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Augusta Gama

Orcid profile

Ciência Vitae profile

Research Interests
Childhood and adolescent obesity
Menarche age
Social determinants of health
Biological Anthropology

I received a Ph.D. in Biology- Anthropology, from the University of Lisboa, in 2003, working on “The reproductive period of older rural women from Oleiros: biological and cultural factors”.

I am a professor of Human Biology at the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisboa (UL).

I am a member of the Research Centre for Anthropology and Health (CIAS), group Human Biology, Health and Society, in the University of Coimbra.

My research focus on the biocultural approaches to childhood and adolescente obesity in Portugal, but I also work in other topics related with women reproductive period. My current research focus on the influence of social determinants of health on obesity and age at menarche: i, social, economic and lifestyle factors on children and adolescente obesity; ii, parental perception of their child’s weight and socioeconomic factors; iii, socioeconomic and lifestyle factors on the age of menarche and girl´s health.

Teaching

Human Biology

Human Ecology

Reproductive Biology

Biological Anthropology

Animal Biology

Main Publications

Marques, P.; Madeira, T.; Gama, A. (2022). Menstrual cycle among adolescents: Girls’ awareness and influence of age at menarche and overweight. Revista Paulista de Pediatria, 5;40: e2020494. doi: 10.1590/1984-0462/2022/40/2020494.

Rodrigues, D.; Costa, D.; Gama, A.; Machado-Rodrigues, A.M.; Nogueira, H.; Silva, M.G.; Rosado-Marques, V.; Padez, C. (2022) Socioeconomic inequalities in the prevalence of overweight and obesity among Portuguese preschool-aged children: Changes from 2009 to 2016. American Journal of Human Biology Biol. 34,1:e23582. doi: 10.1002/ajhb.23582.

Rodrigues. D.; Carmo, A.; Gama, A.; Machado-Rodrigues, AM.: Nogueira, H.; Rosado-Marques, V.; Silva, M.R.; Padez, C. (2022). The Great Recession weighted on Portuguese children: A structural equation modeling approach considering eating patterns. American Journal of Human Biology, 34, 5:e23692. doi: 10.1002/ajhb.23692.

Rodrigues, D.; Machado‐Rodrigues, A.; Gama, A; Nogueira, H.; Silva, R.; Padez, P. (2022). Repeated cross-sectional studies found sex inequalities in childhood obesity by obesity by socio-economic vulnerability. Acta Paediatrica, 111,8: 1612-1614. doi.org/10.1111/apa.16365.

Costa, D.; Cunha, M.; Ferreira, C.; Gama, A.; Machado-Rodrigues, A.M.; Rosado-Marques, V.; Mendes, L.L.; Nogueira, H.; Pessoa, M.; Silva, M.G.; Velasquez-Melendez, G.; Padez, C. (2021). Socioeconomic inequalities in children’s health-related quality of life according to weight status. American Journal of Human Biology, 33,1:e23453. doi: 10.1002/ajhb.23453.

Machado-Rodrigues, A.M.; Rodrigues D.; Gama, A.; Nogueira, H.; Mascarenhas, L.M.; Padez, C. (2021). Sleep duration, risk of obesity, and parental perceptions of residential neighborhood environments in 6–9 years-old children. American Journal of Human Biology, 34,4: e23668.  doi.org/10.1002/ajhb.23668

Gama, A.; Rosado-Marques, V.; Machado-Rodrigues, A. M.; Nogueira, H.; Mourão, I.; & Padez, C. (2020). Prevalence of overweight and obesity in 3-to-10-year-old children: assessment of different cut-off criteria WHO-IOTF. Anais Da Academia Brasileira de Ciências, 92,2: e20190449
doi.org/10.1590/0001-3765202020190449..

Gama, A., Marques, P., Madeira, T., Rosado-Marques, V. (2020). Excesso de peso ou obesidade e fatores do estilo de vida em idosos do concelho de Lisboa. Antropologia. Portuguesa, 37: 131-158. doi.org/10.14195/2182-7982_37.

Rodrigues, D.; Gama A.; Machado-Rodrigues, A.M.; Nogueira, H.; Silva, M.R.; Rosado-Marques, V,. Padez,C. (2020). Social inequalities in traditional and emerging screen devices among Portuguese children: a cross-sectional study. BMC Public Health, 20, 902.  doi.org/10.1186/s12889-020-09026-4.

Costa, D.; Cunha, M.; Ferreira, C.; Gama, A.; Machado-Rodrigues, A.M.; Rosado-Marques, V.; Nogueira, H.; Silva, M-R, Padez, C. (2020). Self-reported symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress in Portuguese primary school-aged children. BMC Psychiatry 20, 87. doi.org/10.1186/s12888-020-02498-z

Nogueira, H.; Pereira, M.; Costa, D.; Gama, A.; Machado-Rodrigues, A.M.; Silva, M.-R.; Marques, V.; Padez, C. (2019). The environment contribution to gender differences in childhood obesity and organized sports engagement. American Journal of Human Biology, 32,2: e23322.  doi.org/10.1002/ajhb.23322

Machado-Rodrigues, A.M.; Gama, A.; Mourão, I.; Nogueira, H.; Rosado-Marques, V.; Padez, C. (2018). Eating away from home: a risk factor for overweight in children. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 72:1724-1727.   doi.org/10.1038/s41430-018-0165-3

Li, L.; Peters, H.; Gama, A.; Carvalhal, M.I.M.; Nogueira, H.G.M.; Rosado-Marques, V.; Padez, C.. (2016). Maternal smoking in pregnancy association with childhood adiposity and blood pressure. Pediatric Obesity, 11, 3: 202-209. doi: 10.1111/ijpo.12046

Stamatakis, E.; Coombs, N.; Jago, R.; Gama, A.; Mourão, I.; Nogueira, H.; Rosado, V.; Padez, C (2013). Associations between indicators of screen time and adiposity indices in Portuguese children. Preventive Medicine, 56, 5: 299-303. doi: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2013.02.006

Jago, R.; Stamatakis, E.; Gama, A.;Carvalhal, I.M.; Nogueira, H.; Rosado, V.; Padez, C. (2012) Parent and child screen-viewing time and home media environment. American Journal of Preventive Medicine 43, 2: 150-158. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2012.04.012

Gama A. (2011). The reproductive period and fertility in rural Portuguese women: time trends of biological and behavioral determinants. Annals of Human Biology. 38 5:655-8. doi: 10.3109/03014460.2011.572916.

Gama A. (2008). Age at menarche in Portuguese rural human from Oleiros. Annals of Human Biology. 35, 6: 639-655.
doi: 10.1080/03014460802471197.

Research Projects

Inequalities in childhood obesity: the impact of the socioeconomic crisis in Portugal from 2009 to 2015 (ObesInCrisis). CIAS and Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT), PTDC/DTP-SAP/1520/2014. PI, Professor Cristina Padez.

The economic crisis and malnutrition in children and the elderly: a pilot study in the Municipality of Lisbon. Faculdade de Motricidade Humana (UL), Faculdade de Ciências (UL), Câmara Municipal de Lisboa and CIAS. PI, Researcher Vítor Rosado Marques.

Overweight and obesity in Portuguese adolescents the role of socioeconomic factors and lifestyle. Faculdade de Ciências (UL) and CIAS. PI, Professor Augusta Gama

Portuguese Prevalence Study of Obesity in Childhood, changes from 2002 to 2007. The Effects of Lifestyle and Environmental Factors. CIAS, Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT), PTDC/SAU-ESA/70526/2006. PI, Professor Cristina Padez.