Different healthy habits between northern and southern Spanish school children

Aim: Healthy habits are influenced by several factors such as, geographical location. The aims of this study were to describe and compare healthy habits within two populations of sixth-grade primary school children (aged 11-12 years) from Northern and Southern Spain. Subject and Methods: A cross-sectional study using two representative samples of school children was conducted. Participants came from Logroño (n=329), in the North and Granada (n=284), in the South of Spain. Socio-demographic and anthropometric variables, adherence to the Mediterranean diet, aerobic fitness, and healthy lifestyles were recorded. Results: Boys reported higher level of physical activity and aerobic fitness than girls (p=0.000). Southern school children reported significantly higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet (♀: p=0.041; ♂: p=0.008), and lower aerobic fitness (♀: p=0.000; ♂: p=0.042) and hours of nightly sleep (♀: p=0.008, ♂: p=0.007) than Northern school children. Southern boys also reported lower levels of physical activity (p=0.013). There were slight or moderate correlations among all habits measured (physical activity, diet, screen and sleep time). Additionally, physical activity level was inversely related to body mass index in Northern boys (p=0.020) and Southern girls (p=0.024). Conclusions: Results showed differences in physical activity, eating and sleep habits, and aerobic fitness, according to geographical location. The relationships found among lifestyle habits indicate the need of health promotion interventions nationally and considering the differences discussed here

High-Intensity Interval Training Interventions in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review

BackgroundWhilst there is increasing interest in the efficacy of high-intensity interval training in children and adolescents as a time-effective method of eliciting health benefits, there remains little consensus within the literature regarding the most effective means for delivering a high-intensity interval training intervention. Given the global health issues surrounding childhood obesity and associated health implications, the identification of effective intervention strategies is imperative.ObjectivesThe aim of this review was to examine high-intensity interval training as a means of influencing key health parameters and to elucidate the most effective high-intensity interval training protocol.MethodsStudies were included if they: (1) studied healthy children and/or adolescents (aged 5–18 years); (2) prescribed an intervention that was deemed high intensity; and (3) reported health-related outcome measures.ResultsA total of 2092 studies were initially retrieved from four databases. Studies that were deemed to meet the criteria were downloaded in their entirety and independently assessed for relevance by two authors using the pre-determined criteria. From this, 13 studies were deemed suitable. This review found that high-intensity interval training in children and adolescents is a time-effective method of improving cardiovascular disease biomarkers, but evidence regarding other health-related measures is more equivocal. Running-based sessions, at an intensity of >90% heart rate maximum/100–130% maximal aerobic velocity, two to three times a week and with a minimum intervention duration of 7 weeks, elicit the greatest improvements in participant health.ConclusionWhile high-intensity interval training improves cardiovascular disease biomarkers, and the evidence supports the effectiveness of running-based sessions, as outlined above, further recommendations as to optimal exercise duration and rest intervals remain ambiguous owing to the paucity of literature and the methodological limitations of studies presently available