Self-concept and self-esteem among children and young adults with visual impairment: A systematic review

The purpose of the study was to summarize current scientific knowledge relating to self-concept and self-esteem among children and young adolescents with visual impairment (VI). A systematic review was conducted of articles published between 1998 and 2016. A total of 26 publications, representing 15 countries, met the inclusion criteria, and 24 of the studies had used a cross-sectional design. Some studies found that the age and degree of vision loss influenced perceived self-esteem. In general, independence in mobility, parenting style, social support, and friendship was reported as important for children with VI to enhance their self-concept and self-esteem. To be able to provide opportunities for a successful development and good self-evaluation, we need more knowledge and further longitudinal observation studies and randomized clinical trials with high quality to increase the possibilities to draw conclusions about cause and effect

Methodological issues in observational studies of obesity and mortality

Obesity has important health hazards, and the epidemic seems to be growing in developed countries. There is scientific evidence for higher risk of earlier death among the obese. However, most evidence of the effects of obesity on mortality comes from observational studies. The aim of this manuscript is to review some of the most important issues in designing, analyzing and interpreting analytic studies of the effects of obesity on mortality. Key issues are clarity in the definition of the effect under study, confounding, measurement error and a phenomenon sometimes termed reverse causality in which obesity causes some diseases, but some of the diseases also affect adiposity and mortalit

How to succeed? Physical Activity for individuals who are blind

The aim of our case study was to examine the perceived experiences of participation in physical activity (PA). The cases comprised two individuals with blindness (a girl aged 12 years and a man aged 23 years), both of whom lived in Norway and had succeeded in becoming physically active. Both participants were recruited from Statped, the Norwegian support service for special needs education. Data were gathered from individual structured interviews with open and closed questions. A narrative descriptive analysis was used to analyse the data. The results showed that important factors for the blind participants’ PA participation were having good instructors, support or visual interpreters, active family members, a safe sports environment, having tried many sports, private transportation to the exercise facilities, and a positive social environment, with peers, friends, and family members. Although some differences were found between the participants’ responses, important reasons for them to engage in PA were stated as the sense of fun, energy, and self-esteem that they derived from it, in addition to physical fitness. In conclusion, the study provides knowledge of factors that could increase PA adherence of individuals with blindness being included in PA and sports together with sighted peers

Prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders among Norwegian female biathlon athletes

Abstract: The purpose was to examine musculoskeletal disorders in Norwegian female biathlon athletes (age ≥ 16), both juniors and seniors. The design was a retrospective cross-sectional study. In all, 148 athletes (79.1%) responded; of these, 118 athletes were 16–21 years (juniors) (77.6%), and 30 athletes were 22 years or older (seniors) (20.3%), and mean age was 19.1. A validated questionnaire was used to collect the data. The prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders was 57.8%. The most affected parts were the knee (23.0% of the total injuries), calf (12.2%), ankle/foot (10.8%), lower back (10.8%), and thigh (10.1%). The disorders resulted in training/competition cessation for 73.5% of athletes, in alternative training for 87.8%. Fifty percent of the athletes had one or several musculoskeletal disorders. Most of the problems occurred preseason, and the duration of symptoms was often prolonged. Few differences between the juniors and seniors were found. This study showed the prevalence of musculoskeletal problems among female biathlon athletes. The results indicate that prevention of lower limb problems must be prioritized, especially during the preseason

Forskning innen barne- og ungdomsidrett i Norge: Oversikt over arbeider fullført pr. 1. juli 1978

En oversikt over undersøkelser angående barne- og ungdomsidrett i Norge, ført fram til 1.juli 1978. Oversikten er laget etter oppdrag fra Rådet for idrettsvitenskapelig forskning i Norges idrettsforbund. Den utgjør et ledd i forberedelsen til et nordisk forskningsseminar NIH skal arrangere 9.-10.november 1978 om barne- og ungdomsidrett. Ønskemålet har vært å gi en så fullstendig oversikt som mulig. Vi har prøvd å oppnå dette, men kan ikke garantere at rapporten helt holder mål i så måte

