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Introduction: The aims of this study were to examine cross-sectional, and longitudinal association of different measures of obesity and physical fitness with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors in adolescents with Down syndrome. Methods: Longitudinal analysis included 90 adolescents with Down syndrome. Obesity and physical fitness were measured following the ALPHA battery. Blood pressure and blood samplings (glucose, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and serum lipid triglycerides levels (mg/dl) were determinated. Results: In cross-sectional analyses, obesity was positively associated with single CVD risk factors and CVD risk factor index (all p < 0.05). In the prospective analyses, obesity was not associated with single CVD risk factors, but components of physical fitness at baseline impact in some single CVD risk factors (all p < 0.05). Conclusion: Obesity might be more strongly related to current cardiovascular-health, while components of physical fitness might be more related to future cardiovascular-health in adolescents with Down syndrome. [This article was written on behalf of the UP&DOWN Study Group.]

Acquiring gait metrics and anthropometric data is crucial for evaluating an individual’s physical status. Automating this assessment process alleviates the burden on healthcare professionals and accelerates patient monitoring. Current automation techniques depend on specific, expensive systems such as OptoGait or MuscleLAB, which necessitate training and physical space. A more accessible alternative could be artificial vision systems that are operable via mobile devices. This article introduces Health&Gait, the first dataset for video-based gait analysis, comprising 398 participants and 1, 564 videos. The dataset provides information such as the participant’s silhouette, semantic segmentation, optical flow, and human pose. Furthermore, each participant’s data includes their sex, anthropometric measurements like height and weight, and gait parameters such as step or stride length and gait speed. The technical evaluation demonstrates the utility of the information extracted from the videos and the gait parameters in tackling tasks like sex classification and regression of weight and age. Health&Gait facilitates the progression of artificial vision algorithms for automated gait analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Aging causes morphological and physiological changes, especially in the musculoskeletal and somatosensory systems, leading to sarcopenia and reduced postural balance, increasing the risk of falls and loss of independence. This study aimed to analyze the effects of a neuromuscular training program on postural balance, physical performance, and muscle strength in older Chilean women. Methods: The double-blind randomized controlled trial included 48 participants aged 65–80 who were divided into three groups: a control group (CG), a multicomponent training group (MCG), and a neuromuscular training group (NMG). Postural balance was assessed using a force platform with open eyes (OE) and closed eyes (CE) conditions, measuring ML velocity, AP velocity, mean radius, and area. Physical performance was evaluated with the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB), including static balance, 4-m walking speed, and 5× sit-to-stand chair test. Muscle strength was measured using a hydraulic hand dynamometer to record maximum grip force. Results: Significant time × group interactions in the CE condition were found for mean radius (F = 0.984; p = 0.017; ηp2 = 0.184), AP velocity (F = 10.01; p = 0.001; ηp2 = 0.312), and ML velocity (F = 4.30; p = 0.027; ηp2 = 0.163). Significant pre–post differences in the NMG for mean radius (p < 0.001), AP velocity (p < 0.001), and ML velocity (p = 0.029) were observed, with no significant changes in CG. Significant time × group interactions were also found in the SPPB test score (F = 11.49; p < 0.001; ηp2 = 0.343), gait speed (F = 5.513; p = 0.012; ηp2 = 0.198), and sit-to-stand test (F = 5.731; p = 0.010; ηp2 = 0.206), but not in the balance score (F = 2.099; p = 0.148). Handgrip strength showed no significant interactions (F = 3.216; p = 0.061; ηp2 = 0.127). Conclusions: These findings suggest that neuromuscular training is a promising intervention to mitigate the decline in balance and physical function associated with aging, offering a targeted approach to improve the quality of life in the elderly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Objectives: The main objective of this study was to examine the association between lifestyle patterns (physical activity, screen and sleep time and diet) and abdominal obesity, and endocrine, metabolic, and immunological biomarkers in adolescents with Down syndrome (DS). Methods: Eighty-three DS adolescents (38.6% girls), aged 11 to 18 years, from the UP&DOWN study were included. Cluster analysis was performed by including the compliance of recommendations of lifestyle variables, such as moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA), screen and sleep time and adherence to the Mediterranean diet (AMD). The waist-to-height ratio was used as an indicator of abdominal obesity. Haematological, biochemical and inflammatory biomarkers were analysed. Results: A three-cluster solution was identified: Cluster 1: adolescents with low compliance; Cluster 2: youth with medium compliance; and Cluster 3: adolescents with high compliance. Significant differences in MVPA (p = 0.000), screen time (p = 0.004), sleep time (p = 0.0001), AMD (p = 0.000) and abdominal obesity (p = 0.003) were found. Clusters 2 and 3 had lower levels of triglycerides and LDL-cholesterol than Cluster 1. Cluster 2, in which all adolescents met the MVPA recommendations, had the lowest levels of galactin 3. Conclusions: Compliance with lifestyle recommendations (PA, screen and sleep time and AMD) and the absence of abdominal obesity seem to be associated with better biochemical and inflammatory values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The aims were to: (1) examine the levels of physical activity (PA) during different time periods (ie, daily PA, school hour PA, recess PA, physical education classes [PEC] PA) in children and adolescents; and (2) identify the rate of compliance with the specific PA recommendations for these time periods. Methods: The participants were 1925 (940 girls) children and adolescents from 40 Spanish schools. Hip-worn accelerometers were used to assess PA during different time periods. Results: Boys and children were more physically active and had a greater percentage meeting the daily PA recommendation and the school-based PA recommendation than girls and adolescents, respectively. Compliance with daily PA recommendation was markedly higher than that with the school-based PA recommendation, regardless of sex and age groups (ie, 80.4% vs 24.1% for daily and school-based PA recommendations, respectively, in child boys). A very low percentage (ie, 9.7% and 1.2% of child boys with almost 50% of moderate-to-vigorous PA during recess and PEC, respectively) of students reached the recommended PA levels for recess and PEC. Conclusions: Physical activity levels during school hours, recess, and PEC in children and adolescents are very low. Promoting PA in school settings is essential, especially in girls and adolescents.

