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Introduction: Limited information is available on the association between depressive symptoms and waist circumference (WC) in individuals with normal weight. This study aimed to analyze the association between depressive symptoms and WC among individuals aged 18 years or older with normal weight in the Peruvian population between 2019 and 2021., Methods: Analytical cross-sectional study. Data from the Peruvian Demographic and Health Survey (2019-2021) were analyzed. The sample consisted of 26 933 participants. The outcome variable was WC. The exposure variables included the overall Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) score and severity of depressive symptoms. Generalized linear models of the Gaussian family estimated the effects with β coefficients for the associations between WC and depressive symptoms stratified by age and sex., Results: A significant inverse association was observed between depressive symptoms and WC in young (< 35 years) individuals of both sexes. In young males, a dose-response relationship emerged, with greater severity of depressive symptoms associated with progressively lower WC. Specifically, inverse associations were found for moderate (β = -1.74, 95% CI: -3.25 to -0.23), moderately severe (β = -2.81, 95% CI: -4.71 to -0.91), and severe (β = -2.75, 95% CI: -5.11 to -0.40) depressive symptoms., Conclusions: Among young individuals of both sexes with a normal weight, depressive symptoms were inversely associated with WC. These findings underscore the need for nuanced considerations of age and sex when exploring the interplay of depression and abdominal adiposity in individuals with normal weight., (© 2024 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

The World Health Organization (WHO) has published new hemoglobin cutoff points for defining anemia and its measurement. This change could impact the prevalence of anemia, particularly in countries with populations living in high-altitude areas. This study estimates the national prevalences of anemia in children aged 6-59 months using Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 1989 and WHO 2024 criteria. Data from 406,106 children in 48 countries (45 Demographic and Health Surveys [DHS Program] and 3 Andean [Ecuador, Bolivia, and Peru]) were analyzed. The pooled prevalence of anemia was 61.4% according to the WHO 2024 criteria. Three countries showed changes in anemia prevalence, with shifts of 10 or more percentage points (Uganda, Rwanda, and Jordan). Across all the studied countries, the prevalence of anemia was higher at greater altitudes, rural areas, and children from households of low wealth quintiles, regardless of the criteria used. Moreover, changes in anemia prevalence were identified when stratified by altitude of residence, showing differences in the levels of public health significance across various political-administrative regions in Andean countries. Overall, these findings provide valuable insights into the epidemiology of anemia and highlight the need for continued surveillance and targeted interventions to effectively address this global health challenge., (© 2024 The New York Academy of Sciences.)

Objective: This study aims to identify factors associated with excessive screen time among preschoolers in Lima, Peru., Methods: Cross-sectional analysis from a 2019 panel study in Lima, Peru, was conducted focusing on women, aged 18 and above, who are mothers of 3- to 5-year-olds in mid-high and mid-low districts. There were two outcome variables: excessive TV and excessive electronic devices screen time, defined as ≥ 1 h of screen exposure for each one. Explored factors included the mother's age, education and wealth index and the children's age, sex, physical activity, day care attendance and ultra-processed food consumption. Crude (cPR) and adjusted prevalence ratios (aPR) were estimated for the association between associated factors and excessive screen time using the GLM Poisson of with a logarithmic link., Results: Excessive TV screen time and electronic devices prevalence was 74% and 36.9%, respectively. For TV screen time, a high wealth index (aPR 1.13; 95%CI: 1.03-1.23) and children's age (aPR 1.18; 95%CI: 1.08-1.29 for 4 years, PR = 1.17; 95%CI: 1.07-1.28 for 5 years) were significant. For electronic devices, significant associations included mothers with more than 3 children (aPR 0.77; 95%CI: 0.62-0.96), being single (aPR 1.27; 95%CI: 1.01-1.58) and a high wealth index (aPR 1.38; 95%CI: 1.13-1.68). Furthermore, significant associations were found between excessive electronic device screen time and consumption of candies and chocolates (aPR 1.38; 95%CI: 1.08-1.77)., Conclusions: Seven out of 10 preschool children exceeded the recommended television screen time. Certain characteristics of the children, their mothers and the family's socio-economic situation are related to excessive television screen time and excessive electronic device screen time., (© 2024 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are a global health threat, significantly impacting Latin America. Cardiometabolic abnormalities (CAs), encompassing lipid profile, fasting plasma glucose, and blood pressure, contribute to CVD prevalence. Despite high CA incidence, research in Latin America has primarily focused on traditional adiposity indices, overlooking the intricate relationship between fat and lean body components. The study aimed to analyze the association between the lean-to-fat mass ratio (LFMR) and CAs in the adult Peruvian population., Methods: This was an analytical cross-sectional study using secondary data from the PERU MIGRANT study (2007, 989 participants). The main outcome variable was CA defined as having ≥ 2 out of six metabolic components (high triglycerides, impaired fasting glucose, high blood pressure, low high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol, insulin resistance, and high C-reactive protein). The main exposure variable LFMR was divided into tertiles. A generalized linear model was used with log link and robust variance Poisson family to calculate crude (cPR) and adjusted prevalence ratios (aPRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs)., Results: A total of 959 adults aged 30 years or older were included in the analysis (53% females). The prevalence of CA was 50.9%. Females aged 30 - 44 years old showed statistically significant inverse associations for the middle (aPR: 0.57, 95% CI: 0.42 - 0.78) and highest (aPR: 0.22, 95% CI: 0.14 - 0.35) LFMR categories. Similar trends were seen for females aged 45 - 59 years and ≥ 60 years, and males aged 30 - 44 years, while for males aged 45 - 59 years, only the middle LFMR category was associated. No statistically significant association between LFMR and CA was found among old males., Conclusions: LFMR was negatively associated with CA, among the Peruvian adult population. These findings underscore the relevance of LFMR in understanding cardiometabolic health disparities., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright 2024, Guerra Valencia et al.)

