Introduction Mindful movement is a comprehensive approach that integrates various bodily, emotional and cognitive aspects into physical activity, promoting overall well-being. This study assessed the ...impact of a mindful movement program, known as Movimento Biologico (MB), on participants psychological well-being (PWB), positive mental health (PMH), sense of coherence (SOC), and interoceptive awareness. Methods MB program was conducted for students attending the bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology and Sport Sciences of University of Perugia over 8 weeks (from October 16 to November 27, 2022). Participants were requested to fill in four questionnaires before and after the MB program: (1) 18-item PWB scale; (2) 9-item PMH scale; (3) 13-item SOC scale; (4) 32-item scale for Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA). Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were used to assess changes, with significance set at p < 0.05. Results Thirty-eight students (mean age 21.2, 60.5% male) participated. Several MAIA subscales, including noticing ( p = 0.003), attention management ( p = 0.002), emotional awareness ( p = 0.007), self-regulation ( p < 0.001), body listening ( p = 0.001), and trusting ( p = 0.001), showed significant improvements. PMH increased significantly ( p = 0.015), and there was a significant enhancement in the autonomy subscale of PWB ( p = 0.036). SOC and overall PWB also improved, though not significantly. Conclusion The MB program significantly improved participants’ positive mental health and interoceptive awareness. This likely resulted from better recognition and management of positive physiological sensations, a stronger link between physical sensations and emotions, enhanced confidence in one’s body, and increased autonomy.
Parental factors contribute to ADHD, partly in an etiological way and partly as moderators and mediators of child outcomes and treatment effects. An important aspect of parenting seems to be parental ...reflective functioning (PRF), defined as the parent's capacity to reflect upon his own and his child's internal mental experience. The studies on parenting factors linked to ADHD have not extensively investigated the role of PRF. Recent findings on interventions have begun to consider mentalization to promote empathy and emotion regulation in parents, but empirical studies assessing PRF are still scarce. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to compare specific familial and parental functioning characteristic between parents of children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and parents of controls without ADHD. A clinical sample of 41 children with ADHD aged 8–11 years and their parents was compared with a matched, non-clinical sample of 40 children. Three aspects of parental functioning were investigated: parental symptomatology, parental alliances and PRF; children's differences in strength and difficulty profiles were also assessed. The results showed that families of children with ADHD had lower socioeconomic status, and both mothers and fathers of the same families reported higher scores for depression and lower PRF than did the control group; only mothers showed lower parental alliance. Logistic regression highlighted the fact that several of these familial and parental factors contributed to the increased risk of belonging to the clinical group, specifically both mothers' and fathers' depressive symptoms and lower PRF. These data represent new findings with potentially meaningful clinical implications for both assessment and intervention.
Objective. Lifestyle modification programs are different but typically include both nutritional aspects and physical activity as main domains with different behavioral and/or psychological strategies ...designed to affect change. A fundamental role in modifying unhealthy habits is played by personal motivation for change. The present study sought to investigate, in a group of 100 overweight/obese outpatients with and/or without TMD2, treatment seeking, the effect of an intensive lifestyle program on medical measures and motivational profile for physical activity (PA) and healthy nutrition (NUTR). Method. Subjects participated in an intensive multidisciplinary lifestyle intervention at C.U.R.I.A.MO. Before and after the intervention, patients received a comprehensive evaluation of their clinical, anthropometric, and metabolic states and motivation to lifestyle changes. Results. Data showed differences before and after intervention in both medical and motivational measures. Before the intervention patients reported to be ready, open, and determined to change and gave importance to healthy habits. After the intervention patients continued to be determined but increased the actions toward the change showing a higher degree of maintenance and of acquisition of habits especially in the physical domain of the new lifestyle. Conclusion. Data support the notion that the motivation should be followed during all the lifestyle interventions to support the change on both domains of the lifestyle program.
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has an estimated prevalence of 20-30% in the general population and even higher in individuals with metabolic risk factors. The aim of this study was to ...evaluate the effect of a lifestyle intervention program on surrogate markers of hepatic steatosis in obesity and/or type 2 diabetes patients, enrolled in the C.U.R.I.A.Mo. (Centro Universitario di Ricerca Interdipartimentale Attività Motoria) trial.
102 subjects (56 females and 46 males, aged between 23 and 78) with type 2 diabetes, obesity or a BMI of at least 25 kg/m
with comorbidities, participated in the intensive phase of a multidisciplinary lifestyle intervention program at the Healthy Lifestyle Institute of the University of Perugia (C.U.R.I.A.Mo.). Six indices related to NAFLD (Visceral Adiposity Index, Fatty Liver index, Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease liver fat score and liver fat equation, hepatic steatosis index and TyG index) were calculated before and after a three-month multidisciplinary lifestyle intervention.
The intervention improved the anthropometric and clinical parameters in the total population, the obese and/or diabetics. Data showed a significant weight loss, a reduced waist circumference, triglycerides, and an improvement in Mediterranean diet adherence. Hepatic steatosis indices were significantly reduced in the total population and in different subgroups (males, females, obesity and diabetes).
