Search Results (57)

Background: Cancer has a high mortality rate and leaves physical and mental difficulties even after treatment. When it afflicts frail elderly people, it poses a greater burden to them and society. Regular exercise helps to restore the deteriorated health of cancer survivors. The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of a short-term, high-repetition, home-based “exercise snack” program with those of a traditional, continuous, moderate-intensity exercise format on key health outcomes in elderly cancer survivors, including quality of life, cardiorespiratory fitness, and metabolic flexibility. Methods: A short-duration, high-repetition exercise snack group (ESG, n = 17) and a traditional exercise group (TEG, n = 17) were compared after 12 weeks of training. The effects of exercise on quality of life, cardiorespiratory fitness, metabolic flexibility, and blood lipids were measured. Results: Quality-of-life vitality, social functioning, cardiorespiratory fitness VO₂ peak, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol were improved more in ESG than in TEG (p < 0.05). Metabolic flexibility showed that fat utilization increased and carbohydrate utilization decreased post-training compared to pre-training at VO₂ peak 20 and 40% in both groups (p < 0.05). Conclusions: In both groups, cardiorespiratory fitness was shown along with physical and psychological improvements in quality of life, and the efficiency of metabolic flexibility was also improved. Therefore, short-term, frequent exercise may be an appropriate exercise alternative for elderly people with difficulties. Full article

Sedentary behavior is increasingly recognized as a risk factor for various health issues, including cognitive decline. Objectives: This pilot study examined the acute and chronic effects of workplace-integrated exercise snacks—short, vigorous bouts of exercise—on cognitive performance in middle-aged adults. Methods: Twenty-five sedentary but healthy office workers (51.4 ± 5.3 years; 6 m/19 f) participated. The intervention group (n = 12) performed three 1 min bouts of vigorous exercise (running on the spot) daily, four days a week, for four weeks, while the control group (n = 13) maintained their usual routine. Cognitive performance was assessed pre-intervention, shortly following the first exercise bout (acute effects), and post-intervention (chronic effects) using the Trail Making Test and the Stroop Color–Word Test. Results: Significant acute improvements (p ≤ 0.05) were observed across all cognitive outcomes following a single bout of exercise. Significant interaction effects (p ≤ 0.05) were found across all cognitive outcomes after four weeks, indicating sustained cognitive benefits. Conclusion: These findings suggest that workplace-integrated brief, vigorous exercise may lead to both immediate and sustained enhancement in executive functions such as working memory, processing speed, and inhibitory control. They highlight the potential cognitive health benefits of incorporating exercise snacks into sedentary workplace environments. Full article

Background: This study assessed the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effectiveness of a teaching kitchen intervention that synergistically provided nutrition education, culinary skills/techniques, mindfulness, physical activity, and behavior change strategies. Methods: Non-randomized pilot study of 16 weekly 2 h hands-on virtual culinary sessions. Curbside grocery pickup assured food access/consistency. Qualitative interviews and pre/post-anthropometrics (BMI, waist circumference), labs (fasting glucose, insulin, lipids, HbA1c, ALT), and health habits surveys assessed program impact. Results: The program was successfully implemented from January to May of 2022. Of 56 participants screened, 13 (23%) enrolled, and 12 (92%) completed the program (mean age 51 years; 92% female; 92% white) with an average of 15.4 of 16 (96%) sessions attended and 100% completing assessments. Satisfaction with the program and with virtual cooking was high (100% and 92% satisfied-very satisfied). Days/week main meal was prepared from scratch increased from 3.8 to 5.9 (p < 0.05). Sense of well-being and three core mindfulness items (satiety, snacking, and food appreciation) improved (p ≤ 0.05). Confidence in 13 culinary skills/techniques improved (p < 0.05), as did diet recall and daily exercise, with variable significance. Labs improved LDL significantly (p < 0.05); anthropometrics did not. Conclusions: This teaching kitchen program was feasible, very well accepted, and suggested potential efficacy in improving health habits and metrics. Larger studies with randomization are needed. Full article

