Short, frequent, light-intensity walking activity improves postprandial vascular-inflammatory biomarkers in people with type 1 diabetes: The SIT-LESS randomized controlled trial.

AIM: To examine the effect of interrupting prolonged sitting with short, frequent, light-intensity activity on postprandial cardiovascular markers in people with type 1 diabetes (T1D). MATERIALS AND METHODS: In a randomized crossover trial, 32 adults with T1D (mean ± SD age 28 ± 5 years, glycated haemoglobin 67.9 ± 12.6 mmol/mol, 17 women) completed two 7-h laboratory visits separated by >7 days. Participants either remained seated for 7 h (SIT) or interrupted sitting with 3-min bouts of self-paced walking at 30-min intervals commencing 1 h after each meal (SIT-LESS). Physical activity, insulin regimen, experimental start times, and meal consumption were standardized during each arm. Plasma levels of interleukin (IL)-1ß, tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α, plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI)-1 and fibrinogen were sampled at baseline, 3.5 and 7 h, and assessed for within- and between-group effects using a repeated measures ANOVA. The estimated glucose disposal rate was used to determine the insulin resistance status. RESULTS: Vascular-inflammatory parameters were comparable between SIT and SIT-LESS at baseline (p > .05). TNF-α, IL-1ß, PAI-1 and fibrinogen increased over time under SIT, whereas these rises were attenuated under SIT-LESS (p < .001). Specifically, over the 7 h under SIT, postprandial increases were detected in TNF-α, IL-1ß, PAI-1 and fibrinogen (+67%, +49%, +49% and +62%, respectively; p < .001 for all). Conversely, the SIT-LESS group showed no change in IL-1ß (-9%; p > .50), whereas reductions were observed in TNF-α, PAI-1 and fibrinogen (-22%, -42% and -44%, respectively; p < .001 for all). The intervention showed enhanced effects in insulin-resistant individuals with T1D. CONCLUSIONS: Interrupting prolonged sitting with light-intensity activity ameliorates postprandial increases in vascular-inflammatory markers in T1D. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The trial was prospectively registered (ISRCTN13641847).

Physical Activity, Sedentary Behavior, and Their Predictors Among Nursing Home Residents-Cross-Sectional Results of the BaSAlt Study.

Little is known about physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior (SB) among nursing home residents although PA is known as a health promoter. This study examined PA, SB, and their predictors among nursing home residents (n = 63). Dependent variables were accelerometry-based PA and SB. Predictor variables included in a path analysis were age, sex, body mass index, Barthel Index, cognitive status (Mini-Mental State Examination), physical performance (hand grip strength and habitual walking speed), and well-being (World Health Organization-5 well-being index). PA was very low (M steps per day = 2,433) and SB was high (M percentage of sedentary time = 89.4%). PA was significantly predicted by age (ß = -0.27, p = .008), body mass index (ß = -0.29, p = .002), Barthel Index (ß = 0.24, p = .040), and hand grip strength (ß = 0.30, p = .048). SB was significantly predicted by body mass index (ß = 0.27, p = .008) and Barthel Index (ß = -0.30, p = .012). Results might be helpful for everyday practice to identify individuals at high risk for low PA and high SB.

Physical Activity Levels, Correlates, and All-Cause Mortality Risk in People Living With Different Health Conditions.

BACKGROUND: To better understand physical activity behavior and its health benefits in people living with health conditions, we studied people with and without 20 different self-reported health conditions with regard to (1) their physical activity levels, (2) factors correlated with these physical activity levels, and (3) the association between physical activity and all-cause mortality. METHODS: We used a subsample (n = 88,659) of the Lifelines cohort study from the Netherlands. For people living with and without 20 different self-reported health conditions, we studied the aforementioned factors in relation to physical activity. Physical activity was assessed with the Short Questionnaire to Assess Health-Enhancing Physical Activity Questionnaire, and mortality data were obtained from the Dutch death register. RESULTS: People with a reported health condition were less likely to meet physical activity guidelines than people without a reported health condition (odds ratios ranging from 0.55 to 0.89). Higher body mass index and sitting time, and lower self-rated health, physical functioning, and education levels were associated with lower odds of meeting physical activity guidelines across most health conditions. Finally, we found a protective association between physical activity and all-cause mortality in both people living with and without different health conditions. CONCLUSION: People living with different health conditions are generally less physically active compared with people living without a health condition. Both people living with and without self-reported health conditions share a number of key factors associated with physical activity levels. We also observed the expected protective association between physical activity and all-cause mortality.

