Impact of running race in warm weather on hematological and biochemical parameters.

OBJECTIVE: Exercise is highly essential for a healthy life. The athletes drink water to restore the body fluid volume and salt ingredients during the exercise. It is postulated that the blood parameters of athletes would greatly be affected if they run more than 10 km in controlled dehydration (without taking liquid) in a hot environment. This study aims to investigate the acute hematological changes in Saudi male athletes engaged in sports activities in a hot climate without taking fluid. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, the participants were adult Saudi athletes (n=12) who ran for a 10 km distance during the daytime when the temperature was ≥35°C. Blood samples were collected before and after the race and analyzed by standard methods for hematocrit, plasma volume, hemoglobin, total white cells count, red cells count, and blood lactate was examined. RESULTS: The mean age of athletes was 22.83 years; their mean height was 173.8 cm, and the mean weight was 56.1 kg. The average body fluid loss during the race was 1.88 ± 0.70 L. The white blood cells, hematocrit, hemoglobin levels were increased significantly at the end of the running event (p < 0.05). However, values of red blood cells and insulin were decreased. CONCLUSIONS: Exercise, mainly the running race in hot weather conditions, has a significantly increasing impact on athletes' hematological and biochemical parameters. The findings have an important message for the sports trainers and coaches to prepare prospective professional athletes and improve their performance for national and international sports events.

Dietary habits and physical activity levels in Jordanian adolescents attending private versus public schools.

The present study examined differences in dietary habits and physical activity levels between students attending private and public high schools in Jordan. A total of 386 secondary-school males and 349 females aged 14-18 years were randomly recruited using a multistage, stratified, cluster sampling technique. Dietary habits and physical activity level were self-reported in a validated questionnaire. The prevalence of obesity was significantly higher among adolescents in private (26.0%) than in public schools (16.7%). The frequency of breakfast intake was significantly higher among adolescents in private schools, whereas French fries and sweets intake was significantly higher in public schools. Television viewing showed a significant interaction with school type by sex. A higher rate of inactivity was found among students attending private schools. Despite a slightly better overall dietary profile for students in private schools, they had a higher rate of overweight and obesity compared with those in public schools.

Lifestyle correlates of self-reported sleep duration among Saudi adolescents: a multicentre school-based cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Lifestyle factors are important determinants of adequate sleep among adolescents. However, findings on sleep duration relative to lifestyle factors are conflicting. Therefore, this study examined the association of self-reported sleep duration with physical activity, sedentary behaviours and dietary habits among Saudi adolescents. METHODS: A multicentre school-based cross-sectional study was conducted in three major cities in Saudi Arabia. The sample included 2868 secondary-school students (51.9% girls) aged 15-19 years, randomly selected using a multistage stratified cluster sampling technique. In addition to anthropometric measurements, sleep duration, physical activity, sedentary behaviours and dietary habits were assessed using self-reported questionnaire. RESULTS: Several lifestyle factors were associated with sleep duration in adolescents. While controlling for some potential confounders, the findings showed that high screen time [>5 h/day; adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 1.505, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.180-1.920, P = 0.001] and low (aOR = 1.290, 95% CI = 1.064-1.566, P = 0.010) to medium (aOR = 1.316, 95% CI = 1.075-1.611, P = 0.008) physical activity levels were significantly related to daily sleep of 8 h or longer. Furthermore, having low intake of breakfast (<3 day/week compared with 5 days or more per week) decreased the odd of having adequate sleep duration by a factor of 0.795 (95% CI = 0.667-0.947, P < 0.010). CONCLUSIONS: Short sleep duration (<8 h/day) among Saudi adolescents 15-19 year olds was significantly associated with several lifestyle factors. Intervention programs aiming for improving sleeping habits among adolescents need to consider such potential association of lifestyle variables with sleep duration.

