Normative values of motor performance and their relationship with BMI status in Hong Kong preschoolers.

This study aimed to establish sex- and age-specific reference values for motor performance (MP) in Hong Kong preschoolers aged 3-5 years old and examine the relationship between MP and BMI status. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 5579 preschoolers in Hong Kong. Three MP tests were administered, and height and weight information were collected. GAMLSS was used to compute the normative values of the motor tests. Boys outperformed girls in activities requiring muscle strength and power, while girls outperformed boys in activities requiring balance and coordination. The MP scores increased with age for both overarm beanbag throw and standing long jump for both sexes, while the one-leg balance scores showed larger differences between P50 and P95 in older preschoolers. Children with excessive weight performed worse in standing long jump and one-leg balance compared to their healthy weight peers. This study provides valuable information on the MP of preschoolers in Hong Kong, including sex- and age-specific reference values and the association between BMI status and MP scores. These findings can serve as a reference for future studies and clinical practice and highlight the importance of promoting motor skill development in preschoolers, particularly those who are overweight or obese.

Physical Fitness and Body Mass Index Status of Hong Kong Primary Schoolchildren across the COVID-19 Pandemic, before and after School Closure.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether health-related physical fitness and body mass index (BMI) status differed before and after school closure from the COVID-19 pandemic in a population-based cohort of Hong Kong primary schoolchildren. STUDY DESIGN: We examined the BMI z score, BMI status, and physical fitness z scores including (i) upper limb muscle strength, (ii) 1-minute sit-up test, (iii) sit-and-reach test, and (iv) endurance run tests, among 3 epochs: prepandemic (September 2018-August 2019), before school closure (September 2019-January 2020), and partial school reopening (September 2021-August 2022), using a repeated cross-sectional approach. RESULTS: A total of 137 752 primary schoolchildren aged 6-12 years were recruited over 3 academic years. Obesity increased significantly from 25.9% in 2018/19 to 31.0% in 2021/22, while underweight increased slightly from 6.1% to 6.5%. All tested parameters were adversely affected by the pandemic. The negative trend over time was far more pronounced in all 4 physical fitness scores in the underweight group, although performance in handgrip strength had no significance between 2018/19 and 2021/22. CONCLUSIONS: Schoolchildren who are both underweight and overweight/obese are vulnerable to adverse changes in physical fitness during the COVID-19 pandemic. To eliminate the negative health and fitness outcomes, it is urgent to develop strategies for assisting schoolchildren in achieving a healthy weight, especially in the postpandemic era.

Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on School-Aged Children's Physical Activity, Screen Time, and Sleep in Hong Kong: A Cross-Sectional Repeated Measures Study.

Despite concerns about the negative effects of social distancing and prolonged school closures on children's lifestyle and physical activity (PA) during the COVID-19 pandemic, robust evidence is lacking on the impact of the pandemic-related school closures and social distancing on children's wellbeing and daily life. This study aimed to examine changes in the PA levels, sleep patterns, and screen time of school-aged children during the different phases of the COVID-19 outbreak in Hong Kong using a repeated cross-sectional design. School students (grades 1 to 12) were asked to report their daily electronic device usage and to fill in a sleep diary, recording their daily sleep onset and wake-up time. They were equipped with a PA monitor, Actigraph wGT3X-BT, to obtain objective data on their PA levels and sleep patterns. Students were recruited before the pandemic (September 2019-January 2020; n = 577), during school closures (March 2020-April 2020; n = 146), and after schools partially reopened (October 2020-July 2021; n = 227). Our results indicated lower PA levels, longer sleep duration, and longer screen time among participants recruited during school closures than those recruited before the COVID-19 outbreak. Primary school students were found to sleep on average for an extra hour during school closures. The later sleep onset and increased screen time documented during school closures persisted when schools partially reopened. Our findings illustrate the significant impact of social distancing policies during the COVID-19 pandemic on the sleep pattern, screen time, and PA level in school-aged children in Hong Kong. Professionals should urgently reinforce the importance of improving physically activity, good sleep hygiene, and regulated use of electronic devices for parents and school-aged children during this unprecedented time.