Evaluation of Non-Alcoholic Beverages and the Risk Related to Consumer Health among the Romanian Population.

The range of non-alcoholic drinks is very varied both from a compositional point of view and from a caloric and nutritional point of view. The excessive consumption of sweetened non-alcoholic beverages represents an important risk factor for health, especially when it is accompanied by an unbalanced diet and a disordered lifestyle. In order to evaluate the consumption of non-alcoholic beverages correlated with the evaluation of the main lifestyle factors that can affect the state of health among Romanians, a cross-sectional observational study was carried out based on a questionnaire. The results of the study indicate that among the most consumed non-alcoholic drinks are coffee and sweetened carbonated and non-carbonated drinks, which are indicated as being responsible for the development of consumption addictions: 44% for coffee, 16.5% for sweetened or tonic carbonated drinks and 12% for sweetened non-carbonated drinks. Considering that the consumption of coffee is usually associated with sweeteners, there is a risk of excessive caffeine and caloric intake in a context where a lack of exercise predominates (59.98%) among respondents declaring that they do sports rarely or not at all, which can lead, in the long term, to the appearance of imbalances either of a psycho-emotional nature or of a metabolic nature. A significant link was found between sports activity and the environment in which they work (χ2 = 51.33, p = 0.05). Respondents with a daily activity that involves movement (working outdoors, working on a construction site) are also those who usually do sports, while 60.67% of the respondents who work a lot in front of the computer declared that they do sports very rarely or not at all. Reducing the excessive consumption of sweetened drinks can be achieved through an appropriate consumption of water and fruits and by intensifying physical activity as a way of counterbalancing the excess caloric intake.

Investigating sedentariness and health status of primary school teachers in Ghana.

OBJECTIVE: Physical inactivity is linked to chronic illnesses and disabilities among workers, especially those in high demanding jobs like teachers. Despite the global prominence of sedentary behavior research, studies drawing the relationships between physical inactivity and multimorbidity among working teacher populations in low-and middle-countries remain untapped. This study assessed the sedentariness and health status of primary school teachers in Cape Coast Metropolis in Ghana. METHOD: This cross-sectional survey employed 1109 primary school teachers from the Cape Coast Metropolis in the Central Region of Ghana, targeting the entire population. RESULTS: Generally, the teachers were highly sedentary and reported poor health status. Other results showed no difference in sedentariness across gender, (n = 1107, t= -0.32, p > 0.05). However, female teachers suffer more pain and discomfort, (n = 1103.51), t = - 3.07, p < 0.05), anxiety and depression, (n = 1099.56), t = - 2.85, p < 0.000), and poor health status (n = 1107), t = 2.14, p < 0.05), than their male counterparts. Also, pain and discomfort, anxiety and depression, health status and years of work significantly predicted sedentariness among the teachers, F (4, 1104) = 5.966, p = 0.00, R = 0.145, R2 = 0.029, adjusted R2 = 0.018. CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that individualized or personalized interventions are urgently needed to promote regular physical activity to improve the health status and reduce associated complications on the health and well-being, especially among the female primary school teachers. Given the health risks of sedentary lifestyle, behavioral interventions at the person-level (i.e., individualized- routine weekly physical activity programs) and built environmental restructuring (e.g., creation of walkways to encourage regular walking) could be done to improve physical activity behavior among teachers within the Cape Coast Metropolis, and perhaps beyond.

Changes in physical activity habits in subjects with type 1 diabetes: A comparative study 10 years apart.

