Gender Differences Regarding Self-Perceived Physical and Mental Health in Spanish University Sports and Physical Therapy Students after Termination of the COVID-19 Lockdown Period.

The COVID-19 pandemic was an unprecedented situation that raised concerns about the physical and mental health of adolescents. Several surveys demonstrated that post-lockdown, women reported more complaints and lower perceived quality of life compared to men. The aim of this study was to analyze gender differences in self-reported physical and mental health immediately after the second lock-down restrictions (July 2020 to December 2020) were suspended and physical exercise classes resumed after a break of several months. This was achieved using a comparative cross-sectional survey of over-18-year-old students from the faculties of Sports Science and Physical Therapy at the University of Cadiz (UCA) in Spain. Quality of life was assessed using two types of questionnaires. The first covered quality of nutrition (PREDIMED), and the second assessed emotional impact (SF12). Physical activity level was estimated using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). Of the 166 participants in this study, about two-thirds were men. Men had a better perception of their overall health quality than women. In addition, men had significantly fewer limitations in performing activities of daily living than their female counterparts. In contrast, female university students had better coping strategies, that is, they were better able to handle the problems of daily life and did so with more composure, attention, and concentration. These findings highlight the differences in post-release recovery between men and women and can be used to develop programs to promote better living standards and services to reduce gender disparities, which can ultimately improve quality of life.

Blood Flow Restriction in Oncological Patients: Advantages and Safety Considerations.

BACKGROUND: Cancer, being a highly widespread disease on a global scale, has prompted researchers to explore innovative treatment approaches. In this regard, blood flow restriction has emerged as a promising procedure utilized in diverse clinical populations with favorable results including improvements in muscle strength, cardiovascular function, and postoperative recovery. The aim of this systematic review was to assess the efficacy of blood flow restriction in cancer survivors. METHODS: An investigation was carried out using various databases until February 2023: PubMed, Scientific Electronic Library Online, Physiotherapy Evidence Database, Scopus, Web of Science, Cochrane Plus, SPORTDiscus, Physiotherapy and Podiatry of the Complutense University of Madrid, ScienceDirect, ProQuest, Research Library, Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Literature Complete Journal Storage, and the gray literature. To assess the methodological quality of the studies, the PEDro scale was utilized, and the Cochrane Collaboration tool was employed to evaluate the risk of bias. RESULTS: Five articles found that blood flow restriction was beneficial in improving several factors, including quality of life, physical function, strength, and lean mass, and in reducing postoperative complications and the length of hospital stay. CONCLUSION: Blood flow restriction can be a viable and effective treatment option. It is important to note that the caution with which one should interpret these results is due to the restricted quantity of articles and significant variation, and future research should concentrate on tailoring the application to individual patients, optimizing load progression, ensuring long-term follow-up, and enhancing the methodological rigor of studies, such as implementing sample blinding.

Tipologías de mayores de 65 años en España según la Encuesta Europea de Salud / Typologies of people over 65 in Spain according to the European Health Survey

Introducción: Numerosas organizaciones e instituciones alertan sobre la necesidad de realizar actividad física por los múltiples beneficios que aporta a la salud de la población. En mayores de 65 años, la realización de algún tipo de actividad repercute directamente en un envejecimiento más saludable, una mejor gestión de los procesos degenerativos y todas aquellas enfermedades asociadas con la edad. Objetivo: Conocer el estado de salud y actividad física de los mayores de 65 años en España e identificar tipologías de población para poder establecer estrategias de promoción de la salud específicas. Método: Estudio transversal descriptivo en una muestra formada por 7.167 individuos con datos recogidos durante los años 2019 y 2020 procedentes de la Encuesta Europea de Salud en España. Se seleccionan variables sociodemográficas y relacionadas con la actividad física y el estado de salud. Se realiza un análisis de clases latentes para analizar características en subgrupos de población mayor de 65 años. Resultados: Se encuentran 5 subgrupos de población, donde solo uno, que representa al 21,35% de los mayores, tiene una buena percepción de su salud y realiza actividad física de forma habitual. Conclusión: La mayor parte de la población española mayor de 65 años, a pesar de no padecer problemas de salud limitantes, presenta altos niveles de sedentarismo y obesidad. Es necesario promover políticas de envejecimiento saludable atendiendo a las características de los subgrupos de población mayor de 65 años, generando así una mayor autopercepción y consciencia hacia un estilo de vida saludable y activo. (AU)

Introduction: Numerous organizations and institutions warn of the need for physical activity due to the multiple benefits it brings to the health of the population. In people over 65 years of age, doing some type of activity has a direct impact on healthy ageing. Objective: To find out the state of health and physical activity of people over 65 years of age in Spain and to identify population typologies in order to establish specific health promotion strategies. Method: Descriptive cross-sectional study using a sample formed by 7167 older adults with data collected during the years 2019 and 2020 from the European Health Survey in Spain. Sociodemographic variables related to physical activity and health status were selected. A latent class analysis was carried out to analyze characteristics in subgroups of the population over 65 years of age. Results: Five population subgroups were found where only one, representing 21.35% of the older adult, had a good perception of their health and regularly engaged in physical activity. Conclusion: Most of the Spanish population over 65 years, despite not suffering from limiting health problems, has high levels of sedentary lifestyles and obesity. It is necessary to promote healthy ageing policies taking into account the characteristics of the subgroups of the population over 65 years of age. (AU)

[Typologies of people over 65 in Spain according to the European Health Survey]. / Tipologías de mayores de 65 años en España según la Encuesta Europea de Salud.

