Physical Fitness in Preschool Children

Introduction. The level of mental and motor development as well as physical fitness and perceptual-motor performance should guarantee success in adapting to the new school environment. The aim of the research. The aim of the research was to determine physical fitness in preschool children of both genders aged from 4 to 7 years. Material and methods. The study included 275 children at the chronological age of 4 to 7 years including 134 girls and 141 boys. In order to assess physical fitness, the authors used the Wrocław Physical Fitness Test for preschool children completed by the endurance test Results. Final physical fitness results showed that six-year-old boys were the fittest and less fit were girls at the age of seven. The least fit were boys and girls at the age of four.        Conclusions The Wrocław Physical Fitness Test and the endurance test revealed that the experimental group of children aged between four and seven years from the Western Pomerania region represented a satisfactory physical fitness level. It should be noted that this level was significantly lower than the ones obtained in tests conducted by other authors in 2006, 1996, 1972, and 1967. The represented fitness level, especially the level of endurance, may result in adaptation disorders during the school shock period. The phenomenon of sexual dimorphism at preschool age is demonstrated by significantly better physical fitness in boys at the age of five and six and balanced fitness at the age of seven. Positive development of physical fitness is not supported by ongoing lifestyle pre-orientation. It is recommended to complete primary school admission criteria for the first form by physical fitness standards, including endurance

Wpływ wysiłku fizycznego na habitualną postawę ciała zawodników uprawiających sport kwalifikowany

Introduction. Influence of physical training on an individual development is a function of its intensity and consistency. The aim of this research was to present influence of sports training, peculiar to a given sports discipline, on competitors’ habitual posture.Material and method. Measurement of 35 spatial features of habitual body posture,  with a use of the photogrammetric method, carried out among 151 competitors representing a variety of sports disciplines: judo, wrestling, volleyball, football, and fencing.Results. A habitual posture peculiar to each sports discipline was described and importance of differences between features of habitual posture of people not doing qualified sports was established.Conclusions. (1) Condition of people who do qualified sports may depend on knowledge, skills and responsiveness of a trainer. Diagnostics of body posture may be a crucial criterion in evaluating load applied in asymmetric sports. It enables correction of training methods. It is advisable to provide competitors with versatile training and improve balance between specific groups of muscles, especially in asymmetric disciplines; (2) regular medical examination should become the basis in selecting new entrants in sports clubs; (3) body posture disorders of adult competitors may result from absence of holistic training and inaccuracy in the initial stage of training, incorrect warm-up, and lack of exercises shaping the habit of correct body posture.Wstęp. Wpływ ćwiczeń fizycznych na rozwój osobniczy jest funkcją jego intensywności i długotrwałości. Celem podjętych badań jest wykazanie wpływu treningu sportowego właściwego danej dyscyplinie sportowej na habitualną postawę ciała sportowca.Materiał i metody. Pomiar 35 przestrzennych cech habitualnej postawy ciała dokonano metodą fotogrametryczną wśród 151 zawodników: judo, zapasów, piłki siatkowej, piłki nożnej i szermierki.Wyniki. Opisano postawę habitualną sportowca właściwą każdej dyscyplinie sportowej, określono istotność różnic z przyjętymi wielkościami cech postawy habitualnej osobników nie uprawiających sportu klasyfikowanego.Wnioski. (1) Stan zdrowia uprawiających sport kwalifikowany może zależeć od wiedzy, umiejętności i wrażliwości prowadzącego szkolenie sportowe. Istotnym kryterium oceny stosowanych obciążeń w sportach asymetrycznych może być diagnostyka postawy ciała, umożliwiająca korektę metod treningowych i stosowanych środków w jej ramach. Wskazane jest wprowadzenie wszechstronnego szkolenia zawodników i doskonalenia funkcjonalnej równowagi poszczególnych grup mięśniowych, szczególnie w dyscyplinach asymetrycznych; (2) Należy wprowadzić właściwą selekcję w naborze młodych adeptów klubów sportowych w oparciu o systematyczne badania lekarskie; (3) Zaburzenia statyki postawy ciała w wieku dojrzałego zawodnika mogą być konsekwencją nie stosowania zasad treningu holistycznego i błędów w początkowym etapie szkolenia, błędów w rozgrzewce i braku ćwiczeń kształtujących nawyk postawy prawidłowej w jej ramach

