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We face an unprecedented period of history during which COVID-19 is clustered with other global conditions, such as obesity, undernutrition, an infodemic, and climate change. This syndemic (synergy of epidemics) calls for the development of children's and youth's health literacy and socioemotional skills, support for behavioural hygiene (e.g. washing hands, wearing masks), and adults' responsibility and caring. Moreover, it calls for creating conditions for healthy living and learning for all and paying extra attention to inequalities that have increased during the pandemic. Today, more than ever, there is an essential demand for schools to create environments that maintain and promote health for all. Within this commentary, we argue that whole-school approaches, such as the health promoting school, are essential to fight against the pandemic and to prepare schools for future challenges.
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COVID-19 , Promoção da Saúde , Adolescente , Adulto , COVID-19/epidemiologia , Criança , Humanos , Aprendizagem , Pandemias/prevenção & controle , Instituições AcadêmicasRESUMO
OBJECTIVES: to evaluate the impact of school closures, as a measure to contain the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 infection, on the psychological well-being of students of all levels starting from the 2020-2021 school year. DESIGN: a systematic literature review was conducted according to the PRISMA 2020 Guidelines. The literature search was conducted on 4 different databases: MedLine, Embase, PsycINFO, and L.OVE Platform. Quantitative observational studies published until 10.01.2022 were included. Studies conducted during the first pandemic wave, i.e., during the 2019-2020 school year and/or during the mandatory lockdown or confinement period, were excluded. The methodological quality of the studies was assessed with validated scales. Study selection, data extraction, and quality assessment were carried out independently by two authors. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: children, adolescents, and young people attending all levels of education (including universities) and, for reasons related to COVID-19, having a suspension of "in presence" school or attending classes remotely. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: a. outcomes directly related to mental health: suicides, emergency department visits, and hospitalizations for psychiatric problems; anxiety and depression, emotional difficulties, feelings of loneliness and isolation; b. well-being outcomes: sleep quality, perceived well-being (by child/adolescent/youth or referred by parents); c. health-related behaviours: tobacco smoking, alcohol, drug use. Outcomes related to school/academic performance, physical health, and those related to parents were not considered. RESULTS: after having removed duplicate articles, 2,830 records were retrieved with the bibliographic search. Twelve studies (2 uncontrolled before-after studies and 10 cross sectional surveys) were included, involving a total of 27,787 participants. Three studies involved university students, 2 involved high school students, and the remaining involved a mixed population of students attending primary and middle schools. The studies were conducted between September 2020 and April 2021. The methodological quality was rated as high in five studies and intermediate in the remaining studies. Due to the high heterogeneity of outcome measures and statistical analyses performed among the included studies, it was not possible to conduct a meta-analysis of the results of the considered publications. Nevertheless, the present review showed a clear signal of increase in mental health problems in relation to school closure or virtual instruction. In particular, results suggest evidence of association between school closure and risk of suicidal attempts or thoughts, mental health symptoms such as anxiety, depression, emotional disorders, psychological stress. Sleeping problems, drug and alcohol addiction were poorly studied. CONCLUSIONS: despite the limitations of the included studies and possible residual confounding and contamination due to restrictive measures and social isolation implemented during the pandemic, the available evidence confirms the negative impact on students' mental health associated with school closures and distance learning. Given the availability of vaccination also for young children, a long period of school closure should be avoided also in the case of the emergence of new pandemic waves.
