Decrease in Exercise Main Reason for Weight Gain in US Girls
July 17, 2005
A decline in activity in the transition from childhood
to adulthood could be responsible for increased weight
gain in US girls, according to a study published online
today (Thursday July14, 2005) by The Lancet. Obesity
is either caused by an increase in energy intake, or
reduced energy expenditure, or both.
However, it is difficult to state with certainty the
cause of obesity.
Sue YS Kimm ( University of New Mexico, Albuquerque,
USA ) and colleagues looked at changes in activity and
changes in body mass index ( BMI ) and body fatness
in over 1100 black and over 1100 white girls from three
US cities.
The investigators assessed the girls' BMI and skinfold
thickness each year from ages 9 or 10 to 18 or 19 years.
The girls were given a questionnaire on physical activity
and food intake at years 1, 3, 5 and 7-10 of the study.
The researchers found that the girls had a pronounced
decline in physical activity while their rate of overweight
and obesity doubled without a concomitantly large increase
in reported energy intake.
The authors state that increasing physical activity
equivalent to 2·5 hours of brisk walking per
week could potentially prevent weight gain, ranging
from 4 to 6kg in white girls and 6 to 9kg in black girls
during adolescence.
Dr Kimm concludes: “These results suggest that
habitual activity plays an important role in weight
gain, with no parallel evidence that energy intake had
a similar role . . . In view of the global obesity epidemic,
maintenance of modest amounts of activity during adolescence
could be a method for primary prevention of obesity
development and adult-onset chronic diseases. Since
the steep decline in habitual activity occurs during
adolescence, programmes to moderate and prevent this
decline during the teen years might be useful as part
of the armamentarium for battling the current epidemic
of obesity.”
Source: http://i-newswire.com
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