Claude Marcus

Description

Recent data show that the amount of overweight and obese children is rapidly increasing world wide. Factors affecting the development of childhood obesity include such diverse components as rapid weight gain in infancy, sleep patterns, social and environmental components, and genetic predisposition.

However, unhealthy gain is the consequence of a positive energy balance over time. Thus, the increase in the number of overweight children is most likely primarily due to easy access to large portion sizes of energy-dense foods and reduced levels of physical activity. Prevention of childhood obesity and related metabolic disorders is a particularly important issue and should start early.

We will make use of existing observational prospective population based studies to examine the detailed associations between objectively measured physical activity, sleeping pattern, obesity and metabolic dysfunction, including insulin resistance in children and adolescents.

We will also examine how growth in early life and genotype may interact with these associations.

We will study the effect of targeted intervention directed towards overweight/ obese parents with children 2-3 years of age.

We will study the effect of a prevention programme designed for adolescents with learning disability.

We will translate current knowledge into primary preventive action and examine the effects of increased physical activity on body composition and metabolic risk factors in children and youth at risk of becoming obese.

We will also use physical activity to intervene in already obese youths to examine the effect of increased physical activity on metabolic disorders, such as impaired glucose metabolism.

Finances

Stockholms Läns Landsting (ALF-medel)

Stiftelsen Frimurare Barnhuset i Stockholm

Vetenskapsrådet

AFA

Research group

Name	Title	Contact
Ulf Ekelund	professor/MRC Investigator Scientist	ue202@medschl.cam.ac.uk
Örjan Ekblom	postdoc/idrottsfysiolog	orjan.ekblom@ki.se
Maria Westerståhl	postdoc/nutritionist	maria.westerstahl@ki.se
Tanja Sobko	postdoc/dietist	tanja.sobko@ki.se
Petra Roll-Bennett	postdoc/beteendevetare	petra@ped.su.se
Mirjam Ekstedt	postdoc/sömnforskare	mirjam.ekstedt@mdh.se
Viktoria Svensson	doktorand/dietist	viktoria.svensson@karolinska.se
Gunilla Morinder	doktorand/sjukgymnast	gunilla.morinder@karolinska.se
Pernilla Danielsson	doktorand/barnsjuksköterska	pernilla.danielsson@karolinska.se
Eva Flygare-Wallén	doktorand/skolsköterska	flygare.wallen.eva@telia.com
Pernilla Hedvall	doktorand/dietist	pernilla.hedvall@ki.se
Anja Nordenfelt	hälsopedagog	anja.nordenfelt@karolinska.se
Gustav Olsson	hälsopedagog	gustav.olsson@ki.se
Anna Ek	dietist	anna.ek@ki.se
Birgitta Nordgren	sjukgymnast	birgitta.nordgren@ki.se
Märta Fredriksson	koordinator	marta.fredriksson@ki.se

Publications

Ekblom B, Engström L-M, Ekblom Ö. Secular trends in physical fitness in Swedish adults. Scand J Med Sci Sports. 2007 Juni;17(3):267-73. PMID: 17501867

Ekelund U, Griffin SG, Wareham NJ. Physical activity and metabolic risk in individuals with a family history of type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Care 2007;30:337-342

G Berndtsson, E Mattsson, C Marcus, U Evers Larsson. Age and gender differences in VO2max in Swedish obese children and adolescents Acta Paediatr. 2007 Apr;96(4):567-71.

Flodmark C-E, Marcus C, Britton M. Interventions to prevent obesity in children and adolescents  A systematic literature review. International Journal of Obesity, 30(4):579-89, 2006.

Morinder G, Larsson UE, Norgren S, Marcus C. Insulin Sensitivity, VO2max, and Body Composition in Severely Obese Swedish Children and Adolescents. Acta Paediatr. 2009 Jan;98(1):132-8. (PMID: 18808398)

Nyberg G, Ekelund U and Marcus C. Physical activity in children measured by accelerometry: stability over time.Scand J Med Sci Sports, Feb;19(1):30-5. 2009

Marcus C, Nyberg G, Nordenfelt A, Karpmyr M, Kowalski J, Ekelund U. A four-year, cluster randomised controlled childhood obesity prevention study; STOPP. Int J Obes (Lond).;33(4):408-17 Apr, 2009

G Nyberg, A Nordenfelt, U Ekelund, and C Marcus. Physical Activity Patterns Measured by Accelerometry in 6-10 Year Old Children. Medicine and Science in Sports & Exercise. Sep 2, 2009

Wallén EF, Müllersdorf M, Christensson K, Malm G, Ekblom O, Marcus C. High prevalence of cardio-metabolic risk factors among adolescents with intellectual disability. Acta Paediatrica Jan 14, [Epub ahead of print] Epub 2009 Jan 15. 2009 May;98(5):853-9.

Morinder G, Mattsson E, Sollander C, Marcus C, Larsson UE. Six-minute walk test in obese children and adolescents. Reproducibility and validity Physiother Res Int. Nov 10, 2008 (Epub ahead of print)