Sedentariness is an important risk factor for poor health. The main objective of this work was to examine the prospective association between television viewing time and indicators of physical function, mobility, agility, and frailty. Data came from two independent cohorts of community-dwelling older adults: the Seniors-ENRICA (n = 2392, 3.5 year follow-up), and the ELSA (n = 3989, 3.9 year follow-up). At baseline, television viewing and other sedentary behaviors were ascertained using interviewer-administered questionnaires. In the Seniors-ENRICA cohort overall physical function at baseline and follow-up was assessed using the physical component summary (PCS) of the SF-12 Health Survey. Measures for incident mobility and agility limitations in both cohorts were based on standardized questions, and incident frailty was measured with the Fried criteria. Analyses were adjusted for the main confounders, including physical activity at baseline. Results across cohorts were pooled using a random effects model. Lower (worse) scores in the PCS were observed among those in the highest (vs. the lowest) tertile of television viewing time (b-coefficient:-1.66; 95% confidence interval:-2.81,-0.52; p-trend = 0.01). Moreover, the pooled odds ratios (95% CIs) for mobility limitations for the second and third (vs. the lowest) tertile of television viewing were 1.00 (0.84, 1.20) and 1.17 (1.00, 1.38); p-trend = 0.12, respectively. The corresponding results for agility limitations were 1.18 (0.97, 1.44) and 1.25 (1.03, 1.51); p-trend = 0.02. Results for incident frailty were 1.10 (0.80, 1.51) and 1.47 (1.09, 1.97); p-trend = 0.03. No association between other types of sedentary behavior (time seated at the computer, while commuting, lying in the sun, listening to music/reading, internet use) and risk of functional limitations was found. Among older adults, longer television viewing time is prospectively associated with limitations in physical function independently of physical activity.

Background: Strokes may cause some swallowing difficulty or associated dysphagia in 25–80% of patients. This phenomenon has been linked to increased morbidity and mortality. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of transcranial direct current stimulation in patients with dysphagia in post-stroke patients. Methods: A systematic search in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and MEDLINE was conducted. The articles must have to evaluate an intervention that included transcranial direct current stimulation; the sample had to consist exclusively of patients with post-stroke dysphagia; and the experimental design consisted of randomized controlled trial. Difference in mean differences and their 95% confidence interval were calculated as the between-group difference in means divided by the pooled standard deviation. The I² statistic was used to determine the degree of heterogeneity. Results: Of the 9 investigations analyzed, all applied transcranial direct current stimulation in combination with conventional dysphagia therapy to the experimental group. All the studies analyzed identified improvements in swallowing function and meta-analysis confirmed their strong effect on reducing the risk of penetration and aspiration (Hedges’s g = 0.55). The results showed that participants who received transcranial direct current stimulation significantly improved swallowing function. Conclusions: Transcranial direct current stimulation has positive effects in the treatment of poststroke dysphagia by improving swallowing function, oral and pharyngeal phase times and the risk of penetration and aspiration. Furthermore, its combination with conventional dysphagia therapy, balloon dilatation with catheter or training of the swallowing muscles ensures improvement of swallowing function. PROSPERO registration ID CRD42022314949

Watching TV has been consistently associated with higher risk of adverse health outcomes, but the effect of other sedentary behaviors (SB) is uncertain. Potential explanations are that watching TV is not a marker of a broader sedentary pattern and that each SB reflects different sociodemographic and health characteristics. Data were taken form a survey on 10,199 individuals, representative of the Spanish population aged ≥18 years. SB and other health behaviors were ascertained using validated questionnaires. Watching TV was the predominant SB (45.4% of the total sitting time), followed by sitting at the computer (22.7%). TV watching time showed no correlation with total time on other SB (r: -0.02, p = 0.07). By contrast, time spent at the computer was directly correlated with time spent on commuting (r: 0.07, p<0.01), listening to music (r: 0.10, p<0.01) and reading (r: 0.08, p<0.01). TV watching time was greater in those with older age, lower education, unhealthier lifestyle, and with diabetes or osteomuscular disease. More time spent at the computer or in commuting was linked to younger age, male gender, higher education and having a sedentary job. In conclusion, watching TV is not correlated with other SB and shows a distinct demographic and lifestyle profile.

Background: Sedentary behavior among university students could negatively affect their mental health.Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the relationship of mental health (anxiety and depression) and sedentary behavior between gender in Health Degrees at the University of Zaragoza.Design: Cross-sectional descriptive study.Participants: Sample of 257 University students who completed an online questionnaire.Methods: Sedentary behavior was assessed with the SBQ questionnaire. Anxiety and depression were assessed with the GADS questionnaire. The Mann–Whitney U test and multiple linear regression models were used.Results: In comparison to men, female students with symptoms of anxiety spend more time in total engaged in sedentary behaviors (10.56 ± 4.83) vs. (7.8 ± 3.28; p < 0.001) and mentally-passive sedentary activities [2.24 (1.57) vs. 1.15 (0.90; p < 0.005)]. Female students at risk of depression also spend more hours engaged in mentally-passive sedentary behaviors in comparison to men (8.28 ± 50.70 vs. 1.27 ± 1.02; p = 0.009).Conclusion: Female students at risk of anxiety and/or depression spend more time engaged in sedentary activities in comparison to male students. The risk of anxiety and depression is associated with the total number of hours a day spent engaged in sedentary behaviors and with mentally passive behaviors, but not mentally active behaviors.

The efficacy of cognitive stimulation programs for the elderly is sufficiently documented. However, few studies have addressed the effectiveness of language stimulation programs by cognitive levels in this population. This randomized controlled trial was conducted on 308 participants from a primary care center and followed the CONSORT guidelines. A stratified randomization was carried out. The primary variable was the MEC-35, validated Spanish version of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). The secondary outcome variable was set-test, which evaluates verbal fluency in four categories. These tests were assessed for all outcome measures at baseline, at 10 weeks, at 6 months, and 1 year after the intervention. The intervention consisted of 10 sessions of 45 min/week for 10 weeks through mental activation notebooks that comprehensively work on the different cognitive functions. The results show that the comparisons between the control and intervention group turn out to be significant (p < 0.05) at the three time points. The comprehensive cognitive stimulation program has made it possible to improve the global aspects of cognition, language proficiency, and verbal fluency. To optimize and maintain these results, it is necessary to consider other clinical, functional, psychological, and occupational aspects, as well as related educational aspects, which prevent mild cognitive impairment.