Objective: Fewer than 10% of French children meet the WHO recommendations for physical activity (PA). As engaging in play activities is a key way to promote PA in children, we evaluated the effect of a sports kit called "Le Sport Ça Me Dit" ("Sport is fun") that provides a recreational way to engage in sports. Design: This was an open longitudinal controlled study. The children were divided into two groups for the first 7 weeks (Period 1): an Action group that used the kit for two recreational sessions per week (comprising six different activities) and a Control group that was not provided use of the kit. For the next 7 weeks (Period 2), neither group was provided use of the kit. Setting: Six towns in northern France. Subjects: 213 children aged 8-11 were recruited: 122 for the Control group and 91 for the Action group. Each child received a 3D accelerometer wristband to measure their level of PA during the 14 weeks of the study. In parallel, the children completed a questionnaire, 3 times (before (T0), during (T1) and at the end of the study (T2)), regarding their PA habits, screen time, and sleep habits. Results: A significant increase in the steps number was observed when the sports kit was used (p=0.025); although this effect was lost over time (p=0.672). Subpopulation analysis revealed a significant increase in the steps number and light PA in overweight children in the Action group for both periods (p=0.018 and p=0.012). Conclusion: The use of the sports kit increased the PA level of the children, and particularly in overweight children. Although these results require further investigation, they provide novel insights in regard to overweight children.
BACKGROUND Studies have shown that the consumption of apples has a beneficial effect on cardiovascular diseases and some cancers, largely as a result of their micronutrient and phytoconstituent contents. Apple peel not only contains more polyphenols than the flesh, but also is likely to contain pesticide residues. The present study aimed to compare the contents of certain micronutrients and residual pesticide levels in peeled and unpeeled apples. RESULTS Peeled apples contained fewer pesticide residues at lower concentrations than unpeeled apples. However, whether samples were peeled or not, the exposure values for pesticide residues in apples never exceeded the acceptable daily intake (ADI), but ranged between 0.04% and 2.10% of the ADI in adults for food intake estimated at the 95th percentile (277 g per person per day). Determination of polyphenol, fibre, magnesium and vitamin C levels showed that the nutritional differences observed between peeled and unpeeled apples were marginal. CONCLUSION The consumption of apples, such as the apples tested in the present study, results in an exposure to pesticides that is low for unpeeled apples, and lower for peeled apples. Moreover, there was no significant loss of nutritional value from eating peeled apples based on the nutrients investigated. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.
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