Metabolic, immunological and life style factors associated with different phenotypes of obesity and their correlation with weight changes in children in Latvia
Aim
Description
Childhood obesity has reached pandemic proportions and is rightly considered one of the most serious public health problems of the 21st century. Obesity not only reduces quality of life and life expectancy but also significantly increases the risk of developing metabolic and cardiovascular diseases in childhood and adulthood, as well as affecting the immune system of children, leading to an increased risk of infections, autoimmune, and oncological diseases.
This project will be the first in Latvia to study the prevalence of metabolically healthy and unhealthy obesity phenotypes in children. The socio-demographic, anthropometric, cardiovascular health data, and glucose metabolism parameters of children with different obesity phenotypes will be determined. The project will investigate the immunometabolic inflammatory process of dysfunctional adipose tissue in children in interaction with lifestyle and other possible risk factors for different obesity phenotypes. After 6 months, the impact of standard educational interventions on weight changes will be evaluated, as well as repeated studies of immunological and metabolic processes and other risk factors.
The study will include 160 children with obesity aged 10 to 18 years. The results obtained will provide an understanding of the causes of childhood obesity and preventable risk factors in the Latvian child population. The results of the project will increase the scientific data capacity on childhood obesity issues, serve as a basis for further research and international scientific cooperation. The results of the project will strengthen professionals' understanding of childhood obesity as a complex health problem and adipose tissue as an endocrine and metabolically active system.
Public understanding of obesity and its long-term impact on children's health will be promoted. Informative seminars for professionals and special educational events for the public will be organized to disseminate the project results. A clinical algorithm and clinical pathway will be developed to ensure unified care, monitoring, and treatment at all levels of healthcare for children with obesity.
Outcomes
- Original scientific articles published, submitted or accepted for publication in the Q1 or Q2 quartile publications included in Web of Science Core Collection or SCOPUS databases - 2;
- Scientific databases and datasets developed within the project and prepared according to FAIR principles - 1;
- Policy recommendations and reports on the impact of policies - 1;
- Project proposal submitted in an international call for research and development projects (competition abroad or submitted by an international consortium) - 1;
- Other project results according to the specific nature of the project complementary to those listed above (including pre-prints) - 2.
Lead Researchers
Scientific Team Members
- Anna Gūtmane
- Amanda Marija Jundase
- Aļona Lavrenova
- Diāna Rubene
- Zane Zunde
Media
Only Around 1% of Childhood Overweight Is Genetically Determined: RSU Investigates the Causes of Childhood Obesity, (In Latvian) LSM, Latvian Television, programme Rīta panorāma (17 Jul 2026)
The Childhood Obesity Pandemic: By the Age of Seven, It Is Already Possible to Predict Future Weight Problems, (In Latvian) Jauns.lv (21 May 2026)
Latvia's Childhood Obesity Pandemic: A Threat to Society's Future, (In Latvian) parenting portal Mammām un tētiem (19 May 2026)
Insulin Resistance in Children, Jurgita Gailite, Una Lauga-Tuņina, article in Latvian language published in magazine Ārsts.lv (October 2025)
Gailīte: Treating Children with Overweight Is Extremely Challenging – the Whole Family Must Be Involved, (In Latvian) TV24, programme Dr. Apinis (1 Sep 2025)
The Childhood Obesity Pandemic – A Threat to Society's Future, (In Latvian) magazine Par Veselību, Special Edition No. 2 (2026)
Project-related activities
- During the initial phase of the project, all required ethics approvals were obtained, a data management system was established, and participant recruitment was initiated. Clinical and laboratory data collection infrastructure was developed, enabling the launch of the project's research activities. (Q1 2025)
- Participant recruitment continued, alongside the collection of clinical, anthropometric, and laboratory data and the assessment of lifestyle and other risk factors. At the same time, the project database was further developed and data were prepared for subsequent analyses. (Q2 2025)
- Participation in the 6th Baltic Pediatric Congress, Jūrmala, Latvia. The presentation Phenotyping and Defining Differences Between Metabolically Healthy and Metabolically Unhealthy Obesity in Children and Adolescents: A Preliminary Data Analysis introduced the first project results on metabolically healthy and metabolically unhealthy obesity phenotypes in children and adolescents. (10-11 October 2025).
Conference abstracts - Participation in the 34th Congress European Childhood Obesity Group (ECOG 2025), Uppsala, Sweden. The poster presentation Association of Acanthosis Nigricans with Body Mass Index, Waist-Hip Ratio, Prenatal and Postnatal Risk Factors in Children with Obesity: A Preliminary Data Analysis presented preliminary project data on the associations between obesity, anthropometric indicators, and early-life risk factors in children. (26-28 November 2025).
Conference programme - Participation in the Latvian Paediatric Association conference "Metabolic Health in Childhood: A Multidisciplinary Approach to Reducing Obesity", Riga, Latvia. Project researchers delivered four presentations on preliminary project results, obesity phenotypes, and associated risk factors in the paediatric population. (13 February 2026).
Conference programme - European Society for Paediatric Endocrinology (ESPE) Winter School, Riga, Latvia. Through involvement in the ESPE Winter School held in Latvia, the project team established contacts with leading international experts and identified promising opportunities for future collaborative research. (6-12 March 2026).
- Participation in the 59th Annual Meeting of the Association for European Pediatric and Congenital Cardiology (AEPC), Padua, Italy. The poster presentation Echocardiographic Changes in Overweight and Obese Children and Adolescents presented project results on cardiovascular changes in children and adolescents with overweight and obesity. (13-16 May 2026).
Conference abstract book - International research collaboration has been expanded through membership in the European Childhood Obesity Group (ECOG), with membership confirmed on 23 January 2026. This provides access to a European network of experts in childhood obesity research, fosters scientific collaboration, and creates opportunities for participation in joint studies and knowledge exchange.
More information about ECOG