INTRODUCTION: Physical activity (PA) is highly recommended in type 1 diabetes (T1D). Few studies have reported the amount of PA performed by individuals with T1D in their daily life, and there is no information about changes over time. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Cross-sectional study in patients with T1D from a referral hospital recruited in two different periods: data from the Biobank registers from 2009 and data from patients attending visits at the hospital in 2019, on a consecutive basis. Data included clinical characteristics and the PA assessment through the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-short form (IPAQ-SF). RESULTS: In 2019, participants with T1D (n=135) reported a lower sedentary lifestyle and greater levels of high PA compared to subjects with T1D (n=355) from 10 years earlier (6.7% vs. 14.1% sedentariness, p=0.015; and 52.6% vs. 25.4% of high PA, p<0.001, respectively). Similar results were identified when the groups were divided according to sex. Both groups presented similar distribution by sex (women, 54% vs. 55%), age (40 vs. 39 years old), years with diabetes (20 vs. 18 years), BMI (25 vs. 24kg/m2) and glycated haemoglobin (7.5% vs. 7.5%, respectively; p>0.05 for all comparisons). Sex and age groups were not determinant for sedentary lifestyle in the different years studied. Analysing all the 490 participants, there was an inverse correlation of age with sitting hours (p=0.024, r=-0.102), total METs (p<0.001, r=-0.146) and HbA1c (p=0.038, r=-0.097). No correlations were found between PA and HbA1c or BMI. CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicate that PA has significantly increased in subjects with T1D over the last 10 years. Future studies are needed to assess whether these healthier habits translate into better outcomes in this high-risk population.

Economic burden of excessive sedentary behaviour in Canada.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate health care and health-related productivity costs associated with excessive sedentary behaviour (> 8 h/day and > 9 h/day) in Canadian adults. METHODS: Three pieces of information were used to estimate costs: (1) the pooled relative risk estimates of adverse health outcomes consistently shown to be associated with excessive sedentary behaviour, gathered from meta-analyses of prospective cohort studies; (2) the prevalence of excessive sedentary behaviour in Canadian men and women, obtained using waist-worn accelerometry in a nationally representative sample of adults (Canadian Health Measures Survey 2018-2019); and (3) the direct (health care) and indirect (lost productivity due to premature mortality) costs of the adverse health outcomes, selected using the Economic Burden of Illness in Canada 2010 data. The 2010 costs were then adjusted to 2021 costs to account for inflation, population growth, and higher average earnings. A Monte Carlo simulation was conducted to account for uncertainty in the model. RESULTS: The total costs of excessive sedentary behaviour in Canada were $2.2 billion (8 h/day cut-point) and $1.8 billion (9 h/day cut-point) in 2021, representing 1.6% and 1.3% of the overall burden of illness costs, respectively. The two most expensive chronic diseases attributable to excessive sedentary behaviour were cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. A 10% decrease in excessive sedentary behaviour (from 87.7% to 77.7%) would save an estimated $219 million per year in costs. CONCLUSION: Excessive sedentary behaviour significantly contributes to the economic burden of illness in Canada. There is a need for evidence-based and cost-effective strategies that reduce excessive sedentary behaviour in the population.

RéSUMé: OBJECTIF: Estimer le coût des soins de santé et le coût de productivité lié à la santé associés au comportement sédentaire excessif (> 8 heures/jour et > 9 heures/jour) chez les Canadiennes et les Canadiens adultes. MéTHODE: Trois informations ont servi à estimer ces coûts : 1) les estimations combinées du risque relatif des résultats sanitaires indésirables uniformément associés au comportement sédentaire excessif, collectées à partir de méta-analyses d'études prospectives de cohortes; 2) la prévalence du comportement sédentaire excessif chez les Canadiennes et les Canadiens, obtenue à l'aide d'un accéléromètre porté à la taille par un échantillon représentatif national d'adultes (Enquête canadienne sur les mesures de la santé 2018-2019); et 3) les coûts directs (soins de santé) et indirects (perte de productivité due à la mortalité prématurée) des résultats sanitaires indésirables sélectionnés, d'après les données du Fardeau économique de la maladie au Canada de 2010. Les coûts de 2010 ont ensuite été ajustés aux coûts de 2021 pour tenir compte de l'inflation, de la croissance démographique et de la hausse moyenne des revenus. Nous avons effectué une simulation de Monte-Carlo pour tenir compte de l'incertitude du modèle. RéSULTATS: Les coûts totaux du comportement sédentaire excessif au Canada étaient de 2,2 milliards de dollars (point de coupure de 8 heures/jour) et de 1,8 milliard de dollars (point de coupure de 9 heures/jour) en 2021, ce qui représente 1,6 % et 1,3 % du fardeau global des coûts des maladies, respectivement. Les deux maladies chroniques les plus chères imputables au comportement sédentaire excessif étaient les maladies cardiovasculaires et le diabète de type 2. Une baisse de 10 % du comportement sédentaire excessif (de 87,7 % à 77,7 %) économiserait environ 219 millions de dollars de coûts par année. CONCLUSION: Le comportement sédentaire excessif contribue de façon significative au fardeau économique de la maladie au Canada. Il nous faut des stratégies fondées sur les preuves et efficaces par rapport au coût pour réduire le comportement sédentaire excessif dans la population.

