Background: The World Health Organization stated an average of 60 min of Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity (MVPA) that children should accumulate every day. Nevertheless physical inactivity is growing and, due to restrictions imposed during pandemic, PA levels of children might be more negatively affected. The study aimed to analyse the impact of COVID-19 on the PA of an Italian sample of primary school children by comparing it before and during COVID-19 considering gender differences. Methods: A pre-post analysis (October 2019–January 2021) was conducted using a randomized sample (N = 77) from the I-MOVE study settled in an Italian primary school. Both objective (Actigraph accelerometers) and self-reported (PAQ-c questionnaires) assessments of PA were performed. Changes were compared using T-Student and Chi-Square test. Gender differences were calculated using Anova. Results: Weekly and daily minutes time spent in MVPA significantly decreased respectively by − 30.59 ± 120.87 and − 15.32 ± 16.21 from before to during pandemic while the weekly time spent in sedentary behaviour increased (+ 1196.01 ± 381.49). PAQ-c scores followed the same negative trend (− 0.87 ± 0.72). Boys seem to have suffered more than girls from the imposed restrictions. Conclusion: These findings outline the need for strategies to promote PA and reduce sedentary behaviours in children to prevent COVID-19 restriction long-term effects.

Background: Bone imbalance between anabolic and catabolic processes at the level of remodeling unit due to the prevalence of resorbing activity, represents a health problem of aging. The consequence is the negative balance of bone turnover that can lead to osteoporosis. Physical activity (PA) can play a central role in the comprehensive management of osteoporosis, since it induces the anabolism of bone tissue. Bone turnover biomarkers, reflecting the cellular activity linked to bone metabolism, can represent an evaluation tool to assess the efficacy of PA in the osteoporotic population. The aim of this systematic review, conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement, was to investigate the effects of PA interventions on bone biomarkers in people with osteoporosis. Methods: A comprehensive literature search of electronic databases was conducted through PubMed, Cochrane, Cinahl, Embase, Trip, to find randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigating the topic of PA and bone turnover biomarkers in the osteoporosis population. In accordance with the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool, the quality of each study was assessed. Results: Out of 992 identified articles, 136 full texts were screened. Only three RTCs matched the eligibility criteria. In one study, sub-maximal aerobic exercise improved Bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (bone formation biomarker) and Amino-terminal Crosslinked Telopeptide of type 1 collagen (bone resorption biomarker) in osteoporotic women. The other two studies showed a positive effect on total alkaline phosphatase (a non-specific bone formation biomarker) in women with osteoporosis. Conclusion: The systematic review revealed possible exercise benefits in terms of improving bone formation and decreasing bone resorption biomarkers in the osteoporotic population. However, these results should be interpreted with caution, especially due to the limited number and poor quality of the studies included. Further research is needed to estimate the influence of PA on bone biomarkers in the osteoporosis management.

The Mediterranean Diet (MD) has been linked to numerous health benefits. This umbrella review aims to synthesize evidence from systematic reviews on the MD’s impact on children and adolescents aged 6 to 19 years. Following Joanna Briggs Institute guidelines, we included 11 systematic reviews focusing on the MD’s effects on health outcomes, such as asthma, anthropometric measures, physical fitness, and inflammatory markers. The results indicate a protective role of the MD against childhood asthma due to its antioxidant-rich components. However, evidence for its impact on allergic conditions like rhinitis and eczema is inconclusive. Findings regarding anthropometric outcomes, particularly BMI, are limited and inconsistent. A positive correlation was observed between MD adherence and increased physical activity, improved physical fitness, quality of life, and reduced sedentary behavior. Additionally, the MD showed an inverse relationship with pro-inflammatory biomarkers, suggesting anti-inflammatory benefits. The inconsistency in BMI findings and the potential anti-inflammatory properties of the MD warrant further longitudinal research. Future studies should explore the MD’s impact on cognitive functions, academic performance, and mental health in this age group, highlighting the significance of establishing healthy eating habits early in life.

Objective: The present systematic review aimed to investigate the impact of school-based physical activity (PA) interventions of “active breaks” on PA levels, classroom behaviour, cognitive functions, and well-being in pre-adolescents and adolescents attending secondary and high school. Methods: In March 2021, we performed a systematic research in CINAHL, Cochrane Library, Embase, MedLine, and PsycINFO databases and through grey literature. Quality assessment was performed in accordance with the Cochrane Tool for Quality Assessment for RCTs and the STROBE tool for observational studies. We included studies that investigated classroom PA interventions led by teachers such as active breaks or physically active lessons on PA levels, classroom behaviour, cognitive function, and quality of life in pre-adolescent and adolescent population attending secondary and high school. Synthesis: Three studies met the inclusion criteria. Two studies showed a positive effect of active breaks on students’ classroom behaviour and quality of life. One study registered a positive effect in the increase in school PA levels; unfortunately, this effect was not found in the overall levels of PA or in the reduction of sedentary behaviour. All three studies showed the feasibility and acceptability of active breaks intervention in secondary and high school settings. Conclusion: This systematic review suggests the potential benefit of this type of intervention integrated in the secondary and high school curriculum on classroom behaviour, school PA levels, and well-being.

Background: The school gives access to children, regardless of age, ethnicity, gender and socio-economic class and can be identified as the key environment in which to promote children’s physical activity (PA). The guidelines of the European Union recommend accumulating at least 10-min bouts of PA to reach the daily 60 min. Active breaks (ABs) led by teachers inside the classroom represent a good strategy to promote PA. The aim of this pilot and feasibility study was to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness in terms of PA level of an AB programme in children aged 8–9 years attending primary school. Methods: A pre-post quasi-experimental pilot and feasibility study was performed in two primary school classes, one of which was assigned to a 14-week AB intervention (AB group) and the other to the control group (CG). At baseline and at follow-up, children were monitored for sedentary and motor activity during an entire week using ActiGraph Accelerometer (ActiLife6 wGT3X-BT). The satisfaction of children and teachers was assessed by self-administered questionnaires. Results: In the pre-post comparison, AB group (n = 16) showed a reduction in the minutes spent in weekly sedentary activity (−168.7 min, p > 0.05), an increase in the number of step counts (+14,026.9, p < 0.05) and in time spent in moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA): weekly MVPA: +64.4 min, daily MVPA: +8.05 min, percentage of MVPA: +0.70%. On the contrary, CG showed a worsening in all variables. ANCOVA analysis, after adjusting for baseline values, showed significant differences between the AB group and CG for time spent in MVPA, percentage of MVPA and step counts. The satisfaction of children and teachers was good. Teachers were able to adapt the AB protocol to the needs of the school curriculum, thus confirming the feasibility of the AB programme. Conclusions: This pilot and feasibility study showed the feasibility and effectiveness of the AB protocol and represented the basis for a future controlled trial.