Article: Body composition and size in sprint athletes - The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness 2017 September;57(9):1142-6 - Minerva Medica - Journals

Information on the relationship between domain‐specific physical activity (PA) and health‐related quality of life (HRQoL) in the general population and specific groups is still scarce. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between PA in work, transport, domestic and leisure‐time domains and HRQoL among university students. PA and HRQoL were assessed in a random stratified sample of 1750 university students using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire – long form and 12‐item Short Form Health Survey, respectively. The Spearman's rank correlations, adjusted for age, community size, personal monthly budget, body mass index, smoking habits and alcohol intake ranged from −0.11 to 0.18 in female students and −0.29 to 0.19 in male students. Leisure‐time, domestic, transport‐related PA and total PA were positively related to HRQoL. Inverse correlations with HRQoL were only found for work‐related PA in male students. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that only leisure‐time PA was related to the Physical Summary Component score (β = 0.08 for females and β = 0.10 for males, P < 0.05). Domain‐specific PA levels were not significantly related to the Mental Component Summary score. To get a more comprehensive insight in the relationship between PA and HRQoL, future studies should not only analyse total PA levels but also domain‐specific PA levels. The evidence on the positive relationship of leisure‐time, transport and domestic PA with HRQoL can potentially be used to support evidence‐based promotion of PA in a university setting, and as a hypothesis for future longitudinal studies on such potential causal relationships.

Regular physical activity has a significant impact on health. There is scientific evidence for prescription of exercise in the treatment of at least 26 different chronic non-communicable diseases. Furthermore, it has an indirect role in the preservation of work capacity. The aim of this study was to review the published results of research on the relationship between leisure-time PA and absenteeism due to sickness. Medline database was searched using the keywords “leisuretime physical activity AND (sick leave OR sickness absence OR absenteeism)”. Fifteen studies were included in the final analysis. A negative correlation between leisure-time PA and absenteeism due to sickness in working population was determined in 11 studies. The results support the inclusion of PA promotion in the programmes intended to reduce absenteeism prevalence, the latter being an important public health issue.

Elite athletes differ from each other in their characteristics according to their discipline. This study aimed to identify performance predictors in elite Croatian sprinters taking into consideration their anthropometric, psychological and genetic characteristics. One hundred and four elite...