The escalating prevalence of overall and abdominal obesity, particularly affecting Latin America, underscores the urgent need for accessible and cost-effective predictive methods to address the growing disease burden. This study assessed skinfold thicknesses' predictive capacity for overall and abdominal obesity in Peruvian adults aged 30 or older over 5 years. Data from the PERU MIGRANT 5-year cohort study were analyzed, defining obesity using BMI and waist circumference. Receiver operating characteristic curves and area under the curve (AUC) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated. Adults aged ≥ 30 ( n = 988) completed the study at baseline, with 47% male. A total of 682 participants were included for overall and abdominal obesity analysis. The 5-year prevalence values for overall and abdominal obesity were 26.7% and 26.6%, respectively. Subscapular skinfold (SS) best predicted overall obesity in men (AUC = 0.81, 95% CI: 0.75-0.88) and women (AUC = 0.77, 95% CI: 0.67-0.88). Regarding abdominal obesity, SS exhibited the highest AUC in men (AUC = 0.83, 95% CI: 0.77-0.89), while SS and the sum of trunk skinfolds showed the highest AUC in women. In secondary analysis excluding participants with type-2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) at baseline, SS significantly predicted DM2 development in men (AUC = 0.70, 95% CI: 0.58-0.83) and bicipital skinfold (BS) did in women (AUC = 0.73, 95% CI: 0.62-0.84). The findings highlight SS significance as an indicator of overall and abdominal obesity in both sexes among Peruvian adults. Additionally, SS, and BS offer robust predictive indicators for DM2.

To examine factors associated with abdominal obesity among normal-weight individuals from the Demographic and Health Survey of Peru (2018-2021). Cross-sectional analytical study. The outcome variable was abdominal obesity defined according to JIS criteria. Crude (cPR) and adjusted prevalence ratios (aPR) were estimated for the association between sociodemographic and health-related variables and abdominal obesity using the GLM Poisson distribution with robust variance estimates. A total of 32,109 subjects were included. The prevalence of abdominal obesity was 26.7%. The multivariate analysis showed a statistically significant association between abdominal obesity and female sex (aPR: 11.16; 95% CI 10.43-11.94); categorized age 35 to 59 (aPR: 1.71; 95% CI 1.65-1.78); 60 to 69 (aPR: 1.91; 95% CI 1.81-2.02); and 70 or older(aPR: 1.99; 95% CI 1.87-2.10); survey year 2019 (aPR: 1.22; 95% CI 1.15-1.28); 2020 (aPR: 1.17; 95% CI 1.11-1.24); and 2021 (aPR: 1.12; 95% CI 1.06-1.18); living in Andean region (aPR: 0.91; 95% CI 0.86-0.95); wealth index poor (aPR: 1.26; 95% CI 1.18-1.35); middle (aPR: 1.17; 95% CI 1.08-1.26); rich (aPR: 1.26; 95% CI 1.17-1.36); and richest (aPR: 1.25; 95% CI 1.16-1.36); depressive symptoms (aPR: 0.95; 95% CI 0.92-0.98); history of hypertension (aPR: 1.08; 95% CI 1.03-1.13), type 2 diabetes (aPR: 1.13; 95% CI 1.07-1.20); and fruit intake 3 or more servings/day (aPR: 0.92; 95% CI 0.89-0.96). Female sex, older ages, and low and high income levels increased the prevalence ratio for abdominal obesity, while depressive symptoms, living in the Andean region, and fruit intake of 3 or more servings/day decreased it.

