Sedentary Students Research Articles

Impact of the scapular dyskinesia on balance and pulmonary health in young adults: Cross-sectional observational study

Purpose. To evaluate balance abilities and respiratory system health in undergraduate students (young adults) with scapular dyskinesia. Methods. 141 sedentary students [65 men (46.1%): 76 women (53.9%)] voluntarily participated in this cross-sectional, observational study that included participants with scapular dyskinesia (group-I; n = 76), and normal control, age-matched subjects (group-II; n = 65). The evaluated variables included scapular dyskinesia (including the dyskinesis side and type) evaluated by the Lateral scapular slide test (LSST), balance (including the overall limits of stability, the limit of stability at the right and the limit of stability at the left) evaluated by the Biodex Balance System, and the pulmonary health variables (including the forced vital capacity “FVC”, the forced expiratory volume in one second “FEV1”, the FEV1/FVC% ratio, the maximum voluntary ventilation “MVV”, peak expiratory flow rate “PEFr” and the estimated “lung age”) using portable spirometer. Results. Among the seventy-six participants with scapular dyskinesia, there were 31 (40.8%) participants with right-side dyskinesia, 21 (27.6%) participants with left-side dyskinesia, 24 (31.6) participants with bilateral dyskinesia. Results showed that there were significant differences between groups I and II in the overall limits of stability (P = 116-3), Limits of Stability “Rt side” (P = 4-2), “Limits of Stability (Lt side)” (P = 2-2), the FVC (P = 1-3), the FEV1 (P = 8-3), and the lung age (P = 1-3). Conclusion. The balance abilities and the pulmonary health variables are significantly deteriorated in young adults with scapular dyskinesis.

P212 COMPARISON OF COLLEGE STUDENTS’ HEALTH METRICS DURING TRADITIONAL AND VIRTUAL REALITY BASED CYCLING

Background: Most college students do not meet the recommended physical activity guidelines. Novel technology such as virtual reality (VR) may be used to promote physical activity among sedentary students. Purpose: To investigate physiological changes in heart rate (HR), blood-pressure (BP) and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) among college students during stationary cycling with and without VR. Methods: Twenty-two college-students (7 M/15F; 18-30years) were recruited on campus. Students separately & randomly completed 2 separate cycling-sessions (with and without VR). The VZFit Ring Racer application with Meta Quest 2 VR Headset synced to a RENPHO smart AI bike was used for the VR session. HR, BP and RPE were assessed at 5-min intervals. Results: Only, RPE at 5-min interval was significant (p=0.032) between the non-VR and VR groups, which may be attributed to the fact that participants were focused more on the VR environment rather than the exercise session, potentially lowering their RPE. Conclusions: In this preliminary data, college students HR, BP & RPE were influenced during the VR session with RPE being lower. This suggests that VR may reduce the perception of effort for a given exercise intensity, and it could be used as a tool to engage students and promote physical activity, in an otherwise sedentary student population.

Physical activity and academic performance in students from same primary education school

Background and Study Aim. Recent researches has demonstrated the relationship between physical activity levels and academic performance in schoolchildren. Most of them have sampled students from different schools and cities. Sometimes academic performance was influenced by other factors such as the type of teaching, the teaching staff or, for example, the assessment system. This research has tried to associate the practice of out-of-school physical activity with academic performance in a group of students, with the peculiarity that they all belonged to same Elementary school. Material and Methods. 120 students (67 boys and 53 girls), aged between 8 and 12 years, participated in this study once their parents or guardians were informed about the characteristics of the study. Academic performance was calculated from the average grades provided by their teachers in the first term. Physical activity levels were calculated using the APALQ questionnaire, categorising students into two types: active or sedentary. In the presence of a normal distribution, the difference between groups was obtained using Chi-Square and Student's t-test. In those cases where the distribution was not normal, comparison was carried out using the Mann Withney U. Results. The analysis of results showed that active students obtained significantly higher grades than sedentary students (8.15±1.17 vs. 7.35±1.15; p=0.042). This circumstance is maintained when analysing the results according to the students' gender, although it is only significant in the case of girls (8.08±1.22 vs 7.03±0.87; p=0.036). Conclusions. The practice of physical activity during non-school hours had a positive influence on the academic performance of the students analysed, even though they were from the same school.

