Angela S Alberga

University of Ottawa · School of Human Kinetics

Background Internalized weight bias (IWB) has been identified as a correlate of higher depressive and anxiety symptoms in adolescents with higher weights. However, there has been limited investigation into how IWB relates to positive mental health and whether these associations differ across genders. Objectives To examine the associations between...

Background The words used to refer to weight and individuals with large bodies can be used to reinforce weight stigma. Given that most previous research has examined preferred terminology within homogenous groups, this research sought to examine terminology preferences across populations. Methods This paper reports on data gathered with the genera...

Background Explicit weight bias is known as negative attitudes and beliefs toward individuals due to their weight status and can be perpetuated through misconceptions about the causes of obesity. Individuals may also experience weight bias internalization (WBI) when they internalize negative weight-related attitudes and self-stigmatize. There is a...

Introduction Weight discrimination of individuals with overweight or obesity is associated with adverse mental and physical health. Weight discrimination is prevalent in many sectors such as within workplaces, where individuals with overweight and obesity are denied the same opportunities as individuals with lower weight status, regardless of perfo...

Background: Bariatric surgery leads to profound changes in gut microbiota and dietary patterns, both of which may interact to impact gut-brain communication. Though cognitive function improves postsurgery, there is a large variability in outcomes. How bariatric surgery-induced modifications in the gut microbiota and dietary patterns influence the...

Background: There are well-recognized benefits of behavioral interventions that include exercise for children and adolescents with obesity. However, such behavioral weight management programs may precipitate unintended consequences. It is unclear if different exercise modalities impact eating behaviors differently in youth with obesity. Objective...

Background Recent research has shown that pregnant individuals experience weight stigma throughout gestation, including negative comments and judgement associated with gestational weight gain (GWG). Weight bias internalization (WBI) is often a result of exposure to weight stigma and is detrimental to biopsychological health outcomes. The purpose of...

Purpose Weight bias internalization (WBI) is associated with disordered eating symptomology and motivation to control weight. The relationship between WBI and specific weight control behaviours and how these behaviours differ between men and women is not well understood. The objectives of this study are to determine (1) the relationship between WBI...

Background Stigmatization of persons living with obesity is an important public health issue. In 2015, Obesity Canada adopted person-first language in all internal documentation produced by the organization, and, from 2017, required all authors to use person-first language in abstract submissions to Obesity Canada hosted conferences. The impact of...

The brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) Val66Met polymorphism is functionally related to BDNF, and is associated with obesity and metabolic complications in adults, but limited research exists among adolescents. This study comparatively examined carriers and non-carriers of the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism on body composition, energy intake, and...

Background: Although previous studies have reported weight bias among students and professionals in exercise science, physical education, kinesiology, and fitness instruction, predictors of weight bias in these professions have not been extensively reviewed. Aim: The purpose of this scoping review was to explore the available literature on predi...

Objectives Public health policies have been proposed to help address prevalent Canadian obesity rates. Along with the increase in obesity prevalence, explicit weight bias is also rampant in Western society. This paper aimed to assess the association between explicit weight bias attitudes and Canadian public support of these policy recommendations.M...

Purpose: Low levels of brain derived-neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and excessive screen exposure are risk factors for neurocognitive deficits and obesity in youth, but the relationship between screen time and BDNF remains unknown. This study examined whether duration and/or type of sedentary screen time behavior (TV viewing, video games, recreational...

Obesity is a prevalent, complex, progressive and relapsing chronic disease, characterized by abnormal or excessive body fat (adiposity), that impairs health. People living with obesity face substantial bias and stigma, which contribute to increased morbidity and mortality independent of weight or body mass index. This guideline update reflects su...

KEY POINTS • Obesity is a prevalent, complex, progressive and relapsing chronic disease, characterized by abnormal or excessive body fat (adiposity), that impairs health. • People living with obesity face substantial bias and stigma, which contribute to increased morbidity and mortality independent of weight or body mass index. • This guideline upd...

Recent FindingsDepressive symptoms may be a psychological correlate of weight-based teasing from peers and/or family. However, it is unclear whether the association of weight-based teasing with depressive symptoms differs by time (short term vs. long term), sex (males vs. females), or source (family vs. peers).PurposeThe purpose of this systematic...

