Background: Children worldwide are increasingly becoming overweight and obese and developing related health problems, including hypertension, lipid disorders, abnormal glucose tolerance, type 2 diabetes, and secondary psychological disorders. The aim of the study was to determine sociodemographic risk factors that predict an increase in BMI in children at an early school age. Material and method: The study covered 4972 children aged 8–10 years, including boys (N = 2461) and girls (N = 2511). Measurements of basic anthropometric indicators were used, such as body height, body weight, body composition, and physical fitness. The criteria developed by the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) were adopted. Sociodemographic features were analyzed based on a diagnostic survey. IBM SPSS Statistics v.25 (Mineral Midrange SA, Warsaw, Poland) and IBM SPSS Amos software (Mineral Midrange SA, Warsaw, Poland) were used to perform descriptive statistics, the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, Pearson′s chi-square test, Student’s t-test, and the Mann-Whitney U test. The statistical significance index was assumed to be p < 0.05, while p < 0.01 was taken as an indicator of a trend which was not completely statistically significant. Results: Both the children and their parents had mainly moderate BMI. A total of 78.7% of children were within the weight norm. Among girls, extreme obesity was two times more frequent than extreme underweight. The examined boys were significantly taller, heavier, and had a higher BMI than girls. There were significant differences between boys and girls in BMI; however, gender alone accounted for less than 1% variance. The influence of parents′ characteristics was much greater, increasing the explained variance to 10%. Body weight of mothers and fathers (p < 0.001), mother′s height (p < 0.01) and both parents′ level of education (p < 0.001) were detected as significant predictors of children’s BMI. Conclusions: The analysis of selected sociodemographic and health factors determining the BMI of the child population indicates the need for preventive action and health promotion both among children and their parents.

Childhood obesity represents a significant challenge both clinically and socio-economically. This study aimed to assess specific biochemical parameters, particularly glucose, insulin and lipid profile, before and after a year-long intervention program in 8- and 9-year-old children with excessive body weight living in Szczecin, Poland from 2016 to 2018. The research comprised two phases: screening in elementary schools and intervention in the outpatient clinic of the clinical Pomeranian Medical University hospital. Out of 11,494 8- to 9-year-olds in Szczecin, 42.54% (4890) participated in the screening. In the intervention phase, 515 children were examined. Anthropometric measurements were recorded at each visit, and blood samples were collected during the first and fourth visits. In the statistical analysis, the Kolmogorov–Smirnov, t-Student and ANOVA tests were employed (with statistical significance when p ≤ 0.05). Results highlighted a significant proportion of children exhibiting disruptions in carbohydrate and lipid metabolism. A total of 8.6% of participants had elevated total cholesterol, 9.7% had reduced HDL, 13.4% had elevated LDL, and 21.2% had elevated triglycerides. Initially, abnormal fasting glucose was detected in 4.7% of children, and elevated insulin levels in 3.1%. Metabolic disorders persisted post-intervention despite BMI improvement. The results emphasize the necessity for prolonged programs with frequent follow-ups targeting weight normalization in children.

Background: Childhood obesity is a significant public health issue. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of overweight and obesity among 8- and 9-year-old children in Szczecin, Poland, and unlike other studies to assess differences in nutritional status within a single urban agglomeration of nearly 500,000 residents, it was influenced by place of residence and socioeconomic status. Methods: The study included 4705 children (2327 boys and 2378 girls) aged 8 and 9 years, attending 50 primary schools in Szczecin (45 public, 5 private) across four districts: North, Right Bank, City Center, and West. Anthropometric measurements were used to calculate BMI. Overweight was diagnosed when BMI was ≥85th percentile but lower than the 95th percentile for age and sex, while obesity was when the BMI was ≥95th percentile. Data on parental BMI, education, and place of residence were also collected. Results: The prevalence of overweight was 16.6%, and obesity was 6.2%. Overweight was more common in girls, while obesity was more frequent in boys. Children attending special education schools and living in the Right-Bank district had the highest rates of overweight and obesity. Parental obesity and low parental education, particularly the father’s, were the strongest risk factors for excess body weight. Conclusions: Differences in childhood nutritional status exist even within the same city, influenced by residence and socioeconomic factors. Parental obesity, low education, living in the city’s rural districts, and attending special education schools are key risk factors. Enhanced prevention programs tailored to these factors are crucial to combat childhood obesity effectively.