Physical Activity Levels, Eating Habits, and Well-Being Measures in Students of Healthcare Degrees in the Second Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

When the first cases of COVID-19 (caused by SARS-CoV-2 virus infection) were discovered, exceptional norms to fight the spread of the virus were established by applying movement restrictions (lockdown) in many countries. These unprecedented norms led to sedentary behaviours and less healthy diets which could persist for much longer after lockdown. The aim of this study was to analyse the physical activity, eating habits, self-perceived well-being, and toxic habits, as well as the perceived changes of these habits with respect to the pre-pandemic period, in a population of university students in the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic. A single-centre, cross-sectional study was conducted in a population of university students of healthcare degrees. A total of 961 students (639 (66.5%) women and 322 (33.5%) men) signed the informed consent and completed the questionnaire. The study was conducted through an anonymous survey, which was voluntarily self-completed by the students on an online platform. The questionnaire was based on the Spanish Health Survey and it was divided into six main parts: demographic and anthropometric characteristics, physical activity, eating habits, well-being measures (sleeping habits, health state, and stress), toxic habits, and perception of the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on the variables described. The results showed that, during the second year of the pandemic, statistically significant dependence was identified for those students that showed higher levels of physical activity with greater perceived physical activity (p < 0.05), healthier eating habits (p < 0.05), and a better self-perceived health state (p < 0.05), with respect to the 12 months before the COVID-19 pandemic. On the other hand, there was a negative correlation between the sedentary students and greater perceived physical activity (p < 0.05). With regard to toxic habits and physical activity, a significant correlation was only detected between sedentary behaviour and cocaine consumption (p < 0.05). Analysing eating habits, it was observed that the students who smoked, consumed alcohol, and binge drank had low adherence to the Mediterranean diet (p < 0.05). In addition, those students with high stress levels slept less than 7 h (p < 0.05).

CAPACIDADE DE EXERCÍCIO FÍSICO FUNCIONAL EM ESTUDANTES UNIVERSITÁRIOS SEDENTÁRIOS

ABSTRACT Introduction The functional training method has been widely adopted as core training by national and foreign sports teams, due to the good results achieved in improving physical fitness and sports skills. However, there are still gaps about its intervention in sedentary students. Objective Explore the effect of physical function training on exercise capacity in sedentary college students. Methods Volunteer students randomly assigned to experimental and control groups were selected from 120 non-sport majors. Before the formal experiment, the physical indicators of the two groups of college students were measured and recorded. After the experiment, the physical indicators of the two groups of college students were measured and recorded again, and these data were statistically analyzed and discussed. Results After 12 weeks of training under the prescribed intervention protocol, the test scores of the two groups of subjects in functional movement screening were elevated. It is concluded that there is no significant difference between traditional physical training and functional training on height, weight and body mass index of sedentary college students. Conclusion Functional training can improve the physical quality of college students, improve their ability to exercise and play an active role in preventing sports injuries, representing no statistical difference for those who practice it sporadically. Level of evidence II; Therapeutic studies - investigation of treatment outcomes.

Cardiovascular health in nursing and medical students.

To verify whether nursing and medical students take measures regarding their cardiovascular health and the associated risk factors. Cross-sectional study, online data collection with 413 students in February and March 2021, using specific and validated instruments. Kruskal-Wallis, chi-square and logistic regression were adopted for statistical analyses. 73.3% self-reported that they were healthy. We identified a higher risk for developing cardiovascular diseases in sedentary students (OR = 38.6, p < 0.001), with irregular adherence to physical activity (OR = 16.2, p < 0.001) and with a higher level of perceived stress (OR = 1.12, p < 0.001). Students who take action to promote cardiovascular health showed lower risk compared to those who did not. If students do not value their own health during the education process, this may interfere with their professional performance after graduation.