Association of dietary habits with levels of physical activity and screen time among adolescents living in Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND: Understanding the inter-relationships between lifestyle factors in youth is important with respect to the development of effective promotional programmes for healthy eating and active living. The present study aimed to explore the associations of dietary habits (DH) with physical activity (PA) and screen time (ST) among Saudi adolescents aged between 15 and 19 years of age relative to gender. METHODS: Data were obtained from the Arab Teens Lifestyle Study, a school-based multicentre lifestyle study conducted in 2009/2010 in three major cities in Saudi Arabia. A multistage stratified cluster random sampling technique was used. The number of participants with complete data for DH and PA was 2886 and the respective number for DH and ST was 2822. Assessment included weight, height, body mass index, total daily ST (television viewing, video/computer games and Internet use), PA and DH using self-reported questionnaires. RESULTS: Females were significantly more sedentary and less active than males (P < 0.001). Two-way analysis of covariance, controlling for age, showed significant (P < 0.05) gender by PA and gender by ST interactions for several DH. Logistic regression analyses revealed significant associations of higher PA with a higher consumption of fruit, vegetables, milk, French fries/potato chips and energy drinks, whereas higher ST was significantly associated with a higher consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks, fast foods, cake/doughnuts and energy drinks. CONCLUSIONS: Healthful dietary habits were associated mostly with PA, whereas sedentary behaviours, independent of PA, negatively impacted upon eating behaviours. The low PA levels and high sedentary levels of Saudi females represent a great concern. The results reported in the present study have important implications for both youth public health policies and intervention programmes.

Dietary habits and physical activity levels in Jordanian adolescents attending private versus public schools

تتناول هذه الدراسة الفوارق في العادات الغذائية ومستوى النشاط البدني بين التلاميذ في المرحلة الثانوية في المدارس الخاصة وفي المدارس العامة في الأردن.وقد شملت الدراسة 386 طالبا و 349 طالبة في المرحلة الثانوية تراوح أعمارهم بين 14 و 18 عاما، وتم إدراجهم في الدراسة عشوائيا باستخدام تقنية أخذ العينات العنقودية المطبقة والمتعددة المراحل. وتم الإبلاغ ذاتيا عن العادات الغذائية ومستوى النشاط البدني باستخدام استبيان تم التحقق من صحته. واتضح أن معدل انتشار البدانة أعلى بمقدار يعتد به إحصائيا بين المراهقن في المدارس الخاصة [26.0 %]مما هو عليه في المدارس العامة [16.7 %]. وأن تكرار تناول طعام الإفطار هو أعلى بمقدار يعتد به إحصائيا بين المراهقين في المدارس الخاصة، بينا معدل تناول البطاطس المقلية والحلويات أعلى بمقدار يعتد به إحصائيا لدى المدارس العامة. كما اتضح أن مشاهدة التلفزيون تؤدي إلى تفاعل ذي أهمية إحصائية مع نمط المدرسة والجنسين. واتضح وجود مستوى أعلى من الخمول البدني بين طلاب المدارس الخاصة. ورغم أن المرتسم الإجمالي للنظام الغذائي لدى طلاب المدارس الخاصة يبدو أفضل قليلا مما هو عليه في سواها، فإن لدى هؤلاء نسبة أعلى من فرط الوزن والبدانة مقارنة بطلاب المدارس العامة

ABSTRACT The present study examined differences in dietary habits and physical activity levels between studentsattending private and public high schools in Jordan. A total of 386 secondary-school males and 349 females aged14–18 years were randomly recruited using a multistage, stratified, cluster sampling technique. Dietary habits andphysical activity level were self-reported in a validated questionnaire. The prevalence of obesity was significantlyhigher among adolescents in private (26.0%) than in public schools (16.7%). The frequency of breakfast intake wassignificantly higher among adolescents in private schools, whereas French fries and sweets intake was significantlyhigher in public schools. Television viewing showed a significant interaction with school type by sex. A higher rateof inactivity was found among students attending private schools. Despite a slightly better overall dietary profile forstudents in private schools, they had a higher rate of overweight and obesity compared with those in public schools

