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This study aims to evaluate the relationship between the estimated levels of diet advanced glycation end products (dAGEs) intake and obesity in university students.

This cross-sectional study included 301 university students aged 18–30 years. dAGEs was estimated using a food frequency questionnaire, for 549 routinely consumed food items and were reported by dividing total energy intake. Dietary intake and sociodemographic data were collected using validated questionnaires, and the anthropometric characteristics were measured. The relationship between anthropometric measurements and dAGEs intake was examined by binary logistic regression.

A total of 43.2% of the participants had high levels of dAGEs. A significant decreasing trend was found in the percentage of carbohydrate intake compared to the increasing trend in dAGEs consumption (p = 0.005). The percentage of fat intake and meat consumption were significantly higher in participants with the highest consumption, compared with the lowest consumption of dAGEs (p = 0.006). According to the dAGEs classification of participants, body mass index, waist circumference and energy intake were found to be significantly related in all model groups. Accordingly, the increase in body mass index, waist circumference and energy intake were determined as a risk factor in those with high dAGEs intakes.

The findings of this study emphasized that higher intake of dAGEs was associated with an increased risk of obesity parameters in college students.

Malaysia transitions from a pandemic to an endemic state, beginning on April 1, 2022. The dietary intake and physical activity of university students were altered during the COVID-19 pandemic confinement period, but there is limited information on this topic in the post-COVID-19 period. This cross-sectional study aims to understand gender differences in dietary intake and physical activity among university students and investigate the factors influencing their body mass index (BMI) in the post-COVID-19 period.

The questionnaire used in this study comprised three main segments: sociodemographic information, a semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire.

Results indicated that males exhibited significantly higher (p < 0.05) mean intakes of total dietary energy and macronutrients compared to females. Compared to the Malaysian Recommended Nutrient Intakes 2017, 76.4% of males and 68.8% of females had a sufficient daily energy intake. The majority of males (52.7%) and females (46.4%) were moderately physically active. Regression analysis revealed that male university students with lower fiber intake (ß = −0.309, p = 0.002) were significantly associated with higher BMI reading after confounding adjustment. However, a similar trend was not observed in female university students.

Understanding the gender differences in dietary intake and physical activity can provide insights into the development of effective gender-specific health promotion strategies and the formulation of policies aimed at promoting healthier lifestyles among university students in the post-COVID-19 pandemic era.

This study provides insights into the gender differences in the dietary and physical activity habits of university students, as well as the factors influencing their BMI in the post-COVID-19 pandemic era.

Normal-weight obesity (NWO), characterized by normal body mass index (BMI) but excess body fat, is a potential contributor to chronic diseases. This study aims to assess the relationship between this phenomenon and some metabolic factors in a population of Iranian employees.

This cross-sectional study was conducted on Iranian employees from the baseline data of Employees Health Cohort Study, Shiraz, Iran. Anthropometric measures, including weight, height, waist circumference and percentage of body fat, were obtained from the cohort database. The participants were divided into three groups: healthy, normal-weight obese and overweight/obese. Metabolic variables including blood pressure, fasting blood sugar, lipid profile, liver function enzymes and metabolic syndrome were assessed in relation to the study groups.

A total of 985 participants aged 25–64 years were included. Males with NWO had significantly higher alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels compared to the healthy group in the fully adjusted model. Also, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) was significantly lower among females with overweight/obesity than healthy group when adjusted for age and energy intake. Furthermore, after adjusting for age and energy intake, both genders in the overweight/obese group showed significantly elevated systolic and diastolic blood pressure, while this was not observed for the NWO group. Lastly, metabolic syndrome was more prevalent in NWO as well as overweight/obesity.

These findings further encourage identification of excess body fat, even in normal-weight individuals, to prevent chronic metabolic diseases. Special attention should be paid to subgroups with sedentary occupations, as they may be at increased risk for NWO-related health issues.

This paper aims to examine the association between the dietary inflammatory index, the consumption of Enteral Nutrition Supplemented with probiotics with certain serum inflammation markers and gastrointestinal complications among individuals diagnosed with COVID-19.

