4^th International Conference and Exhibition on Obesity and Weight Management December 07-09, 2015 Atlanta, USA

May Tsai is currently a doctor at St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne after completing her MBBS/B Med Sci at the University of Melbourne in 2013. She has been involved in cardiovascular medicine research with Professor Andrew Wilson and has published in the International Journal of Cardiology. Her area of interests includes cardiology and perioperative medicine. She is currently completing Postgraduate Certificate/Diploma in Clinical Ultrasound.

AIM/OBJECTIVES
The demand for bariatric procedures has risen dramatically in recent years due to the growing obesity epidemic. Whilst there are many published papers on bariatric surgery, there is limited information within the rural Australian context. Our objective was to assess results of weight loss and complications of laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) performed in rural Australia, describing patient characteristics and assessing significant predictors of outcomes. METHODS:
Review of 141 consecutive patients who underwent LSG at a rural Australian hospital was obtained. Data on patient demographics, mean weight loss and complications were collected. Significant predictors for length of stay calculated using multivariate analyses. RESULTS:
141 patients underwent LSG. Mean (SD) preoperative body mass index was 45kg/m2 (7.8kg/m2). Mean follow-up and length of hospital stay were 15months (10months) and 2.2 days (0.78days) respectively. Mean excess weight loss (SD, available patient data) was 30% (17%, 141 patients), 41% (20%, 56 patients), 51% (21%, 36 patients), 68% (13%, 11 patients) and 65% (16%, 4 patients) at 3, 6, 9, 18 and 24 months, respectively. 3(2.1%) patients required return to theatre for management of staple line leak. Post-op blood transfusion rate was 2.1%(3patients). There were no mortality. All-cause 30-day readmission rate was 7.1% (10 patients). Adjusted for preoperative characteristics, significant predictors of hospital stay duration were female sex (p=0.008), past history of hypercholesterolemia (p=0.012) and operation time (p=0.049). CONCLUSIONS:
Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy can be performed safely and effectively in rural Australia. Significant pre-operative predictors of length of hospital stay include female sex and past history of hypercholesterolemia.

Ines Gouaref is conducting her Phd Thesis on the link between trace elements, type 2 diabetes and hypertension in the University of Science and Technology Houari Boumediene, Algiers, Algeria. She started her Phd thesis in 2011 and participated to many national and international scientific events to present her conclusions on the diabetes in Algeria, north Africa.

In the systemic hypertension (SHT), the relationship between antioxidants mineral trace elements (AMTE) is very complex during oxidative stress, being mediated by endothelial dysfunction, dyslipidemia and inflammation. We investigated the AMTE status, particularly Manganese, selenium, copper and Zinc on the SHT control, and their interaction with the cardio metabolic syndrome (CMS) clusters. Design and method: The study was undertaken on 278 Algerian hypertensive subjects who were divided in 2 groups according to systolic blood pressure (SBP) < 140 or > 140 mmHg value, and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) < 90 or > 90 mmHg value; attesting for a good or poor metabolic control of SHT, respectively. The CMS was defined according to NCEP-ATPIII. Insulin resistance was evaluated by HOMA-IR model. The blood AMTE, were evaluated by atomic mass spectrometry.
Results: The AMTE status showed that hypertensive patients with CMS are mainly depleted. The selenium was positively correlated with glutathion peroxidase activity. The copper and Zinc are increased, causing an increase in the ratio Cu/Zn associated to decrease the SOD activity.
Conclusion: Our results suggest that AMTE play a crucial role in antioxidant capacity in SHT and we hypothesize that antioxidant defense is impaired in mitochondria, which makes this cell organelle a true therapeutic target in SHT. The AMTE can be considered as an insidious biomarkers endothelial dysfunction.

Ryan Roberts is an undergraduate student at Utah Valley University, and anticipates graduation in fall of 2016. He has been a research assistant for Professors Chris Anderson and Ron Hammond at Utah Valley University for four months.

Previous research shows that approximately 20%-33% of Americans inaccurately predict their BMI category. This can be a problem since perception contributes to one’s perceived need to integrate healthy behaviors into their lifestyle, and also reduce one’s positive self-image. Purpose: The purposes of this study were to first, determine the frequency of college students who inaccurately predicted their BMI category and second, what factors may contribute to that accuracy, if any. This is important as little research has been done in both the accuracy, and the factors that contribute to it. Method: 117 college students agreed to answer questions in a survey format, then have anthropometric measurements taken. The survey included items such as specific lifestyle behaviors, recent weight history and self-perception. After, we took weight and body circumference measurements, and compared them to the participants’ perception of self. Results: 38% of our sample inaccurately predicted their BMI category. Many of the inaccurate perceive-rs were in the normal and overweight category. Discussion: Clinicians would benefit from the awareness of what can skew one’s self-perception, and make necessary adjustments. Educators can benefit from this study by making lesson plan changes to decrease the risk of students misperceiving their weight status. Future implications for researchers will be discussed as well.

