Maria Inês Varela‐silva
Dados Biográficos
| ID | 4284574 |
|---|---|
| NOME | Maria Inês Varela‐silva |
| PRENOMES | Maria Inês |
| SOBRENOME | Varela‐silva |
| ASSINATURA | SILVA M I V |
| AFILIAÇÕES | Loughborough University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-1493-3093 |
| VERIFICADO | Sim |
| TOTAL DE OBRAS | 31 |
| TOTAL DE CITAÇÕES | 10 |
| TOTAL COMO AUTOR | 31 |
| TOTAL COMO EDITOR | 0 |
| PRIMEIRO ANO DE PUBLICAÇÃO | 2002 |
| ANO MAIS RECENTE DE PUBLICAÇÃO | 2025 |
| ÍNDICE H | 2 |
Promoting lifestyle medicine research in Ghana
The rapid rise in urbanization across many African countries is contributing to the increasing prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in both adults and children and presents a significant challenge to health services across the continent. In May 2023, a 2-day workshop was held in Ghana, coordinated by the Centre for Lifestyle Medicine and Behaviour (CLiMB) at Loughborough University and in collaboration with partners from three Ghanaian …
Conducting Scoping and Systematic Reviews With a Focus on Biocultural Research
The SCRIBE (SystematiC Reviews In Biocultural rEsearch) toolkit offers a structured approach for conducting scoping and systematic reviews in biocultural research. It addresses the challenges of synthesizing information, aggregating diverse data, and conducting robust analyses in this field. Biocultural research is vital to anthropology, public health, community health, and policy, as it reveals biological and cultural determinants of health and …
The timing of adrenarche in Maya girls, Merida, Mexico
BACKGROUND: Adrenarche involves maturation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and increased production of dehydroepiandrosterone and its sulfate ester, dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate (DHEA-S). It occurs at ages 6 to 8 in industrialized populations, marking the transition from childhood to juvenility and cognitive development at middle childhood. Studies in subsistence level populations indicate a later age (8-9) for adrenarche, but only t…
Birth weight and body composition in 6‐to‐8 years old Maya children
Objective To test the hypothesis that fetal growth, indexed by birth weight (BW), induce metabolic adjustments in the fetus that will be reflected in differences in body composition in a sample of 6‐to 8‐years old urban Maya children from Yucatan, Mexico. Methods We measured height (cm), weight (kg) and triceps skinfold (mm) in 260 children (boys: 132, girls: 128), and height (cm) and weight (kg) in their mothers. Body composition was estimated i…
Maternal Grandmothers' Household Residency, Children's Growth, and Body Composition Are Not Related in Urban Maya Families from Yucatan
Globalization and Children’s Diets
Birth weight, birth order, and age at first solid food introduction influence child growth and body composition in 6‐ to 8‐year‐old Maya children
OBJECTIVES: To analyze the relationship of birth weight, birth order, breastfeeding duration, and age of introduction of solid foods with height, fat mass, and fat-free mass in a sample of Maya children when aged 6 to 8 years old. METHODS: We collected data on anthropometry, body composition, children's birth weight, birth order, early feeding practices, and household socioeconomic characteristics in a sample of 260 Maya children aged 6 to 8 year…
Body proportionality and adiposity are not related in 6‐ to 8‐year‐old Yucatec Maya children
Objective The aim of this study was to analyze the association between relative leg length (RLL) (leg length × 100/height) and adiposity in a sample of 6‐ to 8‐year‐old children of Maya ancestry from Motul and Merida, Mexico. Methods This cross‐sectional study included 260 children (128 girls) measured between 2011 and 2015. The RLL was used as a measure of body proportionality. Linear regression models were performed to examine the association b…
Caesarean birth and adiposity parameters in 6‐ to 8‐year‐old urban Maya children from two cities of Yucatan, Mexico
Objectives The purpose of this study was to analyze the association between birth mode and fat mass index (FMI = fat mass [kg]/height [m] 2 ), and z‐score values of waist circumference (WCZ) and sum of triceps and subscapular skinfolds (SumSkfZ) in a sample of 256 6‐ to 8‐year‐old urban Maya children from the cities of Merida and Motul in Yucatan, Mexico. Methods From September 2011 to January 2014, we measured height, weight, waist circumference…
Nutritional Ecology
Human nutritional ecology encompasses the biocultural relationships between people and their food. From a biological perspective, food is central to life because of the essential nutrients it provides, which are needed for growth, repair, and maintenance of the body. From a medical perspective, food is central because of the consequences of diet and food behavior for human health. Food also illuminates some social, economic, political, and psycho…
Living conditions and change in age of menarche in adult Maya mothers and daughters from Yucatan, Mexico
