Body posture and physical activity in children diagnosed with asthma and allergies symptoms: A report from randomized observational studies.

Asthma and body posture abnormalities in children and young people are major epidemiological problems worldwide. Asthma among children and adolescents, its relations with physical activity (PA) and PA relations with body posture were and are still being investigated.The aim of this study was to investigate how body posture is shaped in children diagnosed with asthma symptoms and whether body posture is associated with PA. The study involved 192 children. The main group consisted of 90 children diagnosed with asthma and allergies symptoms age 9 to 12 years old (x = 10.75 ±â€Š1.08). The control group included 102 healthy children at the similar age (x = 10.64 ±â€Š1.1). The level of activity has been assessed on the basis of a questionnaire and body posture assessments were done using a plumb line, pediscoliometer, digital inclinometer.Comparison of percentage of respondents fitting into body posture norms clearly indicates higher value in the group classified as active. In the group of participants diagnosed with asthma, percentage differences of participants with good body posture (without postural defects) were statistically significant. Among healthy children, percentages of the participants were higher in active children than in inactive children.Body posture is directly related to PA and the lack of activity affects disturbances within posturometric parameters. Prevention of body posture abnormalities is worth promoting in groups of children, also with various diseases including asthma and allergies symptoms.

The relationship between physical fitness and health self-assessment in elderly.

BACKGROUND: The process of population aging inclines to seek determinants of the quality of life in the older people. Health self-assessment is the one of the main elements of the quality of life. In the older people it is associated with functional efficiency. The aim of the study was to determine correlations of physical fitness and health self-assessment. METHODS: The study group included 123 people aged 60 to 86 years. Physical fitness was evaluated using the Senior Fitness Test (SFT). Self-esteem of health was assessed by the SF-36 questionnaire. RESULTS: The analysis included sex factor and the occurrence of chronic diseases. When comparing with healthy participants, people suffering from chronic diseases revealed a lower level of physical fitness (P < .05) and health self-assessment (P < .05). The results of a significant percentage of study participants were worse than norms proposed as standards. The percentage of people below norms varied depending on sex, age, and SFT assessment and ranged from 0 to 89.5%. CONCLUSION: Physical fitness and health self-assessment among elderly may be strongly determined by cultural conditions, for example, habits, lifestyle in various regions. The application of conclusions suggests that the key element of rehabilitation programs among elderly should be focused on improving coordination and locomotor capabilities. Assessment of the elderly is more clearly associated with physical fitness in women than in men and also more in patients chronically ill than in healthy person. Comprehensive assessment of physical fitness according to standardized values does not indicate the diversity by sex.