Implementation processes of social network interventions for physical activity and sedentary behavior among children and adolescents: a scoping review.

BACKGROUND: The characteristics of the implementation process of interventions are essential for bridging the gap between research and practice. This scoping review aims to identify the implementation process of social network interventions (SNI) to address physical activity and sedentary behaviors in children and adolescents. METHODS: The scoping review was conducted adhering to the established guidelines. The search was carried out in the ERIC, EBSCO, EMBASE, SCOPUS, and Lilacs databases in April 2023. Social network intervention studies in children and adolescents were included, addressing physical activity or sedentary behaviors. Replicability (TIDieR), applicability (PRECIS-2), and generalizability (RE-AIM) were the explored components of the implementation process. Each component was quantitatively and separately analyzed. Then, a qualitative integration was carried out using a narrative method. RESULTS: Most SNI were theoretically framed on the self-determination theory, used social influence as a social mechanism, and used the individual typology of network intervention. Overall, SNI had strong replicability, tended to be pragmatic, and three RE-AIM domains (reach, adoption (staff), and implementation) showed an acceptable level of the generalizability of findings. CONCLUSIONS: The analyzed SNI for physical activity and sedentary behaviors in adolescents tended to be reported with high replicability and were conducted pragmatically, i.e., with very similar conditions to real settings. The RE-AIM domains of reach, adoption (staff), and implementation support the generalizability of SNI. Some domains of the principles of implementation strategies of SNI had acceptable external validity (actor, action targets, temporality, dose, and theoretical justification).

Academic performance and social networks of adolescents in a caribbean city in Colombia.

BACKGROUND: Social factors and networks of friends can influence an adolescent's behavior, including academic performance (AP) in school. This study aimed to analyze the relationship between AP and adolescents' social networks in a Caribbean city in Colombia. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out with 806 schoolchildren from 12 to 17 years old of both sexes (52.7% girls), selected by multi-stage sampling from schools in the rural and urban areas of the city of Montería, Colombia. The AP was obtained from the school records; the sociodemographic variables included the location of the school (rural or urban), family structure, family functioning (Apgar score), and family affluence scale. Social network variables included social activity, popularity, reciprocity, homophily, friends' academic performance, network size, network density, cluster of friends, and centrality. RESULTS: The AP was inversely associated with the Apgar score in boys. No associations of AP with the school location, family structure, family affluence scale, and age were observed. In social network variables, AP was positively associated with popularity and friends' academic performance in girls and boys, and negatively associated with homophily in boys. CONCLUSIONS: AP was associated with social network variables. These results could help implement interventions to improve adolescents' social environment and AP.

Fitness, fatness, body movement, and diet in adolescents: clustering and associations with elevated blood pressure.

BACKGROUND: The study of clusters of risk factors for elevated blood pressure (EBP) among adolescents from low- middle-income countries has received little research attention. The objective of the study was to identify clusters of EBP precursors (i.e., overweight, physical fitness, risk diet, and body movement) and to analyze its associations with EBP. METHODS: This a cross-sectional study conducted in a sample of 965 secondary schools' students aged between 12 and 17 years-old from Colombia. Measurements included blood pressure, sociodemographic information, and four EBP precursors: Overweight, body movement, risk diet, and physical fitness. Cluster analysis was applied with the two-step method to identify the patterns of EBP precursors, and logistic regression models were used to analyze the association between clusters and EBP. RESULTS: Findings indicate that EBP was present in 28.9% of the students, approximately 20% of adolescents had desirable profile (normal weight, normal-high physical fitness, low-risk diet, and middle-high body movement), and 16% of them had the four EBP precursors. The cluster solution revealed five clusters, formed according to the accumulation of EBP precursors, this is, characterized by having zero, one (low body movement), two (low body movement and high-risk diet), three (low body movement, high risk diet, and low fitness), or four (low body movement, high risk diet, low fitness, and overweight) EBP precursors. The cluster with four EBP precursors had a higher risk of having EBP. CONCLUSIONS: According to these findings, it is necessary to implement programs that simultaneously address multiple health-related behaviors to promote health in adolescents.

Family aspects, physical fitness, and physical activity associated with mental-health indicators in adolescents.

