Measures of health,fitness, and functional movement among firefighter recruits

Aim. The purpose of this study was to examine the associations between various health and fitness measures and Functional Movement Screen? (FMS?) scores among 78 firefighter recruits. Methods. Relationships between FMS? scores and age, body mass index (BMI), sit and reach (S&R) distance, estimated maximal aerobic capacity (V˙_O2max), estimated one-repetition maximum squat (1RM-Squat_max), and plank endurance (%Plank_max) were examined. Results. Total FMS? scores were significantly correlated with BMI (r?=??0.231, p?=?0.042), estimated 1RM-Squat_max (r?=?0.302, p?=?0.007), and %Plank_max (r?=?0.320, p?=?0.004). Multiple regression analyses indicated that this combination of predictors significantly predicted (F(3, 74)?=?5.043, p?=?0.003) Total FMS? score outcomes and accounted for 17% of the total variance (R²?=?0.170). In addition, logistic regression analyses indicated that estimated 1RM-Squat_max also significantly predicted (χ²?=?6.662, df?=?1, p?=?0.010) FMS? group membership (≤14 or ≥15). Conclusion. These results suggest that the health and fitness measures of obesity (BMI), bilateral lower extremity strength (estimated 1RM-Squat_max), and core muscular endurance (%Plank_max) are significantly associated with functional movement patterns among firefighter recruits. Consequently, injury prevention programs implemented among firefighter recruits should target these aspects of health and fitness.     

肥胖与中国农村家庭食物浪费——基于1562户农户调查数据的实证分析

随着收入水平提升,农村家庭的日常饮食变得更加丰富,但肥胖和食物浪费问题也日益严重。基于2016年中国28省（市、自治区）1562户农户调查数据,在评估中国农村家庭食物浪费数量的基础上,实证分析肥胖对农村家庭食物浪费的影响。结果表明：（1）中国农村家庭平均每天浪费1.62%的食物,东南沿海等经济发达地区的农村食物浪费现象更为严重。（2）肥胖与农村家庭食物浪费显著正相关,这意味着伴随农户收入持续增长,农村肥胖问题凸显的同时,也容易引发食物浪费问题。（3）肥胖对家庭食物浪费的影响存在年龄异质性,户主小于60岁的情况下,肥胖与家庭食物浪费显著正相关;户主大于等于60岁的分组中,肥胖与家庭食物浪费的关系不显著。     

Genetic profile of overweight and obese school-age children

Obesity is associated with overproduction of free radicals that promotes genotoxicity and could be measured as micronuclei (MN) and nuclear abnormalities (NA) in buccal mucosa cells. The frequency of MN and NA in buccal mucosa cells from overweight and obesity school-age children was determined. In a cross-sectional study, four anthropometric parameters were obtained from each child and one buccal mucosa sample was collected from each child. The slides were stained with orcein and fast green and microscopically analyzed for MN and NA. Twenty overweight and obesity school-age children (7–11 years old) from three schools located at the metropolitan area of Guadalajara were selected to form three groups with 20 children each, according to the weight features as follows: (1) normal weight; (2) overweight; and (3) obesity. No marked differences were found between groups for frequency of MN and NA. Genotoxicity, as indicated by increase in binucleated (BN) cells, was found in children within both overweight and obese groups exposed to passive tobacco smoke. There was no evidence of genetic instability in overweight and obese school-age children and no associations between body weight and genotoxicity markers found.     

三苯基锡对大鼠肥胖发生的影响

三苯基锡(triphenyltin,TPT)和三丁基锡(tributyltin,TBT)在环境中经常同时存在,针对TBT对肥胖发生的影响已有较多研究,但TPT能否诱导肥胖的发生尚不明晰.本研究用环境水平的TPT(0.5、5和50 μg·kg-1)对青春期Sprague Dawley大鼠进行灌胃处理54 d后,测量大鼠体...     

