PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Study estimates proportion of adolescents living with overweight and obesity in England has increased by 50% between 2008 and 2023

2025-04-12
(Press-News.org) New research to be presented at this year’s European Congress on Obesity (ECO 2025, Malaga, Spain, 11-14 May) shows that the proportion of adolescents living with overweight or obesity in England has increased by 50% from 2008-2010 (22%) to 2021-2023 (33%). The research, presented in two studies, is by Dr Dinesh Giri, Consultant Paediatric Endocrinologist, Bristol Royal Hospital for Children and Honorary Senior Lecturer, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK, and Dr Senthil Senniappan, Consultant Paediatric Endocrinologist, Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, Liverpool, UK, and colleagues.

Previous research has shown overweight and obesity during adolescence are associated with increased morbidity. In this study, the authors aimed to estimate the prevalence of overweight and obesity among adolescents in England using routinely collected healthcare data. They also investigated the association between adolescent body mass index (BMI) and the onset of comorbid conditions during adolescence.

The authors used linked primary (Clinical Practice Research Datalink [CPRD]) and secondary (Hospital Episode Statistics) care data for their analysis. Among adolescents aged 12-17 years registered at a CPRD contributing practice (around 20% of practices nationwide contribute) from 2008-2023 with BMI readings and using the UK 1990 growth reference centiles (a widely used reference for studies of this type). Overweight was defined as at or above the 91st centile and obesity as at or above the 98th centile [1].

Three-year rolling prevalences for overweight and obesity were calculated, since these provide more stable estimates, and a clearer picture of the longer-term trends rather than focusing on small year-to-year changes. The authors explain this helps to smooth out any random ups and downs that might happen in a single year.

Adolescents with a healthy weight BMI, at or above the 2nd and below the 91st centile, were included as a comparator. The sociodemographic and clinical characteristics for adolescents were described at first BMI recording. The incidence of new comorbidities (see figure 1 full abstract) during adolescence was compared between adolescents living with overweight or obesity and those with healthy weight using statistical modelling.

The period prevalence of overweight and obesity increased from 22% in 2008-2010 to 33% in 2021-2023. There was evidence of a steeper increase during / following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Among 139,258 adolescents living with overweight, 140,990 with obesity and 560,789 with healthy weight, higher proportions with overweight (26%) or obesity (31%) than healthy weight (22%) resided in the most deprived geographies (calculated by decile, or groups of 10%).

Higher proportions of those living with overweight (8%) and obesity (27%) had lived with obesity during childhood than those with healthy weight (1%). New onset of mental health (obesity: 8.6% vs overweight: 7.8% vs healthy weight: 7.1%), physical (11.6% vs 10.7% vs 9.3%) and cardiometabolic (3.1% vs 1.2% vs 0.5%) comorbidities during adolescence was higher in adolescents living with obesity than overweight and lowest in those with healthy weight

The second study investigated other comorbidities in more detail. Out of the 15 comorbidities investigated, the risks of 14 were significantly higher in adolescents living with overweight or obesity compared to those with healthy weight.

Over a mean follow-up of 6 years, the risk (Figure 1 of second abstract) of many comorbidities was higher in adolescents living with overweight (n=139,258) or obesity (n=140,990) than those with healthy weight (n=560,789), specifically; obstructive sleep apnoea (3 times higher [overweight] and 8 times higher [obesity]), type 2 diabetes (3 and 11 times higher) and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (3 and 12 times higher), prediabetes (2 and 4 times higher)and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) (2 and 4 times higher).

The authors conclude: “The burden of overweight and obesity among adolescents in England is substantial and increased between 2008-2023. There is a significantly higher risk of early onset of many, particularly cardiometabolic, comorbidities among adolescents living with overweight or obesity, with risk increasing as BMI increases.”

They add: “Over the past 15 years, obesity in adolescents has risen significantly due to a combination of increased consumption of ultra-processed foods, sedentary lifestyles driven by excessive screen time, inadequate sleep, and rising mental health challenges. Additionally, reduced opportunities for physical activity and socioeconomic disparities have further contributed to an environment that promotes unhealthy lifestyles.”

