Guglielmina Fantuzzi

Background: Physical education (PE) can be considered an instrument for active lifestyle promotion, and PE teachers can motivate youths to continue their studies in the field of Movement Sciences (MS).Methods: To evaluate the role of PE in higher secondary school in promoting physical activity (PA) and MS careers, previous PE experiences and current PA practice were investigated in a sample of Italian freshmen enrolled in different university degree courses.Results: A total of 7033 questionnaires were completed by students from 14 universities (41.3% males, mean age 20 ± 2.76 years). Recreation seemed to be the principal aim (42.2%) pursued during PE lessons, which are based mainly on practical activities (51.7%). Of all respondents, 67.2% were satisfied with the PE received during higher secondary school, and 51.6% participated in extracurricular PA. Current practice of PA was reported by 58.1% of the sample. Extracurricular activities were associated with choice of MS curricula (odds ratio: 2.15; 95% confidence interval, 1.85–2.50) and with current practice of PA (odds ratio: 1.68, 95% confidence interval, 1.51–1.87). Geographical differences concerning lessons organization and satisfaction were registered (P < .01).Conclusions: To enhance its role in health promotion, PE teaching should be improved by increasing the time allocated to PE and by strengthening the provision of school-based extracurricular PA.

In two previous studies we evaluated the frequency of different ocular and respiratory symptoms in a group of pool workers in relation to their exposure to DBPs. Recently, we were able to extend the monitoring to a further group of workers. The aim of this study was to re-evaluate associations between different irritant health effects and occupational exposure to both THMs and NCl3 in this enlarged cohort of subjects in order to assess the role played by different index of exposure to irritant chemicals. THMs exposure was evaluated by both environmental and biological monitoring, while NCl3 levels were investigated in environmental air.

The hypothesis that attendance at indoor chlorinated swimming pool is a risk factor for irritative ocular and respiratory symptoms and bronchial asthma is well known in literature, although epidemiological evidence is still inconclusive. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between airborne trichloramine (NCl(3)) levels and irritative symptoms in swimming pool employees in order to obtain detailed data regarding dose-response relationships and to identify the airborne NCl(3) exposure level, if any, without health effects. A total of 20 indoor swimming pools in the Emilia Romagna region of Italy were included in the study. Information about the health status of 128 employees was collected using a self-administered questionnaire. Exposure to airborne NCl(3) was evaluated in indoor swimming pools by a modified DPD/KI method. The results of the study evidenced a mean value of airborne NCl(3) of 0.65±0.20 mg/m(3) (ranging from 0.20 to 1.02 mg/m(3)). Both ocular and upper respiratory symptoms, in particular red eyes, runny nose, voice loss and cold symptoms, were declared more frequently by lifeguards and trainers when compared with employees working in other areas of the facility (office, cafe, and so on). Pool attendants exposed to airborne NCl(3) levels of >0.5 mg/m(3) experienced higher risks for runny nose (OR: 2.91; 95% CI: 1.22-6.93) red eyes (OR: 3.16; 95% CI: 1.46-6.82), voice loss (OR: 3.56; 95% CI: 1.60-7.95) and itchy eyes (OR: 2.23; 95% CI: 1.04-4.78) than other employees. Moreover, red eyes, itchy eyes, runny nose and voice loss are related to airborne NCl(3) levels, with strong dose-response relationships. In conclusion, this study shows that lifeguards and trainers experience ocular and respiratory irritative symptoms more frequently than employees not exposed. Irritative symptoms become significant starting from airborne NCl(3) levels of >0.5 mg/m(3), confirming that the WHO-recommended value can be considered protective in occupational exposure to airborne NCl(3) in indoor swimming pools.

The Working Group "Movement Sciences for Health" of the Italian Society of Hygiene, Preventive Medicine and Public Health has promoted the Italian translation of the WHO Guidelines for Safe Recreational Water Environments, relating to coastal and freshwater environments. In this article the authors briefly summarize the main areas covered in the guidelines, namely drowning and injury, exposure to cold, heat and sunlight, water quality, contamination of beach sand, exposure to algae and their products, aesthetic issues, exposure to chemical and physical agents, dangerous aquatic organisms, monitoring and assessment hazards and risks.

Environmental Health Perspectives is an Open Access journal published by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. Environmental Health Perspectives is an Open Access journal published by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.

Environmental Health Perspectives is an Open Access journal published by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. Environmental Health Perspectives is an Open Access journal published by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the environmental and healthy aspects from a representative sample of indoor swimming pools located in the Emilia Romagna region. During the sampling sessions, the occupational environment was evaluated in terms of microclimate parameters and thermal comfort/discomfort conditions. Moreover the chemical risk was assessed by analyzing from the pool water the presence of disinfection by-products (DBPs), such as: trihalomethanes (THMs), haloacetic acids (HAAs), chlorite, chlorate and bromate. The analytical results are in agreement with the Italian legislation (Accordo Stato-Regioni; 2003) even if in some of the sampled indoor swimming pools, the dosed combined chlorine levels, were greater than the Italian limit. With the regard to the microclimate conditions evaluation, the considered thermal indices, Predicted Mean Vote (PMV) and Predicted Percentage of Dissatisfied (PPD%), described a satisfactory occupational environment. Among DBPs, the THMs mean levels (41.4 +/- 30.0 microg/l) resulted close to the values of the current Italian drinking water legislation, and seem to not represent an health issue. The pool waters chlorate levels (range: 5 - 19537 microg/l) need further investigations as recent epidemiological studies on drinking water hypothesized a potential genotoxicity effect of these compounds which are involved in cellular oxidative processes.