150 research outputs found
Scuole attive che promuovono salute
No full textLa scuola è un setting privilegiato per il raggiungimento dei livelli raccomandati di attività fisica in età evolutiva e dovrebbe essere globalmente orientata a tale obiettivo in modo sistemico ed ecologico. Il ‘whole approach’, caratteristico della scuola promotrice di salute consente la realizzazione di obiettivi di istruzione, salute, sviluppo personale, sviluppo di comunità e sostenibilità
La creatività è educativa. Illustrazioni tratte dai percorsi delle 21 scuole abruzzesi
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Profilo nutrizionale in età prescolare: indagine pilota in un campione di bambini della provincia dell’Aquila
No full textINTRODUZIONE
L’infanzia precoce (3-5 anni) è un periodo critico per la prevenzione dell’obesità. I
comportamenti correlati al bilancio energetico, le caratteristiche psicologiche e i processi
fisiologici si strutturano a questa età, quando è ancora possibile l’ ‘imprinting’ con esperienze
determinanti per lo stile di vita futuro.
Lo studio osservazionale, a disegno trasversale, è finalizzato a descrivere il profilo
nutrizionale di bambini in età prescolare e dei rispettivi caregivers (genitori/tutori).
MATERIALI E METODI
Nell’A.S. 2017-2018 sono stati arruolati 108 caregivers degli alunni di due Scuole
dell’Infanzia della Provincia dell’Aquila ai quali sono stati somministrati due questionari proxy
già utilizzati nel progetto europeo ToyBox. Sono state rilevate variabili socio-demografiche,
attitudinali, comportamentali e di contesto e le frequenze di consumo dei principali gruppi di
alimenti. L’elaborazione statistica è stata di tipo descrittivo.
RISULTATI
L’età dei bambini è pari mediamente a 4.6 ± 0.9 anni (range 1.9 – 6.0 anni).
Il consumo di bevande da parte dei caregivers è risultato adeguato (prediligono acqua
limitando le bevande zuccherate) e quello di snack orientato a scelte salutari (per es. il 37%
sceglie frutta e il 28% verdure più di una volta al giorno, il 25% yogurt 5-6 volte alla
settimana). Tuttavia, il 25% di essi non dichiara un netto disaccordo con il consumo di
bevande zuccherate (succhi e bibite) da parte dei bambini ogni volta che questi lo desiderino
o con l’affermazione che berle tutti i giorni possa comprometterne la salute. Inoltre, è chiaro
il ruolo protettivo di frutta e verdura e la necessità di considerarli scelte salubri per lo
snacking, tuttavia una proporzione molto bassa di bambini consuma realmente verdure
crude o cotte, come confermato anche dai dati effettivi di consumo rilevati con il FFQ. Meno
chiara è l’opportunità di scegliere latte e yogurt non zuccherati per il loro bambini. Risultano
scarsi il consumo di prodotti da forno integrali, di pesce e di legumi.
CONCLUSIONI
Tra i limiti dello studio la bassa numerosità campionaria e la modalità di arruolamento non
randomizzato. Tra le prospettive di ricerca future, la definizione di sottogruppi a maggior
rischio, per caratteristiche socio-demografiche come la cittadinanza e il livello di istruzione.
Lo studio fa emergere la necessità di formare i caregivers sulla salute nutrizionale fin dall’età
precoce e di renderli confidenti sulle loro capacità di superare le barriere percepite rispetto a
modelli alimentari più salubri nei loro bambini
Expected reduction in overweight prevalence by increasing physical activity in Italian adult population: contibution of national surveillance data in public prevention planning.
No full textBackground. Since 2007, in Italy, a national surveillance system on NCDs and related risk factors in the general adult population, named ‘PASSI’ (Progressi nelle Aziende Sanitarie per la Salute in Italia), collects data by means of computer assisted telephone interviews, monthly distributed, on a sample weighted by age, sex and area of residence, representative at regional level. For each health issue the protocol defines a pattern of indicators similar to other national surveillance systems [1].
The study is aimed at assessing the value of the ongoing surveillance system in providing evidence for health promoters and health planners, by analysing a subset of PASSI data referring to the Abruzzo Region. Physical activity (PA) and weight status (WS) have been selected as appropriate examples.
Methods. 5003 records on subjects 18-69ys aged (49.2% males) were collected from 2008 to 2012. The temporal trend of PA and WS indicators have been described by gender. Moreover, by means of a longitudinal panel regression, the expected reduction in overweight/obesity prevalence associated to a hypothetical increase of active people proportion has been estimated, considering socio-demographic confounders and the ‘time’ as critical dimension in the surveillance.
Results. The overweight prevalence in the overall 2008-2012 pooled data was higher in males (41.4% vs 26.6% in females, p<0.001), and the same was true obesity prevalence (11.5% vs 9.7%, p<0.001). In both gender groups, the obesity proportion decreased during the observation period (of 5.3% in males, p<0.001; and of 2.9% in females, p<0.001), revealing a sort of leveling off already noted in children’s obesity [2]. Only 31.8% of males reached the minimum of recommended daily PA level and 25.3% of females (p<0.001). Only a quarter of the sample declared that some health care operators counselled them an active daily lifestyle. With a regression analysis we estimated that, in females, the proportion of weight excess should decrease by 1% if around 25% of them ‘simply’ increases their activity up to minimum recommended level (150 min/week of at least moderate PA), (about 4500 females). This reduction, even if little, represents the effect of PA increase alone, not considering diet habits. Moreover, for weight gain prevention, the volume of recommended PA is higher (300 min/week) [3].
Conclusion. In the fight vs weight excess at population level, PA increase appears an appropriate goal, particularly for females.