Reversing food desertification: examining urban farming in Louisville,Chicago and Detroit

The Urban Farming Movement is relatively young in Louisville, Kentucky but it seems to be off to a good start. Being in its earliest stages, assessments of this effort must be made cautiously, even tentatively. Examining a movement that is in progress requires a study of the state's land use and segregation policies, both of which have been dynamic in Kentucky. Further, this study is also relevant as there is a growing convergence of national and regional attitudes towards American obesity, while there are competing notions of food preference and food choice. All of which are influenced by racial politics, and there is a deep concern regarding food security. Considering all of these, it is necessary to examine the Government's efforts to address obesity/food imbalance in a variety of settings, especially where urban farming is expanding, such as Chicago and Detroit. In New York, roof-top gardens dot the landscape and the urban farm movement is largely a “success”. So, city leaders have chosen to address another health issue – trans fat. Rather than joining the food choice/preference debate by banning fast-food restaurants, city leaders have chosen to enact a trans-fat ban. Unpopular at first, other cities and states have followed, and the Federal Government will mandate a trans-fat ban this year. In Louisville, Chicago and Detroit, where the trans-fat bans did not succeed, the urban farm movement may be the primary means of addressing malnutrition, in the form of obesity.     

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and obesity,type 2 diabetes and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: a review of epidemiologic findings

Abstract

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, a group of fluoro-surfactants widely detected in the environment, wildlife, and humans, have been linked to adverse health effects. A growing body of literature has addressed their effects on obesity, diabetes and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease/non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. This review summarizes the brief historical use and chemistry of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, routes of human exposure, as well as the epidemiologic evidence for associations between exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and the development of obesity, diabetes and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease/non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. We identified 22 studies on obesity and 32 studies on diabetes, while only 1 study was found for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease/non-alcoholic steatohepatitis by searching PubMed for human studies. Approximately two-third of studies reported positive associations between per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances exposure and the prevalence of obesity and/or type 2 diabetes. Causal links between per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and obesity, diabetes and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease/non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, however, require further large-scale prospective cohort studies combined with mechanistic laboratory studies to better assess these associations.     

A Simulation Study on the Efficacy of Advanced Belt Restraints to Mitigate the Effects of Obesity for Rear-Seat Occupant Protection in Frontal Crashes

Objective: Recent field data analyses have shown that the safety advantages of rear seats relative to the front seats have decreased in newer vehicles. Separately, the risks of certain injuries have been found to be higher for obese occupants. The objective of this study is to investigate the effects of advanced belt features on the protection of rear-seat occupants with a range of body mass index (BMI) in frontal crashes.

Methods: Whole-body finite element human models with 4 BMI levels (25, 30, 35, and 40 kg/m²) developed previously were used in this study. A total of 52 frontal crash simulations were conducted, including 4 simulations with a standard rear-seat, 3-point belt and 48 simulations with advanced belt features. The parameters varied in the simulations included BMI, load limit, anchor pretensioner, and lap belt routing relative to the pelvis. The injury measurements analyzed in this study included head and hip excursions, normalized chest deflection, and torso angle (defined as the angle between the hip–shoulder line and the vertical direction). Analyses of covariance were used to test the significance (P <.05) of the results.

Results: Higher BMI was associated with greater head and hip excursions and larger normalized chest deflection. Higher belt routing increased the hip excursion and torso angle, which indicates a higher submarining risk, whereas the anchor pretensioner reduced hip excursion and torso angle. Lower load limits decreased the normalized chest deflection but increased the head excursion. Normalized chest deflection had a positive correlation with maximum torso angle. Occupants with higher BMI have to use higher load limits to reach head excursions similar to those in lower BMI occupants.

Discussion and Conclusion: The simulation results suggest that optimizing load limiter and adding pretensioner(s) can reduce injury risks associated with obesity, but conflicting effects on head and chest injuries were observed. This study demonstrated the feasibility and importance of using human models to investigate protection for occupants with various BMI levels. A seat belt system capable of adapting to occupant size and body shape will improve protection for obese occupants in rear seats.     

The Fat of the Land: Linking American Food Overconsumption, Obesity, and Biodiversity Loss

Americans’ excessive consumption of food harms their health and quality of life and also causes direct and indirect environmental degradation, through habitat loss and increased pollution from agricultural fertilizers and pesticides. We show here that reducing food consumption (and eating less meat) could improve Americans’ health and well-being while facilitating environmental benefits ranging from establishing new national parks and protected areas to allowing more earth-friendly farming and ranching techniques. We conclude by considering various public policy initiatives to lower per capita caloric intake and excessive meat consumption, and to translate this temperate behavior into substantial environmental protection.