Background. Despite the large number of studies assessing health literacy, little research has been conducted with young adults. Since health literacy is related to the setting in which health information is provided, our study aim was to measure health literacy competencies in a sample of university students and to evaluate the relationships between these competencies and their university health education. Methods. A total of 912 university students (aged 18–24 years) completed the 47-item European Health Literacy Survey Questionnaire (HLS-EU-Q47). Results. Perceived difficulties with health information were related to gender, with male students reporting significantly lower health literacy scores. Studying more health education-related subjects was associated with a higher health literacy competency, due to these students’ higher rates of accessing and understanding health information in the health promotion domain. Conclusion. Health literacy among young adult university students is insufficient. The subjects they study are related to their university health education; in particular, the number of health-related subjects they study is positively related to students’ health promotion domain-based competencies.

Background: Several studies have demonstrated the positive effects of physical activity on skeletal muscle mass and muscle strength in women with osteoporosis. However, the impact of Nordic walking training on sarcopenia-related parameters in women with low bone mass remains unknown. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of 12 weeks of Nordic walking training on skeletal muscle index, muscle strength, functional mobility, and functional performance in women with low bone mass. Materials and methods: The participants were 45 women, aged 63–79 years, with osteopenia or osteoporosis. The subjects were randomly assigned either to an experimental group (12 weeks of Nordic walking training, three times a week) or to a control group. Skeletal muscle mass and other body composition factors were measured with octapolar bioimpedance InBody 720 analyser. Knee extensor and flexor isometric muscle strength were measured using Biodex System 4 Pro™ dynamometers. This study also used a SAEHAN Digital Hand Dynamometer to measure handgrip muscle strength. The timed up-and-go test was used to measure functional mobility, and the 6-minute walk test was used to measure functional performance. Results: Short-term Nordic walking training induced a significant increase in skeletal muscle mass (P=0.007), skeletal muscle index (P=0.007), strength index of the knee extensor (P=0.016), flexor (P<0.001), functional mobility (P<0.001), and functional performance (P<0.001) and a significant decrease in body mass (P=0.006), body mass index (P<0.001), and percent body fat (P<0.001) in participants. Regarding handgrip muscle strength, no improvement was registered (P=0.315). No significant changes in any of the analyzed parameters were observed in the control group. Conclusion: Overall, short-term Nordic walking training induces positive changes in knee muscle strength and functional performance in women with low bone mass. This finding could be applied in clinical practice for intervention programs in women with osteopenia and osteoporosis.

Background: Sarcopenia significantly affects the health and quality of life in older adults. Exercise combined with nutritional interventions is widely recognized as an effective strategy for improving sarcopenia outcomes. However, current studies rarely focus on differential effects across subpopulations with distinct demographic and health characteristics. This study aimed to explore the effects of combined exercise and nutrition interventions on sarcopenia-related outcomes, considering the variations in population characteristics. Methods: A systematic search was conducted across PubMed, Embase, the Web of Science, and Cochrane Library, covering the literature published between January 2010 and March 2025. Only randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating combined exercise and nutritional interventions for sarcopenia were included. The primary outcomes were handgrip strength (HS), the skeletal muscle mass index (SMI), gait speed (GS), and the five-times sit-to-stand test (5STS). The mean differences (MD) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. Random-effects models were used for the meta-analysis and subgroup comparisons. Results: Fifteen RCTs involving 1258 participants in the intervention group and 1233 in the control group were included. Exercise combined with nutritional interventions significantly improved sarcopenia-related outcomes. HS improved with a pooled MD of 1.77 kg (95% CI: 0.51 to 3.03, p = 0.006); SMI increased by 0.22 kg/m² (95% CI: 0.09 to 0.35, p = 0.0007); GS improved by 0.09 m/s (95% CI: 0.04 to 0.14, p = 0.0002); and 5STS performance improved with a time reduction of −1.38 s (95% CI: −2.47 to −0.28, p = 0.01). Subgroup analyses indicated that the intervention effects varied according to age, BMI, and living environment. Conclusions: Exercise combined with nutrition is effective in improving key outcomes associated with sarcopenia in older adults. The magnitude of these effects differed across population subgroups, underscoring the importance of tailoring interventions to specific demographic and health profiles.

Loss of physical strength and hypertension are among the most pronounced detrimental factors accompanying aging. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of a supervised 8-week Nordic-walking training program on systolic blood pressure in systolic-hypertensive postmenopausal women. This study was a randomized control trial on a sample of 24 subjects who did not take any hypertension medications. There was a statistically significant decrease in systolic blood pressure and an increase in lower and upper-body strength in the group following Nordic-walking training. There was a decrease in serum levels of total cholesterol, triglycerides, and low-density cholesterol. The obtained results indicate that an 8-week Nordic-walking program may be efficiently employed for counteracting systolic hypertension through a direct abatement of systolic blood pressure and an increase of maximal aerobic capacity.

Inflammation can result in the development of breast cancer in women with overweight and obese, and also affects the outcome and prognosis of breast cancer patients, thereby decreasing the cure and survival rates of breast cancer patients. Exercise may benefit breast cancer patients as a supplement to conventional treatments. However, research on the effects of exercise on inflammatory markers in women with breast cancer who are overweight and obese remains incomplete. A systematic review and meta-analysis were used to study the effects of exercise on inflammatory markers in women with breast cancer who are overweight and obese. Literature up to May 2024 was searched from databases such as Cochrane, Embase, Pubmed, Web of Science, and EBSCO, and English-language randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that met the inclusion criteria were screened. The screening criteria were as follows (A) written in English; (B) RCT; (C) studied in women with overweight obese and breast cancer; (D) outcome measures: inflammatory markers; (E) the duration of the exercise intervention was unlimited. A total of 14 articles and 1064 participants were included. Exercise significantly reduced C-reactive protein (CRP) (MD: -0.52, 95 % CI: -0.94 to -0.11; p = 0.01; heterogeneity p < 0.1), interleukin-6 (IL-6) (MD: -0.87, 95 % CI: -1.62 to -0.11; p = 0.02; heterogeneity p < 0.1), and leptin (MD: -0.92, 95 % CI: -1.71 to -0.13; p = 0.02; heterogeneity p < 0.1) levels and exercise significantly increased adiponectin levels (MD: 0.89, 95 % CI: 0.03-1.75, p = 0.04; heterogeneity p < 0.1) but had no effect on tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) (MD: -0.26, 95 % CI: -0.82-0.29; p = 0.35; heterogeneity p < 0.1) and IL-10 (MD: 0.14, 95 % CI: -0.17-0.45; p = 0.37; heterogeneity p = 0.45) were not significant. In addition, subgroup analyses suggest that combination training (CE) may be the most recommended type of exercise to decrease pro-inflammatory markers, and increase anti-inflammatory markers in women with overweight obesity, and have breast cancer. Exercise significantly reduced CRP, IL-6, and leptin levels and overall increased adiponectin levels in women with overweight obese, and breast cancer. However, the effects on TNF-α and IL-10 levels were not significant. CE may be the most recommended type of exercise for reducing pro-inflammatory factors and increasing anti-inflammatory factors. Therefore, this study considers exercise as an effective complementary approach to managing inflammatory markers in women with breast cancer who are overweight and obese. Future researchers may consider exploring the combined effects of exercise and dietary control, weight loss, and other factors, and formulate a comprehensive treatment plan accordingly.