Due to the increase in obesity worldwide, international organizations have promoted the adoption of a healthy lifestyle, as part of which fruit consumption stands out. However, there are controversies regarding the role of fruit consumption in mitigating this disease. The objective of the present study was to analyze the association between fruit intake and body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) in a representative sample of Peruvians. This is an analytical cross-sectional study. Secondary data analysis was conducted using information from the Demographic and Health Survey of Peru (2019-2021). The outcome variables were BMI and WC. The exploratory variable was fruit intake, which was expressed in three different presentations: portion, salad, and juice. A generalized linear model of the Gaussian family and identity link function were performed to obtain the crude and adjusted beta coefficients. A total of 98,741 subjects were included in the study. Females comprised 54.4% of the sample. In the multivariate analysis, for each serving of fruit intake, the BMI decreased by 0.15 kg/m 2 (β = -0.15; 95% CI -0.24 to -0.07), while the WC was reduced by 0.40 cm (β = -0.40; 95% CI -0.52 to -0.27). A negative association between fruit salad intake and WC was found (β = -0.28; 95% CI -0.56 to -0.01). No statistically significant association between fruit salad intake and BMI was found. In the case of fruit juice, for each glass of juice consumed, the BMI increased by 0.27 kg/m 2 (β = 0.27; 95% CI 0.14 to 0.40), while the WC increased by 0.40 cm (β = 0.40; 95% CI 0.20 to 0.60). Fruit intake per serving is negatively related to general body adiposity and central fat distribution, while fruit salad intake is negatively related to central distribution adiposity. However, the consumption of fruit in the form of juices is positively associated with a significant increase in BMI and WC.

Introduction: Obesity and depression contribute to the global burden of economic cost, morbidity, and mortality. Nevertheless, not all people with obesity develop depression., Objective: To determine the factors associated with depressive symptoms among people aged 15 or older with obesity from the National Demographic and Family Health Survey (ENDES in Spanish 2019-2021)., Methods: Cross-sectional analytical study. The outcome of interest was the presence of depressive symptoms, assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). Crude (cPR) and adjusted (aPR) prevalence ratios were estimated using GLM Poisson distribution with robust variance estimates., Results: The prevalence of depression symptoms was 6.97%. In the multivariate analysis, a statistically significant association was found between depressive symptoms and female sex (PRa: 2.59; 95% CI 1.95-3.43); mountain region (PRa: 1.51; 95% CI 1.18-1.92); wealth index poor (PRa: 1.37; 95% CI 1.05-1.79, medium (PRa: 1.49; 95% CI 1.11-2.02), and rich (PRa: 1.65; 95% CI 1.21-2.26); daily tobacco use (PRa: 2.05, 95% CI 1.09-3.87); physical disability (PRa: 1.96, 95% CI 1.07-3.57); and a history of arterial hypertension (PRa: 2.05; 95% CI 1.63-2.55)., Conclusion: There are several sociodemographic factors (such as being female and living in the Andean region) and individual factors (daily use of tobacco and history of hypertension) associated with depressive symptoms in Peruvian inhabitants aged 15 or older with obesity. In this study, the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with an increase in depressive symptoms.

Objective: To compare the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection in native Peruvians and Japaneses residing in Peru., Methods: Prospective study carried out at "Policlinico Peruano-Japonés" (Lima-Perú). We included Peruvians and Japaneses residing in Peru with chronic symptoms of the upper gastrointestinal tract. Both groups were from medium to high socioeconomic status. We excluded patients with peptic ulcer. PCR, rapid ureasa test and IgG ELISA were used to diagnose the infection., Results: We evaluated 168 Japaneses (mean age 54.6 +/- 12.62 years, 75% female), and 161 Peruvians (mean age of 42.12 +/- 14.48 years, 61.5% female). Using the rapid ureasa test, the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection in Peruvians was 47.8%, and in Japaneses 47.0% (p=0.88). Using PCR, in Peruvians was 49.7% and in Japaneses 43.5% (p=0.28)., Conclusion: Peruvians and Japaneses residing in Peru have a similar prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection, after controlling factors such as socioeconomic status and age, suggesting that in Peru and in these ethnic groups, there is no racial predisposition to acquire the infection.

Aim: The most accepted treatment for infection by Helicobacter pylori is the proton pump inhibitor based therapy with two antibiotics. However, there is no consensus regarding the duration. The purpose here was to compare eradication percentages in the omeprazole+amoxicillin+clarithromycin regimen administered during 7 days versus 10 days and confront the results with a previous 14-day* experience in Peru., Method: Patients from the Central Military Hospital and Peruvian-Japanese Hospital evidencing chronic upper gastrointestinal tract symptoms were recruited. We excluded patients with peptic ulcer. Biopsies were taken for diagnosis, for urease and PCR tests, culture and coloring with silver. Omeprazole+clarithromycin+amoxicillin was used during 7 days versus 10 days. Control endoscopy was performed one month after treatment had been completed and molecular biology techniques were used to differentiate recurrences from new infections. Susceptibility to clarithromycin was assessed., Results: 36 patients were included in each group. Eradication was the same in both groups: 86.1% (31/36). In several patients in whom the bacteria persisted, the same initial nucleus was found. In a previous study* using this same regimen during 14 days, a 93% eradication was obtained. 91.18% of our samples were susceptible to clarithromycin., Conclusions: In Peru, the omeprazole+clarithromycin+amoxicillin combination gives results higher than 80% in the eradication of infection by Helicobacter pylori. The 7 and 10 days regimens eradicated the bacteria in 86% of our patients.