| Summary: | Thesis (MTech (Biomedical Technology))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2008 === Epidemiological reports have shown that South Africa, whilst a developing country, irs
overweight and obesity prevalence rates in children is fast approaching those seen in
the developed world. This country's population is unique in that it is made up of different
ethnic groups with different socia-economic status, partly due to the past and present
political environments in the country. South Africa, in particular, is faced with a rapid
increasing childhood obesity of 10% among children under the age of two and 5-20%
among those less than six years of age. The prevalence of obesity is increasing in
children of all ages and represents the complex integration of genetic, behavioural and
environmental influences. The Ectonucleotide Pyrophosphatase Phosphodiesterase 1
(ENPP1) gene is located on chromosome 6q22-q23; a locus linked to obesity and
diabetes, spans 83 kb of genomic DNA and contains 25 exons. Studies in humans have
shown a correlation between overexpression of ENPP1 and insulin resistance, obesity,
and type 2 diabetes. ENPP1 has been implicated in up to 20% of Caucasian and 50% of
Black communities suffering from obesity. The overall objective of the proposed study is
to assess whether ENPP1 polymorphisms contribute to childhood obesity/overweight,
and their association with components of metabolic syndrome in a South African
Coloured population.
Subjects for this study were identified through a screening program that aimed to
determine the prevalence of obesity in learners between the ages of 8 - 18 years from
the Western Cape Province, South Africa. The first phase of the project was to clearly
differentiate between obese subjects and controls. The cut-off points for obesity
established by Cole and co-workers in 2000, and adopted by the International Obesity
Task Force (IOTF), were used to classify the obese subjects.
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