@article{2998717,
    title = "Cross-sectional study on childhood obesity and central obesity on a rural Greek Island",
    author = "Sourani, M. and Kakleas, K. and Critselis, E. and Tsentidis, C. and Galli-Tsinopoulou, A. and Dimoula, M. and Kotsani, E. and Armaou, M. and Sdogou, T. and Karayianni, C. and Baltaretsou, E. and Karavanaki, K.",
    journal = "Acta Endocrinologica",
    year = "2015",
    volume = "11",
    number = "3",
    pages = "329-336",
    publisher = "Acta Endocrinologica Foundation",
    issn = "1841-0987, 1843-066X",
    doi = "10.4183/aeb.2015.329",
    abstract = "Objective. We aimed to investigate the prevalence of obesity and visceral obesity (VO) within children living on the s mall Greek island of Tinos and their associatedfactors. Methods. Three hundred and fifty two healthy children and pre-adolescents (54% boys) attending the primary schools of Tinos island were evaluated, aged (mean±SD) 8.53±1.72 years (range 6-11), from which 286 (81.25%) were of Greek origin and 65 (18.46%) foreign immigrants. Body weight, height and waist circumference (WC) were measured, plus BMI and WC percentiles were calculated. Children with WC > 90th percentile were categorized as having VO. Results. Among our patients, 235 (66.76%) were of normal weight, 88 (25%) overweight and 29 (8.2%) obese. Obese children, as opposed to their normal weight counterparts, were more likely to be of younger age (p=0.009). VO was found in 65 (18.47%) children, with a higher prevalence among the obese than overweight ones (96.43% vs. 42%, p<0.001). There was no difference in the prevalence of VO between children and pre-adolescents. However, foreign immigrants had lower frequency of overweight and obese children (p=0.026) and less viscerally obese children (9.09% vs. 20.63%, p=0.018) than the Greek participants. Conclusions. The prevalence of childhood obesity in rural Tinos was 8.24%, which was lower than the reported national prevalence of obesity in Greece, whilst almost all of the obese and 42% of the overweight children presented VO. The low prevalence of childhood obesity and VO on this small island could possibly be attributed to a more healthy diet and natural way of life. © 2015, Editura Academiei Romane. All rights reserved."
}