Background The restrictions associated with the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in changes to young children’s daily routines and habits. The impact on their participation in movement behaviours (physical activity, sedentary screen time and sleep) is unknown. This international longitudinal study compared young children’s movement behaviours before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods Parents of children aged 3–5 years, from 14 countries (8 low- and middle-income countries, LMICs) completed surveys to assess changes in movement behaviours and how these changes were associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Surveys were completed in the 12 months up to March 2020 and again between May and June 2020 (at the height of restrictions). Physical activity (PA), sedentary screen time (SST) and sleep were assessed via parent survey. At Time 2, COVID-19 factors including level of restriction, environmental conditions, and parental stress were measured. Compliance with the World Health Organizations (WHO) Global guidelines for PA (180 min/day [≥60 min moderate- vigorous PA]), SST (≤1 h/day) and sleep (10-13 h/day) for children under 5 years of age, was determined. Results Nine hundred- forty-eight parents completed the survey at both time points. Children from LMICs were more likely to meet the PA (Adjusted Odds Ratio [AdjOR] = 2.0, 95%Confidence Interval [CI] 1.0,3.8) and SST (AdjOR = 2.2, 95%CI 1.2,3.9) guidelines than their high-income country (HIC) counterparts. Children who could go outside during COVID-19 were more likely to meet all WHO Global guidelines (AdjOR = 3.3, 95%CI 1.1,9.8) than those who were not. Children of parents with higher compared to lower stress were less likely to meet all three guidelines (AdjOR = 0.5, 95%CI 0.3,0.9). Conclusion PA and SST levels of children from LMICs have been less impacted by COVID-19 than in HICs. Ensuring children can access an outdoor space, and supporting parents’ mental health are important prerequisites for enabling pre-schoolers to practice healthy movement behaviours and meet the Global guidelines.

The intervention showed clinical improvements in quality of life and selected lower back pain outcomes in the experimental group compared to the control group.

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This study aimed at examined the effect of a 12-week whole body vibration (WBV) training program on leg blood flow and body composition in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Forty participants were randomly assigned to either a WBV training group (WBV; n = 20) or usual-care control group (CON; n = 20). Body composition [waist circumference, waist to hip ratio (WHR), weight, height, percentage of body fat and fat-free mass], heart rate, and blood flow [femoral artery diameter, maximum systolic velocity, maximum diastolic velocity (DV), time averaged mean, pulsatility index and resistance index (RI), mean velocity (V med), and peak blood velocities (PBV)] were assessed at baseline and after 12 weeks. There were significant increases in the blood flow (p = 0.046), V med (p = 0.050), and DV (p = 0.037) after WBV compared with CON. Within-group analysis showed significant differences in V med, PBV, and DV in the WBV group. Significant decreases after the intervention in weight (p < 0.001), waist circumference (p < 0.001), WHR (p < 0.05), and body fat (p < 0.05) were also found, with significant between-groups decreases in all these outcomes in the WBV group. Significant correlations existed between changes in percent body fat and blood flow [blood flow (-0.761), V med (-0.607), PBV (-0.677), and RI (0.0510)]. WBV training can be considered an effective means to increase leg blood flow and to reduce adiposity in patients with T2DM.