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Background: The increase in physical activity (PA) levels has been known to be associated with improved cardiorespiratory status which helps in reducing non-communicable diseases (NCDs) risks factor. However, the interaction between CRF and anthropometric variables such as age, height, body weight, and body mass index (BMI) stay unclear and needs further study. This study investigated the relationship between CRF and anthropometric variables among school-going adolescent in Nigeria. Methods:Two hundred and fifty (125 male, 125 female) healthy participants ranging from 12 to 20 years of age (mean ± SD: 15.2±1.92 years) who were randomly selected participated in this study. Height, body weight, and BMI were measured. Cooper 12 minutes run exercise tests were conducted to assess CRF as indicated by maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max). Associations between cardiorespiratory fitness, age, height, weight, and BMI were explored by univariate and multivariate analyses at α =0.05. Results: Significant direct associations were found for between weight and age (r = 0.26, p = 0.01), age and height (r = 0.17, p = 0.01), age and BMI (r = 0.27, p = 0.01), weight and height (r = 0.77, p = 0.01), weight and BMI (r = 0.82, p = 0.01), and height and BMI (r = 0.27, p = 0.01). Significant inverse correlation was observed between VO2max and BMI (r = -0.17, p = 0.01). In the regression model, age, weight, height and BMI accounted for 6.1 % of the variance in cardiorespiratory fitness of the participants. Conclusion: Age, height, weight and BMI are significant predictors of CRF in school-going adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: To determine the compliance, barriers, and effects of participation in a four-week exercise intervention to reduce risk factors for NCDs among Setswana-speaking community-dwelling Potchefstroom adults from a low resourced area of South Africa. Methods: An exercise program and associated pre-post test were performed by 76 participants (men, n= 26 and women, n= 50) aged 35 to 65 years. Baseline and end tests included height, weight, hip and waist circumference, heart rate, blood pressure, glucose, cholesterol, quality of life, and cardiorespiratory fitness measurements. The intervention consisted of three days/week combined aerobic and resistance exercise at an intensity of 70% HRR as determined at baseline. Compliance and barriers to participation were determined post-intervention by means of attendance registers and interviews. ANCOVA with adjustment for pre-test was performed for all repeated variables. The Cronbach's alpha coefficients for exercise benefits were 0.81 and for barriers 0.84. Results: Of the 26 men (40.8?5.45 years) and 50 women (43.6 ? 7.8 years) recruited, 54 completed the intervention (71% compliance). The fourweek aerobic exercise intervention significantly reduced body mass, RPE and MCS in men, and body mass, BMI, VO2max, RPE, glucose, PCS and MCS in women. Participants reported that the exercise milieu as a major barrier to exercise compliance while the interviews reported lack of time. Conclusion: A one month exercise intervention elucidated positive changes in risk factors for NCDs in a low-resource community. A drop-out rate of 29 % in this study is consistent with other exercise intervention trials. Exploration of the reported barriers may be useful for planning to increase compliance with future programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: To determine the compliance, barriers, and effects of participation in a four-week exercise intervention to reduce risk factors for NCDs among Setswana-speaking community-dwelling Potchefstroom adults from a low resourced area of South Africa. Methods: An exercise program and associated pre-post test were performed by 76 participants (men, n= 26 and women, n= 50) aged 35 to 65 years. Baseline and end tests included height, weight, hip and waist circumference, heart rate, blood pressure, glucose, cholesterol, quality of life, and cardiorespiratory fitness measurements. The intervention consisted of three days/week combined aerobic and resistance exercise at an intensity of 70% HRR as determined at baseline. Compliance and barriers to participation were determined post-intervention by means of attendance registers and interviews. ANCOVA with adjustment for pre-test was performed for all repeated variables. The Cronbach's alpha coefficients for exercise benefits were 0.81 and for barriers 0.84. Results: Of the 26 men (40.8?5.45 years) and 50 women (43.6 ? 7.8 years) recruited, 54 completed the intervention (71% compliance). The fourweek aerobic exercise intervention significantly reduced body mass, RPE and MCS in men, and body mass, BMI, VO2max, RPE, glucose, PCS and MCS in women. Participants reported that the exercise milieu as a major barrier to exercise compliance while the interviews reported lack of time. Conclusion: A one month exercise intervention elucidated positive changes in risk factors for NCDs in a low-resource community. A drop-out rate of 29 % in this study is consistent with other exercise intervention trials. Exploration of the reported barriers may be useful for planning to increase compliance with future programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Globally, noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) have been continuously reported to be the number one leading cause of reduced life expectancy and poor life quality and have thus become a major public health concern., Objective: This study aimed to investigate the complex mediation analysis between physical inactivity and overweight in relation to mortality., Methods: The study is based on public data collected by the Global Health Observatory of the World Health Organization., Results: We showed that the median early