Preschoolers' Technology-Assessed Physical Activity and Cognitive Function: A Cross-Sectional Study

Effects of 8 weeks parent-accompanied swimming on physical capacity and intelligence in preschool children

This study aimed to explore the potential effects of 8-week parents-accompanied swimming on the physical capacity and intelligence of preschool children in China. Thirty-six boys (mean age 3.56 ± 0.27 years) were divided into three groups: the traditional physical exercise group (TP, n = 12), the accompanied swimming group (AS, n = 12) and the independent swimming group (IS, n = 12). Participants' physical capacity was assessed before and after the intervention using the following indicators: height, weight, distance of tennis ball throw, standing long jump distance, time for the 10-meter shuttle run, time for a two-legged continuous jump, sit-and-reach distance, and time on the walking balance beam. Intelligence was assessed at three points: pre-test, mid-test after 4 weeks, and post-test. Data were analyzed using a two-way repeated measures ANOVA, Bonferroni test (p < 0.05) and effect size. The time of the AS and IS groups to walk the balance beam was significantly lower than the TP group, with a difference of 1.81 s (p < 0.01, [95% CI -3.22 to -0.40], ES = 1.53) and 1.25 s (p < 0.05, [95% CI -2.66 to 0.16], ES = 0.81). At the mid-test, the IQ scores of the TP group were lower than the AS group (p < 0.05, [95% CI -12.45 to -0.96], ES = 0.89). Additionally, at post-test, the IQ scores of the TP group were significantly lower than those of both AS (p < 0.01, [95% CI -14.12 to -2.74], ES = 1.15) and IS groups (p < 0.01, [95% CI -12.53 to -3.31], ES = 1.21). Swimming enhances children's balance and IQ scores more than traditional physical exercises. Involving parents in swimming leads to a more significant increase in IQ scores within 4 weeks of initial swimming exercise.

Effects of low-dose levothyroxine on atrial natriuretic peptide and c-type natriuretic peptide in children with neonatal hypothyroidism

OBJECTIVE

This study was designed to explore the effects of low-dose levothyroxine (LT4) on levels of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) and c-type natriuretic peptide (CNP) in neonates with hypothyroidism (NH).

METHODS

In this retrospective study, a total of 90 cases of NH screened out and confirmed by the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University from October 2014 to February 2018 were selected as a study group. 80 healthy children who underwent physical examination during the same time period were enrolled as controls. Before and after treatment with LT4, the changes in the levels of serum thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) and free thyroxine (FT4) were observed, and the changes in the levels of ANP and CNP and their relationships to clinical efficacy were evaluated. Additionally, the growth and development of body and the scores of the China-Wechsler Younger Children Scale of Intelligence (C-WYCSI) were compared before and after the treatment, and the changes in the cardiac functions of children in the study group were evaluated. Independent risk factors for mental abnormality after treatment were analyzed by logistic regression.

RESULTS

After treatment, TSH levels in patients declined, while the levels of T3, T4, free triiodothyronine (FT3), and FT4 increased, without significant differences between groups. After treatment, ANP levels in patients increased but CNP levels decreased. ANP levels were negatively correlated with clinical efficacy, but CNP levels were positively correlated with it. Ultrasonic cardiography showed the improved cardiac functions. After treatment, the growth and development of body and the C-WYCSI scores increased compared to those before treatment. First visit date, T3, FT4, TSH were independent risk factors for mental disorders in children.

CONCLUSION

For children with NH, low-dose LT4 can correct the level of thyroid function, promote physical and mental development, and improve the levels of ANP and CNP.

Overweight/obesity and socio-demographic disparities in children's motor and cognitive function

Fundamental motor skills (FMS) and cognitive function are important indicators of development in early childhood. Using a cross-sectional design, the purpose of this study was to investigate obesity (healthy weight vs. overweight/obese) and socio-demographic (i.e., gender, SES) disparities in FMS (locomotor and ball skills) and cognitive function (reaction time [RT] and movement time [MT]), in preschoolers. There were 74 preschoolers (girl = 38; M_age = 4.02 ± 0.73) recruited from two childcare centers and were categorized into healthy weight (n = 58, BMI percentile < 85%) and overweight/obese (n = 16, BMI percentile ≥ 85%) categories. Children's FMS were assessed using the TGMD-3; cognitive function was assessed by the iPad-based CANTAB™ software using the Reaction Time Task (RTI), including reaction time (RT; Simple RT [SRT], choice RT [CRT]) and movement time (MT; simple MT [SMT], choice MT [CMT]). Children presented less FMS proficiency compared to recent data. Both weight groups performed comparably in FMS (ps > 0.05; ball skill Cohen's d = 0.40; locomotor Cohen's d = 0.02). Children in the overweight/obese group performed significantly worse on all cognitive tests compared to healthy weight peers (ps < 0.05; Cohen's d range from -0.93 to -1.43). No significant gender or SES disparities were observed. Maintaining healthy weight status is critical for cognitive development among preschoolers, which may influence their developmental trajectory and school readiness.

