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OBJECTIVE Special clinical characteristics and socio-psychological difficulties are observed in individuals with intellectual disability (ID) which may have a negative impact on the psychological and physical health of their parents. This study aimed to evaluate various aspects of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in parents of children suffering from ID. METHOD The sample consisted of 354 parents, aged 48.15±14.2 years, who had a child attending a special education school or institution. The instrument Health Survey SF-36 (scoring 0-100) was used to evaluate the physical and socio-psychological health of the parents. RESULTS The SF-36 scoring revealed the following results: Physical functioning (PF): 74.35±23.77, role physical (RP): 75.81±37.04, physical pain (BP): 67.23±29.55, general health (GH): 62.47±22.13, vitality (VT): 57.66±20.75, social functioning (SF): 71.97±27.69, role emotional (RE): 68.27±39.77, and mental health (MH): 58.32±22.43. The internal consistency reliability measured by Cronbach's alpha was 0.903. The Kruskal-Wallis non-parametric analysis of variance and the Mann-Whitney U-test revealed no significant gender (father - mother) differences in health-related quality of life, but a significant negative impact of parental age on specific items, namely PF: U=11,088, RP: U=11,898, BP: U=11,070, GH: U=10,422, VT: U=12,042, and SF: U=12,078 (p⩽0.007). The marital status of the parents was negatively associated with RP: U=11,898 (p=0.02) and RE: U=11,376 (p=0.004), and when an increase in the number of children was taken into consideration, analysis of variance also revealed a negative influence on PF: x2=51.665, BP: x2=16.485, SF: x2=19.301, RE: x2=30.670 (p=0.000), and MH: x2=6.840 (p=0.033). Parents with chronic illness recorded lower HRQoL, specifically RP: U=10,566, BP: U=5,652, VT: U=8,334, SF: U=9,414, PF: U=3,618 and GH: U=3,114 (p<0.001). The parental educational status positively affected PF: x2=21.446, BP: x2=6.201, GH: x2=13.827, VT: x2=10.292, SF: x2=17.114 and MH: x2=27.250 (p<0.05). In addition, a negative rela tionship was found between abnormal parental body mass index (BMI) and HRQoL, specifically PF: x2=28.137, RP: x2=11.348, BP: x2=25.325, GH: x2=70.140, VT: x2=41.868, MH: x2=20.897 (p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Parents of children suffering from ID record low scores on HRQoL scales, indicating a poor level of physical and mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE To investigate the immediate adaptations to aerobic exercise of the cardiovascular function of overweight/ obese pre-pubertal children. METHOD The study group consisted of 54 healthy volunteer Cypriot children, aged 11.2±0.5 years, divided according to the IOTF criteria into normal-weight (n=21) and overweight/obese (n=33) subgroups. Measurements were made of their anthropometric characteristics [body mass index (BMI), height, skinfold thickness, and waist, abdominal and hip circumference], and blood pressure and heart rate: (a) At rest, (b) during treadmill exercise at 4 km/h, 5.6 km/h and 8 km/h of 10 min duration at each stage, and (c) at the 3rd min of recovery. In addition, during the last 10 sec of each stage, ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) were obtained using the Children's OMNI Scale (category range, 0-10). Pulse pressure, mean arterial pressure, double product, stroke volume, cardiac output, peripheral resistance and cardiac index were determined using specific equations. RESULTS The normal-weight children had better values of systolic blood pressure (p<0.01), mean blood pressure (p<0.01), resting pulse pressure (p<0.05), heart rate (p<0.05), double product (p<0.001) and cardiac index (p<0.01) than the overweight/ obese children. In addition, the normal-weight children showed a better response in the cardiac index at rest (p<0.05) and at 8 km/h (p<0.01), and at the 3rd min of recovery (p<0.01) than the overweight/obese children. Significant correlation was demonstrated between RPE and BMI (r=0.422, p<0.001), body fat (r=0.375, p<0.01), waist circumference (r=0.344, p<0.05), abdominal circumference (r=0.376, p<0.001), systolic blood pressure (r=0.279, p<0.05), double product (r=0.301, p<0.05), cardiac index (r=-0.331, p<0,05) and exercise time on the treadmill (r=- 0.487, p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS Overweight/obese children showed poorer cardiovascular function and higher ratings of perceived exertion than normal-weight children, due to their poor level of physical fitness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE To examine the factors which affect the cardiovascular function of overweight/obese pre-pubertal children and adolescents. METHOD A total of 1,397 healthy children aged 9-14 years participated in the study. The subjects were divided according to their gender (boys: n=728, girls: