The relationship between academic success and sleep, stress and quality of life during the first year of physical therapy school.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between academic success and changes in predictor variables of aerobic fitness, sleep, stress and quality of life (QOL) in students enrolled in the first year of a physical therapist education program. Participants: This prospective longitudinal cohort study utilized 37 first-year Doctor of Physical Therapy students. Methods: We investigated the association between grade point average (GPA) and the various predictor variables. A multiple logistic regression model with backward selection was used to predict GPA. GPA greater than or equal to 3.5 or below 3.5 out of a 4.0 scale were used as the dichotomous events. Results: The regression model with the selected-out predictors was a good fit (p = 0.011). About 60% of the variation in the outcome GPA binary can be explained by the selected predictors that were the changes in sleep and QOL. Conclusions: Achieving academic success can be affected by changes in sleep and QOL.

Health-Related Quality of Life in Children With Chronic Illness Compared to Parents: A Systematic Review.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this systematic review is to identify quality-of-life issues that affect participation in age-appropriate activities in chronically ill children, as reported by the children and their families. SUMMARY OF KEY POINTS: Social and emotional functioning scores on the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) 4.0 were found to have the greatest frequency of poor agreement between parents and children in 4 of the 6 studies included in this review, suggesting parents and children have wide variation in their assessment in these areas of psychosocial function. CONCLUSIONS: Cumulative evidence appears to indicate that parents of children with chronic illness perceive their children as having a poorer quality of life than the children report for themselves. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CLINICAL PRACTICE: Identifying differences and commonalities between these reports can guide health care practitioners to specific activities that should be the focus of caring for children; specifically, functional goal development can become more personalized and appropriate.

Treatment of Pediatric Overweight and Obesity: Assessing the Options.

BACKGROUND: Obesity in the United States has been identified as one of the most prevalent health epidemics affecting both adults and children, and it has become the focus of a variety of primary, secondary, and tertiary healthcare interventions. OBJECTIVES: To summarize and assess the efficacy of current practices in the management and treatment of pediatric overweight and obesity. METHODS: An extensive review of the literature was performed. This review examined five areas of intervention most commonly used to manage and treat pediatric overweight and obesity: physical activity, nutritional and behavioral interventions, pharmaceutical management, and surgical procedures. RESULTS: Of 82 sources, 43 studies met our inclusion and exclusion criteria. However, after evaluating study strength using the PEDro, 24 were included in this systematic review. The studies, which included RCTs and cohort studies of levels I and II evidence, respectively, were evaluated for methodological quality using the PEDro scale. Programs that combined decreased sedentary behaviors and nutritional modifications had the most significant results in changes in body mass index (BMI) and weight gain or weight loss. CONCLUSION: To ensure successful management and treatment of pediatric obesity, the most successful paradigm of intervention is through a multidisciplinary approach: physical activity, nutrition, and behavioral strategies. Behavioral interventions should support and reinforce physical activity and nutritional modifications. Because of the potential health risks involved to the child, pharmaceutical and surgical approaches are considered only when all other interventions have failed.