Background: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a cluster of conditions that increases the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and is related to genetic background, dietary habits, and lifestyle. Anthropometric indices and lipid parameters have been shown to be simple and useful tools in clinical practice for predicting MetS. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the differential magnitudes of anthropometric characteristics (waist circumference and body mass index [BMI]) and lipid parameters, namely, lipid accumulation product (LAP), cardiometabolic index (CMI), and Castelli Risk Index (CRI-I), to estimate MetS, usingappropriate cut-off values, among adults from a public hospital in Yucatan, Mexico. Methods: A cross-sectional study among 250 adults (77 men, 173 women) was carried out in the Regional High Speciality Hospital of the Yucatan Peninsula (HRAEPY) in Merida, Yucatan. MetS was diagnosed using standard criteria (central obesity, arterial hypertension, hyperglycemia, and dyslipidemia), and derived parameters (LAP, CMI, and CRI-I) were calculated. Binary logistic regression analysis-based receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves were used to predict MetS. Results: Of the 250 participants, 48% had MetS. High prevalences of overweight (35.2%) and obesity (48.8%) were found in the sample. The CMI and LAP were found to be the best parameters in the prediction of MetS in men and women. The optimal cut-off values of the parameters were higher in men and decreased with advancing age. Conclusion: The CMI and LAP were shown to be the most effective indicators to diagnose MetS among adults from Yucatan, Mexico.

Background: In Mexico, the COVID-19 pandemic led to preventative measures such as confinement and social interaction limitations that paradoxically may have aggravated healthcare access disparities for pregnant women and accentuated health system weaknesses addressing high-risk patients’ pregnancies. Our objective is to estimate the maternal mortality ratio in 1 year and analyze the clinical course of pregnant women hospitalized due to acute respiratory distress syndrome and COVID-19. Methods: A retrospective surveillance study of the national maternal mortality was performed from February 2020–February 2021 in Mexico related to COVID-19 cases in pregnant women, including their outcomes. Comparisons were made between patients who died and those who survived to identify prognostic factors and underlying health conditions distribution. Results: Maternal Mortality Ratio increased by 56.8% in the studied period, confirmed COVID-19 was the cause of 22.93% of cases. Additionally, unconfirmed cases represented 4.5% of all maternal deaths. Among hospitalized pregnant women with Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome consistent with COVID-19, smoking and cardiovascular diseases were more common among patients who faced a fatal outcome. They were also more common in the age group of < 19 or > 38. In addition, pneumonia was associated with asthma and immune impairment, while diabetes and increased BMI increased the odds for death (Odds Ratio 2.30 and 1.70, respectively). Conclusions: Maternal Mortality Ratio in Mexico increased over 60% in 1 year during the pandemic; COVID-19 was linked to 25.4% of maternal deaths in the studied period. Lethality among pregnant women with a diagnosis of COVID-19 was 2.8%, and while asthma and immune impairment increased propensity for developing pneumonia, obesity and diabetes increased the odds for in-hospital death. Measures are needed to improve access to coordinated well-organized healthcare to reduce maternal deaths related to COVID-19 and pandemic collateral effects.

Height and body segments in children have differential pubertal growth characteristics. Lower leg length is a sensitive indicator of child’s nutritional status. The purpose of this study was to estimate differential timing and tempo of height and knee height (KH) growth in 9- to 17-year-old boys (n = 475) and girls (n = 500) from Merida, Mexico. In this cross-sectional study, the Preece-Baines growth curves—model 1 (PB 1) was fitted to the anthropometric data for height and KH. Based on the PB 1 model, KH had earlier age at maximum increment than height in boys (height = 12.37 years, KH = 11.54 years) and girls (height = 11.01 years, KH = 10.93 years). Peak velocity of these 2 dimensions was different in both sexes (boys: height = 7.11 cm/yr, KH = 2.25 cm/yr; girls: height = 5.14 cm/yr, KH = 1.45 cm/yr). Differences (P <.001) by sex were also observed for the estimated size at peak velocity and final size of height and KH. When compared to height, KH was shown to have earlier adolescent growth spurt and a smaller difference between final size and the size at maximum (peak) velocity indicating an earlier age for achieving adult size. Overall, the studied boys and girls had short estimated final size, an earlier age at maximum increment, and a lower peak velocity in height than urban Guatemalan peers, the only regional reference available.

