ESPE Abstracts

Background: Obesity in childhood and adolescence represents a major health problem of our century. In Greece, more than 30-35% of children and adolescents are currently overweight or obese.Objective: To evaluate and further develop the 'National Registry for the Prevention and Management of Overweight and Obesity in Childhood and Adolescence' in order to provide personalized intervention programs for overweig...

Background: The parallel increase in prevalence of asthma and obesity in childhood has led to an increasing body of evidence about a possible link between the two conditions.Objective and hypotheses: To assess the prevalence of asthma symptoms in a representative sample of Greek schoolchildren and to evaluate its association with overweight/obesity as well as other socioeconomic, demographic and lifestyle factors.Method: This is a ...

Background: Obesity in adulthood is associated with shorter leukocyte telomere length, a marker of biological age that is also associated with age-related disorders, including cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus.Objective and Hypotheses: To investigate the relation between BMI in childhood and adolescence and telomere length, by determining the mean telomere length of leukocytes.Patients and Method: Seven hundred fo...

Background: Obesity in childhood and adolescence represents a major health problem of our century and accounts for a significant increase in morbidity and mortality in adulthood. In Greece, more than 35% of children and adolescents are currently overweight or obese.Objective and hypotheses: To develop a National e-Health System for General Pediatricians and General Practitioners for the prevention and management of overweight and obesity. Specific aims i...

Background: A secular trend towards earlier menarche has been observed.Objective and hypotheses: The correlation of age at menarche with the BMI as well as the maternal age at menarche and their BMI.Method: This is a cross-sectional study conducted from October 2012–December 2013. A pre-selected, representative elementary and high school cohort was derived, using stratification and PPS methodology. Parents responded to questio...

Background: Waist circumference (WC) reflects the fat distribution and the degree of central adiposity in children, which is specifically associated with cardiovascular risk factors and useful as a component of metabolic syndrome definition in children.Objective and hypotheses: To evaluate the distribution of WC measures among preschool children aged 3.5–5.5 years from six European countries.Method: Cross-sectional study of a ...

Background: Obesity in childhood and adolescence represents a major health problem and its management requires a multidisciplinary approach.Objective and hypotheses: To assess the main eating habits of children and adolescents attending an Out-patient Clinic for the Prevention and Management of Overweight and Obesity in Greece, as recorded before implementing any intervention.Method: We studied 1005 children and adolescents [age ra...

Background: Childhood obesity is a serious health problem, related to an increased risk of adult morbidity and mortality. Evidence indicates that central adiposity increases this risk to a higher degree compared to the general obesity indices.Objective and hypotheses: To evaluate the distribution of anthropometric obesity indices among preschool children aged 3.5–5.5 years, from six European countries, and to examine their associations with certain ...

Background: Prader Willi Syndrome (PWS) is a rare genetic disorder with a wide range of symptoms manifestation. Main characteristics are hypotonia, growth retardation, feeding difficulties in neonatal period, increased appetite and obesity in childhood, delayed puberty or hypogonadism in adolescence. It is also associated with behavioral disturbances and impaired cognitive function. The genetic defect is located on the 15q11-13 chromosome.Objective and h...

Background: Obesity in childhood and adolescence represents a major health problem of our century, and accounts for a significant increase in morbidity and mortality in adulthood. In Greece, more than 30–35% of children and adolescents are overweight or obese.Objective and hypotheses: To investigate the effectiveness of a comprehensive and personalized multidisciplinary management plan in reducing the prevalence of overweight and obesity in childhoo...