This narrative review presents the findings from intervention studies on the effects of sleep deprivation on eating habits, metabolic rate, and the hormones regulating metabolism, and discusses their ...relevance to weight loss efforts. Disturbed sleeping patterns lead to increased energy intake, partly from excessive snacking, mainly on foods high in fat and carbohydrates. The studies focused mainly on the effects of sleep duration, but also of sleep quality, on dietary intake during weight loss trials, and on weight loss maintenance. It is important to explore sleep routines that could enhance the efforts of obese and overweight people to lose weight, maintain their weight loss, and improve their overall health.
: This study aims to assess the health status and factors influencing healthy choices among children and young people in Romania, as well as the efficacy of related health education programs. Through ...understanding these dynamics, the study seeks to provide insights that can shape targeted interventions, policies, and educational strategies to improve this demographic's overall health and well-being.
: For this study, we performed a literature review of original published papers on the health status, healthy habits, health education, predisposition to making healthy choices in the future, and accessibility to the paediatric health system of Romanian children and young people, as well as the effects of different types of educational interventions on this demographic in Romania.
: The prevalence of dental caries is high in Romania. In terms of eating habits and nutritional status, a worrying proportion of children are overweight or obese, which can lead to a variety of future physical and psychological problems. In terms of physical activity, few adolescents demonstrate regular fitness practices. Romania presents an increase in alcohol and tobacco consumption among adolescents. The mental health of students has become a pressing public health concern, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The use of social networks is linked to mental health issues among young people. Romania still has one of the highest rates of sexually transmitted diseases and faces a high incidence of cervical cancer, with a mortality rate three times higher than the EU average. High rates of teenage pregnancies are linked to limited information about sexuality and a lack of access to family planning at a young age. There are large discrepancies in the accessibility of medical services between urban and rural areas.
: Romania faces significant obstacles to providing high-quality healthcare to children and young people. Improving nutrition, immunisation rates, and access to medical services represent essential areas for enhancing the health of children and young people in Romania.
This article investigates the determinants of the intention to migrate of nursing students at a major medical university in Romania and relates them to major international developments, specifically ...the Brexit referendum and the COVID-19 pandemic.
An online survey about the intention to migrate was made available to nursing students at the University of Medicine and Pharmacy "Iuliu Hațieganu", Cluj-Napoca, Romania, in 2016 (before Brexit) and again in 2016 (after Brexit), 2017, 2018, and 2021 and 2022 (during the pandemic). A total of 549 students responded (response rate: 84.6%).
Before the Brexit referendum, 62.6% of the respondents had a plan to seek employment abroad, whereas after the Brexit referendum, only 34.7% indicated that they had such a plan after graduation. Before the pandemic, 43.6% of the students expressed an intention to work abroad, while during the pandemic, only 19.8% had such plans.
This study documented the effect of significant international developments-such as the Brexit referendum and the COVID-19 pandemic-on decreasing the intention to migrate. As expected, the change in preference for the UK as a destination country changed dramatically. Additionally, the study provides both theoretical and empirical insights into the types of and the consistency of preparation for migration of nursing students.
The study aimed to evaluate lifestyle factors among Information Technology (IT) workers from Romania before and during the pandemic. We used an online applied questionnaire, filled in by 1638 ...respondents, that assessed nutrition status-Body Mass Index (BMI), weight and diet change, physical activity, alcohol consumption, number of hours working in front of the computer, stress, and sleep. Multivariate logistic regression was used to establish the lifestyle factors that lead to weight gain. Although the level of physical activity (PA) was low before the pandemic, the results of our study showed a further decrease in physical activity. In total, 61.1% of men and 71.1% of women performed PA for less than 30 min per day. Weight gain was reported in 50.5% of men and 45.3% of women (mean weight gain was 5.11 ± 3.52 kg) as a result of increased screen time (with a mean of 3.52 ± 4.29 for females and 3.05 ± 2.09 for males, p > 0.05 h per day) and the reported changes in diet. Despite the popularity of home-cooked foods, the intake of vegetables and fruit remained low. The quality of sleep was poor for 55.7% of the respondents. Public health and corporation policies are required to encourage a healthy lifestyle and avoid chronic diseases.
Alcohol/binge drinking among university students has become a major public health problem. Many of young students will be exposed to substantial changes in living arrangements, socialization groups ...and social activities during the transitional period.
The aim of this study was to analyse the alcohol consumption in Romanian university students, and to describe the behaviours occurring after drinking.
A cross-sectional study was conducted on 468 undergraduate students, from a university for medicine and law. Of these students, 35.5% were males and 64.5% were females. The mean age of students was 21.9 ± 3.22 years. Validated anonymous paper questionnaires were completed voluntary by the students. Questionnaires contained demographic items, six questions for determining the level of alcohol consumed in terms of quantity and frequency, and 19 statements or problems resulting from drinking.