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COVID-19 , Suicídio , Criança , Adolescente , Humanos , Pré-Escolar , Saúde Mental , COVID-19/epidemiologia , Estudos Transversais , Controle de Doenças Transmissíveis , SARS-CoV-2 , Itália , Comportamentos Relacionados com a SaúdeRESUMO
OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to explore the association between fear of falling (FOF), dual-task ability during a mobility task, and the activities of daily living (ADL) in a sample of older adults. METHODS: Seventy-six older adults (mean age M = 70.87 ± 5.16 years) participated in the study. Data on FOF (using the Falls Self-Efficacy Scale-International), walking ability during both single- and dual-task performances and ADL were collected. RESULTS: Mediation analysis demonstrated the mediation effect of dual-task ability (ß = 0.238, p = 0.011) between FOF and ADL level (ß = 0.559, p < 0.001). Moreover, significantly lower performances were observed during dual-task condition [F (2, 73) = 7.386, p < 0.001], and lower ADL levels were also found in older adults with FOF [F (2, 73) = 13.734, p < 0.001]. CONCLUSION: The study underlines the relationship between FOF, dual-task ability and ADL level. These results could be used to develop specific intervention programmes for successful ageing.
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Acidentes por Quedas , Atividades Cotidianas , Envelhecimento/fisiologia , Função Executiva/fisiologia , Medo , Desempenho Psicomotor/fisiologia , Caminhada/fisiologia , Idoso , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Aptidão/fisiologia , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , AutoeficáciaRESUMO
The aim of this study was to determine the effects of dancing activity based on different dance styles, in groups as well as with a partner, on mobility performance, quality of life and social engagement in a sample of older adults. One hundred and sixty-three older adults (mean age, 70 years; SD = 4 years) participated in a supervised dancing activity programme for 16 weeks. The dancing activity included different dance routines and was progressive in terms of motor complexity. Data on mobility, health-related quality of life and social engagement were collected before and after a 16-week training period. Significant improvements in mobility, quality of life and social engagement were noted in single as well as dual-task performance after the intervention. Our results emphasise the benefit of a 16-week dance training on multidimensional features, including physical and psychosocial domains, which are important for successful ageing.
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Envelhecimento , Dança/fisiologia , Relações Interpessoais , Qualidade de Vida/psicologia , Idoso , Dança/psicologia , Exercício Físico , Feminino , Humanos , MasculinoRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Tobacco and marijuana smoking are very popular in adolescence and there is a high rate of comorbidity between them, even in young adulthood. Parental support and control may hinder involvement in the use of these substances by promoting conventional values among adolescents. OBJECTIVES: The present study investigates the relations between family functioning (parental support and control) and psychoactive substance use (tobacco and marijuana smoking) and determines whether these relationships are mediated by personal values (in terms of disapproval of deviance and beliefs about the importance of school, health and religion). METHODS: 175 Italian late adolescents (17 to 20 years old) participated in this two-wave longitudinal study. Data were collected at school through an anonymous questionnaire. RESULTS: Greater parental control and support were directly associated with lower adolescent tobacco and marijuana use; adolescent acceptance of conventional values mediated the association between parenting and adolescent marijuana use. CONCLUSION: Findings emphasize the influence of family relationships throughout adolescence. The transmission of conventional values to adolescents may be a critical mechanism through which parenting protects adolescents from substance use, especially marijuana use.
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Fumar Maconha/psicologia , Relações Pais-Filho , Poder Familiar/psicologia , Percepção , Fumar Tabaco/psicologia , Adolescente , Feminino , Humanos , Itália , Estudos Longitudinais , Masculino , Fumar , Inquéritos e Questionários , Adulto JovemRESUMO
Intra-individual variability is a central topic in Nonlinear Dynamical Systems (NDS) studies of human development, because the theory predicts that particular forms or properties of intra-individual variability will serve as indicators or predictors of bifurcations, and stable states in individual development. Currently, there are almost no studies that address intra-individual changes and variability of Health Related Quality of Life in old age. The main aim of this paper is to analyze the role of day-to-day HRQOL variability and long term HRQOL and disability development in a sample of institutionalized older adults. 22 older adults took part in this longitudinal study. Daily diary-based assessments were made for a period of 100 days. Furthermore, monthly assessments of HRQOL and disability with validated questionnaires were performed. The intra individual variability on a day-to-day basis was found to be related to HRQOL and disability development. Furthermore, life events as operationalized by extreme values in HRQOL were related to the level of day-to-day HRQOL variability. As predicted by NDS theory, day-to-day variability emerges as an important indicator of levels of and changes in HRQOL and disability and as such, it may be an important indicator of developmental processes in old age.
