Body Mass Index Physical Activity Research Articles

Influence of Physical Activity Body Mass Index on Perceived Physical Self-Concept among Undergraduate Students of Saudi Arabia

Background: Self-concept is one of the important aspect of our personality. Physical self-concept defined as person’s perception of themselves in relation to his/her physical skills and outwards appearance. Objectives: The objective of this study was to compare and explore the association of physical activity to physical self-concept of undergraduate students at different levels of Body Mass Index (BMI). Methods: A group of 140 undergraduate students Mage 19 ±0.70 years randomly categorized into underweight <18.5 kg/m2 [n= 37: 26.4%]; normal-weight 18.5-24.9 kg/m2 [n= 31: 22.1%]; obese ≥30.00 kg/m2 [n= 37: 26.4%] and obese class III ≥40.00 kg/ m2 [n= 35: 25%]. Physical self-concept measured using PSDQ-S. Physical activity on the basis of duration per week. Results: ANOVA revealed highly significant difference among BMI categories on all the factors of perceived physical self-concept except, health factor (p =0.589). The post hoc comparison showed that obese participants had significantly lower scores on coordination (p < 0.001), physical activity (p < 0.05), sports competence (p < 0.01), appearance (p < 0.001), flexibility (p < 0.001), endurance (p < 0.001), global self-esteem (p < 0.001) and global physical self-concept (p < 0.001). Underweight participants reported significantly lower scores on physical activity (p < 0.001), sports competence (p < 0.05) and strength (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Obese category students were having poor self-concept. Normal-weight students perceived higher physical self-concept and global self-esteem than obese and underweight students. Physical activity has strong association with sports competence, strength, appearance and self-esteem. Students

Improving blood pressure control in primary care: The ImPress study

BackgroundHypertension is a preventable risk factor for cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death globally. When hypertension is present with tobacco smoking, poor nutrition, physical inactivity or excessive alcohol consumption, risk of cardiovascular disease is increased. Given the prolonged engagement and ongoing relationship with patients, general practice nurses are ideally situated to actively engage with patients about optimal blood pressure control and lifestyle risk reduction. ObjectivesThis study will test the effectiveness of a nurse-led intervention to reduce blood pressure in adults with hypertension and high cardiovascular risk. DesignA multi-site, cluster randomised control trial where the general practice is the unit of randomisation. MethodsGeneral Practices (n = 20) will be block randomised to the intervention or usual care group. Adults with hypertension and high cardiovascular risk will be identified through an audit of electronic medical records and invited to attend an assessment visit. Eligible consenting patients will be recruited to the study. The intervention involves three face-to-face consultations and two telephone consultations with the nurse to assess lifestyle risk and develop an action plan. An appointment with the general practitioner will optimise pharmacotherapy. The primary outcome is blood pressure, with secondary outcomes of lifestyle risk factors; smoking, nutrition, alcohol and physical activity body mass index and medication adherence. Patients will have outcome measures evaluated at 6 and 12 months. DiscussionImPress is innovative in its proactive approach of identifying those at greatest risk of cardiovascular disease in combination with the emerging role of the general practice nurse to target care towards improved blood pressure control. If successful, findings from this trial could enhance the nursing role, improve health outcomes, inform health policy and provide an evidence base from which to transform blood pressure management in general practice. Trial RegistrationThis trial has been registered with the Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry as ACTRN12618000169246.

Abstract P029: Inflammation Measured by Glyc-A as a Mediating Factor Between Subclinical Thyroid and Cardiovascular Diseases. The Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil)