Objectives: The aim of this study was to examine the attitudes of practicing Canadian family physicians about individuals with obesity, their healthcare treatment, and perceptions of obesity treatment in the public healthcare system. Method: A national sample of Canadian practicing family physicians (n = 400) completed the survey. Participants c...

Background: Body mass index (BMI) is often used to diagnose obesity in childhood and adolescence but has limitations as an index of obesity-related morbidity. The Edmonton Obesity Staging System for Pediatrics (EOSS-P) is a clinical staging system that uses weight-related comorbidities to determine health risk in paediatric populations. The purpos...

Introduction: Despite efforts to improve adherence to physical activity interventions in youth with obesity, low adherence and attrition remain areas of great concern. Objective: The study was designed to determine which physiological and/or psychological factors predicted low adherence in adolescents with obesity enrolled in a 6-month exercise...

Aim The purpose of this scoping review was to explore the evidence on how perceptions and/or experiences of weight bias in primary health care influence engagement with and utilization of health care services by individuals with obesity. Background Prior studies have found discrepancies in the use of health care services by individuals living with...

This study investigated the impact of exercise training on interindividual variability and response rates in body composition and cardiometabolic outcomes in adolescents with obesity. Postpubertal males and females (n = 143) were randomly assigned to 6 months of a diet-only control or aerobic, resistance, or combined exercise training. Body composi...

Obesity in youth increases the risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D), and both are risk factors for neurocognitive deficits. Exercise attenuates the risk of obesity and T2D while improving cognitive function. In adults, these benefits are associated with the actions of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a protein critical in modulating neuroplas...

The objective of the present study was to test if outcome expectancy mediated the relationship between fitness and self-efficacy, perceived stress, and depressive symptoms.Adolescents with obesity (n = 228) completed measures of perceived stress and depressive symptoms at baseline, self-efficacy and outcome expectancy at baseline and 3 months, and...

This study examined the effects of aerobic and resistance training, and their combination on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in adolescents with overweight or obesity. After a 4-week run-in period, 304 (91 males, 213 females) post-pubertal adolescents aged 14-18 years, were randomized to 4 groups for 22 weeks of: aerobic training (N=75), res...

We evaluated the hypothesis that resistance exercise training performed alone or in combination with aerobic exercise training would increase resting metabolic rate (RMR) relative to aerobic-only and nonexercising control groups. Postpubertal adolescents (N = 304) aged 14-18 years with obesity (body mass index (BMI) ≥ 95th percentile) or overweight...

Adolescents spend up to 6-8 h/day in sedentary screen behaviour and screen time is an independent risk factor for obesity. However, the mechanisms by which screen time confers obesity risk remain unclear. Via community level recruitment this study examined whether the relationship between screen time behaviours and body mass index (BMI: kg/m2) was...

Conclusions: Screen time may represent a risk factor or marker of depressive symptomatology in obese adolescents. Future intervention research should evaluate whether reducing screen exposure reduces depressive symptoms in obese youth, a population at increased risk for psychological disorders. What is Known: • Screen time is associated with an in...

Introduction: This study evaluated whether intervening with child care providers would increase physical activity (PA) and reduce adiposity in preschoolers. Methods: This was a two-arm, parallel group, cluster RCT whereby six child care centers were randomly assigned in equal numbers to intervention (n=40 children) or control (n=43 children). Pa...

There has been renewed interest in examining the relationship between specific components of energy expenditure and the overall influence on energy intake (EI). The purpose of this cross-sectional analysis was to determine the strongest metabolic and anthropometric predictors of EI. It was hypothesized that resting metabolic rate (RMR) and skeletal...

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of aerobic, resistance, and combined exercise training on cardiorespiratory and musculoskeletal fitness in postpubertal adolescents with obesity. After a 4-week supervised moderate-intensity exercise run-in, 304 adolescents aged 14-18 years with body mass index ≥85th percentile were randomized to...

To determine the effects of aerobic training, resistance training, and combined training on mood, body image, and self-esteem in adolescents with obesity. After a 4-week prerandomization treatment, 304 postpubertal adolescents (91 males, 213 females) with obesity ages 14-18 years were randomized to 1 of 4 groups for 22 weeks: aerobic training (n =...

