SELF-RATED PHYSICAL ACTIVITY LEVEL ACROSS EUROPE – POLAND AND OTHER EUROPEAN COUNTRIES

Physical inactivity has become a serious public health problem as it contributes to major non-communicable diseases. Increasing activity levels has beneficial effects on musculoskeletal health and mental health as well. In Poland there are a few studies which refer to the physical activity (PA) of the overall society and which are based on an international questionnaire, thus enabling comparative analysis. The aim of the study was to assess the PA level of the Polish society and to examine fields of their activity and intensity of them in order to compare the data with fifteen European countries. A survey based on computer-assisted personal interview (CAPI) was carried out in Poland in November 2006. A random sample of Polish adults (n=1028) was selected and divided according to demographic criteria. PA was estimated by a short version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). In the last seven days 53.4�0of the Polish society reported no vigorous PA whereas in the European sample the percentage was significantly higher (57.4% For the PA of moderate level of intensity 39.8% of the Polish respondents reported no such PA; in the European sample the percentage was 40.8%. Only 12.8% of the Polish respondents reported not having walked in the past week, whereas in the EU the percentage was 17.1%. It must be noted that in all aspects the results were varied in the studied countries. These observations indicate a need for urgent actions to promote HEPA across EU member countries and in particular the least active member states. The present study is the first referring to PA of the whole Polish population, based on a representative sample and an international standardised questionnaire. The data confirm that the PA level of the Polish society is not as low as it has been shown in many studies

Rola polityki krajowej w rozwoju klubów sportowych funkcjonujących w środowisku lokalnym

The publication raises the subject of governmental policy aimed at sports clubs. It identifies and discusses governmental programmes, beneficiaries of which can be sports clubs, sources of financing sports clubs from the national budget and conditions of obtaining support of the state. There are also analyses of a series of legal acts, national as well as international, concerning the analysed aspects. The authors emphasise insufficient support for sports clubs from the central level and the barriers that sports clubs willing to acquire funds are facingPublikacja podejmuje tematykę polityki rządowej ukierunkowanej na kluby sportowe. W pracy zidentyfikowane oraz omówione zostały programy rządowe, w których beneficjentami mogą być kluby sportowe, źródła finansowania klubów sportowych z budżetu centralnego oraz warunki uzyskania wsparcia rządowego. Przeanalizowano szereg aktów prawnych, szczebla krajowego jak również ponadnarodowego, odnoszących się do analizowanych aspektów. Autorki zwracają uwagę na istnienie niewystarczającego wsparcia klubów sportowych z poziomu centralnego oraz bariery jakie stawiane są klubom sportowym chcącym otrzymać dofinansowani

Celiac Disease and Migraine Headaches: Current Knowledge and Future Directions

Background: Migraine headaches and celiac disease are widespread problems affecting millions of patients worldwide.  Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease in which the consumption of gluten leads to the development of an abnormal immune response in the intestines and the atrophy of intestinal villi. The most characteristic clinical symptoms of celiac disease are gastrointestinal symptoms. Nevertheless, manifestations of the nervous system, including migraines, are also sometimes noted. A gluten-free diet is the only effective therapeutic approach for patients with celiac disease. It reduces symptoms and halts the progression of the disease. Neurological symptoms, including migraines, are frequent extraintestinal manifestations. In this study we aim to elaborate on current knowledge concerning both coexisting of migraines and celiac disease as well as effect of gluten free diet on headaches in patients with celiac disease, gluten intolerance and healthy individuals   Results: Headaches, especially migraines, are more common in patients suffering from celiac disease. Numerous studies indicate that a gluten-free diet may help in the treatment of headaches and is also an effective way to stop the progression of celiac disease. Conclusion: Migraine headaches are quite common in patients with celiac disease, and a gluten-free diet may help alleviate them. The findings suggest the need for increased awareness of the co-occurrence of these two conditions. A gluten-free diet is the only effective treatment for celiac disease and can stop progression of the disease. Further research is needed to determine the potential benefits of such a diet in patients with gluten intolerance or healthy individuals

Laboratory tests in geriatric patients - an overview of the latest reports

Laboratory tests are extremely important in patient’s monitoring and/or diagnosing. We described those that are particularly significant for elderly patients, namely: peripheral blood morphology, arterial blood gasometry, cancer markers. The aim of this article is to summarize current knowledge about laboratory tests important in geriatrics, as well as draw attention to the diverse use of laboratory tests in clinical practise

Periprocedural decrease in tumor necrosis factor alpha is a risk factor for atrial fibrillation recurrence after ablation

Background: Concentration of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) might be useful in selecting patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF) who will benefit the most from pulmonary vein isolation. Material and methods: This is a prospective cohort study among patients with PAF who had sinus rhythm prior to undergoing either radiofrequency ablation or cryoablation procedure. Blood samples were collected at the start of the procedure and 16-24 h after. TNF-alpha concentrations were measured. Follow-up data was obtained during a structured telephone interview and 24-hour ECG Holter monitoring 12 months after the ablation procedure. Results: Thirty seven patients were enrolled. After 12-month follow-up 27 patients maintained sinus rhythm, 8 had recurrence of AF and 2 were lost to follow-up. There was no significant correlation between TNF-alpha concentrations in any of the samples and the recurrence of arrhythmia (for pre-procedural samples: 1.75 pg/ ml vs. 1.74 pg/ml; p = 0.72; for post-procedural samples: 1.49 pg/ml vs. 1.79 pg/ml; p = 0.16). In patients who had a recurrence of AF, we observed a decrease in the periprocedural TNF-alpha concentration (-0.12 pg/ml vs 0.05 pg/ml; p = 0.05). Conclusions: Neither pre- nor post-procedural TNF-alpha concentrations are predictive of ablation outcome in patients with PAF. We observed a decrease in the periprocedural TNF-alpha concentration in patients who had AF recurrence

