Fuerza prensil y composición corporal en escolares colombianos. Estudio piloto

Introducción: algunos estudios han encontrado relación entre exceso de peso y baja fuerza de prensión relativa. En países de ingresos socioeconómicos medianos y bajos hay pocas evidencias que evalúen la fuerza prensil y surelación con la composición corporal en población pediátrica. Objetivo: evaluar la correlación entre la fuerza prensil y la composición corporal de escolares de Bucaramanga, Colombia. Materiales y Métodos: Se realizó un estudio piloto de corte transversal, analítico, correlacional. Participaron niños en edad escolar de Bucaramanga, Colombia. Las principales variables dependientes fueron masa muscular, agua corporal total, proteínas (kg) y el porcentaje degrasa corporal. La variable independiente correspondió a la fuerza prensil. Se usó el coeficiente de correlación de Spearman para explorar la relación entre variables. Resultados: el promedio de la fuerza prensil en el total de la muestra fue de 13,8 ± 3,2 Newton. Se encontraron correlaciones positivas y estadísticamente significativas entre la fuerza prensil y la masa musculoesquelética (r = 0,73), agua corporal total (r = 0,73) y proteínas (r = 0,74). Discusión: nuestros resultados son consistentes con evidencias previas que identifican a la fuerza prensil como un indicador de la composición corporal, específicamente en las variables de masa musculoesquelética y proteínas. Conclusión: los niños en el tercil más alto de fuerza prensil presentan los terciles más altos de masa musculoesquelética, agua corporal total y proteínas.Introduction: Some studies have found a relationship between excess weight and low relative grip strength. In countries with medium and low socioeconomic income, there is little evidence evaluating grip strength and its relationship with body composition in the pediatric population. Objective: To evaluate the correlation betweengrip strength and body composition of schoolchildren from Bucaramanga, Colombia. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional, analytical, correlational pilot study was conducted. Schoolchildren from Bucaramanga, Colombiaparticipated. The main dependent variables were muscle mass, total body water, protein (kg), and percentage of body fat. The independent variable corresponded to the prehensile force. Spearman’s Correlation Coefficient was used to explore the relationship between variables. Results: The average prehensile force in the total sample was 13.8±3.2Newton. Positive and statistically significant correlations were found between grip strength and musculoskeletal mass (r=0.73), total body water (r=0.73), and protein (r=0.74). Discussion: Our results are consistent with previous evidence that identifies grip strength as an indicator of body composition, specifically in the variables of musculoskeletal mass and protein. Conclusion: Children in the highest tertile of prehensile strength present the highest tertiles of skeletal muscle mass, total body water, and protein.Introducción: algunos estudios han encontrado relación entre exceso de peso y baja fuerza de prensión relativa. En países de ingresos socioeconómicos medianos y bajos hay pocas evidencias que evalúen la fuerza prensil y surelación con la composición corporal en población pediátrica. Objetivo: evaluar la correlación entre la fuerza prensil y la composición corporal de escolares de Bucaramanga, Colombia. Materiales y Métodos: Se realizó un estudio piloto de corte transversal, analítico, correlacional. Participaron niños en edad escolar de Bucaramanga, Colombia. Las principales variables dependientes fueron masa muscular, agua corporal total, proteínas (kg) y el porcentaje degrasa corporal. La variable independiente correspondió a la fuerza prensil. Se usó el coeficiente de correlación de Spearman para explorar la relación entre variables. Resultados: el promedio de la fuerza prensil en el total de la muestra fue de 13,8 ± 3,2 Newton. Se encontraron correlaciones positivas y estadísticamente significativas entre la fuerza prensil y la masa musculoesquelética (r = 0,73), agua corporal total (r = 0,73) y proteínas (r = 0,74). Discusión: nuestros resultados son consistentes con evidencias previas que identifican a la fuerza prensil como un indicador de la composición corporal, específicamente en las variables de masa musculoesquelética y proteínas. Conclusión: los niños en el tercil más alto de fuerza prensil presentan los terciles más altos de masa musculoesquelética, agua corporal total y proteínas

Self-Perception of Mental Health, Covid-19 and Associated Sociodemographic-Contextual Factors in Latin America

This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of alterations in self-perceived mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic and their associated factors in four Latin American countries. This is a cross-sectional study based on data collected from adults in 2021 through the Collaborative Response COVID-19 Survey by the MacDonnell Academy at Washington University in St. Louis (United States). The sample was composed of 8,125 individuals from Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, and Chile. A generalized linear model for a binary outcome variable with a logistic link and fixed country effects was used. There were 2,336 (28.75%) individuals who considered having suffered alterations in self-perceived mental health. Unemployed individuals (OR = 1.40; 95%CI: 1.24-1.58), those with bad/regular quality of life (OR = 5.03; 95%CI: 4.01-6.31), and those with high socioeconomic status (OR = 1.66; 95%CI: 1.41-1.96) had a higher risk of self-perceived mental health alterations than those with full-time employment, excellent quality, and low socioeconomic status. According to the fixed-effects model, Brazilians living in the country during the pandemic, who disagreed with their government\u27s decisions (OR = 2.05; 95%CI: 1.74-2.42) and lacked trust in their government (OR = 2.10; 95%CI: 1.74-2.42) had a higher risk of having self-perceived mental health alterations. Nearly 30% of respondents indicated that the COVID-19 pandemic altered their self-perceived mental health. This outcome was associated with political, sociodemographic, and health risk factors. These findings should help policymakers develop post-pandemic community interventions

Longitudinal association of adiposity with wheezing and atopy at 22 years: the 1993 Birth Cohort, Pelotas, Brazil.

