Family's presence associated with increased physical activity in patients with acute stroke: an observational study

ABSTRACT Background: Inherent differences in organization of stroke care and rehabilitation practices in various settings influence the activity levels of patients in the hospital. The majority of published studies have been carried out in developed countries such as the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Switzerland and Belgium; however, data from developing countries are scarce. Objective: To measure the amount and nature of physical activity of patients admitted to medical wards of Indian hospitals and to assess the association between family presence and the patient and between the patient’s functional status and their physical activity level. Method: This is an observational behavioral mapping study. A trained physical therapist recorded the patients’ (N=47) physical activity level through direct observation in the ward using a predetermined observation scheme. Results: Participants were found inactive and alone for 19% (inter quartile range [IQR] 12-36%) and 15% (IQR 10-19%) of the time during the day, respectively. They spent 46% (IQR 31-55%) of the time in therapeutic activities and 31% (IQR 22-34%) of the time in non-therapeutic activities. The family was present with patients 50% of the time during the day. Family presence with the patient and the patient’s moderate dependence in daily activities are positively associated with their activity levels. Conclusion: Patients with stroke admitted to Indian hospitals spent less time being inactive and alone and more time with family participating in therapeutic activities. The presence of family members with the patients during hospital stay may be a significant resource for encouraging patients to be more active.

Association of inflammation, dyslipidemia, obesity and physical activity status in children

The aim of this study was to verify the association between inflammatory biomarkers, dyslipidemia, obesity and physical activity status in 10-years old children. Ninety-four children participated in this study and were classified into eutrophic (n=36), overweight (n=34) or obese (n=24) according to their body mass index (BMI). The genic expression of interleukin 6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and chemokine C-C motif ligand 2 (CCL-2) mRNA; the serum concentration of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c) and triglycerides; BMI, percentage of body fat (% BF) and waist circumference; and the number of steps per day were determined. The expression of IL-6, TNF-α and CCL-2 were associated (p < 0.05) positively with serum triglycerides, BMI, % BF and waist circumference, and negatively with serum HDL-c. No association (p > 0.05) between pro-inflammatory biomarkers and number of steps per day was found

Status of physical activities among 379 pupils in Beijing / 中华流行病学杂志

Objective Using the objective detection devices to explore the physical activity status in order to provide evidence reated to the physical activity intervention program on child obesity in elementary students.Methods Subjects were elementary students from grades 1-5 of 4 schools in Haidian and Dongcheng districts,Beijing.After measuring their height and weight,an motion sensor was applied to measure physical activities in these 379 pupils.Results Time on moderate to vigorous physical activities (MVPA) among pupils was 74.09 min and the ratio of meeting the recommended time of physical activity was 68.9％.The MVPA time in males (79.46 min) was more than that in females (66.07 min) (P＜0.05),with the ratio of meeting the recommended physical activity time in males (78.0％) also larger than that in females (55.3％) (P＜0.05).There was no significant difference between low age group and high age group (P＞0.05),however,there showed significant difference in light physical activity time among the normal group,overweight group and the obese group (P＜0.05).However,there was no significant difference found in MVPA time among the three groups (P＞ 0.05).Conclusion The ratio of meeting the recommend physical activity time was low.MVPA time should be increased to guarantee the athletic effects and to improve the health stutas in the pupils.