The association between the Mediterranean diet and high physical activity among the working population in Croatia

Prevalence and associated factors of locomotive syndrome in young Japanese adults: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

The onset of locomotive syndrome (LS) precedes that of frailty. Therefore, the first step in extending healthy life expectancy is to implement measures against LS in young adults. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of LS and its associated factors in young adults for early detection and prevention of LS.

METHODS

The participants of this study comprised 413 university students specializing in health sciences (192 males and 221 females) with an average age of 19.1 ± 1.2 years. All participants voluntarily participated in the study and reported no serious health problems. The presence or absence of LS was evaluated using the stand-up test, two-step test, and the 25-question Geriatric Locomotive Function Scale. Additionally, musculoskeletal assessment (one-leg standing, squatting, shoulder elevation, and standing forward bend), body composition analysis (weight, body mass index, body fat mass, body fat percentage, skeletal muscle mass index (SMI), and phase angle), handgrip strength test, physical activity assessment, and nutritional assessment were conducted. Sex-stratified analyses were performed, comparing groups with and without LS. Factors associated with LS were explored using binomial logistic regression.

RESULTS

Of the 413 young adults studied, 86 individuals (20.8%) were found to have LS. When stratified by sex, LS was observed to have a considerably higher prevalence in females (55, 24.9%) than in males (31, 16.1%). In males, the notable differences between the groups with and without LS were observed in one-leg standing and phase angle, whereas in females, differences were identified in body fat mass, body fat percentage, SMI, musculoskeletal pain, and handgrip strength. Two types of binomial logistic regression analysis revealed that the inability to perform one-leg standing was associated with LS in males, while the presence of musculoskeletal pain and a high body fat percentage were identified as factors associated with LS in females.

CONCLUSIONS

One in five young adults were found to have LS in this study, underscoring the necessity for early intervention and LS health education. Furthermore, effective management of musculoskeletal pain is also crucial.

Anxiety is more related to inadequate eating habits in inactive than in physically active adults during COVID-19 quarantine

Background & aims

Anxiety can be related to reduced diet quality during pandemics such as COVID-19. However, it is not clear whether these relationships would be similar in inactive and physically active participants. The aim of this study was to analyze associations between anxiety and eating habits in physically active and inactive individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods

The sample consisted of 1826 adults (58.5% women) who were invited through social media to answer an online questionnaire. The instrument included questions related to physical activity, eating habits, health behavior, mental health (anxiety, depression, self-esteem, sadness and stress) and overall health. Anxiety, food habits (high food habits consumption ≥5 times per week) and physical activity (≥150 min per week) were assessed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The relationship between anxiety and eating habits according to levels of physical activity (inactive vs. active) was assessed using binary logistic regression adjusted for sex, age, education level, social isolation, and body mass index.

Results

Among the inactive participants, anxiety was related with high consumption of sweets (OR = 1.43; 95% CI = 1.11–1.83) and fast foods (OR = 2.23; 95% CI = 1.05–4.74) while quarantining during the COVID-19 pandemic. No relationship was observed between anxiety and food consumption among physically active participants in the final model.

Conclusion

Anxiety was associated with less desirable eating habits among physically inactive adults during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Exploring the Correlation between Time Management, the Mediterranean Diet, and Physical Activity: A Comparative Study between Spanish and Romanian University Students

BACKGROUND

The investigation started from the premise that there are links between time management (TM), physical activity (PA), and the Mediterranean diet (MD). The aim of our study is to determine the correlation between the variables TM, the MD, and PA in Spanish and Romanian university students.

METHODS

The study was conducted on a group of 296 students (198 Romanian and 98 Spanish students between the ages of 23.44 ± 5.92 years, with 108 males and 188 females, where 171 were from the sports faculty and 125 were from the psychology faculty), using the Time Management Questionnaire (TMQ) to measure TM, the KIDMED test to measure MD, and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form (IPAQ-SF) to measure PA.