PURPOSE: Asthma is a highly prevalent noncommunicable lung disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate the longitudinal association of obesity/adiposity with wheezing and atopy. METHODS: The population of the study was composed of participants from the 1993 Pelotas (Brazil) Birth Cohort. The following outcome variables were measured at 22 years: wheezing in the last 12 months, wheezing with atopy, wheezing without atopy, only atopy, and persistent wheezing at 18 and 22 years. Exposure variables were obesity body mass index, percent fat mass (FM), and fat mass index, which were obtained by precise methods (BOD POD and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry [DXA]). Crude and adjusted logistic and multinomial logistic regressions were used in the analyses. RESULTS: The prevalence of wheezing (with and without atopy), wheezing without atopy, only atopy, and persistent wheezing were 10.6%, 3.9%, 30.9%, and 4.0%, respectively. To be obese or to belong to the highest tertile of obesity/adiposity at two follow-ups showed a cumulative and positive association with wheezing in the adjusted analysis; for atopy there was no significant association. The odds ratio (OR) for wheezing according to the percentage of total FM measured by DXA in the highest tertile at both follow-ups was 1.58 (95% CI: 1.14-2.20) against an OR of 1.16 (95% CI: 0.92-1.47) for atopy. Persistent wheezing was also associated with adiposity, but without statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS: We found a positive longitudinal association between several measures of adiposity and wheezing at 22 years old. The effect was higher for cumulative adiposity; the results for atopy were not consistent

How many days are needed to estimate wrist-worn accelerometry-assessed physical activity during the second trimester in pregnancy?

Background: Objective methods to measure physical activity (PA) can lead to better cross-cultural comparisons, monitoring temporal PA trends, and measuring the effect of interventions. However, when applying this technology in field-work, the accelerometer data processing is prone to methodological issues. One of the most challenging issues relates to standardizing total wear time to provide reliable data across participants. It is generally accepted that at least 4 complete days of accelerometer wear represent a week for adults. It is not known if this same assumption holds true for pregnant women. Aim: We assessed the optimal number of days needed to obtain reliable estimates of overall PA and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) during the 2nd trimester in pregnancy using a raw triaxial wrist-worn accelerometer. Methods: Cross-sectional analyses were carried out in the antenatal wave of the 2015 Pelotas (Brazil) Birth Cohort Study. Participants wore the wrist ActiGraph wGT3X-BT accelerometer for seven consecutive days. The daily average acceleration, which indicated overall PA, was measured as milli-g (mg), and time spent in MVPA (minutes/day) was analyzed in 5-minute bouts. ANOVA and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to compare variability across days of the week. Bland-Altman plots and the Spearman-Brown Prophecy Formula were applied to determine the reliability coefficient associated with one to seven days of measurement. Results: Among 2,082 pregnant women who wore the accelerometer for seven complete days, overall and MVPA were lower on Sundays compared to other days of the week. Reliability of > = 0.80 to evaluate overall PA was reached with at least three monitoring days, whereas seven days were needed to estimate reliable measures of MVPA. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that obtaining one week of accelerometry in adults is appropriate for pregnant women, particularly to obtain differences on weekend days and reliably estimate overall PA and MVPA

Status and Trends of Physical Activity Surveillance, Policy, and Research in 164 Countries: Findings From the Global Observatory for Physical Activity—GoPA! 2015 and 2020 Surveys

Background: Physical activity (PA) surveillance, policy, and research efforts need to be periodically appraised to gain insight into national and global capacities for PA promotion. The aim of this paper was to assess the status and trends in PA surveillance, policy, and research in 164 countries. Methods: We used data from the Global Observatory for Physical Activity (GoPA!) 2015 and 2020 surveys. Comprehensive searches were performed for each country to determine the level of development of their PA surveillance, policy, and research, and the findings were verified by the GoPA! Country Contacts. Trends were analyzed based on the data available for both survey years. Results: The global 5-year progress in all 3 indicators was modest, with most countries either improving or staying at the same level. PA surveillance, policy, and research improved or remained at a high level in 48.1%, 40.6%, and 42.1% of the countries, respectively. PA surveillance, policy, and research scores decreased or remained at a low level in 8.3%, 15.8%, and 28.6% of the countries, respectively. The highest capacity for PA promotion was found in Europe, the lowest in Africa and low- and lower-middle-income countries. Although a large percentage of the world’s population benefit from at least some PA policy, surveillance, and research efforts in their countries, 49.6 million people are without PA surveillance, 629.4 million people are without PA policy, and 108.7 million live in countries without any PA research output. A total of 6.3 billion people or 88.2% of the world’s population live in countries where PA promotion capacity should be significantly improved. Conclusion: Despite PA is essential for health, there are large inequalities between countries and world regions in their capacity to promote PA. Coordinated efforts are needed to reduce the inequalities and improve the global capacity for PA promotion.</jats:p