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The study analyzed the differences between sexes in body image perception and body ideals to assess possible dissatisfaction and misinterpretation in the body image considered attractive for the other sex. Moreover, the influence of anthropometric traits and sports practice on body dissatisfaction and misjudgment was evaluated. Using a cross-sectional design, 960 Italian university students were investigated. Anthropometric characteristics were measured directly. Assessment of body image perception was performed using Thompson and Gray’s silhouettes. We developed two new indexes to assess the possible discrepancy between (1) the perceived silhouette of one’s body and that of the same sex deemed attractive to the other sex (FAD); (2) the silhouette is deemed attractive to the opposite sex and the average attractive silhouette selected by the opposite sex (AMOAD). As expected, females showed greater dissatisfaction with their bodies than males concerning both their own ideal and the silhouette they considered attractive to the opposite sex. Although both sexes misjudged the attractive silhouette for the opposite sex, women were found to be more wrong. According to the outcomes of multivariate regression models, stature, body composition parameters, amount of sport, sex, and FAD were significant predictors of dissatisfaction and misjudgment. In addition to action aimed at correcting misperceptions, the study revealed the importance of sports participation in improving the perception and acceptance of one’s body image.

Background/Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the lifestyles of children and adolescents because of the restrictions imposed to contain the infection. This systematic review examined the possible reduction in children’s and adolescents’ physical activity and changes in their BMI and weight status. Methods: A systematic review (PROSPERO: CRD42024589208) of English-language studies published up to 1 October 2024 in individuals with a mean age between 6 and 18 years that investigated physical activity data before and during or after the pandemic and focused on their BMI and weight status according to age, sex, and country making use of PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus, identified 1040 possible articles. Results: Following the PRISMA statement, 26 articles with a whole set of 138,737 children and adolescents were enclosed in the review. The majority of included articles were of moderate quality, as determined by the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale adapted for observational studies. The studies found a decrease in PA, an increase in sedentary activities during/after the lockdown, and an increase in BMI and prevalence of overweight and obesity, especially in males and 8–11-year-olds. Conclusions: The interruption or restriction of outdoor physical activities and sports during the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a more sedentary lifestyle among children and adolescents, contributing to an overall increase in BMI and obesity, with alarming implications for related health risks and other noncommunicable diseases. Therefore, the adverse effects of restrictive measures should be assessed when implementing public health strategies during pandemics.

Vaccination plays a pivotal role in the control of infectious disease outbreaks. Hesitancy/refusal of the vaccine by immigrants poses a serious threat to their and society’s health. We reviewed studies regarding COVID-19 vaccine uptake in Europe by first-generation immigrants. A systematic review (PROSPERO: CRD42023432142), conducted until 31 October 2023 using Web of Science, PubMed, and Scopus, identified 295 potential articles. Of these, 16 conducted on 2,009,820 immigrants in nine European countries met the eligibility criteria. Most studies were of medium/high quality according to the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale adapted for observational studies. Factors that affected the uptake or hesitancy/refusal to vaccinate, with particular regard to gender, age, and country of origin, were examined. The meta-analysis of eight studies revealed that the pooled estimated prevalence of COVID-19 vaccine uptake in first-generation immigrants was 71.3% (95% CI: 70.0–72.5%), corresponding to 13.3% less than the host country population (95% CI: 10.2–16.4%). Limitations of included studies and this review were deeply discussed, highlighting the need for further research on the effect of acculturation on second-generation immigrants. European governments need to ensure equal availability of COVID-19 and other health-saving vaccines to all immigrants in the future by overcoming cultural barriers, building trust in institutions, and improving communication.

Secondary research is a cornerstone of health sciences, with substantial implications for clinical practice and health policy. Within the systematic review process, a key step is assessing study quality and risk of bias. Among the tools available for evaluating observational studies, the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale (NOS) holds a prominent position and is widely applied in medical research. However, ambiguities and excessive subjectivity have been noted in its application. In this commentary, we discuss the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale guidelines, providing illustrative examples and practical recommendations for completing its items. Improving the accuracy of risk-of-bias assessment is crucial for enhancing the reliability of data synthesis and interpretation in the health sciences.

Several studies have demonstrated that discriminant function equations used to determine the sex of a skeleton are population-specific. The purpose of the present research was to develop discriminant function equations for sex determination on the basis of 18 variables on the right and left talus and calcaneus in a modern northern Italian sample. The sample consisted of 118 skeletons (62 males and 56 females) from the Frassetto Collection (University of Bologna). The ages of the individuals ranged from 19 to 70 years. The results indicated that metric traits of the talus (in particular) and calcaneus are good indicators of sexual dimorphism. The percentage of correct classification was high (87.9–95.7%). In view of the differences among current Italian populations, we tested the validity of the discriminant function equations in an independent sample of individuals of different origin (northern and southern Italy). The accuracy of classification was high only for the northern Italians. Most southern Italian males were misclassified as females, confirming the population-specificity of discriminant function equations.

