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Background: Global forced displacement has been rising steeply since 2015 as a result of wars and human rights abuses. Forcibly displaced people are often exposed to physical and mental strain, which can cause traumatic experiences and poor mental health. Physical activity has been linked with better mental health, although such evidence is scarce among those populations. The purpose of the study was to examine the relationships of self-reported physical activity and fitness with mental health indices among people residing in a refugee camp in Greece as asylum seekers. Methods: Participants were 151 individuals (76 women, 75 men; mean age 28.90 y) displaced from their homes for an average of 32.03 months. Among them, 67% were from Afghanistan and countries from southwest Asia, and 33% from sub-Saharan African countries. Participants completed self-report measures assessing physical activity, fitness, symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, and well-being. Results: High prevalence of mental health disorder symptoms and poor well-being were identified, with women and Asians showing poorer mental health. Symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and anxiety were related to perceived fitness, but not to self-reported physical activity. Regression analysis showed that perceived fitness (β: 0.34; 95% CI, 0.43 to 1.52) and low-intensity physical activity (β: 0.24; 95% CI, 0.001 to 0.009) significantly positively predicted well-being, showing small to medium effect. Conclusions: The findings provide useful insights regarding the link between physical activity and well-being; nevertheless, further research examining objectively measured physical activity is warranted to complement these data and further explore the associations between physical activity and mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Accumulating evidence suggests that adolescents' moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) is associated with less off-task behaviour in the classroom. However, the contribution of cognitive functions to this relation still remains unclear. Executive function and aspects of social cognition, which appear to be correlated with MVPA, have been found to determine academic behaviours. Aim: This study examines the direct association between MVPA and off-task behaviour as well as mediations by different cognitive domains. Sample: Forty-six-male and 67-female adolescents aged 13.0 ± 1.3 years were recruited from local schools. Methods: Participants recalled their MVPA. Using video cameras, their classroom behaviours were recorded and a 6-min period was rated for off-task behaviour. Additionally, participants completed a modified Flanker task, which assessed both inhibitory control and cognitive flexibility, a Sternberg paradigm, which assessed working memory, and an Emotion Recognition task. Results: Path-analyses revealed that higher MVPA was associated with less off-task behaviour. Inhibitory control accounted for a partial mediation of this association. The mediating role of inhibitory control was most pronounced for the relation between MVPA and off-task behaviours related to noise. Conclusion: These findings provide a first indication that curricular and extracurricular physical activities targeting specific improvements in inhibitory control may promise transfer effects to classroom behaviours.

Objectives: Refugees may have an increased risk of developing overweight/obesity as they often experience a nutritional transition. Because maintaining good cardiorespiratory fitness can help reduce the negative impact of excess weight on overall health, the objective of this study was to examine whether fitness moderates the relationship between weight status and cardiovascular and mental health outcomes in forcibly displaced individuals living in a Greek refugee camp. Methods: A sample of 142 forcibly displaced individuals were recruited. Cardiorespiratory fitness was assessed with the submaximal Åstrand-Rhyming bicycle ergometer test. Blood pressure, blood lipids, blood glucose, and hs-CRP were assessed as physical health outcomes, whereas post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and anxiety symptoms, pain, and quality of life were assessed as mental health outcomes. Main and interaction effects were tested via analyses of covariance (ANCOVAs). Results: Almost 50% of the participants were overweight/obese, more than 60% presented with very poor fitness levels, and the percentage of participants with very poor fitness levels was particularly high among overweight/obese participants. Whereas overweight/obesity was associated with a less favorable body composition and cardiovascular risk profile, poor fitness was associated with a higher percentage of body fat and a lower percentage of muscle mass. Cardiorespiratory fitness did not moderate the relationship between overweight/obesity and most of the assessed health outcomes. Conclusions: Only limited support was found for the applicability of the fit-but-fat concept to our population of forcibly displaced individuals. Public health services should prioritize measures to prevent overweight/obesity and associated diseases in refugee camps. Moreover, efforts are needed to improve the fitness of camp residents via exercise/sport interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In response to the global scope of forced displacement, international organizations highlight the need of scalable solutions to support individuals' health and integration into host societies. Exposure to high mental and physical stress perceived before, during, and after displacement can impair functional capabilities, essential for adapting to a new environment. This secondary analysis examined the impact of an exercise and sport intervention on cognitive function and pain severity among individuals living in a refugee camp in Greece. Methods: We implemented a randomized controlled trial involving n = 142 (52.8% women) forcibly displaced individuals from Southwest Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. Participants were randomly assigned to a waitlist or a 10-week co-designed exercise and sport intervention with a 1:1 allocation rate between groups and sexes. Assessments at baseline and follow-up included the Flanker task, the Oddball paradigm, pain severity via visual analog scales, and the Åstrand-Rhyming indirect test of maximal oxygen uptake. We analyzed the intervention effects using structural equation modeling. Results: Our findings did not indicate a direct intervention effect on cognitive function or pain (p ≥.332). However, the intervention group significantly improved cardiorespiratory fitness, ß =.17, p =.010, which was associated with faster reaction times in cognitive tasks, ß = −.22, p =.004. Moreover, there was some evidence that adherence might be linked to reduced pain severity, ß = −.14, p =.065. Conclusions: Exercise and sport did not directly impact cognitive function and pain severity among a sociodemographically diverse sample living in a refugee camp, suggesting the need for complementary measures. Nevertheless, our results indicate that improvements in cardiorespiratory fitness benefit aspects of attention. Trial registration: The study was approved by the local ethics committee of the University of Thessaly (no. 39) and registered prospectively on February 8, 2021 at the ISRCTN registry (no. 16291983). