Multiple factors contribute to obesity among Kuwaiti college women

There is a need to understand gender-dependent lifestyle habits of different ethnic groups in order to comprehend the risk factors associated with the development of obesity. It has been suggested that diet and physical exercise are two primary determinants of health. We examined the dietary habits and physical activity levels of Kuwaiti college women in order to understand these gender-specific factors contributing to obesity. A total of 304 female students were grouped as obese or non-obese as defined by their body mass index (BMI). Our study identified three factors that contributed to obesity: 1) consumption of more calories;2) having obese parents and relatives;and 3) engagement in activities that consume less energy. Therefore, individually targeted weight management programs including healthy eating and active lifestyle interventions with a specific focus on female-friendly physical activity should be promoted within university settings inKuwait.

Epidemiology of children and adolescent eye injuries in British Columbia

To quantify and characterize children and adolescent eye injuries treated in trauma department.METHODSA retrospective analysis was conducted of children and adolescent patients （0-19 years of age） with eye injuries using the British Columbia Trauma Registry （BCTR） data. BCTR data was obtained from January 1, 2000 to December 31, 2008. The BCTR provides the most detailed information on severe injuries throughout the province of BC. There are 12 trauma-receiving facilities in BC from which BCTR collects data.RESULTSA total of 162 patients with eye injuries were registered in BCTR during the data collection period. The highest number of injuries occurred in the 15-19 age group, followed by 10-14 and 5-9 age groups. Seventy-one point six percent of all patients were male. The mean age for all patients was 12.9 （SD = 5.8） years. Vehicular crash was by far the most common mechanism of injury among all patients （42.0%） followed by blunt injury （14.2%） and cuts （12.3%）. The child and adolescent eye injury data set we used for our study indicated that there were in total, 50 patients that were tested for alcohol and drug use. The majority of them were 15-19 years of age （ n = 38）. Among the tested eye injury patients in the 15-19 age group, 47% （18/38） tested positive for alcohol. There were approximately 30 cases of physical fighting （assault） and fighting-related injury among adolescents. Some injuries were caused by use of fire arms and knife during the assaults. Out of all patients, 62 （38%） were seen by an Ophthalmologist on admission, whereas 100 （62%） patients were not seen by an eye specialist on admission. The most common injury diagnosis among the patients not consulted by ophthalmologist was conjunctiva injury （53%）, whereas almost 9 out of 10 patients with ophtha-lmological consultation had laceration of cornea injury diagnoses. Using Glasgow Coma Scale （GCS）-basedclassification of brain injury severity, 3.7% of all patients were classified with severe brain injury （GCS ≤ 8）, while more than 64% had diagnosed with a mild brain injury （GCS ≥ 13）.CONCLUSIONThis study suggests that most child and adolescent eye injuries in BC occur at street/highway locations followed by incidents at home. Vehicular crash was by far the most common mechanism of injury among all patients （42%）. Sixty-four point two percent of child and adolescent eyeinjury patients also had mild brain injuries. Further, the child and adolescent eye injury data set we used for our study indicated that there were in total, 50 patients tested for alcohol and drug use. There is an urgent need for a child and adolescent eye injury prevention plan in our province.