Background: Physical activity plays an important role in the maintenance of health, and it is especially important during childhood. However, the lack of information about differences in physical activity practice and sports preferences of children considering gender differences can result in non-effective policies that enhance inequalities between sexes. The aim of this study is to identify the sports preferences of Spanish schoolchildren and their physical activity practice behaviors depending on their sex and their parental care, analyzing the possible differences from a gender perspective. Method: Three hundred sixty-four Spanish schoolchildren (179 girls, 185 boys) participated in this cross-sectional study. A daily physical activity questionnaire was used to evaluate physical activity level (PAL), moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and sports preferences and a socio-health questionnaire were used to collect data about parental care. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS and applying Student’s T-test for normal variables, Mann-Whitney U-test for non-parametrical variables, and chi-square (χ2) test for categorical variables. Subsequently, odds ratios were used to analyze associations between the physical activity practice of the children and parental care. Results: PAL and time spent in MVPA was significantly lower for girls compared to boys (1.44 ± 0.07 vs. 1.46 ± 0.07, p < 0.001 and 0.74 ± 0.40 h/day vs. 0.90 ± 0.45 h/day; p < 0.001, respectively). Dancing, rhythmic gymnastics, skating, and water sports were practiced more by girls, while football, wrestling sports, handball, and racket sports were practiced more by boys (p < 0.05). Children cared for by their fathers had higher odds for physical activity practice (OR = 1.995 (1.202–3.310), p = 0.008). Conclusion: Physical activity among girls was less frequent and less intense. Girls opted for individual sports with artistic connotations, while boys often practiced more team contact sports. Furthermore, children are more physically actives when their father is in charge of them.

Summary: Introduction: Clusters of health behaviors (e.g. physical activity/sedentary behavior/diet/sleep) can exert synergistic influences on health outcomes, such as obesity. Understanding how clusters of health behaviors change throughout childhood and adolescence is essential for developing interventions aimed at uncoupling unhealthy behaviors. This review synthesizes prospective studies examining changes in clusters of physical activity, sedentary behavior, diet, and sleep through childhood and adolescence.Methods: Electronic searches (PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Scopus) identified prospective studies, published in English up to/including January 2024, of children/adolescents (0‐19 years) which used data‐driven methods to identify clusters of 2/more behaviors (physical activity, sedentary behaviors, diet, sleep) at multiple timepoints. A narrative synthesis was conducted due to methodological heterogeneity.Results: Eighteen studies reporting data from 26,772 individual participants were included. Eleven studies determined clusters at each timepoint (i.e. identified clusters at T1 and T2, respectively), while seven determined clusters longitudinally using behavioral data across multiple timepoints. Among studies that identified clusters at each timepoint, participants commonly transitioned to similarly characterized clusters between timepoints. Where cluster tracking was examined, 64% of clusters had stable transition probabilities of 60‐100%. The most prevalent longitudinal cluster trajectories were characterized by co‐occurring healthy behaviors which remained stable. Remaining within unhealthy clusters at multiple timepoints was associated with higher markers of adiposity.Conclusion: ‘Healthy’ and ‘unhealthy’ clusters remained highly stable over time, suggesting behavioral patterns developed early can become entrenched and resistant to change. Interventions focused on instilling healthy behaviors early are required to provide a strong foundation for behavioral stability throughout life.

Breakfast is one of the more controversial meals, considered as the most important of the day on some occasions and questioned in others. The first difficulty in analyzing the evidence of a relationship between breakfast and health is the definition of what a healthy breakfast is, based on its energy content, the frequency of its consumption and the type of food that are included in it. The breakfast of the Spanish population is improvable, since a high percentage of the child and adult Spanish population makes an insufficient breakfast or incorporates food with an inadequate nutritional profile. Scientific studies suggest that making a healthy breakfast is related to a greater intake of nutrients in the total of the day, better coverage of the nutritional recommendations and better quality of the whole diet. It is also associated with better body weight control and healthy cardiometabolic risk indicators, both in children and adults. Breakfast has also been related to improvements in attention and cognitive function in all age groups, both in acute, chronic and intervention studies, although they are very heterogeneous and it is necessary to investigate further in this line.

Background: Neuronal hyperexcitability and hypersynchrony have been described as key features of neurophysiological dysfunctions in the Alzheimer’s disease (AD) continuum. Conversely, physical activity (PA) has been associated with improved brain health and reduced AD risk. However, there is controversy regarding whether AD genetic risk (in terms ofAPOEε4 carriage) modulates these relationships. The utilization of multiple outcome measures within one sample may strengthen our understanding of this complex phenomenon.Method: The relationship between PA and functional connectivity (FC) was examined in a sample of 107 healthy older adults using magnetoencephalography. Additionally, we explored whether ε4 carriage modulates this association. The correlation between FC and brain structural integrity, cognition, and mood was also investigated.Results: A relationship between higher PA and decreased FC (hyposynchrony) in the left temporal lobe was observed among all individuals (across the whole sample, in ε4 carriers, and in ε4 non-carriers), but its effects manifest differently according to genetic risk. In ε4 carriers, we report an association between this region-specific FC profile and preserved brain structure (greater gray matter volumes and higher integrity of white matter tracts). In this group, decreased FC also correlated with reduced anxiety levels. In ε4 non-carriers, this profile is associated with improved cognition (working and episodic memory).Conclusions: PA could mitigate the increase in FC (hypersynchronization) that characterizes preclinical AD, being beneficial for all individuals, especially ε4 carriers.

Excessive salt intake has negative effects on health and persists as a dietary problem in Spanish children. However, the analysis of dietary sodium sources has not been extensively studied. A group of 321 children between 7 and 11 years old from five Spanish regional communities was studied. A three-day dietary record was used to determine the contribution of food and beverages to dietary sodium intake. The food consumed was classified based on the level of processing (NOVA classification) and the nutritional profile. Boys consumed more dietary sodium and sodium from ultra-processed food (UPF) than girls (p < 0.05). The main sources of dietary sodium from discretionary food were meat and meat products (25.1%), some ready-to-eat and pre-cooked dishes (7.4%) and sugars and sweets (6.3%). More than 4/5 of the total dietary sodium consumed came from processed foods (PF) and UPF. Ready-to-eat and pre-cooked dishes (14.4%), meat and meat products (10.6%), and cereals (10.2%) were the most relevant UPF. These results demonstrate that a key point for Spanish children is a reduction in the sodium content in PF and UPF, whether these foods are for basic or discretionary consumption. Furthermore, a decrease in the frequency and the quantity of discretionary food consumption should be encouraged.

Background: Mineral intake may protect against cognitive impairment (CI) and all-cause dementia, which affects a large number of adults worldwide. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between mineral intake and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), which is a sensitive and specific test. Methods: In total, 201 adults were included in a cross-sectional study. They completed a three-day dietary record to estimate their average daily intake of minerals. Contributions to dietary reference intakes (DRIs) were also calculated. The participants were divided into tertiles according to their mineral intake. CI classifications were determined via the MoCA (score < 26). Apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotyping was carried out, and the patients’ anthropometric measurements and physical activity, health and personal data were collected. Results: The prevalence of CI in this selective sample was 54.2% (34.3% females and 19.9% males). In women, being in the third tertiles of iron and manganese intake was associated with lower odds of having CI (OR [95% CI]: 0.32 [0.11 ± 0.93]; 0.33 [0.12 ± 0.93], p < 0.05). No significant differences were observed for any of the nutrients studied in men. Conclusions: These findings suggest that a low mineral intake, especially low iron and manganese intake in women, is associated with a worse cognition as assessed by MoCA.