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Metabolic syndrome (MS) increases the risk of cardiovascular disease and affects children and adolescents. Butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) is an enzyme associated with obesity. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of different physical training protocols on MS indicators and their relationship with BChE activity. This randomized clinical trial included 80 adolescents randomly assigned to 4 groups (CG: Control Group; ATG: Aerobic Training Group; STG: Strength Training Group; and CTG: Concurrent Training Group). The EFC, lipid profile, glycemia, waist circumference, and blood pressure were analyzed. With the exception of the CG, all the groups underwent training protocols for 12 consecutive weeks, 4 times a week, as follows: (ATG: 75% of heart rate on an electric treadmill; STG: 85% of 1 maximum repetition; CTG: 20 min of aerobic training at the same intensity as the ATG, and 20 min of resistance training in the same way as the STG). The training reduced MS-related biomarkers, such as the lipid profile, glycemia, waist circumference, and blood pressure. STG reduced BChE activity. The training methods led to improvements in the majority of the MS indicators. In addition, aerobic training significantly reduced BChE activity after a 12-week training protocol. The results suggest that different types of exercise can benefit MS.

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Resumo Cabo Verde é um arquipélago do continente africano, com cerca de 538.535 habitantes. Desde sua independencia, em 1975, o país tem experimentado um rápido crescimento econômico e social, com ganhos significativos em escolarização, redução dos óbitos maternos e da mortalidade infantil. Em 2001, seguindo as diretrizes da Conferencia Internacional de População e Desenvolvimento (CIPD, Cairo, 1994), foi lançado o Programa Nacional de Saúde Reprodutiva, PNSR, visando incluir ações de saúde sexual e reprodutiva, SSR, para adolescentes, jovens e homens adultos, em parceria com o setor de educação e centros de juventude. Entretanto, a persistência da gravidez não planejada, do aborto clandestino e da infecção pelo HIV indicam lacunas na sua implementação. Estudos realizados no país apontam razões socioculturais e no âmbito da organização e oferta de serviços para os problemas identificados. Este trabalho tem como finalidade refletir sobre os alcance e limites do PNSR de Cabo Verde, considerando os desafios de implementação de políticas de saúde que afetam práticas culturais relativas ao gênero e a sexualidade; as especificidades demográficas, socioeconômicas e culturais de Cabo Verde e ainda a importancia da SSR para o desenvolvimento.

Abstract Cape Verde is an archipelago on the African coast, with 538,535 inhabitants living on nine islands. Since it gained independence in 1975, the country has experienced rapid economic and social growth, with significant gains in education as well as a reduction in maternal and infant mortality deaths. In 2001, following the guidelines of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD, Cairo, 1994), the National Reproductive Health Program (PNSR) was launched aiming to provide sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services to adolescents, young people and adult men, in partnership with the education sector and youth centers. However, the continuance of unplanned pregnancies, illegal abortions and HIV infections has indicated that there are gaps in the program`s implementation. Studies conducted in the country point to socio-cultural aspects as well as aspects covering organizations and the services on offer, as some of the reasons for the identified problems. This paper aims to reflect on the scope and limits of the PNSR in Cape Verde with consideration being given to the challenges of implementing health policies that affect cultural practices related to gender and sexuality. Consideration is also given to the specifics of Cape Verde`s demographics, economic and cultural aspects as well as the importance of the SRH services to its development.

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BACKGROUND: Student-school connectedness is inversely associated with multiple health risk behaviors, yet research is limited on the relative contributions of a student's connectedness with school and an overall context of school social cohesion to peer victimization/bullying. PURPOSE: We examined associations of perceived school cohesion and student-school connectedness with physical victimization, verbal victimization, and social exclusion in the past six months in adolescents in grades 6-11 (N = 774) attending 11 public and private urban schools in Colombia. METHODS: Cross-sectional data were collected via a self-administered questionnaire and analyzed using mixed-effects linear regression models. RESULTS: Higher perceived school cohesion was inversely related with exposure to three bullying types examined (p < 0.05); student-school connectedness was negatively related to verbal victimization among girls only (p < 0.01). In full models, school cohesion maintained inverse associations with three bullying types after controlling for student-school connectedness (p ≤ 0.05). CONCLUSION: Enhancing school cohesion may hold benefits for bullying prevention beyond a student's individual school connectedness.

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Health promotion programs are commonly viewed as value-free initiatives which seek to improve health, often through behavior change. An opposing view has begun to emerge that health promotion efforts, especially ones seeking to impact health policy and social determinants of health, are vulnerable to political contexts and may depend on who is in power at the time. This community-based participatory research study attempts to understand these interactions by applying a conceptual model focused on the power context, diverse stakeholder roles within this context, and the relationship of political levers and other change strategies to the sustainability of health promotion interventions aimed at health policy change. We present a case study of a health promotion coalition, New Mexico for Responsible Sex Education (NMRSE), as an example of power dynamics and change processes. Formed in 2005 in response to federal policies mandating abstinence-only education, NMRSE includes community activists, health promotion staff from the New Mexico Department of Health, and policy-maker allies. Applying an adapted Mayer's 'power analysis' instrument, we conducted semi-structured stakeholder interviews and triangulated political-context analyses from the perspective of the stakeholders.We identified multiple understandings of sustainability and health promotion policy change, including: the importance of diverse stakeholders working together in coalition and social networks; their distinct positions of power within their political contexts; the role of science versus advocacy in change processes; the particular challenges for public sector health promotion professionals; and other facilitators versus barriers to action. One problem that emerged consisted of the challenges for state employees to engage in health promotion advocacy due to limitations imposed on their activities by state and federal policies. This investigation's results include a refined conceptual model, a power-analysis instrument, and new understandings of the intersection of power and stakeholder strategies in the sustainability of health promotion and health in all policies.

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