Conference Agenda

Purpose

Nature exposure enhances children’s physical activity (PA), but less is known of how different aspects of nature visits are associated with children’s PA. We examined the associations between the frequency and duration of nature visits, nature activities, and children’s light PA, moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) and total PA on weekdays, weekends and across the whole week.

Methods

Data were collected from 8−12-year-old children (N=540; analytic sample n=404, mean age 11.0 [SD 1.2]; 55% girls) and their parents in the DAGIS Salo study in Finland (2023–2024). Children’s PA was measured with accelerometers (hip-worn ActiGraph for 7 days). Nature visit frequency, duration of a typical visit, and type of nature activities (e.g., playing, birdwatching, skiing) were child-reported. The associations were examined using multiple linear regression models adjusted for age, sex, highest parental education in the family (parent-reported), and level of urbanity.

Results

50% of children visited nature at least weekly, and the majority (62%) reported 15–60 minutes as a typical duration. The most common nature activities were playing, cycling and walking. More frequent nature visits were associated with higher weekly MVPA (B=0.7; 95%CI 0.003-1.37) and total PA (B=1.4; 95%CI 0.08–2.7). No associations were found between other aspects of nature visits and PA levels across the week.

​Conclusions

In the association between children’s nature exposure and PA, nature visit frequency was related to weekly PA while other aspects of nature visits were not. Results highlight the importance of providing accessible nature environments that children can visit regularly throughout the week.

Background and aim of the study: Reduced trunk muscle endurance is common in symptomatic lumbar spinal stenosis and may contribute to functional limitations. We tested whether a supervised, individually tailored exercise and counselling programme improves trunk stabiliser endurance compared with a control group.

Methods: Participants with symptomatic lumbar spinal stenosis were randomised to an experimental group (n=31) or a control group (n=29) and assessed at baseline, week 8 and week 12. Trunk endurance outcomes were flexor, right and left side-bridge, and extensor endurance (standardised trunk endurance test battery). Repeated-measures analysis of variance was used; Greenhouse–Geisser correction was applied when sphericity was violated.

Results: Flexor endurance showed a significant time-by-group interaction (F(2,106)=3.79, p=0.026), with greater improvement in the experimental group (+34.37 s; +60.96%) than the control group (+10.73 s; +24.39%). Right side-bridge endurance increased over time (F(2,104)=10.63, p=0.001); although the time-by-group interaction did not reach statistical significance (p=0.062), gains were larger in the experimental group (+61.34%) than the control group (+25.61%). Left side-bridge endurance demonstrated a significant time-by-group interaction (F(2,96)=5.96, p=0.004), improving by +44.66% in the experimental group with no change in the control group. Extensor endurance (Greenhouse–Geisser corrected) also showed a significant time-by-group interaction (F(1.607,75.52)=4.46, p=0.021), favouring the experimental group (+93.37%) over the control group (+28.06%).

Conclusion: The individually tailored intervention produced statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvements in trunk flexor, left lateral, and extensor endurance, supporting targeted stabilization training in conservative LSS management.

Support/Funding Source: None.

Purpose: This study investigated changes in functional inter-limb asymmetry magnitude over 72 hours in adolescents following a muscle fatigue–inducing protocol.

Methods: Asymmetry magnitude in single-leg 10‑s hop jumps (SL10J), single‑leg countermovement jumps (SLCMJ), and single‑leg horizontal jumps (SLHJ) was assessed at baseline, immediately post-fatigue protocol, and 24, 48, and 72 hours post‑protocol in 7 female and 16 male adolescents aged 12–18 years. Segmental phase angle and ECW/TBW ratios derived from bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) were used as indicators of muscle damage, while muscle soreness was evaluated using a Visual Analog Scale (VAS).

Results: SL10J asymmetry magnitude significantly increased at 48 hours post‑exercise (p < 0.001), with no significant changes at other time points. SLCMJ and SLHJ asymmetry remained stable throughout testing (p = 0.468–0.714). BIA markers showed no significant evidence of muscle damage, although VAS scores indicated a significant rise in muscle soreness peaking at 48 hours (p < 0.05). Kappa coefficients revealed slight to moderate task‑specific agreement (κ = −0.123–0.493) and slight to substantial time‑specific agreement (κ = −0.137– 0.732), with the greatest consistency observed between 24 and 48 hours for both SLCMJ and SL10J.

Conclusion: Asymmetry magnitude increased significantly only for the SL10J at 48 h post‑exercise, suggesting an asymmetrical recovery from exercise‑induced fatigue between limbs and resulting in temporary shifts in inter‑limb asymmetry. Since asymmetries may affect sport performance and injury risk, a task‑ and time‑specific monitoring approach that accounts for athletes’ fatigue levels is recommended when assessing (recreational) athletes.

Background: Health during young adulthood is strongly influenced by the daily balance between physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and sleep. The twenty-four-hour movement behaviour framework integrates these components into a single model of health. However, limited comparative data exist on adherence to these recommendations among university students in Central Europe.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 2,611 university students aged 18–29 years from the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia. Physical activity and sedentary behaviour were assessed using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire – Long Form, while sleep duration was self-reported. Descriptive statistics and chi-square tests were used to examine gender and country differences.

Results: Overall, 44.24% of students met the physical activity recommendation, 82.27% complied with the sedentary behaviour guideline, and 85.43% achieved the recommended sleep duration. However, only 26.92% of participants met all three components simultaneously. Significant differences between countries were observed for physical activity (p < 0.001) and sleep duration (p = 0.025), whereas sedentary behaviour (p = 0.147) and overall adherence to the integrated recommendations (p = 0.351) did not differ significantly across countries.

Conclusions: A relatively small proportion of university students demonstrate balanced daily movement behaviours. Universities and public health stakeholders should implement integrated strategies—such as active campus environments, reduced sedentary learning formats, and sleep health promotion—to support healthier behavioural patterns and long-term wellbeing among students. The research was funded by the project International Visegrad Fund under the Visegrad Grants programme (Agreement number 22420149).

Objective: Low physical activity levels are a public health concern. Active travel is a potential strategy to increase routine walking, wheeling and cycling across populations. However, securing public acceptance for interventions is challenging, and focused analysis of these challenges is lacking. This review synthesises evidence on public attitudes to active travel interventions in the UK to inform future policymaking.

Methods: This systematic scoping review used six academic sources and Google Scholar to search for peer-reviewed studies of public attitudes using any methods. Titles and abstracts were screened, first on 30% of randomly selected records, before screening remaining records; the same process was used on full text records. Analysis included descriptive statistics about the publications with narrative synthesis of themes.

Results: We included 26 publications from 13,778 screened records. Publications were mostly published after 2021 (n=14). The most common intervention type was physical changes to spaces and streets (n=16). Few studies looked at rural areas or attitude trends over time. Overall active travel was positively viewed but intervention delivery was challenging. Perceived intervention effectiveness and fairness shaped attitudes but this varied due to public beliefs, characteristics and travel habits. Policymaking and practice challenges included the complexities of gauging public consensus, underlying cynicism about government, and a widespread desire to maintain driving habits.

Conclusions: Public attitudes can affect the planning and delivery of active travel interventions, and engagement is integral to interventions. Further research should look at specific, practical strategies policymakers can use to address the challenges identified.