The main purpose of the study was to examine longitudinal associations between sport participation and fat mass with body posture in children. We used data from children recruited in the Czech ...European Longitudinal Study of Pregnancy and Childhood (CELSPAC) at the ages of 11 y (n = 1065), 13 y (n = 811) and 15 y (n = 974). Information on body posture, practicing sport in a club and at a competitive level, and skinfold thicknesses (biceps, triceps, subscapula, suprailiaca and thigh) from pediatrician's medical records were collected. Body posture was inspected by a pediatrician. The sum of 5 skinfolds was used as a proxy of fat mass. The 85th and 95th percentiles defined 'overfat' and 'obese'children. Practicing sport in a club and at a competitive level were included as 'yes/no' answers. General linear mixed models with risk ratios (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated. Overall, 35.6% of children and adolescents had impaired body posture; the prevalence of 'incorrect' body posture increased by age (from 41.0% to 28.0%, p<0.001). Practicing sport in a club and at a competitive level decreased by follow-up (p<0.001), while the level of 'overfat' and 'obese' children increased (p<0.01). In separate models, 'incorrect' body posture was associated with non-practicing sport in clubs (RR = 1.68; 95% CI 1.43-1.97, p<0.001) or at competitive level (RR = 1.61; 95% CI 1.37-1.88, p<0.001) and with being 'overfat' (RR = 2.05; 95% CI 1.52-2.75, p<0.001) and 'obese' (RR = 2.15; 95% CI 1.68-2.75, p<0.001). When all variables were put simultaneously into the model additionally adjusted for sex, self-rated health and baseline body posture, similar associations remained. This study shows, that not participating in sport and being overfat/obese are longitudinally associated with 'incorrect' body posture. Therefore, the detection of these risk factors in childhood, through the development of school- and community-based interventions, should be advocated.
Although previous evidence has shown that deviated foot structure and function are associated with falls, little is known of the association between foot rotations and falls in apparently healthy ...older adults. Therefore, the main purpose of the study was to determine the associations between foot rotation and falls. In this cross-sectional study, we recruited 120 older women (mean#177;SD; age 71.01#177;6.77 years; height 158.92#177;21.41 cm; weight 70.29#177;12.97 kg; body-mass index 26.79#177;4.42 kg/m.sup.2). Foot rotations were assessed by using pressure platform (Zebris manufacturer, Munich, Germany), while the risk of falls was assessed by using Downtown Fall Risk Index questionnaire. Correlations and multiple regression models were applied to calculate the associations. In unadjusted model, higher foot rotation was associated with higher risk of falls (beta = 0.14, p0.001 for both feet). In a model adjusted for age, body-mass index, foot pain and fitness index, higher foot rotation remained associated with higher risk of falls (beta = 0.10, p0.001 for both feet). Our study shows that older adults with higher foot rotation are at higher risk of falls. Special interventions aiming to correct for deviated foot function in older women are warranted.
Little evidence from observational studies has been provided regarding 'optimal' relative schoolbag load during primary education. Also, no study to date has provided reference-based standards for ...relative schoolbag weight. Therefore, the main purpose of the study was to establish normative values of relative schoolbag weight in a sample of children. In this cross-sectional study, we recruited 584 primary school students aged 6-14 (meanage±SD = 9.6±2.4 yrs, meanheight±SD = 1.4±0.2 m, meanweight±SD = 37.5±13.3 kg, meanbody-mass index±SD = 17.6±3.1 kg/m2, 44.4% girls) chosen from five schools in the city of Brno. Schoolbag weight and child's body weight were objectively measured by using digital scale. Relative schoolbag weight was calculated by dividing schoolbag weight with child's body weight and the result was expressed in percentage. Lambda, Mu and Sigma (LMS) method was used to create sex- and age-percentile curves. Boys carried slightly heavier schoolbag, compared with girls (mean difference 0.2 kg, p = 0.020). No significant differences between sexes in relative schoolbag weight were observed (p = 0.240). Median values (P50) for boys and girls were similar and the largest observed between ages 6-9 in boys (15-17%) and 6-8 in girls (16-18%). The percentage of children carrying relative schoolbag weight beyond 10% of their body weight was very high, especially between ages 6-10 in boys (85.1-100%) and 6-11 in girls (86.8-95.4%). This study provides first sex- and age- relative schoolbag weight normative values in primary school children. Future studies should use similar methods for generating comparable data.
Although evidence suggests that obesity track well from childhood to adolescence, most of the research has been done in Western and high-income countries. Moreover, most of the studies have tracked ...body-mass index, as a proxy of nutritional status, while tracking characteristics of circumferences and skinfold thicknesses have been less studies. Therefore, the main purpose of the study was to explore tracking characteristics of complete anthropometric data from childhood to adolescence.