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Atividades Cotidianas , Nível de Saúde , Qualidade de Vida/psicologia , Idoso , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Feminino , Humanos , Institucionalização , Itália , Estudos Longitudinais , Masculino , Método de Monte Carlo , Dinâmica não Linear , Reprodutibilidade dos Testes , Inquéritos e QuestionáriosRESUMO
Functional aging processes are characterized by a loss of performance capabilities for most physiological systems, such as aerobic endurance and lower body strength, which are important for independent living and active aging. The present study examines the direction of influence between aerobic endurance and lower body strength over time in Italian sedentary older adults. A three-wave longitudinal model was tested using cross-lagged analysis for 202 individuals aged over 65 years (mean = 73.92, SD = 5.84; 140 females). Analysis revealed that aerobic endurance and lower body strength decline over time. In addition, greater aerobic endurance positively affected lower body strength over time; however, the converse was true only during the first period (first 6 months). These findings emphasize the importance of these relationships for the design and implementation of effective physical intervention for older adults.
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Envelhecimento/fisiologia , Extremidade Inferior/fisiologia , Força Muscular/fisiologia , Resistência Física/fisiologia , Sarcopenia/fisiopatologia , Comportamento Sedentário , Idoso , Feminino , Humanos , Itália , Estudos Longitudinais , MasculinoRESUMO
This study investigated the association between physical functioning and activities of daily living (ADL) of elderly people, taking into account the role of cognitive, psychological, and social factors. We administered physical, cognitive, psychological, and social instruments to investigate the level of basic and instrumental activities of daily living (BADL and IADL). The analysis showed that physical functioning was the only individual factor that was significantly linked with the level of BADL and IADL. This study underlines that physical functioning is the main individual characteristic directly associated with the level of BADL and IADL in old age.
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Atividades Cotidianas , Serviços de Saúde para Idosos , Autonomia Pessoal , Idoso , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Estudos Transversais , Feminino , Enfermagem Holística , Humanos , Masculino , Modelos Psicológicos , Fatores de RiscoRESUMO
This pilot study identified the effect and the feasibility of neuromotor training in a group of ageing women living in a long-term care setting. Thirty-five older women (mean age, 84.18 years; SD = 5.92 years) participated in the study. Twenty women were in the intervention group, and 15 women were in the control group. Data on mobility, activities of daily living (ADL) and fear of falling were collected before and after the 16-week training period. The neuromotor training program was based on concepts from motor control and motor learning. All participants completed the training program, and no adverse events occurred. The intervention group showed steady and significant improvements in mobility, ADL and fear of falling after the intervention, but the control group did not exhibit significant changes. Moreover, mediation analysis demonstrated the role of mobility as a mediator between participation in physical training and fear of falling.
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Terapia por Exercício/métodos , Exercício Físico/fisiologia , Assistência de Longa Duração , Idoso , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Feminino , Humanos , Projetos PilotoRESUMO
Lack of exercise contributes to systemic inflammation and is a major cause of chronic disease. The long-term impact of initiating and sustaining exercise in late life, as opposed to sustaining a sedentary lifestyle, on whole-body health measures such as physical performance is not well known. This is an exploratory study to compare changes in physical performance among older adults initiating exercise late in life versus inactive older adults. Data from two observational cohorts were included in this analysis, representing two activity groups. The Active group cohort comprises older adults (n = 318; age 72.5 ± 7.2 years) enrolled in a supervised exercise program, "Gerofit." The inactive group comprises older adults (n = 146; age 74.5 ± 5.5 years) from the Italian study "Act on Ageing" (AOA) who self-reported being inactive. Participants in both groups completed physical performance battery at baseline and 1-year including: 6-min walk test, 30-s chair stand, and timed up-and-go. Two-sample t-tests measured differences between Gerofit and AOA at baseline and 1-year across all measures. Significant between-group effects were seen for all performance measures (ps = 0.001). The AOA group declined across all measures from baseline to 1 year (range -18% to -24% change). The Gerofit group experienced significant gains in function for all measures (range +10% to +31% change). Older adults who initiated routine, sustained exercise were protected from age-related declines in physical performance, while those who remained sedentary suffered cumulative deficits across strength, aerobic endurance, and mobility. Interventions to reduce sedentary behaviors and increase physical activity are both important to promote multi-system, whole-body health.