An Examination of Obesogenic Nutritional Habits in Sedentary Students

Recently, widespread sedentary lifestyles and changing eating habits have increased various health problems among students. The current study examined sedentary students' obesogenic eating habits by their socio-demographic characteristics. The research study group comprised 184 students, of whom 73 were females and 111 males, specified by a simple random sampling method. A Three-Factor Nutrition questionnaire served in the study to measure sedentary students' obesogenic eating habits. While a significant difference existed between sedentary students by gender and age variables, no difference existed in terms of the "presence of obese individuals in the family" and "family income levels." Consequently, the current study suggests the existence of positive relationships between Emotional Eating, Cognitive Restraint, and Sensitivity to Starvation in sedentary individuals.

The Effect of Altruistic Behaviors of Sports Sciences Faculty Students on the Decision of Forgiveness: A Structural Equality Model Investigation

The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of altruism behaviors on the forgiveness decision of athletes and sedentary students who continued education in the faculty of sports sciences with the Structural Equation Model. To this end, the Study Group consisted of a total of 200 athletes and sedentary students, 108 female and 92 male, who were selected with the Convenient Sampling Method, who continued education at Gazi University Faculty of Sport Sciences. When the distribution was examined according to gender, 58.5% of the sedentary group was female and 41.5% was male. The rate of women in the athlete group was 47.6%, and the rate of men was 52.4%. When the distribution was examined according to age groups, the rate of people in the 17-20 group in the sedentary group was 31.4%, the rate of people in the 21-24 age group was 55.9%, and the rate of people who were older than 25 was 12.7%. The rate of individuals who were aged 17-20 is 48.8% in the athlete group, the rate of individuals aged 21-24 was 34.1%, and the rate of individuals who were older than 25 years was 17.1%. The &amp;ldquo;Forgiveness Decision Scale&amp;rdquo; and the &amp;ldquo;Altruism Scale&amp;rdquo; were used as measurement tools in addition to the personal information form that was created by the researcher to obtain data in the study. The Structural Equation Model and the t-test for independent groups, One-Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), percentage, frequency, and descriptive statistical analyzes were used in the analysis of the data. When the study findings were examined, the altruism scale sub-dimensions in the sedentary and athlete groups did not differ at significant levels according to the gender variable (p&amp;gt;0.05), and the forgiveness decision scale differed at significant levels in both the athlete and sedentary groups according to gender. The level of forgiveness decision of women (3.45&amp;plusmn;0.57) was higher than that of men (3.19&amp;plusmn;0.55) in the sedentary group. Similarly, the level of forgiveness decision of women was higher (3.57&amp;plusmn;0.64) in the athlete group than that of men (3.41&amp;plusmn;0.61). When the changes of forgiveness decision scale according to age groups were examined, forgiveness in sedentary people did not differ at significant levels according to age groups (p&amp;lt;0.05), and it did not create a significant difference according to age groups in athletes (p&amp;lt;0.05). The Structural Equation Model was established and tested for both groups separately to determine the effect of altruism on forgiveness in sedentary and athletes. When the goodness of fit coefficients that were calculated by the Structural Equation Model was examined, both models showed a good fit. According to the Correlation Analysis that was made to determine the relations between the altruism scale and forgiveness, the scale of forgiveness was negative at 31.4% in athletes in financial aid, positive at 69.9% with help in traumatic situations, and 55.1% in help in the educational process (p&amp;lt;0.05). No significant relations were detected between forgiveness and the sub-dimensions of the altruism scale in sedentary people (p&amp;gt;0.05).

