Seasickness among Icelandic seamen

Publisher Copyright: © 2022 Arnardottir et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.Introduction The working environment abroad a ship is unique, with constant stimuli such as rolling of the vessel, noise, and vibration. Fishing industry is important for Icelandic economy, still the effect of seasickness-related symptoms on seamen´s health is not fully understood. Thus, the objective of this study is to explore the impact of seasickness-related symptoms, i.e., seasickness, seasickness symptoms and mal de débarquement on seaman´s health, and how their working environment may affect those factors. Methods Cross-sectional data was collected from 262 seamen answering questionnaire. Majority of the seamen participated while attending a compulsory course held by the Maritime Safety and Survival Training Centre. The majority of participants were men. A chi-square test was used to detect the difference between variables. Results The majority of seamen had experienced seasickness (87.8%) or mal de débarquement (85.8%). Having a history of tension headache (38.1%) and tinnitus (37.9%) was quite common. A total of 30.6% of the participants had been admitted to hospital once or more due to mishaps or accidents on land. Discussion Seasickness and seasickness symptoms together with mal de débarquement are common in Icelandic seamen. Working conditions at sea are demanding and seam to affect the seamen´s health both at sea and ashore, making further research needed.Introduction The working environment abroad a ship is unique, with constant stimuli such as rolling of the vessel, noise, and vibration. Fishing industry is important for Icelandic economy, still the effect of seasickness-related symptoms on seamen´s health is not fully understood. Thus, the objective of this study is to explore the impact of seasickness-related symptoms, i.e., seasickness, seasickness symptoms and mal de débarquement on seaman´s health, and how their working environment may affect those factors. Methods Cross-sectional data was collected from 262 seamen answering questionnaire. Majority of the seamen participated while attending a compulsory course held by the Maritime Safety and Survival Training Centre. The majority of participants were men. A chi-square test was used to detect the difference between variables. Results The majority of seamen had experienced seasickness (87.8%) or mal de débarquement (85.8%). Having a history of tension headache (38.1%) and tinnitus (37.9%) was quite common. A total of 30.6% of the participants had been admitted to hospital once or more due to mishaps or accidents on land. Discussion Seasickness and seasickness symptoms together with mal de débarquement are common in Icelandic seamen. Working conditions at sea are demanding and seam to affect the seamen´s health both at sea and ashore, making further research needed.Peer reviewe

Comparison of summer and winter objectively measured physical activity and sedentary behavior in older adults: Age, gene/environment susceptibility Reykjavik study

In Iceland, there is a large variation in daylight between summer and winter. The aim of the study was to identify how this large variation influences physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior (SB). Free living PA was measured by a waist-worn accelerometer for one week during waking hours in 138 community-dwelling older adults (61.1% women, 80.3 ± 4.9 years) during summer and winter months. In general, SB occupied about 75% of the registered wear-time and was highly correlated with age (β = 0.36). Although the differences were small, more time was spent during the summer in all PA categories, except for the moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA), and SB was reduced. More lifestyle PA (LSPA) was accumulated in ≥5-min bouts during summer than winter, especially among highly active participants. This information could be important for policy makers and health professionals working with older adults. Accounting for seasonal difference is necessary in analyzing SB and PA data. View Full-TextThis study has been funded by NIA contract N01-AG-1-2100, the NIA Intramural Research Program, Hjartavernd (the Icelandic Heart Association), and the Althingi (the Icelandic Parliament). This work was also supported by the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship under Grant No. DGE-0940903 and by the National Institutes of Health Intramural Research Program, grant number: Z01 DK071013 and Z01 DK071014 to Robert J. Brychta and Kong Y. Chen. The researchers are indebted to the participants for their willingness to participate in the study.Peer Reviewe

Linking Physical Activity and Health: A population study of elderly Icelandic men and women