Background: Obesity in childhood and adolescence represents a major public health problem, mostly attributed to dietary and physical activity factors. We aimed to determine the dietary and physical activity habits of participants before and after the implementation of a personalized, multidisciplinary, lifestyle intervention program for the management of obesity in the context of the Horizon Research Project ‘BigO: Big Data against Childhood Obesity’. Methods: Three hundred and eighty-six (n = 386) children and adolescents (mean age ± SD: 12.495 ± 1.988 years, 199 males and 187 females) participated in the study prospectively. Based on body mass index (BMI), subjects were classified as having obesity (n = 293, 75.9%) and overweight (n = 93, 24.1%) according to the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) cut-off points. We implemented a personalized, multidisciplinary, lifestyle intervention program providing guidance on diet, sleep, and exercise, and utilized the BigO technology platform to objectively record data collected via a Smartphone and Smartwatch for each patient. Results: Following the intervention, a statistically significant decrease was noted in the consumption of cheese, cereal with added sugar, savory snacks, pasta, and fried potatoes across both BMI categories. Also, there was an increase in daily water intake between meals among all participants (p = 0.001) and a reduction in the consumption of evening snack or dinner while watching television (p < 0.05). Boys showed a decrease in the consumption of savory snacks, fried potato products, and pasta (p < 0.05), an increase in the consumption of sugar-free breakfast cereal (p < 0.05), and drank more water between meals daily (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Our findings suggest that a personalized, multidisciplinary, lifestyle intervention improves the dietary habits of children and adolescents. Full article

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a significant health concern influenced by various determinants. Stigma and resilience have emerged as factors in CVD development and management. Women with HIV (WWH) have higher CVD rates than women without HIV. To improve cardiovascular health for WWH, a comprehensive understanding of how these factors interact, the understanding about individual awareness and willingness to engage in risk-reduction interventions are needed. Methods: As part of a study examining CVD risk among WWH aged >35 years old, 90-min focus groups were conducted (May 2022) in the English language. Focus groups aimed to elicit participants’ CVD risk knowledge and potential prevention strategies. Transcripts underwent a qualitative analysis. Results: Nineteen WWH participated in three focus groups. Participants experienced the following: (a) enacted stigma related to their HIV diagnosis (e.g., family, church member, healthcare staff); (b) a recent event (e.g., hospitalization of self/family, death in family, chest pain) triggered both heart health-promoting lifestyle changes and suboptimal health behaviors (e.g., COVID-19 pandemic: unhealthy snacking). Participants wanted to obtain more knowledge (“on a mission”) about CVD risk. In total, 100% expressed willingness to take medication or embark on other lifestyle changes to prevent future CVD events. Although participants identified preventative heart health behaviors (e.g., eating healthy foods; exercising; limiting stress, substances, and smoking), misconceptions were also identified (e.g., “catching” heart disease). Conclusions: Understanding the interplay of the different factors related to heart health is needed both at the provider and the patient level to inform interventions that reduce CVD risk amongst racial/ethnic minoritized women with HIV, living in the Southern region of the US. Full article

Multiple short daily bouts of HIIT are more effective than single daily sessions in improving cardiometabolic and cellular adaptations in rats. We hypothesize that a short period of detraining is sufficient to abolish the superior adaptive responses to multiple versus single daily sessions of HIIT in rats. Male rats were divided into untrained, 1xHIIT, and 3xHIIT groups. Over eight weeks, the 1xHIIT group performed 115 min single daily sessions of HIIT, while the 3xHIIT group performed three 5 min sessions with 4 h intervals. After training, both groups remained sedentary for four weeks (detraining). Resting oxygen consumption (VO2), body composition, glucose/insulin tolerance, and blood pressure were recorded. After euthanasia, cardiac function/histology and gastrocnemius mitochondrial density were analyzed. After training, both 1xHIIT and 3xHIIT protocols induced similar improvements in VO2, maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max), cardiac function/hypertrophy, and gastrocnemius mitochondrial density. These effects were maintained even after detraining. Only the 3xHIIT protocol improved insulin sensitivity. After detraining, this effect was abolished. After training, both 1xHIIT and 3xHIIT protocols reduced adiposity. After detraining, the adiposity increased in both groups, with a more pronounced increase in the 3xHIIT rats. A four-week detraining period abolishes the superior adaptive responses to multiple versus single daily HIIT sessions in rats. Full article