References
1. Epicentro – Istituto Superiore di Sanità. La Sorveglianza PASSI. http://www.epicentro.iss.it/passi/ accessed on March 2nd 2014
2. Olds T, Maher C, Zumin S et al. Evidence that the prevalence of childhood overweight is plateauing: data from nine countries. Int J Pediatr Obes. 2011 Oct;6(5-6):342-60.
3. Brown WJ, Bauman AE, Bull FC, Burton NW. Development of Evidence-based Physical Activity Recommendations for Adults (18-64 years). Report prepared for the Australian Government Department of Health, August 2012
Is the exercise practice always associated to health chances? Cross-sectional survey in Italian sport club attenders.
No full textBackground. The scientific literature over the past 30 years highlighted the health benefits of regular physical activity (PA) and guidelines translate those evidences into recommendations for different population groups. However, participating in PA, particularly in sports activities, also carries significant risks: biomechanical, cardiovascular, respiratory, behavioural (performance-enhancing drugs use), psychosocial (body image disorders and exercise addiction), and combinations of risks (female athlete triad). In these perspectives, sport clubs could play a strategic role in the prevention of exercise-associated risks and in a setting-based health promotion.
Our study is aimed at evaluating the prevalence of physical and psychosocial health conditions and health-related behaviours in people attending sport-clubs.
Methods. In 2013 and 2014, a cross-sectional survey has been carried out in six sport clubs, located in Central Italy, collecting data on 212 subjects 18-82 ys of age (49.1% males) by means of a self-report questionnaire including an Italian version of the Exercise Dependence Scale (EDS) [1].
Results. Most athletes are involved in fitness activities (51.0%), followed by gymnastics (13.2%), martial arts (8.5 %), running and body building (6.6%). The proportion of people with overweight in the sample is lower than in general population, while the proportion of underweight is higher, particularly in females (7.6 vs 3.0%).. More than one third of the sample doesn’t have a correct perception of his/her body weight: women distort it significantly more than males towards excess weight (34.3 vs 9.0%) and less towards weight deficiency (3.9 vs 26.0%, p<0.001). Moreover 25.0% of women and 17.3 % of men are unsatisfied with their own body image. The smoking habits are less frequent than in general population (19.8 vs 28.0%), however the proportions of those drinking alcohol at least monthly are similar (53.8 vs 54.5%) [2]. Only 9.0% declare the use of performance-enhancing substances. Five people (2.5%) were ‘at-risk for exercise dependence’ and 21.4% were ‘physiologically dependent’ (i.e. evidence of tolerance or withdrawal), which is less than in other studies [3].
Unsurprisingly, dependent subjects spent more time (3 or more days/week) in exercising (79.5 vs 59.0%, p<0.05) than ‘non-dependents’, but the prevalences of other unhealthy behaviours or body image disorders are similar, so it could be a dependence related to the exercise ‘as an end in itself’ and not a consequence f.e. of eating disorders).
Conclusion. The needs assessment is an essential action in health promoting sports clubs.
References
1. Hausenblas HA & Symons Downs D. Exercise Dependence Scale-21 Manual. 2002.
2. Istituto Superiore di Sanità. Studio Passi. http://www.epicentro.iss.it/passi/ , accessed on June 22, 2014
3. Lejoyeux M, Avril M, Richoux C, Embouazza H, Nivoli F. Prevalence of exercise dependence and other behavioral addictions among clients of a Parisian fitness room Comprehensive Psychiatry. 2008; 49: 353–358
Test-retest reliability of an Italian version of the Pictorial Children’s Effort Rating Table (PCERT)
No full textAdolescents’ mental health in school setting: trans-cultural validation of an Italian version of the School Well-Being Scale
No full textBACKGROUND. Mental health is one of the leading health concerns for adolescents in Europe (morbidity rate 25%). In the framework of Health Promoting School (HPS) it is a major dimension, but a recent Cochrane review (2015) didn’t detect it among significant outcomes of HPS. School wellbeing is clearly part of mental health and several scales have been proposed for measurement.
METHODS. In 2010, 16 high schools were enrolled in Abruzzo region (Middle Italy) and 476 students (aged 16.8 ± 0.9 ys; 53.3 % females) filled in an Italian version of the Konu & Rimpela’s School Well-Being Scale, drawn up by means of translation-back translation method.
Four Likert’s scales assess the domains concerning school experience/health: School Conditions, Social Relationships, Means of self-fulfillment, Health Status.
A validation analysis has been performed about : 1) the scales’ internal consistency (Cronbach’s Alpha) and 2) the equivalence of the factor structure with the original version (Confirmatory Factor Analysis, CFA).
RESULTS. The Cronbach’s alfa resulted always ‘acceptable’ (>0.70) except than for the Social Relationship domain (0.661).
Moreover, the CFA highlighted an acceptable goodness-of-fit with the theoretical structure both for the four separate scales and for the entire model: the GFI and AGFI indices are good (>0.90) in 8 comparisons out 10. The RMR index, even below 0.05 only in one domain, is little, so the residual correlation between items unexplained by the model is low.
CONCLUSIONS. The Italian version of questionnaire is adherent to the theoretical model used by Konu and Rimpela. Therefore, it will be used to evaluate the impact of HPS network’s implementation at local level, in the context of Abruzzo’s Regional Prevention Plan 2015-2018.
MAIN MESSAGES. 1) Adolescents’ mental health is a priority in public health. 2) It’s desirable to standardize a European surveillance system on school wellbeing consistent with HPS’s model based on validated tools
Evaluation of the relationship amid ematic lactate and aerobic threshold. Analysis of results according to used formels, activity status and anthropometric factors. Poster at SISMES VII National Congress, 2–4 October 2015, Padova (Italy).
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