INFLUENCE OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND TIME IN THE SITTING POSITION ON THE CONDITION OF LOW BACK PAIN AMONG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

ABSTRACT Objective: To verify the influence of sedentary behavior and physical activity on the prevalence and situation of low back pain in medical students at a higher education institution. Methods: Cross-sectional study with a quantitative approach, conducted with 220 students. Data were collected between January and February 2021, using the Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences Program. Values of p ≤ 0.05 were accepted as statistically significant. Results: Sixty-five percent of the participants were female, the average student age was 24.19 years, and a predominance of students were in the clinical cycle (60.9%). Of the total sample, 75.9% (n=167) stated that they performed physical activities and 28.2% (n=62) responded that they spend between 7-10 hours sitting studying. The prevalence of low back pain was high (84.1%; n=185), however, only 1.5% (n=3) had scores indicative of functional disability. Women (Mean=5.07, SD=0.35) had greater functional disability than men (Mean=3.33, SD=0.35; p=0.008). Sedentary students had greater disability (Mean=5.79, SD=4.55) than active students (Mean=4.04, SD=3.62; p=0.007); individuals who spent more than 7 hours a day sitting also had higher scores (p=0.02). Conclusion: The findings indicated a significant self-reported prevalence of low back pain among medical students, with greater functional disability in females, sedentary individuals, and those who sat for more than 7 hours a day. Level of Evidence II; Cross-sectional study .

Physical Fitness Index of Medical Students in Thrissur, Kerala, India: A Cross-sectional Study

Introduction: Physical activity forms an important component of a healthy lifestyle. Inadequate physical activity is a major risk factor for non communicable diseases. It is necessary to identify the status of physical fitness of medical students who are the future professionals of healthcare. There are various parameters available to assess the physical fitness of an individual. Modified Harvard step test is a tool used for assessing cardiopulmonary fitness, which is employed in this study. Aim: To compare the physical fitness of medical students who were regular basketball players, with sedentary medical students, using cardiovascular parameters. Materials and Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted in the Department of Physiology, Government Medical College, Thrissur, Kerala, India, from April 2017 to April 2018. Total 60 medical students of both gender, in the age group 18-25 years, out of which 30 were athletes and 30 non athletes, were selected by simple random sampling. Physical fitness index was measured after the subjects performed modified Harvard step test. The duration of exercise and the recovery heart rates were considered. Statistical analysis was done using Chi-square test, correlation and regression tests, Independent t-test and Paired t-test, for which, p-value &lt;0.05 was significant. Results: The mean age of the athletes was 20.97±1.69 years and non athletes was 21.40±1.42 years. Lower Body Mass Index (BMI), resting pulse rate and after exercise recovery pulse rates were found in athletes which were statistically significant (p-value &lt;0.05). The duration of exercise and Physical Fitness Index (PFI) were found to be higher in athletes than non athletes and was statistically significant (p-value &lt;0.001). Physical fitness was thus found to be higher in athletes compared to non athletes. Conclusion: The study indicated that students who had routine physical training had better fitness levels than sedentary students.

The effect of core strength training on flexibility and balance in sedentary healthy young individuals

Background: The aim of this study is to examine the effect of core strength training on the static and dynamic balance and flexibility of the sedentary young indivudals. Material and methods: ‪‪41 healthy sedentary students participated in the study (age=21.56±1.05; height=171.90±8.18 cm; body weight=66.63±11.99 kg). Training was applied for 20–30 minutes a day, 2 days a week for 6 weeks. The sit-and-reach test, lateral bending test, hip flexion flexibility test, and the static and dynamic balance scores were used for outcome measures, which were calculated using the Balance System SD (Korebalance Premier-19 Systems Inc. USA). Results: Statistically significant increases were observed in the flexibility tests and dynamic balance parameters between before and after training (p&lt;0.05). In static balance, there was no significant difference between the preliminary and final values. Conclusions: ‪6-week training was effective in increasing dynamic balance and flexibility, but had no effect on static balance. In the light of this information, we think that training should be a part of life, especially when considering functions that require dynamic balance such as walking in sedentary young individuals. We think that this study is important in terms of preventing injuries of young individuals who do/will do sports recreationally.

