The positive contribution of physical education (PE) to daily physical activity (PA) has been documented in past studies. However, little is known about the contribution of PE to inactive and unfit schoolchildren’s PA. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to examine the contribution of PE to the daily PA of schoolchildren, especially for inactive and unfit schoolchildren. Accelerometers were used to measure the PA of 111 boys (Mage = 13.6 0.8 years) across 7 days. Moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) was measured during PE classes and on school days with and without PE classes. To measure the time that schoolchildren spent on MVPA, the accelerometer count (i.e., 2296 counts/minute) was used. Schoolchildren spent 22% of PE class time in MVPA. Times spent in MVPA were 12.9, 14.7 and 14.8 minutes higher on PE days than on days without PE for all, inactive, and unfit schoolchildren, respectively. Results showed that 40% percent and 24% of the schoolchildren met the recommended levels of PA on PE days and days without PE, respectively. It is concluded that, since PE classes increase daily engagement in MVPA, especially among inactive and unfit schoolchildren, PE classes should be conducted on all school days.

The associations between sarcopenia, adiposity indices and metabolic dysregulation still remain controversial. We aimed to assess and compare insulin resistance and metabolic profile in sarcopenic and non-sarcopenic obese Saudi adult men. Methods: This cross sectional study was conducted at the College of Sports Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh. We recruited 312 Saudi adult male individuals and 288 were finally selected for the study. Body composition analysis and hand grip strength (HGS) were estimated by bioimpedance analysis (BIA) and dynamometer in all subjects, respectively. Fasting blood samples were collected for glucose (FBG), basal insulin (BI) and lipid profile. The subjects were divided into three groups based on the body composition parameters, appendicular lean mass (ALM) and body fat percentage (BF%), into non-obese (NonOb) [Normal ALM+<25 BF%], obese without sarcopenia (ObNonS) [Normal ALM+>25 BF%] and obese with sarcopenia (ObS) [Low ALM+>25 BF%]. Results: Obese subjects had significantly higher BI, HOMA-IR and HOMA-β compared to non-obese. Moreover, comparison between two obese groups revealed that both BI and HOMA-IR levels were higher in ObS subjects compared to ObNonS individuals revealing that sarcopenia exacerbates the insulin resistance profile. There was a significant trend of higher resistance and lower sensitivity from non-obese to obesity with sarcopenia. Total cholesterol (TC) and triglycerides (TG) were significantly higher and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) was significantly lower in sarcopenic obese subjects compared to non-sarcopenic obese individuals. The worsening effects were more significant at cutoff point of 7.46 on insulin indices and lipid profile showing that sarcopenia associated with obesity exacerbates the dyslipidemia. Conclusion: Our study shows that obesity associated with sarcopenia exhibits significantly greater insulin resistance and dyslipidemia than sarcopenia or obesity per se. Therefore, sarcopenic obesity might be an independent risk factor for metabolic disease progression.

The association between objectively measured sedentary behavior and physical activity with metabolic syndrome (MetS) has been rarely investigated in Saudi Arabia. The purpose of the current study was to examine the association of objectively measured sedentary, light physical activity (LPA), and moderate-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) with MetS among Saudi adult males. Materials and Methods: The study participants were 103 males from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (mean age = 54.9 ± 10.6 years). Metabolic syndrome was defined based on having three or more of cardiometabolic risk factors. Triaxial accelerometers were used to measure the time spent on sedentary and physical activities across 7 days. A minimum four days with ≥10 hours of wearing time per day were considered a valid data. Binary logistics regression models were performed to examine the association of sedentary and physical activity levels with MetS vs no MetS. Model 1 was unadjusted, models 2, 3, and 4 were mutually controlled for sedentary, light, and MVPA intensities. Results: About 38% of males in the present study were classified as having MetS as demonstrated by a significant (p<0.05) decrease in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and a significant (p<0.05) increase in body weight, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), systolic blood pressure, glucose, and triglycerides compared to those without MetS. In addition, low levels of LPA (less than 6.3 hours per day) were significantly associated with the risk of having MetS, independent of sedentary and MVPA (odds ratio (OR) 4.26-6.96). The results showed that the associations between sedentary tertiles and MetS were not statistically significant. Levels of MVPA were also not significantly associated with an increased risk of developing MetS in all models. Conclusion: This study showed that low levels of LPA were significantly associated with the risk of having MetS in Saudi males from Riyadh city, independent of MVPA and sedentary time. The results suggest that future intervention studies should assess the positive effect of increasing levels of LPA in reducing the risk of developing MetS in males.

Objective In this study, we aimed to examine the association between physical activity patterns and sarcopenia in Arab men. Methods This cross-sectional study included 363 men (47.7 ± 15.4 years). We analyzed appendicular lean mass (ALM), handgrip strength test, and physical activity levels. ALM divided by height (meters) squared was calculated (ALM/Ht 2 ), and participants with −1 and −2 standard deviations below the sex-specific mean for Saudi young adults were considered to have sarcopenia class I and class II, respectively. Independent t-tests, analysis of variance, and Mann–Whitney U tests were performed to determine mean and median differences. Results We observed a significant difference between participants with and without sarcopenia in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA); the correlation between ALM/H2 and MVPA was borderline significant. With a 1-hour/week increase in MVPA, ALM/Ht 2 increased by 0.30 kg/m2. Total and ALM, handgrip strength, and MVPA were significantly lower in participants age >60 years; fat mass and waist circumference were unchanged as compared with middle-aged participants. Conclusions We identified an association between time spent in recreational MVPA and lean muscle mass among Arab men. Future studies should examine the role of MVPA training programs on muscle mass and strength in older men.