Running to Prevent Depression; Maximal Aerobic Speed for Adolescents in the South of Belgium. Comparison With Their Parents' Generation and the Impact on Their Physical and Mental Health.

OBJECTIVE: To assess aerobic fitness of adolescents, using maximum aerobic speed (MAS). To test the relationship between MAS and other variables. To compare our 2019/21 data to similar data published in 1996. METHODS: A running application was used to measure MAS with the half-Cooper test. To test age, BMI, gender and school attended as possible predictors of MAS, multiple logistic regressions were performed. A series of t-tests and ANOVAs were performed to test differences between the variable means. t-tests were used to compare MAS, height and weight of our population to a similar population tested during the late 1990s. RESULTS: Our sample of 3368 adolescent students shows that age, BMI, gender and the school attended are predictors of MAS. MAS increases more significantly between 13 and 15 years of age, particularly in males. MAS is significantly greater in males compared to females at all ages between 12 and 18 years. When compared to a reference population in the 1990s, our data shows: significantly lower MAS at ages 14, 15, 16 and 17 for males and at 17 for females. Males' weight is significantly higher at each age between 12 and 17, but height only significantly higher at 12, 14 and 15 years of age. Females' weight is significantly higher in each age category between 14 and 17 years of age, but height only at 12 and 14 years old. CONCLUSIONS: The aerobic fitness in adolescent students was correlated to age, BMI, gender and school attended. After 12 years old, MAS evolved differently in males and females. Our data suggests a decline in MAS since the 1990s at as early as 14 years of age in males and 17 for females, and an increased weight, which is suggestive of a decline in health. The impact of MAS decline on mental health will be discussed.

The Place of Care under Constraint for Mood Disorders in the Context of the Collapse of the Supply of Psychiatric Care during the COVID-19 Crisis.

BACKGROUND: In March 2020, the Belgian population was exposed to a confinement situation that it had never experienced before associated with the collapse in access to psychiatric care. Initially, only emergencies and constrained care continued to operate. In these specific circumstances, where both the overall population and the psychiatric population, was exposed to unique stress factors, what was the role of forced psychiatric internments in the treatment of mood disorders? SUBJECTS AND METHODS: We have measured the number of detentions for observation with and without suicide attempt over the two years prior to the pandemic in order to obtain theoretical reference values. We have compared these values with the measures over the 12 months following the start of the confinement period, which constitute the Crisis values. The continuation of measures, with an equal number of observation measures, constituted the Post-Crisis values. For these same cases, we compared in suicide attempt cases, whether the criteria for Severe Major Depressive Disorder were met or not. Lastly we compared the number of observation measures that were lifted, or not, within ten days of patient care. RESULTS: There was no significant increase in Detentions for Observation following a suicide attempt during the Crisis period. However a significant increase was observed during the Post-Crisis period. As regards cases of attempted suicide during the Crisis period, the number of patients suffering from Major Depressive Disorders reduced significantly in terms of statistics. This confirms our impression of a change in population. The Post-Crisis values dropped to the Theoric values. The number of Observation measures lifted increased quite significantly during the Crisis period, while there was a return to values in terms of statistics similar to the Theoric values during the Post-Crisis period. CONCLUSIONS: Although the population, both the healthy population and those suffering from a psychiatric condition, was subject to stress that it had never before experienced coinciding with a collapse of healthcare provision, there was no increase in patients meeting the criteria to benefit from constrained care during the Crisis period. On the other hand, there was a significant change in statistical terms in the population of patients who attempted suicide. We have seen a collapse in the number of patients suffering from depressive disorders and an equivalent increase in the number of patients with personality disorders or adjustment disorders. The number of Observation measures lifted during the Crisis period also grew quite significantly. Constrained care was available to help manage reactive suicide attempts. All other things being equal, they indirectly showed a reduction in Major Depressive Disorders requiring constrained care in the population.