Sarcopenic obesity (SO) is defined as co-occurrence of increased fat mass and sarcopenia and may predict adverse health outcomes in the pediatric population. However, the prevalence of SO and its association with adverse health outcomes have not been well defined in children and adolescents. We systematically reviewed data on the SO definition, prevalence, and adverse outcomes in the pediatric population. A total of 18 articles retrieved from PubMed or Web of Science databases were included. Overall, there was a wide heterogeneity in the methods and thresholds used to define SO. The prevalence of SO ranged from 5.66% to 69.7% in girls, with a range between 7.2% and 81.3% in boys. Of the 8 studies that evaluated outcomes related to SO, all showed a significant association of SO with cardiometabolic outcomes, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) severity, inflammation, and mental health. In conclusion, this review found that SO is highly prevalent in children and adolescents and is associated with various adverse health outcomes. Findings of this review highlight the need for the development of a consensus regarding definition, standardized evaluation methods, and age and gender thresholds for SO for different ethnicities in the pediatric population. Further studies are needed to understand the relationship between obesity and sarcopenia and SO impact on adverse health outcomes in children and adolescents.

Introduction: Sarcopenic obesity (SO) is defined as obesity with low skeletal muscle function and mass. This study aimed to evaluate the presence of sarcopenic obesity according to different diagnostic criteria and assess the elements of sarcopenia in children and adolescents with obesity.Methods: A total of 95 children and adolescents with obesity (diagnosed with the use of International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) criteria) with a mean age of 12.7( ± 3) years participated in the study. Body composition was assessed with the use of bioelectrical impedance—BIA (Tanita BC480MA) and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry—DXA (Hologic). Fat mass (FM) and appendicular skeletal muscle mass (SMMa) were expressed as kilograms (kg) and percentage (%). Muscle-to-fat ratio (MFR) was defined as SMMa divided by FM. A dynamometer was used in order to measure grip strength. Six-minute walk test (6MWT) and a timed up-and-go test (TUG) were used to assess physical performance.Results: The presence of SO ranged from 6.32% to 97.89%, depending on the criteria used to define sarcopenia. Children with sarcopenia, defined as a co- occurrence of low skeletal muscle mass % (SMM%) measured by DXA (≤9th centile) according to McCarthy et al. and weak handgrip strength (≤10th centile) according to Dodds et al., had significantly lower SMMa measured by both DXA and BIA, lower maximal handgrip strength, and lower physical performance. Maximal handgrip was positively correlated with SMMa (kg) and SMMa% derived from both DXA and BIA and BIA-MFR. Maximal handgrip was negatively correlated with waist-to-height ratio (WHtR). The distance of 6MWT correlated positively with BIA-measured SMMa% and BIA-MFR. 6MWT distance correlated negatively with BIA-FM% and body mass index (BMI) z-score. TUG was positively correlated with BIA-FM%, BMI z-score, WHtR, and IOTF categories and negatively correlated with BIA-SMMa% and BIA-MFR.Discussion: The presence of sarcopenia in our study varied depending on the diagnostic criteria used. This is one of the first studies evaluating muscle mass, muscle strength, and physical performance in children and adolescents with obesity. The study highlighted the need for the implementation of a consensus statement regarding SO diagnostic criteria in children and adolescents.

The aim of this study was to assess ten-year differences in nutritional statuses and obesity prevalences between populations of preschool children from Katowice, Poland, examined in 2007 and 2017, and to determine factors associated with overweight and obesity in preschool children. A cross-sectional questionnaire was conducted among parents and legal guardians of 276 preschool children in 2007 and 259 preschool children in 2017. Basic anthropometric measurements were performed. Overall, the prevalence of overweight and obesity among our sample of Polish preschool children (median age 5.25 year) was 16.82%, whereas 4.49% of children were obese. No significant differences in the number of overweight and obese children were observed when comparing the years 2017 to 2007. Overall body mass index (BMI) z-score was significantly lower in this group of children from 2017. However, median values of the BMI z-score were higher in two of the weight categories (overweight and obesity) in 2017. The child’s BMI z-score was positively correlated with birth weight (r = 0.1, p < 0.05). The BMI z-score was positively correlated with maternal BMI, paternal BMI, and maternal pregnancy weight gain, r = 0.24 p < 0.01; r = 0.16 p < 0.01; r = 0.12 p < 0.05, respectively. A decrease in overweight and obesity prevalence over the past decade and higher median values of BMI z-scores in the group of children with excessive weight in 2017 were observed. Birth weight, maternal BMI, paternal BMI, and maternal pregnancy weight gain all correlate positively with a child’s BMI z-score.

Corrigendum: Sarcopenic obesity in children and adolescents: a systematic review

Wstęp: Ogólnoświatowy ruch samolotowy osiąga rocznie liczbę 2,3 miliarda pasażerów. Powikłaniem długich lotów samolotem jest żylna choroba zakrzepowo-zatorowa (venous thromboembolism – VTE). Obejmuje ona zakrzepicę żył głębokich (deep vein thrombosis – DVT) i zatorowość płucną (pulmonary embolism – PE). Pomimo stosunkowo dużej częstości występowania tej choroby dostęp do informacji na temat czynników ryzyka oraz prewencji VTE jest ograniczony, co może wynikać ze zbyt małej liczby ogólnodostępnych artykułów dotyczących problemu, jak również z niedostatecznej uwagi poświęcanej tej jednostce chorobowej przez wykładowców i lekarzy. W pracy podjęto próbę oceny świadomości i wiedzy studentów medycyny na temat powikłań zakrzepowych związanych z długotrwałymi lotami samolotem.Materiał i metody: Badanie przeprowadzono między 10 listopada 2017 r. a 28 lutego 2018 r. w grupie 100 studentów medycyny Śląskiego Uniwersytetu Medycznego w Katowicach. Do badania wykorzystano kwestionariusz ankiety, który zawierał 12 pytań dotyczących wiedzy na temat występowania i patogenezy VTE związanej z długotrwałymi lotami samolotem. Uczestnicy badania opierali swoje odpowiedzi na wiedzy zdobytej podczas nauki na uniwersytecie.Wyniki: Prawidłowo częstość występowania VTE związanej z lotami samolotem wskazało 43% ankietowanych. Żaden ze studentów nie wskazał poprawnie czynników ryzyka VTE. Spośród badanych 40% znało patogenezę VTE w wyniku długotrwałych lotów. Zadowalający jest fakt, że 100% ankietowanych wiedziało, że odpowiedni ubiór może redukować ryzyko VTE podczas lotów samolotem.Wnioski: Ankieta wykazała niski poziom wiedzy, jak również świadomości studentów związanej z zagrożeniem VTE podczas lotów samolotem. Wyniki badania powinny zostać uwzględnione podczas planowania na studiach medycznych zajęć dotyczących problematyki VTE.