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Background. Medical students' physical activity preferences are important to explore, as this population subgroup represents future models in society. Aims. To explore the infrastructure and community programs accessed by medical students when being physically active. Methods. Online questionnaire administered to medical school students in Cluj-Napoca and Iasi. Results. 65% of the options expressed accessed free-of-charge infrastructure (outdoor, university and home or around home). Students in the 1st and 2nd years of study accessed the University infrastructure significantly more than their 3rd to 6th year peers. Only 16% of the respondents accessed community programs for practicing physical activity in the last 12 months. Conclusions. Medical school students prefer free-of-charge (outdoor) sport infrastructure and have a very low participation rate in community physical activity programs. Efforts should be directed into research and policy for ensuring proper physical activity services to medical school students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim. The aim of the study was to analyze the association between body mass index (BMI), sleep quality and physical activity. Material and methods. We conducted a cross-sectional study on a sample that included a total of 241 adults randomly selected, to respond to standardized questionnaires on physical activity levels and sleep quality. Assessment of nutritional status was done by measuring and weighing participants to determine BMI. Results. The average duration of sleep was 8.06 hours, the fall asleep interval was of 20.87 minutes and the number of hours of restful sleep per night of 7.14 hours. A total of 88 participants (36.5%) had a poor quality of sleep. Sleep duration was significantly correlated with energy expenditure during work (p=0.024) and recreational activities (p=0.006). Sleep quality was correlated only with energy expenditure in recreational activities (p=0.007). Average and total sedentary time was associated positively with the BMI. BMI increased with poor sleep quality (r=0.177, p=0.006) and daytime sleepiness (r=0.183, p=0.004). Conclusion. The association between BMI, sedentarism, recreational physical activity and sleep quality overlap current nutrition recommendations or physical activity which recommends regular exercise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Regular physical activity may help improve the students' academic performance, including academic achievement and grades, academic behavior such as time on task, factors that influence academic achievement such as concentration and attentiveness in the classrooms. Long term benefits of physical activity help to reduce the incidence of overweight and obesity and chronic disease such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer. Also, regular physical activity may reduce anxiety and depression and promote positive mental health. Aims. To estimate the physical activity level among students and to correlate it with academic performance, such as grades in the previous semester and hours of individual study, and the body mass index. Methods. The study was a cross-sectional survey analysis of 315 university medical students. Physical activity was assessed using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire, the short self-administered form. Academic performance was estimated using additional questions, such as hours of individual study and average grades in the previous semester. Nutritional status was assessed by computing the body mass index. Descriptive statistical tests and multivariate analyses (Games-Howell test, Pearson correlation) using SPSS version 20 were performed. Results. Males performed more physical activity than females (p=0.002). Physical activity was correlated with the body mass index and body weight (p=0.02). The results of the study showed the correlation between total physical activity and the grades in the previous semester. Conclusion. The findings of this study underline the need to increase the level of physical activity among students in order to promote a healthy lifestyle and to improve academic performance. Secondly, the study highlights problems of public health; medical students could have a higher level of physical activity than the general population, being more informed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Elderly people in institutions are subjected to the occurrence of psychogenic iatrogenic disorders often due to communication errors with the medical staff. These lead to mistrust and the appearance of new physical disorders that affect physical activities. Aims. The aim of this study was to evaluate the physical activity, the prevalence of depression and the anti-iatrogenic and antidepressive effect of physical activity of elderly people in state nursing homes. Methods. We included in the study 86 elderly people from a state nursing home in Alba-Iulia in May-June 2008. They were 39 women and 57 men, aged between 61 and 92 years. The elderly people had been in the nursing home between 7 and 10 years. They were divided in two groups: the first group: 40 men with an average age of 75.4±7.5 years; the second group: 36 women, average age 73.2±5.2 years. The following tests were performed: physical activity index (IAF), based on the Dumitriu questionnaire; depression index (ID) based on the Geriatric Depression Scale (SGD), adapted from Sheikh and Yesavage. Results. Body mass index revealed normal values for the majority of the patients in both groups. The Body Mass Index show increased values for the low fitness category males and reasonable fitness category females. The correlation between Body Mass Index and Physical Activity Index is inversely proportional. The correlation between depression scores and Physical Activity Index is inversely proportional. Conclusions. For the elderly people in state nursing homes, aged 70 or older we observed an acceptable physical activity. Physical activity for those aged over 70 years, with regard to the intensity and duration demonstrates anti-iatrogenic, antidepressive effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Physical activity represents an important component of a healthy lifestyle, which contributes to the enhancement of the quality of life and to one's personal well being. This paper represents a review of the scientific literature regarding physical activity and health, taking into account the advantages of physical activity, the risks of a sedentary lifestyle and the factors which impede an active lifestyle. In the second part some recommendations are presented regarding the modification of the school curriculum with the purpose of developing healthy attitudes towards physical activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]