Debates relevant to the etiology of weight gain or obesity, i.e., the dichotomous understandings about whether obesity arises from the genetic predisposition or from the environmental influences, has long existed. This is an important issue because it is related to the therapists's prejudice when treating patients with obesity. In this review, the authors first discuss the environmental and the genetic factors that cause the obesity, and in the latter part, the interactions between genetic and environmental factors will be discussed. This issue is considered and described especially in a conceptual aspect for the therapists ultimately to understand how the genetic and the environmental factors interact to arise obesity. Conclusively, obesity is best understood as a complex, multifactorial, and chronic disabled state, which cause an individual with genetic predispostion to obesity under the environmental influences. In future, in favor of the accumulated knowledge about the genetic and environmental impacts and their interactions in detail, we will be able to provide a client-specific management or prevention of obesity.
Genetic Predisposition to Disease ; Humans ; Obesity* ; Prejudice ; Weight Gain

Addressing weight stigma is essential to obesity management as it causes inequalities in healthcare and impacts the outcomes of health. This narrative review summarises systematic review findings about the presence of weight bias in healthcare professionals, and interventions to reduce weight bias or stigma in these professionals. Two databases (PubMed and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature [CINAHL]) were searched. Seven eligible reviews were identified from 872 search results. Four reviews identified the presence of weight bias, and three investigated trials to reduce weight bias or stigma in healthcare professionals. The findings may help further research and the treatment, health and well-being of individuals with overweight or obesity in Singapore. Weight bias was prevalent among qualified and student healthcare professionals globally, and there is a lack of clear guidance for effective interventions to reduce it, particularly in Asia. Future research is essential to identify the issues and inform initiatives to reduce weight bias and stigma among healthcare professionals in Singapore.
Humans ; Weight Prejudice ; Singapore ; Asia ; Databases, Factual ; Health Facilities

This study was intended to provide basic information for nutrition education and meal planning by evaluating the nutritional status, food habits, and food preference of elementary school children with school lunch program and without school lunch program(lunch box). The subjects of this study consisted of 266 elementary school children aged from 10 to 12(136 male, 130 female) in Ulsan the area. The survey was conducted by questionnaires and data were analyzed by SPSS program. The average body weight was 38.4+/-6.9 kg for boys and 36.8+/-7.4 kg for girls and the average heights was 141.3+/-5.6cm for boys and 141.2+/-5.7cm for girls. These values were lower than that of the Korean reference. 56.0% of the subjects skip breakfast 1 to 2 times a week, 58.2% of the subjects had prejudice for special food, such as bean, anchovy, and pork. The food habit scores of the subjects was divided into poor(11.7%), fair(63.5%), and good(24.8%). The average score of girl's was significantly(p<150) higher than that of the boy's. Compare to 1/3 of RDA for children, the average intake of nutrients provided lower amounts of all nutrients. Therefore Calcium and vitamin A intakes were especially lower than the others. Therefore the importance of milk and green vegetables must be emphsized to them through nutrition education. Children preferred ssalbab to jabkogbab and liked beef-based soup, and baechu kimchi. There were significant differences in food habit scores with gender, parent's education, and exercise. The results of this study indicate that nutrition education and menu planning program should be applied to elementary school children who are served by the school lunch program.
Body Weight ; Breakfast ; Calcium ; Child* ; Education ; Female ; Food Habits ; Food Preferences* ; Humans ; Lunch ; Male ; Meals ; Menu Planning ; Milk ; Nutritional Status* ; Prejudice ; Ulsan* ; Vegetables ; Vitamin A ; Surveys and Questionnaires

The purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence and to identify risk factors of overweight among preschool children in Korea. The study subjects were 750 children, aged 2-6, attending child care centers in Korea. A measurement of the height and weight of the children, as well as collection of wide range of variables including general characteristics, and potential factors related with dietary habit for children and their parents, were conducted. Overweight was defined based on more than 110% of ideal body weight. A logistic regression analysis was adopted to identify the factors associated with overweight. Subjects were classified into three categories according to the obesity index : underweight(PIBW<90%, n=34), normal(90%< or =PIBW<110%, n=577), and overweight(PIBW> or =110%, n=139). The overall prevalence of overweight and underweight of the subjects were 21.3% and 4.0% of the boys and 15.5% and 5.1% of the girls respectively. Parent's obesity was associated with a higher risk of overweight on girls. Subjects o the third quartile(girls) and fourth quartile(boys) of income level had a substantially higher risk of overweight than did those in the first quartile. Fast eating, overeating, and food prejudice were also associated with an increased risk of overweight. The results of a logistic regression analysis showed that the eating habits and food preferences of the children were the most influencial factors on overweight. These finding may imply the importance of early stage nutrition education on rational dietary habit to prevent prevailing obesity of preschool in Korea.
Child ; Child Care ; Child, Preschool* ; Eating ; Education ; Female ; Food Habits ; Food Preferences ; Humans ; Hyperphagia ; Ideal Body Weight ; Korea ; Logistic Models ; Obesity ; Overweight* ; Parents ; Prejudice ; Prevalence* ; Risk Factors ; Seoul* ; Thinness