The aim of this study was to describe the goals, activities, and methods of EUMOVE project in developing a set of resources targeting both primary and secondary schools that allow the entire educational community to promote healthy lifestyles (HL). The EUMOVE project is an Erasmus+ program based in the Creating Active Schools (CAS) framework. The project lasted 3 years and was developed by 14 academic and non-governmental institutions from Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, and the UK. EUMOVE was divided into three phases. In the first phase, several work packages were carried out aimed to ensure the coordination/management of the project activities. In the second phase, seven educational resources strengthened by rigorous scientific research were developed to promote HL from schools. During the last phase, all the resources were disseminated through scientific seminars, workshops with families and teachers, and the online promotion by the non-governmental institutions of each country. The EUMOVE project developed and promoted a smartphone APP, video/activity repository of physically active lessons, active break virtual platform, learning units, and parent/teachers/school-leaders' guidelines to promote physical activity, active commuting, active school playgrounds, healthy diet, and sleep habits. To our knowledge, EUMOVE is the first European project to provide a set of practical tools based on scientific evidence to help schools or future school-wide interventions implement a paradigm shift based on the CAS framework for the promotion of HL. Future research will need to investigate the implementation, effectiveness, and scalability of this proposal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The aim of this study was to examine associations of total volume and bouts of sedentary time (ST) and moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) with physical fitness (PF) in youth. Methods: This was a 2-year follow-up study with 1418 children and adolescents (51.7% boys). Accelerometers were used to assess ST and MVPA. Cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness values were objectively measured and combined in a global PF variable. Weight status was objectively obtained. Linear regression analyses were used to examine the cross-sectional (using scores at baseline) and longitudinal associations (using the change in the variables) of total volume and bouts of ST and MVPA with PF. Results: Total ST was negatively associated with global PF (β = −0.488, P <.001 in cross-sectional analysis; β = −0.234, P =.003 in longitudinal analysis). However, this association was not independent of MVPA. Total volume of MVPA showed a positive association with global PF independently of ST and weight status (β = 0.285, P <.001 in cross-sectional analysis; β = 0.119, P =.001 in longitudinal analysis). Longitudinal associations found between ST and MVPA accumulated in bouts of various lengths and global PF became nonsignificant when their respective total volumes are included in the model. Conclusions: These results underline the need to accumulate minutes of MVPA, regardless of the bout duration, to increase PF levels in youth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) may be altered during pregnancy due to pregnancy-related changes in all domains of women's health. Hypothesis: A supervised concurrent exercise-training program from the 17th gestational week until birth positively influences HRQoL. Study Design: Randomized controlled trial. Level of Evidence: Level 1. Methods: Eighty-six pregnant women (age, 33.1 ± 4.6 years; prepregnancy body mass index, 23.5 kg/m2), divided into exercise (n = 41) and control (n = 45) groups, participated in this study (per-protocol basis). The exercise group followed a 60-min, 3 days/week, concurrent (aerobic + resistance) exercise training program. HRQoL was assessed with the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36), where higher scores (0-100) indicate better HRQoL. Results: After adjusting for potential confounders, the exercise group decreased 16.1 points less than the control group in the SF-36 physical functioning domain [between-group differences (B): 95% confidence interval (CI), 9.02 to 23.22; P < 0.01], and 4.5 points less in the SF-36 physical component summary than the control group (between-group differences (B): 95% CI, 0.65 to 8.28; P = 0.02). Intention-to-treat basis analyses depicted similar results, where the exercise group decreased 10.03 points less than the control group the in the SF-36 social functioning domain (between-group differences (B): 95% CI, 0.39 to 19.68; P = 0.04). Conclusion: A supervised concurrent exercise training program ameliorates HRQoL decreases along gestation. Although HRQoL decreased throughout pregnancy in both groups, this impact was less in the exercise group, especially in the SF-36 physical functioning, the SF-36 social functioning, and the SF-36 physical component summary. Clinical Relevance: Healthcare providers may encourage pregnant women to exercise in this physiological stage for a better HRQoL throughout pregnancy. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02582567; Date of registration: 20/10/2015 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]