Childhood obesity remains one of the most serious medical challenges of the 21st century. The aim of the study was to obtain epidemiological data on the prevalence of overweight and obesity among 8- and 9-year-old children in Szczecin, and to evaluate the effectiveness of medical intervention in the form of a year of interdisciplinary work with children with excess body weight. The study consisted of two main stages: I—screening, II—intervention. The program was implemented for three consecutive years, starting in 2016–2018. The entire population of 8–9-year-olds in Szczecin is 11,494 children. In the screening part of the study, 4890 children took part, whose parent agreed to participate (42.54%). In the intervention part of the study, we analyzed a group of 515 children. Children were further divided into subgroups according to the number of visits completed. Anthropometric parameters were measured on each visit. The prevalence of overweight and obesity in the screened population was 16.9% and 6.4%, respectively. Statistically significant changes were observed in BMI (Body Mass Index) percentiles and BMI z-scores, as well as WHR (Waist-Hip Ratio) during the one year observation time. The best effects were achieved by the 3rd visit (for the first 6 months of the program). Thereafter, the effects diminished due to the longer interval between the 3rd and 4th visits (6 months). There is the need for long-term programs for the prevention of excessive body weight in children and adolescents with frequent checkpoints.

Background: Our paper draws attention to the impact of lead (Pb) on the specificity of obesity development in children exposed to environmental pollution. An advantage of this paper is the homogeneous study group comprising children of identical age from a single geographic region. Moreover, while the influence of environmental toxins on adults has been extensively explored, this study delves into pediatric populations, which have yet to receive comprehensive scrutiny within the scientific literature. Methods: Initially, a group of 136 obese children (the research program lasted three consecutive years: 2016, 2017, and 2018) living in the north-western region of Poland, from whom biochemical tests and auxological data were obtained, were enrolled for analysis. Blood lead levels (BLLs) were determined in 115 children. The age of the children ranged from 7.1 to 10.4 years. The body mass index (BMI) of children averaged 21.5 ± 2.2. Results: The results showed that a large proportion of the participants had BLLs above the threshold for Pb. BLLs ≤ 5 µg/dL (considered safe for children and pregnant women) were found in over 70% of the participants, with BLLs in the range of 5.01–10.00 µg/dL in over 26% of the children, and concentrations > 10 µg/dL (considered toxic threshold for adults) in nearly 2% of the children. The results of our research revealed a positive association between BLLs and average systolic and diastolic blood pressure in the studied children. Moreover, we found a negative correlation between BLLs and absolute fat tissue content and triglyceride concentration. Among the included biochemical factors, only insulin demonstrated a statistically significant relationship with fat mass. This result suggests that early carbohydrate metabolism disorders in overweight children involve decreased peripheral tissue insulin sensitivity. Conclusions: Lead exposure may significantly contribute to the development of hypertension, insulin resistance, and glucose metabolism disorders in overweight and obese children. It is essential to implement multidirectional actions to increase awareness of the harmful effects of xenobiotic exposure, including lead, in order to prevent early-life exposure.

Background: The growing problem of excess body weight in children is currently one of the most important public health threats. Methods: The aim of this study was to assess the impact of a year-long intervention on the body composition and blood pressure of 6–10-year-old children with excess body weight in the city of Szczecin. This study was divided into two parts: stage I was a cross-sectional population-based study (screening in schools) while stage II was an interventional study with before/after comparison. Results: A total of 4890 children participated in the first stage, while 515 children qualified for the second stage. During each visit in the intervention stage, anthropometric measurement (height, body weight), body composition analysis using bioelectrical impedance (body fat mass in kilograms, percentage of body fat, muscle mass in kilograms, fat-free mass), and blood pressure measurement were performed. This study did not record a significant effect of the year-long intervention on changes in the blood pressure percentiles of the children. However, there was a significant increase in the number of children with a normal percentage of body fat (92.64% vs. 96.92%) and a significant increase in muscle mass in the majority of children (96.30%, p < 0.0001). The body fat percentage, body fat mass, and muscle mass measurements differed between children who were overweight and those who were obese. The average percentage (girls 27.80 ± 2.72 vs. 24.61 ± 3.04; p < 0.0001, boys 20.93 ± 4.51 vs. 16.02 ± 1.83; p < 0.0001) and mass of body fat (girls 12.12 ± 2.82 vs. 9.44 ± 1.46; p = 0.0001, boys 9.73 ± 3.72 vs. 6.16 ± 1.31; p = 0.0001), as well as the average muscle mass (31.01 ± 4.6 vs. 26.8 ± 4.08; p < 0.0001), were higher in children with obesity compared to those with overweight. Conclusions: Further research is necessary to evaluate the effectiveness of therapeutic programs focused on treating excess body weight in children.