RÉSUMÉ La présente étude a examiné les différences dans les habitudes alimentaires et les niveaux d'activitéphysique entre les élèves des écoles publiques et ceux des écoles privées en Jordanie. Au total, 386 garçonset 349 filles fréquentant des établissements d'enseignement secondaires âgés de 14 à 18 ans ont été recrutésaléatoirement au moyen d'une technique d'échantillonnage en grappes, stratifié à plusieurs degrés. Leshabitudes alimentaires et le niveau d'activité physique ont été autodéclarés à l'aide d'un questionnaire validé.La prévalence de l'obésité était significativement plus élevée chez les adolescents des écoles privées (26,0 %)que chez ceux des écoles publiques (16,7 %). La prise d'un petit-déjeuner était nettement plus fréquente chezles adolescents des écoles privées, tandis que la consommation de frites et de sucreries était beaucoup plusimportante chez les élèves des écoles publiques. Le nombre d'heures passées à regarder la télévision était trèsdifférent entre les élèves des écoles privées et ceux des écoles publiques en fonction du sexe. Un taux d'inactivitéplus élevé a été observé chez les élèves des écoles privées. En dépit du profil diététique légèrement meilleurdes élèves des écoles privées, leurs taux de surpoids et d'obésité étaient supérieurs à ceux des écoles publiques.

Prevalence of physical inactivity in Saudi Arabia: a brief review.

Major lifestyle changes in recent years in Saudi Arabia may be leading to physical inactivity and a low level of physical fitness. This paper reviews the current literature about physical inactivity in the Saudi Arabian population and discusses its implications for health. Available data from a small number of studies suggests a high prevalence (43.3%-99.5%) of physical inactivity among Saudi children and adults alike. Furthermore, the proportion of Saudi children and adults who are at risk due to inactivity is much higher than for any other coronary heart disease risk factor. It is recommended that a national policy encouraging activity in daily life be established and more studies are carried out to address physical activity patterns with representative samples of the Saudi Arabian population.

Prevalence of physical inactivity in Saudi Arabia: a brief review

Major lifestyle changes in recent years in Saudi Arabia may be leading to physical inactivity and a low level of physical fitness. This paper reviews the current literature about physical inactivity in the Saudi Arabian population and discusses its implications for health. Available data from a small number of studies suggests a high prevalence [43.3%-99.5%] of physical inactivity among Saudi children and adults alike. Furthermore, the proportion of Saudi children and adults who are at risk due to inactivity is much higher than for any other coronary heart disease risk factor. It is recommended that a national policy encouraging activity in daily life be established and more studies are carried out to address physical activity patterns with representative samples of the Saudi Arabian population

Development of maximal cardiorespiratory function in Saudi boys. A cross-sectional analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To provide normative data on maximal cardiorespiratory function for healthy Saudi boys between the ages of 7-15 years. METHODS: One hundred and thirty-seven Saudi boys from nearby schools in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, participated in this study. Cardiorespiratory measurements were obtained during graded treadmill running until exhaustion. Gas exchange variables were assessed continuously throughout the test using open circuit spirometry. RESULTS: Normative values in the forms of means, standard deviation and percentiles were presented for 4 age groups. Mass-dependent cardiorespiratory variables were also classified based on body surface area. Absolute maximal oxygen uptake increased linearly from 1.2 +/- 0.2 L x min(-1) at age 7-9 years to 2.5 +/- 0.5 L x min(-1) at age 13-15 years. Maximal oxygen uptake relative to body mass (ml x kg(-1) x min(-1)) or relative to lean body mass (ml x kg(-1) lean body mass min(-1)) did not show any appreciable changes across ages. Mass-dependent variables such as pulmonary ventilation (L x min(-1)), tidal volume, and oxygen pulse (oxygen uptake/heart rate) also exhibited a linear increase with age, reflecting strong associations with body size indices (body mass, height and lean body mass). Maximal heart rate during childhood and adolescence appears to be independent of age. Ventilatory anaerobic threshold as a percentage of maximal oxygen uptake ranged from 66% for the younger to 77% for the older age groups. CONCLUSION: Maximal oxygen uptake expressed relative to body surface area or scaled to body mass to the power of 0.75 or 0.67 appears to provide a more appropriate means of expressing changes in maximal oxygen uptake across ages in children and adolescents. Further, maximal pulse index (oxygen pulse/body surface area) seems to control for the strong association of oxygen pulse with the body size during growth.