n=699), age (9-10 years: n=499, 11-12 years: n=408, 13-14 years: n=490), arterial blood pressure (BP) (normotensive: n=1,169, pre-hypertensive: n=101, level I hypertension: n=96, level II hypertension: n=31) and weight (normal-weight: n=984, overweigh: n=280, obese: n=133). Measurements were made of the anthropometric characteristics (height, body mass), arterial BP (systolic, diastolic) and resting heart rate (Hr) in order to determine the pulse pressure, mean arterial BP, double product, stroke volume, cardiac output, peripheral resistance and cardiac index. RESULTS In this sample, 70.4% were of normal weight and the prevalence of overweight and obesity was 20.1% and 9.5%, respectively. The prevalence of elevated BP was 11.5% in the overweight/obese boys and 9.1% in the overweight/obese girls. The odds ratio (OR) and the relative risk (RR) of both obesity and hypertension were OR=7.36 (95% CI: 4.82-11.24) and RR=4.91 (95% CI: 3.49-6.91) for boys and OR=4.29 (95% CI: 2.79-6.61) and RR=3.27 (95% CI: 2.31-4.63) for girls. The normotensive normal-weight children, irrespective of gender, presented more favourable values of heart rate, double product and cardiac index than the hypertensive overweight/obese children (p<0.001). Stepwise multiple regression using the cardiac index as the dependent variable (y=5.312-0.049×W+0.053×Hr-0.076×DP+0.036×SP-0.175×age), showed that 92.5% of the total variance was explained by body mass (W: 53%), Hr (Hr: 14.3%), diastolic BP (DP: 14.1%), systolic BP (SP: 8.5%) and age (age: 2.6%). In addition, negative correlation was demonstrated between the body mass index (BMI) and the cardiac index (r=-0.646, p<0.001) and positive correlation between BMI and the other hemodynamic parameters (r=0.211 to 0.517, p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS Increased body mass and age affect the cardiac function of overweight/obese prepubertal children and adolescents, irrespective of gender, and are associated with an increased risk of development of hypertension, in comparison with normal weight peers. In clinical practice, it is necessary to implement prognostic indicators in childhood and adolescence aimed at the early detection of risk factors for cardiovascular disease in adulthood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the changes in body composition and lipid profile after a three year systematic program combining aerobic and resistance exercise in healthy elderly women. METHOD Twenty elderly women were divided into two groups: the exercise group (n=10, age 62.0±5.7 years) and the control group (n=10, age 66.2±5.1 years). The exercise program included 3 sessions a week, each of which lasted 50 minutes and combined strength and aerobic exercise. At the beginning and at the end of each 9-month period anthropometric measurements and biochemical analyses were applied. There was a 3 month suspension of the program each year. RESULTS After 3 years of the intervention program, significant differences were recorded between the exercise group and the control group in body mass (p<0.01), body mass index (BMI) (p<0.05), body fat (p<0.01) and blood levels of fasting glucose (p<0.001), total cholesterol (p<0.05) and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) (p<0.01). Each year, after 9 months of intervention, the exercise group presented significantly lower values in obesity indices (p<0.05), fasting blood glucose (p<0.001) and total cholesterol (p<0.001) and higher values in HDL-C (p<0.05) than the control group. These positive adaptations, however, were reversed during detraining (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS Nine months of annual training for a 3-year period induced positive adaptations in body composition and lipid profile in elderly women. Three months of detraining, reversed the favorable adaptations, highlighting the importance of regular exercise in maintaining the positive results beneficial to health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phthalates are a class of man-made synthetic chemicals with ubiquitous human exposures because of their extensive use since the 1930s. Environmental phthalates act as endocrine disruptors, with potential detrimental health effects. High concentrations have been reported in household dust and indoor air, and phthalates are found in a wide variety of common consumer products, such as cosmetics (baby care products, soap, shampoo, conditioners, perfumes), building materials, food packaging, paints, adhesives, lubricants, clothing, children's toys, medications, and medical equipment made with polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastics. Humans are exposed to these compounds through ingestion, inhalation, and skin contact. The most common types of phthalate esters are: di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), di-nbutyl phthalate (DBP), benzylbutylphthalate (BBP or BBzP), also called n-butyl