Preschool Children's Physical Activity and Community Environment: A Cross-Sectional Study of Two Cities in China

Research on the relationship between preschool children's physical activity (PA) and community environment is limited and inconclusive, yet understanding this relationship is important to acquire sufficient information to guide the development of intervention programs. This study aims to objectively measure preschool children's PA and examine associations between PA and the community environments. A total of 471 preschool children aged 3-6 years old were recruited from eight kindergartens in Beijing and Zhengzhou. PA was measured by accelerometers. Light PA (LPA), moderate PA (MPA), and vigorous PA (VPA) were computed on the basis of cutoff points developed for preschool children. Moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA), and total PA (TPA) were obtained by calculation. Children's active transportation modes were indicated by the frequency of active trips (FAT) reported by parents. The community environment was collected by parental scales. Multivariate linear regression was used to analyze the associations between PA and the community environment. In total, 304 preschool children (mean age 5.07 ± 0.94 years, 50.66% boys) were included in the final analysis. Children spent an average of 77.58 ± 18.78 min/day in MVPA and 173.26 ± 30.38 min/day in TPA. Linear regression showed that 'parental perception of appropriate walking distance' was associated with nearly half of the indicators of the children's PA. 'Public activity facilities near the community' was associated with FAT for overall children (B = 0.099, 95% CI = 0.014, 0.183). 'Community transportation environment' was associated with overall children's average day LPA (B = 4.034, 95% CI = 0.012, 8.056), weekend LPA (B = 8.278, 95% CI = 1.900, 14.657), MPA (B = 4.485, 95% CI = 0.613, 8.357), TPA (B = 14.777, 95% CI = 2.130, 27.424), and FAT for girls (B = -0.223, 95% CI = -0.443, -0.003). Furthermore, 'community personal safety' was associated with boys' weekday VPA (B = -3.012, 95% CI = -5.946, 0.079). Parental perception of appropriate walking distances, improvement of PA facilities, community personal safety, and the community transportation environment all contribute to the prevention of preschool children's PA patterns deterioration.

Effectiveness of cloud-based rehabilitation in children with developmental language disorder during the COVID-19 pandemic: A prospective cohort study

During the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, we considered the case of a child with developmental language disorder (DLD) who could not go to the hospital on time to receive timely rehabilitation treatment due to disrupted hospital operations. The application of cloud-based rehabilitation platforms has provided significant advantages and convenience for children with DLD in-home remote rehabilitation. Among them, the JingYun Rehab Cloud Platform is the most widely used in mainland China. It is an interactive telerehabilitation system developed by Weixin Huang that delivers personalized home rehabilitation for special education children. In this study, we used the JingYun Rehab Cloud Platform to investigate the extent to which cloud-based rehabilitation is effective for children with DLD in terms of language and cognitive outcomes. This was a prospective cohort study including all children who were evaluated and diagnosed with DLD through Sign-Significant Relations and were followed up at the rehabilitation clinic of our institute. We followed 162 children with DLD for 3 months, including 84 children with DLD who participated in remote cloud-based rehabilitation on the JingYun Rehab Cloud Platform and 78 children with DLD as the control group who underwent home-based rehabilitation. Language abilities of both groups were assessed using the Chinese version of the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised. Several measures of training performance (language, memory, and cognition tasks) were assessed before and after cloud-based rehabilitation in the remote cloud-based rehabilitation group. Children with DLD in the cloud-based rehabilitation group performed significantly better in language abilities, as assessed by the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised, than children with DLD in the control group. Furthermore, for children who participated in remote cloud-based rehabilitation, the frequency of training sessions was proportional to their performance on language, memory, and cognition tasks. This study demonstrated the effectiveness of cloud-based rehabilitation on the JingYun Rehab Cloud Platform in treating children with DLD.

Association of Physical Activity With Cognitive Function Among Older Adults in Rural Sichuan, China

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between total physical activity and different dimensions of cognitive function (orientation, attention, and memory) among older adults in rural Sichuan, China. This cross-sectional study involved 715 older adults (average age of 72 years). Total PA was measured by the Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly, and cognitive function was assessed by the Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status (TICS) questionnaire. The multivariate linear regression analysis indicated that total PA and household PA were significantly associated with the overall Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status score (β = 0.143, p < .001; β = 0.115, p = .002, respectively), the orientation dimension (β = 0.142, p < .001; β = 0.131, p = .001, respectively), and the memory dimension (β = 0.179, p < .001; β = 0.134, p = .001, respectively). The study showed a positive association between total PA, household PA, and cognitive function in older adults, especially in the orientation dimension and the memory dimension of cognitive function.