mortality attributable to NCDs during the period 2016-2019 in both men and women was 23.2% (5th to 95th range=17.2, 35.6) while that in men alone was 25.1% (16.5, 45.7) and that of women alone was 22.0% (17.0, 27.9). When considering regional early NCDs mortality for both men and women, a systematically high median was observed in Southern Africa [28.7% (22.2, 43.8)] and a low median in Eastern Africa [21.1% (17.15, 27.3)]. The analysis of the overall relation between physical inactivity, overweight and early mortality due to NCDs revealed a statistical significance of the direct association between physical inactivity and early mortality due to NCDs., Conclusion: Our findings revealed three main epidemiological and public health concerns. First, early mortality attributable to NCDs in a range of about 20 to 30% across the sub-Saharan African regions for both sexes was observed. Second, there was a direct effect between physical inactivity and early NCDs mortality as well as the indirect effect mediated by overweight. Finally, a percentage point decrease in physical inactivity prevalence and overweight could effectively generate a reduction in mortality due to NCDs. Future studies are needed to confirm the scientific evidence observed in this study. Such studies should be based on observation of individual subjects, adopt a longitudinal design, and collect information that evaluates the complex relationship between physical inactivity and early NCDs mortality, along with the role of overweight as a possible mediator., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest: the authors declare no potential conflict of interest., (©Copyright: the Author(s).)

Background: Health education and self-management are among key strategies for managing diabetes and hypertension to reduce morbidity and mortality. Inappropriate self-management support can potentially worsen chronic diseases outcomes if relevant barriers are not identified and self-management solutions are not contextualised. Few studies deliberately solicit suggestions for enhancing self-management from patients and their providers., Objective: This qualitative study aimed to unravel experiences, identify self-management barriers, and solicit solutions for enhancing self-management from patients and their healthcare providers., Methods: Eight in-depth interviews were conducted with healthcare providers. These were followed by four focus group discussions among patients with type-2- diabetes and or hypertension receiving chronic disease care from two health facilities in a peri-urban township in Cape Town, South Africa. The Self-Management framework described by Lorig and Holman, based on work done by Corbin and Strauss was used to analyse the data., Results: Patients experienced challenges across all three self-management tasks of behavioural/medical management, role management, and emotional management. Main challenges included poor patient self-control towards lifestyle modification, sub-optimal patient-provider and family partnerships, and post-diagnosis grief-reactions by patients. Barriers experienced were stigma, socio-economic and cultural influences, provider-patient communication gaps, disconnect between facility-based services and patients' lived experiences, and inadequate community care services. Patients suggested empowering community-based solutions to strengthen their disease self-management, including dedicated multidisciplinary diabetes services, counselling services; strengthened family support; patient buddies; patient-led community projects, and advocacy. Providers suggested contextualised communication using audio-visual technologies and patient-centred provider consultations., Conclusions: Community-based dedicated multidisciplinary chronic disease healthcare teams, chronic disease counselling services, patient-driven projects and advocacy are needed to improve patient self-management.

Background: South Africa established chronic disease management programmes (CDMPs) called 'clubs' to ensure quality diabetes care. However, the effectiveness of these clubs remains unclear in terms of disease risk factor monitoring and complication prevention., Aim: We assessed risk factor monitoring, prevalence and determinants of diabetes related complications amongst type-2 diabetes (T2D) and hypertension (HTN) patients attending two CDMPs., Setting: Urban Township in Cape Town, South Africa., Methods: Cross-sectional survey combined with a 10-year retrospective medical records analysis of adult T2D/HTN patients attending two CDMPs, using a structured survey questionnaire and an audit tool. Statistical Software for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25 was used to analyse risk factor monitoring and calculate prevalence of complications. Potential determinants of complications were explored through logistic regression., Results: There were 379 patients in the survey, 372 (97.9%) had HTN whilst 159 (41.9%) had T2D and HTN; 361 medical records were reviewed. Blood pressure (87.7%) and weight (86.6%) were the best monitored risk factors. Foot care (0.0% - 3.9%) and eye screening (0.0% - 1.1%) were least monitored. Nearly 22.0% of patients reported one complication, whilst 9.2% reported ≥ 3 complications. Medically recorded complications ranged from 11.1% (1 complication) to 4.2% with ≥ 3 complications. The most common self-reported and medically recorded complications were eye problems (33%) and peripheral neuropathy (16.4%), respectively. Complication occurrence was positively associated with age and female gender and negatively associated with perceived illness control., Conclusions: Type-2 diabetes and hypertension patients experienced diabetes related complications and inadequate risk factor monitoring despite attending CDMPs. Increased self-management support is recommended to reduce complication occurrence.