Sexual dimorphism of the incidence of significant relationships between selected parameters of feet and characteristics of trunk in adolescents aged 14 – 18 years

SummaryIntroduction. Symmetry, asymmetry, mutual relationships and concomitance have become a subject of interest of numerous researchers. The analysis of the findings obtained in the own study conducted among adolescents aged 14-18 years revealed an incidental nature and randomness of the distribution of significant correlations in each age and gender range, which made it impossible to show any regularities or dependencies between the measured parameters.Material and method. The examinations carried out in the group of teenagers aged 14 to 18 years recorded 2,343 observations, including 1,148 girls and 1,195 boys, concerning the size of 89 parameters describing trunk and feet. The station for an assessment of selected features using the photogrammetric method consisted of a computer, a card, software, a display monitor, a printer and a projection-reception device with a camera.  Findings1. The number of feet parameters revealing significant relationships with trunk parameters which differentiated the female gender from the male one was greater; likewise, the features in women revealed a more frequent relationship. Additionally, female sex was differentiated by morphological traits, the abnormal positioning of toes and the longitudinal arch of feet.2. The number of trunk parameters correlating with foot parameters was observed to be bigger in the female gender than in the male one. The parameters in female subjects showed more relationships and the parameters which differentiated female sex included the frontal plane and the sagittal plane to a lesser extent, whereas male gender was characterized by the sagittal plane

Influence of Fencing Training (Technical and Tactical) on Selected Features of Shape of the Spine and Pelvis Under Load

The aim of the research was to assess influence of a 90-minute specialist fencing training on selected features of the spine and pelvis under a vertical load in a group of young competitors. The research was carried out in 2015 among 23 fencers (mean ± SD, age: 16 ±1.20 years; body height: 168.4 ±4.68 cm; body weight: 54.7 ±8.26 kg). The method involved measurement of thirty features, describing spatially pelvis and physiological spinal curvature under a vertical load, constituting 1/3 of the body weight before and after specialist training. Statistically significant disturbances in vertically overstretched posture occurred after the training among examined boys within the following features: increase in length of left side scoliosis, progression of lumbar lordosis and lumbosacral spine, increase of the trunk extension angle and shoulder asymmetry. Among examined girls statistically significant changes occurred only within pelvis area: increase of left pelvic tilt in the coronal plane, decrease of right pelvic tilt in the horizontal plane. Adjustment in deficiencies within hip joints movement, increase pelvis and lower limbs muscle strength in girls’ training is necessary. What is recommended for all competitors is prophylaxis of the spinal pain syndrome and expanding endurance shaping exercises during a training unit

Peri-operative red blood cell transfusion in neonates and infants: NEonate and Children audiT of Anaesthesia pRactice IN Europe: A prospective European multicentre observational study

BACKGROUND: Little is known about current clinical practice concerning peri-operative red blood cell transfusion in neonates and small infants. Guidelines suggest transfusions based on haemoglobin thresholds ranging from 8.5 to 12 g dl-1, distinguishing between children from birth to day 7 (week 1), from day 8 to day 14 (week 2) or from day 15 (≥week 3) onwards. OBJECTIVE: To observe peri-operative red blood cell transfusion practice according to guidelines in relation to patient outcome. DESIGN: A multicentre observational study. SETTING: The NEonate-Children sTudy of Anaesthesia pRactice IN Europe (NECTARINE) trial recruited patients up to 60 weeks' postmenstrual age undergoing anaesthesia for surgical or diagnostic procedures from 165 centres in 31 European countries between March 2016 and January 2017. PATIENTS: The data included 5609 patients undergoing 6542 procedures. Inclusion criteria was a peri-operative red blood cell transfusion. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary endpoint was the haemoglobin level triggering a transfusion for neonates in week 1, week 2 and week 3. Secondary endpoints were transfusion volumes, 'delta haemoglobin' (preprocedure - transfusion-triggering) and 30-day and 90-day morbidity and mortality. RESULTS: Peri-operative red blood cell transfusions were recorded during 447 procedures (6.9%). The median haemoglobin levels triggering a transfusion were 9.6 [IQR 8.7 to 10.9] g dl-1 for neonates in week 1, 9.6 [7.7 to 10.4] g dl-1 in week 2 and 8.0 [7.3 to 9.0] g dl-1 in week 3. The median transfusion volume was 17.1 [11.1 to 26.4] ml kg-1 with a median delta haemoglobin of 1.8 [0.0 to 3.6] g dl-1. Thirty-day morbidity was 47.8% with an overall mortality of 11.3%. CONCLUSIONS: Results indicate lower transfusion-triggering haemoglobin thresholds in clinical practice than suggested by current guidelines. The high morbidity and mortality of this NECTARINE sub-cohort calls for investigative action and evidence-based guidelines addressing peri-operative red blood cell transfusions strategies. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier: NCT02350348

