The exercise programme had a beneficial effect on the severity of lumbopelvic pain in pregnancy, reducing the intensity of pain and the level of disability experienced as a result.

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Introduction and objective. Low levels of physical activity (PA) and sedentary lifestyle have become a major public health problem in developed countries, even among the young population. The aim of the study was to determine and compare physical activity levels, health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and the prevalence of musculoskeletal pain symptoms (MPS) among the students of Physiotherapy and Social Sciences. Materials and method. A cross-sectional survey was performed on 517 participants and included the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form, SF-36 Health Survey, and the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire. Results. The majority of students (61.7%) met the criteria for the category "high" PA, and 11% respondents were in the "low" category. Male students accumulated higher levels of vigorous-and moderate-intensity PA, and scored higher in the domains of general health, vitality, and social functioning, while females scored higher in mental health (p<0.05). The physical component summary score was higher for Physiotherapy students, while Social Sciences students scored higher in the mental component summary score (p<0.05). The prevalence of MPS in the last year was 80.9%, more among female and Physiotherapy students (p<0.05). A weak association was found between MPS and lower levels of total PA, moderateintensity PA and several domains of HRQoL (p<0.05). Conclusions. Students of both disciplines reported high levels of PA, but also a high prevalence of MPS which could have affected their HRQoL which was lower than in the general population. Gender differences were found in both PA levels and HRQoL, which suggests the need for the development of gender-specific preventive programmes.

Research on the acute responses to exercise in pregnancy is scarce, especially for women affected by gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). The aim of this study was to investigate responses to a single bout of exercise performed multiple times throughout the pregnancy in women diagnosed with GDM. Data from 18 pregnant women (aged: 32.8 ± 3.8) diagnosed with GDM, treated with diet only, were analyzed. Participants' pre-pregnancy body mass index was 24.4 ± 4.9 kg/m , 50% of them were nulliparous, and 50% of the sample regularly exercised before the pregnancy. The exercise intervention consisted of an individual structured aerobic and resistance exercise program performed twice per week from the time of diagnosis until at least the 36th week of pregnancy. The exercise program included 20 minutes of aerobic exercise, 20-25 minutes of resistance exercise, and 10 minutes of cool down. Maternal heart rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, temperature and fetal heart rate were measured at every exercise session, along with blood glucose on 3 occasions. In total, 365 exercise sessions were analyzed (85 in the second trimester and 280 in the third trimester), on average 20.3 ± 7.7 per participant. Heart rate and fetal heart rate were elevated during both the aerobic and resistance parts of the exercise session (P < .01) in comparison with the baseline while systolic and diastolic blood pressure did not change in the total sample. There was a slight elevation in tympanic membrane temperature during the aerobic part of the session (P < .01). All parameters returned to baseline levels by the end of the session. Glucose levels dropped from the baseline, from 4.7 ± 0.6 to 3.9 ± 0.4 mmol/L (P < .01). There were no differences in responses to exercise between the second and third trimesters, nor between pre-pregnancy exercisers and non-exercisers. The combination of aerobic and resistance exercise for women diagnosed with GDM does not have harmful short-term effects if performed according to guidelines. Likewise, exercise can be considered useful for controlling hyperglycemia in pregnancy for women affected by GDM.

The importance of physical activity, as one of the crucial resources for maintaining and improving physical health, was diminished during the Covid-19 pandemic. Except for the impact it has on physical health, physical activity may have various psychological benefits, especially during the development period of adolescence. The current findings of physical activity show that adolescents are more physically inactive during the pandemic than usual. Also, there are increasingly negative psychological outcomes in adolescents. The purpose of this study was to explore the levels of physical activity, negative affectivity, coping and preoccupation with the pandemic in an adolescent sample. The study involved 2409 adolescents (53.5% girls, 46.5% boys) from elementary and high schools aged 10 to 19. The Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) was applied, and information about levels of physical activity, coping and preoccupation with pandemic and isolation measures were collected. Participants answered on a Likert-type scale. Findings of this research show that on average male adolescents are more likely to engage in physical activities than females. Also, a relation of physical inactivity distress and preoccupation was obtained for adolescent girls. No similar finding was found for males. However, very high physical activity (five or more times a week) was a protective factor for coping and preoccupation with coronavirus infection. The conclusion of this research indicates that levels of physical activity have a different effect on male and female adolescents during the Covid-19 pandemic. It can be concluded that female adolescents that are less physically active are more at risk of depression, anxiety and stress.