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Exercício Físico , Comportamento Sedentário , Humanos , Idoso , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , EnvelhecimentoRESUMO
Background: Two years after the outbreak of the pandemic, several studies look at the consequences for the well-being and mental health of young people. In particular, creativity and resilience are cited in the scientific literature as resources that promote this well-being in adolescents and young adults. Purpose: This mini-literature review was created with the aim of examining how many articles have explored the relationship between creativity and resilience in adolescents and young adults since the onset of the pandemic. Methods: Particular attention was paid to how many of the articles actually related to the consequences of the pandemic, in which country they were published, their target population, and the models, instruments and variables used to analyze them. Results: Only 4 articles emerged from the screening, of which only one was actually related to pandemic consequences. All articles were published in Asian countries with a target group of university students. Three of the articles used mediation models to examine the relationship between resilience as an independent variable and creativity as a dependent variable. All articles used self-assessment instruments for creativity and resilience, both at the individual and group level. Significance: This mini-review offers us the opportunity to reflect on the lack of studies that have addressed the issue of youth resources in the form of creativity and resilience since the beginning of the pandemic. The results show us a still underdeveloped interest in creativity in the scientific literature, in contrast to what the media reports on the promotion of creativity in daily life.
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Saúde Mental , Pandemias , Humanos , Adolescente , Adulto Jovem , Surtos de Doenças , ÁsiaRESUMO
Longer life spans and the delayed economic and psychological independence of children mean that middle-aged parents find themselves caring for parents and children at the same period in their lives, at times this care may extend to grandchildren and grandparents. The type of care varies depending on each person's need but also on the gender of the individual who looks after their parents while taking care of their own children. Cultural factors can also come into play. Complications in the lives of those who are part of the Sandwich Generation (SG) may arise affecting the quality of their time, their psyche, physical and financial situation. Having the necessary skills and strategies to cope with these complications is extremely important.
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This study investigates changes in physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior in an Italian university community during Phase 1 of SARS-CoV-2 lockdown ("stay at home" government decree, from March 8th to May 4th, 2020) compared to their habits prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. We also examine differences according to gender, university position, BMI categories, and sport participation. A total of 2596 people (median age 24, IQR 11 years; 70.8% women) filled out a survey after eight weeks of statutory confinement at home. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire measured PA and sedentary behavior in a typical week before and during lockdown. Physically inactive people passed from 10.9% to 35.0% before−during the lockdown. The total amount of PA decreased (median 2307 vs. 1367 MET-min/week; p < 0.001), while sedentary behavior increased (median 349 vs. 440 min/day; p < 0.001) between before and during the lockdown. The following categories showed a higher reduction in the total amount of PA: men when compared to women; people with normal weight when compared to pre-obese/obese people; and people who played sports when compared to those who did not play sports. There is a need to propose PA/exercise programs to counteract physical inactivity and sedentarism during a social emergency, with special attention to people who showed higher PA reduction.