Objective To investigate the effects of aerobic training, resistance training, or both on abdominal subcutaneous fat (SAT) (deep and superficial), visceral fat (VAT), Apolipoproteins A-1 and B (ApoA-1, ApoB), ApoB/ApoA-1 ratio and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (HSCRP) in post-pubertal overweight and obese adolescents.ParticipantsAfter a 4-wee...

Excessive screen time and diminished health-related quality of life (HRQoL) are greater problems for obese than non-obese adolescents, but no research has examined the relationship between these two variables. This study examined the association between screen time and HRQoL in overweight and obese adolescents. A sample of 358 overweight and obese...

Importance Little evidence exists on which exercise modality is optimal for obese adolescents.Objective To determine the effects of aerobic training, resistance training, and combined training on percentage body fat in overweight and obese adolescents.Design, Setting, and Participants Randomized, parallel-group clinical trial at community-based...

Objective: To assess the effects of resistance exercise training on body composition and muscular strength in obese prepubertal children. Design: Study participants, who were between the ages of 8 and 12 years, met Tanner I (stage) criteria, had a body mass index ≥ 95th percentile for age and sex, were randomized to either high-repetition, moder...

Aerobic training is the most prescribed exercise modality for the management of pediatric obesity. There is strong evidence that it decreases waist circumference, percent body fat and visceral fat, increases cardiorespiratory fitness, and decreases blood pressure in obese adolescents. However, the independent effects of aerobic exercise training on...

Background Sedentary behavior has been associated with deleterious cardiometabolic health indicators in adults, but very little research has examined this relationship in youth. Purpose To examine the association between the duration and type of sedentary screen behavior with diabetes risk factors (fasting glucose, insulin, homeostasis model-insul...

Physical activity (PA) interventions targeting overweight and obese children and adolescents have shown only modest success, and dropout is an area of concern. Proper design and implementation of a PA intervention is critical for maximizing adherence and thus increasing the overall health benefits from PA participation. We propose practical advice...

Background Physical activity (PA) provides widespread health benefits, including pediatric obesity prevention, but less than 10% of Canadian children meet PA guidelines and one in three are overweight or obese. Since PA levels track from childhood into adulthood, early intervention may increase the likelihood of a physically active lifestyle and as...

The objective of the Healthy Eating Aerobic and Resistance Training in Youth (HEARTY) trial (ClinicalTrials.Gov # NCT00195858) was to examine the effects of resistance training, with and without aerobic training, on percent body fat in sedentary, post-pubertal overweight or obese adolescents aged 14-18 years. This paper describes the HEARTY study r...

This paper discusses the critical period of adolescence and its potential role in the development and persistence of obesity. The adolescent years are characteristic of changes in body composition (location and quantity of body fat), physical fitness and decreased insulin sensitivity during puberty. This period of growth and maturation is also mark...

To examine the association between duration and type of screen time (TV, video games, computer time) and blood pressure (BP) and lipids in overweight and obese adolescents. This is a cross-sectional study of 282 overweight or obese adolescents aged 14-18 years (86 males, 196 females) assessed at baseline prior to beginning a lifestyle intervention...

The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of age (≤ 65 years or >65 years) and androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT, presence or absence) as factors that may predict changes in body composition and fitness following a 24-week exercise program in prostate cancer patients. One hundred twenty-one men were randomly allocated to either: (1) aerob...

Resistance training-also known as strength or weight training-has been well recognized by several national organizations as a safe and beneficial exercise modality for the health and well-being of children and adolescents. Resistance exercise improves muscular strength and can improve body composition (eg, increase lean body mass and decrease perce...

Resistance exercise training, also known as weight training or strength training, involves the use of muscular strength to work against a resistance or force. A large cohort study showed that resistance exercise was associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease. Resistance exercise increases lean body mass, improves muscular strength, and...

Glossary of termsTypes of exercise training and their effects on healthy individualsMetabolic and hormonal effects of exercise in diabetesRecommendations for exercise in diabetesAcknowledgmentsReferences

Exercise is a possible means to increase resting energy expenditure, which could offset age-related metabolic declines and facilitate weight management, both of which are particularly important for people who have type 2 diabetes mellitus. We sought to determine the effects of aerobic exercise training and resistance exercise training and the incre...