A importância do recreio escolar na atividade física das crianças

Os benefícios da atividade física em crianças e adolescentes são bem conhecidos e estão bem fundamentados na literatura. Em idade escolar, a manutenção de níveis adequados de atividade física visa sobretudo o crescimento e desenvolvimento saudável e normal, para além da criação de hábitos de atividade física que se irão prolongar ao longo da vida. As escolas são locais com potencial para serem promovidos comportamentos saudáveis. No contexto escolar, o recreio é reconhecidamente um tempo e um espaço importante no âmbito da promoção da atividade física em crianças. Dadas as suas características o recreio apresenta-se como uma excelente oportunidade de acumular atividade física ao longo do dia, além de outros benefícios, nomeadamente de aspetos: sociais (partilha, cooperação, comunicação, resolução de conflitos, auto disciplina, etc.); emocionais (libertação do stress, auto estima, desenvolvimento do carácter, etc.); e cognitivos (criatividade, resolução de problemas e vocabulário, etc.). Resultados de diversos estudos permitem-nos concluir que as crianças beneficiam com intervenções no recreio escolar. Supervisão, encorajamento, pinturas multicolores do espaço de recreio com jogos infantis e imagens coloridas sugestivas, equipamentos móveis de jogo, e aumento do tempo passado no recreio são exemplos bem-sucedidos e com baixos custos de intervenções realizadas com o propósito de aumentar a atividade física diária das crianças. Redesenhar o espaço com pinturas multicolores e alterações estruturais do espaço físico do recreio, é outro tipo de intervenção realizada. O recreio escolar afigura-se como um espaço privilegiado de promoção de hábitos de atividade física nas crianças, não devendo por isso ser negligenciado

Waist circumference and motor coordination in Portuguese school children

Introduction: Children’s motor coordination may affect their activity pattern and thereby influence their body-fatness. The aim of this study was to analyze the relation between motor coordination and waist circumference (WC) levels, in a Portuguese sample of school children aged 8–12 years old. Methods: The sample comprised 402 urban school children (girls- 46.8%), aged 8 to 12 years old (mean 9.6 = ± 0.6 years) from North of Portugal. WC was measured with standardize protocols. Age- and sex-adjusted Z-scores were also computed for WC. Motor coordination levels were assessed with the Ko¨ rperkoordination Test fu¨ r Kinder (KTK) and children were classified according to age-and sex KTK criteria [1]. Results: In motor coordination, 27.1% girls showed disturbance of coordination; 33.5% insufficiencies of coordination; 39.4% normal coordination and 0% good coordination. Corresponding figures for boys were 7.9%; 39.3; 50.9%, and 1.9% respectively (P < 0.001). Linear regression analysis showed that Z-Scores WC were negatively associated with motor coordination (Unstandardized B = -5642 SE:0.706, P < 0.001). Conclusion: Low-motor coordination levels are negatively associated with waist circumference Z-scores. The early identification of children with poor motor coordination is crucial in order to implement and develop health-related behaviors

Waist circumference predicts poor motor coordination in Portuguese school children

Body fatness may influence motor coordination in young children. We aimed to analyze the relation between motor coordination and waist circumference (WC) and to determine the ability of WC to identify children at risk of poor motor coordination based on receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis, in a sample of Portuguese children. Methods: The sample comprised 738 urban school children (45.8% girls), aged 8 to 12 years (mean 10.2=±1.2 years) from North of Portugal. WC was measured with standardize protocols. Motor coordination levels were assessed with the Körperkoordination Test für Kinder (KTK) and children were classified according to age-and sex KTK criteria. For ROC analysis, subjects were classified in two groups: (i) disturbances and insufficiencies of coordination; (ii) normal and good coordination. Results: Linear regres- sion analysis showed that WC was negatively associated with motor coor- dination (B= - 0.553 SE:0.066, p<0.001 in boys and B= - 0.527 SE:0.084, p<0.001 in girls). ROC analysis showed that WC predicted poor motor coordination (AUC: 0.672; 95%CI: 0.623 to 0.717, p<0.001 for boys; AUC: 0.659; 95%CI: 0.606 to 0.710, p<0.001 for girls) with WC cut-off values of 71 cm for boys and of 66 cm for girls. Conclusions: Waist circumference was associated with poor motor coordination. The early identification of children with high waist circumference may be important to implement and develop health-related behaviours as well as to avoid having poor motor coordination