This sub-study was part of the Czech ELSPAC study. In the present 8-year longitudinal study, we collected information from pediatrician's medical records at the ages of 8 y (n = 888), 11 y (n = 1065), 13 y (n = 811) and 15 y (n = 974), including circumferences (head, chest, waist, hips, and arm), indices (body-mass index, waist-to-hip ratio and waist-to-height ratio) and skinfold thicknesses (biceps, triceps, subscapula, suprailiaca, thigh and the sum of 5 skinfolds). Participants were recruited from the two selected regions of the Czech Republic (Brno and Znojmo). Linear generalized estimating equations were conducted to analyze tracking patterns over an 8-year follow-up period for all anthropometric measurements.
Tracking coefficients were moderate to strong, ranging from 0.40 to 0.62 for circumferences, 0.41 to 0.74 for indices and 0.72 to 0.86 for skinfolds. According to body-mass index and waist circumference standards, overweight/obese children and children with abdominal obesity at the age of 8 y were 11.31 (95% CI = 8.41 to 15.22, p < 0.001) and 10.73 (95% CI = 7.93 to 14.52, p < 0.001) more likely to remain overweight/obese and to have abdominal obesity at the age of 15 y.
Findings show moderate to strong tracking of anthropometric characteristics, i.e. circumferences track moderately well, while strong tracking for indices and skinfold thicknesses is observed. Moreover, strong tracking of general overweight/obesity and abdominal obesity between ages 8 y and 15 y indicates that the detection of these risk factors at the beginning of primary school should be advocated.
The main purpose of the study was to establish a gait speed cut-off value to predict foot pain and the risk of falls among community-dwelling older adults.
In this cross-sectional study, one-hundred ...and twenty White older women speaking Croatian (mean ± SD age 71.02 ± 6.78 years, height 161.77 ± 6.23 cm, weight 70.29 ± 12.97 kg, body mass index 26.79 ± 4.42 kg/m
) were recruited. The prevalence of foot pain was assessed by a single-item question and the risk of falls by the Downtown Fall Risk Index with a proposed cut-off value of "low risk" (<3 points) vs "high risk" (≥3 points) of falls. Self-selected gait speed (the independent variable) was estimated with a pressure platform (Zebris Company, Munich, Germany).
Mean gait speed was 0.95 m/s. Of the total sample, 53.30% and 33.30% reported foot pain and had higher risk of falls. For foot pain and the risk of falls, gait speed cut-off values were 0.88 m/s and 0.85 m/s (area under the curve = 0.80 and 0.83, standard error = 0.043 and 0.043,
< 0.001). Sensitivity for foot pain and the risk of falls was 66.20% and 85.90% and specificity was 84.80% and 69.00%. Slower gait speed was associated with higher prevalence of foot pain (OR = 10.92, 95% CI 4.28 to 27.89,
< 0.001) and higher risk of falls (OR = 13.59, 95% CI 5.45 to 33.87,
< 0.001).
Proposed gait speed values of 0.88 m/s and 0.85 m/s may be used in clinical settings to predict foot pain and the risk of falls among community-dwelling older women.
Our aim was to analyze dose-response associations between maternal pre-pregnancy body mass index and physical activity levels with childhood sports injury rates.
Participants included pre-pregnant ...mothers (
= 4811) and their children at the age of 7 years (
= 3311). Maternal anthropometry (height, weight, and body mass index), time spent in physical activity, and education level were recorded. All sports injuries were defined as injuries reported in the past year by the children at the age of 7 years.
Children whose mothers were overweight/obese in the pre-pregnancy period were 2.04 (OR = 2.04, 95% CI = 1.12-3.71) times more likely to report a sports injury at the age of 7 years. Underweight mothers exhibited a 74% decrease in the odds of their children reporting a sports injury at follow-up (OR = 0.26, 95% CI = 0.10-0.68). Finally, an increase in maternal physical activity across the last three quartiles was associated with a lower odds of sports injuries.
The risk of reporting a sports injury was greater for children whose mothers were overweight/obese in the pre-pregnancy period. However, there was a lower risk with both maternal underweight status and increasing minutes of physical activity.
The main purpose of the study was to determine whether lower levels of physical activity were associated with higher plantar pressure generated under each foot.
In this cross-sectional study, we ...recruited 641 children aged 6-14 years (age
= 9.7 ± 2.4 years; height
= 143.6 ± 15.3 cm, weight
= 37.6 ± 13.4 kg; body-mass index
= 17.6 ± 3.2 kg/m
; 44.2% girls). We used EMED -XL pressure platform to measure force time integral, pressure-time integral, contact-time and contact area, peak plantar pressure and mean plantar pressure of the right and the left foot during the gait analysis. The level of physical activity was measured by using The Physical Activity Questionnaire for Older Children (PAQ-C). The associations were calculated by using generalized estimating equations with linear regression models.
