Background: Obesity is now considered to be a global epidemic and gene-environment interaction studies are crucial to understanding the genetic architecture of this disease. The objectives of this research were to (1) review the current evidence of gene-environment interactions in the field of obesity, (2) examine the interactions between obesity predisposing gene variants and physical activity using precise physical activity data and (3) analyze a novel gene-environment interaction between obesity predisposing gene variants and multiple pregnancies. Methods: The data for the gene-environment interaction analyses were collected from the EpiDREAM study: a prospective cohort including participants of six ethnic backgrounds from 21 countries worldwide. A subset of 17 423 participants with complete genotype and phenotype information was included in the analysis. Obesity predisposing single nucleotide polymorphisms were analyzed independently and as a genetic risk score. General linear models were used to analyze all main effects and interactions. Results: Physical activity interacted with FTO rs9939609 to modulate BMI (Pinteraction=0.032) and BAI (Pinteraction=3.26 x 10-4). Increased physical activity attenuated the impact of FTO on obesity. Four SNPs displayed significant associations with physical activity: NTRK2 rs1211166 (P=0.015), BDNF rs6265 (P=0.007), BDNF rs1401635 P=0.003) and NPC1 rs1805081 (P=3.52 x 10-4). Multiple pregnancies was significantly associated with BMI (Pinteraction=1.17 x 10-5) BAI (Pinteraction=3.47 x 10-7) and also interacted with FTO rs9939609 to modulate BMI (Pinteraction=0.014). The impact of FTO on BMI was accentuated by multiple pregnancies in the EpiDREAM cohort. Discussion: Both physical activity and parity have a significant impact on obesity measures and these effects appear to be relevant on a global scale. Our results confirm the physical activity x FTO interaction in a multi-ethnic context and indicate that parity may also interact with FTO polymorphisms. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

Engström, M. Hälsopromotion i öppenvården. En litteraturstudie om effekter av olika metoder för att främja fysisk aktivitet. Examensarbete i omvårdnad 10p. Malmö högskola: Hälsa och samhälle, utbildningsområde omvårdnad, 2007.Syftet med denna litteraturstudie var att belysa de olika metoder som används i öppenvården för att främja fysisk aktivitet och om dessa har någon långvarig effekt. Metoden baseras på en systematisk granskning och analys av åtta vetenskapliga artiklar med kvantitativ ansats. Resultatet belyser de metoder som används: rådgivning, teoribaserad rådgivning, handledd gruppträning eller individuellt anpassat träningsprogram. Den långsiktiga effekten visar sig framförallt i metoder som baseras av en teoribaserad rådgivning och handledd gruppträning/individ anpassat träningsprogram.Nyckelord: fysisk aktivitet, hälsopromotion, rådgivning, teoribaserad rådgivning, handledd gruppträning/ individanpassat träningsprogram. / Engström, M. Health promotion in primary care. A literature review about the effects of different methods which promote physical activity. Degree project 10 credit points. Nursing program. Malmö university; Health and society, Department of Nursing, 2007. The purpose of this review was to describe the methods which are used in primary care to promote physical activity and to find out if it have any long lasting effects. The review is based on a systematic analysis of eight scientific articles with quantitative data. The result presents methods as counseling, theory based counseling, supervised exercise group or individual based exercise program. The long lasting effects are shown in methods as theory based counseling and supervised exercise group/individual based exercise program.Keywords: physical activity, exercise, health promotion, counseling, theory based counseling, supervised exercise group/ individual based exercise program.

El texto completo de este trabajo no está disponible en el Repositorio Académico UPC por restricciones de la casa editorial donde ha sido publicado. / Introduction: Attributes of the neighborhood-built environment are associated with self-reported physical activity, but only a few studies have concentrated on device-measured physical activity in Latin America. This study examines the associations of perceived neighborhood-built environment attributes, device-measured sedentary time, and light-intensity and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity in adults from 8 Latin American countries. Methods: Data from Estudio Latinoamericano de Nutrición y Salud adult study, an observational multicountry study (N=2,478), were analyzed in 2020. Data were collected between 2014 and 2015. Perceived neighborhood-built environment attributes were measured using the Neighbourhood Environment Walkability Survey. Sedentary time, light-intensity physical activity, and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity data were collected using accelerometers. Results: No associations between perceived neighborhood-built environment attributes and sedentary time were found. Positive perceptions of walking/cycling facilities (β=6.50, 95% CI=2.12, 10.39) were associated with more light-intensity physical activity. Perceptions of better aesthetics (Argentina) and better walking/cycling facilities (Brazil and Ecuador) were positively associated with light-intensity physical activity. Land use mix–diversity (β=0.14, 95% CI=0.03, 0.25), walking/cycling facilities (β=0.16, 95% CI=0.05, 0.27), aesthetics (β=0.16, 95% CI=0.02, 0.30), and safety from traffic (β=0.18, 95% CI=0.05, 0.24) were positively associated with moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. Land use mix–diversity, street connectivity, and safety from traffic were positively associated with moderate-to-vigorous physical activity in Venezuela. Conclusions: These findings have implications for policy recommendations, which can guide policies to promote physical activity in the region. Land use mix–diversity, walking/cycling facilities, aesthetics, and safety from traffic can maintain or increase the levels of light-intensity and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity among Latin American adults.