OBJECTIVES: To analyze whether living conditions, experienced by mothers and adult daughters during their childhood, are associated with age at menarche (AAM) in daughters. METHODS: From September, 2011, to January, 2014, AAM and childhood living conditions were collected from a sample of 246 dyads of Maya mothers (mean age = 59.60 years, SD = 8.64) and their adult daughters (mean age = 33.03 years, SD = 5.57) from the cities of Merida and Motul …
Associations between anthropometric indicators of adiposity and body fat percentage in normal weight young adults
The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to determine the associations between various anthropometric adiposity screening indices and body fat percentage estimated by bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA). A total of 186 (95 male and 91 female) normal weight (body mass index [BMI] = 18.5- 24.9 kg/m2) young adults (mean age= 20.96 ± 2.03 years) were measured on body fat percentage, body height, body mass, waist and hip circumferences. Abdomi…
Hijo de tigre, pintito? Algunos efectos intergeneracionales sobre la talla y el peso en niños mayas yucatecos
Comunicamos resultados centrales de un proyecto multidisciplinario que abordó la corporeidad humana como un producto social, histórico, inmerso en un campo de ejercicio del poder. Nuestros estudios de grupos mayas en Mérida, Yucatán, realizados en los últimos quince años, evidencian las consecuencias a largo plazo de las condiciones de vida en que nacen, crecen y se reproducen. El panorama es desalentador, pues el crecimiento y estado nutricional…
Growing Up in Portugal
Portugal has one of the highest rates of childhood overweight and obesity in Europe. However, little is known about the health of ethnic minorities living in its capital city, Lisbon. The Cape Verdean community in Lisbon tend to have low educational levels, material deprivation and struggle with discrimination and racism, factors that would probably be associated with a higher prevalence of overweight and obesity. Data for the Cape Verdean popula…
Human biology of poverty
This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Annals of Human Biology on 16th March 2016, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.3109/03014460.2016.1150158
Intergenerational changes in knee height among Maya mothers and their adult daughters from Merida, Mexico
OBJECTIVES: To analyze differences in knee height (KH) between adult Maya mothers and daughters in Merida City, Mexico, and determine if these differences are associated with their childhood socioeconomic conditions. METHODS: From September 2011 to January 2014, we measured KH and collected data on childhood conditions (place of birth, type of drinking water, family size, and fathers' occupation) from a sample of 180 Maya mother-daughter dyads. M…
Intergenerational influences on the growth of Maya children
OBJECTIVES: To test the hypothesis that living conditions experienced by maternal grandmothers (F1 generation) and mothers (F2 generation) during their childhood are related to height and leg length (LL: height - sitting height) of their 6-to-8 year old children (F3 generation). METHODS: From September 2011 to June 2012 we obtained height and LL, and calculated z-score values of these measurements for 109 triads (F1 , F2 , F3 ) who are Maya livin…
Globalization and children’s diets
Globalization is, in part, an economic force to bring about a closer integration of national economies. Globalization is also a biological, social and ideological process of change. Globalization results in powerful multinational corporations imposing their products on new markets. Food globalization brings about nutritional transitions, the most common being a shift from a locally-grown diet with minimally refined foods, to the modern diet of h…
Maternal short stature does not predict their children's fatness indicators in a nutritional dual‐burden sample of urban Mexican Maya
The co‐existence of very short stature due to poor chronic environment in early life and obesity is becoming a public health concern in rapidly transitioning populations with high levels of poverty. Individuals who have very short stature seem to be at an increased risk of obesity in times of relative caloric abundance. Increasing evidence shows that an individual is influenced by exposures in previous generations. This study assesses whether mat…
Socio‐demographic and behavioral risk factors associated with the high prevalence of overweight and obesity in portuguese children
OBJECTIVES: Childhood obesity is a public health concern in Portugal. Socio-demographic and behavioral factors are highly associated with obesity but are not clearly understood. This article aims to update the prevalence of overweight and obesity in Portuguese children and to explore the influence and risks of socio-demographic factors and behavioral factors. METHODS: A cross-sectional study of Portuguese children aged 3-10 years from all 18 main…
Nutritional status of Maya children, their mothers, and their grandmothers residing in the City of Merida, Mexico
OBJECTIVES: To test the hypothesis that leg length-relative-to-stature is a more sensitive indicator of nutrition and health than is total height (HT) or sitting height (SH) in a sample of 109 triads of urban Maya children (6.0-8.99 years), their mothers, and maternal grandmothers from Merida, Mexico. METHODS: From September 2011 to June 2012, the following factors were obtained from all participants: (1) HT, SH, and leg length (LL); (2) the sitt…
