Associations of sedentary behaviour, physical activity, blood pressure and anthropometric measures with cardiorespiratory fitness in children with cerebral palsy

Background - Children with cerebral palsy (CP) have poor cardiorespiratory fitness in comparison to their peers with typical development, which may be due to low levels of physical activity. Poor cardiorespiratory fitness may contribute to increased cardiometabolic risk. Purpose - The aim of this study was to determine the association between sedentary behaviour, physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness in children with CP. An objective was to determine the association between cardiorespiratory fitness, anthropometric measures and blood pressure in children with CP. Methods- This study included 55 ambulatory children with CP [mean (SD) age 11.3 (0.2) yr, range 6-17 yr; Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) levels I and II]. Anthropometric measures (BMI, waist circumference and waist-height ratio) and blood pressure were taken. Cardiorespiratory fitness was measured using a 10 m shuttle run test. Children were classified as low, middle and high fitness according to level achieved on the test using reference curves. Physical activity was measured by accelerometry over 7 days. In addition to total activity, time in sedentary behaviour and light, moderate, vigorous, and sustained moderate-to-vigorous activity (≥10 min bouts) were calculated. Results - Multiple regression analyses revealed that vigorous activity (β = 0.339, p<0.01), sustained moderate-to-vigorous activity (β = 0.250, p<0.05) and total activity (β = 0.238, p<0.05) were associated with level achieved on the shuttle run test after adjustment for age, sex and GMFCS level. Children with high fitness spent more time in vigorous activity than children with middle fitness (p<0.05). Shuttle run test level was negatively associated with BMI (r2 = -0.451, p<0.01), waist circumference (r2 = -0.560, p<0.001), waist-height ratio (r2 = -0.560, p<0.001) and systolic blood pressure (r2 = -0.306, p<0.05) after adjustment for age, sex and GMFCS level. Conclusions - Participation in physical activity, particularly at a vigorous intensity, is associated with high cardiorespiratory fitness in children with CP. Low cardiorespiratory fitness is associated with increased cardiometabolic risk

Discriminant analysis of the specialty of elite cyclist

The different demands of competition coupled with the morphological and physiological characteristics of cyclists have led to the appearance of cycling specialities. The aims of this study were to determine the differences in the anthropometric and physiological features in road cyclists with different specialities, and to develop a multivariate model to classify these specialities and predict which speciality may be appropriate to a given cyclist. Twenty male, elite amateur cyclists were classified by their trainers as either flat terrain riders, hill climbers, or all-terrain riders. Anthropometric and cardiorespiratory studies were then undertaken. The results were analysed by MANOVA and two discriminant tests. Most differences between the speciality groups were of an anthropometric nature. The only cardiorespiratory variable that differed significantly (p < 0.05) was maximum oxygen consumption with respect to body weight (VO2max/kg). The first discriminant test classified 100% of the cyclists within their true speciality; the second, which took into account only anthropometric variables, correctly classified 75%. The first discriminant model allows the likely speciality of still non-elite cyclists to be predicted from a small number of variables, and may therefore help in their specific training

Anthropometric measures as predictive indicators of metabolic risk in a population of “holy week costaleros”

Preventive measures are a priority in those groups that perform intense physical efforts without physical preparation and that can also be overweight or obese. One of the groups that reflect these characteristics is the costaleros of the Holy Week of Andalusia, Spain. This paper aims to describe the effect of obesity on blood pressure. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on 101 costaleros. The anthropometric measures were determined through segmental impedance. Cardiac recovery and anaerobic power were measured through the Ruffier–Dickson test and the Abalakov test, respectively. Blood pressure was measured when the individuals were at rest. The Kruskal–Wallis test was applied for of continuous parameters and the X2 test for dichotomous measures. Binary logistic regression models were used for the subsequent analysis with R-square and Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves. The average population was 28 years of age, 173.7 cm tall, and 82.59 Kg weigh. The excess of body fat was 11.27 Kg and Body Mass Index was 27.33 Kg/m2. 72.3% showed abnormal blood pressure and 68.2% were overweight. 32.7% had a waist-hip ratio higher than 0.94. The probability of presenting abnormal blood pressure was higher among the subjects whose fat content was higher and muscle content was lower

Protocol of the SOMNIA project : an observational study to create a neurophysiological database for advanced clinical sleep monitoring