Exome sequencing to explore the possibility of predicting genetic susceptibility to the joint occurrence of polycystic ovary syndrome and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis

A large body of evidence indicates that women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) have a higher risk of developing Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT) than healthy individuals. Given the strong genetic impact on both diseases, common predisposing genetic factors are possibly involved but are not fully understood. Here, we performed whole-exome sequencing (WES) for 250 women with sporadic PCOS, HT, combined PCOS and HT (PCOS+HT), and healthy controls to explore the genetic background of the joint occurrence of PCOS and HT. Based on relevant comparative analyses, multivariate logistic regression prediction modeling, and the most informative feature selection using the Monte Carlo feature selection and interdependency discovery algorithm, 77 variants were selected for further validation by TaqMan genotyping in a group of 533 patients. In the allele frequency test, variants in RAB6A, GBP3, and FNDC7 genes were found to significantly (padjusted < 0.05) differentiated the PCOS+HT and PCOS groups, variant in HIF3A differentiated the PCOS+HT and HT groups, whereas variants in CDK20 and CCDC71 differentiated the PCOS+HT and both single disorder groups. TaqMan genotyping data were used to create final prediction models, which differentiated between PCOS+HT and PCOS or HT with a prediction accuracy of AUC = 0.78. Using a 70% cutoff of the prediction score improved the model parameters, increasing the AUC value to 0.87. In summary, we demonstrated the polygenic burden of both PCOS and HT, and many common and intersecting signaling pathways and biological processes whose disorders mutually predispose patients to the development of both diseases

Volunteer satisfaction in sports clubs: A multilevel analysis in 10 European countries

Regular voluntary engagement is a basic resource for sports clubs that may also promote social cohesion and active citizenship. The satisfaction of volunteers is an imperative factor in this engagement, and the purpose of this article is to explore individual and organizational determinants of volunteer satisfaction in sports clubs. Theoretically, our study builds on the actor-theory concepts where volunteer satisfaction depends on subjective evaluations of expectations and experiences in a sports club (‘logic of situation’), so that positive evaluations lead to higher satisfaction and, hopefully, retention of volunteers. This research uses a sample of 8131 volunteers from 642 sports clubs in 10 European countries, and is the first analysis to combine determinants at the level of the club and the volunteer (multilevel). Results show that the most important determinants of satisfaction are the conditions of volunteering (recognition, support, leadership and material incentives) and the workload of volunteers. Surprisingly, club characteristics, size or having paid staff are not significant determinants of volunteer satisfaction. The results of this analysis can assist more effective volunteer management in sports clubs that are facing challenges of individualization and professionalization

Do perceived value and satisfaction affect customers’ behavioural intentions? A case study of Polish squash clubs

The aim of the paper is to analyze relations between perceived quality, service convenience and satisfaction of squash customers to present implications for managers who address parents enrolling their children for extracurricular activities with their services. Applying the research framework of García-Fernández et al. (2018), a sample of 120 parents from Legia Warszawa Squash Academy completed an online survey in 2021. The SEM model revealed that perceived quality as well as service convenience had a positive and significant effect on perceived value, which turned out to be a strong predictor of customer satisfaction. Finally, satisfaction showed a very strong positive and significant influence on behavioral intentions of squash customers. The present study makes both a theoretical and a practical contribution to the field of sports management, highlighting the importance of perceived quality and service convenience to deliver expected value to the customer

Sociodemographic Determinants of Physical Inactivity of People Aged 60 Years and Older: A Cross-Sectional Study in Poland

Purpose. The aim of the study was to evaluate general physical activity (PA) level on the basis of leisure time and transportation physical activity (LTPA and TPA), assess the percentage of persons not meeting PA recommendations by the World Health Organisation (WHO), and evaluate the relationship between selected sociodemographic factors and physical inactivity. Methods. The paper is based on data (n=7,347) retrieved from five large-scale surveys (2014-2018) used to collect information on the PA of Polish society. In order to meet the aim of the paper, we selected a sample of 2,023 Poles aged≥60 years old. In each wave, the Polish long version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire was used. Mann–Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to investigate the differences between the types and volume of PA and sociodemographic variables. Relationships between physical inactivity and analysed variables were evaluated using log-linear analysis. To capture relationships between physical inactivity and a set of explanatory variables, a predictive model was built. Results. The total average energy expenditure amounted to 1879.5±2352.5 MET-min/week, including LTPA (938.5±1491.9 MET-min/week) and TPA (944.8±1322.4 MET-min/week). Over the course of the last two years of the study, the average value of MET-min/week increased significantly (p<0.05); however, prohealth WHO norms are not met by nearly 40% of Poles. Sex determines the volume of LTPA and TPA (p<0.05) but does not determine the inactivity of seniors. Place of residence and education differentiate participation in LTPA and TPA. The lower the education level and the smaller the place of residence, the greater the inactivity. Conclusions. The target for future interventions should be people aged 60+ living in villages and small towns (especially those with primary education). It is necessary to undertake educational and motivational programmes promoting PA. It is essential to develop detailed recommendations and to create a friendly and supportive environment