The reciprocal relationship between body mass index categories and physical fitness: A 4-year prospective cohort study of 20 000 Chinese children.

INTRODUCTION: Body mass index (BMI) categories and physical fitness are associated but the reciprocal relationship between BMI categories and physical fitness has not been investigated. This study aims to investigate the longitudinal reciprocal relationship between BMI categories and physical fitness. METHODS: This is a population-based 4-year cohort study in 48 elementary schools. Children aged 6 to 9 years at recruitment were included. BMI categories and physical fitness including handgrip strength, core muscle endurance, flexibility, and cardiorespiratory fitness were measured using standard equipment and protocol. RESULTS: Among 26 392 eligible participants, 19 504 (73.9%) were successfully followed for 3 years. Baseline obesity prevalence was 5.9%. After 3 years, those who were unfit at baseline had an increased risk of obesity (risk ratio [RR] 1.41, 95% CI 1.16-1.71, P < .001) and those who were fit at baseline had a decreased risk of obesity (RR 0.69, 95% CI 0.60-0.80, P < .001) compared with moderately fit children. Furthermore, improvement of fitness predicted decreased risk of obesity. Similarly, normal body weight also predicted better physical fitness. The path analysis confirmed a strong reciprocal relationship between physical fitness and obesity. CONCLUSIONS: Better physical fitness was prospectively associated with normal weight and vice versa. Physically fit children were more likely to maintain a healthy weight and those with a healthy weight were more likely to be physically fit, which is important for healthy development.

The Impact of a School-Based Weight Management Program Involving Parents via mHealth for Overweight and Obese Children and Adolescents with Intellectual Disability: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

There is a scarcity of resources and studies that utilize targeted weight management interventions to engage parents via mHealth tools targeting obese children and adolescents with mild intellectual disabilities (MIDs) extended from school to a home setting. To test the feasibility and acceptability of a school-based weight program (SBWMP) involving parents via mHealth tools designed to reduce weight, enhance knowledge and adopt healthy lifestyles, and thereby achieve better psychosocial well-being among children and adolescents with MIDs. Four special schools were randomly assigned as intervention or control schools. Students from the intervention group (n = 63) were compared to those in the control group (n = 52), which comprised those with usual school planned activities and no parental involvement. Demographics were considered as covariates in a general linear model, an ordinal regression model and a binary logistic regression model analyzing the relationships between the SBWMP and the outcome variables at baseline (T0) and six months later (T1). Body weight, body mass index, and triceps and subscapular skinfold thickness were lower in the intervention group compared to the control group, although the differences were not statistically significant. There was a positive and direct impact of the SBWMP on students' health knowledge and psychological impacts in the intervention group. The SBWMP extended to the home involving parents via mHealth tools is a feasible and acceptable program for this group with MIDs and their parents.

Task-Specific Balance Training Improves the Sensory Organisation of Balance Control in Children with Developmental Coordination Disorder: A Randomised Controlled Trial.

Sensory organisation of balance control is compromised in children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD). A randomised controlled trial involving 88 children with DCD was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of a task-specific balance training (functional-movement training, FMT) programme in improving balance deficits in a DCD population. The DCD participants were randomly assigned to either a FMT group or a control group. The FMT group received two training sessions/ week for 3 months. Measurements of the participants' sensory organisation (somatosensory, vestibular and visual ratios), balance and motor proficiency (Movement Assessment Battery for Children, MABC scores) and center of pressure sway velocity (Unilateral Stance Test, UST scores) were taken at baseline, immediately after FMT and 3 months after FMT. The FMT group showed greater improvements than the controls in somatosensory ratio at 3 and 6 months (all P < 0.001), but the within-group changes were not significant (P > 0.05). The results of both the MABC and the UST also indicated that the balance performance of the FMT group was significantly better than that of the control group at 3 and 6 months (all P < 0.05). Task-specific balance training was found to marginally improve the somatosensory function and somewhat improve the balance performance of children with DCD.