Physical activity and symptoms of anxiety and depression in adults with and without visual impairments: The HUNT Study

Purpose: To examine the association of leisure-time physical activity (PA) and symptoms of anxiety and depression among adults with and without self-reported visual impairment. Methods: A population-based cohort study including 34,393 participants 20–67 years of age from the second wave of the Nord-Trøndelag Health Study (HUNT2, 1995–1997) who also participated in the follow-up (HUNT3, 2006–2008). Of the participants, 3719 (10.8%) had self-reported visual impairment (SRVI). Unadjusted and fully adjusted generalized linear models were used to calculate relative risks (RR) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of PA with anxiety and depression symptoms (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, HADS) separately for visual impairment and gender. Results: At follow-up, a two-folded higher prevalence of HADS-defined anxiety and depression (a score ≥ 8) was found among adults with SRVI than among adults with self-reported no visual impairment (SRNI). In adults with SRVI and SRNI, fewer depression symptoms at follow-up were significantly associated with high baseline PA scores compared with low PA scores, after adjusting for possible confounders (p 0.05). PA was not significantly related to anxiety symptoms among adults with SRVI (p > 0.05). Conclusions: Regular PA was associated with fewer depression symptoms in adults with SRVI and SRNI, with less clear associations found for anxiety symptoms

Self-reported visual impairment, physical activity and all-cause mortality: The HUNT Study

Aims: To examine the associations of self-reported visual impairment and physical activity (PA) with all-cause mortality. Methods: This prospective cohort study included 65,236 Norwegians aged ⩾20 years who had participated in the Nord-Trøndelag Health Study (HUNT2, 1995−1997). Of these participants, 11,074 (17.0%) had self-reported visual impairment (SRVI). The participants’ data were linked to Norway’s Cause of Death Registry and followed throughout 2012. Hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were assessed using Cox regression analyses with age as the time-scale. The Cox models were fitted for restricted age groups (<60, 60−84, ⩾85 years). Results: After a mean follow-up of 14.5 years, 13,549 deaths were identified. Compared with adults with self-reported no visual impairment, the multivariable hazard ratios among adults with SRVI were 2.47 (95% CI 1.94–3.13) in those aged <60 years, 1.22 (95% CI 1.13–1.33) in those aged 60–84 years and 1.05 (95% CI 0.96–1.15) in those aged ⩾85 years. The strength of the associations remained similar or stronger after additionally controlling for PA. When examining the joint associations, the all-cause mortality risk of SRVI was higher for those who reported no PA than for those who reported weekly hours of PA. We found a large, positive departure from additivity in adults aged <60 years, whereas the departure from additivity was small for the other age groups. Conclusions: Adults with SRVI reporting no PA were associated with an increased all-cause mortality risk. The associations attenuated with age

Diabetes severity and the role of leisure time physical exercise on cardiovascular mortality: the Nord-Trondelag Health study (HUNT), Norway

Background Physical activity has been associated with lower cardiovascular mortality in people with diabetes, but how diabetes severity influence this association has not been extensively studied. Methods We prospectively examined the joint association of diabetes severity, measured as medical treatment status and disease duration, and physical exercise with cardiovascular mortality. A total of 56,170 people were followed up for 24 years through the Norwegian Cause of Death Registry. Cox proportional adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated. Results Overall, 7,723 people died from cardiovascular disease during the follow-up. Compared to the reference group of inactive people without diabetes, people with diabetes who reported no medical treatment had a hazard ratio (HR) of 1.65 (95% CI: 1.34, 2.03) if they were inactive and a HR of 0.99 (95% CI: 0.68, 1.45) if they reported ≥2.0 hours physical exercise per week. Among people who received oral hypoglycemic drugs or insulin, the corresponding comparison gave HRs of 2.46 (95% CI: 2.08-2.92) and 1.58 (95% CI: 1.21, 2.05), respectively. Conclusions The data suggest a more favourable effect of exercise in people with diabetes who used medication than in those who did not, suggesting that physical exercise should be encouraged as a therapeutic measure additional to medical treatment