RESULTS

The obtained results show that there are significant differences, regarding MD and PA, between the Romanian and Spanish respondents, between the respondents from the sports faculty and those from the psychology faculty, and between the female and male respondents. The TM variable did not show a significant difference depending on the country, faculty, or gender. There was only a significant relationship between the MD and the other two variables (TM and PA).

CONCLUSIONS

Significant differences were observed between the variables the MD and PA, but not TM, depending on the country, gender, and faculty. There was only a significant correlation between the MD and the other two variables (TM and PA). The results provided us with relevant data for the need for a TM protocol to improve the MD adherence and PA in university students.

Physical Activity Is Associated With Improved Eating Habits During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The aim of this study was to analyze the association between physical activity and eating habits during the COVID-19 pandemic among Brazilian adults. A sample of 1,929 participants answered an online survey, however 1,874 were included in the analysis. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on eating habits was assessed inquiring about participants' intake of fruits, vegetables, fried foods, and sweets during the pandemic. Physical activity was assessed by asking participants about their weekly frequency, intensity and number of minutes/hours engaging in structured physical activities per week. Participants were then stratified into categories based on moderate-to-vigorous intensity (0-30; 31-90; 91-150; 151-300; and >300 min/week) and into active (≥150 min) or inactive (<150 min). Increased sweets consumption was the most commonly reported change to eating habits (42.5%), followed by an increase in the consumption of vegetables (26.6%), fruits (25.9%), and fried foods (17.9%). Physical activity practice was related to lower consumption of fried foods (OR = 0.60; p < 0.001) and sweets (OR = 0.53; p < 0.001). A cluster analysis revealed subjects with higher the level of physical activity was more likely to follow a healthy diet (p < 0.001). Thus, physical activity was positively associated with healthier eating habits. Health authorities must recommend regular physical as a strategy to improve overall health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Future studies should address the physical activity interventions to improve health status during a pandemic.

Trends in Diet Quality and Related Sociodemographic, Health, and Occupational Characteristics among Workers in Spain: Results from Three Consecutive National Health Surveys (2006-2017)

Poor dietary practices are commonly reported in working populations from different economic sectors, resulting in increased absenteeism and a decrease in productivity. The aims of this study were to describe the frequency of food consumption and diet quality in workers aged ≥16 years from 2006 to 2017 in Spain and to evaluate the factors associated with diet quality. A nationwide cross-sectional study was carried out among workers using data from the Spanish National Health Surveys in 2006 (n = 11,068), 2011 (n = 7497) and 2017 (n = 8890). Sociodemographic, occupational, and health-related variables were used as well as diet quality data. A multiple linear regression was performed to determine the characteristics related to overall diet quality. The percentage of workers who consumed vegetables, at most, once or twice per week decreased from 2006 to 2017 (p < 0.001). A lower diet quality score was related to the consumption of tobacco and alcohol and being aged ≥25 years old, while a higher diet quality score was linked to being a woman, having Spanish nationality, receiving optimal perceived social support, being physically active in one's main occupation, doing leisure-time physical activity, and the type of contract.

Association between the Mediterranean lifestyle, metabolic syndrome and mortality: a whole-country cohort in Spain

Background

Evidence is limited about the joint health effects of the Mediterranean lifestyle on cardiometabolic health and mortality. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of the Mediterranean lifestyle with the frequency of the metabolic syndrome (MS) and the risk of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in Spain.

Methods

Data were taken from ENRICA study, a prospective cohort of 11,090 individuals aged 18+ years, representative of the population of Spain, who were free of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and diabetes at 2008–2010 and were followed-up to 2017. The Mediterranean lifestyle was assessed at baseline with the 27-item MEDLIFE index (with higher score representing better adherence).