This cross-sectional investigation involved 100 COVID-19 patients who were admitted to intensive care units in hospitals. These patients were administered two different types of Enteral Nutrition, so the dietary inflammatory index (DII), gastrointestinal complications and some serum inflammation markers have been compared between two groups.

The mean DII scores in all patients were significantly pro-inflammatory (probiotic formula 2.81 ± 0.01 vs usual formula group 2.93 ± 0.14 p = 0.19). The probiotic formula consumption had an inverse association with High-sensitivity C-reactive Protein concentration (coef = −3.19, 95% CI −1.25, −5.14 p = 0.001) and lead to a reduction of 2.14 mm/h in the serum level of Erythrocyte sedimentation rate compared to normal formula. The incidence of diarrhea, abdominal pain and vomiting in probiotic formula patients was respectively 94%, 14% and 86% less than in usual formula patients (p = 0.05).

In this cross-sectional study for the first time, the authors found that probiotic formula consumption was inversely associated with serum inflammation markers and gastrointestinal complications incidence. The high DII leads to more gastrointestinal complications incidence and inflammation markers. More studies are needed to prove this relationship.

This study aims to examine whether inmate’s social support network is related to changes in anthropometric data among individuals in Canadian correctional facilities.

Methods: A total of 754 participants in federal correctional facilities who had been incarcerated for at least six months responded to the questionnaire by interview regarding their social support network. Chi-square tests and non-parametric tests for median comparison were used to measure changes in anthropometric data [weight and body mass index (BMI)] between the date of admission into custody and the date of the interview. Subsequently, a multivariate regression analysis for BMI change was conducted to adjust for covariates such as sex, age and ethnicity.

Results: Participants who received more than two visits per month had significantly lower weight gain (2.6 kg) than those who received less than one visit per month (7.1 kg, p = 0.02). Similar results were observed for the average change in BMI (p = 0.01). The influence of an external social support network on BMI change remained significant after adjusting for covariates. Conclusions: An individual's external social support network (outside the prison environment) may protect against weight gain in correctional facilities. Given how social support will vary based on the prison context by country and jurisdiction, individual and organizational strategies should be considered to maintain a healthy social support network and increase the number of visits (at every stage of incarceration) to counteract this weight gain and its adverse health consequences.

The social support network outside the prison environment may protect against weight gain in correctional facilities. Strategies should be considered to maintain a healthy social support network and increase the number of visits to counteract this weight gain and its adverse health consequences.

In spite of wide civic and academic interest in obesity, there are no bibliometric records of this issue in the marketing corpus. Thus, this inquiry is conceived to address this shortcoming with a bibliometric analysis of Scopus indexed articles published on the subject.

The analysis followed a five-step science mapping approach of study design, data collection, data analysis, data visualisation and data interpretation. R programming software was used to review 88 peer reviewed journals published between 1987 and 2021.

A sizable stream of literature exploring obesity has accrued in the marketing area as authors have drawn parallels between the influence of persuasive communication and advertising on human wellbeing and child health. The United States of America is found to be by far the country with the highest number of publications on obesity, followed by Australia and the United Kingdom. The topic dendrogram indicates two strands of obesity discourse: (1) social and policy intervention opportunities and (2) the effects on social groups in the population.

This review will shape future enquiries investigating obesity. Beyond the focus on children, males and females, an emerging focus on cola, ethics, food waste, milk, policy-making and students is highlighted.

This is the first bibliometric review of obesity in the marketing literature. This is especially timely for weighing up the utility of research aimed at understanding and reporting the trends, influences and role of stakeholders in addressing obesity.