The effects of chronic physical activity interventions on executive functions in children aged 3-7 years: A meta-analysis

OBJECTIVES

To use a quantitative approach to examine the effects of chronic physical activity (PA) interventions on executive functions (EFs) in children aged 3-7 years.

DESIGN

Systematic review and meta-analysis.

METHODS

PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, PsycINFO, and the China National Knowledge Infrastructure were searched from their inception to December 2019. Intervention studies with a control group that examined the effects of chronic PA interventions on EFs among children aged 3-7 years were included in this meta-analysis. Lastly, subgroup analyses were conducted to examine the potential modifying effects of chronic PA intervention's characteristics and study quality.

RESULTS

A total of 10 studies were included in this meta-analysis with a total of 716 participants. The fixed-effects model was used to estimate the pooled effect sizes since heterogeneity across included studies was not significant. The summary effects revealed that chronic PA interventions have a small but positive effects on participants' overall EFs [standardized mean difference (SMD) = 0.35, 95% CI: 0.20-0.50] as well as inhibition (SMD = 0.37, 95% CI: 0.12-0.62) and working memory (SMD = 0.24, 95% CI: 0.02-0.46) domains and a moderate effect on the cognitive flexibility domain (SMD = 0.66, 95% CI: 0.28-1.05). Lastly, the pooled effect was not significantly modified by intervention duration, session length, or frequency.

CONCLUSIONS

Chronic PA interventions, especially PA plus cognitive challenges interventions, may be a promising way to promote the development of multiple aspects of EFs in children aged 3-7 years.

Associations between Daily Step Counts and Physical Fitness in Preschool Children

Purpose: To investigate the relationships between daily step counts and physical fitness in preschool children. Methods: Preschoolers’ step counts were assessed by ActiGraph accelerometers consecutively for seven days. Physical fitness was assessed by a 20 m shuttle run test (cardiorespiratory fitness), the handgrip and standing long jump tests (musculoskeletal fitness), and the 2 × 10 m shuttle run test (speed/agility). A composite score was created from the mean of the standardized values of all physical fitness tests. Results: A total of 301 preschoolers (134 girls, mean age 57.40 ± 5.47 months; 167 boys, mean age 58.10 ± 5.34 months) were included in the final analysis. Compared with the lowest tertile, boys and girls in the highest tertile of step counts achieved high physical fitness with odds ratio (OR) being 5.39 (95% CI = 1.65–17.59) and 4.42 (95% CI = 1.30–14.99), respectively, after adjusting for confounders. Meanwhile, a relationship was observed for each 1000 steps/day increment being associated with 43% (OR = 1.43, 95% CI = 1.10–1.85) and 62% (OR = 1.62, 95% CI = 1.20–2.19) increment for high physical fitness in boys and girls, respectively. In addition, significant non-linear relationship was observed between daily steps and physical fitness in boys, which indicated that accumulated 8000 steps/day was associated with the highest ratio to achieve high physical fitness. Conclusions: Positive relationships between step counts and physical fitness were observed in preschool children, and the relationships were strongest for those who accumulated 8000 steps/day in boys. To confirm the findings in this study, well-designed and large-scale longitudinal studies are needed in the future.

Impacts of exercise interventions on different diseases and organ functions in mice

Background

In recent years, much evidence has emerged to indicate that exercise can benefit people when performed properly. This review summarizes the exercise interventions used in studies involving mice as they are related to special diseases or physiological status. To further understand the effects of exercise interventions in treating or preventing diseases, it is important to establish a template for exercise interventions that can be used in future exercise-related studies.

Methods

PubMed was used as the data resource for articles. To identify studies related to the effectiveness of exercise interventions for treating various diseases and organ functions in mice, we used the following search language: (exercise [Title] OR training [Title] OR physical activity [Title]) AND (mice [title/abstract] OR mouse [title/abstract] OR mus [title/abstract]). To limit the range of search results, we included 2 filters: one that limited publication dates to "in 10 years" and one that sorted the results as "best match". Then we grouped the commonly used exercise methods according to their similarities and differences. We then evaluated the effectiveness of the exercise interventions for their impact on diseases and organ functions in 8 different systems.