Understanding the perceptions of sedentary college students’ engagement in physical activity: application of the theory of planned behavior

Objective To understand salient beliefs related to physical activity (PA) in sedentary college students. Participants Thirty-seven students from a large research university participating in a larger research project were subsequently invited to participate in small focus groups. Methods Using the Theory of Planned Behavior as a framework, semi-structured focus groups were conducted to understand the perceptions of using mobile technology as a tool to increase PA. Results A grounded theory approach revealed that students generally had positive attitudes about PA and relied heavily on social support as a facilitator of PA behavior change. The structured exercise program delivered via the mobile app increased perceived behavioral control. Other key findings include academic barriers, desire to avoid chronic disease, and inconsistent efficacy of the mobile application among this population. Conclusions Interventions designed to increase PA in this population should focus on structured activity, increased self-monitoring, positive outcome expectancies, and social support.

SEVERITY OF IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME SYMPTOMS AND FODMAPS INTAKE IN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) symptoms such as diarrhea, bloating and abdominal pain can reduce University student's productivity and learning ability. One of the possible treatments for IBS is the temporarily exclusion of foods that have a high content of short-chain fermentable carbohydrates, the fermentable, oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols (FODMAPs). This study aimed to assess University student's intake of foods that are rich in FODMAPs, looking for possible associations with the severity of IBS symptoms. A cross-sectional study was carried out, with undergraduate students from a private University in the city of São Paulo, Brazil, aged between 19 and 46 years old and that were enrolled in different courses and stages. Students were invited to participate and those who gave their formal consent were included in this research. A sociodemographic and lifestyle questionnaire was applied, in addition to the Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale - GSRS. Students also responded a short Food Frequency Questionnaire, developed to investigate habitual FODMAPs intake of Brazilian adult population. Spearman's correlation analysis between the student's GSRS scores and the frequency of foods rich in FODMAPs intake were performed in SPSS v.21. Fifty-six students were interviewed, with mean age of 21.4 years old (SD=4.41), with a predominance of women (76.8%). The GSRS results showed that 58.9% of students felt minimal to moderate abdominal discomfort and 14.3% had moderately severe to very severe abdominal pain during the prior week to the interview. Besides abdominal pain, the gastrointestinal symptoms that were most reported by students were flatulence (98.2%), stomach rumbling (89.3%) and eructations (85.7%). Greater symptom severity was observed in women (P=0.004) and sedentary students (P=0.003). Regarding FODMAPs consumption, honey (P=0.04), chocolate (P=0.03) and milk table cream (P=0.001) intakes were positively correlated with the greater severity of symptoms. Although clinical diagnosis is necessary to establish IBS, 73.2% of the students presented minimal to very severe abdominal pain during the prior week. Female had sedentary students had greater severity of gastrointestinal symptoms. A low FODMAP diet, well oriented, could bring some symptoms relief to these University students.

Examination of University Students' Fear of Negative Evaluation and Academic Dishonesty Tendencies

The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between university students' fear of negative evaluation and their academic dishonesty tendencies and to compare them in terms of various variables. The sample of the study carried out in the relational screening model consists of 306 students, who were selected by the easily accessible sampling method among the university students studying at Yozgat Bozok University, Turkey in the academic year 2019-2020. "Personal Information Form", "Academic Dishonesty Tendencies Scale", "Brief Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale" were used as data collection tools in the study. The data in the research were analyzed using the SPSS 22.0 package program. As a result of the analysis made with the Kolmagorov Smirnov test, it was found that the data were normally distributed. Independent-Samples T Test, One-Way ANOVA, Pearson Correlation and Simple Linear Regression Analysis were used to analyze the data. As a result of the analyses made, it was determined that there was no significant difference between the fear of negative evaluation and the sub-dimensions of the academic dishonesty scale in terms of gender. It was determined that the mean scores of sedentary students were significantly higher than the mean scores of the students doing sports in the dishonesty in citation sub-dimension of the academic dishonesty tendencies scale. As a result, it was determined that there is a low-level positive relationship between university students' fear of negative evaluation and their dishonesty tendency. As students' fear of negative evaluation increases, academic dishonesty tendencies also increase.

