Physical education (PE) researchers sustain that the teaching styles adopted by PE teachers play a key role in defining children’s positive experiences during lessons and have a relevant impact on their psychophysical health. However, a limited number of studies has examined the effect of teaching styles on these aspects. The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of an integrated approach mainly based on integration of multi-teaching styles and active reflection (MTA) on the fitness level, motor competence, enjoyment, self-perception, amount of physical activity (PA), and children’s perception of PE, in Italian primary school children. Participants were 121 children from three elementary schools. Children were randomly assigned into two groups: (a) an intervention group (IG) that received PE lessons based on MTA provided by specifically trained PE students, and (b) a control group (CG) that received standard PE lessons (S-PE) from primary school classroom teachers. Both groups engaged in two PE lessons per week lasting 1 h each for 12 weeks. The findings revealed an increase in the children’s fitness level, motor competence, enjoyment and amount of PA in the IG compared to those in the CG. Furthermore, the children of the IG spent more time being engaged on a task, reflecting on it, and wasted less time during PE compared to the children of the CG. Finally, the children of the IG reported higher levels of satisfaction with PE lessons and teaching styles compared to children of the CG. Integration of different teaching styles lead by specifically trained educators can be suggested as a valuable strategy to provide learning experiences of children of primary school to have positive effects on their physical literacy development promoting healthy lifestyles.

Unhealthy-weight status may represent a precursor of poor actual (AMC) (i.e., process- and product-oriented) and perceived (PMC) motor competence. AMC and PMC represent key elements favoring long-term commitment in sports and day-to-day life physical activity. In fact, the development of AMC and PMC during the primary school years could help to counteract weight-related negative effects (i.e., overweight or obesity) that are responsible for sedentary or unhealthy behavior across the life span. Therefore, this review aimed to provide a synopsis of the current research investigating the relation of AMC and PMC with weight status and in the context of potential gender differences. Systematic research in five electronic databases (PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, CINAHL, Scopus) was conducted from April 2021 to May 2021 in compliance with PRISMA guidelines. Studies were included if they involved obese or overweight youth (6–10 years) with no physical or cognitive impairment and used a longitudinal or a cross-sectional assessment of motor competence and perceived motor competence outcomes. After the selection process and after duplicates were removed, the final sample included 27 studies. Most of the studies reported that AMC and PMC are negatively associated with weight status, with male and females differing from each other in overall and subtest (locomotor, object control, and stability skills) AMC scores. However, according to a risk of bias assessment, the level of evidence linked to the association of AMC (process and product) and PMC with weight status (BMI) remained uncertain and lacking, respectively. Further high-quality studies are warranted to improve the understanding of AMC and PMC in relation to weight status, which appears to be differently expressed by gender in primary school years. Regardless, based on the current quantitative data, the emerging inverse association between AMC/PMC and weight status implies that it would be best to limit sedentary behavior by including daily lessons in physical education to limit unfavorable conditions (i.e., obesity and overweight) during the school years.

The goal of swimming school during early school age is to promote physical literacy. According to linear or non-linear pedagogy, a linear or non-linear approach teaching style can be used. The aim of our study was to investigate whether a different teaching methodology, as in using a teacher-centered approach (linear pedagogy), or a student-centered approach (non-linear pedagogy), could differently influence the perceptions of aquatic activity of children and parents. Parents of 100 children (53 females and 47 males, age 5.9 ± 0.3 years old) participating in the study were previously interviewed to ascertain their expectations regarding the swimming course. Participants were in a medium-high social context. Subsequently, considering the data of the incoming aquatic motor competence’s tests, children were divided into a linear (LI) and non-linear (NL) pedagogy group. A total of 4 instructors were enrolled. Upon completing the swimming course, the aquatic motor competence’s test was repeated, a pictorial scale of perceived motor competence was administered, and a questionnaire regarding the course was proposed to children’s parents. Physical development and learn to swim resulted two of the most important reasons leading parents to choose swimming courses. LI achieved greater progress than the NL in actual motor competence (A.M.C.), while NL perceived a higher aquatic motor competence (P.M.C.) in 7 out of 10 items of the pictorial scale. Parents of children in LI, gave greater importance to the teacher’s role, while NL’s parents pointed the acquisition of children’s abilities as pivotal. In conclusion, NL approach was more appreciated by children, while LI method was more rewarding for parents because initial expectations were satisfied.

This study examined the impact of L-acetylcarnitine treatment on metabolic parameters and body composition in patients with lipodystrophy syndrome secondary to antiretroviral treatment in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. A total of 9 HIV-1 infected patients with lipodystrophy syndrome (4F/5M, age 41±5 years, HIV duration 8±2 years, BMI 23.7±3.4 kg/m², on protease inhibitors and nucleoside analogue Reverse Transcriptase inhibitors) were evaluated before and after 8 months of therapy with L-acetylcarnitine (2 g/die) and 9 matched healthy subjects served as control subjects. In all patients fasting plasma glucose, insulin concentrations (for evaluation of surrogate indexes of insulin sensitivity), lipid profile, lipid oxidation (by indirect calorimetry), body composition (by DEXA), and intramyocellular triglyceride (IMCL) content of the calf muscles (by ¹ H NMR spectroscopy) were assessed. After this therapy, in HIV-1 patients, the IMCL content of the soleus had significantly decreased (p=0.03). Plasma FFAs (0.79±0.31 to 0.64±0.25; p<0.05) and Respiratory Quotient (0.83±0.18 to 0.72±0.16; p<0.03) also decreased. Insulin sensitivity was significantly lower prior (HOMA-IS 0.56±0.30) and nonstatistically different than controls after therapy (0.72±0.49 vs. 0.78±0.42) whilst the percentage of fat in the legs increased (p=0.05). Eight months of L-acetylcarnitine treatment increased lipid oxidation, decreased intramyocellular triglyceride content, and induced a more physiological distribution of fat deposits.

Objective: Ageing of the human heart is characterised by morphological, functional and metabolic changes. Short-term interventions and cross-sectional studies in older individuals questioned the possibility that physical exercise may reverse these alterations. In this study we aimed to assess whether in middle-aged men involved in regular and long lasting physical activity these alterations were attenuated. Design: Left ventricular (LV) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and three-dimensional image selected in-vivo spectroscopy (3D-ISIS) ³¹P magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) were performed using a 1.5T scanner in 20 healthy, young and 25 healthy middle-aged non-obese men with a sedentary lifestyle (11 young and 14 middle-aged) or undergoing regular aerobic oxidative training (9 young and 11 middle-aged). Insulin sensitivity was estimated by the homeostatic model assessment 2 (HOMA-2) model. Results: Sedentary young and middle-aged men were not different with respect to LV morphological parameters and systolic function. The phosphocreatine/ATP (PCr/ATP) ratio (marker of high energy phosphates metabolism) and the LV E-peak filling rate/A-peak filling rate ratio (E/A ratio) were lower in sedentary middle-aged than physically active subjects. Parameters of LV systolic function and the PCr/ATP ratio were not different in the middle-aged compared with the young trained men; the E/A peak flow ratio was higher in the middle-aged trained men than in the middle-aged sedentary men. Within the entire population, the PCr/ATP ratio and the E/A peak flow ratio were associated with insulin sensitivity. Conclusions: Trained middle-aged subjects showed a better pattern of LV energy metabolism and of diastolic function than their sedentary counterparts. At this age the exercise-related cardiac benefits were detectable when physical exercise was performed regularly and for a long period of time.