Loss-Framed Adaptive Microcontingency Management for Preventing Prolonged Sedentariness: Development and Feasibility Study.

BACKGROUND: A growing body of evidence shows that financial incentives can effectively reinforce individuals' positive behavior change and improve compliance with health intervention programs. A critical factor in the design of incentive-based interventions is to set a proper incentive magnitude. However, it is highly challenging to determine such magnitudes as the effects of incentive magnitude depend on personal attitudes and contexts. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to illustrate loss-framed adaptive microcontingency management (L-AMCM) and the lessons learned from a feasibility study. L-AMCM discourages an individual's adverse health behaviors by deducting particular expenses from a regularly assigned budget, where expenses are adaptively estimated based on the individual's previous responses to varying expenses and contexts. METHODS: We developed a mobile health intervention app for preventing prolonged sedentary lifestyles. This app delivered a behavioral mission (ie, suggesting taking an active break for a while) with an incentive bid when 50 minutes of uninterrupted sedentary behavior happened. Participants were assigned to either the fixed (ie, deducting the monotonous expense for each mission failure) or adaptive (ie, deducting varying expenses estimated by the L-AMCM for each mission failure) incentive group. The intervention lasted 3 weeks. RESULTS: We recruited 41 participants (n=15, 37% women; fixed incentive group: n=20, 49% of participants; adaptive incentive group: n=21, 51% of participants) whose mean age was 24.0 (SD 3.8; range 19-34) years. Mission success rates did not show statistically significant differences by group (P=.54; fixed incentive group mean 0.66, SD 0.24; adaptive incentive group mean 0.61, SD 0.22). The follow-up analysis of the adaptive incentive group revealed that the influence of incentive magnitudes on mission success was not statistically significant (P=.18; odds ratio 0.98, 95% CI 0.95-1.01). On the basis of the qualitative interviews, such results were possibly because the participants had sufficient intrinsic motivation and less sensitivity to incentive magnitudes. CONCLUSIONS: Although our L-AMCM did not significantly affect users' mission success rate, this study configures a pioneering work toward adaptively estimating incentives by considering user behaviors and contexts through leveraging mobile sensing and machine learning. We hope that this study inspires researchers to develop incentive-based interventions.

Increasing physical activity in the vehicle with an interactive seating system in a male sample.

An interactive seating system (IASS) was compared to a state-of-the-art massage seating system (MS) regarding the potential of reducing health risks from prolonged sitting in the vehicle. The study investigated if the systems (1) increase heart rate, which is associated with reduced metabolic and cardiovascular risks; (2) activate muscles with the potential to reduce musculoskeletal pain; (3) influence seating comfort and discomfort. The systems were compared in a passenger scenario in a laboratory study (30 male subjects). Only the use of the IASS significantly elevated the heart rate. Muscle activity showed tendencies to increase in the lower back only while using the MS. In comparison, the IASS activated all six captured muscles. Significantly less discomfort was found for the IASS compared to the MS. In comparison to the MS, the IASS showed a substantially higher potential for reducing health risks from static sitting in the vehicle.Practitioner summary: This laboratory study compared the effects of a novel automotive interactive seating system with those of a state-of-the-art massage seating system. Muscle activity, heart rate and discomfort indicated that the IASS has a significantly higher potential to reduce health risks associated with static seating in a vehicle.Abbreviations: AB: air bladder; AC: active condition; ADSS: active dynamic seating system; CLBP: chronic lumbar back pain; ECG: electrocardiography; EMG: electromyography; IASS: interactive seating system; MS: massage seating system; PC: passive condition; PDSS: passive dynamic seating system; RMS: rootmean-square; TI: time interval.