Results

Compared to participants in the lowest quartile of MEDLIFE, those in the highest quartile had a multivariable-adjusted odds ratio 0.73 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.5, 0.93) for MS, 0.63. (0.51, 0.80) for abdominal obesity, and 0.76 (0.63, 0.90) for low HDL-cholesterol. Similarly, a higher MELDIFE score was associated with lower HOMA-IR and highly-sensitivity C-reactive protein (P-trend < 0.001). During a mean follow-up of 8.7 years, 330 total deaths (74 CVD deaths) were ascertained. When comparing those in highest vs. lowest quartile of MEDLIFE, the multivariable-adjusted hazard ratio (95% CI) was 0.58 (0.37, 0.90) for total mortality and 0.33 (0.11, 1.02) for cardiovascular mortality.

Conclusions

The Mediterranean lifestyle was associated with lower frequency of MS and reduced all-cause mortality in Spain. Future studies should determine if this also applies to other Mediterranean countries, and also improve cardiovascular health outside the Mediterranean basin.

Independent and combined associations of sugar-sweetened beverage consumption, TV viewing, and physical activity with severe depressive symptoms among 59,402 adults

Objective:

Our aim was to analyze the association between sugar-sweetened beverage consumption and depressive symptoms, as well as the extent to which TV viewing and physical activity moderate this association.

Methods:

We used cross-sectional data from the 2013 Brazilian National Survey (Pesquisa Nacional de Saúde) of 59,402 adults (33,482 women, mean age = 42.9 years, 95%CI 42.7-43.2 years). Depressive symptoms (Patient Health Questionnaire-9), physical activity, TV viewing, and sugar-sweetened beverage consumption, as well as potential confounders (chronological age, ethnicity, consumption of candy/sweets and fruit, multimorbidity, education, and employment status) were self-reported. Poisson regression models were used for association analyses.

Results:

The consumption of 16 or more glasses/week of sugar-sweetened beverages was associated with higher levels of severe depressive symptoms among women compared to no consumption (prevalence ratio [PR] 1.71 [95%CI 1.38-2.11]). Consistent interactions were observed between 1-5 glasses and TV viewing (PR 2.09 [95%CI 1.06-4.12]) and between 11-15 glasses and TV viewing (PR 2.90 [95%CI 1.29-6.50]) among men compared to no consumption, given that the co-occurrence of sugar-sweetened beverage consumption and elevated TV viewing was associated with higher odds of severe depressive symptoms. Sugar-sweetened beverage consumption did not interact with physical activity, only presenting an independent association.

Conclusion:

Sugar-sweetened beverage consumption was independently associated with severe depressive symptoms among women and interacted with TV viewing, but not with physical activity among men.

Association of Smoking-Related Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices (KAP) with Nutritional Status and Diet Quality: A Cross-Sectional Study in China

Background

Smoking is the second leading cause of death. Limited studies are available about smoking and overall diet quality. The current study was aimed at finding an association of s-KAP (smoking-related knowledge, attitude, and practices) with nutritional status and diet quality.

Methodology

The current study was a cross-sectional community-based study conducted in Jurong city, China. Validated questionnaires were used for the collection of data regarding s-KAP and dietary intake. Correlation and multivariate linear regression analysis were used for the association of s-KAP scores with diet quality scores and nutritional status.

Results

The total numbers of participants were 7998 with a mean age of 59.3±11.4 years, including 38.5% males and 41.5% females. s-KAP scores were categorized into two groups, i.e., High s-KAP group and low s-KAP group. The High s-KAP group had significantly higher (P<0.05) diet scores and BMI but lower (P<0.05) WC (waist circumference) and WHR (waist to hip ratio) than the Low s-KAP group. Independent positive association (P<0.05) of s-KAP scores with diet scores was observed after the adjustment for age, gender, physical activity, alcohol consumptions, monthly income, and anthropometric measures (BMI, WC, and WHR). Similarly, smoking was positively associated (P<0.05) with diet scores after adjustment for covariates.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the higher s-KAP scores indicated more knowledge regarding the harmful consequences of the smoking outcomes, positive attitude, less smoking practices, and having a good plan to quit smoking. Individuals with high s-KAP scores had good diet quality and lower adiposity measures. Furthermore, s-KAP scores and smoking status were having an independent positive association with diet scores.