Self-reported physical activity behaviour in 4th-to 6th-grade students in a Swiss community

Data on the physical activity behaviour of 204 primary school children in grades 4 to 6 in a Swiss community was gathered via questionnaire. On a school day, nearly one hour of moderate to vigorous activity (MVPA) was spent on activities at home or elsewhere during leisure time. Commuting to school contributed half an hour and physical activity at school another hour to MVPA time. On a Sunday, the children spent just over 3 hours on MVPA. While boys were more active than girls, no differences were seen between age groups

The Stages of Change in three stage concepts and two modes of physical activity: a comparison of stage distributions and practical implications

Stages of Change were assessed for three stage definitions and two modes of health-enhancing physical activity (HEPA) in a representative telephone survey in Switzerland (participation 55.8%; n = 1471). Two five-stage definitions focusing either on intention to change or current behavior were integrated into a seven-stage concept, taking into account both aspects. The two target behaviors were activities with at least moderate intensity and activities with vigorous intensity. According to the two five-stage definitions, at least half of the participants were either in precontemplation (focus on intention) or in preparation (focus on behavior). Upon classification into the seven stages these large stage groups were differentiated. There were differences in the pros for change between the new stages of the seven-stage concept. One in seven participants was regularly active according to the moderate criteria, but not using the vigorous criteria, and one in every eight participants reported the inverse. Results show that an individual can be in different Stages of Change depending on the stage definition and be regularly active or not depending on the target behavior. The practical implications of the seven-stage algorithm and a two-dimensional matrix to classify participants for both moderate and vigorous intensity activities in an Internet-based HEPA program are presente

Swiss bike-to-work campaign: Did we reach the intended population?

Bike-to-work campaigns aim to promote active commuting to increase physical activity. Little is known about the characteristics of the population which is reached by such initiatives. In the framework of a bike-to-work campaign involving a large Swiss company, structured telephone interviews were conducted with a random sample of 178 campaign participants and 159 non-participants. Participants and non-participants did not significantly differ regarding gender, education or physical activity level. Yet, participants were younger, lived closer to work and habitually commuted by bike. Still, 37.6% of the participants had not used the bike for commuting to work prior to the campaign

Stages of change for perceived stress in a Swiss population sample: An explorative study

Summary: Objectives: Data from a cross-sectional survey of the Swiss general population were used in an explorative attempt to apply the transtheoretical model of behavioural change to perceived stress. Methods: The sample comprised 575 respondents who reported having experienced stressful situations in the previous month. Other variables assessed included gender, age, education, reported symptoms, and three constructs representing stages and processes of change as well as self-efficacy. Results: Findings indicated that (1) about one third of respondents appeared to cope successfully with the stressful situations they experienced, one third intended to do so, while one quarter appeared to have no intention of managing their stress more effectively. (2) There was no difference in stage of change distribution by gender or age, while those with higher education were more frequently represented in the latter stages than those with lower education. (3) Those in the maintenance stage reported significantly less symptoms than others. Conclusions: We conclude that the assessment of readiness to change could be of valuable support in designing stage-specific interventions in the area of stress managemen

Erfahrungen mit dem Konzept des Kantons Zug für COVID-19 : Bekämpfung der Pandemie vor und während der zweiten Welle in der Schweiz

Zug hat ein öffentlich zugängliches Konzept für die Bekämpfung von COVID-19. Es wurde im Juli 2020 in der Schweizerischen Ärztezeitung vorgestellt und seither weiterentwickelt. Der Sommer und besonders die zweite Welle im Herbst 2020 haben die Möglichkeiten und Grenzen des Konzepts aufgezeigt

Physical Activity, Sensation Seeking, and Aggression as Injury Risk Factors in Young Swiss Men: A Population-Based Cohort Study

Background:This study investigates the relationships between physical activity (PA), sports participation and sensation seeking or aggression and injury risk in young men.Methods:A representative cohort study was conducted with 4686 conscripts for the Swiss army. Risk factors assessed at baseline were PA, the frequency of sports participation, sensation seeking, and aggression. The number of injuries during the past 12 months was reported 16 months after baseline. Exposure to moderate-tovigorous physical activity (MVPA) was estimated based on baseline PA.Results:Among conscripts, 48.5% reported at least 1 injury for the past 12 months. After accounting for exposure to MVPA, the most inactive individuals (reference group) had the highest injury risk and those with high levels of PA and weekly sports participation the lowest (Poisson regression analysis: incidence rate ratio = 0.14 [0.12–0.16]). Independent of activity level, sensation seeking increased cumulative injury incidence significantly (Logistic regression analysis [injured vs. not injured]: odds ratio = 1.29 [1.02–1.63]) and incidence rates marginally. Aggression was marginally associated only with cumulative injury incidence and only in those participating in daily sports.Conclusions:When accounting for exposure to PA, being inactive is a strong injury risk factor in young men, whereas the roles of the personality variables are less clear.</jats:sec