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COVID-19 , Masculino , Humanos , Feminino , Adulto Jovem , Adulto , COVID-19/epidemiologia , Comportamento Sedentário , SARS-CoV-2 , Pandemias , Controle de Doenças Transmissíveis , Exercício Físico , Obesidade/epidemiologia , Itália/epidemiologiaRESUMO
This chapter discusses specifics of identity formation in Italian adolescents and emerging adults. We review consistent evidence illustrating that, in Italy, a progressive deferral of transition to adulthood strongly impacts youth identity development by stimulating identity exploration and postponement of identity commitments. We also consider the influence of ecological contexts and specific Italian groups (i.e., immigrant adolescents and those who drop out of school, youth living in disadvantaged areas in the south of Italy, and emerging adults who are unemployed or hold precarious jobs) for which the identity formation process is particularly challenging.
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Comportamento do Adolescente , Autonomia Pessoal , Identificação Social , Adolescente , Humanos , Itália , Adulto JovemRESUMO
Background: Frailty is a well-known condition that leads to a lack of resilience, with a reduced homeostatic capacity and a consequent higher risk of suffering adverse health outcomes. This study investigated the effectiveness of an exercise program to improve and reverse physical frailty amongst Italian older adults. Methods: One hundred and twenty-three community dwelling older adults (mean age 74 years, SD = 6; 64% women) were involved in an experimental (EG; n = 62) and a control (CG; n = 61) group. Frailty was assessed at baseline and after the intervention using an adapted version of the frailty phenotype. The EG took part in a 16-week exercise program, consisting of endurance, strength, balance and flexibility exercises, while the CG maintained the same routine. Results: After the exercise program, the EG was more robust than the CG (F = 43.51, p < 0.001). Within the EG, 46% of pre-frail and 50% of frail people reached the robust and pre-frail levels, respectively. Effects of training were higher in frail and pre-frail people (reduction of frailty of 0.67 and 0.76 points, respectively) compared to robust ones (who frailty levels increased by 0.23 points; F = 11.32, p < 0.001). Conclusions: A multicomponent exercise program may be effective at improving and reverting frailty, specifically for frail and pre-frail people.
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Implementing a Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) approach in school requires monitoring certain skills. As awareness of SEL increases in Italy, it is necessary to provide instruments to monitor these skills within a systemic approach. This study presents the cultural adaptation/validation of 5 scales from Panorama Education, which are widely used in school districts in the United States, to the Italian middle/high school context: Grit, Sense of Belonging, Self-Management, Social Awareness, and Self-Efficacy. After cultural adaptation, 709 middle/high school students answered an online questionnaire (2021). Psychometric properties showed good internal consistency and confirmatory factor analysis showed a good fit index. The differences in gender and grade level support the validity of the instrument.
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One of the many drastic changes caused by Covid-19 was the quick implementation of distance learning which represented a great technological challenge to many teachers and students. In fact, Italy ranks 24th amongst the 27-EU member countries in digital competitiveness which testifies to the significant delays and gaps in basic digital skills amongst the population. Based on the difficulties encountered in organizing distance learning, we assumed that teachers' perceived stress increased. Given that transversal skills can be associated with this relationship, we hypothesized that among these skills, self-efficacy mediated the relationship between the difficulties in organizing distance learning and perceived stress. Since we targeted teachers from Italy and other European countries, we also hypothesized that this mediator effect would be different for both samples. Our sample was composed of a total of 366 primary/middle school teachers of which 86% female. After doing a mediation analyses with Process, Hayes' Model 4, we confirmed H1 but not H2: resulting in a partial mediation effect of self-efficacy for each individual group of teachers. Since difficulties of distance learning can affect the perception of stress, we believe that the promotion of transversal skills, such as self-efficacy, can better equip teachers when facing stressful situations.
