Stressful Life Events, Genetic Variants and Obesity in Chinese Adolescents

描述（由申请人提供）：随着中国经济的快速发展和社会文化的变化，中国青少年的肥胖和压力，特别是学业压力和家庭冲突，已经成为一个日益严重的公共健康问题。由于紧张的生活事件或日常争吵引起的慢性压力与肥胖的病因有关，因为多巴胺和血清素参与情绪调节，导致能量平衡被破坏。一些调节多巴胺和血清素合成、释放、摄取和运输的候选基因已被确定与肥胖和体重指数（BMI）有关，在有限但不断增长的文献中发现了不同的结果。为响应NIDDK项目公告《肥胖症、糖尿病、消化和肾脏疾病的二次分析》（PA-09-131），我们建议利用现有的遗传和环境数据进行二次分析，以研究生活压力事件、遗传变异及其相互作用对中国武汉青少年抑郁症状、食物消费、身体活动和不活动以及肥胖的影响。我们打算(1)描述在四个领域（学校、家庭、同伴和个人）评估的一系列压力生活事件对抑郁症状经历、食物消费、身体活动和不活动以及超重和肥胖状况的影响；(2)系统地研究调节脑血清素和多巴胺系统的特定候选基因对抑郁症状、饮食、身体活动以及超重和肥胖表型的潜在影响；(3)探讨基因X应激事件对抑郁症状、饮食、身体活动、超重和肥胖表型的相互作用；(4)探讨性别、家庭和谐、社会支持感知可得性与压力事件和特定基因对抑郁症状、饮食、身体活动、超重和肥胖表型的其他潜在调节作用。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): As China undergoes rapid economic development nd sociocultural change both obesity and stress, especially academic stress and family conflicts, among Chinese adolescents have become an increasing public health problem. Chronic stress due to stressful life events or daily hassles has been linked to the etiology of obesity through involvement of dopamine and serotonin for mood regulation leading to the disruption of energy balance. A few candidate genes regulating dopamine and serotonin synthesis, release, uptake and transportation have been identified to be associated with obesity and body mass index (BMI) with mixed findings in a limited but growing body of literature. In response to the NIDDK program announcement of Secondary Analysis in Obesity, Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (PA-09-131), we propose to conduct a secondary analysis with existing genetic and environmental data to investigate effects of stressful life events, genetic variants and their interactions on depressive symptoms, food consumption, physical activity and inactivity, and obesity in a representative sample of Chinese adolescents living in Wuhan, China. We intend to (1) delineate effects of a battery of stressful life events assessed on four domains (school, family, peer and individual) on depressive symptom experience, food consumption, physical activity and inactivity, and overweight and obesity status; (2) systematically examine the potential impacts of specific candidate genes regulating brain serotonin and dopamine systems on depressive symptoms, eating, physical activity and overweight and obesity phenotypes; (3) investigate gene X stressful events interactions on depressive symptoms, eating, physical activity and overweight and obesity phenotypes; and (4) explore other potential moderating effects of gender, family harmony and perceived availability of social support with stressful events and specific genes on depressive symptoms, eating, physical activity and overweight and obesity phenotypes. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: As China undergoes rapid economic development and ociocultural change both obesity and stress, especially academic stress and family conflicts among Chinese adolescents have become an increasing public health problem. The proposed study will advance our knowledge of the joint and interactive effects of genes and stressful life events on obesity and related behaviors among adolescents, with important public health implications for improving the physical development and mental well-being of adolescents.