During the COVID-19 pandemic, physical inactivity and being overweight increased in children, especially those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. Additionally, a decrease in motor performance has been increasingly reported; however, there is a lack of meaningful data on the relationship between these findings and socioeconomic status. Therefore, we examined the BMI, BMI z score, the prevalence of overweight/obesity, and motor performance (based on lateral jumping, the standing long jump, and the 6-min run) among three cohorts from timelines before (2016) and during the pandemic (2020, 2021), using a cohort sequential design. Our analysis revealed that all parameters examined showed a significant negative trend over time. For children with a low social burden, the trend was statistically detectable only for lateral jumping and the 6-min run. For children with a high social burden, the prevalence of overweight/obesity increased from 4.2% to 5.4% between 2016 and 2021. The prevalence of being underweight also increased from 3.4% to 4.3% during this time. Motor performance decreased from 11.3% to 12.3%, except in the standing long jump. Children with a high social burden showed significantly lower results (7.4% to 9.6%). Thus, our data confirm an increase in both measurements of overweight/obesity and underweight, as well as a decrease in motor performance under the pandemic conditions, especially in children from socioeconomically deprived backgrounds. These findings affirm the urgent need for action regarding health promotion measures, especially for children with high social burdens.

Addressing physical literacy (PL) has become increasingly relevant to counteract sedentary behaviour in children and youth. We developed an assessment tool to measure and evaluate the promotion of individual PL and its four subdomains: motivation and confidence (the affective dimension), physical competence (physical dimension), knowledge and understanding (cognitive dimension), and participation in physical activity. Within this cross-sectional study, we tested 567 children aged 6–12 years from four primary schools that differed in socioeconomic status (SES). A subsequent exploratory factor analysis conducted to examine the conformity revealed a five-factor structure. The five factors explained 39.8% of the total cumulative variance. Children with a low SES yielded lower scores in all subdomains except participation in physical activity. This effect was most pronounced in motor skills (p < 0.001, r = 0.28). Among the children with a low SES, 16.9% were overweight and 17.4% were obese, compared to 11.5% and 5.4%, respectively, for those with a high SES (p < 0.001). In conclusion, although the assessment tool was largely in line with the postulated structure, further adjustments are necessary in terms of participation and motivation. Nevertheless, this holistic view of PL, taking SES into account, should enable the focused promotion of health and health literacy.

Background Traditional meta-analyses with pairwise direct comparison revealed that a variety of exercise-based training interventions can prevent falls in community-dwelling older adults. This network meta-analysis adds value by comparing and ranking different exercise training strategies based on their effects on fall risk reductions determined by analysis of direct and indirect comparisons. Methods The studies included in this network meta-analysis were identified through a comprehensive search in five biomedical databases (PubMed, SportDiscus, CINAHL, Web of Science and EMBASE). We included (randomized) controlled trials (RCTs) that compared the occurance of fall events in older adults who received different interventional treatments. Results Seventy six comparisons from 66 RCTs with 47.420 (61% male / 39% female) participants aged 77 ± 4 (68 – 88) years were included in this network meta-analysis. The network model revealed low heterogeneity (I2 = 28.0, 95%CI 1.0 to 47.7%) and inconsistency (Q between designs = 15.1, p = 0.37). Postural control training was found to be most effective in preventing falls (Postural Control Training: (home): Risk Ratio (RR) = 0.66, 95%-CI [0.49; 0.88], P-score = 0.97;Postural Control Training: RR = 0.82, 95%-CI [0.75; 0.91], P-score = 0.82). Combined and multifactorial interventions also display a robust but smaller effect (RR = 0.88–0.93, P-score = 0.65–0.47). Conclusion Physical activity that includes balance training presents itself to be the most effective. Multifactorial approaches are well investigated but could be slightly less effective than isolated postural control training.

Introduction Cardiovascular mortality risk is significantly increased by inactivity. Nevertheless, most patients with diabetes fail to achieve the recommended amount of weekly physical activity. Thus, strategies to establish and maintain an active lifestyle are required. Objective The aim of the present study was to examine the effects of a 6‐month running program, Diabetes Programme Germany (DPD), on adherence, body mass index (BMI), hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), and health‐related quality of life (HRQOL). Methods/Results A retrospective analysis of 428 participants with type 1 (n = 177) and type 2 diabetes (n = 251) was performed. Adherence at 6 months was 75.5%. For participants who completed the program, there was a reduction in HbA1c of 0.3 ± 1.0% (P ≤ .001) and BMI of 0.7 ± 1.1 kg/m2 (P ≤ .001). The greatest improvements were seen in participants with obesity (−1.3 ± 1.7 kg/m2; P ≤ .001) and with type 2 diabetes and a baseline HbA1c ≥7.5% (−1.4 ± 1.7%, P ≤ .001). In a post‐interventional survey (response rate: n = 83), participants reported an above‐average physical HRQOL. Mental HRQOL showed no significant difference from other patients with diabetes. Conclusion The program's success was confirmed by a high adherence and significant reductions in BMI and HbA1c. Furthermore, a positive effect, especially on physical HRQOL, can be assumed.