Differences between Active and Semi-Active Students Regarding the Parameters of Body Composition Using Bioimpedance and Magnetic Bioresonance Technologies.

The aim of the study was to identify differences in obesity-related parameters between active sports students and semi-active or sedentary students, differentiated by sex, in order to optimize health. The study sample included 286 students, of which the male experimental sample consisted of 86 active sports students, age X ± SD 21.25 ± 0.32 years; height X ± SD 181.08 ± 3.52 cm; control group consisting of 89 semi-active students aged X ± SD 21.07 ± 0.1.13 years; height X ± SD 182.11 ± 1.32. The female experimental sample includes 57 active sports students, age X ± SD 21.02 ± 0.92 years; height X ± SD 167.48 ± 1.34 cm; the control group includes 54 semi-active students aged X ± SD 21.57 ± 0.1.98 years; height X ± SD 168.42 ± 1.76. The study used a thalliometer, Tanita Health Ware software and Quantum Resonance Magnetic Analyzer equipment to investigate height (cm), Body Mass Index (BMI), muscle mass (kg, %), as well as the obesity analysis report, and componential analysis of body and nourishment. The differences registered between the samples of active and semi-active sports subjects were predominantly statistically significant for p < 0.05. The differences registered between the samples of active and semi-active sports subjects were predominantly statistically significant for p < 0.05. The most important parameters regarding obesity and body composition that registered significant differences between the two male groups were in favor of the group of active athletes: triglyceride content of abnormal coefficient 0.844 (CI95% 0.590–1.099), abnormal lipid metabolism coefficient 0.798 (CI95% 1.091–0.504), obesity degree of body (ODB %) 10.290 (CI95% 6.610–13.970), BMI 2.326 (CI95% 1.527–3.126), body fat (kg) 2.042 (CI95% 0.918–3.166), muscle volume (kg) 2.565 (CI95% 1.100–4.031), Lean body weight (kg) 2.841 (CI95% 5.265–0.418). In the case of female samples, the group of active sportswomen registered the biggest differences compared to the group of students who were significantly active in the parameters: abnormal lipid metabolism coefficient 1.063 (CI95% 1.380–0.746), triglyceride content of abnormal coefficient 0.807 (CI95% 0.437–1.178), obesity degree of body (ODB%) 8.082 (CI95% 2.983–13.181), BMI 2.285 (CI95% 1.247–3.324), body fat (kg) 2.586 (CI95% 0.905–4.267), muscle volume (kg) 2.570 (CI95% 0.154–4.985), lean body weight (kg) 4.118 (CI95% 1.160–7.077). The results of the study directly facilitate the understanding of the complexity of the impact of obesity on multiple parameters of body composition and health.

Sitsen: Passive sitting posture sensing based on wireless devices

Physical health diseases caused by wrong sitting postures are becoming increasingly serious and widespread, especially for sedentary students and workers. Existing video-based approaches and sensor-based approaches can achieve high accuracy, while they have limitations like breaching privacy and relying on specific sensor devices. In this work, we propose Sitsen, a non-contact wireless-based sitting posture recognition system, just using radio frequency signals alone, which neither compromises the privacy nor requires using various specific sensors. We demonstrate that Sitsen can successfully recognize five habitual sitting postures with just one lightweight and low-cost radio frequency identification tag. The intuition is that different postures induce different phase variations. Due to the received phase readings are corrupted by the environmental noise and hardware imperfection, we employ series of signal processing schemes to obtain clean phase readings. Using the sliding window approach to extract effective features of the measured phase sequences and employing an appropriate machine learning algorithm, Sitsen can achieve robust and high performance. Extensive experiments are conducted in an office with 10 volunteers. The result shows that our system can recognize different sitting postures with an average accuracy of 97.02%.

