RESUMO

BACKGROUND: The promotion of daily breakfast consumption and the importance of making appropriate breakfast choices have been underscored as significant public health messages. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between breakfast frequency and life satisfaction in large and representative samples of school-going children and adolescents aged 10-17 years from 42 different countries. METHODS: This study used information from the 2017/2018 Health Behavior in School-aged Children study, comprising nationally representative samples of children and adolescents aged 10-17 years who were attending school. The total number of participants from the 42 countries included in the study was 155,451 (51.3% girls). The evaluation of breakfast consumption in this study involved a specific question: "How often do you typically have breakfast (more than a glass of milk or fruit juice)?". To measure life satisfaction, a subjective assessment scale was used in the form of a ladder, visually spanning from 0 to 10. On this scale, the topmost point (10) denotes the highest conceivable quality of life, whereas the bottom point (0) represents the worst imaginable quality of life. RESULTS: After adjusting for several covariates, the lowest estimated marginal mean of life satisfaction was identified in those participants who skipped breakfast (mean [M] = 5.6, 95% confidence interval [CI] 5.5 to 5.8). Conversely, the highest estimated marginal mean of life satisfaction was observed in those who had breakfast every day (M = 6.5, 95% CI 6.3 to 6.6). Overall, a nearly linear relationship between higher frequency of breakfast and greater life satisfaction in children and adolescents was identified (p-for-trend < 0.001). In addition, the highest estimated marginal mean of life satisfaction score was identified in those participants from Portugal who had breakfast every day (M = 7.7; 95% CI 6.9 to 8.5 points). Conversely, the lowest estimated marginal mean of life satisfaction was observed in those participants from Romania who no breakfast (M = 3.5; 95% CI 2.6 to 4.4 points). CONCLUSIONS: There is a nearly linear relationship between higher frequency of breakfast and greater life satisfaction in children and adolescents. Considering the potential health advantages associated with breakfast during this critical age phase, these findings imply the necessity for additional global efforts to promote increased breakfast consumption among children and adolescents.

Assuntos

RESUMO

Objective: To determine how cognitive domains mediate the link between fitness components, their global score (GFS), and adolescents' academic achievement (ACA) across various school subjects. Methods: In this study, 1,296 adolescents aged 10-14 participated. GFS was computed by three fitness components (strength, muscular, and cardiorespiratory fitness) through the ALPHA-fitness test battery. ACA was determined by five school subjects (Language, English, Mathematics, Science, and History) and two academic scores (a) "Academic Average" (five subjects) and (b) "Academic-PISA" (Language, Mathematics, and Science). A principal component analysis was performed to establish four factors (working memory [WM], cognitive flexibility [CF], inhibitory control [IC], and fluid reasoning [FR]). A parallel mediation approach was implemented with 5,000 bootstrapped samples controlled for sex, maturity, central obesity, having breakfast before cognitive tasks, schools, and school vulnerability. Total, direct, indirect effects, and mediation percentages were estimated. Results: Overall, the finding showed a full parallel mediation effect for Language (92.5%) and English (53.9%), while a partial mediation for Mathematics (43.0%), Science (43.8%), History (45.9%), "Academic Average" (50.6%), and "Academic-PISA" (51.5%). In particular, WM, IC, and FR mediated all school subjects except mathematics, where IC was not significant. CF has not mediated any relationship between GF and academic performance. Conclusion: This study underscores the pivotal role of cognitive domains, specifically WM, IC, and FR, in mediating the link between physical fitness and academic performance in adolescents. These insights have relevant implications for educational and public health policies.