The findings of the study showed that males drunk more units of alcohol/week than females (p<0.001). The prevalence of abstainers was 10.8% in males and 17.6% in women. Heavy drinkers (drinking 5 or more drinks more than once a week) were more common among male (19.3%) than among female students (16.2%). Most frequently, drinking behaviours are related to academic performance, and the possible link between poor academic performance and alcohol consumption appears tenuous and merits further investigation.
Effective intervention strategies should be implemented to prevent students' alcohol consumption and adverse health and social consequences resulting from this behaviour.
Atopic dermatitis (AD) at a young age often precedes the development of food allergies. Although AD affects millions of infants worldwide, prenatal and postnatal risk factors, and their association ...with the development of food allergies later on, are not fully elucidated. This study seeks to investigate AD epidemiology in infancy and its risk factors, examining early-life factors (both prenatal and postnatal) that could contribute to the later development of food allergies.
Between January 2019 and December 2019, 501 infants were included in this prospective cohort study. Longitudinal data collection was performed through maternal interviews, the first one conducted within three days after the delivery and the second within 24 to 36 months after the delivery, encompassing variables such as demographics, family history of atopy, maternal smoking, antibiotic use during pregnancy, the mode of delivery, breastfeeding history, food practices, and greenness exposure within 3 days from delivery, while they were still in the hospital.
Maternal smoking during pregnancy (
= 0.001) and an older sibling atopy history (
= 0.03) was significantly linked to AD incidence. Cesarean section delivery (
= 0.04) was associated with a higher risk of food allergies in infants with AD. Having a garden at home correlated with a higher likelihood of AD (
= 0.01), and food elimination without medical guidance (
= 0.02) due to AD correlated with an elevated risk of food allergies.
Encouraging timely allergenic food introduction while promoting dietary diversity, rich in plant-based foods, maternal smoking cessation, and professional dietary guidance may help minimize AD and food allergy risk. Future studies should address the role of greenness in the development of AD and food allergies.
Several studies have examined how the lockdown restrictions enforced to halt the spread of COVID-19 have affected adults' movement behaviors; however, there is limited information regarding the ...effects on youth. This study aimed to report on the lifestyle habits of adolescents during COVID-19 pandemic remote learning and explore associations between the participants' bodyweight and lifestyle behaviors. We used a cross-sectional study applied to 285 students studying in the gymnasium. The response rate was 74.21%. They completed an online questionnaire regarding lifestyle, eating habits, and nutritional status (assessed by the Body Mass Index-BMI). The study was conducted in January-February 2021. The percentage of overweight and obese was higher among boys (
= 0.001). The mean sleep duration was 8.12 (SD:1.284) hours per night, and was higher in boys than in girls. The respondents met the physical activity (PA) recommendation for their age, based mainly on unorganized PA. The screen time was 4-6 h or more for the majority of the respondents. Dietary habits included a high consumption of comfort food, like cereals, sweets, soft drinks, snacks, and fried food, but a lower consumption of vegetables and fast food. The regression analyses showed that the BMI was correlated with the BMI of the parents and the number of hours spent in front of the computers in free time. The study identified behavioral and environmental factors that can be modified with effective strategies to reduce overweight and obesity among school students and to promote a healthy lifestyle.
Mentally disordered offenders provided with forensic psychiatric care are often treated with second generation antipsychotic (SGA) medication and experience metabolic and inflammatory side effects. ...Aim: In this paper, we monitored the three-year fluctuation of selected anthropometric, biochemical, and inflammatory indices in forensic psychiatric patients receiving antipsychotic (AP) medication for more than five years, according to the type of AP. Methods: Thirty-five patients with psychotic disorders were classified into two groups based on the type of AP. Specifically: AP1, related to a lower risk, and AP2, related to an increased risk of weight gain (WG) and metabolic complications. Biochemical, hematological, anthropometric, blood pressure (BP), and medication data were retrieved from the individual medical files. Statistical analysis was performed with SPSS 23. Results: No significant differences in weight and glucose and cholesterol levels were observed, but patients taking AP2 more often needed drugs to control diabetes mellitus (DM), lipidemia, and cardiovascular disease (CVD). In those taking AP1, the mean HDL level decreased significantly over time (p < 0.05) and a higher proportion developed higher BP (52.9% of AP1 vs. 16.7% AP2). In the AP2 group the median level of C-reactive protein (CRP) (p < 0.001) and the white blood cell count (WBC) increased over the three years (p < 0.001). Conclusions: The proposed sub-classification of SGAs into AP1 and AP2, depending on their potential for metabolic and inflammatory effects, might facilitate study of their long-term side-effects but also help in personalized prevention or treatment measures to counteract these side-effects.
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