What do we know about the effect of night-shift work on cardiovascular risk factors? An umbrella review.

Objective: To evaluate the existing evidence on the effect of night-shift work and its subtypes (permanent and rotating) on cardiovascular risk factors: diabetes, lipid disorders, being overweight, hypertension, smoking habits, sedentariness, and occupational psychosocial stressors. Method: A Web of Sciences and Cochrane review library search was conducted to identify systematic reviews with or without meta-analysis dealing with the quantification of the link between night-shift work and the studied cardiovascular risk factors in working populations. We used the AMSTAR 2 to evaluate the quality of each review. The main results of the included systematic reviews were compiled in a summary structured around the different cardiovascular risk factors. Results: After selection, 33 systematic reviews were included: nine for diabetes, four for lipid disorders, nine for being overweight, four for hypertension, two for smoking habits, three for occupational psychosocial stressors and two for sedentariness. The results confirmed an excess risk of diabetes of about 10% regardless of the type of night work. A stated excess risk of being overweight at around 25% was also highlighted for shift workers overall, which could reach 38% among night-shift workers. An increased risk of obesity, estimated at 5% for night-shift workers and at 18% for rotating shift workers, was observed. An excess risk of hypertension was estimated at around 30% when considering the broad definition of shift work and when night periods were included in rotating shifts. The literature provided inconsistent results for the link between lipid disorders and night-shift work. Shift workers appeared to be more likely to smoke. The link between shift work and occupational psychosocial stressors was scarcely explored in the available studies. Sedentariness was scarcely considered in systematic reviews, which prevents any firm conclusions. Conclusion: The consequences of night work in terms of diabetes, being overweight/obesity and hypertension are established. Monitoring of these cardiovascular risk factors for these night-shift workers could be implemented by practitioners. In contrast, the links with lipid disorders, sedentariness, smoking habits, and occupational psychosocial stressors warrant further investigation. Systematic review registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42021275212, PROSPERO (ID CRD42021275212).

Effect of Teaching Methods on Motor Efficiency, Perceptions and Awareness in Children.

Currently, physical inactivity and sedentariness in children are becoming increasingly common, resulting in children's poor ability to perform basic motor patterns. It is important to find strategies that instructors can adopt to improve awareness of the importance of physical activity for health and wellness, as well as motor efficiency. Two teaching methods can be used: prescriptive teaching and heuristic learning. The aim of this study was to compare these two methods to determine which is the most suitable for developing motor efficiency. An additional aim was to verify the children's level of enjoyment and self-efficacy through questions on perceptions and, subsequently, on awareness of the activity performed distinctly from perception. The sample consisted of 28 children randomly divided into two groups: HEUR-L, performing activities using heuristic learning, a basic method in ecological approach; and PRES-T, using prescriptive teaching, a basic cognitive method. A motor-efficiency test (TEM) and a survey were administered. A two-way ANOVA with repeated measures was used to test differences in motor efficiency. A Chi-square (χ2) test was used to compare differences between groups in terms of perceptions in enjoyment and self-efficacy and, on a second test, awareness of the activity performed. The results were statistically significant (p < 0.05). Both teaching methods improved motor efficiency, although HEUR-L did so to a greater extent. Differences in perception were found in terms of enjoyment and self-efficacy (p < 0.05), whereas there was no difference in terms of awareness (p > 0.05). Although both methodologies led to improvements in motor-pattern development, heuristic learning was found to be the most effective method to improve motor efficiency, relationships and self-efficacy.

Associations between Physical Activity Level and Health Services Use in Spanish Adults.

