The aim of the review was to evaluate current evidence-based knowledge about physical activity, physical fitness, and body composition among children and young adults with visual impairments. A systematic literature review of articles published between January 1984 and April 2014 inclusive was conducted. The participants were in the age range of 5–22 years. A total of 29 publications met the inclusion criteria. In general, the findings revealed lower levels of participation in physical activity, poorer physical fitness, and higher prevalence of overweight and obesity among children with visual impairments compared to children with no reported visual impairments. Lack of longitudinal observational studies and randomized clinical trials reduced the possibilities to draw cause–effect conclusions. However, the 23 cross-sectional studies confirmed that young adults with visual impairment may need more physical activity to become fitter and have a healthier body composition. Furthermore, low physical activity may influence higher prevalence of overweight and obesity among children and young adults with vision loss.

Increased risk of infertility was only found for the small group of women reporting the highest levels of intensity and frequency of PA. Awareness of the possible risks of infertility should be highlighted among non-athletic women who exercise vigorously.

Subjects reporting regular leisure-time PA were less likely to report symptoms of HADS-defined depression and anxiety. Personality may be an underlying factor in explaining this association.

Introduction The purpose of this study was to summarize current scientific knowledge relating to the occurrence of mood disorders among children with visual impairments. Methods A systematic review was conducted of articles published between January 1998 and July 2016, inclusive. A total of 17 publications met the inclusion criteria, of which 15 reported studies with a cross-sectional design. The 17 publications represent 13 countries. Results The majority of the studies suggested that children and young adults with visual impairments had more emotional problems than did their sighted peers. In addition, girls with visual impairments more often experienced serious symptoms of depression and anxiety than did boys with visual impairments, a finding that was in line with results for the general population. Two studies with a longitudinal design suggested that emotional problems among children and young adults with visual impairments might lessen over time. Discussion Due to the different research purposes, study designs, definitions of visual impairment, participants’ age ranges, cultures, countries, small sample sizes, measurements, and analyses of mental health, the overall results of the reviewed studies were inconsistent. To give children the best opportunities for good mental health, there is a need for more knowledge and for further longitudinal and randomized studies of high quality. Implications for practitioners Social support, friendship, and independence in mobility seem to be important for enhancing the mental health of all children. Children with earlier onset and more severe visual impairments may be less likely to experience a reduction in their mental health problems over time.

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Reverse causality, in which obesity-induced disease leads to both weight loss and higher mortality, may bias observed associations between body mass index (BMI) and mortality, but the magnitude of that bias is unknown. The authors examined the impact of reverse causality and the exclusion of various diseases on the observed age-specific mortality ratios for BMI by using a state space model and sensitivity analyses. They found that reverse causality may decrease the ratios and induce a J-shaped curve on a graph. The authors further found that the net effect of excluding various diseases becomes a balance of competing forces, some tending to increase observed mortality ratios, where as others, such as selection based on common effects, may decrease them. Instead of studying just the change in observed mortality ratios, which can be misleading, investigators need to consider causal relationships and evaluate the conceptual and theoretical impact of any analytic maneuver. Analyses should be balanced with sensitivity approaches as well as with alternative analytic approaches such as the use of structural models, G-estimation, simulations and ancillary data from animal studies.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the isokinetic muscle strength 6 months after reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). In order to recommend full‐load come‐back in sport, sufficient muscle strength may be important. Ninety female elite team handball players (mean 24.1 years) were postoperatively tested with Biodex. The operated limb was compared with the contralateral limb: 82.2% had a hamstring strength of a minimum of 49.6 Nm, corresponding to at least 90% of the non‐operated limb, while only 12.2% fulfilled the recommended strength of 117.7 Nm for quadriceps femoris. Patients over 26 years showed significantly lower muscle strength in the operated limb than their younger counterparts. Increased focus on quadriceps femoris muscle strength during rehabilitation may improve the knee function faster after ACL reconstruction.

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