Durchseuchung, Durchimpfung und Risiko nach Alter für Covid-19 : Bereinigung und Interpretation von Häufigkeitsangaben im Phasenwechsel der Pandemie

Die Schweiz meldet im Juni 2021 weiterhin rückläufige Fallzahlen für Covid-19. Die Impfkampagne ist voll angelaufen, die Ärzteschaft spielt dabei eine wichtige Rolle. Die Quantifizierung des Covid-19-Risikos ist eine zentrale Voraussetzung für die Beratung von Patientinnen und Patienten wie auch für gezielte Schutzmassnahmen in bestimmten Bevölkerungsgruppen, so in der Armee

Active transport, physical activity, and body weight in adults: a systematic review

CONTEXT: Physical activity has various health benefits. Active transport can contribute to total physical activity and thus affect body weight because of increased energy expenditure. This review summarizes published evidence on associations of active transport, general physical activity, and body weight in adults. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: A systematic review of the literature was conducted in October 2010 using eight databases. A total of 14,216 references were screened; full texts were retrieved for 95 articles. Forty-six articles (36 unique studies) were included: 20 (17) from Europe; 18 (13) from North America, Australia, and New Zealand; and eight (six) from other countries. Analyses of the retrieved papers were carried out between November 2010 and March 2011. EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS: Of 15 studies assessing active transport and physical activity, five found associations in the expected direction (more active transport associated with more physical activity) for all or most variables studied, nine found some associations, and one reported no associations. Of 30 studies assessing active transport and body weight, 13 reported associations in the expected direction (more active transport associated with lower body weight) for all or most variables studied, 12 found some associations, two presented some associations in the expected and some in the opposite direction, and three reported no associations. CONCLUSIONS: There is limited evidence that active transport is associated with more physical activity as well as lower body weight in adults. However, study heterogeneity, predominantly cross-sectional designs, and crude measures for active transport and physical activity impede quantitative conclusions

La pandémie a besoin d'une stratégie cantonale et supracantonale : changement de perspective après deux ans de gestion du Covid-19 = Zeit für eine kantonale und überkantonale Corona-Strategie : Perspektivenwechsel nach zwei Jahren Corona-Politik

Das Ende der Corona-Pandemie für die Schweiz zeichnet sich ab. Damit wird sich die Gesundheitspolitik wieder auf ihre Regelstrukturen abstützen und sich statt nur auf die Kapazität der Intensivpflegestationen wieder auf umfassendere Ziele ausrichten können. Eine besondere Bedeutung werden dabei kantonale und überkantonale Corona-Strategien erlangen. = La fin de la pandémie de coronavirus se dessine en Suisse. Ainsi, la politique de la santé pourra s’appuyer à nouveau sur ses structures ordinaires et se recentrer sur des objectifs plus larges que la seule capacité des unités de soins intensifs. Les stratégies cantonales et supracantonales en matière de coronavirus revêtiront une importance particulière

Unspecific CTL Killing Is Enhanced by High Glucose via TNF-Related Apoptosis-Inducing Ligand

TNF-related apoptosis inducing ligand (TRAIL) is expressed on cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) and TRAIL is linked to progression of diabetes. However, the impact of high glucose on TRAIL expression and its related killing function in CTLs still remains largely elusive. Here, we report that TRAIL is substantially up-regulated in CTLs in environments with high glucose (HG) both in vitro and in vivo. Non-mitochondrial reactive oxygen species, NFκB and PI3K/Akt are essential in HG-induced TRAIL upregulation in CTLs. TRAILhigh CTLs induce apoptosis of pancreatic beta cell line 1.4E7. Treatment with metformin and vitamin D reduces HG-enhanced expression of TRAIL in CTLs and coherently protects 1.4E7 cells from TRAIL-mediated apoptosis. Our work suggests that HG-induced TRAILhigh CTLs might contribute to the destruction of pancreatic beta cells in a hyperglycemia condition