BACKGROUND: The objective of the study was to analyze the associations of family aspects, physical fitness, and physical activity with mental-health indicators in a sample of adolescents from Colombia. METHODS: A cross-sectional study carried out in a sample of 988 adolescents (11-17 years-old) from public schools in Montería. Mental-health indicators were evaluated: Stress, depression, anxiety, happiness, health-related quality of life (HRQL), and subjective wellness. Family aspects included family affluence, functionality, and structure. These variables, along with physical activity and screen time, were measured with questionnaires. A fitness score was established by assessing the components of fitness: Flexibility, cardiorespiratory fitness, grip strength, and lower-limb strength. Associations were analyzed by multivariate linear regression models. RESULTS: Nuclear family structure was associated with lower stress level (- 1.08, CI: - 1.98 - -0.18), and family functionality was associated with all the studied mental-health indicators (Stress: -0.11, CI: - 0.17 - -0.06; depression: -0.20, CI: - 0.25 - -0.16; trait anxiety: -0.13, CI: - 0.18 - -0.09; state anxiety: -0.12, CI: - 0.17 - -0.08; happiness: 0.09, CI: 0.07 - 0.1; HRQL: 1.13, CI: 0.99 - 1.27; subjective wellness: 1.67, CI: 1.39 - 1.95). Physical activity was associated (ß, 95% Confidence Interval (CI)) with depression (- 0.27, - 0.57 - -0.02), trait anxiety (- 0.39, CI: - 0.65 - -0.13), state anxiety (- 0.30, CI: - 0.53 - -0.07), happiness (0.14, CI: 0.06 - 0.22), HRQL (3.63, CI: 2.86 - 4.43), and subjective wellness (5.29, CI: 3.75 - 6.83). Physical fitness was associated with stress (- 0.80, CI: - 1.17 - -0.43), state anxiety (- 0.45, CI: - 0.73 - -0.17), and HRQL (1.75, CI: 0.82 - 2.69); screen time was only associated with stress (0.06, CI: 0.02 - 0.11). CONCLUSIONS: Family aspects were associated with mental health indicators, especially family functionality which was associated all mental-health indicators. Similarly, fitness, physical activity, and screen time were associated with the studied indicators of mental health. Particularly, physical activity was associated with all the mental-health indicators, except stress, which was only associated with screen time. Physical fitness was associated with stress, anxiety, and HRQL. Future studies could explore the causal relationships of fitness, physical activity and screen time with mental health in adolescents.

Association between high blood pressure and fitness and fatness in adolescents / Presión arterial alta asociada con condición física y adiposidad en adolescentes

Abstract Introduction: Excess adiposity is considered the most important risk factor for high blood pressure (HBP) in children and adolescents. Objectives: To explore the association between HBP and overweight (OW) and abdominal obesity (AO), mediated by cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF). To analyze the combined effect of excess adiposity and CRF on HBP among a sample of school-aged children from Montería, Colombia. Materials and methods: Cross-sectional study conducted in a sample of 546 adolescents aged between 11 and 18 years from 14 randomly selected schools in Montería. Blood pressure, anthropometric, and fitness measures were evaluated by trained personnel using standardized protocols and instrumentation. The association of HBP with fitness and fatness was analyzed using logistic regression models. Results: HBP was associated with OW, AO and low CRF. The inclusion of CRF in this model did not attenuate the association between HBP and OW and between HPB and AO. Adolescents with higher adiposity and low CRF were more likely to have HBP compared with those with lower adiposity and high CRF. Moreover, it was found that excess adiposity and low CRF had an additive effect on the risk for HBP among the sample. Conclusion: HBP is a prevalent condition in children and adolescents from Montería, Colombia. HBP is significantly associated with OW, AO, and low CRF; therefore, it is necessary to implement initiatives to promote healthy habits aimed at this population in order to reduce the incidence rate of HBP in Colombian adolescents.

Resumen Introducción. El exceso de adiposidad es considerado como el factor de riesgo más importante para la presión arterial alta (PAA) en niños y adolescentes. Objetivos. Explorar la asociación entre PAA y sobrepeso (SP) y obesidad abdominal (OA), mediada por condición física cardiorrespiratoria (CFC), y analizar el efecto combinado de la adiposidad excesiva y la CFC en la PAA en una muestra de escolares de Montería, Colombia. Materiales y métodos. Estudio transversal realizado en 546 adolescentes con edades entre 11 y 18 años de 14 escuelas seleccionadas aleatoriamente en Montería. Se evaluó la presión arterial, los indicadores antropométricos y la condición física; las mediciones fueron realizadas por personal capacitado mediante el uso de protocolos e instrumentos estandarizados. La asociación de PAA con condición física y adiposidad fue analizada a través de modelos de regresión logística. Resultados. Se encontró una asociación entre PAA y SP, OA y baja CFC. La inclusion de la CFC en el modelo no atenuó la asociación entre PAA y SP y entre PAA y OA. Los adolescentes con mayor adiposidad y baja CFC fueron más propensos a presentar PAA que aquellos con menor adiposidad y alta CFC. Además, se observó que la presencia de adiposidad excesiva y baja CFC aumenta el riesgo de desarrollar PAA. Conclusión. La PAA es una condición prevalente en niños y adolescentes de Montería, además se encontró una asociación estádisticamente significativa entre PAA y SP, OA, y baja CFC, por lo que es necesario que en el país se implementen estrategias que promuevan hábitos saludables en escolares y permitan reducir la tasa de incidencia de PAA en esta población.