INTRODUCTION: Numerous organizations and institutions warn of the need for physical activity due to the multiple benefits it brings to the health of the population. In people over 65 years of age, doing some type of activity has a direct impact on healthy ageing. OBJECTIVE: To find out the state of health and physical activity of people over 65 years of age in Spain and to identify population typologies in order to establish specific health promotion strategies. METHOD: Descriptive cross-sectional study using a sample formed by 7167 older adults with data collected during the years 2019 and 2020 from the European Health Survey in Spain. Sociodemographic variables related to physical activity and health status were selected. A latent class analysis was carried out to analyze characteristics in subgroups of the population over 65 years of age. RESULTS: Five population subgroups were found where only one, representing 21.35% of the older adult, had a good perception of their health and regularly engaged in physical activity. CONCLUSION: Most of the Spanish population over 65 years, despite not suffering from limiting health problems, has high levels of sedentary lifestyles and obesity. It is necessary to promote healthy ageing policies taking into account the characteristics of the subgroups of the population over 65 years of age.

Effectiveness of Blood Flow Restriction in Neurological Disorders: A Systematic Review.

There is scientific evidence that Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) is beneficial in healthy people, the elderly and patients with musculoskeletal disorders. A systematic review was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of BFR in patients with neurological disorders. The literature search was conducted up until July 2022 in the following databases: PubMed, Web of Science (WOS), Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro), LILACS, Scopus, Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Literature Complete (CINAHL), the Cochrane Library and Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO). The PEDro scale was used to analyze the methodological quality of the studies, and the Cochrane Collaboration's tool was employed to evaluate the risk of bias. A total of seven articles were included. BFR seems to be beneficial in neurological disorders. Improvements have been found in sensorimotor function, frequency and step length symmetry, perceived exertion, heart rate and gait speed, walking endurance, fatigue, quality of life, muscles thickness, gluteus density and muscle edema. No improvements were found in lower limb strength or balance. However, results must be taken with caution due to the small number of articles and to the large heterogeneity. More clinical trials are needed. These studies should homogenize the protocols used in larger samples, as well as improve their methodological quality.

Impact of COVID-19 on Physical Activity and Lifestyles in Post-Confinement Sports Science Undergraduates.

The aim of this study was to assess whether the infection by SARS-CoV-2 has significantly influenced physical activity, diet, alcohol, and drug consumption habits, as well as the quality of life of students of the bachelor's degree in Physical Activity and Sports Sciences. For this purpose, an online survey was conducted, which included socio-demographic questions related to the COVID-19 disease. Physical activity was analyzed using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), adherence to the Mediterranean diet using the PREDIMED questionnaire, alcohol consumption using the AUDIT questionnaire, and drug consumption using the DAST-10 questionnaire. Health-related quality of life was analyzed with the SF-12 questionnaire. Our results reveal that those who engaged in either vigorous physical activity or, on the contrary, very low-intensity physical activity, were affected by the SARS-CoV-2 disease, which reduced the average weekly time they spent on their type of activity. However, those who previously performed moderate activities have managed to stay on the same fitness level despite having suffered from SARS-CoV-2 disease (p = 0.433). In conclusion, general health is affected by suffering from the COVID-19 disease, inadequate eating habits, substance use, and the performance of vigorous or very low-intensity of physical activity.

Satisfaction Level and Performance of Physiotherapy Students in the Knowledge of Musculoskeletal Disorders through Nearpod: Preliminary Reports.

Physiotherapists are at high risk for musculoskeletal disorders. There is a need in academia to address workers' health issues at the time of graduation. Nearpod is an educational application founded on a web-based learning tool. In the field of Health Sciences, the use of Nearpod has been scarce. The objective of this study was to determine the level of satisfaction with using this interactive tool and to assess the influence of using Nearpod in class on students' performance while dealing with the topic of musculoskeletal disorders in third-year Degree in Physiotherapy students during the 2021-2022 academic year. The participants were students at the University of Cadiz. They were randomly divided into two groups, a control group using a PowerPoint presentation and an experimental group using the interactive Nearpod application. The experimental group took two surveys to determine their satisfaction with the method used. Students also took a multiple-choice test to assess the knowledge acquired. In the surveys, a high percentage of satisfaction was obtained (97.62% and 99.39%). There were no significant differences in the scores obtained by the two groups, although there were significant differences in response time in favor of the experimental group (p = 0.022). Although studies should be carried out with larger samples and on different subjects, it seems that Nearpod is a tool with great potential for teaching the study of musculoskeletal disorders.