Consulta preanalgésica del parto. Un proyecto hecho realidad / Pre-analgesic consultation for labour: a project comes true

Objetivo: el objetivo del presente estudio es dar a conocer la estrategia seguida en el Hospital Universitario Puerto Real para crear una consulta preanalgésica del parto con el fin de dar respuesta a los derechos de la embarazada a recibir una adecuada analgesia durante el trabajo del parto, cumpliendo la Ley 41/2002 Reguladora de la autonomía del paciente y de derechos y obligaciones en materia de información y documentación clínica. Valorar la situación en el resto de los hospitales andaluces. Material y método: analizamos los retos y dificultades que se plantearon en su momento y la estrategia para la creación de esta consulta. Las cuestiones que se plantearon fueron: ¿en qué momento de la gestación deberían acudir las gestantes? ¿Qué necesidades de personal y formación de personal supondría la creación de esta consulta? ¿Dónde se ubicaría la consulta? ¿Qué material didáctico sería necesario para informar adecuadamente a nuestras gestantes? Para determinar cómo se había dado respuesta a la analgesia del parto y la aplicación de la Ley 41/2002 en el resto de los hospitales andaluces realizamos una encuesta telefónica. Resultados: la consulta de preanalgesia para el parto comenzó en nuestro hospital en febrero del año 2007. Se desarrollaron cursos de formación para el personal de paritorio. La consulta se realiza en la semana 20 de gestación haciéndola coincidir con la ecografía que realiza el Servicio de Ginecología en la semana 20. El personal asignado es una auxiliar de enfermería y el anestesiólogo de guardia asignado a paritorio. La consulta se ubica en una sala en el Hospital de Día con capacidad suficiente para 12 personas, donde se imparte una charla y se proyecta un vídeo informativo. Posteriormente se hace una valoración individualizada, se cumplimenta y firma el consentimiento informado. Desde la creación de la consulta de preanalgesia del parto han sido citadas en la consulta 12.990 gestantes. La media anual de gestantes informadas y valoradas preoperatoriamente es de 1.384, lo que supone un 63,93 % del total de las gestantes. Los datos obtenidos de las encuestas telefónicas realizadas en los Centros Hospitalarios del Sistema Andaluz de Salud, corresponden a 27 de los 33 centros hospitalarios en los que se atienden partos. La valoración preanestésica a las gestantes sólo se realiza en 8 centros (29,63 %), en 5 de ellos de forma rutinaria (18,52 %) y en 3 (11,1 %) sólo a las gestantes de alto riesgo. El consentimiento informado se obtiene previamente al momento del parto tan sólo en 9 de los 27 hospitales encuestados (33,33 %), en los 18 centros restantes se obtiene en el momento del parto (66,67 %). Conclusiones: desde que se instauró la consulta de preanalgesia del parto en nuestro hospital se ha mejorado la valoración preanalgésica de la gestante y hemos conseguido dar cumplimiento a la Ley 41/2012 (AU)