Physical activity profile of adult males in Riyadh City.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the patterns and determinants of physical activity among Saudi adult males living in Riyadh. METHODS: Self-administered questionnaires were filled out by 1333 randomly selected Saudi males 19 years and older, during the Fall of 1996. RESULTS: Over 53% of Saudi males were totally physically inactive, and another 27.5% were irregularly active. Only 19% of the entire sample were active on a regular basis. A curvilinear relationship was found between age and inactivity, with the middle age group the least active. Physical activity was lower among those who were married, work in the private sectors, working 2 shifts, less educated, or who had only one day off during the week. Time constraint seems to be the major contributing factor to inactivity, while maintaining health and losing weight were the most important reason for being physically active among Saudi males. CONCLUSION: The proportion of Saudi males who are at risk for inactivity is very high. Indeed, it is exceedingly higher than those who are at risk for hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, obesity, or cigarette smoking. Public policies are needed to encourage active living and discourage sedentary habits. Health care providers have an important role in promoting physical activity among the population.

Echocardiographic dimensions and maximal oxygen uptake in elite soccer players.

OBJECTIVE: To assess cardiac dimensions in elite Saudi soccer players, and to correlate these measurements with maximal oxygen uptake. METHODS: Twenty-three soccer players representing the Saudi National soccer team, and 19 untrained males participated in this study. Cardiac dimensions were measured by M-mode echocardiography, and maximal oxygen uptake was assessed by open-circuit spirometry during treadmill running. RESULTS: When compared with age-matched untrained males, soccer players appeared to have significantly (P < 0.05) greater values (mm.m-2) in left ventricular end-diastolic dimension (28.8 +/- 2.7 vs 26.5 +/- 2.3), right ventricular cavity (14.1 +/- 2.5 vs 11.8 +/- 2.6), left atrial cavity (16.7 +/- 1.6 vs 14.9 +/- 2.2) and left ventricular mass (117.4 +/- 21.2 vs 89.0 +/- 16.0 g.m-2). There was no significant difference between the 2 groups in left ventricular posterior wall (5.3 +/- 0.77 vs 5.3 +/- 0.61) or in interventricular septum (5.5 +/- 0.65 vs 5.2 +/- 0.59). When soccer players were grouped by playing position, there were no significant differences in cardiac dimensions between the players, though the midfielders and the full-backs showed the highest values for left ventricular cavity and maximal oxygen uptake. Further, maximal oxygen uptake relative to body mass (ml.kg.(-1) min(-1)) exhibited a significant correlation with left ventricular cavity normalized to either body mass (r = 0.62; P <0.01), or to body surface area (r = 0.53; P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The elite Saudi soccer players appear to have significantly greater left ventricular cavity and mass than age-matched untrained males. Such cardiac adaptation seems to result from the highly dynamic nature of the soccer game.

Aerobic and anaerobic power characteristics of Saudi elite soccer players.