benzyl phthalate, diethyl phthalate DEP, diisobutyl phthalate (DIBP), di-n-butyl phthalate (DnBP). High concentrations of phthalate have been reported in many body fluids, including urine, sperm, amniotic fluid, breast milk, saliva and blood. Public concern over phthalates has emerged in recent years due to their potential human toxicity. Phthalates can disrupt endocrine function and induce reproductive and developmental toxicity. They can cross the placental barrier and may pollute human milk. Because of prenatal phthalate exposure, infants and children are considered to be a population at increased risk, as they are exposed early in life to different sources of phthalates. Although the effects of phthalates on human health are still not fully understood, current research evidence suggests that phthalates may affect primarily the reproductive, endocrine and immune systems. This review synthesizes the current available literature related to phthalates and human health, in an attempt to evaluate the relationship between phthalate exposure, health status and quality of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the eff ects of pre-exercise food on diff erent glycemic indexes (GI) on exercise metabolism and endurance running capacity. 9 subjects performed 3 exercise trials on diff erent days 15 min after ingesting: lentils, (LGI), potatoes, (HGI), and placebo. Each subject ingested an equal amount of each food (1 g / kg body mass) and ran on a level treadmill for 5 min at 60 % , 45 min at 70 % and then at 80 % of VO 2max until exhaustion. Serum glucose concentrationswere higher ( P < 0.01) 15 min after the HGI trial compared to the LGI and placebo trials. In addition, serum glucose levels were higher ( P < 0.05) during the LGI trial at the time of exhaustion compared to the HGI and placebo trials. Plasma insulin levels, 15 min after ingestion, were higher ( P < 0.001) in the HGI trial as compared to the LGI and placebo trials. Exercise time was longer during the LGI trial ( P < 0.05) compared to the placebo, but the time to exhaustion in the HGI condition did not diff er from the placebo (LGI: 90.0 ± 7.9; HGI: 81.8 ± 5; placebo: 73.0 ± 6.4 min). These results suggest that lentils, the LGI food,ingested 15 min before prolonged exercise maintained euglycemia during exercise and enhanced endurance running capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Osteoporosis is the most common metabolic bone disease and postmenopausal women comprise the group at highest risk. During the first five to ten years after the beginning of menopause, rapid loss of bone density amounting to 2-3% annually is observed in women. Osteoporosis can be caused by multiple factors, the major of which are hormonal, metabolic, dietary and mechanical, including the lack of exercise and physical activity. Bone is not an inactive tissue but responds to pressure, as do other tissues of the body. Each change in the form or function of the bone leads to changes in its internal architecture and exterior configuration, so that the skeleton maintains such a level of structural integrity as to support the daily functional activity of the individual. Bone, like muscle, develops hypertrophy in response to a mechanical stimulus (e.g., strain caused by exercise), and conversely is weakened by immobility. Although limited physical activity has been recognized as an additional factor in the etiology of osteoporosis, the contribution of exercise to the management of the condition has not been clarified completely. Initially, aerobic exercise, and mainly walking, was proposed to postmenopausal women. The results, however, were not those initially expected, and researchers then tried to increase the vertical strain with exercises of higher intensity. They also included specialized resistance exercise programs, to promote deceleration of bone deconstruction and maintenance or even increase of bone density in postmenopausal women. The last decade, the combination of strength and aerobic forms of exercise has been proposed as ideal for bone health, even though it has not been extensively investigated. This review studies the recommended exercise protocols and evaluates their effectiveness and possible contribution to the prevention of osteoporosis and their role in the deceleration of the bone deconstruction that occurs at menopause. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on a study which investigates the short term impact of a health education program on school children in the sixth grade of the Second Primary School of Agios Stefanos in Greece. Attitude and behavioral variables were measured before and after the intervention in order to determine the effectiveness of the program. Findings indicated that school health education programs have the potential to counter the age-related reduction in physical activity and help students establish lifelong, healthy physical activity routines.