Objective:
To describe an innovative school-based intervention to promote healthy lifestyles. To evaluate its effects on children’s food habits and to highlight the key components which contribute ...most to the beneficial effects obtained from children’s, teachers’ and parents’ perspectives.
Design:
An educational tool to improve personal awareness, promote healthy food choices and increase children’s levels of physical activity was developed and evaluated. The tool used a community-based approach and included family members, schools, university, families, sports societies, farms, mass media and municipalities.
Setting:
A total of 11 primary school classes in five schools in Spoleto, Umbria.
Methods:
The tool dealt with healthy food choices, lifestyle and physical activities and is structured in four phases (4 months). The Kidmed test (a validated index based on principles sustaining Mediterranean dietary patterns as well as those that undermine them) and open-ended questionnaires (to highlight the key components which contributed most to the beneficial effects) were used to assess the effectiveness of the intervention. Kidmed scores were evaluated both before and after intervention (T0–T1) and the written answers collected (from teachers, parents and children) were subjected to content analysis using a form of grounded theory.
Results:
Data point to a significant before/after increase on Kidmed scores (t = −3.88; p = .000), revealing an increase in children’s adherence to the Mediterranean Diet, healthy habit changes, greater parental awareness of their educational responsibilities regarding food choices as well as physical activity, and a new school-family alliance as a result of the educational intervention.
Conclusion:
Project findings reveal positive effects on children’s food habits and highlight key components necessary to enhance the effectiveness of a school-based educational intervention.
The main aim of this study was to assess the psychometric proprieties of the Child Feeding Questionnaire (CFQ) in Italian mothers.
Mothers completed the Italian version of the CFQ, and children's ...anthropometric data were collected. Construct validity of the CFQ was assessed by comparing three different models: (a) a seven correlated factors model in which all items were analysed; (b) a seven correlated factors model with composite items based on the Restriction factor and (c) an eight correlated factors model with a separate Reward factor. Measurement invariance using BMI categories and gender was evaluated. Furthermore, discriminant validity with group comparison was performed between BMI categories and gender.
Italy.
A total of 1253 6-year-old Italian children (53·9 % male) attending elementary school (1st grade) and their mothers (mean age = 38·22 years; sd = 4·89) participated in this study.
The eight-factor model with a separate reward factor provided the best fit for the data. The strict invariance of the CFQ across child BMI categories and gender was confirmed. The CFQ internal consistency was acceptable for most subscales. However, two subscales showed no adequate values. As expected, the CFQ scales showed significant differences between BMI categories, while no gender-related differences were found.
The study indicated the Italian version of the CFQ to be factorially valid for assessing parental feeding practices of 6-year-old children across BMI categories. Future research should address low internal consistency in some of the CFQ subscales.
Although establishing an affective tie with a child during perinatality is considered one of the most important maternal tasks, little is still known about the mediators of the association between ...maternal antenatal and postnatal bonding with the infant. This prospective study addresses this gap by evaluating a community sample of 110 Italian women to assess whether maternal pre- and postnatal bonds with the infant are mediated by parental reflective functioning (PRF), as assessed at the third trimester of pregnancy and three months postpartum. Controlling for confounding variables, the hierarchical regression analyses show the maternal prenatal quality of attachment to the fetus as the main predictor of maternal postnatal attachment to the child (β = 0.315; t = 0.2.86; p = 0.005). The mediation analyses show that mothers’ PRF (b = 0.245; SE = 0.119; 95% CI = 0.071, 0.531) explains 39% of the relationship between maternal pre- and postnatal bonding with the child. The findings of this study contribute to research on the association between prenatal and mother-to-infant bonding by additionally investigating the importance of taking into account maternal PRF as a mediating variable. This provides support for the clinical utility of interventions focused on maternal PRF.
There is evidence that promoting physical activity programs and decreasing sedentary behavior is a potential strategy for improving health-outcomes, peer relationships and social/emotional well-being ...in at-risk youth. The World Health Organization recommends enhancing physical education and school-based programs with multi-component and evidence-based assessment methodology. In Umbria (Italy) an uncontrolled pilot study project referred to as "Improving Umbrian kids' healthy lifestyle" was implemented as a systemic school-based intervention directed at 6-year-old primary school children. The intervention applied a consolidated assessment methodology developed by the C.U.R.I.A.Mo. and Eurobis projects that inserted two hours per week of physical education activity into the school curriculum, structured and supervised by specialists with Exercise and Sport Science degrees, for eight months (from October to June) of the school year. We measured anthropometric values (BMI, waist circumference, waist-to-height ratio index) with objective tools. Moreover, we evaluated physical performance variables (speed, strength, and flexibility) using standard tests. Additionally, self-report measures (measured physical activity during the week, sedentary habits, and psychological well-being) were assessed using validated questionnaires. We observed a significant decrease in waist to height ratio, and improvements in physical performance values and self-report questionnaire measures. Our study suggests that the promotion of physical activity in the school setting is likely to result in physically, mentally, and psycho-socially healthier primary-school-age children.
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