Leg length in humans is considered to be an indicator of the long-term impact of quality of childhood living conditions and nutritional status. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the magnitude of association of percentage body fat (PBF) with relative subischial leg length (RSLL), adjusting for age, sex and body mass index (BMI), among adolescents and adults in a population of poor socioeconomic background in India. Data were taken from a cross-sectional study conducted in 2010–2014 among the Limbu community of Darjeeling, West Bengal – an indigenous community with poor socioeconomic background, low literacy rate, low income and inadequate living conditions. The study villages were located in the Himalayan and sub-Himalayan regions of Darjeeling. The present study sample comprised 97 adolescents aged 16–19 years (47 boys, 50 girls) and 260 adults aged 20–39 years (135 men, 125 women). Anthropometric measurements of stature/height (cm), weight (kg), sitting height (cm) and skinfold thicknesses (biceps, triceps, subscapular, suprailiac) (mm) were recorded. Derived variables were BMI (kg/m²), subischial leg length (SLL) (cm), RSLL (%), sum of four skinfolds (mm) and PBF (%). Significant sex differences at p<0.05 were observed for all anthropometric characteristics, except for body weight among adolescents and RSLL, subscapular and sum of four skinfolds in adults. The linear regression models adjusting for age and sex showed that RSLL had a negative relationship with PBF (p<0.05) among adolescents and adults. Higher body fat, independent of BMI, was correlated with lower RSLL among both adolescents and adults from the Limbu community, indicating a possible association with poor quality living conditions in childhood. However, this may also have been due to the allometry of total body fat with body proportions – a relatively larger trunk results in more body fat.

A cross-sectional study undertaken in three endogamous populations, viz. Dhimal, Mech and Rajbanshi reveal some significant results of high prevalence of undernutrition and poor health condition. An anthropometric appraisal of health and nutrition of the individuals of both the sexes show remarkable sex differences with respect to the rates of chronic energy deficiency (CED) and undernutrition measured by body mass index (BMI ≤18.49 kg/m²) and frequency of subnormal health condition measured by Rohrer Index / Index of Corpulence (RI ≤1.19 gm/cm³). Samples of both sexes combined exhibit Dhimals (37.45%), Mech (13.02%) and Rajbanshi (23.56%) suffer from variable degrees of undernutrition (BMI ≤18.49 kg/m²). State of health assessed by Rohrer Index records 28.80% of the people of these three communities (both sexes combined) are in below normal range. Dhimals show highest rates of undernutrition (CED 27.04% in males and 46.58% in females) followed by Rahbanshis (CED 17.33% in males and 29.32% in females) and the Meches (CED 9.93% in males and 16.91% in females). Likewise, below standard health (RI ≤1.19 gm/cm³) is prevalent highest among the Dhimals (51.57% males and 35.61% females) subsequently in Rajbanshi (28.67% males and 22.99% females) and Mech (19.86% males and 12.67% females) communities. Conditions of the females are worse compared to the male counterparts of these communities. Results have been compared with further recent reports from some other populations of eastern India.

Existing research on human growth in Mexico is regionally focused, creating a gap in the understanding of growth patterns of children and adolescents at national level and regional variation. The objective of the present study was to characterize the height growth curve of the Mexican population by geographic area and to cluster the states of the Mexican Republic according to their somatic maturation characteristics, based on a national representative sample of boys. Data on age, height, socioeconomic level, and geographic area of 18,219 boys were obtained from the National Health and Nutrition Survey 2012 (ENSANUT) and ENSANUT 2018, carried out in 32 Mexican states. Both surveys had representative samples. Preece–Baines 1 model was applied to fit height growth curves. Biological parameters were estimated; principal component analysis and cluster analysis were performed to group Mexican states based on these biological parameters. The estimated age at peak height velocity (PHV) was 12.3 years in the sample. Significant regional differences in the timing and tempo of PHV among Mexican boys were observed. Boys in the northern region experienced PHV at an earlier age and had a shorter duration of growth compared with boys in the central and southern regions. Boys in the central region had a longer duration of growth and a later age of PHV compared with the boys in the southern region. The cluster that included the southern states of the country showed estimated lower adult height and earlier somatic maturation. A lower height was found in the low and low-middle socioeconomic levels compared with the medium-high and high socioeconomic levels. Future research in Mexico should focus on longitudinal studies to analyse the timing and tempo of growth and maturation, considering the impacts of environmental and genetic factors. Public health strategies should account for geographic variations.