Background A correct perception of the body image, as defined by comparison with actual anthropometric analyses, is crucial to ensure the best possible nutritional status of each individual. Bioimpedance analysis (BIA) represents a leading technique to assess body composition parameters and, in particular, the fat mass. This study examined the self-perception of body image at various levels of adiposity proposing a new index. Methods We investigated 487 young Italian adults (mean age of males: 21.9 ± 2.4 years; mean age of females: 21.0 ± 2.2 years). Each subject could choose, on the Contour Drawing Rating Scale, the silhouette that he/she considered most resembling his/her perceived body image as well as his/her ideal body image. On each subject, we performed anthropometric measurements and determined the values of Fat mass and  %Fat with BIA. A new index, FAI FAT (Feel fat status minus Actual fat status Inconsistency), was developed to evaluate possible fat status perception inconsistencies by BIA. Results Based on ideal and feel body image comparison, women showed higher dissatisfaction than men and preferred slimmer silhouettes. FAI FAT values indicated that the fat status perception was correct in the majority of the examined individuals and only three subjects showed a serious misperception. Conclusions Our findings suggest that FAI FAT is an appropriate index for assessing the perceived fat status from the body image when compared with data obtained by BIA. In a population, the use of this index will allow the correct identification of groups at risk for eating disorders.

Background Recent studies have shown that body image perception is an important factor in weight control and may be influenced by culture and ethnicity. The aim of the present study was to assess the relationship between immigrant status of the mother and weight status and body image perception of the child. Methods In total, 2706 schoolchildren (1405 boys and 1301 girls) aged 8–9 years and their mothers participated in a cross-sectional survey in Emilia-Romagna region (northern Italy). Weight and height of the children were measured and Body Mass Index (BMI) was calculated. Actual and ideal body image perception by the children and by the mothers with respect to their children was evaluated according to Collins’ body image silhouettes. Results The BMI values were significantly lower in children of immigrants than in children of Italian mothers (F:17.27 vs 17.99 kg/m 2 ; M:17.77 vs 18.13 kg/m 2 ). The prevalence of overweight/obesity was lower, and the prevalence of underweight higher, in children of immigrant mothers than in those of Italian mothers (overweight- F:21.3 vs 29.1%; M. 28.3 vs 31.4%; underweight- F:5.16 vs 3.84%; M:6.63 vs 2.82%). The children's body image perception was consistent with the differing pattern of nutritional status. In the comparison between actual and ideal figures, the Feel-Ideal Difference Index (FID) scores resulted different between the subsample with foreign-born mother in comparison to the native one (significantly lower in daughters of immigrants) (FID- F: 0.31 vs 0.57; M: 0.35 vs 0.32). There were significant differences in the choice of the ideal figure of the child between immigrant mothers and Italian mothers (FID- F: -0.05 vs 0.19; M: -0.35 vs −0.03): the ideal figure values were higher in the immigrant mothers of male children and lower in the Italian mothers of female children. Conclusion Our results suggest that cultural and behavioral factors linked to ethnicity play an important role in the nutritional status of children and in the perceived and ideal body image.

Estimating age at death is a key element in the process of human identification of skeletal remains. The interest in dental cementum stems from its increase in thickness throughout life and, at the same time, from the fact it should not be affected by remodeling processes. Since the age assessment is particularly difficult in adults when using traditional anthropological methods on the skeleton, we tested a dental method based on maximum cementum thickness and developed new regression equations. We microscopically analyzed the histological sections of dental roots from a sample of 108 permanent teeth with known age and sex. Age at the time of dental extraction was in the range of 18–84 years. Our findings show that there were no differences in thickness between sexes, dental arch, and mono- and pluriradicular teeth. Separate regression equations were developed for individuals in the whole age range and individuals under 45 years. The equations were then tested on a hold-out sample from the same Mediterranean population demonstrating higher reliability for the equation developed for those under 45. Conversely, due to the increased error in age estimation in individuals over 45, this method should be used with caution in the forensic context when skeletal remains presumably belong to elderly individuals.

Regular physical activity is generally deemed to positively affect health, but studies on children are scarce. Among the kinds of physical activity, sports practice is the most common and easiest to quantify and report by children. This cross-sectional study aimed to compare the two genders and evaluate the association between organized sports practice and body dissatisfaction in a sample of 214 Italian schoolchildren (55.6% males) aged 5 to 12. Body image perception and data on sports practice expectations and facilitators were collected in individual face-to-face interviews; weight and stature were directly measured. Girls tended to be sportier than boys (91.6% of girls vs. 86.3% of boys practiced sports), with an earlier start in sports (5.48 ± 1.47 vs. 5.72 ± 1.38 years) and a greater amount of weekly sports (3.41 ± 2.95 vs. 3.01 ± 2.11 h/week). In both genders, the ideal silhouette was more slender than the feel silhouette, and in girls more than in boys. According to the outcomes of multiple regression models, years of organized sports participation were a significant predictor of the weekly amount of sports in both genders, in addition to the feel weight status minus actual weight status inconsistency score, fun in sports, and parental support only in boys and teacher support only in girls. Children’s needs and interests and sports facilitators should be considered to promote an early active lifestyle.

The plague of 1630–1632 was one of the deadliest plague epidemics to ever hit Northern Italy, and for many of the affected regions, it was also the last. While accounts on plague during the early 1630s in Florence and Milan are frequent, much less is known about the city of Imola. We analyzed the full skeletal assemblage of four mass graves (n = 133 individuals) at the Lazaretto dell’Osservanza, which date back to the outbreak of 1630–1632 in Imola and evaluated our results by integrating new archival sources. The skeletons showed little evidence of physical trauma and were covered by multiple layers of lime, which is characteristic for epidemic mass mortality sites. We screened 15 teeth for Yersinia pestis aDNA and were able to confirm the presence of plague in Imola via metagenomic analysis. Additionally, we studied a contemporaneous register, in which a friar recorded patient outcomes at the lazaretto during the last year of the epidemic. Our multidisciplinary approach combining historical, osteological and genomic data provided a unique opportunity to reconstruct an in-depth picture of the last plague of Imola through the city's main lazaretto.