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In Italy, COVID-19 lockdown was imposed from 8 March until 3 May 2020 with negative consequences on the lifestyles and health of people. Within this context, the paper aims: (i) to analyse the impact of COVID-19 lockdown on perceived weight changes; (ii) to evaluate factors associated with the perception of weight changes (Body Mass Index (BMI), sleep quality, time spent in sedentary activities), in an Italian academic community of students and workers. A total of 3666 participants took part in this cross-sectional study (2838 students and 828 workers, of whom 73.0% were female). T-test, Chi-square test and the two-way ANOVA were used. Results showed that 43.3% of participants perceived a weight gain. Workers experienced a more substantial increase in body weight (0.7 kg) compared to students (0.3 kg; p = 0.013). A significant difference between preobese/obese workers (0.9 kg) and students (-0.3 kg; p < 0.001) was found. Overall, 57.0% of the sample was characterized by high levels of sedentary activities. Sedentary people noticed a higher weight gain (0.4 kg) compared to less sedentary people (0.3 kg; p = 0.048). More than 45% of participants reported a worsening of sleep quality and showed a perceived increase in body weight (0.5 kg) in comparison to those who improved their sleep quality (no weight change; p = 0.001). Designing tailored interventions to promote health-related behaviours during lockdown periods is essential.
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COVID-19 , Controle de Doenças Transmissíveis , Estudos Transversais , Feminino , Humanos , Itália/epidemiologia , Masculino , SARS-CoV-2 , SonoRESUMO
This study examined the effect of a secondary motor task on walking ability, whether performance differed according to age and the possible relationship between cognitive abilities, specifically working memory, and dual-task costs in children with typical development. Fifty-three female children (mean age M = 10 ± 2 years), were divided into two different age groups: a young (7-9 years; n = 17) and an older group (10-13 years; n = 36). First, participants performed a Walking Test (WT) without additional tasks; afterward, they performed the same walking test while performing each of the following tasks: carrying (1) a glass of water, (2) a ball on a round tray and (3) the combination of both tasks (1) and (2). The Test of Memory and Learning were used to assess working memory. WTs under a dual-task condition generally produced worse results compared to a single-task condition [F(3,135) = 32.480, p < 0.001]. No age-related difference was observed [F(1,45) = 0.497, p = 0.485]. Age, digit forward and backward, facial memory, and paired recall accounted altogether for 28.6% of variance in dual-task ability during WT while carrying a glass of water and a ball on a round tray. Specifically, facial memory significantly accounted for the variance of DTC in WTWT (ß = -0.381, p = 0.016). Moreover, a trend toward a statistical significance was observed for digit forward (ß = -0.275, p = 0.085). Results underlined that regardless of the age, a dual-task performance might affect walking performance depending on the required secondary task. Moreover, our results showed the association between working memory skills and dual-task cost in walking ability.
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OBJECTIVES: Dual-task (DT) performance is common to most activities of daily living and difficulties in DT activities may reduce quality of life in older adults. This study investigated the effect of DT training in a sample of older adults. METHODS: Sixty older adults (mean=74.4±3.1years) participated in the study. Twenty-two older adults were included in the control (CG), 19 in the single-task (ST) training and 19 in DT training group. ST group received balance and walking training twice a week for16 weeks, while DT training group performed the same training with additional motor tasks. Data were gathered on 6m timed walk (6MTW), timed up and go test (TUG) and four square step test (FSST). DT conditions required participants to complete 6MTW, TUG and FSST, either (i) while carrying a glass of water or (ii) while carrying a ball on a round tray. RESULTS: A significant Group x Time interaction was found in TUG (F [2,57]=29.5; p<0.01; partial η2=0.51) and in FSST (F [2,57]=23.2; p<0.01; partial η2=0.44). After intervention DT showed better scores in overall TUG (mean difference=1.21s [95% CI, 0.82-1.60]; p<0.05) and FSST (mean difference=2.51s [95% CI, 1.67-3.35]; p<0.01), whereas CG and ST did not exhibit significant changes. CONCLUSION: Our results suggested that 16 weeks of motor DT training, using motor additional tasks as manipulation of common objects of everyday life, could improve mobility in older age.