had low (7.2 mmol/L). With increasing mean BMI, there was increase in RBG concentrations. Children from Tamil Nadu were more likely to have RBG outside reference range compared to other regions (P < 0.05). Assam and Punjab had highest prevalence of RBG and BMI within reference range. Energy intake partly explained regional variations. Multivariate analysis showed male gender, urban residency, age >10 yrs (girls) and 13 yrs (boys), and overweight or obesity were predictive of prediabetes. Conclusion: Increased prevalence of overweight, obesity and prediabetes in Indian children are a matter of concern. Regional differences suggest that strategies to prevent obesity and combat perturbations in blood sugar may have to be customized.

Introduction: Due to the high prevalence of Vitamin D deficiency in spite of abundant sunshine and scarcity of studies investigating Vitamin D status in Indian children from rural and semirural areas, the objectives of this cross-sectional study were to: (1) assess the Vitamin D status of school-children in a semi-rural setting and (2) identify the determinants of Vitamin D status in these children. Materials and Methods: Data collected included anthropometric measurements (height and weight), body composition, three-one-day dietary recall method, demographic data, and sunlight exposure. Serum 25-hydroxyVitamin D (25(OH)D) was estimated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique. SPSS software was used for statistical analysis. Results: Anthropometric characteristics of the children were similar and mean serum 25(OH)D concentration was 58.5 ± 10.3 nmol/L with no significant differences between genders. Around 80% children reported sunlight exposure of 2 h or more. A majority (71%) of children were Vitamin D insufficient with serum 25(OH)D concentrations between 50 and 74.9 nmol/L. Determinants of Vitamin D identified were duration of sunlight exposure and body fat percent. Significant (P < 0.05) positive association of duration of sunlight exposure was observed with serum 25(OH)D concentrations, while BF% showed a negative association with serum 25(OH)D (β = –0.307; standard error = 0.1388; P < 0.05). Discussion: We have reported a high prevalence of Vitamin D insufficiency in school-children aged 6–12 years, from a semirural setting, in spite of a majority (80%) reporting >2 h of sunlight exposure. We have also demonstrated that duration of sunlight exposure and body fat percentage are the two important determinants of serum 25(OH)D concentrations in these children.

Context: Common intronic variants of the fat mass and obesity-associated (FTO) gene have been associated with obesity-related traits in humans. Aims: (1) The aim of this study is to study the distribution of FTO gene variants across different body mass index (BMI) categories and (2) to explore the association between FTO gene variants and lifestyle factors in obese and normal weight Indian children. Subjects and Methods: Fifty-six children (26 boys, mean age 10.3 ± 2.2 years) were studied. Height, weight, and waist and hip circumference were measured. Physical activity (questionnaire) and food intake (food frequency questionnaire) were assessed. Body fat percentage (%BF) was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. FTO allelic variants at rs9939609 site were detected by SYBR Green Amplification Refractory Mutation System real-time polymerase chain reaction using allele-specific primers. Generalized linear model was used to investigate the simultaneous influence of genetic and lifestyle factors on %BF. Results: Mean height, weight, and BMI of normal and obese children were 130.6 ± 7.1 versus 143.2 ± 15.6, 24.0 ± 5.2 versus 53.1 ± 15.8, and 13.9 ± 2.1 versus 25.3 ± 3.2, respectively. The frequency of AA allele was 57% among obese children and 35% in normal weight children. Children with the AA allele who were obese had least physical activity, whereas children with AT allele and obesity had the highest intake of calories when compared to children who had AT allele and were normal. %BF was positively associated with AA alleles and junk food intake and negatively with healthy food intake and moderate physical activity. Conclusions: Healthy lifestyle with high physical activity and diet low in calories and fat may help in modifying the risk imposed by FTO variants in children.