Introduction: An auto-immune process strongly determines subclinical thyroid disorders generating a high grade of inflammation. However, the evidence from epidemiologic studies of the association between subclinical thyroid disorders with coronary heart disease has not been reported as mediated or moderated by a traditional inflammatory marker such as the high-sensitivity C-Reactive Protein. Recently, another inflammatory marker that reflects protein glycosylation in acute-phase reactant proteins - GlycA was associated with coronary heart disease events. Hypothesis: The association of GlycA, a more comprehensive biomarker of inflammation, with subclinical hypothyroidism, and subclinical hyperthyroidism, should explain some mechanisms of the association subclinical thyroid disorders and coronary heart disease. Methods: We tested this hypothesis among 5060 men and women aged 35 to 74 years-old enrolled in the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil) at baseline. Subclinical thyroid disorders were defined as thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) &gt;4 IU/ml (subclinical hypothyroidism) and TSH &lt;0.4 IU/ml (subclinical hyperthyroidism) with normal free-thyroxine levels. The variable of exposure was GlycA measured in serum by proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) spectroscopy at (LabCorp, Raleigh, NC). We excluded participants who reported previous cardiovascular disease, use of lipid-lowering agents or drugs that interfere with thyroid function. The cross-sectional relationship between GlycA and subclinical hyperthyroidism and subclinical thyroid was evaluated separately by linear regression models using the category of the subjects with euthyroidism as the reference. Both crude unadjusted and adjusted (age, sex, race, education, smoking, alcohol use, physical activity body-mass index, hypertension, diabetes, smoking, alcohol use, and physical activity data are presented Results: After exclusions, we analyzed 47 individuals with subclinical hyperthyroidism (mean age 53.1 (±9.4) years; 61.7% women), 258 with subclinical hypothyroidism (mean age 52.3 (±8.9); 58.1% of women) and 3,642 participants with normal thyroid function (mean age: 50.1 (±8.6); 52% of women). Crude linear regression models showed no significant association between GlycA and subclinical hyperthyroidism (Beta-coefficient [B], 15.77; P = 0.10) or subclinical hypothyroidism (B, 3.60; P=0.39). Results remained nonsignificant after multivariate adjustment for subclinical hyperthyroidism (B, 12.96; P=0.15) and subclinical hypothyroidism (B, 0.44; (P=0.91). Conclusions: There is no association between subclinical thyroid disorders and GlycA. Other presumptive inflammatory pathways should be contemplated in further studies addressing the link between subclinical thyroid disorders and coronary heart disease.

The Association between Sport Participation and Dietary Behaviors among Fourth Graders in the School Physical Activity and Nutrition Survey, 2009–2010

To determine the association between youth sport team participation and dietary behaviors among elementary school-aged children. Cross-sectional survey. Public schools in Texas during 2009-2010. A total of 5035 ethnically diverse fourth graders. Participation in organized sports teams, consumption of select food items (fruits, vegetables, beverages, sweets/snacks). Multiple logistic regression was used to assess the association between each food item (eaten at least once on the previous day) and number of sports teams as the independent class variable (0, 1 ,2, ≥3), adjusting for body mass index physical activity, socioeconomic status, and ethnicity. Significant dose-response associations were observed between number of sports teams and consumption of fruits and vegetables. For boys, the likelihood of eating fruit and fruit-flavored drinks was significantly higher and the odds of drinking soda were lower with the number of teams. For girls, the likelihood of consuming green vegetables increased as sports teams participation increased, and participation was positively associated with diet soda consumption. A positive association was observed between the number of sports teams and scores on the Healthy Food Index for boys and girls. The findings that sports participation is associated with consumption of fruits and vegetables and lower consumption of soda suggest that efforts should be focused on supporting youth team sports to promote healthier food choices. Since sports are available to all ages, sports may be an important venue for promoting healthier dietary behaviors.

Physical activity, body mass index, and brain atrophy in Alzheimer's disease

The purpose of this study was to use a novel imaging biomarker to assess associations between physical activity (PA), body mass index (BMI), and brain structure in normal aging, mild cognitive impairment, and Alzheimer's dementia. We studied 963 participants (mean age: 74.1 ± 4.4 years) from the multisite Cardiovascular Health Study including healthy controls (n = 724), Alzheimer's dementia patients (n = 104), and people with mild cognitive impairment (n = 135). Volumetric brain images were processed using tensor-based morphometry to analyze regional brain volumes. We regressed the local brain tissue volume on reported PA and computed BMI, and performed conjunction analyses using both variables. Covariates included age, sex, and study site. PA was independently associated with greater whole brain and regional brain volumes and reduced ventricular dilation. People with higher BMI had lower whole brain and regional brain volumes. A PA-BMI conjunction analysis showed brain preservation with PA and volume loss with increased BMI in overlapping brain regions. In one of the largest voxel-based cross-sectional studies to date, PA and lower BMI may be beneficial to the brain across the spectrum of aging and neurodegeneration.