Introduction Polysomnography (PSG) is the primary tool for sleep monitoring and the diagnosis of sleep disorders. Recent advances in signal analysis make it possible to reveal more information from this rich data source. Furthermore, many innovative sleep monitoring techniques are being developed that are less obtrusive, easier to use over long time periods and in the home situation. Here, we describe the methods of the Sleep and Obstructive Sleep Apnoea Monitoring with Non-Invasive Applications (SOMNIA) project, yielding a database combining clinical PSG with advanced unobtrusive sleep monitoring modalities in a large cohort of patients with various sleep disorders. The SOMNIA database will facilitate the validation and assessment of the diagnostic value of the new techniques, as well as the development of additional indices and biomarkers derived from new and/or traditional sleep monitoring methods. Methods and analysis We aim to include at least 2100 subjects (both adults and children) with a variety of sleep disorders who undergo a PSG as part of standard clinical care in a dedicated sleep centre. Full-video PSG will be performed according to the standards of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Each recording will be supplemented with one or more new monitoring systems, including wrist-worn photoplethysmography and actigraphy, pressure sensing mattresses, multimicrophone recording of respiratory sounds including snoring, suprasternal pressure monitoring and multielectrode electromyography of the diaphragm

Height and risk of death among men and women: aetiological implications of associations with cardiorespiratory disease and cancer mortality

OBJECTIVES: Height is inversely associated with cardiovascular disease mortality risk and has shown variable associations with cancer incidence and mortality. The interpretation of findings from previous studies has been constrained by data limitations. Associations between height and specific causes of death were investigated in a large general population cohort of men and women from the West of Scotland. DESIGN: Prospective observational study. SETTING: Renfrew and Paisley, in the West of Scotland. SUBJECTS: 7052 men and 8354 women aged 45-64 were recruited into a study in Renfrew and Paisley, in the West of Scotland, between 1972 and 1976. Detailed assessments of cardiovascular disease risk factors, morbidity and socioeconomic circumstances were made at baseline. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Deaths during 20 years of follow up classified into specific causes. RESULTS: Over the follow up period 3347 men and 2638 women died. Height is inversely associated with all cause, coronary heart disease, stroke, and respiratory disease mortality among men and women. Adjustment for socioeconomic position and cardiovascular risk factors had little influence on these associations. Height is strongly associated with forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) and adjustment for FEV1 considerably attenuated the association between height and cardiorespiratory mortality. Smoking related cancer mortality is not associated with height. The risk of deaths from cancer unrelated to smoking tended to increase with height, particularly for haematopoietic, colorectal and prostate cancers. Stomach cancer mortality was inversely associated with height. Adjustment for socioeconomic position had little influence on these associations. CONCLUSION: Height serves partly as an indicator of socioeconomic circumstances and nutritional status in childhood and this may underlie the inverse associations between height and adulthood cardiorespiratory mortality. Much of the association between height and cardiorespiratory mortality was accounted for by lung function, which is also partly determined by exposures acting in childhood. The inverse association between height and stomach cancer mortality probably reflects Helicobacter pylori infection in childhood resulting inor being associated withshorter height. The positive associations between height and several cancers unrelated to smoking could reflect the influence of calorie intake during childhood on the risk of these cancers

Linking cardiorespiratory fitness classification criteria to early subclinical atherosclerosis in children

It is unclear if cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) can be used as a screening tool for premature changes in carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) in paediatric populations. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was 3-fold: (i) to determine if CRF can be used to screen increased cIMT; (ii) to determine an optimal CRF cut-off to predict increased cIMT; and (iii) to evaluate its ability to predict increased cIMT among children in comparison with existent CRF cut-offs. cIMT was assessed with high-resolution ultrasonography and CRF was determined using a maximal cycle test. Receiver operating characteristic analyses were conducted in boys (n = 211) and girls (n = 202) aged 11-12 years to define the optimal sex-specific CRF cut-off to classify increased cIMT (≥75th percentile). Logistic regression was used to examine the association between the CRF cut-offs with the risk of having an increased cIMT. The optimal CRF cut-offs to predict increased cIMT were 45.81 and 34.46 mL·kg(-1)·min(-1) for boys and girls, respectively. The odds-ratios for having increased cIMT among children who were unfit was up to 2.8 times the odds among those who were fit (95% confidence interval: 1.40-5.53). Considering current CRF cut-offs, only those suggested by Adegboye et al. 2011. (Br. J. Sports Med. 45(9): 722-728) and Boddy et al. 2012 (PLoS One, 7(9): e45755) were significant in predicting increased cIMT. In conclusion, CRF cut-offs (boys: ≤ 45.8; girls: ≤ 34.5 mL·kg(-1)·min(-1)) are associated with thickening of the arterial wall in 11- to 12-year-old children. Low CRF is an important cardiovascular risk factor in children and our data highlight the importance of obtaining an adequate CRF.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio