Research considering physical activity (PA), physical inactivity and health outcomes among urban and rural youth has produced equivocal findings. This study examined PA, physical inactivity, sedentary behaviours and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) in adolescents from urban and rural communities in the Portuguese Midlands. The sample included 362 adolescents (165 males, 197 females) of 13–16 years of age. CRF was assessed by the PACER test. A GT1M accelerometer was used to record 5 consecutive days of PA and time spent sedentary. Analyses of covariance (chronological age as co-variate) were performed to test the effect of the area of residence on sedentary behaviour, PA and CRF. Urban youth of both sexes spent less time in sedentary activities than rural youth. Urban males were more active than rural peers at the weekend, whereas urban females were significantly less active than rural females on week days and across all days assessed. Rural youth of both sexes had higher levels of CRF than urban youth. Area of residence was related to aerobic fitness, PA and time spent in sedentary behaviours among Portuguese youth. Interventions seeking to enhance health and active lifestyles in Portuguese youth should consider the potential impact of socio-geographic factors.

The weakening of the cardiovascular system associated with aging could be countered by increasing levels of physical activity and functional fitness. However, inconsistent findings have been found, and the variety of characteristics of exercise used in previous studies may partly explain that inconsistent results. To investigate the training effect of sixteen weeks of moderate intensity, progressive aerobic and strength-based training on metabolic health of older women and men. Sixty three sedentary individuals (mean (SD) age 76 (8) years) were randomly assigned to control (n = 31) or exercising (n = 32) groups. The training group was separated to aerobic (n = 18) or strength-based (n = 14). Training took place three times a week. Subjects agreed not to change their diet or lifestyle over the experimental period. Exercising group attained after treatment significant differences on body weight, waist circumference, body mass index, diastolic blood pressure, triglycerides, total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, total cholesterol/HDL-cholesterol relationship, high sensitivity C-reactive protein, and 6-minute walk distance. The control group only had significant differences on waist circumference. The training programs produced significant benefits on metabolic health indicators of sedentary older women and men.

To describe the degree of disability, anthropometric variables, quality of life (QoL), and school backpack weight in boys and girls aged 11-17 years. The differences in QoL between those who did or did not report low back pain (LBP) were also analyzed. Eighty-six girls (13.9 ± 1.9 years of age) and 63 boys (13.7 ± 1.7 years of age) participated. LBP was assessed by questionnaire, and disability using the Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire. QoL was assessed by the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL). Multivariate analyses of variance and covariance were used to assess differences between groups. Girls reported higher disability than boys (p = 0.01), and lower QoL in the domains of physical (p < 0.001) and emotional functioning (p < 0.01), psychosocial health (p = 0.02) and physical health summary score (p < 0.001), and on the total PedsQL score (p < 0.01). School backpack weight was similar in both genders (p = 0.61) and in participants with and without LBP (p = 0.15). After adjustments, participants with LBP reported lower physical functioning (p < 0.01), influencing lower physical health summary score (p < 0.01). Girls had higher disability and lower QoL than boys in the domains of physical and emotional functioning, psychosocial health, and physical health summary scores, and on the total PedsQL score; however, similar school backpack weight was reported. Participants with LBP revealed lower physical functioning and physical health summary score, yet had similar school backpack weight to those without LBP.

As people age, they experience a decline in immune responses. Unusually heavy acute or chronic exercise could increase the risk of upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) whereas regular moderate physical activity may reduce URTI symptomatology. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether an aerobic exercise program would promote chronic adaptations in plasma IgA, IgG and IgM, and salivary IgA (Sal-IgA) in both elderly women and men. Forty-three independently living men and women, aged between 65 and 96 years, were randomly assigned to an aerobic exercising or a control group. Each participant underwent three evaluations (pre, post at 16 weeks and follow-up at 32 weeks). The aerobic exercise group increased resting plasma IgA concentration from 1.08 g. L⁻¹±0.50 g. L⁻¹ to 2.29 g. L⁻¹±0.93 g. L⁻¹, whereas salivary IgA concentration was unchanged. The control group maintained the plasma IgA values but experienced a decrease in Sal-IgA. The IgG and IgM plasma concentrations increased in both groups, however, only the exercise group maintained higher values in the final follow-up evaluation. Regular aerobic exercise may be effective in promoting IgA immunity and protecting against the deterioration in Sal-IgA values observed in the control group. No gender differences in the immunoglobulin responses to aerobic training were observed.

Surgical treatment affects health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and increases fatigue symptoms in patients with lung cancer (LC) and colorectal cancer (CRC). We aimed to systematically review the effect of exercise training on HRQoL and fatigue after LC and CRC surgery. Randomized controlled trials published before 21 March 2021, were searched in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, SPORTDiscus and PEDro. Eligible trials compared the effect of exercise interventions initiated preoperatively or in the first 3 months after surgery versus usual care on postoperative HRQoL and fatigue. Standardized mean differences (SMD) were pooled using random-effects models. Twelve studies with a total of 777 patients were included. In LC patients (10 studies, n = 651), exercise training in general led to a moderate improvement in the physical domain of HRQoL (0.68: 95% CI: [0.47; 0.89]) and a small reduction in fatigue levels after surgery (SMD = 0.28: 95% CI: [0.02; 0.53]), while no effects were found in other HRQoL domains. In CRC (two studies, n = 126), exercise training showed no effects on HRQoL and fatigue after surgery. Exercise training is an effective intervention to improve physical function and fatigue after LC surgery. Further studies are necessary to clarify the effects of exercise on HRQoL and fatigue after CRC surgery.