Rates of cannabis initiation among teenagers and young adults are increasing. Further, the use of various forms of cannabis (smoked or vaped) with nicotine (dual use) is increasingly common among young people. The health effects of dual use are lesser known, particularly in the context of high-potency cannabis products and across different routes of administration, which is ominous in terms of predicting future health outcomes. There is a long history of cannabis use being associated with decreased activity and increased snacking, both of which could portend an increased risk of metabolic and cardiovascular disease, particularly when these habits begin during formative years. However, modern forms of cannabis may not have these same effects. Here, we assess whether cannabis use alone and dual use of cannabis with nicotine impact dietary and exercise habits in young people. An anonymous, social media-based survey was designed based on the UC San Diego Inhalant Questionnaire and published diet and exercise questionnaires. A total of 457 surveys were completed. Young sole cannabis users represented 29% of responders, 16% were dual users of cannabis and nicotine, and 55% were non-users of either drug. Although the sole use of cannabis was not associated with dietary or activity differences relative to non-users, dual users of cannabis and nicotine reported higher consumption of unhealthy sugars. This novel finding of dual use being associated with increased sugar intake in young people raises concerns for an increased risk of metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease in this population. Full article

Background and objectives: Maintaining a balanced diet and regular exercise is especially important for first graders. Poor nutrition compromises the quality of life, school attainment, and growth and sets suboptimal dietary habits later in life. The aim of the present study is to assess negative dietary practices among first graders in Bulgaria. Methods: A cross-sectional survey of a nationally representative sample of 3051 7-year-old students was conducted in 2019. The research was carried out in strict compliance with the protocol developed by the WHO (World Health Organization) as part of the WHO European Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative (COSI). As part of the study, a questionnaire was presented to the families of the first graders to assess the frequency of food consumption by the children. Results: A quarter (25.3%) of the students did not consume breakfast on a daily basis. The majority did not eat fresh fruits (62.9%) and vegetables every day, excluding potatoes (66.3%). Furthermore, 18% of the children consumed dairy products less than once a week or never. Additionally, 14.8% had fruit juice every day. One-fifth (19.7%) of the students drank soft drinks most of the days or every day of the week (>4 days/week). Many children never consumed or consumed less than once a week protein-rich foods like meat (8.9%), fish (62.3%), eggs (26.4%), and legumes (25.9%). Most days or every day of the week (>4 days/week), a quarter (24.2%) of the children had salty snacks like chips, and half of them (49.7%) had sweet snacks like candies and cakes. Discussion: The results of the present study clearly demonstrate a suboptimal dietary model for first graders in Bulgaria. Only one-third of the children consumed fresh fruits and vegetables daily. The frequency of intake of soft drinks and salty and sweet snacks is too high. The frequency of consumption of protein-rich foods like fish, eggs, and legumes is suboptimal. First graders should become a special target group for policymakers in Bulgaria. Full article

The Supporting MumS library of text messages was developed with extensive personal and public involvement (PPI) to help with postpartum weight management and was successfully tested in a feasibility study in Northern Ireland. Before conducting an effectiveness trial, further PPI work was needed to ensure that the dietary and lifestyle advice offered within the SMS text message library was acceptable and culturally relevant for a wide range of women across the United Kingdom (UK). Recruitment was facilitated by existing community networks that helped capture a culturally diverse group of postpartum women who have struggled with their weight. Nineteen women took part in the PPI exercise: n = 4 African–Caribbean (living in London), n = 8 Asian (Bradford), n = 7 white (Scotland). The PPI work followed an iterative process with initial online group discussions, where selected text messages were reviewed and feedback was sought on their language, tone and cultural relevance. This was followed by message adaptation and re-review. Following initial group discussions to understand the main areas for adaptation, PPI work was carried out with individual mums who reviewed the entire library of text messages and provided feedback on all adaptations. Mums liked the humour and the supportive tone of the messages and approximately 15% of the messages were left unchanged. Suggested edits to ensure the messages were acceptable and relevant to women from a range of cultural backgrounds were minor in nature. Suggestions provided by PPI representatives were mainly in relation to broadening the relevance of snack ideas, recipes, food preparation advice, shopping habits (e.g., click and collect services) and workout ideas. Additional feedback included removing colloquialisms and idioms, the meaning of which may be confusing for somebody not familiar with them or a non-native English speaker (e.g., ‘run out of steam’). Personal and Public Involvement provided helpful suggestions for the cultural and regional adaptation of a lifestyle text message intervention in the postpartum period. The effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the Supporting MumS study will be tested in a UK-wide trial. Full article

