Self-reported physical activity using International Physical Activity Questionnaire in adolescents and young adults with visual impairment.

BACKGROUND: Young people with visual impairment (VI) face many environmental barriers that influence physical activity. OBJECTIVE: The aims of the study were to assess the level of physical activity (PA) in students with VI, with regard to their age, gender, level of VI, body mass index and abdominal obesity (AO), and to identify the percentage of study participants who did not meet the international recommendations for PA. METHODS: Anthropometric measurements were taken to assess the body mass index and waist-to-height ratio. The PA level was measured by the International Physical Activity Questionnaire- Long Form. A sample of 122 students with VI aged 15.1-22.7 years were included in the study. RESULTS: The mean total PA was 8514.5 ± 7201.0 Metabolic Equivalents min/week. Students with normal weight and excess weight had much greater total PA scores than those who were underweight (p < 0.05). Students with abdominal obesity had slightly lower total PA than those without AO. Blind students were engaged less in PA in most of the domains than partially-sighted students. Overall, 39.3% of participants did not meet the recommendation of 75 min/week of vigorous PA, and 23.8% did not meet the recommendation of almost 150 min/week of moderate PA. In total, 32.8% of participants did not meet the international recommendations of 420 min/week moderate or vigorous PA. CONCLUSION: To improve the PA level of students with VI, health promotion initiatives focused on promoting PA during their school days and free time are required, based on innovative methods adjusted to their needs.

Cardiac rehabilitation in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction: can its failure be predicted?

BACKGROUND: The prognosis in patients after acute coronary syndromes (ACS) is significantly burdened by coexisting anaemia, leukocytosis and low glomerular filtration rate (GFR). Hyperglycaemia in the early stages of ACS is a strong predictor of death and heart failure in non-diabetic subjects. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of hyperglycaemia, anaemia, leukocytosis, thrombocytopaenia and decreased GFR on the risk of the failure of cardiac rehabilitation (phase II at the hospital) in post-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients. METHODS: The study included 136 post-STEMI patients, 96 men and 40 women, aged 60.1 ± 11.8 years, admitted for cardiac rehabilitation (phase II) to the Department of Internal Medicine and Cardiac Rehabilitation, WAM University Hospital in Lodz, Poland. On admission fasting blood cell count was performed and serum glucose and creatinine level was determined (GFR assessment). The following results were considered abnormal: glucose ⩾ 100 mg/dl, GFR < 60 ml/min/1, 73 m², red blood cells (RBCs) < 4 × 106/µl, white blood cells (WBCs) > 10 × 103/µl; platelets (PLTs) < 150 × 10³/ml. In all patients an exercise test was performed twice, before and after the completion of the second stage of rehabilitation, to assess its effects. RESULTS: Based on logistic regression analysis and the results of an individual odds ratio (OR) of the tested parameters, their prognostic impact was determined on the risk of failure of cardiac rehabilitation. This risk has been defined on the basis of the patient's inability to tolerate workload increment >5 Watt in spite of the applied program of cardiac rehabilitation. As a result of building a logistic regression model, the most statistically significant risk factors were selected, on the basis of which cardiac rehabilitation failure index was determined. leukocytosis and reduced GFR determined most significantly the risk of failure of cardiac rehabilitation (respectively OR = 6.42 and OR = 3.29, p = 0.007). These parameters were subsequently utilized to construct a rehabilitation failure index. CONCLUSIONS: Peripheral blood cell count and GFR are important in assessing the prognosis of cardiac rehabilitation effects. leukocytosis and decreased GFR determine to the highest degree the risk of cardiac rehabilitation failure. Cardiac rehabilitation failure index may be useful in classifying patients into an appropriate model of rehabilitation. These findings support our earlier reports.

The prevalence of abdominal obesity among pupils with visual impairment in Poland.

BACKGROUND: Obesity particularly affects young people with disabilities, whose ability to participate in health promotion programs is reduced. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study is to determine the prevalence of abdominal obesity among students with visual impairment in Poland according to waist-to-height ratio, including indicators such as gender, age or certain additional coexisting disabilities or disorders. METHODS: A total of 238 students who were blind or partially-sighted, aged 7.35-23.35 years (mean age 15.5; ±3.9 years), were included in the study. Abdominal obesity was estimated using waist-to-height ratio; a cutoff point of ≥0.50 was determined as central obesity. RESULTS: Abdominal obesity was identified among 26.9% [N = 64] of the participants: 33.1% [N = 41] of male students and 20.2% [N = 23] of female students (ch2 = 5.02; p = 0.025; Phi = 0.145). Of all the students, the multivariate logistic regression showed that abdominal obesity was one and a half times more likely to be detected in the 7-9 year age group (OR = 1.56; 95% CI 0.58-4.18; P = 0.376) than the 19-23 year age group. However, among the female subjects, abdominal obesity was over six times more common in the 7-9 year group (OR = 6.48; 95% CI 1.29-32.5; P = 0.022) than in the group of early adults. Central obesity was detected almost three times more frequently among students with visual impairment and additional intellectual disability (OR = 2.99; 95% CI 0.52-17.1; P = 0.215) than those with only visual impairment. CONCLUSION: Prevention programs aimed at reducing abdominal obesity among pupils with visual impairment from special schools are needed.