Roslyn Oakley is a 4th year medical student at Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine in Rochester, MI and a member of the AOA Honor Medical Society. She hopes to begin a pediatrics residency next year and has a strong interest in childhood nutrition and literacy

The consumption of sweetened beverages has been linked with the childhood obesity epidemic that has afflicted the United States in the last 30 years. Nevertheless, few studies have been conducted on nutritional education intended primarily to reduce consumption of sweetened beverages. The purpose of this study was to determine whether reading a narrative based nutritional story about sweetened beverages designed for fifth graders may result in a reduction in their consumption of sweetened beverages. Two fifth grade teachers and classes were involved in this study, one as the experimental group and one as the control. A focus group discussion involving the teachers was used to gather information on their perceptions of student beverage consumption and to design a pre-intervention beverage consumption survey and a recall beverage log for children in both groups. A children’s story about sweetened beverages with fill-in-the-blank questions was subsequently created with the intention of educating fifth graders and promoting self-efficacy. After children in the experimental group read the book, a follow up survey and beverage log were distributed and analyzed to qualitatively note any changes in beverage consumption and perceptions of the story to better tailor the intervention for future use in larger classes where statistical significance may be attained. This intervention highlights the difficulties inherent in conducting research in the elementary school setting, as well as ways to address them to increase the possibility of successfully completed research outcomes.

Labeodan Toyosi Ayodeji graduated from the University of Ibadan with a degree in Physiotherapy. He has a Master’s in Public Health with specialization in Health Promotion and Education from the same University. He is currently studying for a PhD in Health Promotion and Education from the University of Ibadan. His interest include Ergonomics, Musculoskeletal disorders, occupational health, Naturopathic Medicine and Health Promotion.

Physical inactivity is a common risk factor for cardiovascular diseases and many other illnesses, resulting in increased morbidity and mortality rates among individuals who maintain a relatively sedentary lifestyle. Sedentary lifestyle is health risk behavior and a contributory factor to several chronic diseases, hence promoting physical activity is imperative to increased life expectancy.The banking sector is one of the main workplaces noted for sedentary work in recent times as bank work involves a lot of sitting. The aim of the study was to assess the level of physical activity among bank officials. 50 bank workers of ECO bank, Nigeria, participated in the study. Anthropometric measurements, body mass index (BMI) were done for the participants, together with administration of the IPAQ questionnaire (short version). The mean age of the bankers was 35.46 (SD 5.36) ranging between 23 and 57 years, 30(60%) were males while 20(40%) were females. Mean weight of respondent was 73.4 kg while their mean BMI value was 26.2. More than half of respondents (60%) were either overweight or obese. Engaging in physical activity is a measure toward healthful living. Public health education and promotion of healthy lifestyles through physical activity should be encouraged among bank workers in Nigeria.

Zeynep CaferoÄŸlu has completed her MSc at the age of 26 years from Erciyes University and has been continuing PhD education at Hacettepe University. She is a research assistant at Erciyes University. She has published several papers about nutrition and dietetics in journals.

Background and Aims: It has been postulated that higher dairy consumption reduces the risk of many chronic diseases, especially obesity and metabolic syndrome. The aim of this study was to determine the association between the frequency of milk consumption and insulin resistance (IR) in obese children and adolescents.
Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 136 obese subjects aged 6-17 years. Milk consumption was assessed using a food frequency questionnaire. Total energy was measured using three day diet records, and physical activity was evaluated for last week. Fasting concentrations of insulin and glucose were determined, and a value of homeostatic model assessment of IR was calculated using these parameters. Binary logistic regression models was used to estimate multivariable odds ratios (ORs) and 95% CIs comparing different frequency of milk consumption with adjustment for potential confounding variables.
Results: The mean age and body mass index of the participants (55 males) were 11.5±2.8 years and 27.6±4.3 kg/m2, respectively. Also, the mean daily energy intake was 2102±627 kcal among obese children and adolescents. After adjustment for age, sex, daily energy intake and physical activity level, the multivariable ORs comparing highest with lowest intake categories were 0.404 (0.181-0.903) (0.027) for milk consumption. Conclusion: The results suggest that frequent consumption of milk (more than five a week) may be associated with lower IR among obese children and adolescents.

Merve ÇAPAŞ has completed her MSc at the age of 26 years from Erciyes University and has been continuing PhD education at Hacettepe University. She is a research assistant at Erciyes University. She has published several papers about nutrition and dietetics in journals.

Background and Aims: Adequate nutrient intake is important to support growing and to be healthy. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of being interested in any exercise type on dietary habits in children and adolescents. Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 45 subjects (27 males) aged 10-20 years and interested in swimming. Food consumption was assessed using a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. Body weight and height were measured, and body mass index (BMI, kg/m2) was calculated. Results: The median (25-75.quartiles) values of age and BMI were 13(12-14) years and 19.3(18.05-21.1) kg/m2, respectively. The percentage of overweight subject was 2.2%, and there was any obese subject.
Conclusion: The results suggest that interested in any exercise type by children and adolescents might be a good strategy for the prevention from childhood obesity and the having a good nutritional behavior.

