The purpose of the present study was to investigate the socio-demographic and lifestyle determinants of physical activity practice, as well as the motivations for being or not being physically active in Spanish university students. A representative sample of students from a Spanish university (n = 2,051; 42.1% males; mean age 21.9, s = 4.8 years) participated in the present cross-sectional study. A questionnaire including questions regarding lifestyle, dietary habits, parents' characteristics, and physical activity habits was administered to the students. The socio-demographic and lifestyle determinants of physical activity practice were assessed using multivariable logistic regression. 68.4% of men and 48.4% of women reported to practise physical activity in the present sample. Those who practised physical activity consumed more fruits and were less likely to be smokers compared to non-physically active students. Also, physically inactive men spent more time in front of the computer and physically inactive women spent more time in front of the TV and were more likely to be frequent alcohol consumers. Maternal educational level and maternal physical activity habits were also important determinants of physical activity practice among men and women respectively. In conclusion, physically active students tended to engage in other healthy habits in the present population, suggesting the clustering of healthy or unhealthy lifestyle factors among specific subgroups.
Health-related lifestyles in young adults are a public health concern because they affect the risk for developing noncommunicable diseases. Although unhealthy lifestyles tend to cluster together, most studies have analyzed their effects as independent factors. This study assessed the prevalence, association, and clustering of health-related lifestyles (smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity, and quality of diet) among university students. This cross-sectional study examined a sample of student participants from the University of the Balearic Islands (n = 444; 67.8% females; mean age: 23.1 years). A self-reported questionnaire was used to assess health-related lifestyles. Men that consumed more alcohol, had less healthy diets, were more likely to be overweight, and performed more physical activity. Women had a higher prevalence of low weight and performed less physical activity. Physical activity had a negative association with time using a computer (OR: 0.85; 95% CI: 0.76, 0.95) and a positive association with adherence to the Mediterranean diet (OR: 1.16; 95% CI: 1.02, 1.32). Adherence to the Mediterranean diet had a negative association with tobacco consumption (OR: 0.52; 95% CI: 0.30, 0.91), and positive associations with having breakfast every day (OR: 1.70; 95% CI: 1.05, 2.76) and consuming more daily meals (OR: 1.43; 95% CI: 1.10, 1.87). Cluster analysis indicated the presence of three distinct groups: Unhealthy lifestyles with moderate risk; unhealthy lifestyles with high risk; and healthy lifestyles with low risk. Health promotion interventions in the university environment that focus on multiple lifestyles could have a greater effect than interventions that target any single lifestyle.
The effects of starvation on the thermogenic parameters of three different mitochondrial subpopulations in brown adipose tissue (BAT) of both post-cafeteria obese and lean rats were investigated. Tissue from different BAT depots from fed and 24 h starved rats were collected, pooled and three mitochondrial subpopulations were isolated by differential centrifugation; the M1 fraction (1000 g), the M3 fraction (3000 g) and the M15 fraction (15,000 g). Thermogenic parameters were measured in the three mitochondrial subtypes, and uncoupling protein (UCP) mRNA was determined in BAT. The results showed that starvation induced a decrease in mitochondrial turnover in BAT from both lean and obese rats. Moreover, a selective net loss of UCP from the lightest mitochondrial fraction (M15) in lean rats, with a concomitant reduction of UCP mRNA was observed. The reductions did not occur in obese rats and, as a result, a change in UCP distribution between the mitochondrial subpopulations was produced, with an increase in the M1 mitochondrial subtype. The lack of response of UCP to starvation observed in BAT of obese rats compared with the decrease seen in lean animals, is a consequence of a different mitochondrial subpopulation composition and/or a different response of a particular subpopulation to starvation.
Lower socio-economic status (SES) is significantly associated with metabolic syndrome (MS) prevalence, possibly affecting women more than men, although evidence in Spain is still limited. The present cross-sectional study analyzed the association between MS and SES by age and gender among 42,146 working adults living in the Balearic Islands (Spain). Prevalence was higher in men (9.4% by ATP-III; 12.3% by IDF) than women (3.8% by ATP-III; 5.7% by IDF) and in the lower social class (7.9% by ATP-III; 10.7% by IDF) than the higher (4.1% by ATP-III; 5.9% by IDF). The SES gradient in MS prevalence was larger in women (PR 95% CI: 3.38, 2.50–4.58 by ATP-III; 3.06, 2.43–3.86 by IDF) than in men (1.23, 1.06–1.41 by ATP-III; 1.15, 1.03–1.30 by IDF) and was already evident from early adulthood, reaching the highest ratio at the late stages of middle adulthood (4.34, 1.11–16.98). Among men, it was significant during the late stages of early adulthood only (1.80, 1.19–2.73). Lower SES influenced MS prevalence in both genders, however, women seemed more affected than men. From a public health perspective, SES could be strongly associated with the burden of MS; in an effort to reduce its prevalence, public health policies should focus on gender differences in socio-economic inequality and consider women with low socio-economic resources as a priority.
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