Fat free mass explains the relationship between stunting and energy expenditure in urban Mexican Maya children
The hypothesis that stunting reduces total energy expenditure (resting + active) in children is not supported. Rather, children with shorter stature and less lean body mass have lower total energy expenditure. Complex interactions between body size, body composition, and metabolic activity appear to elevate the risk for later life obesity in these Maya children
How useful is BMI in predicting adiposity indicators in a sample of Maya children and women with high levels of stunting
OBJECTIVES: Body mass index (BMI) is used frequently to estimate adiposity levels in children and adults. However, the applicability of BMI to populations with high levels of stunting has been questioned. Stunted people can have disproportionately short legs, which may increase BMI without increasing body fat because of the relatively larger trunk compared with the legs. METHODS: A sample of 57 urban Maya schoolchildren, aged 7-9 years (31 boys),…
Logistics of using the Actiheart physical activity monitors in urban Mexico among 7‐ to 9‐year‐old children
Logistics of using new measurement devices are important to understand when developing protocols. This paper discusses the logistics of using Actiheart physical activity monitors on children in an urban, tropical environment in a developing country. Actiheart monitoring of 36 children aged 7–9 years old was undertaken for 7 days in the city of Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico. The Actiheart proved fragile for children and difficult to mend in the field. T…
Growth and nutritional status of Portuguese children from Lisbon, and their parents. Notes on time trends between 1971 and 2001
In this biological survey article we present two growth databases that may be used in future studies. There is an urgent need to conduct a national growth survey in Portugal, including all age groups, with stratified samples by district and ethnic diversity
Does Immigration Help or Harm Children’s Health? The Mayan Case
Objective . We explore how the health, as measured by physical growth, of children in Guatemalan Maya families is impacted by immigration to the United States. Methods . We analyze anthropometric data on Maya children in Guatemala and in the United States. In addition, we use survey data from the Maya–American children and their parents about lifestyle and SES to examine the factors associated with overweight and obesity. Results . The Maya–Ameri…
Maternal short stature does not predict their children's fatness indicators in a nutritional dual‐burden sample of urban Mexican Maya
The co‐existence of very short stature due to poor chronic environment in early life and obesity is becoming a public health concern in rapidly transitioning populations with high levels of poverty. Individuals who have very short stature seem to be at an increased risk of obesity in times of relative caloric abundance. Increasing evidence shows that an individual is influenced by exposures in previous generations. This study assesses whether mat…
Does Immigration Help or Harm Children’s Health? The Mayan Case
Objective . We explore how the health, as measured by physical growth, of children in Guatemalan Maya families is impacted by immigration to the United States. Methods . We analyze anthropometric data on Maya children in Guatemala and in the United States. In addition, we use survey data from the Maya–American children and their parents about lifestyle and SES to examine the factors associated with overweight and obesity. Results . The Maya–Ameri…
Economic and anthropological assessments of the health of children in Maya immigrant families in the US
Life history trade‐offs in human growth
Human beings growing‐up in adverse biocultural environments, including undernutrition, exposure to infection, economic oppression/poverty, heavy workloads, high altitude, war, racism, and religious/ethnic oppression, may be stunted, have asymmetric body proportions, be wasted, be overweight, and be at greater risk for disease. One group of researchers explains this as a consequence of “developmental programming” (DP). Another group uses the phras…
Influence of maternal stature, pregnancy age, and infant birth weight on growth during childhood in Yucatan, Mexico
In developing nations, obesity has increased dramatically in the last decade, but a high prevalence of stunting still coexists. The intergenerational influences hypothesis (IIH) is one explanation for this. We test the IIH regarding variation in maternal stature, mother's age at pregnancy, and infant birth weight in relation to risk for overweight and stunting in 206 Maya children (4–6 years old) from Mérida, Yucatan, Mexico. The Maya children ar…
Height and relative leg length as indicators of the quality of the environment among Mozambican juveniles and adolescents