Lower levels of physical activity were associated with higher force- and pressure-time integrals, longer contact time and higher peak and mean plantar pressures in both feet.
Our study shows that the level of physical activity is strongly and inversely associated with plantar pressure in a sample of 6-14 year olds.
Physical development can be considered as an indicator of the overall health status of the youth population. Currently, it appears that the increasing trend of the prevalence of obesity among ...children and youths has stopped in a number of countries worldwide. Studies point to the fact that adolescence is a critical period for the development of obesity. Body mass index (BMI) seems to be an orientation parameter in the assessment of prevalence of obesity which is not sufficient for more accurate identification of at risk individuals. The purpose of this study was to evaluate association between BMI percentile zones as health-risk for being overweight and obese and body composition indicators in high-school students from the Prešov (Slovakia) region.
A non-randomized cross-sectional study in high school students from the Prešov (Slovakia) region was conducted. The research sample consisted of 1014 participants (boys n = 466, girls n = 549). Body composition was measured using direct segmental multi-frequency bioelectrical impedance analysis (DSM-BIA). To examine the association between obesity and selected body composition indicators, Kruskal-Wallis ANOVA and Eta(2) were used. The relationship between selected body composition indicators and percentile BMI zones was determined using the Kendall tau correlation.
In groups with different BMI percentile zones (normal weight, overweight, obese), ANOVA showed significant differences for girls and boys (p ˂.05) with high effect size (η(2) ˂.26) in body weight, body fat mass index, body fat percentage, fat free mass index, fat-free mass percentage, visceral fat area, waist-to-hip ratio, waist circumference, protein mass and mineral mass. The highest degree of correlation among boys was between BMI values indicating overweight and obesity and fat free mass index and waist circumference, respectively (τ = .71, τ = .70, respectively). In girls, the highest correlation was found between classification of BMI percentile zones and waist circumference (t = .78).
The characteristics of body composition are very useful determinants of health and nutrition status. Our data revealed a direct association between BMI value and chosen body composition indicators. The most accurate indicator of overweight and obesity in our study appears to be waist circumference for both male and female population.
(1) Background: The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip (DDH) as a primary or secondary diagnosis during physiotherapy practice. No other ...studies have investigated the prevalence and associations of DDH within the practice of pediatric rehabilitation. (2) Methods: This retrospective review was performed on 12,225 physiotherapy referrals to the King Abdullah Specialized Children's Hospital (KASCH), Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, from May 2016 to October 2021. Only DDH referrals for conservative treatment were included in the study. The plan for brace treatment was carried out by the pediatric orthopedics clinic in KASCH. The diagnostic methods were either a pelvic radiograph or ultrasound, depending on the participant's age. DDH is considered one of the most common secondary complications for children with other medical diagnoses. (3) Results: The most common indication for referral was neurological diagnosis (44%), followed by orthopedic (28%), genetic (19%), cardiac (5%), ophthalmologic (3%), dermatologic (1%) and rheumatologic (0.5%) diagnoses. (4) Conclusion: The prevalence of DDH among all referrals in this study was 6%. In physiotherapy practice, neurologic, genetic, and orthopedic primary or secondary diagnoses were the most prevalent when DDH referrals were investigated. A relatively high prevalence of DDH in the pediatric rehabilitation clinic at KASCH in Riyadh was reported in this study.
Barefoot shoes have recently become a popular alternative to conventional shoes among the parents of pre-school children. As the long-term effect of habitual shoe-wearing on the foot is still ...unclear, the aim of this study was to compare the arch index, dynamic foot anthropometry and gait parameters in toddlers who had been habitually wearing barefoot shoes or conventional shoes since their first steps. 30 toddlers- 15 habitually wearing barefoot shoes (BF group) and 15 habitually wearing conventional shoes (N-BF group)-participated in this study. Each child was measured twice during the study. The first data collection session occurred within one month after the first five consecutive unsupported steps were performed by the toddler. The second data collection session occurred seven months after this event. At each data collection session, the toddler was instructed to walk barefooted at its natural speed over an Emed.sup.® platform (Novel GmbH, Germany). The Emed .sup.® software generated data regarding the arch index, dynamic foot anthropometry, foot progression angle, contact area, contact time, peak pressure and maximum force. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to compare the differences between the 1.sup.st and 2.sup.nd data collections. The Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare the differences between the BF and N-BF groups. The results of this study show a higher plantar arch and a smaller foot progression angle in the BF group. The forefoot width in both the BF and N-BF groups remained proportional to the foot length after seven months of independent walking. These findings may encourage parents and caregivers to introduce barefoot shoes or create a habitual barefoot time for their child.
PDF
