Today the need to analyze health behaviour from a gender perspective is as imminent as ever, particularly at university, where the number of women who register is on the rise and has exceeded the number of male students worldwide. We carried out a prevalence study aimed at analyzing Spanish university students’ lifestyles and identify differences according to gender and academic discipline. Of 3,646 eligible subjects doing university courses related to health (Group A), education (Group B) and other professions (Group C), 985 (27.0%) participated in the study. Information was elicited about their physical activity level, disturbed eating attitudes, consumption of alcohol, tobacco and illegal substances. Prevalence and Odds Ratios (OR) were calculated according to sex and kind of academic discipline. The obtained data confirmed that only 27.4% of the students were considered as sufficiently active, while 14.9% of them suffered from disturbed eating attitudes (DEA). Women were particularly less active (OR 0.46 (0.32–0.66); p < 0.0001), and more sedentary than men (OR 1.40 (1.00–1.97); p = 0.03). Binge drinking was more frequent in female than in male students (OR 1.79 (1.29–2.47); p = 0.0004). A third of the analyzed sample admitted that they had used illegal substances, while a lower consumption prevalence was found in women (OR 0.53 (0.40–0.71); p < 0.0001). The studied population was not very active (27.4%), especially women (OR = 0.45). Therefore, it seems that Spanish university students lead an unhealthy lifestyle, a situation which seems more conspicuous amongst females.

Purpose: To systematically review the existing scientific evidence regarding the effects of physical exercise on the fitness level of people with intellectual disabilities.Methods: Following the checklist of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic review and Meta-Analysis Protocols, the PubMed, CINAHL, SPORTDiscus, and Scopus databases were searched using specific keywords up to January 2018. The methodological quality of the studies found was rated by the means of specific scales according to their specific design.Results: A total of 44 studies were selected. The majority of the included studies were randomized controlled trials (n = 17), followed by non-controlled studies (n = 11), non-randomized controlled trials (n = 10), and comparative studies (n = 6). Aerobic, strengthening, and combined exercise programs were the most frequently proposed interventions. Exercise showed to have significant effects on the cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness. Not all the selected studies reported improvements in parameters related to body composition.Conclusions: There is sufficient scientific evidence for the beneficial effects of exercise on the cardiovascular and muscular fitness of adults with mild/moderate ID. There is a need for more studies focused on the impact of physical exercise on the body composition of this population, and those that aim at identifying the impact of alternative interventions.IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATIONThere is a need for basic guidelines that can help rehabilitation professionals to prescribe exercise for maintaining and improving physical fitness in the adults with intellectual disabilities.In adults with intellectual disabilities, aerobic exercise has beneficial effects on cardiovascular and muscular fitness, flexibility, and range of motion.No firm conclusion can be made regarding the effects of aerobic, muscular, and combined training programs on the body composition of adults with intellectual disabilities.Rehabilitation professionals should be aware that scientific evidence regarding the prescription of alternative exercise protocols in adults with intellectual disabilities (i.e. dancing, water-based exercise, animal therapy, etc) is scarce.

Pilates may be a beneficial method of exercise for people with Parkinson’s disease (PD). However, no studies have critically reviewed the scientific evidence in this regard. The purpose of this study was to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis on the effectiveness of Pilates as a rehabilitation strategy for PD. A systematic search of the electronic databases PubMed, PEDro, Scopus, and SPORTDiscus was conducted to identify studies related to the effect of Pilates on PD. The search timeframe ranged from the inception of each database to March 2019. The search resulted in the identification of four randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and four non-RCT studies. The methodological quality of the investigations ranged from poor to fair. The descriptive analysis of the eight investigations showed that Pilates resulted in beneficial effects on fitness, balance and functional autonomy. A subsequent meta-analysis on the four RCTs indicated that Pilates was more effective than traditional training programmes in improving lower limb function. Pilates can be safely prescribed for people with mild-to-moderate PD. Preliminary evidence indicates that its practice could have a positive impact on fitness, balance and physical function. Its benefits on lower-body function appear to be superior to those of other conventional exercises. Future randomized studies with greater samples are needed to confirm these observations.

Handball is a team sport involving a great physical demand from its practitioners in which a high number of injuries occur, affecting individual and collective performance. Knowledge of the injuries is of great importance for their prevention. The objective of the present study was to identify, locate and compare the most frequent injuries and injury mechanisms in handball practice. It was carried out following the Preferred Informed Item for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. The source of data collection was direct consultation of the PubMed and Medline databases. Several keywords were used for the documentary retrieval, and the quality of the studies that were selected was evaluated. Of the 707 studies retrieved, only 27 were considered appropriate for the review, and quality scores were obtained that ranged from 10 to 26 points, out of a maximum of 28. The most frequent injuries in handball players are located in the lower limbs (thigh, knee and ankle), and in the shoulder in the upper limbs. Regarding the playing position, the players who play over the 6-m line are the most affected by injuries, while the women players have a higher probability of injury. Most injuries occur during competition.