BACKGROUND: To assess the aerobic and anaerobic characteristics of Saudi elite soccer players, and to examine the interrelationship between measures of aerobic and anaerobic power in the elite soccer players. METHODS. PARTICIPANT: Twenty-three outfield elite soccer players representing the Saudi national team participated. Their means (+/- SD) for age, body mass, height and estimated fat % were: 25.2 +/- 2.3 years; 73.1 +/- 6.8 kg; 177.2 +/- 5.9 cm; and 12.3 +/- 2.7%, respectively. MEASURES: Cardiorespiratory parameters, including maximal oxygen uptake (V O2 max), were assessed by open-circuit spirometry during graded treadmill running. Anaerobic power measures were obtained using Wingate anaerobic test, and included peak power (PP), and average power for 5 sec (AP 5), 10 sec (AP 10), 20 sec (AP 20) and 30 sec (AP 30). RESULTS: Mean (+/-SD) values for V O2max in absolute and relative to body mass were 4.16 +/- 0.34 l x min-1 and 56.8 +/- 4.8 ml x kg-1 x min-1, respectively. Such V O2max value was 118% and 80% of those reported for Saudi college males and distance runners, respectively. The ventilatory anaerobic thereshold (Tvent) averaged 43.6 ml x kg-1 x min-1. There were no significant differences in V O2max and Tvent between players based on positions, although the midfielders and the centre-backs had the highest and the lowest individual values for both measures, respectively. Values (+/- SD) of PP and AP 30 were 873.6 +/- 141.8 W (11.88 +/- 1.3 W x kg-1), and 587.7 +/-55.4 W (8.02 +/- 0.53 W x kg-1), respectively. Only in absolute PP & AP 30 were the centre-backs significantly superior to the other players. In addition, V O2max was inversely related to PP (r = - 0.54; p < 0.05) and positively related to AP 30 (r = 0.45; p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The aerobic power, expressed relative to body mass, of Saudi elite soccer players was in the lower range of values normally reported in the literatures for elite soccer players. Both PP and AP 30 were somewhat lower than values previously reported for elite soccer players from other countries.

Cardiorespiratory fitness, physical activity patterns and coronary risk factors in preadolescent boys.

The relationships between cardiorespiratory fitness, daily physical activity, and selected coronary artery disease (CAD) risk factors were evaluated in a sample of 91 preadolescent boys. Cardiorespiratory fitness was assessed (VO2max). Physical activity level was assessed using daytime heart rate telemetry. CAD risk factors included total cholesterol, fasting triglycerides, HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, fasting blood glucose, systolic and diastolic blood pressures, and body fat content. The mean value of VO2max exhibited significant negative relationship with body fat percent (r = -0.55). Controlling the effects of age, body mass index and body fat percent resulted in a significant inverse relationship between physical activity and systolic (r = -0.29) and diastolic (r = -0.28) blood pressures. Analysis of data by quartiles revealed significant differences only in body fat percent across fitness categories, while no significant differences were detected in the other CAD risk factors. However, higher HDL-cholesterol and lower triglycerides levels were observed in those boys with higher levels of physical activity. It was concluded that except with body fatness, cardiorespiratory fitness is not strongly associated with lower CAD risk factors, while physical activity level was significantly associated with lower blood pressure level but not with the other CAD risk factors.

Physiological assessment of Saudi athletes.

This study was aimed at assessing the physiological responses of Saudi male athletes to maximal exercise testing. Seventy five national athletes representing nine different sports and fourteen healthy controls were subjected to graded bicycle ergometer tests, during which cardiorespiratory and metabolic functions were monitored and recorded. The results of this study indicate that the maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) values for the Saudi athletes were not significantly different from those of controls. The cyclists, however, attained the highest VO2max with a mean of 55.05 ml.kg-1.min-1 followed by the middle distance runners (X = 53.17) and the long distance runners (X = 51.19). Comparison of the Saudi athletes with some previously reported international standards revealed that the Saudi athletes had a VO2max that was lower than their respective French, Swedish, Belgian, Norwegian, Italian, Canadian or American athletes.

Anthropometric measurements of Saudi boys aged 6-14 years.

Anthropometric measurements of 1169 Saudi school boys between the ages of 6 and 14 years are reported. The boys were randomly selected from primary schools in the city of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Measurements of height, weight, grip strength, chest, triceps and subscapular skinfold thicknesses as well as biacromial, chest, bi-iliac, knee, and elbow breadths were taken. Saudi boys have slightly lower values for body weight and height than American boys (NCHS standards). Values of skinfold measurements increased with age up to age 11 where they plateaued and took then a sharp increase by age 14. Means of triceps and subscapular skinfolds of the Saudi boys are also lower than some standards from U.S.A. throughout age 13. At age 14, however, the Saudi boys have higher means than the U.S.A. boys.