Differential Health Effects on Inflammatory, Immunological and Stress Parameters in Professional Soccer Players and Sedentary Individuals after Consuming a Synbiotic. A Triple-Blinded, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Pilot Study.

The main objective of this research was to carry out an experimental study, triple-blind, on the possible immunophysiological effects of a nutritional supplement (synbiotic, Gasteel Plus®, Heel España S.A.U.), containing a mixture of probiotic strains, such as Bifidobacterium lactis CBP-001010, Lactobacillus rhamnosus CNCM I-4036, and Bifidobacterium longum ES1, as well as the prebiotic fructooligosaccharides, on both professional athletes and sedentary people. The effects on some inflammatory/immune (IL-1β, IL-10, and immunoglobulin A) and stress (epinephrine, norepinephrine, dopamine, serotonin, corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), and cortisol) biomarkers were evaluated, determined by flow cytometer and ELISA. The effects on metabolic profile and physical activity, as well as on various parameters that could affect physical and mental health, were also evaluated via the use of accelerometry and validated questionnaires. The participants were professional soccer players in the Second Division B of the Spanish League and sedentary students of the same sex and age range. Both study groups were randomly divided into two groups: a control group—administered with placebo, and an experimental group—administered with the synbiotic. Each participant was evaluated at baseline, as well as after the intervention, which lasted one month. Only in the athlete group did the synbiotic intervention clearly improve objective physical activity and sleep quality, as well as perceived general health, stress, and anxiety levels. Furthermore, the synbiotic induced an immunophysiological bioregulatory effect, depending on the basal situation of each experimental group, particularly in the systemic levels of IL-1β (increased significantly only in the sedentary group), CRH (decreased significantly only in the sedentary group), and dopamine (increased significantly only in the athlete group). There were no significant differences between groups in the levels of immunoglobulin A or in the metabolic profile as a result of the intervention. It is concluded that synbiotic nutritional supplements can improve anxiety, stress, and sleep quality, particularly in sportspeople, which appears to be linked to an improved immuno-neuroendocrine response in which IL-1β, CRH, and dopamine are clearly involved.

The relationship between vitamin D status, intake and exercise performance in UK University-level athletes and healthy inactive controls.

The potential ergogenic effects of vitamin D (vitD) in high performing athletes has received considerable attention in the literature and media. However, little is known about non-supplemented university athletes and students residing at a higher latitude. This study aimed to investigate the effects of vitD (biochemical status and dietary intake) on exercise performance in UK university athletes and sedentary students. A total of 34 athletes and 16 sedentary controls were studied during the spring and summer months. Serum vitD status and sunlight exposure were assessed using LC-MS/MS and dosimetry, respectively. Muscular strength of the upper and lower body was assessed using handgrip and knee extensor dynamometry (KE). Countermovement jump (CMJ) and aerobic fitness were measured using an Optojump and VO2max test, respectively. Statistical analysis was performed using paired/ independent t-tests, ANCOVA and Pearson/ Spearman correlations, depending on normality. VitD status increased significantly over the seasons, with athletes measuring higher status both in spring (51.7±20.5 vs. 37.2±18.9 nmol/L, p = 0.03) and summer (66.7±15.8 vs 55.6±18.8 nmol/L, p = 0.04) when compared to controls, respectively. Notably, 22% of the subjects recruited were vitD deficient during the spring term only (<25nmol/L, n 9). Subjects with ‘insufficient’ vitD status (<50nmol/L) elicited significantly lower CMJ when contrasted to the vitD ‘sufficient’ (>50nmol/l) group (p = 0.055) and a lower VO2 max (p = 0.05) in the spring and summer term (p = 0.05 and p = 0.01, respectively). However, an ANCOVA test showed no significant difference detected for either CMJ or VO2max following adjustments for co-variates. In conclusion, we provide novel information on the vitD status, dietary intake, physical fitness and sunlight exposure of UK young adults across two separate seasons, for which there is limited data at present.