One of the main concerns of governments and organisations worldwide is the cost and burden of health services, with sedentary lifestyles being a significant impacting factor, and physical activity is one of the potential solutions. Therefore, this study aims to analyse the possible associations between the physical activity level, hospitalisation prevalence, and the use and number of visits to emergency services in the Spanish population, examining potential differences between sex and age groups. This is a cross-sectional study based on data from the Spanish National Health Survey 2017 (ENSE 2017), the last one before the COVID-19 pandemic, with 17,199 participants. A descriptive analysis was performed using median and interquartile range (continuous variables) and absolute and relative frequencies (ordinal variables). Intergroup differences were analysed with non-parametric tests: chi-square and z-test for independent proportions (categorical variables), and Kruskal−Wallis and Mann−Whitney U (continuous variables). Spearman's rho was used to study correlations between variables. A multiple binary regression analysis was performed to predict hospitalisations. Hospitalisations and emergency services use showed a dependence relation with the physical activity level (p < 0.001): those who performed moderate and/or vigorous physical activity used those services less than sedentary individuals and those whose only activity was walking. Thus, associations could be drawn between the hospitalisation prevalence, the use and number of visits to emergency departments, and the physical activity level in the Spanish population aged 18−69 years in the pre-pandemic period.

A Sedentary and Unhealthy Lifestyle Fuels Chronic Disease Progression by Changing Interstitial Cell Behaviour: A Network Analysis.

Managing chronic diseases, such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes, chronic lung disease and Alzheimer's disease, account for a large proportion of health care spending, yet they remain in the top causes of premature mortality and are preventable. It is currently accepted that an unhealthy lifestyle fosters a state of chronic low-grade inflammation that is linked to chronic disease progression. Although this is known to be related to inflammatory cytokines, how an unhealthy lifestyle causes cytokine release and how that in turn leads to chronic disease progression are not well known. This article presents a theory that an unhealthy lifestyle fosters chronic disease by changing interstitial cell behavior and is supported by a six-level hierarchical network analysis. The top three networks include the macroenvironment, social and cultural factors, and lifestyle itself. The fourth network includes the immune, autonomic and neuroendocrine systems and how they interact with lifestyle factors and with each other. The fifth network identifies the effects these systems have on the microenvironment and two types of interstitial cells: macrophages and fibroblasts. Depending on their behaviour, these cells can either help maintain and restore normal function or foster chronic disease progression. When macrophages and fibroblasts dysregulate, it leads to chronic low-grade inflammation, fibrosis, and eventually damage to parenchymal (organ-specific) cells. The sixth network considers how macrophages change phenotype. Thus, a pathway is identified through this hierarchical network to reveal how external factors and lifestyle affect interstitial cell behaviour. This theory can be tested and it needs to be tested because, if correct, it has profound implications. Not only does this theory explain how chronic low-grade inflammation causes chronic disease progression, it also provides insight into salutogenesis, or the process by which health is maintained and restored. Understanding low-grade inflammation as a stalled healing process offers a new strategy for chronic disease management. Rather than treating each chronic disease separately by a focus on parenchymal pathology, a salutogenic strategy of optimizing interstitial health could prevent and mitigate multiple chronic diseases simultaneously.

Forced Sedentariness and Sports Activity as Factors Differentiating Anthropometric Characteristics, Indices, and Body Composition in People with Disabilities.

Introduction: Although the assessment of physique and body composition poses methodological, technical, and interpretative difficulties, it is of great importance for the health of people with disabilities. The aim of the study was to demonstrate that sedentariness and sports activity are factors differentiating anthropometric characteristics, indices, and body composition in people with physical disabilities. Materials and methods: Fifty-eight people were examined: 48 elite Polish Para athletes, including Paralympic track and field athletes (PTF, n = 8), sitting volleyball players (SV, n = 15), wheelchair rugby players (WR, n = 25), and individuals with cervical spinal cord injury (CSCI, n = 10). Body mass (BM), body height (BH), body length (BL), waist circumference (WC), hip circumference (HC), body fat percentage (%FT), and visceral fat rating (VFR) were measured. Furthermore, BMI, BMIcorrected, and body adiposity index (BAI) were evaluated. Results: The highest WC, BAI, %FT, and VFR were found for the CSCI group. The type of sport significantly differentiated between anthropometric features, indices, and body composition of the athletes. Sitting volleyball players achieved the highest mean BM (83.9), WC (92.9), HC (103.7), BMI (24.5), BAI (23.4), and VFR (12.6). The highest %FT (28.9) was found in wheelchair rugby players. Conclusions: The results of the present study indicate that forced sedentariness and sports activity among individuals with disabilities differentiate body structure and physique.