On comorbidities, they say: “For many weight-related comorbidities, overweight and obesity in adolescence are associated with a higher risk during both adolescence and adulthood. Change of BMI in adolescence may have long-term impact on the risk of developing comorbidities. Increased focus on weight-management in adolescence could lead to long-term improvement in overall health.”

END


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Welcome to the First International Conference on Cyborg and Bionic Systems

2025-04-12
The First International Conference on Cyborg and Bionic Systems (ICCBS 2025) will be held in Singapore, Republic of Singapore, from July 24 to July 26, 2025. This conference aims at providing a free, open, and diverse platform for experts, scholars, students and industry professionals from the fields of robotics, biomedical engineering, neural engineering, and related domains. The sponsor of the conference is Beijing Institute of Technology, and the organizer of the conference is the Journal Cyborg and Bionic Systems.   We look forward to welcoming experts, scholars and industry leaders from around ...

Breakthrough study identifies promising biomarker for early sepsis detection in neonates, children, and pregnant women

2025-04-11
Breakthrough study identifies promising biomarker for early sepsis detection in neonates, children, and pregnant women A pioneering study presented today at ESCMID Global 2025 has uncovered the potential of interleukin-6 (IL-6) as a powerful diagnostic biomarker for the early detection of sepsis in high-risk patient groups, including neonates, children and pregnant women. This study is the first to evaluate IL-6’s diagnostic performance in a real-world cohort across all three populations.1 Sepsis, a life-threatening condition resulting from the immune system’s overreaction to infection, remains a leading global cause of mortality, accounting ...

3-year study of tirzepatide shows that most patients only gain 5% or less from their lowest or ‘nadir’ weight

2025-04-11
New research to be presented at this year’s European Congress on Obesity (ECO 2025, Malaga, Spain, 11-14 May) shows that around two thirds of participants of the SURMOUNT-1 trial had only regained 5% or less of their so-called nadir (or lowest weight) three years after beginning treatment with tirzepatide. The study is by Professor Louis Aronne, Comprehensive Weight Control Center, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA, and co-authors from Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, IN, USA, which funded the study. Obesity management is a long-term journey during which fluctuations ...

Tirzepatide can produce clinically meaningful weight loss for at least 3 years in adults with overweight or obesity who don’t have diabetes

2025-04-11
Once-weekly treatment with tirzepatide can produce clinically meaningful and sustained weight loss for at least 3 years in adults with overweight or obesity who do not have diabetes, according to new research being presented at this year’s European Congress on Obesity (ECO) in Malaga, Spain (11-14 May). The findings also indicate that females and those without obesity-related complications may be more responsive to tirzepatide treatment.   The study, led by Dr Luca Busetto from the University of Padova in Italy and colleagues from Eli Lilly and Company that manufacture tirzepatide, is a continuation of the SURMOUNT-1 phase 3 trial of tirzepatide, a medication approved in ...

Common respiratory condition nearly triples the risk of death in adults, new study finds

2025-04-11
Common respiratory condition nearly triples the risk of death in adults, new study finds A major study presented today at ESCMID Global 2025 has revealed that adults with respiratory syncytial virus-associated acute respiratory infection (RSV-ARI) face a 2.7-fold higher risk of death within one year compared to the general population.1 The findings underscore the significant, yet often under-recognised, long-term health and economic burden of RSV-ARI in adults, particularly among those with underlying conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma.  RSV-ARI refers ...

New research shows evidence of children’s gender biases reflected in their facial emotional expressions

2025-04-11
New research recently published in Archives of Sexual Behavior suggests children’s gender biases can be reflected in their facial emotional expressions.    Psychology professor Doug VanderLaan and his colleagues at the University of Toronto Mississauga, studied 296 children (148 boys and 148 girls) in Canada between the ages of four and nine years old while Wang Ivy Wong, Karen Kwan and their colleagues at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and The Hong Kong Polytechnic University studied 309 children (155 boys and 154 girls) in Hong Kong. All children watched four short stories that included five illustrations with pre-recorded audio narratives. ...