Total body percentage and motor coordination among Portuguese schoolchildren

Children’s motor coordination may affect their activity pattern and thereby influence their bodyfatness. The aim of the present study was to analyse the relationship between motor coordination and total body fat percentage, in a Portuguese sample of schoolchildren aged 9–12 years. Method: The sample comprised 596 urban schoolchildren (girls 46?9%), aged 9–12 years (mean 9?61 ( SD 0?55) years) from North of Portugal. Total body fat percentage was cal- culated with Tetrapolar Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis, model Tanita TBF-300. Age- and sex-adjusted Z-scores computed total body fat percentage. Motor coordination levels were assessed with the Ko¨rperkoordination Test fu¨r Kinder (KTK) and children were classified according to age and sex KTK criteria (Schiling 1974). Date of birth, gender and school socio-economic status (eligible for benefit A, B or not eligible) were extracted from the school administrations records systems. School socio-economic status was used as a proxy measure of family socio-economic status. Results: In motor coordination, 22?4 % girls showed disturbance of coordination; 37?7 % insufficiencies of coordination; 39?5 % normal coordination and 0?4 % good coordination. Corresponding figures for boys were 7?3 %; 36?5 %; 54?3 % and 1?9 %, respectively. Linear regression analysis showed that Z-scores total body fat percentage (unstandardized B 5 20?258, SE 0?021, P , 0?001) were negatively associated with motor coordination, after adjustment for socio-economic status. Conclusions: Low motor coordination levels are nega- tively associated with total body fat percentage Z-scores. The early identification of children with poor motor coor- dination and/or high body fat percentage is crucial in order to implement and develop health-related behaviours. Funding: Research relating to this abstract was funded by FCT-MCTES Grant (BD/43808/2008). Reference: Schiling, F (1974) Korperkoordination Test fur Kinder, KTK. Beltz Test Gmbh, Weinheim

Quantitative assessment of individual populations within polymicrobial biofilms

The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.Selecting appropriate tools providing reliable quantitative measures of individual populations in biofilms is critical as we now recognize their true polymicrobial and heterogeneous nature. Here, plate count, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (q-PCR) and peptide nucleic acid probe-fluorescence in situ hybridization (PNA-FISH) were employed to quantitate cystic fibrosis multispecies biofilms. Growth of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Inquilinus limosus and Dolosigranulum pigrum was assessed in dual- and triple-species consortia under oxygen and antibiotic stress. Quantification methods, that were previously optimized and validated in planktonic consortia, were not always in agreement when applied in multispecies biofilms. Discrepancies in culture and molecular outcomes were observed, particularly for triple-species consortia and antibiotic-stressed biofilms. Some differences were observed, such as the higher bacterial counts obtained by q-PCR and/or PNA-FISH (?4 log10 cells/cm2) compared to culture. But the discrepancies between PNA-FISH and q-PCR data (eg D. pigrum limited assessment by q-PCR) demonstrate the effect of biofilm heterogeneity in method's reliability. As the heterogeneity in biofilms is a reflection of a myriad of variables, tailoring an accurate picture of communities? changes is crucial. This work demonstrates that at least two, but preferentially three, quantification techniques are required to obtain reliable measures and take comprehensive analysis of polymicrobial biofilm-associated infections.The authors thank the financial support from the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the scope of the strategic funding of UID/BIO/04469/2013 unit and COMPETE2020 – Programa Operacional Competitividade e Internacionalização (POCI-01–0145-FEDER-006684) and BioTecNorte operation (NORTE01-0145-FEDER-000004) funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) under the scope of Norte2020 - Programa Operacional Regional do Norte. This work was also the result of the projects: (i) POCI01-0145-FEDER-006939 (Laboratory for Processing Engineering, Environment, Biotechnology and Energy – UID/EQU/00511/2013) funded by the ERDF, through COMPETE2020 and by national funds, through FCT; (ii) NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000005 – LEPABE-2-ECO-INNOVATION, supported by North Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE2020), under the Portugal2020 Partnership Agreement, through the ERDF; (iii) Coded-FISH PTDC/DTP-PIC/4562/2014/16678; (iv) POCI-01-0145-FEDER-029841, through COMPETE2020 - Programa Operacional Competitividade e Internacionalização and by national funds, through FCT). Also, the fellowship of Susana P. Lopes SFRH/BPD/95616/2013 is acknowledged. The authors would also like to thanks to Dr Michael Surette (Farncombe Family Digestive Health Research Institute, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada) for kindly providing the I. limosus strain used in this study.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Positive Psychological Capital as a Predictor of Satisfaction With the Fly-In Fly-Out Model

The flexibility of markets and international agreements have lured a growing number of companies to expand their business beyond frontiers in search for new markets and a bigger business network. Specifically, expatriates became keystones to implant and promote the so desired expansion into international markets, Particularly, Fly-in flyout (FIFO) flexpatriates. Although FIFO work practices are widely used, little is known about how to promote these professionals’ perceived job satisfaction (JS) across the course of their work cycles. That is why the goal of our research is to test the positive psychological capital (PsyCap) applicability to Portuguese FIFO flexpatriates. In the midst of the positive psychology theories, Luthans et al. (2007b) underline that workers are the psychological capital of any organization. Therefore, the development of the PsyCap becomes crucial and also contributes to the promotion of JS, nowadays a construct intertwined with well-being. As such, we developed and applied a HERO– (hope, self-efficacy, resilience, and optimism)–micro-intervention in order to assess whether it moderated the relationship between a FIFO flexpatriates PsyCap and their JS. The research took place over three distinct moments, both PsyCap and JS were measured before and after the HERO micro-intervention, and again 3 months later. The data collected shows that a positive correlation exists between FIFO flexpatriates PsyCap and JS. Moreover, our results pointed out that the micro-intervention enhanced FIFO flexpatriates PsyCap, and also showed that this increase lasted over (at least) 3 months.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Use of MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry to analyze the molecular profile of Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms grown on glass and plastic surfaces.

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