Parental Factors Related to Physical Activity among Adolescent Men Living in Built and Natural Environment: A Population-Based MOPO Study

Level, types and determinants of physical activity in children with type 1 diabetes and their parents: A cross-sectional study

AIM

The aim of the study was to describe the level, types and determinants of leisure time PA and exercise among children with type 1 diabetes and their parents.

METHODS

One hundred twenty children aged 6-18 years with type 1 diabetes and 113 parents (n = 113) participated to this questionnaire-based study at Northern Ostrobothnia District Hospital in Oulu, western Finland. All participants gave informed consent before entering this study.

RESULTS

Twenty-three per cent of the children exercised briskly for at least 7 h a week which corresponds to 60 min per day. The total PA occasions children had with a parent accounted for the children's total number of PA occasions in a week (β = 0.83, 95% CI 0.20-1.47) and total weekly hours of PA (β = 0.90, 95% CI 0.07-1.73). There was a positive association between total weekly hours of brisk PA and HbA1 c (β = 0.65, 95% CI 0.02-0.13), while there was no such association with light PA (β = 0.42, 95% CI -0.04-0.87). Laziness, fear of unexpected glycaemic variability and tiredness were the most frequent barriers to PA in children.

CONCLUSION

Most of the children with type 1 diabetes did not reach generally recommended 60 min of brisk PA a day. Exercising with a parent was positively associated with children's weekly frequency and total hours of PA.

Perception of the Neighborhood Environment, Physical Activity by Domain and Sitting Time in Brazilian Adults

This study aimed to examine the association between the neighborhood environment and domain-specific physical activity and sitting time in Brazilian adults. This cross-sectional study included 1803 adults (53.7% women) from Brazil's five regions (North, Northeast, Midwest, Southeast and South). The perception of the environment was evaluated via a questionnaire. We considered seven indicators of the neighborhood environment: land use mix-diversity, land use mix-access, street connectivity, walking/cycling facilities, aesthetics, safety from traffic and safety from crime. Using the IPAQ, we evaluated physical activity (transport and leisure) and sitting time. Overall, land use mix-diversity (β = 3.22; 95% CI = 0.26, 6.19), land use mix-access (β = 2.27; 95% CI = 0.76, 3.79), and walking/cycling facilities (β = 2.42; 95% CI = 0.35, 4.49) were positively associated with leisure-time physical activity (min/week). On the other hand, only land use mix-diversity (β = 3.65; 95% CI = 0.63, 5.49) was positively associated with transport physical activity (min/week). No neighborhood environment indicator was associated with sitting time (min/day). Perception of the neighborhood environment was associated with physical activity (transport and leisure), while no significant associations occurred with sitting time among the five regions of Brazil. The neighborhood environment can be a viable component in the promotion of physical activity, but geographic diversity must be considered.

Personal, social, and environmental correlates of physical activity and sport participation in an adolescent Turkish population

Background

Benefits of physical activity has been shown for adolescents; however, there is a decline trend in number of adolescents meeting current WHO recommendations. This trend underlines the importance of identifying factors associated with adolescents’ physical activity level (PAL) with considerations of regional and cultural differences to plan and implement effective policies. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine personal, ecological, and social factors associated with PAL and sport participation in Turkish adolescents aged 11–14 years. A cross-sectional study was conducted by including 996 adolescents aged between 11 and 14 years from 39 secondary schools in İstanbul, Turkey. Logistic regression analyses performed to identify the significant personal (age, gender, sleep time, screen time, BMIz score, having siblings), ecological (presence of playground, type of school transportation), and social (family income, engaging a physical activity with family, and preferred activity at school breaks) predictors of PAL and sport participation.

Results

Adolescents who were active during break time at school (p < 0.001), engaging a physical activity with family (p < 0.001), and did not have a sibling (p = 0.029) were more likely to be physically active. Adolescents behaved active during break time at school (p < 0.001), had a playground at home (p < 0.001), spending time with family for physical activity (p < 0.001), and did not have a sibling (p = 0.021) were more likely to participate in a sport activity.

Conclusions

Predictors of PAL in this study indicates the need to promote active break time in school, increased physical activity time with family, and to design environmental policies to increase number of playgrounds.

Clustering of cardiovascular disease risk factors among first-year students at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the second leading cause of death in sub-Saharan Africa. Globally, there is substantial evidence that modifiable risk factors for CVD are increasing in adolescents. Unfortunately, there is a paucity of information on the prevalence and clustering of these risk factors in adolescents.

OBJECTIVES

This study explores the modifiable risk factors for CVD among first-year students at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria.

DESIGN AND SETTING

This cross-sectional study was conducted at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria.

METHODS

A total of 546 newly admitted students at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, were recruited using stratified random sampling. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to obtain information from study participants between January and February 2016.

RESULTS

The mean age of respondents was 19 ± 2.2 years with a male-to-female ratio of 1:1. The reported risk factors for CVD were smoking (1.6%), abdominal obesity (3.3%), alcohol consumption (3.7%), overweight/obesity (20.7%), unhealthy diet (85.3%), and physical inactivity (94.5%). Clustering of ≥ 2 risk factors was reported in 23.4% of students. Female students were twice as probably overweight/obese as male students (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 2.2; confidence interval [CI] = 1.41-3.43). Students whose fathers were skilled workers were 3.5 times more likely to be physically inactive (AOR = 1.7; CI = 0.97-2.96). The clustering of ≥ 2 risk factors was significantly higher among women and Muslims in bivariate analysis, whereas no significant association was found in multivariate analysis.

CONCLUSIONS

Public health strategies to prevent CVD risk factors should begin in schools and extend to the entire community.