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BackgroundPhysical activity (PA) is essential for children throughout their growth and maturation. It improves physiological and psychological health and limits the risk of developing metabolic disorders. However, some chronic physiological and metabolic diseases may lead to decreased PA. The diversity of outcomes in the literature offers no consensus for physical activity and sedentary levels in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) or inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).MethodsA literature review and a meta-analysis were carried out with original studies from a Medline database search. Only high-quality studies (STROBE checklist) written in English comparing PA level or sedentary behavior (SB) between children with the disorders and their healthy peers were considered. The aim was to examine PA and SB in children with JIA or IBD compared to their healthy peers.ResultsThe literature review and meta-analysis identified decreased PA and increased time spent in SB in these populations, which may exacerbate both their lower physical fitness and the symptoms of their health disorders.ConclusionResults nevertheless show discrepancies due to the different materials and methods used and the variables measured. Further studies are needed to establish a gold standard method for assessing PA level in these populations.

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis is an inflammatory disease, and children with lower limb involvement have impaired balance compared with healthy peers. The objective of this review was to identify balance instruments used in clinical practice for balance testing in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis. Three independent reviewers searched the PubMed/Medline, Web of Science, Cochrane, Scopus, and Science Direct databases to identify relevant studies published before 3 March 2025. Five studies were included in the review. Two studies investigated the use of specific tests for balance assessment in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (the Bruininks–Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency, Second Edition Short Form for motor skills, including balance, the Functional Reach Test for static balance, and the Flamingo Balance Test for postural balance). Three studies used balance testing systems (the S3-Check balance board, the FreeMed posturography system, and the Biodex Balance System). Patients who performed physical exercise programs (including clinical Pilates, strengthening exercises, proprioceptive balance exercises, or home exercises) had significant balance improvements. There are various ways to assess the balance in children suffering from juvenile idiopathic arthritis. None of the review studies used both the specific tests and testing systems. Future research targeting the evaluation of static and dynamic balance through combined tests and equipment is needed. Physical exercise should be an integral part of managing patients suffering from juvenile idiopathic arthritis, as postural control is linked to the overall functioning of this category of patients, who should be involved in recreational activities.

It is a cherished belief within physical education and sport communities that participation in sport/ physical activity has the potential to offer young people a range of physical, psychological and social benefits. More recently in the UK, this belief has become prominent in government policies that, among other things, are seeking to re-engage disaffected young people in order to increase their life chances and minimise the impact of anti-social behaviours upon others. Yet, the link between physical activity interventions and developing pro-social behaviours is not straightforward, and there is a lack of credible research evidence to support many of the claims made for physical activity to or to inform decisions about effective intervention design. This paper reviews key literature, focusing particularly on disaffected young people and physical activity interventions in the school context, and identifies six key issues that, we would argue, warrant consideration when planning physical activity programmes to re-engage disaffected young people. In particular, it is argued that the unprecedented levels of public and private funding available for physical activity related programmes in the UK, and the high expectations placed upon them to deliver specific measurable outcomes, mean that the need for credible monitoring and evaluation is pressing.

Bone mineral density (BMD) is a frequent topic of discussion in the clinical literature in relation to the bone health of both adults and children. However, in archaeological and/ or anthropological studies the role of BMD is often cited as a possible factor in the poor skeletal preservation which can lead to an under-representation of juvenile skeletal remains. During skeletal development and growth throughout childhood and adolescence changes take place in both the size and shape of bones and these changes also result in the increasing of mineral content. BMD can be affected by many factors, which include, age, genetics, sexual maturation, amount of physical activity and dietary calcium. This paper aims to review the clinical and anthropological literature on BMD and discuss the numerous methods of measurement and how the availability of certain methods such as Dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) and quantitative computed tomography (QCT) can influence the study of bone density in archaeological skeletal collections and also the future potential for forensic anthropological studies.

Health-promoting strategies need to be culturally appropriate to encourage healthy behaviours and lifestyle choices in children and young people. This rapid review explores the effects of participating in creative activities on the health and well-being of children aged between 11 and 18 years. Building on an earlier systematic review undertaken by Daykin and colleagues1 a rapid review of the literature published between 2004 and 2011 was undertaken. The search was conducted systematically and included research on music, dance, singing, drama and visual arts, taking place in community settings or as extracurricular activities in mainstream schools. Therapies such as art, drama and music were excluded from the review. Following rigorous application of inclusion and exclusion criteria, 20 papers were included in the review: six quantitative, eight qualitative and six mixed-method approaches. The interventions used in the studies were diverse and the research was heterogeneous, therefore overall synthesis of the results was inappropriate. The review is therefore organised into the following headings: sexual health, obesity, mental health and emotional well-being. Despite the methodological weakness and limitations of the majority of the studies there were some consistencies in their findings. It was found that participating in creative activities can have a positive effect on behavioural changes, self-confidence, self-esteem, levels of knowledge and physical activity. Although the research evidence is generally weak there is some evidence that using creative activities as part of a health-promoting strategy may be a useful method of increasing knowledge and positive behaviours in children and young people.

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