Body weight has a long history of functioning as a symbol of one’s beauty, social status, morality, discipline, and health. It has also been a standard inflicted much more intensely on women than men. While US culture has long idealized thinness for women, even at risky extremes, there is growing evidence that weight standards are broadening. Larger bodies are becoming more visible and accepted, while desire for and approval of a thin ideal has diminished. However, the continued widespread prevalence of anti-fat attitudes and stigma leaves uncertainty about just how much weight standards are changing. This study used an online survey (n = 320) to directly compare evaluations of thin, fat, and average size women through measures of negative stereotypes, prejudicial attitudes, and perceptions about quality of life. Results indicated that, as hypothesized, thin women were perceived less favorably than average weight women. However, fat women were perceived less favorably than both average and thin women. Men were harsher than women in their evaluations of only fat women. Additionally, participants being underweight or overweight did not produce an ingroup bias in their evaluations of underweight and overweight targets, respectively. That is, participants did not rate their own group more favorably, with the exception of overweight participants having lower prejudice toward overweight targets. These findings add to the emerging evidence that women’s weight standards are in transition, marked by an increasingly negative perception of thin women, though not necessarily growing positivity toward fat women. This evidence further points toward the need for more extensive research on attitudes of people across the entire weight spectrum.

Mass customization is a production process that allows consumers to customize products from an array of options to suit their preferences and needs and benefit from large-scale production efficiencies. In recent years, several apparel retailers have integrated customization into their online presence. While the benefits of online apparel mass customization (OAMC) are apparent, factors that determine the usage of the process are many. Therefore, it is important to explore these factors and understand the relationships between them and the impact on the intention to use OAMC.

A review of studies published in the last decade was conducted through the Scopus, Web of Science and JSTOR databases in September 2023. Peer-reviewed research articles published in the English language were included. These studies were carried out in the United States of America, Canada, Korea and China and addressed motivations and antecedents of OAMC technology.

The data were extracted, and the findings were synthesized. The review process enabled us to examine several theories and determinants of OAMC. The latter were categorized into the following themes: “consumer personality and psychology”, “consumer perceptions”, “consumer behaviour determinants” and “process, experience and product”. The influence of consumer personality traits, psychogenic needs, characteristics and other facilitating conditions emerged through the review.

The purpose of this paper is to study the various determinants of OAMC and thereby provide valuable information to businesses in OAMC domains to improve customized processes, understand consumers' motivations and develop marketing strategies that improve overall satisfaction with OAMC.

Despite the online shopping trend, many women still prefer in-store experiences for trying on and buying clothes. The body positivity movement endorsed by many brands implies that all women, even those with lower body appreciation, should feel included in this setting. However, studies have yet to quantitatively explore the mediating role of women’s positive body image between clothing size and in-store experiences. To address this gap, this study examined the in-store experiences of 642 women from largely Western nations (Mage = 45.96, standard deviation (SD) = 9.31) who self-reported as straight-, mid- and plus-sizes and the mediating role of body appreciation.

Participants completed online questionnaires with measures including clothing size, body appreciation, in-store experiences and preferences for in-store changes.

Women of mid-size and plus-size were more likely than women of straight-size to report lower body appreciation, which led to a greater desire for guidance from staff about styles but less likelihood to approach them, higher discomfort going up a size and lower confidence trying on clothes. In contrast, straight-size women generally felt more comfortable and confident in-store clothes shopping. A direct link between clothing size and lower purchase intentions without in-store representation was found; however, body appreciation did not mediate this link. Preferences for in-store changes included better support from sales staff and more inclusive imagery.

This study indicates that in-store clothes shopping may not feel like retail therapy for women who identify as mid-size or plus-size and experience low body appreciation. It highlights the need for comprehensive reform within the fashion retail industry by prioritizing inclusivity through better staff support and in-store representation for all sizes.

We aimed to establish criteria for determining the deformed lateral torso type to identify individuals requiring measurement methods different from standard methods before extracting dimensions from three-dimensional (3D) scan data.

We collected the 3D body scan data of 119 women aged 70–85 years collected in the 6th Size Korea. Three axes were defined to determine the deformation of the lateral shape, and the angle of each reference axis was used for the analysis. Additionally, to classify the lateral torso shape, 14 experts made visual judgments on the side-view images of the participants.

To identify the axis that best represented the lateral torso shape, we used each angle value of the three reference axes as an independent variable and the expert’s visual classification as a dependent variable. Each discriminant function was obtained and accuracy calculated. The whole torso axis exhibited the highest accuracy. Next, an assessment scale was developed to determine the shape of the lateral torso using the angular value of the whole torso axis.

The scale developed in this study has the potential to reduce measurement errors arising from elderly deformed torso shapes, thereby enhancing data reliability.