Adolescent obesity in the past decade: A systematic review of genetics and determinants of food choice.
Eleanor T Campbell, Alexis T Franks, Paule V Joseph
PMID 31157651WHAT IT FOUND
U.S. adolescent obesity studies linked socioeconomic status, family stress, culture, and sibling relationships to food choices, while FTO and INSIG2 markers showed BMI links.
Evidence was mostly descriptive and not adolescent-specific.
Key findings
01The review included 41 U.S. studies of adolescent overweight or obesity determinants.
02Environmental themes included home stress, positive sibling relationships, cultural diet changes, and socioeconomic status as predictors of adolescent food choices.
03Genetic studies reported an FTO gene association with a 0.27 kg/m2 BMI increase in adolescents from grades 7 to 12, and INSIG2 variants associated with overweight status in non-Hispanic White individuals.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Most included studies were descriptive and used convenience samples, and none used randomized sampling, so they cannot show cause and effect. Many food-choice studies used ages 9 to 18 years, and many genetic studies combined children and adolescents aged 4 to 19 years, so findings may not apply specifically to adolescents. Instruments were often investigator designed with limited or no reliability data, and many studies had fewer than 100 participants. Study comparisons were therefore difficult. Only one longitudinal study was found, and the review did not test whether education, environment, or genetic markers change obesity outcomes.
Declared interests
The authors declared no competing interests.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the FTO or INSIG2 findings as proof that adolescent obesity is genetically predetermined or that genetic testing should guide care. The review was descriptive, many genetic studies combined children and adolescents, and it did not test whether genetic markers change obesity outcomes.