Day 3 :
Keynote Forum
Kahef Zayed
Sultan Qaboos University, Jordan
Keynote: Sedentary behavior and nutritional patterns in relationship with body fat, and BMI among Omani teens
Time : 09:00-09:35
Biography:
Kashef Zayed has earned his PhD from Bucharest University in 1996. He worked at the University of Jordan and Al-Salt College for Teachers in Jordan before he joined Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) in 1990. He served as a head of the Department of Physical Education, Faculty of Education, SQU through 2007 to 2011. He is an international affiliate of American Psychological Association (APA) and International Society of Sport Psychology (ISSP). He published more than 30 papers in reputed journals and in international conferences proceedings. Currently, he is an Associate Professor at the Department of Physical Education, SQU.
Abstract:
rnSedentary behavior and unhealthy nutritional patterns represent main risk factors of the prevalence of overweight, diabetes type-2 and other non-communicable diseases in modern human societies. Sedentary behavior refers to any kind of waking physical activity such as sitting or lying down, TV viewing, computer work, playing digital games, and reading that lead to the expenditure approximately around 1.5 Metabolic Equivalents of Task (MET) per hour. Recent research indicated that people spend in sedentary behavior more than half of their time during waking. In this study, we aimed to explore the prevalence of overweight, body fat and explore the nature of relationship between them and unhealthy nutritional patterns and lack of physical activity among adolescents in Oman. To achieve the goals of this study, Arab Teenage Lifestyle Questionnaire (ATLS) which assesses physical activity, sedentary behavior and nutritional patterns has been administered on a sample consisted of (855) adolescents (gender: 413 males and 442 females; ages: m =17.2; sd. 1.3). Body mass index, waist circumference and body fat were also measured using body composition analyzer device (TANITA). The results revealed that 23.8% of the participants were overweight (including obesity), while 20.7% of them where underweight. The results also explored that there were a link between sedentary behavior, overweight and body fat. Descriptive statistics showed that there were a prevalence of unhealthy nutritional patterns among the teens which may lead to increase the risk factors of acquiring type II diabetes and cardiovascular disease risk factors. These results are alarming and require a need to work on attitudes/behavioral modification through raising the nutritional awareness among teens and their families, as well as through the intensification of interest in school physical education and sports activities.rn
Keynote Forum
Ming-Tsang Wu
Kaohsiung Medicine University, Taiwan
Keynote: Intake of Phthalate-tainted foods and microalbuminuria in children: The 2011 Taiwan food scandal
Time : 09:35-10:10
Biography:
Dr. Ming-Tsang Wu has completed his MD from Chung Shan Medical University in Taiwan and PhD from Harvard School of Public Health in the USA. He is a full professor in the Department of Public Health and the Director in Research Center for Environmental Medicine, Kaohsiung Medicine University, Taiwan. His major research interest is on the interactive effects of environmental and occupational exposures, genetic factors, and biomarkers on the health outcomes.
Abstract:
A major threat to public health involving phthalate-tainted foodstuffs occurred in Taiwan in 2011. Phthalates, mainly di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), were intentionally added to several categories of food commonly consumed by children. We investigated the relationship between intake of the phthalate-tainted foods and renal function in children. Children aged ≤ 10 years with possible phthalate exposure were enrolled between August 2012 and January 2013. Questionnaires were used to collect details of exposure to phthalate-tainted foodstuffs, and blood and urine samples were collected for clinical biochemical workups. The clinical biomarkers of renal injury, including urinary microalbumin, N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase (NAG), and β2-microglobulin, were measured. Exposure was categorized based on recommended tolerable daily intake level defined by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (0.02 mg/kg/day) and the European Food Safety Authority (0.05 mg/kg/day). We analyzed intake and renal function of 184 children whose intake of DEHP-tainted foods was known. Higher exposure to DEHP-tainted foods was significantly associated with increased risk for microalbuminuria (> 3.5 mg/mmol creatinine) (P = 0.02). Children in the high exposure group (daily DEHP intake (DDI) > 0.05 mg/kg/day) had 10.395 times the risk of microalbuminuria than the low exposure group (DDI ≤ 0.02 and > 0 mg/kg/day) and no exposure groups (95% CI = 1.096-98.580, P = 0.04) combined after adjustment. We conclude intake of DEHP from phthalate-tainted foods is a potential risk factor for microalbuminuria, a marker of glomerular injury in children. In this talk, I will also present the course of this incident and government response and management of the crisis.