Although published studies have indicated the effectiveness of strength exercise for improving muscle strength and functional and neuromotor performance in older adults, there is limited evidence concerning the effects and the intensity of a resistance exercise programme. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of a 12-week high- and moderate-resistance exercise programme on functional and neuromotor performance in healthy, inactive older adults. In total, 33 sedentary people (aged 60-74 years) were assigned to one of three groups control; high resistance exercise; and moderate resistance exercise. All three groups were evaluated in the pre- and post-exercise period using the 6-minute walk test, whole body reaction time and one leg stance time. After the exercise period, both resistance exercise groups significantly improved their lower body strength, functional performance (as measured by the 6-minute walk test), whole body reaction time and one leg stance time. Functional and neuromotor performance improved similarly for both high- and moderate-resistance exercise after the training period. The high-resistance exercise was more effective in increasing the lower body strength than moderate-resistance exercise. Results suggest that functional and neuromotor performance can be significantly improved with both high- and moderate resistance exercise protocols. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AIM: The aim of this study was to investigate the infl uence of systematic training in physical growth and biological maturity in prepubertal males and estimate how this affects the physical growth and skeletal maturity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 177 primary school students of the fifth and sixth grade, from schools in Alexandroupolis, participated voluntarily in our study. Questionnaires were used in order to measure physical activity levels. The subjects were subdivided into two groups; control group (prepubertal, whose physical activity was the physical education of their school and which had never participated in systematic training, n = 95) and experimental group (prepubertal, whose weekly physical activity included physical education in their schools and additionally 3-4 training units organized training in various sports clubs in the city, n = 82). The following parameters were recorded: biological age measured by determination of skeletal age; bone density measured by ultrasound methods; anthropometric and morphological features such as height, body composition, selected diameters, circumferences and skinfolds; motor ability features. RESULTS: The experimental group exhibited older biological age (p = 0.033), higher bone density (p < 0.001), lower BMI and body fat (p < 0.001), better anthropometric features and higher performance throughout all motor ability tests (p < 0.05), compared to the control group. CONCLUSION: The present study demonstrates that systematic physical activity has a positive effect on both the physical and biological maturity of pre-pubertal children. This effect is mainly expressed in bone strengthening as a result of the increased bone density and in improvement of the kinetic skills of pupils who participated in organized extracurricular sport-activities.

Background: The aim of the present study was to examine the relationship of vertical jump (Abalakov jump [AJ]) with anthropometric and physiological parameters in youth elite female volleyball players., Methods: Seventy-two selected volleyball players from the region of Athens (age 13.3±0.7 years, body mass 62.0±7.2 kg, height 171.5±5.7 cm, body fat 21.2±4.5%), classified into quartiles according to AJ performance (group A, 21.4-26.5 cm; group B, 26.8-29.9 cm; group C, 30.5-33.7 cm; group D, 33.8-45.9 cm), performed a series of physical fitness tests., Results: AJ was correlated with anthropometric (age at peak height velocity [APHV]: r=0.38, P<0.001; body mass: r=-0.43, P<0.001; Body Mass Index [BMI]: r=-0.37, P<0.001; body fat percentage [BF]: r=-0.64, P<0.001) and physiological parameters (isometric strength: r=0.50, P<0.001; squat jump [SJ]: r=0.92, P<0.001; countermovement jump [CMJ]: r=0.95, P<0.001, Bosco Test: r=0.70, P<0.001; mean power [Pmean]: r=0.61, P<0.001; Fatigue Index: r=-0.33, P=0.005) in the Wingate Anaerobic Test (WAnT). A one-way analysis of variance showed significant differences in APHV, chronological age, body mass, BMI, BF, aerobic capacity (step test and physical working capacity at heart rate 170 bpm), Pmean in the WAnT, isometric strength, SJ, CMJ and 30-s Bosco Test (P<0.05). A Bonferroni post-hoc analysis revealed that group D had older APHV and lower BMI, better aerobic capacity, isometric strength, SJ, CMJ, performance in the Bosco Test, and Pmean in the WAnT, was older and lighter than groups A, B, and C (P<0.05)., Conclusions: Both the findings of the comparison among groups differing for AJ and the correlation analysis highlighted the negative role of excess body mass and fat, and the positive role of muscle strength and power on AJ. Also, there was indication that volleyball players that jumped the highest were those who matured later than others.

The aim of the this study was to establish age- and gender-specific physical fitness normative values and to compare percentiles and Z scores values in a large, nationwide sample of Greek children aged 6-18 years. From March 2014 to May 2014, a total of 424,328 boys and girls aged 6-18 years who attended school in Greece were enrolled. The studied sample was representative, in terms of age-sex distribution and geographical region. Physical fitness tests (i.e. 20 m shuttle run test (SRT), standing long jump, sit and reach, sit-ups, and 10 × 5 m SRT) were performed and used to calculate normative values, using the percentiles of the empirical distributions and the lambda, mu, and sigma statistical method. Normative values were presented as tabulated percentiles for five health-related fitness tests based on a large data set comprising 424,328 test performances. Boys typically scored higher than girls on cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength, muscular endurance, and speed/agility, but lower on flexibility (all p values <0.001). Older boys and girls had better performances than younger ones (p < 0.001). Physical fitness tests' performances tended to peak at around the age of 15 years in both sexes. The presented population-based data are the most up-to-date sex- and age-values for the health-related fitness of children and adolescents in Greece and can be used as standard values for fitness screening and surveillance systems and for comparisons among the same health-related fitness scores of children from other countries similar to Greece. Schools need to make efforts to improve the fitness level of the schoolchildren through the physical education curriculum to prevent cardiovascular risk.