The growth status of Mozambique adolescents was assessed to test the hypothesis that relative leg length is a more sensitive indicator of the quality of the environment than the total height. The sample comprised 690 boys and 727 girls, aged between 9 and 17 years, from Maputo. It is divided between those living in the Centre of Maputo and those living in the slums on the periphery of the city. Height, weight, and sitting height were measured and…
Leg length, proportion, health and beauty
Decomposing stature into its major components is proving to be a useful strategy to assess the antecedents of disease, morbidity and death in adulthood. Human leg length (foot + tibia + femur), sitting height (trunk length + head length) and their proportions (for example the relative leg length in proportion to stature, and the sitting height ratio [sitting height/stature x 100], among others) are used as epidemiological markers of risk for over…
Growth and nutritional status of Portuguese children from Lisbon, and their parents. Notes on time trends between 1971 and 2001
In this biological survey article we present two growth databases that may be used in future studies. There is an urgent need to conduct a national growth survey in Portugal, including all age groups, with stratified samples by district and ethnic diversity
How useful is BMI in predicting adiposity indicators in a sample of Maya children and women with high levels of stunting
OBJECTIVES: Body mass index (BMI) is used frequently to estimate adiposity levels in children and adults. However, the applicability of BMI to populations with high levels of stunting has been questioned. Stunted people can have disproportionately short legs, which may increase BMI without increasing body fat because of the relatively larger trunk compared with the legs. METHODS: A sample of 57 urban Maya schoolchildren, aged 7-9 years (31 boys),…
Logistics of using the Actiheart physical activity monitors in urban Mexico among 7‐ to 9‐year‐old children
Logistics of using new measurement devices are important to understand when developing protocols. This paper discusses the logistics of using Actiheart physical activity monitors on children in an urban, tropical environment in a developing country. Actiheart monitoring of 36 children aged 7–9 years old was undertaken for 7 days in the city of Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico. The Actiheart proved fragile for children and difficult to mend in the field. T…
Fat free mass explains the relationship between stunting and energy expenditure in urban Mexican Maya children
The hypothesis that stunting reduces total energy expenditure (resting + active) in children is not supported. Rather, children with shorter stature and less lean body mass have lower total energy expenditure. Complex interactions between body size, body composition, and metabolic activity appear to elevate the risk for later life obesity in these Maya children
Socio‐demographic and behavioral risk factors associated with the high prevalence of overweight and obesity in portuguese children
OBJECTIVES: Childhood obesity is a public health concern in Portugal. Socio-demographic and behavioral factors are highly associated with obesity but are not clearly understood. This article aims to update the prevalence of overweight and obesity in Portuguese children and to explore the influence and risks of socio-demographic factors and behavioral factors. METHODS: A cross-sectional study of Portuguese children aged 3-10 years from all 18 main…
Nutritional status of Maya children, their mothers, and their grandmothers residing in the City of Merida, Mexico
OBJECTIVES: To test the hypothesis that leg length-relative-to-stature is a more sensitive indicator of nutrition and health than is total height (HT) or sitting height (SH) in a sample of 109 triads of urban Maya children (6.0-8.99 years), their mothers, and maternal grandmothers from Merida, Mexico. METHODS: From September 2011 to June 2012, the following factors were obtained from all participants: (1) HT, SH, and leg length (LL); (2) the sitt…
Globalization and children’s diets
Globalization is, in part, an economic force to bring about a closer integration of national economies. Globalization is also a biological, social and ideological process of change. Globalization results in powerful multinational corporations imposing their products on new markets. Food globalization brings about nutritional transitions, the most common being a shift from a locally-grown diet with minimally refined foods, to the modern diet of h…
Maternal short stature does not predict their children's fatness indicators in a nutritional dual‐burden sample of urban Mexican Maya
The co‐existence of very short stature due to poor chronic environment in early life and obesity is becoming a public health concern in rapidly transitioning populations with high levels of poverty. Individuals who have very short stature seem to be at an increased risk of obesity in times of relative caloric abundance. Increasing evidence shows that an individual is influenced by exposures in previous generations. This study assesses whether mat…
Intergenerational changes in knee height among Maya mothers and their adult daughters from Merida, Mexico