Body mass index and waist-to-height ratio among schoolchildren with visual impairment: A cross-sectional study.

Children and adolescents with visual impairments may be predisposed to excessive body mass due to restrictions in everyday functioning and the ability to take part in physical activity. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of obesity, overweight, and abdominal obesity (AO) among blind and partially sighted schoolchildren and to determine whether sociodemographic factors and participation in physical education classes (PEC) are associated with excessive body weight or AO in this group.A cross-sectional sample of 141 partially sighted or blind schoolchildren aged 7 to 18.9 years were included in this study. Anthropometric measurements were performed, and sociodemographic variables and ability to attend PEC were recorded. Overweight and obesity were noted among 21.3% and 14.9% of students, respectively. Although more males than females had excessive body weight (39.2% vs 32.3%), the difference was not significant (chi square test [ch] = 3.197; probability value [P] = 0.362). There was a significant association between mean body mass index standard deviation score and age (results of ANOVA analysis [F] = 5.620; P = 0.0045). A waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) ≥0.50 was observed among 27.7% of pupils. The prevalence of AO in boys and girls was 32.9% and 21.0%, respectively; this difference was not significant (ch = 2.48; P = 0.12). There was a significant relationship between mean WHtR and age (7-9 years: 0.477 ±â€Š0.050; 10-13 years: 0.484 ±â€Š0.065; ≥14 years: 0.454 ±â€Š0.061; results of Kruskal-Wallis test [H] = 8.729; P = 0.023, respectively).Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that none of the sociodemographic variables examined (except "having siblings") were significantly associated with the occurrence of overweight, obesity, and AO. Subjects with no siblings were 4 times more likely to have WHtR ≥ 0.5 (odds ratio [OR] = 4.22; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.33-17.8; P = 0.01).Overweight and obesity were almost 4 times more frequent (OR = 3.74; 95% CI 0.81-17.4) and AO 3 times more frequent (OR = 3.18, 95% CI 0.71-14.2) among students not participating in PEC. Excessive body mass and AO represent an urgent health problem among schoolchildren with visual impairments. Health education concerning healthy eating habits and physical activity should be provided to this group to reduce potential future health costs.

[Heart rate recovery after exercise in subjects undergoing cardiologic rehabilitation]. / Szybkosc normalizacji czestosci rytmu serca po wysilku u osób poddanych rehabilitacjti kardiologicznej.

UNLABELLED: Research indicates that slow heart rate recovery 1-2 minutes after exercise is a predictor of cardiovascular mortality, sudden mortality as well. It is hardly related to myocardial ischemia; most of all, it is related to impaired activities of the parasympathetic system. The purpose of this study was to assess HRR in subjects after a surgical treatment (percutaneous coronary intervention - PCI) of acute coronary syndromes (ACS), undergoing cardiologic rehabilitation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study comprised 58 subjects, 42 men and 16 women aged 49-68 (56.8 +/- 7.6) after ACS treated with PCI undergoing cardiologic rehabilitation (stage 2)--group I. The comparative group comprised 34 subjects, 25 men and 9 women aged 46-61 (55.5 +/- 8.9 lat) who were clinically healthy and who underwent a single sub-maximal exercise test--group II. In subjects undergoing rehabilitation, an exercise test was performed twice --before and after stage 2 of rehabilitation. HRR was defined as a difference between the peak heart rate and those after the 1st (HRR1) and 2nd (HRR) minute of recovery. RESULTS: After stationary rehabilitation as a part of stage 2 of cardiologic rehabilitation, HRR2 was 26.3 +/- 10.6/min and was 40.8/min +/- 13.8/min; both these values were not significantly different from values observed in healthy subjects (p > 0.05). Significant increase in HRR1 and HRR2 was observed after the completion of stage 2 of cardiologic rehabilitation in ill subjects (p < 0.05) as compared to initial values. CONCLUSIONS: In subjects after ACS treated with PCI, it is observed that HRR changes back to normal values observed in healthy subjects as a result of underwent cardiologic rehabilitation. HRR should become an important factor in assessing effectiveness of conducted cardiologic rehabilitation.