Effects of a 2-year school-based daily physical activity intervention on cardiovascular disease risk factors: the Sogndal school-intervention study.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of a 2-year school-based physical activity (PA) intervention in 9-year-old children on cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors. One intervention school (I-school) (n=125) and one control school (C-school) (n=131) were included. The children at the I-school carried out 60 min of PA daily. The PA lessons were planned, organized and led by expert physical education (PE) teachers. In the C-school, children were offered the normal 45 min of PE twice weekly. The intervention resulted in a greater beneficial development in systolic (P=0.003) and diastolic (P=0.002) blood pressure, total cholesterol-to-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio (P=0.011), triglyceride (P=0.030) and peak oxygen uptake (P<0.001) in I-school children than in C-school children. No significant differences were observed in waist circumference, body mass index and the homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance between the two groups. Furthermore, the intervention, primarily carried out at moderate intensity, had the strongest impact in children with the least favorable starting point. In conclusion, a daily school-based PA intervention can beneficially modify children's CVD risk profile if the intervention has sufficient duration and includes a substantial amount of daily PA, and if the PA is implemented by expert PE teachers.

Pelvic floor function is independently associated with pelvic organ prolapse.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the risk factors for pelvic organ prolapse (POP), including physical activity, clinically measured joint mobility and pelvic floor muscle (PFM) function. DESIGN: One-to-one age- and parity-matched case-control study. SETTING: Akershus university hospital and one outpatient physiotherapy clinic in Norway. POPULATION: Forty-nine women with POP (POP quantification, stage>or=II) and 49 controls (stages 0 and I) were recruited from community gynaecologists and advertisements in newspapers. METHODS: Validated questionnaires, interview and clinical examination, including Beighton's scoring system (joint hypermobility) and vaginal pressure transducer measurements (PFM function), were used. Univariate and multivariate conditional logistic regression analyses for one-to-one matched case-control studies were used, and odds ratios with 95% CIs are reported. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Pelvic floor muscle function (strength, endurance and resting pressure), socioeconomic status, body mass index, heavy occupational work, physical activity, family history, obstetric factors and markers of connective tissue weakness (striae, varicose veins, bruising, diastasis recti abdominis, joint hypermobility). RESULTS: No significant differences were found between groups with regard to postmenopausal status, current smoking, current low-intensity exercise, type of birth (caesarean, forceps, vacuum), birth weight, presence of striae, diastasis recti abdominis and joint hypermobility. Body mass index (OR 5.0; 95% CI 1.1-23.0), socioeconomic status (OR 10.5; 95% CI 2.2-50.1), heavy occupational work (OR 9.6; 95% CI 1.3-70.3), anal sphincter lacerations (OR 4.5; 95% CI 1.0-20.0), PFM strength (OR 7.5; 95% CI 1.5-36.4) and endurance (OR 11.5; 95% CI 2.0-66.9) were independently related to POP. CONCLUSIONS: Body mass index, socioeconomic status, heavy occupational work, anal sphincter lacerations and PFM function were independently associated with POP, whereas joint mobility and physical activity were not.