Children with cerebral palsy have lesser cardiorespiratory endurance (or aerobic capacity) and less physical activity than children who are developing normally. Cardiorespiratory problems are linked to a higher risk of noncommunicable diseases and premature aging. The goal of this research is to discover aspects that can be added in physiotherapy practice to ensure a long-term improvement in aerobic capacity in children with cerebral palsy while engaging in physical activity. Also investigated is the effect of aerobic capacity on functional abilities. A systematic review of the literature was undertaken utilizing the PubMed, Cochrane Library, ScienceDirect, and PEDro databases. The child's cardiorespiratory fitness appears to improve when they engage in high- intensity, goal-directed physical activity. The child's adherence appears to be aided by a motivating intervention and the removal of environmental barriers to the activity's practice. This allows for a long-term increase in aerobic capacity. It was impossible to draw a direct link between this improvement and functional capacity. Few studies have incorporated cerebral palsy and low global motor skills in recent years. Despite the importance of the findings, their heterogeneity prevents generalizable suggestions for all children with cerebral...

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

This study was conducted to determine if physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) at baseline influence the likelihood of gaining bone mineral density (BMD) at the hip and lumbar spine over 6 years. Another aim was to ascertain the effect of several potential confounding factors. In a prospective study of 244 women (baseline age range 35-45 years), physical activity volume (PAv) and intensity (PAi) were measured using accelerometers at baseline. CRF indexed by VO2max was estimated using a graded, maximal treadmill test at baseline. BMD was measured using DEXA. Risk ratios were used to show the likelihood of BMD gains (> 75th percentile) between different levels of PAv, PAi, or CRF at baseline. Mean hip BMD change was -0.015 + 0.045 g/cm2. Women with high PAv were 2.50 times (95% CI: 1.19-5.24), and women with moderate PAv were 2.20 times (95% CI: 1.08-4.45), more likely to experience significant hip BMD gains than women with low PAv. Adjusting for potential confounders had little effect on the results. Baseline PAi and CRF were not related to changes in hip BMD. None of the relationships between PAv, PAi, and CRF, and changes in spine BMD, was statistically significant. Middle-aged women with moderate or high levels of PAv are more likely to experience significant gains in hip BMD over time compared to those with low levels of PAv.

The purpose of this study was to compare strength and physical activity (PA) changes in postpartum women randomly assigned to either a four-month progressive resistance training (RT) program or a four month flexibility program. Sixty healthy women between six weeks and eight months postpartum initiated the study and 43 completed the entire study. The women tended to be overweight, were all non-smokers, and most were breastfeeding (97%) at the beginning of the study. Both groups (RT and flexibility) completed training exercises twice weekly. Both groups improved in all measures of strength (RT group: leg press, P < 0.001; bench press, P < 0.001; curl-ups, P < 0.001. Flexibility group: leg press, P = 0.009; bench press, P < 0.001; curl-ups, P = 0.005); however, the RT group had higher strength gains compared to the flexibility group over time (leg press, P < 0.005; bench press, P < 0.001; curl-ups, P < 0.007). In addition, both groups increased in low back flexibility but the group*period interaction did not reach significance (P = 0.096). Light-intensity PA increased in the RT group but not the flexibility group (P < 0.05). A group*period interaction was significant for light-intensity PA time (P = 0.031) and borderline significant for sedentary time (P = 0.054). However, controlling for the number of months postpartum and weight gain during the previous pregnancy resulted in a significant interaction for sedentary time (P < 0.05). No changes were found in moderate, vigorous, or moderate to vigorous PA within or between groups over time. In conclusion, twice-weekly RT increases strength and is associated with improvements in several PA outcomes in postpartum women; however, the mechanisms for this are unclear. The training sessions and/or increased spontaneous activity may have contributed.

Physical activity (PA) reduces the risk for deleterious outcomes in both mother and fetus during pregnancy and improves health across the lifespan. How these benefits are bestowed remains poorly understood but may involve the placenta, the critical interface responsible for fetal growth and survival during pregnancy. This thesis first aims to determine whether small extracellular vesicles (sEVs), potential biological mediators of cell-to-cell communication, are released into circulation after acute exercise during pregnancy and how this compares in the non-pregnant state. Pregnant women were found to have greater circulating sEVs levels compared to non-pregnant controls after a moderate-intensity treadmill walk. Since exercise-associated sEVs are proposed to mediate tissue cross talk in response to exercise, exercise-associated sEVs were examined for their ability to influence trophoblasts (specialized placental cells) in vitro using the BeWo choriocarcinoma cell line. Exercise-associated sEVs from pregnant and non-pregnant women interacted with trophoblast-like cells but did not alter their proliferation, gene expression of angiogenic growth factors, or production of the pregnancy hormone, human chorionic gonadotropin. Finally, the relationship between differing intensities of maternal PA and fetoplacental vascular density in a cohort of healthy pregnant women followed prospectively from 24 weeks of gestation until term delivery. Using traditional histopathological point-counting techniques, there was no difference in the fetoplacental vascular density of individuals meeting or exceeding recommended 150 min of moderate-to-vigorous intensity PA. However, the analysis revealed unexpected associations between fetoplacental vascular density and lower intensities of PA, and sedentary time. Together, the work presented in this thesis highlight the potential for exercise-associated sEVs to communicate the benefits of PA to mother and fetus and the need to investigate the effects of varying PA intensities on placental vascular development.