The purpose of this study was to scan for the obesogenicity of primary school environments in Tshwane, Gauteng, South Africa. This study was carried out in ten public primary schools in the Tshwane West district of the Gauteng province. An observational design was used to collect the data. Data collection was conducted using an observational checklist guided by the Analysis Grid for Environments Linked to Obesity (ANGELO) framework. The findings revealed that although a nutrition policy was available in most schools, few schools were communicating the policy. Despite all the schools having sports fields, children were not exercising. Most schools also had a school nutrition programme. Most primary schoolchildren’s lunchboxes contained sweets, sugar-sweetened beverages, and snacks. A few lunchboxes contained fruits and vegetables. Primary schools in Tshwane West did not comply with most aspects of the school mapping environment, indicating that the school environments were obesogenic. It is therefore essential to scan for obesogenicity in all South African schools so that tailor-made interventions can be implemented to rectify and further prevent obesogenic school environments. Full article

(1) Background: Adolescence is a critical developmental phase; dietary intake and nutritional status significantly impact health outcomes. (2) Objective: This cross-sectional study investigated dietary patterns (DPs) and the association between sociodemographic factors and unhealthy DPs among adolescents in Thailand. (3) Methods: A multi-stage sampling selected 1480 participants from three public high schools in Nakhon Si Thammarat province. A food frequency questionnaire assessed dietary habits, and principal component analysis was used to identify DPs. Multinomial logistic regression examined the association between sociodemographic factors and DPs. (4) Results: The findings show that 25.9% of adolescents were underweight, 14.7% were overweight, and 5.8% were obese. Three DPs were identified: a healthy ‘protein and vegetables’ pattern and two unhealthy patterns: ‘snacks’ and ‘processed foods’, which explained 12.49%, 10.37%, and 7.07% of the dietary variance, respectively. Among underweight adolescents, higher snack consumption was associated with being younger (odds ratio (OR) = 3.24) and receiving a higher daily allowance (OR = 3.43). Additionally, female adolescents who engaged in frequent exercise had a 2.15 times higher intake of processed foods. Among overweight adolescents, higher snack intake was linked to being younger (OR = 8.65) and having larger families (OR = 6.37). Moreover, an increased daily allowance was associated with higher consumption of processed foods (OR = 11.47). (5) Conclusion: This study underscores the socio-demographic influence on unhealthy DPs. Insights can guide targeted interventions to foster healthier dietary habits during adolescence. Full article

Introduction: Sarcopenia is common in people 70+ years of age, and its prevalence increases with further aging. Insufficient energy and protein intake accelerates muscle loss, whereas sufficient protein intake and milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) may suppress age-associated deterioration of muscle mass and strength. Our objective was to test whether a snack product high in MFGM and protein would improve physical performance in older women. Methods: In this 12-week randomized controlled trial, women ≥ 70 years, with protein intake < 1.2 g/body weight (BW) kg/day (d), were randomized into intervention (n = 51) and control (n = 50) groups. The intervention group received a daily snack product containing ≥ 23 g of milk protein and 3.6–3.9 g of MFGM. Both groups were advised to perform a five-movement exercise routine. The primary outcome was the change in the five-time-sit-to-stand test between the groups. Secondary outcomes included changes in physical performance, cognition, hand grip strength, and health-related quality of life. Results: The change in the five-time-sit-to-stand test did not differ between the intervention and the control groups. The change in the total Short Physical Performance Battery score differed significantly, favoring the intervention group (p = 0.020), and the balance test showed the largest difference. Protein intake increased significantly in the intervention group (+14 g) compared to the control group (+2 g). No other significant changes were observed. Conclusions: Our results indicate that the combination of MFGM and protein may improve the physical performance-related balance of older women. Full article