LUNG FUNCTIONS IN STUDENTS UNDERGOING GYM TRAINING AND SEDENTARY MEDICAL STUDENTS - A COMPARATIVE STUDY

Constant and consistent exercise improves the efficiency of our lungs, and everyone, especially young adults, need to work on this organ along with the rest of their body for a healthier life. Hence the present pilot study was undertaken to show that consistent GYM training would exhibit a significantly greater lung capacity. Aim: To compare the lung functions in students undergoing gym training and sedentary students. Material and Methods: This Pilot study was conducted in 40 healthy male medical students in the age group of 20 to 30yrs. The recruited students were divided into two groups - Group1 with Gym training and Group2 Sedentary students. Both the groups were age and BMI matched in order to minimize the confounding factors and make the study reproducible. Lung functions of both the groups were assessed by a computerized RMS Spirometer Helios 401.Unpaired t - test was used for statistical analysis. Results: The study revealed that the Mean % FEV1 of Group1 (4.28) was significantly higher as compared to Group 2 subjects (3.30) Mean percent of FEV1 /FVC also had a higher value for Gym group (94.41) than sedentary group (87.36). Mean % FEF (25 – 75) was 5.57 and PEFR was 8.96 in Group1 as compared to 4.33 and 6.30 in Group2 respectively. FVC did not show significant change. Conclusion: We concluded that a physically active lifestyle improves the lung functions and delays its decline. Therefore, it's imperative that the younger generation should incorporate some form of regular exercise regimen in their lifestyle for their physical and mental wellbeing.

Independent and Combined Associations of Physical Activity, Sedentary Time, and Activity Intensities With Perceived Stress Among University Students: Internet-Based Cross-Sectional Study.

BackgroundMental health is an emerging topic on university campuses, with students reporting higher levels of psychological distress than the general population of the same age. Increasing physical activity and reducing sedentary time have been proved promising measures to promote mental health in the general population. However, to derive and implement effective measures to promote mental health among university students, further exploration of the associations between physical activity, sedentary time, and perceived stress in this specific setting is needed.ObjectiveThis study aims to identify associations between physical activity, sedentary time, and perceived stress after controlling for sociodemographic and behavioral variables among university students in Germany. We hypothesize that perceived stress is inversely related to physical activity and positively associated with sedentary time. Furthermore, we hypothesize that combined associations of concurrently high physical activity and low sedentary time on perceived stress are stronger compared with either alone and that the association between physical activity and perceived stress depends on activity intensity.MethodsWe conducted cross-sectional analyses from a large-scale internet-based student health survey (n=4189; response rate=10.0%). Physical activity, sedentary time, and engaging in moderate and vigorous activity intensities were assessed using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire Short Form with categorization into low, intermediate, and high levels. We measured perceived stress using the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale (range 0-40).ResultsThe results indicate that higher physical activity and lower sedentary time are associated with reduced levels of perceived stress. Following adjustment for gender, BMI, income, fruit and vegetable intake, alcohol consumption, and sleep quality, perceived stress scores were lower for students reporting high physical activity levels and low sedentary time compared with the least active and highly sedentary students (Perceived Stress Scale –2.2, 95% CI –2.9 to –1.5, P<.001 for physical activity and –1.1, CI 95% –1.7 to –0.5, P<.001 for sedentary time). Combined associations with perceived stress revealed that students concurrently reporting high total physical activity and low sedentary time reported the lowest perceived stress scores of all possible combinations following adjustment for confounders (Perceived Stress Scale –3.5, CI 95% –4.6 to –2.5, P<.001 compared with students reporting low physical activity levels and concurrently high sedentary time). Associations between vigorous physical activities and perceived stress were not stronger compared with moderate activity intensities.ConclusionsSelf-reported physical activity and low sedentary time are favorably associated with perceived stress, while the intensity of physical activities seems to be of minor importance. These results help to effectively implement health-promoting measures on campus among university students through increasing physical activity and reducing sedentary time.