Organized Sport Activities of 11 to 15-Year-Old Adolescents: Trends from 2010-2018 and Socioeconomic Context.

The aim of this paper was to analyse the trends in the participation of Czech adolescents in organized sport activities in relation to the socioeconomic status (SES) of their families. The sample consisted of 11, 13 and 15-year-old children (N = 4425 (2010), 10,361 (2014) and 13,377 (2018)); the data were collected as part of the HBSC Study in the Czech Republic. The findings suggest that adolescents from affluent families tend to participate more often in organized sports-both team activities and individual activities. Fifteen-year-old adolescents from families with a high SES are 3.01 times more likely to participate in individual organized sports than adolescents from low-SES families. The gap between participation in sport activities increases with the children's age but does not change significantly during the observed period. The findings suggest that public health policy should be oriented towards children from less-affluent families.

Trends and correlates of overweight/obesity in Czech adolescents in relation to family socioeconomic status over a 12-year study period (2002-2014).

BACKGROUND: This study examined a) trends in overweight/obesity, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), and screen time (ST) among Czech adolescents over a 12-year study period (2002-2014) in relation to family affluence (FA) and b) correlates of adolescent overweight/obesity from different FA categories. METHODS: A nationally representative sample of 18,250 adolescents (51.4% girls) aged 10.5-16.5 years was drawn from the Czech Health Behaviour in School-aged Children questionnaire-based surveys in 2002, 2006, 2010, and 2014. Using the FA scale, the socioeconomic status (SES) of the respondents' families was assessed. SES-stratified trends in the prevalence of overweight/obesity meeting the MVPA (≥60 min/day), and ST (≤2 h/day) recommendations were assessed using logistic regression. RESULTS: A trend-related significant increase (p < 0.05) in the prevalence of overweight/obesity was observed in low-/medium-FA boys and medium-/high-FA girls. Unlike in high-FA adolescents, a significant decrease was revealed in the rates of meeting the MVPA recommendation in low-FA boys (28.9%2002 → 23.3%2014, OR = 0.75, 95% CI = 0.59-0.95, p < 0.05) and girls (22.3%2002 → 17.3%2014, OR = 0.73, 95% CI = 0.57-0.92, p < 0.01). A significant (p < 0.001) trend-related increase in excessive ST was evident in adolescents regardless of gender and FA category. Generally, girls and older adolescents had lower odds of overweight/obesity than boys and 11-year-old adolescents. While in the high-FA category of adolescents, achieving 60 min of MVPA daily and the absence of excessive ST on weekdays significantly (p < 0.01) reduced their odds of being overweight/obese, in low-FA adolescents this was not the case. CONCLUSIONS: High rates of overweight/obesity and a poor level of daily MVPA among low-FA children provide disturbing evidence highlighting the necessity of public health efforts to implement obesity reduction interventions for this disadvantaged population.

The Family Affluence Scale as an Indicator for Socioeconomic Status: Validation on Regional Income Differences in the Czech Republic.

The Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children study (HBSC) uses the Family Affluence Scale (FAS) as a tool to identify the socioeconomic status of children and adolescents. Even though it is now widely applied in research studies, the external criterion validation of FAS has not been verified in terms of objective economic indicators in Central Europe. The aim of this study is to validate FAS in terms of disposable income per capita in 14 Czech administrative regions. Regional differences in the FAS score were analyzed using Pearson correlation and linear regression to measure the dependency of the aggregated mean of the FAS index at the regional level on data from the Czech HSBC survey carried out from April to June 2014 (n = 10,361). The data analysis has shown an overall positive correlation between the FAS index and regional disposable income (R = 0.77, p < 0.01). The regional disposable income per person could explain 59.7% of the variance in the FAS index (p < 0.01). By validating individual items, the authors identified three items with a significant correlation (p < 0.01): number of computers, dishwasher at home, and number of holidays. FAS seems to be a valid instrument to measure adolescents' socioeconomic status.

Prognostic impact of hemoglobin level prior to radiotherapy on survival in patients with glioblastoma.

PURPOSE: To evaluate prognostic factors in patients with glioblastoma treated with postoperative or primary radiotherapy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From 1989 to 2000, a total of 100 patients underwent irradiation as part of their initial treatment for glioblastoma. All patients had undergone surgery or biopsy followed by conventional external-beam radiotherapy. 85 patients who received the planned dose of irradiation (60 Gy in 30 fractions) were analyzed for the influence of prognostic factors. 73/85 (86%) of patients were given postoperative irradiation, while 12/85 (14%) of patients were primarily treated with radiotherapy after biopsy. RESULTS: The median overall survival was 10.1 months (range, 3.7-49.8 months), the 1- and 2-year survival rates were 41% and 5%, respectively. Univariate analysis revealed age < or = 55 years (p < 0.001), pre-radiotherapy hemoglobin (Hb) level > 12 g/dl (p = 0.009), and pre-radiotherapy dose of dexamethasone < or = 2 mg/day (p = 0.005) to be associated with prolonged survival. At multivariate analysis, younger age (p < 0.001), higher Hb level (p = 0.002), lower dose of dexamethasone (p = 0.026), and a hemispheric tumor location (p = 0.019) were identified as independent prognostic factors for longer survival. The median survival for patients with an Hb level > 12 g/dl was 12.1 months compared to 7.9 months for those with a lower Hb level. Contingency-table statistics showed no significant differences for the two Hb groups in the distribution of other prognostic factors. CONCLUSION: The results indicate that lower Hb level prior to radiotherapy for glioblastoma can adversely influence prognosis. This finding deserves further evaluation.

[Long-term outcomes of carotid endarterectomies]. / Dlouhodobé výsledky karotických endarterektomií.

The prevention of ischemic stroke by surgical means goes back half a century. Interventional treatment of significant carotid artery occlusive disease should be performed by the method that provides the least periprocedural risk and best durability while providing long-term freedom from stroke. The aim of this study was to analyzed the group of 108 patients following 130 carotid endarterectomies from the point of view of risk and clinical importance of restenosis and occlusion, and probability of recurrent ischemic stroke. Carotid endarterectomy represents an efficacious stroke-preventing strategy for acceptable risk of restenosis of a small clinical importance and low risk of subsequent ipsilateral ischemic stroke.