Results

A total of 331 articles were included in the analysis procedure. The articles were then segmented into 8 systems for which the exercise interventions were used in targeting and treating disorders: motor system (60 studies), metabolic system (45 studies), cardio-cerebral vascular system (58 studies), nervous system (74 studies), immune system (32 studies), respiratory system (7 studies), digestive system (1 study), and the system related to the development of cancer (54 studies). The methods of exercise interventions mainly involved the use of treadmills, voluntary wheel-running, forced wheel-running, swimming, and resistance training. It was found that regardless of the specific exercise method used, most of them demonstrated positive effects on various systemic diseases and organ functions. Most diseases were remitted with exercise regardless of the exercise method used, although some diseases showed the best remission effects when a specific method was used.

Conclusion

Our review strongly suggests that exercise intervention is a cornerstone in disease prevention and treatment in mice. Because exercise interventions in humans typically focus on chronic diseases, national fitness, and body weight loss, and typically have low intervention compliance rates, it is important to use mice models to investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying the health benefits from exercise interventions in humans.

Gender differences in the rate of motor activity of senior (older) preschool children

The relevance of the research is determined by the search for ways to improve the content of physical education of preschool children and increase its effectiveness in gender-based motor activity. Goal: to identify gender differences in older preschoolers’ motor activity. Research materials: the study involved preschool children aged 5-7 years who attend pre-school in Belgorod. Research methods: study, analysis and comparison of scientific publications of domestic and foreign scientists on the problem of research, pedometer, heart rate monitoring, timing, statistical processing of the results. Results: the features of motor activity of boys and girls aged 5-7 years were studied in such indicators as daily and weekly volume in steps, intensity in organized forms and independent activity. Conclusions: gender differences in the size, structure, and content of motor activity are most noticeable at the age of five. There are no gender differences in motor activity of preschool children aged 6-7 years. Significant gender differences in children aged 5-7 years are only in indicators of motor activity recorded on weekends, outside of classes. The value of motor activity of children aged 5-7 years corresponds to the age norm of average daily motor activity.

Identifying the Incidence of Exercise Dependence Attitudes, Levels of Body Perception, and Preferences for Use of Fitness Technology Monitoring

Background: The study was focused on identifying the relationship between the incidence of exercise dependence attitudes, the level of body perception, and preferences for use of fitness technology monitoring. Methods: We investigated 241 students from physical education and sports specializations. We used a questionnaire structured in 5 parts: personal information (age, gender, weight, height, and institutional membership), Exercise Dependence Scale-R (EDS-21), the Compulsive Exercise Test (CET), Body perception questionnaire, and Fitness Monitoring Technology. Results: Application of EDS-21 revealed 8.3% with dependence and CET with 13.4%. Body mass index (BMI) in combination with self-image body: 18 (7.4%) of subjects over-estimated themselves, 18 (7.4%) of subjects underestimated themselves, 38.6% of the subjects were satisfied with their appearance, 17% were very satisfied and none were dissatisfied. A total of 36.1% thought they had the correct weight and 8.7% thought of losing weight. The most preferred monitoring technologies were the treadmill and the smartphone's fitness applications. A total of 11.6% of the subjects always used technologies, and 17% of subjects never did so. Conclusions: In order to identify the level of incidence of exercise dependence, body perception, and preference and frequency of use of monitoring technology, it is necessary to expand the level of knowledge about health and physical activities. The approach would diminish medical incidences of addiction, improve proactive behaviors, and correct prohealth.

Examining Young Children's Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviors in an Exergaming Program Using Accelerometry

Exergaming has been observed to be a viable supplemental approach in promoting physical activity (PA) among children. However, whether sex differences in PA and sedentary behaviors exist during exergaming is inconsistent. Thus, this study aimed to quantify, via accelerometry, young children's PA and sedentary behaviors during exergaming as well as examine sex differences in these PA and sedentary behaviors during gameplay. In total, 121 first- and second-grade children (mean age = 6.89 ± 0.9 years; 73 girls) were included in the analysis. Children were a part of a large 18-week parent study. Children wore ActiGraph GT1M accelerometers during exergaming play, with four measurements purposively selected from the 28 total exergaming sessions to capture children's PA and sedentary behaviors during exergaming play. Outcome variables included mean percentages of time spent in moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA), light PA (LPA), and sedentary behavior during each exergaming session. One-way ANOVA was performed to determine whether there were differences in the percentage of time engaged in MVPA, LPA, and sedentary behavior during exergaming by sex. Accelerometry data indicated that children's mean percentage of exergaming time spent in MVPA, LPA, and sedentary behavior were 19.9%, 32.9%, and 47.2%, respectively. However, no sex differences were present. Observations in this study indicated that boys and girls have similar PA levels during exergaming and suggests that features inherent to exergaming may assist in PA promotion among both sexes.