Physical activity, sedentary behaviour and screen time among youths with Down syndrome during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19-related restrictions hampered habitual physical activity (PA), particularly affecting the more vulnerable, such as people with Down syndrome (DS). The study aimed to investigate changes in PA, sedentary behaviour (SB) and screen time (ST) of youths with DS, before, during and after the restrictions, also in relation to parental PA levels. METHODS: A cross-sectional design with a retrospective assessment of variables for the before and during restrictions periods was adopted. Parents of youths with DS completed an online questionnaire. Sociodemographic aspects, weekly PA levels and youths' daily SB and ST were investigated, referring to three time-points: before the pandemic, during the restrictions and the restrictions-easing phase. RESULTS: A total of 57 parents voluntarily participated in the study, proxy-reporting on their child (male = 41, female = 16, age = 21.4 ± 7.7 years). A repeated measures multivariate analysis of variance showed negative effects of restrictions (P < 0.05) on PA levels, SB and ST, independently from sociodemographic characteristics. In the restrictions-easing phase, PA levels did not return to before the pandemic values (P < 0.05). A positive correlation between parents and their child's PA was detected before the pandemic (r = 0.38; P < 0.01), no longer reported in the restrictions-easing phase. CONCLUSIONS: The findings showed the negative impact of restrictions on youths with DS lifestyle. Moreover, the importance of addressing the needs of the disabled community including the whole family is highlighted.

Analysis of sedentariness in women from a gender and equity perspective.

ABSTRACTThis cross-sectional study aimed to analyse the social and gender-related factors influencing sedentariness in women, including occupation and family size (FS). We included women aged 45-70 years participating in the Breast Cancer Screening Programme of the Valencia Region (BCSP-VR) between November 2018 and October 2019 (n = 121,988). The response variable was sedentariness measured by sitting time in hours/day (h/day) (<3 h/day and ≥3 h/day). The explanatory variables were age, educational level, country of origin, living alone, childcare responsibilities, FS, disability, body mass index (BMI) and smoking status. Logistic regression models were adjusted for the whole sample and were stratified by occupation and FS. The variables that increased the odds of sedentariness were age ≥65 years (OR = 1.28; CI = 1.20-1.36), high educational level (OR = 1.39; CI = 1.31-1.47), non-manual occupation (OR = 2.38; CI = 2.27-2.48), living alone (OR = 1.11; CI = 1.05-1.17), disability (OR = 1.37; CI = 1.20-1.56) and BMI ≥ 30 (OR = 1.33; CI = 1.28-1.38). The variables decreasing the odds were large (OR = 0.90; CI = 0.87-0.96) and medium FS (OR = 0.93; CI = 0.90-0.97). Older age, high educational level and high BMI conferred a higher odd of sedentary lifestyle, independently of occupation and FS with statistical differences. Protective factors were childcare responsibilities in non-working women (OR = 0.86; CI = 0.74-0.99), large FS in women with manual occupations (OR = 0.88; CI = 0.80-0.97) and medium FS in housewives (OR = 0.91; CI = 0.86-0.97). This study identified social and gender-related inequalities in the factors influencing sedentariness, which were related to the type of occupation and FS.Highlights There are social and gender inequalities in the factors influencing sedentarinessNon-manual occupation increases the risk of sedentary lifestyleBelonging to a medium or large family decreases the risk of sedentary behaviourChildcare responsibilities are related to lower sitting time throughout the day.

Health Issues Due to the Global Prevalence of Sedentariness and Recommendations towards Achieving a Healthier Behaviour.

Sedentariness has progressed in recent years. Here, we summarize the high prevalence of objectively measured sedentariness and the list of health problems associated with sedentariness. According to the literature, a minimum sedentary time of 8 h/d may avoid the harmful effects of sedentariness. Our review of the literature shows that many countries worldwide exceed this threshold. The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has increased the proportion of time spent seated in chairs and/or other types of furniture. Furthermore, prolonged sedentariness will continue to increase because it is assumed that people, at least those in desk jobs, perform their work better when sitting than when standing. Many practical solutions should be implemented to help people reduce their sedentary time. People need to be aware that prolonged sedentariness causes health problems. They need to measure the amount of time spent being sedentary to self-guide their behaviour. They should adopt a new lifestyle to avoid prolonged sedentariness and prolonged standing. In addition, we point out that they should frequently change their posture to avoid fatigue and health issues. For global public health, there is an urgent need to adopt an intermediate healthy/healthier behaviour between too much time spent in the sitting and standing positions.

