Search

PURPOSE: Heart rate variability (HRV) is a simple, non-invasive, real-time and highly reproducible measurement that represents a significant indicator for assessing a health and physical condition, according to the protocols of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) and the North American Society of Electrophysiological Stimulation (NASPE). Few studies so far on heart rate variability in active duty military personnel. METHODS: 112 male soldiers were enrolled, in the period between March and December 2019, and divided into six subgroups: office work (control group), internal night work, external night work, paratroopers, snipers with and without evaluation. Measurements were made with the Zephyr BioHarness 3 device. Raw data was analyzed with Kubios HRV software. RESULTS: The results of multi:le comparisons of the HRV parameters between the different subgroups showed significant differences for all the considered HRV parameters (p <0.05). Mean HR was significantly higher in skydivers and both subgroups of sharpshooters. Similarly, all the measured time and frequency-domain parameters, SDNN, RMSSD VLF, LF power, HF power, and PNS index were significantly higher in the control group than paratroopers and shooters but not compared to night work (both internal and external). Young age, as well as drug intake, relates with higher HRV levels. No associations were found between smoking habits and HRV parameters, possibly due to the ban on smoking during work. In spite of what was expected, as reported in the literature, night work did not affect HRV parameters, showing no statistically significant differences compared to the control group. CONCLUSIONS Highly demanding work tasks, such as paratroopers and sharpshooters, involve a significantly higher stress index and SNS index than the control group. The intake of non- steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) modifies cardiac regulation, linked to the sympathetic component, as evidenced by the reduction in the HR and SNS index. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Epidemiological studies on the prevalence of musculoskeletal pain have consistently shown that this is a relevant health problem, with non-specific low back pain (LBP) being the most commonly reported in adult females. Conflicting data on the association between LBP symptoms and physical activity (PA) have been reported. Here, we investigated the prevalence of LBP and the effect of a 24-month non-specific PA intervention on changes in LBP prevalence in a series of Italian healthy postmenopausal women. We performed a secondary analysis in the frame of the DAMA trial, a factorial randomized intervention trial aimed to evaluate the ability of a 24-month intervention, based on moderate-intensity PA, and/or dietary modification, in reducing mammographic breast density in healthy postmenopausal women. The PA intervention included at least 1 hour/day of moderate PA and a more strenuous weekly activity, collective walks and theoretical group sessions. A self-administered pain questionnaire was administered at baseline and at the end of the intervention. The questionnaire was specifically structured to investigate the occurrence of musculoskeletal pain, the body localization, intensity and duration of the pain. Two hundred and ten women (102 randomized to PA intervention, 108 not receiving the PA intervention) filled out the questionnaires. At baseline LBP was present in 32.9% of the participants. Among women randomized to the PA intervention, LBP prevalence at follow up (21.6%) was lower than at baseline (33.3%) (p = 0.02), while in women who did not receive the PA intervention the LBP prevalence at baseline and follow up were 32.4% and 25.9%, respectively (p = 0.30). Overall, there was no significant between-group effect of PA intervention on LBP. Further studies are needed to understand the role of non-specific PA intervention, aimed to improve overall fitness, on LBP prevalence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]