Health Promotion & Physical Activity

Verification of selected methods of body height prediction for male and female pupils on the example of students of the Upper Secondary School Complex No. 2 in Dąbrowa Tarnowska, Poland

Patryk Orwat, Ryszard Żarów — Tue, 29 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0200

Aim: The aim of the study was to assess the magnitude of error in the prediction of adult body height of male and female pupils from the Upper Secondary School Complex No. 2 in Dąbrowa Tarnowska using the Roche-Wainer-Thissen, Khamis-Roche and Żarów methods.

Material and methods: Data on the height and weight of 101 18-year-old pupils (54 female pupils and 47 male pupils), as well as parental mean body height, were used in the study. The pupils’ height and weight data came from screening tests performed at 6.5, 10 and 12 years of age by nurses and school hygienists, while the data on parents' height was obtained through written notes provided by the students.

Results: An evaluation of the prognostic methods carried out showed differences in prognostic performance depending on the method, the age of the predicted body height and gender. An analysis of the distribution of the absolute error of prognosis at the age of 10 showed that as many as 71% of all prognoses showed an error of less than 3 cm in relation to the actual body height at age 18, which should be considered a very good result in clinical or school practice setting.

Conclusion: Based on the analysis of the results, it was found that models based on data from the ages of 10 to 12 years provided the highest accuracy for predicting adult body height. The Żarów Model for male pupils and the Khamis-Roche Model for female pupils show the lowest mean prediction error. The models are the most accurate for individuals with a typical developmental trajectory, and their performance decreases in extreme cases (very tall and very short children).

Habitual daily walking of at least 8,000 steps increases fecal acetate but not muscle mass in healthy young adults

Fri, 28 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0100

Purpose: Physical activity not only benefits musculoskeletal health but also influences gut microbiota and its metabolites, including short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). Butyrate has been linked to muscle protein synthesis and the prevention of muscle loss; however, evidence in healthy young adults remains limited. This study investigated the effects of a 12-week increase in daily walking on fecal SCFA concentrations and muscle mass in healthy young adults.

Material and methods: Thirty adults in their 20s without regular exercise habits completed a single-arm intervention in which they were instructed to walk ≥8,000 steps/day. Anthropometry, physical activity, dietary intake, fecal SCFAs, and gut microbiota composition were assessed before and after intervention. SCFAs were analyzed by gas chromatography, and microbiota by 16S rRNA sequencing.

Results: Mean daily steps increased from 7,334 ± 1,939 to 8,344 ± 1,824 (p = 0.028). Total fecal SCFA concentrations rose significantly (4.50 ± 1.69 to 5.80 ± 2.37 μmol/g, p = 0.019), primarily due to acetate (2.20 ± 0.83 to 2.76 ± 1.33 μmol/g, p = 0.004). No significant changes were observed in propionate, n-butyrate, or the relative abundance of major butyrate-producing taxa. Skeletal Muscle Mass Index remained unchanged, and SCFA changes were not correlated with muscle mass.

Conclusions: Increasing daily walking to approximately 8,000 steps elevates fecal SCFA production, particularly acetate, in healthy young adults but does not appear sufficient to promote short-term muscle mass gains. Integrating physical activity with dietary strategies that stimulate butyrate production may be necessary to optimize muscle health through the gut–muscle axis.

Physical activity levels of faculty in the higher education institutions in the Philippines during the peri-pandemic times

Fri, 28 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0100

Purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic compounded the roadblock to optimal engagement in physical activity (PA) among educators. In the Philippines, there is a paucity of studies exploring the PA levels of higher education institution (HEI) faculty during the peri-pandemic times. This study aimed to compare the PA levels of Filipino HEI faculty before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Material and methods: This cross-sectional survey gathered and compared data on the PA of HEI faculty during the peri-pandemic times using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) – Long Form. Participants from five institutions of higher learning in Manila, Philippines were invited to answer the survey following pre-determined eligibility criteria.

Results: Eighty-one HEI faculty members participated in the survey. The majority of HEI faculty did not meet the World Health Organization’s PA recommendations across time points. Pre-pandemic PA yielded the highest level of engagement with a median PA of 780 (300–1410) minutes. Post-hoc comparisons revealed statistically significant differences in PA level only between post- and pre-pandemic periods (p < 0.0001) and during and before the pandemic (p < 0.0001). Active transportation using bicycles significantly increased during the post-pandemic period.

Conclusions: Results of this study provide baseline information on the level of PA engagement of HEI faculty during the peri-pandemic times. Information can be used to explore factors influencing their engagement and identify strategies to promote PA across domains and in diverse contexts. Post-pandemic implications include strengthening initiatives to promote PA among HEI staff through sustainable PA policies and programs.

11th European Hypoxia Symposium Training Centre of the German Federal Police, Kührointalm / Berchtesgaden (Germany), 26th–28th September 2025

Thomas Küpper — Tue, 16 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0200

The meeting continues a long tradition since some colleagues have organized the first one in 2002 in Slovenia. Hundreds of lectures followed and after a short break during the COVID-19 period the Czech team continued at Kladno and now it takes place again at the Training Centre od the German Federal Police near Berchtesgaden.
As usual colleagues were invited to contribute to all aspects of hypoxia. In addition to mountain medicine, there is diving medicine, intensive care medicine, aviation medicine, working in extreme conditions, training, and many more. There was also a special invitation to young scientists and students to present their theses. The presented abstracts are listed in alphabetical order of the first author.