Being Underweight (being + underweight)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Antidiabetic Drug Therapy of African-American and White Community-Dwelling Elderly Over a 10-Year Period

JOURNAL OF AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY, Issue 12 2003
Catherine I. Lindblad PharmD
Objectives: To determine the prevalence and predictors of antidiabetic medication use over a 10-year period in a general population of African-American and white community-dwelling elderly. Design: Survey. Setting: Five adjacent counties (one urban and four rural) in the Piedmont area of North Carolina. Participants: Those aged 65 and older present at the baseline (n=4,136), second (n=3,234), third (n=2,508), and fourth (n=1,633) in-person waves of the Duke Established Populations for Epidemiologic Studies of the Elderly. Measurements: The use of six discrete categories of antidiabetic medications (insulin, first-generation oral sulfonylureas, second-generation oral sulfonylureas, metformin, oral combination therapy, and insulin combination therapy) was determined. Multivariate analyses, using weighted data adjusted for sampling design, were conducted to assess the association between antidiabetic medication use and race and other sociodemographic, health-status, and access-to-healthcare factors at baseline and 10 years later. Results: Antidiabetic medications were taken by 21.4% of the population at baseline; this increased to 28.1% at the 10-year follow-up (P<.001). Insulin was the most commonly used drug at baseline (7.9%). The use of second-generation sulfonylureas increased, and use of first-generation sulfonylureas decreased over the 10-year time period. Combination antidiabetic therapy and metformin use was infrequent throughout the study. Multivariate analyses revealed that, at baseline, African Americans were nearly twice as likely (adjusted odds ratio (AOR)=1.93, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.46,2.54) to receive any antidiabetic medication as their white counterparts. Other significant (P<.05) factors were hypertension (AOR=1.38, 95% CI=1.03,1.84), stroke (AOR=1.98, 95% CI=1.43,2.73), one or more mobility difficulties (AOR=1.29, 95% CI=1.01,1.66), continuity of care (AOR=1.74, 95% CI=1.20,2.54), and multiple doctor visits (1,4 visits, AOR=1.69, 95% CI=1.08,2.65; ,5 visits, AOR=3.15, 95% CI=1.95,5.07). Being underweight (AOR=0.45, 95% CI=0.30,0.67) and being cognitively impaired (AOR=0.60, 95% CI=0.41,0.87) were factors significantly (P<.05) associated with a decreased risk of antidiabetic medication use. At the 10-year follow-up, similar trends were seen associating these sociodemographic, health-status, and access-to-healthcare factors with antidiabetic medication use. Conclusion: Antidiabetic medication use is common and increases over time for community-dwelling elderly. Race is significantly associated with antidiabetic medication use, even after controlling for other sociodemographic, health-status, and access-to-healthcare variables. [source]


Role of Chronic Infection and Inflammation in the Gastrointestinal Tract in the Etiology and Pathogenesis of Idiopathic Parkinsonism

HELICOBACTER, Issue 4 2005
Part 1: Eradication of Helicobacter in the Cachexia of Idiopathic Parkinsonism
ABSTRACT Background., Neuronal damage in idiopathic parkinsonism may be in response to ubiquitous occult infection. Since peptic ulceration is prodromal, Helicobacter is a prime candidate. Aim., To consider the candidature of Helicobacter in parkinsonism with cachexia. Methods., We explore the relationship between being underweight and inflammatory products in 124 subjects with idiopathic parkinsonism and 195 controls, and present the first case-series evidence of efficacy of Helicobacter eradication, in parkinsonism advanced to the stage of cachexia. Results., Association of a low body mass index with circulating interleukin-6 was specific to parkinsonism (p = .002), unlike that with antibodies against Helicobacter vacuolating-toxin and cytotoxicity-associated gene product (p < .04). Marked reversibility in both cachexia and disability of idiopathic parkinsonism followed Helicobacter heilmannii eradication in one case, Helicobacter pylori eradication in another, follow-up being , 3.5 years. The latter presented with postprandial bloating, and persistent nausea: following eradication, radioisotope gastric-emptying returned towards normal, and upper abdominal symptoms regressed. Reversibility of their cachexia/disability contrasts with the outcome of anti- Helicobacter therapy where eradication repeatedly failed (one case), and in non- Helicobacter gastritis (three cases). Anti-parkinsonian medication remained constant. Intestinal absorption and barrier function were normal in all. Conclusion., Categorization, according to presence or absence of Helicobacter infection, was a useful therapeutic tool in late idiopathic parkinsonism. [source]