Genome-wide association identifies nine common variants associated with fasting proinsulin levels and provides new insights into the pathophysiology of type 2 diabetes.

OBJECTIVE: Proinsulin is a precursor of mature insulin and C-peptide. Higher circulating proinsulin levels are associated with impaired β-cell function, raised glucose levels, insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes (T2D). Studies of the insulin processing pathway could provide new insights about T2D pathophysiology. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We have conducted a meta-analysis of genome-wide association tests of ∼2.5 million genotyped or imputed single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and fasting proinsulin levels in 10,701 nondiabetic adults of European ancestry, with follow-up of 23 loci in up to 16,378 individuals, using additive genetic models adjusted for age, sex, fasting insulin, and study-specific covariates. RESULTS: Nine SNPs at eight loci were associated with proinsulin levels (P < 5 × 10(-8)). Two loci (LARP6 and SGSM2) have not been previously related to metabolic traits, one (MADD) has been associated with fasting glucose, one (PCSK1) has been implicated in obesity, and four (TCF7L2, SLC30A8, VPS13C/C2CD4A/B, and ARAP1, formerly CENTD2) increase T2D risk. The proinsulin-raising allele of ARAP1 was associated with a lower fasting glucose (P = 1.7 × 10(-4)), improved β-cell function (P = 1.1 × 10(-5)), and lower risk of T2D (odds ratio 0.88; P = 7.8 × 10(-6)). Notably, PCSK1 encodes the protein prohormone convertase 1/3, the first enzyme in the insulin processing pathway. A genotype score composed of the nine proinsulin-raising alleles was not associated with coronary disease in two large case-control datasets. CONCLUSIONS: We have identified nine genetic variants associated with fasting proinsulin. Our findings illuminate the biology underlying glucose homeostasis and T2D development in humans and argue against a direct role of proinsulin in coronary artery disease pathogenesis

Socjalizacja do prozdrowotnego wypoczynku w rodzinie i placówkach przedszkolnych

Cel pracy: W pracy podjęto problem pierwotnej i instytucjonalnej socjalizacji do czasu wolnego w kontekście zdrowego stylu życia. Celem badań jest analiza stosunku rodziców do aktywności fizycznej dzieci w wieku przedszkolnym, z uwzględnieniem roli rodziny i wychowawców przedszkolnych w procesie socjalizacji do prozdrowotnego wypoczynku. Materiał i metody: Wśród badanych osób przeważały kobiety, w wieku 31-40 lat, z wykształceniem średnim, pozostające w związku małżeńskim. W badaniach zastosowano metodę badań sondażowych, technikę ankiety z wykorzystaniem autorskiego kwestionariusza ankiety. Wyniki: Zdecydowana większość badanych twierdzi, że rodzice w wystarczającym stopniu zachęcają swoje dzieci do rekreacji ruchowej. Jednak niespełna połowa ankietowanych deklaruje, że zapewnia dziecku aktywność fizyczną przynajmniej raz w tygodniu. Jednocześnie tylko 49% badanych uważa, że rodzice stanowią dobry przykład w zakresie prozdrowotnego wypoczynku. Większość respondentów ocenia, że placówka przedszkolna w wystarczającym stopniu promuje aktywność fizyczną. Wnioski. Rodziców na ogół charakteryzuje tylko deklaratywna postawa, werbalna akceptacja ruchu jako potrzeby rozwojowej dziecka, ale nie znajduje to pełnego odzwierciedlenia w stylu życia rodziny. Z punktu widzenia efektywności procesu socjalizacji bardzo istotna jest zatem ścisła współpraca placówek przedszkolnych z rodzicami. Treści i formy czasu wolnego popularyzowane w przedszkolu powinny znajdować potwierdzenie w aktywnym fizycznie wypoczynku całej rodziny