Megin tilgangur rannsóknarinnar var að auka þekkingu á því hvernig hreyfing, kyrrseta og svefn tengjast heilsu eldra fólks á Íslandi. Notast var við safn mælinga í stóru, vel skilgreindu úrtaki eldra fólks sem tóku þátt í öðrum fasa Öldrunarrannsóknar Hjartaverndar. Einnig var kannað hvort rúmmálsbreytingar í heilanum væru tengdar hreyfingu og kyrrsetu. Hreyfing þátttakenda var mæld með hreyfimælum. Rannsóknin leiddi í ljós að kyrrseta er stærsti hlutinn af heildar notkunartíma hreyfimælisins hjá þátttakendum, eða um 75%, en í kjölfarið kom mjög létt hreyfing með um 21%. Hreyfing af miðlungs- eða mikilli ákefð var <1%. Aldur hafði sterkustu tengslin við kyrrsetu sem og allar hreyfibreytur. Á sumrin var meiri tíma eytt í alla flokka hreyfingar, fyrir utan hreyfingu af miðlungs- eða mikilli ákefð og var kyrrseta minni. Sýnt er fram á langan svefntíma eldra fólks á Íslandi, en þátttakendur vöknuðu fyrr á sumrin sem leiddi til minni heildar hvíldartíma. Hreyfing hafði lítil en marktæk áhrif á svefnseinkun og svefntíma. Einnig voru tengsl milli heilarýrnunar og hreyfingar staðfest, sem og milli heilarýrnunar og kyrrsetu. Hreyfing hjá eldri Íslendingum er mjög lítil og svefntími almennt langur. Þær litlu breytingar á hreyfingu og svefnmynstri sem koma fram í þessari rannsókn við mismunandi birtustig, gefur til kynna að Íslendingar hafa aðlagast vel að þeim árstíðabundnu breytingum sem verða á birtustigi á landinu. Með því að fá fólk til að hreyfa sig meira, gætu meiri möguleikar skapast til þess að lifa sjálfstæðara lífi og auka lífsgæði á efri árum. Þetta er staðfest með þeim tengslum sem komu í ljós á milli hreyfingar, kyrrsetu og heilarýrnunar í rannsókninni.The primary aim of the studies was to improve the understanding of how physical activity (PA), sedentary behavior (SB) and sleep contribute to health in older Icelanders. Also, to examine if structural changes in the brain are associated with PA and SB. Data from the AGES-Reykjavik study was used, and PA was measured with accelerometers. The main result was that SB was the largest component of total wear-time, or 75%, followed by low-light PA, 21%. Moderate-to-vigorous PA was <1%. Age had the strongest association with SB and all PA variables. During the summer, more time was spent in all PA categories, except for moderate-to-vigorous PA, and SB was reduced. Long sleep duration in those older Icelanders was revealed. Participants tended to rise earlier in summer months, leading to reduced rest duration. PA had small but significant impact on onset latency and bed time. The relationship between brain atrophy and PA were confirmed, as well as the association between the brain volume and SB. Older Icelanders have low PA and generally long sleep time. The small changes in PA and sleep patterns revealed in this study during period of disparate daylight length, suggest that this population is well adapted to the seasonal variation of daylight in Iceland. By increasing PA among Icelanders, they could gain more independency and increased quality of life in their older days. This is supported by the observed association between PA, SB and brain atrophy in the current study.Rigerðin þarf að vera læst í nokkurn tíma þar sem handrit einnar greinar er inni í henni er óbirt

Patterns of physical activity in 9 and 15 year-old children in Iceland

Physical activity is an important factor to prevent overweight and obesity, which is becoming more and more prevalent in both children and adults. Sedentary behaviour is a powerful predictor for many diseases and disorders. Physical activity declines with age, especially during adolescence. There are also differences between boys and girls, where girls are less physically active and their activity tends to be of lower intensity. Increased time in front of the television or computer during adolescence likely has an effect on this trend. The aim of this study was to examine the daily activity pattern of 9 and 15 year old (YO) children and explore the relationship between the activity pattern and body composition and fitness. A secondary aim was to explore how leisure- and screen time (TV, DVD, video and computer) is associated with different factors of the activity pattern. Participants in this study were 934 children born in 1988 and 1994, 9 and 15YO at that time. Measurements were taken from September 2003 to February 2004. The activity was assessed using an accelerometer which recorded the child´s activity for three to five days. Participants returning physical activity data which met the minimum criteria were 338 and 743 participants answered a questionnaire. The main findings were that the daily activity pattern varied considerably depending on both age and sex. 9YO children (girls= 528±166 kcounts/day (±SD), boys= 620±186 kcounts/day) were significantly more active than 15YO adolescents (girls= 425±130 kcounts/day, boys= 543±195 kcounts/day; F= 37.2; df= 1.334; p<0.001). Also, it was found that the activity pattern was not the same on weekends and weekdays (F= 27.4; df= 10.6;3535; p<0.001) and this difference depended on age (F= 12.6; df= 10.6;3535; p<0.001) and gender (F= 2.30; df= 10.6,3535; p= 0.009). Seven v independent components, were chosen which best described the nature and quality activity. These were calculated using Principal component analysis. Three of these components described activity of moderate intensity or more. Another four of the components described activity of very much intensity. Two components of the activity data were found to most strongly correlate with various subjects attributes (age, gender, three measures concerning body composition and fitness, and two concerning lifestyle). These components were described by the total number of bouts of activity over the day, and the average length of individual bouts. From this it can be concluded, that it is the length and number of bouts over certain intensity thresholds, rather than total activity, that is most strongly associated with fatness and fitness. This shows that physical activity is a complex behaviour and it is important not only to look at traditional variables of physical activity, but also to examine different components of the activity pattern

Is there a Sex Difference in Accelerometer Counts During Walking in Older Adults?

BACKGROUND: Accelerometers have emerged as a useful tool for measuring free-living physical activity in epidemiological studies. Validity of activity estimates depends on the assumption that measurements are equivalent for males and females while performing activities of the same intensity. The primary purpose of this study was to compare accelerometer count values in males and females undergoing a standardized 6-min walk test. METHODS: The study population was older adults (78.6 ± 4.1 years) from the AGES-Reykjavik Study (N = 319). Participants performed a 6-min walk test at a self-selected fast pace while wearing an ActiGraph GT3X at the hip. Vertical axis counts·s(−1) was the primary outcome. Covariates included walking speed, height, weight, BMI, waist circumference, femur length, and step length. RESULTS: On average, males walked 7.2% faster than females (1.31 vs. 1.22 m·s(−1), p < 0.001) and had 32.3% greater vertical axis counts·s(−1) (54.6 vs. 39.4 counts·s(−1), p < 0.001). Accounting for walking speed reduced the sex difference to 19.2% and accounting for step length further reduced the difference to 13.4% (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Vertical axis counts·s(−1) were disproportionally greater in males even after adjustment for walking speed. This difference could confound free-living activity estimates