RESUMO

There is evidence that promoting school physical activity (PSPA) benefits children and adolescents, but little is understood about how this promotion may relate to academic achievement and school climate across varying levels of socioeconomic status (SES). Hence, the study aimed to address this knowledge gap by examining two main objectives: (1) determining the association between PSPA and academic achievement and school climate according to schools' SES and (2) exploring the potential mediating role of PSPA in the relationship between schools' SES and academic achievement and school climate. This cross-sectional study at the school level focused on 4,990 schools (including public, subsidized, and private schools) that participated in the National Educational Study 2018 (Chile), which was applied to primary schoolchildren (4th grade, aged 8-10 years). Schools were divided into non-PSPA (n = 4,280) and PSPA (n = 710) during the year 2018. Changes in academic achievement from 2017 to 2018 and school climate were considered. PSPA was associated with improvements in maths (low-SES OR: 1.80, p < 0.001) and reading (middle-SES OR: 1.45, p = 0.029; low-SES OR: 1.47, p < 0.001). The indirect effect (IE) showed that PSPA partially mediated the relationship between SES and academic achievement in reading (IE = 1.017; SE = 0.12; 95%CI, -1.27, -0.77), maths (IE = -1.019; SE = 0.12; 95%CI, -1.25, -0.78), and school climate (IE = -0.46; SE = 0.52; 95%CI, -0.56, -0.35). In conclusion, PSPA was linked to positive changes in academic achievement, especially among low SES, and PSPA presented a potential mediating role in the relationship between SES of schools and academic achievement and school climate.

Assuntos

RESUMO

Introduction: Admission to university has been identified as a period involving the adoption of unhealthy lifestyle behaviors. However, few studies have addressed the extent of this experience among Latin American university students. The aim of this study was twofold: first, to describe anthropometric variables, body composition, physical activity, sedentary behavior, sleep duration and quality, diet, and alcohol consumption in first-year students entering physiotherapy school at the Universidad de las Americas in Quito, Ecuador; second, to test differences in these variables between sexes. Methods: A total of 116 students were recruited. Sociodemographic variables, anthropometric indices, body composition, physical activity, sedentary behavior, sleep quality and duration, adherence to 24-hour movement guidelines, physical fitness (i.e., handgrip strength), diet, alcohol consumption, and smoking habits were evaluated. Results: A total of 50 male (43.1%) and 66 female (56.9%) students were assessed. Overall, the adherence to the 24-hour movement guidelines of the students upon admission to university was 8.6%. Conversely, 86 students (74.1%) did not meet any of the recommendations. Upon admission to university, only 8.6% of the students (female 2.6%; male 6%) met the overall 24-hour movement guidelines. Additionally, 82 students (70.7%) needed changes in diet quality, 81 students (69.8%) had significant sleep disturbances, and 22 students (18.9%) had harmful alcohol consumption. A greater proportion of males met all three 24-h movement recommendations (p = 0.025) than females did. In addition, females reported a greater percentage of occasional smokers (p = 0.025) and a greater prevalence of obesity (p < 0.001), a lower level of physical activity (p < 0.001), and a greater percentage of sleep disturbance (p < 0.001). Conversely, males reported greater waist circumference (p = 0.005), weight (p < 0.001), handgrip strength (p < 0.001), and a greater percentage of harmful alcohol consumption (p < 0.001). Discussion: Our study showed that upon admission to university, overall adherence to the 24-hour movement guidelines is low among university students. Additionally, a high percentage of students reported unhealthy lifestyle behaviors, with differences according to sex. Our findings could lead to the use of specific sex-specific strategies for the prevention and promotion of movement and lifestyle behaviors during this critical period.

RESUMO

Background: Excessive sedentary time has been negatively associated with several health outcomes, and physical activity alone does not seem to fully counteract these consequences. This panorama emphasizes the essential of sedentary time interruption programs. "The Up Project" seeks to assess the effectiveness of two interventions, one incorporating active breaks led by a professional and the other utilizing a computer application (self-led), of both equivalent duration and intensity. These interventions will be compared with a control group to evaluate their impact on physical activity levels, sedentary time, stress perception, occupational pain, and cardiometabolic risk factors among office workers. Methods: This quasi-experimental study includes 60 desk-based workers from universities and educational institutes in Valparaiso, Chile, assigned to three groups: (a) booster breaks led by professionals, (b) computer prompts that are unled, and (c) a control group. The intervention protocol for both experimental groups will last 12 weeks (only weekdays). The following measurements will be performed at baseline and post-intervention: cardiometabolic risk based on body composition (fat mass, fat-free mass, and bone mass evaluated by DXA), waist circumference, blood pressure, resting heart rate, and handgrip strength. Physical activity and sedentary time will be self-reported and device-based assessed using accelerometry. Questionnaires will be used to determine the perception of stress and occupational pain. Discussion: Governments worldwide are addressing health issues associated with sedentary behavior, particularly concerning individuals highly exposed to it, such as desk-based workers. Despite implementing certain strategies, there remains a noticeable gap in comprehensive research comparing diverse protocols. For instance, studies that contrast the outcomes of interventions led by professionals with those prompted by computers are scarce. This ongoing project is expected to contribute to evidence-based interventions targeting reduced perceived stress levels and enhancing desk-based employees' mental and physical well-being. The implications of these findings could have the capacity to lay the groundwork for future public health initiatives and government-funded programs.

Assuntos

RESUMO

A Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) has emerged as a crucial dietary choice, not only in attenuating various adolescents' metabolic health issues but it has also been associated with improved cognitive and academic achievement. However, few studies have established patterns of food consumption linked to both cognitive and academic achievement in adolescents living in a developing country with non-Mediterranean-based food. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 1296 Chilean adolescents (50% girls) aged 10-14 years. The MedDiet Quality Index was used to assess adherence to the MedDiet in children and adolescents. Through cluster analysis, four distinct dietary patterns were identified: Western diet (WD = 4.3%); low fruit and vegetables, high-sugar diet (LFV-HSD = 28.2%); low fruit and vegetables, low-sugar diet (LFV-LSD = 42.2%); and the MedDiet (25.3%). A mixed-model analysis was conducted to compare these clusters and their relationships with cognitive and academic achievements. Principal component analysis was performed to identify four primary cognitive domains: working memory, cognitive flexibility, inhibitory control, and fluid reasoning. Academic achievement was determined with five school subjects (Language, English, Mathematics, Science, and History) and included the Academic-PISA score derived from the mean scores in Language, Mathematics, and Science. Results: A marked difference was observed between the four clusters, which was mainly related to the consumption of sugar, ultra-processed foods, fruits, and vegetables. According to cognitive performance, the MedDiet group showed higher performance across all domains than the LFV-HSD, LFV-LSD, and WD groups. Regarding academic achievement, the WD underperformed in all analyses compared to the other groups, while the MedDiet was the unique profile that achieved a positive difference in all academic subjects compared to the WD and LFV-HSD groups (p < 0.05). Conclusions: These findings suggest that higher adherence to Mediterranean-style-based patterns and better food quality choices are associated with improved cognitive and academic achievements.

Assuntos

RESUMO

BACKGROUND: We examined the association between individual lifestyle risk factors with all-cause and cause-specific mortality. METHODS: Prospective cohort study including 155,002 participants from the Mexico City Prospective Study. Cox regression models were used to estimate the association between individual lifestyle risk factors and all-cause and cause-specific mortality. Participants with prevalent diseases at baseline and participants who died during the first 2, 5, 10, and 15 years of follow-up were excluded to account for reverse causation. RESULTS: 27,469 people died during 18.3 years of follow-up years. Overweight and moderate alcohol consumption were inversely associated with all-cause mortality, while low physical activity and smoking were positively associated when all participants were included, regardless of prevalent disease or duration of follow-up. The direction of the association of overweight with all-cause mortality changed from inverse to positive after excluding the first 10 years of follow-up. Compared with normal weight, the hazard ratio (95 % confidence interval) was 1.17 (1.13,1.22) for obesity after excluding those who died in the first 5 years of follow-up and 1.71 (1.59,1.84) after excluding the first 15 years of follow-up. The magnitude of the association of alcohol intake, low physical activity, and smoking with mortality attenuated, whereas for fruits and vegetables increased, after excluding longer periods of follow-up. LIMITATIONS: The data were collected exclusively in Mexico City; lifestyle risk factors were self-reported and thus prone to misclassification bias. CONCLUSIONS: Reverse causation may influence both the magnitude and the direction of the associations between lifestyle risk factors and mortality.