Crustal brines at an oceanic transform fault

Crustal brines at an oceanic transform fault
2025-04-11
Woods Hole, Mass. (April 11, 2025) - Being a geophysicist can sometimes feel like being a detective —uncovering clues, and then building a case based on the evidence. In a new article published in Science Advances, a collaborative team led by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), presents a never-before-seen image of an oceanic transform fault from electromagnetic (EM) data collected at the Gofar fault in the eastern Pacific Ocean. The National Science Foundation funded work reveals ...

The Journal of Nuclear Medicine Ahead-of-Print Tip Sheet: April 11, 2025

2025-04-11
Reston, VA (April 11, 2025)—New research has been published ahead-of-print by The Journal of Nuclear Medicine (JNM). JNM is published by the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, an international scientific and medical organization dedicated to advancing nuclear medicine, molecular imaging, and theranostics—precision medicine that allows diagnosis and treatment to be tailored to individual patients in order to achieve the best possible outcomes. Summaries of the newly published research articles are provided below. Tracing Prostate Cancer Beyond the Usual Path Researchers uncovered ...

A fluid battery that can take any shape

A fluid battery that can take any shape
2025-04-11
Using electrodes in a fluid form, researchers at Linköping University have developed a battery that can take any shape. This soft and conformable battery can be integrated into future technology in a completely new way. Their study has been published in the journal Science Advances. “The texture is a bit like toothpaste. The material can, for instance, be used in a 3D printer to shape the battery as you please. This opens up for a new type of technology,” says Aiman Rahmanudin, assistant professor at Linköping University. It is estimated that more than a trillion gadgets will be connected to the Internet in ten years’ time. In addition to traditional ...

Light that spirals like a nautilus shell

Light that spirals like a nautilus shell
2025-04-11
Beams of light that can be guided into corkscrew-like shapes called optical vortices are used today in a range of applications. Pushing the limits of structured light, Harvard applied physicists in the John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) report a new type of optical vortex beam that not only twists as it travels but also changes in different parts at different rates to create unique patterns. The way the light behaves resembles spiral shapes common in nature.  The ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Fig trees convert atmospheric CO2 to stone

Intra-arterial tenecteplase for acute stroke after successful endovascular therapy

Study reveals beneficial microbes that can sustain yields in unfertilized fields

Robotic probe quickly measures key properties of new materials

Climate change cuts milk production, even when farmers cool their cows

Frozen, but not sealed: Arctic Ocean remained open to life during ice ages

Some like it cold: Cryorhodopsins

Demystifying gut bacteria with AI

Human wellbeing on a finite planet towards 2100: new study shows humanity at a crossroads

Unlocking the hidden biodiversity of Europe’s villages

Planned hydrogen refuelling stations may lead to millions of euros in yearly losses

Planned C-sections increase the risk of certain childhood cancers

Adults who have survived childhood cancer are at increased risk of severe COVID-19

Drones reveal extreme coral mortality after bleaching

New genetic finding uncovers hidden cause of arsenic resistance in acute promyelocytic leukemia

Native habitats hold the key to the much-loved smashed avocado’s future

Using lightning to make ammonia out of thin air

Machine learning potential-driven insights into pH-dependent CO₂ reduction

Physician associates provide safe care for diagnosed patients when directly supervised by a doctor

How game-play with robots can bring out their human side

Asthma: patient expectations influence the course of the disease

UNM physician tests drug that causes nerve tissue to emit light, enabling faster, safer surgery

New study identifies EMP1 as a key driver of pancreatic cancer progression and poor prognosis

XPR1 identified as a key regulator of ovarian cancer growth through autophagy and immune evasion

Flexible, eco-friendly electronic plastic for wearable tech, sensors

Can the Large Hadron Collider snap string theory?

Stuckeman professor’s new book explores ‘socially sustainable’ architecture

Synthetic DNA nanoparticles for gene therapy

New model to find treatments for an aggressive blood cancer

Special issue of Journal of Intensive Medicine analyzes non-invasive respiratory support

[Press-News.org] Study estimates proportion of adolescents living with overweight and obesity in England has increased by 50% between 2008 and 2023