OBJECTIVES: To analyze differences in knee height (KH) between adult Maya mothers and daughters in Merida City, Mexico, and determine if these differences are associated with their childhood socioeconomic conditions. METHODS: From September 2011 to January 2014, we measured KH and collected data on childhood conditions (place of birth, type of drinking water, family size, and fathers' occupation) from a sample of 180 Maya mother-daughter dyads. M…
Intergenerational influences on the growth of Maya children
OBJECTIVES: To test the hypothesis that living conditions experienced by maternal grandmothers (F1 generation) and mothers (F2 generation) during their childhood are related to height and leg length (LL: height - sitting height) of their 6-to-8 year old children (F3 generation). METHODS: From September 2011 to June 2012 we obtained height and LL, and calculated z-score values of these measurements for 109 triads (F1 , F2 , F3 ) who are Maya livin…
Human biology of poverty
This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Annals of Human Biology on 16th March 2016, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.3109/03014460.2016.1150158
Growing Up in Portugal
Portugal has one of the highest rates of childhood overweight and obesity in Europe. However, little is known about the health of ethnic minorities living in its capital city, Lisbon. The Cape Verdean community in Lisbon tend to have low educational levels, material deprivation and struggle with discrimination and racism, factors that would probably be associated with a higher prevalence of overweight and obesity. Data for the Cape Verdean popula…
Nutritional Ecology
Human nutritional ecology encompasses the biocultural relationships between people and their food. From a biological perspective, food is central to life because of the essential nutrients it provides, which are needed for growth, repair, and maintenance of the body. From a medical perspective, food is central because of the consequences of diet and food behavior for human health. Food also illuminates some social, economic, political, and psycho…
Living conditions and change in age of menarche in adult Maya mothers and daughters from Yucatan, Mexico
OBJECTIVES: To analyze whether living conditions, experienced by mothers and adult daughters during their childhood, are associated with age at menarche (AAM) in daughters. METHODS: From September, 2011, to January, 2014, AAM and childhood living conditions were collected from a sample of 246 dyads of Maya mothers (mean age = 59.60 years, SD = 8.64) and their adult daughters (mean age = 33.03 years, SD = 5.57) from the cities of Merida and Motul …
Associations between anthropometric indicators of adiposity and body fat percentage in normal weight young adults
The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to determine the associations between various anthropometric adiposity screening indices and body fat percentage estimated by bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA). A total of 186 (95 male and 91 female) normal weight (body mass index [BMI] = 18.5- 24.9 kg/m2) young adults (mean age= 20.96 ± 2.03 years) were measured on body fat percentage, body height, body mass, waist and hip circumferences. Abdomi…
Hijo de tigre, pintito? Algunos efectos intergeneracionales sobre la talla y el peso en niños mayas yucatecos
Comunicamos resultados centrales de un proyecto multidisciplinario que abordó la corporeidad humana como un producto social, histórico, inmerso en un campo de ejercicio del poder. Nuestros estudios de grupos mayas en Mérida, Yucatán, realizados en los últimos quince años, evidencian las consecuencias a largo plazo de las condiciones de vida en que nacen, crecen y se reproducen. El panorama es desalentador, pues el crecimiento y estado nutricional…
Body proportionality and adiposity are not related in 6‐ to 8‐year‐old Yucatec Maya children
Objective The aim of this study was to analyze the association between relative leg length (RLL) (leg length × 100/height) and adiposity in a sample of 6‐ to 8‐year‐old children of Maya ancestry from Motul and Merida, Mexico. Methods This cross‐sectional study included 260 children (128 girls) measured between 2011 and 2015. The RLL was used as a measure of body proportionality. Linear regression models were performed to examine the association b…
Caesarean birth and adiposity parameters in 6‐ to 8‐year‐old urban Maya children from two cities of Yucatan, Mexico
Objectives The purpose of this study was to analyze the association between birth mode and fat mass index (FMI = fat mass [kg]/height [m] 2 ), and z‐score values of waist circumference (WCZ) and sum of triceps and subscapular skinfolds (SumSkfZ) in a sample of 256 6‐ to 8‐year‐old urban Maya children from the cities of Merida and Motul in Yucatan, Mexico. Methods From September 2011 to January 2014, we measured height, weight, waist circumference…
Globalization and Children’s Diets
Medicine (25 obras) · Demography (23 obras) · Biology (15 obras) · Child Nutrition and Water Access (15 obras) · Geography (15 obras) · Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet (15 obras) · Birth, Development, and Health (14 obras) · Obesity (14 obras) · Overweight (13 obras) · Anthropometry (12 obras)