Association of Abdominal Obesity with Lumbar Disc Degeneration - A Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study

Peer reviewe

Association of Abdominal Obesity with Lumbar Disc Degeneration - A Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study

Peer reviewe

Body mass index is associated with lumbar disc degeneration in young Finnish males: subsample of Northern Finland birth cohort study 1986

Peer reviewe

Cardiorespiratory fitness of males and females of northern finland birth cohort of 1966 at age 31.

Un step test à été réalisé avec 5500 personnes et un test maximal avec 123 sujets

Adolescent Participation in Sport and Adult Physical Activity

Background: Physical activity in adolescence has been reported to enhance physical activity in adulthood, but detailed information on the enhancing effect of different types of adolescent sports is lacking. We evaluated the association between participation in different types of adolescent sports and physical activity in adulthood. Methods: The sample comprised 7794 males and females who responded to the mailed questions on physical activity status at age 14 years and at age 31 years in follow-up surveys of the Northern Finland 1966 birth cohort. The associations between adolescent participation in different sports and adult physical activity was examined by multinomial logistic regression. Results: Frequent participation in sports after school hours in adolescence was associated with a high level of physical activity in adulthood. In males, adolescent participation in ball games, intensive endurance sports, track and field, and combat sports was associated with a high or very high level of adult activity. In females, the same applied to adolescent participation in running, orienteering, track and field, cycling, gymnastics, and riding. Adolescent participation in ball games increased participation in ball games in adulthood, especially in males, while participation in cross-country skiing, running, and orienteering provided the greatest stimulation to carry over of some endurance sport to adulthood. Conclusions: Participation in sports at least once a week among females and twice a week among males was associated with high level of physical activity in later life. Adolescent participation in the intensive endurance sports, and some sports that require and encourage diversified sports skills, appeared to be most beneficial with respect to the enhancement of adult physical activity

Workplace Cold and Perceived Work Ability: Paradoxically Greater Disadvantage for More vs. Less-Educated Poultry Industry Workers in Thailand

The association between worksite temperature and perceived work ability (WA) in various educational classes remains unknown. Therefore, we interviewed 286 poultry industry workers in Thailand about their WA and linked their responses to worksite temperature. WA was based on the self-assessment of current work ability compared with their lifetime best ability (scores 0–10). Education was classified as high (university or vocational school) or low (less education). Temperature was classified as cold (−22–10◦C) or warm (10–23◦C). WA and the occurrence of a low WA were regressed on worksite temperature, education, and their interaction with the adjustment for sex, age, job category, physical work strain, moving between cold and warm sites, thermal insulation of clothing, relative humidity, and air velocity. The average worksite temperature was 10◦C for high- and 1◦C for low-educated workers. The average WA score was 8.32 (SD, 1.33; range, 4–10) and classified as low (<8) in 23% of the workers. In highly-educated workers, the adjusted mean WA decreased from 9.11 in the warm areas to 8.02 in the cold areas and the prevalence of a low WA increased from 11 to 30%, while no significant change was observed in less-educated workers. The WA score was estimated to decline by 10% more (95% CI, 4–16%) in the cold areas for the more vs. less-educated workers and the prevalence of a poor WA was estimated to increase 3.09 times (95% CI, 1.43–5.45) more. Highly-educated workers in this industry are a risk group that should be given customized advice