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract:Background: Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) often face problems in the engagement and adherence of health-promoting behaviors, such as physical activity and sports. Stimulant treatment is effective for managing core symptoms, but it remains unclear if this type of treatment also normalizes the engagement in health-promoting behavior. In this case-control study, we aim to compare physical activity and sports participation between children with ADHD and healthy peers. Motor skills and aerobic fitness are investigated as potential mediators of differences between groups. Methods: Children with ADHD were matched to healthy peers based on sex, age, and socioeconomic status. Participants (N=120; age: 10.8±1.4) reported their physical activity and sports participation using a 7-day recall protocol. Their engagement in activities at moderate and vigorous intensity as well as participation in individual and team sports was derived from the protocol. Participants further completed the Movement Assessment Battery for Children-2 (MABC-2) and a submaximal test on a cycling ergometer (PWC170). Results: Children with ADHD showed lower vigorous physical activity and participation in individual sports than healthy peers. They also achieved lower scores on the MABC-2 and the PWC170. Based on path-analyses, low PWC170 partially mediated the ADHD-related fewer engagement in vigorous physical activity and individual sports. Conclusion: Children with ADHD undergoing stimulant treatment show less participation in vigorous physical activity and individual sports than healthy peers. Poor aerobic fitness partly contributes to the relation between ADHD and low physical activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of effective (non‐pharmacological) treatment approaches for executive dysfunction in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) requires evidence that factors influencing this domain can be modified by behavioral interventions. The present cross‐sectional study investigated the relative associations of ASD, muscle strength and body mass index with executive function and information processing among the Healthy Brain Network cohort. Patients with ASD (N = 174) and healthy peers (N = 202) aged 5 to 18 years completed cognitive tasks of the NIH toolbox (Pattern Comparison, Flanker, List Sorting, Card Sorting) to assess core components of executive function and information processing. Additionally, anthropometrics and muscle strength were collected from selected items (push‐ups, curl‐ups, trunk lift, and grip strength) of the Fitnessgram battery. Based on structural equation modeling, ASD was related to impaired muscle strength and executive function, when confounders (age, sex, pubertal status, and socioeconomic status) were accounted for. Muscle strength further showed independent contributions to information processing and executive function. This association was moderated by ASD, so that higher muscle strength was related to higher executive function in ASD patients only. The present findings provide a first indication that the promotion of muscle strength may have the potential to generally enhance information processing and to reduce ASD‐related executive dysfunction in children and adolescents. Lay Summary In comparison to healthy peers, children with ASD showed impairments in executive function and muscle strength. Moreover, higher muscle strength was independently associated with better executive function, but only in ASD patients. This is a first indication that the promotion of muscle strength, for example, by regular exercise, could contribute to a reduction of ASD‐related executive dysfunction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Childhood hypertension drives hypertension in later life; hence, assessing blood pressure in children is an important measure to determine current and future cardiovascular health. There is, however, a paucity of childhood blood pressure data, particularly for sub-Saharan Africa. This study explores blood pressure and associations with age, sex, socioeconomic status, physical activity, fitness, and cardiovascular risk markers. In the 'Disease, Activity and Schoolchildren's Health' (DASH) study, a cross-sectional analysis was conducted in disadvantaged neighbourhoods in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. Assessments included blood pressure, accelerometer-measured physical activity, physical fitness, and cardiovascular risk markers. The study consisted of 785 children (383 boys, 402 girls, M = 12.4±0.9 years). Overall, 18% of the children were classified as hypertensive, while 20% were either overweight/obese, and almost four out of ten children did not meet global daily physical activity recommendations. Hypertensive children were more likely to be overweight/obese, χ2 (2,785) = 14.42, p < 0.01, but only if they did not meet physical activity recommendations, χ2 (2,295) = 11.93, p < 0.01. Considering the moderating effect which sufficient activity has on the relationship between hypertension and body weight, more emphasis should be placed on early primary health intervention and education strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of effective (non-pharmacological) treatment approaches for executive dysfunction in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) requires evidence that factors influencing this domain can be modified by behavioral interventions. The present cross-sectional study investigated the relative associations of ASD, muscle strength and body mass index with executive function and information processing among the Healthy Brain Network cohort. Patients with ASD (N = 174) and healthy peers (N = 202) aged 5 to 18 years completed cognitive tasks of the NIH toolbox (Pattern Comparison, Flanker, List Sorting, Card Sorting) to assess core components of executive function and information processing. Additionally, anthropometrics and muscle strength were collected from selected items (push-ups, curl-ups, trunk lift, and grip strength) of the Fitnessgram battery. Based on structural equation modeling, ASD was related to impaired muscle strength and executive function, when confounders (age, sex, pubertal status, and socioeconomic status) were accounted for. Muscle strength further showed independent contributions to information processing and executive function. This association was moderated by ASD, so that higher muscle strength was related to higher executive function in ASD patients only. The present findings provide a first indication that the promotion of muscle strength may have the potential to generally enhance information processing and to reduce ASD-related executive dysfunction in children and adolescents. LAY SUMMARY: In comparison to healthy peers, children with ASD showed impairments in executive function and muscle strength. Moreover, higher muscle strength was independently associated with better executive function, but only in ASD patients. This is a first indication that the promotion of muscle strength, for example, by regular exercise, could contribute to a reduction of ASD-related executive dysfunction., (© 2021 The Authors. Autism Research published by International Society for Autism Research and Wiley Periodicals LLC.)