Pro-health behaviours of pregnant women in the context of newborns’ health and development

Introduction. Progressing medicalization of social life more and more influences maternity. As a result, pregnant women are not enough aware of the role of their health-related behaviour which influences the course of pregnancy and the infant’s health condition. Mothers’ lifestyle is particularly essential in the process of shaping health opinions and behaviour in the offspring. Objective. The objective of the research was to evaluate selected health-related behaviour in pregnant women in relation to the prematurely born infant’s health condition as well as to family upbringing concerning health care. Material and method. Test group consisted of 65 women in confinement and 65 prematurely born infants. The authors used a questionnaire which concerned retrospective evaluation of health-related behaviour in pregnant women as well as an analysis of medical documentation related to infants’ health condition. Results. In the lifestyle of tested women both advantageous and isadvantageous healthrelated behaviour was observed. The majority of tested women avoided harmful substances during pregnancy, however, it is highly alarming that they engaged in a very little amount of physical exercise and were exposed to a number of stressful situations. Participation in antenatal classes was not very popular among tested women. Conclusions. The promotion of procreation health care should be directed at shaping responsibility in future mothers concerning their own and their offspring’s health as well as at preparing women to the social role of mothers. Actions should still be taken concerning elimination of risk factors that are responsible for premature birth as well as actions focused on educating future mothers about family planning and proper approach to pregnancy and motherhood.Wprowadzenie. Postępująca medykalizacja życia społecznego w coraz większym stopniu obejmuje macierzyństwo. W efekcie kobiety w ciąży nie zawsze w dostatecznym stopniu dostrzegają rolę swoich zachowań zdrowotnych, które wpływają na przebieg ciąży i stan zdrowia noworodka. Styl życia matek jest ważny także w procesie kształtowania u potomstwa poglądów i zachowań w zakresie zdrowia. Cel. Celem pracy była ocena wybranych zachowań zdrowotnych kobiet w ciąży, w kontekście stanu zdrowia i rozwoju noworodka przedwcześnie urodzonego oraz rodzinnej socjalizacji w zakresie zdrowia. Materiał i metoda. Grupę badawczą stanowiło 65 położnic oraz 65 noworodków urodzonych przedwcześnie. Zastosowano technikę ankiety dotycząca retrospektywnej oceny zachowań zdrowotnych w czasie ciąży oraz analizę dokumentacji medycznej w zakresie stanu zdrowia noworodków. Wyniki. W stylu życia badanych kobiet w ciąży dostrzega się zarówno korzystne, jak i niekorzystne zachowania związane ze zdrowiem. Większość badanych kobiet w ciąży unika zażywania używek, natomiast zdecydowanie niepokojąca jest bardzo niska aktywność fizyczna wśród respondentek oraz duże narażenie na czynniki stresowe. Udział w zajęciach w szkole rodzenia jest mało rozpowszechniony wśród badanych kobiet. Wnioski. Promocja zdrowia prokreacyjnego powinna dotyczyć kształtowania odpowiedzialności przyszłych matek za zdrowie własne i potomstwa oraz socjalizacji kobiet do roli matki. Należy w dalszym ciągu rozszerzać działania na rzecz eliminacji czynników ryzyka porodów przedwczesnych oraz uświadamiać przyszłe matki w zakresie planowania rodziny i właściwego podejścia do ciąży i macierzyństwa