Ting-yi Vicky Liao is an undergraduate double major in both Piano Performance and Psychology major at Utah Valley University and anticipates graduating by December 2016 as a double major. She has been a research assistant to Chris Anderson and Ron Hammond at Utah Valley University over the last four months.

Background: The relationship between negative emotions and emotional eating which contribute to a variety of unwanted health behaviors and outcomes has been established in the literature (see Crockett, Myhre, and Rokke 2015; Canetti, Bachar, and Berry 2002; and Raspopow, Matheson, Abizaid, and Anisman 2013). Purpose: To test the comparative difference between college students who had high self-reported negative emotions (Guilt, Shame, and Sadness) and those who had low ones. Method: an IRB approved study of 117 college students yielded personal information collected via a survey, medical information collected via a scale, tape measure, and BMI index chart, and historical health information also collected via survey questions. Data analysis included descriptive, correlational, and T-Test analysis, setting ≤ .05 as the criteria for acceptable significance levels. Results: Findings indicated that the high negative emotion group scored worse in almost every desirable health practice and current health measure (they scored worse on 17 variables and better on 5). Discussion: Even though the high negative emotion groups scored better on only 5 variables, those variables were important because they were trying harder to read food labels, track their calories, check their weight, modify their meals and modify their diet. Yet, they still scored worse on 17 other crucial measures such as stress levels, sedentary activities, BMI, and actual weight over the last 5 years. In the future, clinicians and health promoters would benefit from a more careful examination of the influence of these negative emotions on protective and corrective health activities among college students.

Adanihomwan Aigbe is a Consultant Bio-medical Laboratory Scientist (Researcher) for ten years now. Has been writing professionally since 1997. Areas of interest and specializations are Coagulation/Homeostasis and Haemorrheology in Health and Diseases.

BACKGROUND: The persist incidence and prevalence of obesity globally is on the rise. The relationship between obesity as a precursor to the development of diseases has been established, especially in cardiovascular diseases in many literature\\\'s. Africans are not excluded from these health burdens arising from obesity.
OBJECTIVES: Although there are enormous literature\\\'s review on the various biochemical, cellular, molecular/genetics, nutritional, immunological and cultural mechanism, to the upsurge of obesity globally. However, these various factors are yet to be fully elucidated in Africans. This research work is aim at studying the relationship between Basal Metabolic Index (BMI), Plasma Fibrinogen Concentration (PFC) and Euglobulinlysis Time (ELT) in normal, Overweight and Obese Africans.
METHODS: A total of 138 apparently healthy individuals, 41 Obese, 47 Overweight and 50 Controls age and sex matched were used for this study. Their BMI, PFC, and ELT were analyzed using reference method
RESULTS:The results shows a significant increases in BMI, PFC, and ELT (P<0.005) between controls and overweight and between controls and obese respectively. However, there was no significant difference in PFC and ELT (P>0.005) between overweight and obese. There was a negative correlation between BMI and PFC (r= - 0.234)(P<0.005) and a positive correlation between BMI and ELT (r= + 0.062)(P<0.005) in obese. In addition, there was a negative correlation between BMI and ELT (r= - 0.157)(P<0.005) in overweight.
CONCLUSION:The results obtained from this study shows a significant increase in PFC, ELT and BMI in overweight and obese compare to controls. Negative correlation is there between BMI and PFC, BMI and ELT in over weight and obese Africans. We conclude that, there is hyper fibrinogenaemia and delay fibrin clearing mechanism in obese, PFC and ELT could be use along BMI as a diagnostics tools in assessing obese Africans.

Christina Tsoi is an undergraduate student at Utah Valley University majoring in Behavioral Science, with an emphasis in Psychology. She has been a research assistant for Dr. Christopher Anderson, Ph.D. and Dr. Ron Hammond, Ph.D. for four months.Anticipated graduation, Fall 2016.

Previous research has shown that weight management behaviors vary across cultures. Further understanding of cultural differences related to weight management behaviors would allow more culturally competent weight management interventions and research. Objective: To investigate how culture influences weight management behaviors in American compared to Taiwanese college students. Method: An IRB approved sample of 117 Americans and 55 Taiwanese college students completed surveys related to lifestyle behaviors and provided anthropometric measurements. A subsample of 26 Taiwanese and 24 American participants was matched on BMI, gender, and age, to more fully assess the individual impact of culture on weight management behaviors.
Results: The American sample was significantly (p < .05) higher in frequency of reading food labels, planning meals, checking weight, and other weight management behaviors per week than the Taiwanese sample. Whereas, the Taiwanese sample was significantly higher in drinking soda, and spending two or more hours watching TV and/or playing video games per week than the Americans were. A composite lifestyle score was computed which revealed significant overall differences (Mean American sample=33.4 & mean Taiwanese sample=5.8, p < .001). Conclusions:Hence, this cultural comparison supports that American college students tend to have an increased amount of healthy lifestyle behaviors than the Taiwanese college students even after controlling for BMI, age, and gender. Furthermore, these findings can provide further ignition for future studies on multicultural weight management as affected by lifestyle behavior variations.