University students’ lifestyles and dietary habits have been considerably impacted by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak and its related policies and restrictions. An online cross-sectional survey was conducted from March to May 2020 to compare lifestyles, food consumption frequencies, and eating behaviors among three main disciplines of undergraduate students during the early COVID-19 outbreak in Thailand. The study involved 584 participants from Mahidol University, with 45.2% from Health Sciences (HS), 29.1% from Sciences and Technologies (ST), and 25.7% from Social Sciences and Humanities (SH). The results showed that ST students had the highest proportion of overweight and obese (33.5%) individuals, followed by HS (23.9%) and SH (19.3%) students. ST students skipped breakfast the most (34.7%), followed by SH (34%) and HS (30%) students. Furthermore, 60% of SH students spent 7 h or more daily on social media, and they had the least exercise and the highest frequency of ordering home-delivery food. SH students (43.3%) reported a higher likelihood of making unhealthier food choices and consuming fast food, processed meat, bubble tea, boxed fruit and vegetable juice, and crunchy snacks more frequently than students from other disciplines. The findings show that undergraduate students had poor eating behaviors and lifestyles during the early COVID-19 outbreak, highlighting the urgent need to promote food and nutrition security among students during and after the pandemic. Full article

The incidence of non-obese non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), characterized by the presence of a fatty liver in individuals with a normal body mass index, is on the rise globally. Effective management strategies, including lifestyle interventions such as diet and exercise therapy, are urgently needed to address this growing public health concern. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between non-obese NAFLD, dietary habits, and physical activity levels. By elucidating these relationships, this research may contribute to the development of evidence-based recommendations for the management of non-obese NAFLD. The study had a single-center retrospective cross-sectional design and compared clinical data and dietary and physical activity habits between patients with and without non-obese NAFLD. Logistic regression analysis was utilized to investigate the relationship between food intake frequency and the development of NAFLD. Among the 455 patients who visited the clinic during the study period, 169 were selected for analysis, including 74 with non-obese NAFLD and 95 without NAFLD. The non-obese NAFLD group showed a less-frequent consumption of fish and fish products as well as olive oil and canola/rapeseed oil, while they showed more frequent consumption of pastries and cake, snack foods and fried sweets, candy and caramels, salty foods, and pickles compared to the non-NAFLD group. Logistic regression analysis revealed that NAFLD was significantly associated with the consumption of fish, fish products, and pickles at least four times a week. The physical activity level was lower and the exercise frequency was lower in patients with non-obese NAFLD compared to those without NAFLD. The results of this study suggest that a low consumption of fish and fish products and high consumption of pickles may be associated with a higher risk of non-obese NAFLD. Moreover, dietary habits and physical activity status should be taken into consideration for the management of patients with non-obese NAFLD. It is important to develop effective management strategies, such as dietary and exercise interventions, to prevent and treat NAFLD in this patient population. Full article

Childhood obesity prevention is a leading public health challenge requiring the adoption of healthy lifestyles at an early age. We examined how the kindergarten environment can promote eating sensibly, drinking water and becoming physically active. The effects of an intervention program among 42 Israeli kindergartens (1048 children, aged 4–6) whose teachers participated in a health education training program were compared to 32 kindergartens (842 children) whose teachers did not undergo this training program. An eight-month intervention program focused on knowledge/mathematical/logical/critical thinking, self-regulation/control acquisition, and sensible decision-making abilities. We hypothesized that nutrition and physical-exercise-oriented intervention programs, combining knowledge/mathematical logical thinking, would positively impact the quality of children’s mid-morning snack and water consumption, their ability to express feelings following physical exercise, and the adoption of healthy lifestyles at home. The quality of mid-morning snacks and water consumption were observed in both groups pre- and post-intervention. Qualitative interviews documented children’s subjective feelings following physical exercise. A significant improvement (p < 0.001) was observed in the mid-morning snacks composition and in water drinking habits in the intervention group; 80% of children offered a physiological explanation regarding energy expenditure processes following intense physical exercise. In conclusion, kindergarten interventions implemented by trained teachers can promote adoption of health behaviors necessary for obesity prevention. Full article