Objective: The objective of this study is to report the strategy followed in the Hospital Universitario Puerto Real (Cádiz, Spain) to create a pre-analgesic consultation for labor in order to provide an appropriate analgesia during delivery, complying with Law 41/2002 which regulates the autonomy rights and obligations of patients regarding information and clinical documentation. We evaluate the approach taken in the rest of the hospitals in Andalusia. Material and method: We analyzed the challenges and difficulties that arose at the time and the strategy for the creation of this consultation. The questions which were raised were: At what stage of pregnancy pregnant women should attend the consultation? What staffing and training would be required to create this consultation? Where would it be located? What materials would be needed to properly inform our pregnant women? We conducted a phone survey in order to determine how our response was given to labor analgesia and how Law 41/2002 was being applying in the rest of hospitals in Andalusia. Results: The pre-analgesic labor consultation of the Hospital Universitario Puerto Real was created in February 2007. Training courses were developed for delivery room staffing. Consultations are currently carried out during the 20th week of gestation, coincident with the echography done by the Gynecology Service of the Hospital. The staffs assigned are a nurse assistant and the anesthesiologist on duty in the delivery room. The consultation room is located in the in the outpatient department of the hospital and has a capacity for 12 people. Pregnant women receive a lecture and an informative video. After this, we complete the individualized pre-analgesic assessment of each patient and the informed consent process. Since its creation, they have been cited 12,990 pregnant women. The annual average of pregnant women informed and preoperatively evaluated is of 1,384; which represents the 63.93 % of all pregnant women. Twenty-seven of the 33 hospitals of the Andalusia Health System in which deliveries are practiced, telephone survey respondents. The results of this survey show that the pre-anesthetic assessment for pregnant women is only performed in 8 centers (29.63 %), in 5 of them routinely (8.52 %) and only to high-risk pregnant women in 3 (11.1 %). The informed consents are obtained before the delivery only in 9 of the 27 hospitals surveyed (33 %). In the 18 centers remaining they were obtained at delivery (66.67 %). Conclusions: Since the foundation of the pre-analgesic consultation for delivery in our hospital, we have improved the pre-analgesic assessment of pregnant women and we have achieved complying with Law 41/2012 (AU)

Difference in children's gross motor skills between two types of preschools.

The purpose of this study was to assess the influence of preschool type (public vs private) on motor skill performance in 239 (121 boys, 118 girls) preschool children ages 3 to 6.5 yr. Preschoolers were tested on 12 fundamental motor skills from the Test of Gross Motor Development-Second Edition and 11 anthropometrics (body height, weight, Body Mass Index, waist and hip girths, and body segment lengths). Analysis of variance controlled for anthropometrics and age indicated that children from private preschools performed better on locomotor skills than those from public preschools. However, no difference was found in object control skills. The results suggest that performance of locomotor skills by preschool children is affected by their schools' physical environment.

Assessment of effective doses from radon levels for tour guides at several galleries of Santana Cave, Southern Brazil, with CR-39 detectors: preliminary results.

Indoor radon concentrations have been measured in Santana cave, the most frequented cave of PETAR (High Ribeira River Tourist State Park), situated southern of Sao Paulo State, Brazil. The measurements were carried out with CR-39 detectors installed in four of the most frequently visited galleries. Preliminary results from November 2009 to June 2010 show radon concentrations varying from 1.9 ± 0.1 to 8.4 ± 0.6 kBq m(-3). The total annual effective dose for all galleries was 3.32 mSv. The complete evaluation will be concluded by September 2010.

Leishmania braziliensis spp. in the nasal mucosa of guinea pigs inoculated in the tarsi.

Two lots of 20 young male guinea pigs were inoculated subcutaneously in the tarsi with 10(4) amastigotes of Leishmania braziliensis braziliensis or L. b. guyanensis to study the susceptibility of this Neotropical hystricomorph rodent the autochthonous parasites. Almost 50% of the animals showed lesions in the inoculation site and had parasitizations that were infective to hamsters, as shown by inoculating homogenates of the dermal lesion, of the spleen, of the liver, and of the nasal mucosa into hamsters at 20, 40, 60, and 120 days after inoculation of the guinea pig. Smears of the above organs showed the presence of amastigotes. Parasites inoculated into the tarsi were detected early in the skin, spleen, and liver of the guinea pig host. Blood cultures made by cardiopuncture on sacrifice of the guinea pigs were uniformly negative. The nasal mucosa of nearly all animals positive in the skin or viscera was invaded early by the parasites, although with greater frequency between 60 and 120 days post-inoculation. The use of this model for the study of mucocutaneous parasitism by L. braziliensis is discussed, together with the phenomena of parasitism at a distance from the inoculation site, the temperature of the body regions affected, and the possible genetic influence on susceptibility of the guinea pig to L. braziliensis.