Body image dissatisfaction and disordered eating in black and white women

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EATING DISORDERS, Issue 3 2003
Marisol Perez
Abstract Objective This study predicted and found that body image dissatisfaction and bulimic symptoms have a curvilinear relationship among undergraduate women. Results For the women in this sample, regardless of race, body image dissatisfaction correlated with bulimic symptoms, such that women who perceived themselves as bigger or smaller than the ideal body size for their ethnic group endorsed bulimic symptoms. Black and white women differed regarding their ethnic group's ideal body image and their self-perceptions of how they compared with the ideal image. Black women tended to report being underweight, whereas white women tended to report being overweight. Discussion The findings in this study suggest that some black women are not buffered against eating disorders as suggested in previous research. © 2003 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Eat Disord 33: 342,350, 2003. [source]


Identification of ,hot spots' of obesity and being underweight in early pregnancy in Liverpool

JOURNAL OF HUMAN NUTRITION & DIETETICS, Issue 3 2009
J. C. Abayomi
Abstract Background: Obesity and being underweight in pregnancy are related to an increased risk of maternal and foetal morbidity, yet their prevalence is often unknown. The present study aimed to identify neighbourhoods with a higher than average prevalence or ,hot spots' of obesity and/or being underweight among first trimester pregnant women. Methods: A database was compiled consisting of postcode, height and weight for 7981 women who had booked-in for antenatal care between July 2004 and June 2005 at Liverpool Women's Hospital. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated and women were categorised accordingly. Postcodes for 6865 cases across Merseyside were converted to geolocations (pin-points on a map) using conversion software (http://www.census.ac.uk/cdu/). Results: There was a very high prevalence of being overweight (27%) and obesity (17%); 3.8% of women were underweight and probably malnourished (BMI < 18.5 kg m,2); and a further 10.7% of women were possibly malnourished (BMI < 20.0 kg m,2. Deriving case density from the geolocations allowed visualisation and identification of six neighbourhoods with above average levels of obesity and three neighbourhoods had marked concentrations of both being underweight and obesity. Conclusions: These neighbourhoods, particularly those identified as ,hot spots' for both being underweight and obesity, include some of the most deprived wards in the UK. As dietetic intervention may help to promote optimal weight gain during pregnancy and improve dietary intake for pregnant women and their families, primary health care providers should target these localities with a high prevalence of low and high BMI as a priority. [source]


Preventing Fractures in Large Rural Centres: Sociodemographic Sub-Groups at Risk of Osteoporosis from their Lifestyle

AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF RURAL HEALTH, Issue 6 2000
Hedley G. Peach
ABSTRACT Middle-aged people living in non-metropolitan Victoria have higher hospitalisation rates from osteoporotic fractures than those in metropolitan areas. This may reflect a higher prevalence of lifestyle risk factors for osteoporosis. One-fifth of Victoria's non-metropolitan population live in ,large rural centres'. The aim of the present study was to identify the sociodemographic sub-groups in a ,large rural centre' at risk of osteoporosis because of their lifestyle. Adults on Ballarat's electoral rolls were invited to complete a questionnaire and have their height and weight measured. A total of 335 eligible people participated in the present study (67% response). The sub-groups at risk of osteoporosis were identified using logistic regression analyses. Among women, being single/separated/divorced/ widowed was associated with being underweight and having low dietary calcium. A lack of exercise was associated with not completing high school and smoking with being aged 25,44 years. Among men, low dietary calcium was associated with not completing high school and smoking was associated with being employed in a non-professional/ non-managerial occupation. These sub-groups must be considered when planning preventative strategies for people in ,large rural centres'. [source]


PREVENTING FRACTURES IN LARGE RURAL CENTRES: SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC SUB-GROUPS AT RISK OF OSTEOPOROSIS FROM THEIR LIFESTYLE

AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF RURAL HEALTH, Issue 6 2000
Hedley G. Peach
ABSTRACT: Middle-aged people living in non-metropolitan Victoria have higher hospitalisation rates from osteoporotic fractures than those in metropolitan areas. This may reflect a higher prevalence of lifestyle risk factors for osteoporosis. One-fifth of Victoria's non-metropolitan population live in ,large rural centres'. The aim of the present study was to identify the sociodemographic sub-groups in a ,large rural centre' at risk of osteoporosis because of their lifestyle. Adults on Ballarat's electoral rolls were invited to complete a questionnaire and have their height and weight measured. A total of 335 eligible people participated in the present study (67% response). The sub-groups at risk of osteoporosis were identified using logistic regression analyses. Among women, being single/separated/divorced/ widowed was associated with being underweight and having low dietary calcium. A lack of exercise was associated with not completing high school and smoking with being aged 25,44 years. Among men, low dietary calcium was associated with not completing high school and smoking was associated with being employed in a non-professional/ non-managerial occupation. These sub-groups must be considered when planning preventative strategies for people in ,large rural centres'. [source]