Moderate physical activity improves inflammatory markers (IL-6 and TNF Alpha) and diabetic profile in prediabetic population

Purpose: Prediabetes is a health condition that precedes type 2 diabetes. Globally prevalence of prediabetes is on the rise and approximately 37% of local population are suffering from it. Apart from many other factors, inflammatory markers especially IL-6 and TNF-α play a significant part in development of prediabetes to diabetes. How exercise affects the inflammatory cytokines is elucidated and not completely understood. Methods: A non commercial experimental trail including a total of 48 participants, (36 males and 12 females) with mean age 30.7 ± 7.80 years was carried out after ethical approval and written informed consent. Demographic data, Body plethysmography, exercise parameters, diabetic and inflammatory markers were determined at pre- and post-interventional stage. The exact intensity of exercise capable of eliciting the required heart rate was determined and each participant was asked to perform moderate intensity exercise (45 minutes including warm up and cool down) for 5 days a week for 12 weeks. Results: Twelve weeks of moderate intensity aerobic exercise at (55% to 65% of PMHR) had significant positive effects on body composition including BMI (<0.001), weight (<0.001), diabetic parameters (FBS (0.02), HbA1c (0.001)) and inflammatory parameters (IL-6 (0.018), and TNF-α (0.02)). The effects were identical for males and females with mild differences. Conclusion:Moderate intensity exercise significantly decreases the levels of circulating inflammatory cytokines. Moderate intensity aerobic exercise is easy to incorporate in lifestyle of prediabetic population and can be used as one of the effective strategies for prevention of development of diabetes.

Playing, then and now – differences in time and elements of play from parents’ perspective

The question how the general trend toward physical inactivity and sedentary behavior affects children’s capabilities and cognitive skills is becoming increasingly important. The aim of this study was to compare children’s play time with parents’ play time at their child’s age, as well as the elements of play. A survey was conducted among parents of children aged 6 to 8 years. The results of the survey, which was based on a sample of 37 parents, showed that a child nowadays spends more time playing at home (110 minutes/day on average compared to the 96 minutes/day their parents played as children) and, conversely, with a statistically significant difference, only half the time their parents did playing outside (96 minutes/day on average compared to the 157 minutes/day on average that their parents spent at the same age). We also found a statistically significant difference in screen time in children today (93 minutes/day on average), which is three times as much as it used to be in their parents at that age. Differences were also evident in activities involving elements of rotation, balance, and dynamic accommodation, with most children now spending 0-15 minutes/day compared to parents who used to spend an hour or more on similar activities. For activities based on fine motor skills, half of the children nowadays spend 15-30 minutes/day, whereas half of the parents used to spend an hour or more. The contemporary lifestyle that is highly sedentary can affect many aspects of children’s play. The paper discusses differences of play in the time dimension and possible consequences of such behavior for child development.

Correlation of body composition with speed and agility of children aged 9-10

Purpose: Physical growth of children is measured by changes in body size and/or body composition, as well as by changes in motor skills. Motor skills can be affected by many factors, such as genetic predisposition, body composition, socio-economic conditions, and the like. Accordingly, the aim of the research is to determine the correlation between body composition with speed and agility of children aged 9 to 10 years. Methods: The sample included 40 participants (29 boys and 11 girls, 9.47 ± 0.5 years). Body height (BH), body weight (BW), body mass index (BMI) and body fat (BF), and basal metabolism (BMR) were determined to assess body composition. The BOT-2 subtest was used to assess speed and agility, which includes: Shuttle Run (1SAA), Stepping Sideways over a Balance Beam (2SAA), One-Legged Stationary Hop (3SAA), One-Legged Side Hop (4SAA), Two-Legged Side Hop (5SAA), and Total Speed and Agility (TSAA). Results: The results of correlation statistics indicated the existence of negative correlations between: height and 3SAA (r=-.353, p=.026); weight and 3SAA (r=-.422, p=. 007); weight and TSAA (r=-.359, p=.023); BMI and 3SAA (r=-.342, p=. 031); BMI and TSAA (r=-.333, p=.036); BMR and 3SAA (r=-.369, p=. 019); BMR and TSAA (r=-.363, p=.021). Conclusion: Based on the results obtained in this study, it can be concluded that there is a correlation between body composition and speed and agility. In addition to body composition, a correlation was found between body height and performance of one-legged stationary hop, as well as between basal metabolism, the one-legged stationary hop test and the overall results achieved in motor skill tests.

Mother’s perspective of maintaining an active outdoor leisure time of a preschool child

In the contemporary life of a family, mothers are often faced with a conflict between work and family in order to assure a healthy childhood for their children. How to provide active leisure time for a child in accordance with healthy lifestyle guidelines, and what factors affecting the quantity and quality of a child’s physical activity, have been researched from the perspective of mothers. The qualitative and quantitative methods of questionnaires and semi-structured interviews (n=54) with mothers were executed with the aim to study important factors which distract mothers and their children from ensuring physically active leisure time. Additionally, the possible correlation of children’s motor efficiency and family characteristics were studied. From the mother’s perspective we found that “lack of time” along with “weather conditions” were two major obstacles. Mothers also indicated “the access to recreational facilities” and “health of a child” as common impetuses for active outdoor leisure time. Additionally, comparison of family characteristics showed that active family leisure behavior is influenced by i) demographic and personal factors of the family (family size, SES , sports history), ii) social factors (employment and schedule of employment, financial status of the family, social networks support), and iii) environmental factors (weather, accessibility, and safe conditions for physical activity, as well as living conditions). Because environmental factors are harder to change, we need to pay attention to demographic, personal, and social factors of mothers (families) with reduced possibilities and enable them to ensure conditions for healthy child development.