Impact of School Closures, Precipitated by COVID-19, on Weight and Weight-Related Risk Factors among Schoolteachers: A Cross-Sectional Study.

The school closures, precipitated by the COVID-19 pandemic, required teachers to convert their entire classroom curricula to online formats, taught from home. This shift to a more sedentary teaching environment, coupled with the stresses related to the pandemic, may correlate with weight gain. In total, 52% of study participants reported weight gain, with a higher prevalence observed among kindergarten and elementary school teachers when compared to high school teachers (p < 0.05). Deviations in physical activity, emotional eating, and dietary patterns were assessed among 129 teachers (using the Leisure Time Exercise Questionnaire, the Dutch Eating Behavioral Questionnaire, and a short-form Food Frequency Questionnaire, respectively) to uncover possible associations with the observed weight gain. Increases in sedentariness (p < 0.005), emotional eating (p < 0.001), the consumption of potatoes, fries, breads, cheese, cake (p < 0.05), chips, candy, ice-cream, and soft drinks (p < 0.005) were all positively correlated with weight gain. Decreases in exercise frequency (p < 0.001), and the consumption of fruits (p < 0.05) and beans (p < 0.005), were also positively correlated with weight gain. Weight gain, observed among teachers during school closures, was associated with changes in diet, emotional eating and physical activity.

Sedentary Lifestyle Matters as Past Sedentariness, Not Current Sedentariness, Predicts Cognitive Inhibition Performance among College Students: An Exploratory Study.

Background: Currently, sedentariness is assessed over a short period of time, thus it is difficult to study its cognitive implications. To investigate the cognitive consequences of a sedentary lifestyle, the past level (i.e., the sedentary time accumulated over the years) and current level of sedentariness should be considered. This pilot study aimed to investigate the negative association between a sedentary lifestyle and cognition by considering both the current and past sedentariness. It was expected that the physical activity level moderates the potential negative association between sedentariness and cognition. Methods: 52 college students (Mage = 20.19, SDage = 2; 36 women) participated in the study. Current sedentariness (ratio of sedentary time in the last year), past sedentariness (ratio of sedentary time accumulated in previous years), and physical activity (ratio of time spent in physical activity in years) were assessed using a questionnaire. Cognitive inhibition, cognitive flexibility, and working memory updating were measured through three specific tests. Results: Past sedentariness significantly explained the inhibition performance when controlled for physical activity, whereas current sedentariness did not. More precisely, past sedentariness only negatively predicted cognitive inhibition when the physical activity level was low (ß = -3.15, z(48) = -2.62, p = 0.01). Conclusions: The impact of sedentariness on cognitive functioning might only be revealed when past sedentariness and physical activity are controlled.

Patterns of Sedentary Behavior among Older Adults in Care Facilities: A Scoping Review.

Understanding the sedentary patterns can guide the design of strategies to engage older adults in physical activity. This scoping review aimed to synthesize available evidence on sedentary behaviors in care facilities. We searched PubMed/MEDLINE and Web of Science for studies published from inception through October 2020. Eighteen studies were included and reviewed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Data obtained were analyzed based on levels of care provided. Overall, daily sedentary time was higher among residents in high level care facilities (e.g., nursing homes) (11.6 h/day) than intermediate/mixed level care facilities (e.g., assisted living) (9.5 h/day). In intermediate/mixed level care facilities, television (TV) viewing was the most common sedentary activity (2.5-2.9 h/day; 26% of daily sedentary time), while napping was the most favorite sedentary activity (4.7 h/day; 36% of waking hours) in high level care facilities. Sex differences in daily patterns of sedentary behavior (sedentary time, uninterrupted bouts, and bout durations) were commonly observed in intermediate/mixed level care facilities, as exemplified by men being more sedentary by 0.7-1.1 h/day. In summary, this study highlights distinctive sedentary patterns among older adults residing in different levels of care facilities, addressing a pressing need for customized interventions to engage care facility residents in physical activity.