Assuntos

RESUMO

Health-related behaviours have been related to brain structural features. In developing settings, such as Latin America, high social inequality has been inversely associated with several health-related behaviours affecting brain development. Understanding the relationship between health behaviours and brain structure in such settings is particularly important during adolescence when critical habits are acquired and ingrained. In this cross-sectional study, we carry out a multimodal analysis identifying a brain region associated with health-related behaviours (i.e., adiposity, fitness, sleep problems and others) and cognitive/academic performance, independent of socioeconomic status in a large sample of Chilean adolescents. Our findings suggest that the relationship between health behaviours and cognitive/academic performance involves a particular brain phenotype that could play a mediator role. These findings fill a significant gap in the literature, which has largely focused on developed countries and raise the possibility of promoting healthy behaviours in adolescence as a means to influence brain structure and thereby cognitive/academic achievement, independently of socioeconomic factors. By highlighting the potential impact on brain structure and cognitive/academic achievement, policymakers could design interventions that are more effective in reducing health disparities in developing countries.

RESUMO

Background: Evidence supports the beneficial linear influence of diverse lifestyle behaviors on brain health since childhood; however, multiple behaviors -and not only one-simultaneously affect such outcomes. Therefore, the aim was to explore the multivariate relationship through a network analysis among mental difficulty and cognitive function with physical fitness (PF), 24-h movement components, fatness, and sociodemographic factors in children. Methods: Cross-sectional study involved 226 children (52.2 % boys) aged between six and 11 years. Mental difficulties were evaluated through the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire and cognitive function by the Raven's Colored Progressive Matrices Test. The body mass index and PF were assessed according to the procedures suggested by the Proesp-Br, while moderate-to vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA) using accelerometry. The socioeconomic level, sleep, and screen time were evaluated by questionnaires. A network analysis was carried out to evaluate the associations among variables and establish centrality measures. Results: Age and PF moderated the negative relationship between cognitive function and MVPA. Furthermore, the direct and inverse relationship between cognitive function and mental difficulties appears to be affected by the 24-h movement components. Finally, age, PF, and screen time are the nodes with higher values of expected influence, indicating more sensitivity to interventions for decreasing mental difficulty and improving cognitive function. Conclusion: Mental health and cognitive function were moderated by the multivariate interaction among age, PF, and the three 24-h movement components. Nonetheless, centrality measures from the network analysis suggest that PF, MVPA, and screen time are crucial nodes in order to implement future interventions.

RESUMO

BACKGROUND: Evidence on all-cause mortality attributable to joint sitting time and physical inactivity is lacking. In this study, we estimated the proportion and number of deaths attributable to sitting time and physical inactivity in Chilean adults. METHODS: A sample of 5834 adults aged 20-96 years from a 2016-2017 Chilean National Health Survey was included to describe the prevalence of 16 joint categories of sitting time and physical activity. Relative risks for the joint association of sitting time and physical inactivity were obtained from a meta-analysis of individual participant data. We retrieved the number of deaths in adults ≥ 20 years in 2019 from the Chilean Ministry of Health. RESULTS: Participants with high sitting time (> 8 h/day) and low physical activity (< 2.5 MET-hour/week) were more likely to be women, 20-64 years, non-indigenous ethnicity, lived in the urban areas, had middle education level and monthly household income, and had public health insurance. Reducing sitting time and increasing physical activity to a theoretical minimum risk exposure level could prevent up to 11,470 deaths or 10.4% of all deaths. Increasing physical activity to >35.5 MET-hour/week and maintaining sitting time could prevent approximately 10,477 deaths or 9.5% of all deaths. Reducing sitting time to < 4 h/day and maintaining physical activity would not reduce the number of deaths (-3.4% or 38 deaths). CONCLUSION: Reducing sitting time may be ancillary for preventing mortality. Therefore, increasing physical activity should be the primary focus of interventions and policies in Chile.

Assuntos