Uwe Puehse

University of Basel | UNIBAS · Department of Sport, Exercise and Health

Introduction: Risk factors for noncommunicable diseases such as insufficient physical activity (PA), overweight or hypertension are becoming increasingly predominant among children globally. While school-based interventions are promising preventive strategies, evidence of their long-term effectiveness, especially among vulnerable populations, is sc...

This manuscript has been accepted and will be published in the African Journal for Physical Activity and Health Sciences (AJPHES) Vol. 29(4) December 2023.

Background: Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) often face problems in the engagement and adherence of health-promoting behaviors, such as physical activity and sports. Stimulant treatment is effective for managing core symptoms, but it remains unclear if this type of treatment also normalizes the engagement in health-prom...

The conversation was held with the UNESCO team Namibia (https://en.unesco.org/fieldoffice/windhoek), currently led by Mr Djaffar Moussa-Elkadhum (UNESCO representative in Namibia), with the aim of introducing each to the other team and updating them on current activities; as well as identifying potential synergies where mutual support can be provid...

Background The school curriculum places high demands on students’ cognitive performance, including the executive domain of inhibitory control. Physical activity breaks have been suggested to restore students’ cognitive resources. However, it is unclear which properties (i.e. physical effort and cognitive load) of the physical activity break are su...

Background While children with Autism Spectrum Disorder show heterogeneous cognitive profiles, they share common deficits in social-cognitive abilities and executive function. Moderate endurance exercise is known to elicit changes in the psychophysiological state, which can translate into immediate, but transient benefits for both cognitive domain...

Basic motor competencies (BMC) belong to the main learning goals of physical education (PE) in primary school and are needed to actively take part in the culture of sport and human movement. BMC levels between European countries differ widely and individual determinants like age, sex, and extracurricular physical activity participation consistently...

Objective: Risk factors for chronic diseases such as insufficient physical activity (PA), overweight or hypertension are getting more predominant among children. While school-based interventions are promising preventive strategies, evidence of their long-term effectiveness, especially among vulnerable populations is scarce. KaziKidz is a physical...

Background/Aim: School-aged children in low- and middle-income countries carry the highest burden of intestinal helminth infections, such as soil-transmitted helminths (STH). STH infections have been associated with negative consequences for child physical and cognitive development and wellbeing. Thus, the aim of this study was to determine the ass...

Introduction: Very preterm birth and ADHD are associated with impairments in response inhibition that often persist beyond childhood. Athletes skilled in martial arts show a neurocognitive profile that is associated with an improved inhibition processing stream, suggesting that engagement in this kind of sport has the potential to reduce impairment...

This study aimed to establish the prevalence of underweight, overweight and obesity, the level of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and the association thereof among vulnerable children from low-income communities in South Africa. Cross-sectional data were collected from 916 children (467 boys and 449 girls) aged 8–13 years (x̄ = 10.4 ±...

Abstract Background A balanced nutrition is important for children’s physical and cognitive development; yet, remains a challenge in many parts of low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Early detection of nutritional deficiency and metabolic syndrome in school-aged children is necessary to prevent non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in later life....

This chapter presents a summary of findings of a series of reviews of the scientific literature on the current evidence of the contributions of different school-based settings on the promotion of health-enhancing physical activity. The objectives of this review are: to review evidence from the last ten years of the contributions of school-based phy...

Basic motor competencies (BMC) belong to the key learning goals of Physical Education (PE) in primary school curricula in Europe. These competencies are necessary to participate in sports inside and outside of school. Children should therefore achieve age-adequate BMC in PE and any need for educational motor support should be identified at an early...

Background: Over the past decades, childhood overweight has increased in many African countries. We examined the relationship between sedentary behaviour, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), and body composition in South African primary schoolchildren living in peri-urban settings. Methods: MVPA was measured via 7-day accelerometry and b...

Background Physical inactivity is a world-wide health issue. In people with major depressive disorders approximately 68% do not reach the recommended physical activity levels. Psychosocial determinants of and implicit attitudes towards physical activity serve to explain physical activity behavior and may form the basis of interventions to promote p...

“The KaziBantu model (Healthy Schools for Healthy Communities)” aims to promote physical activity and healthy lifestyles in public primary schools through two complementary programs: KaziKidz, a physical education toolkit for schoolchildren, and KaziHealth, a workplace health intervention program for teachers (project website: https://www.kazibantu...

Backgound The disease profile of low- to middle-income countries is moving towards one seen in Westernised countries, where deaths are mainly attributed to chronic diseases. Children develop risk factors at a young age predisposing them to noncommunicable diseases in adulthood. Most of the risk factors are preventable through healthy lifestyles. Re...

Background Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) face deficits in working memory capacity that often persist into adulthood. In healthy peers, exercise targeting motor skill acquisition benefits visuospatial working memory, but its potential to reduce ADHD-related deficits remains unclear. We investigated the effect of a jud...

Executive functions (EFs) are essential for optimal academic development. Appropriate nutrition and physical activity (PA) have been shown to facilitate optimal cognitive development. Therefore, this study examined whether a 12-week school-based PA and multi-micronutrient supplementation (MMNS) intervention would improve cognitive and academic perf...

Objectives To determine the prevalence of individual cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors and clustered CVD risk among children attending schools in periurban areas of Gqeberha and to investigate the independent association between clustered CVD risk, moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF). Methods B...

Characteristics of reference populations and normative tables. Data also available at: Arnaiz, Patricia, Müller, Ivan, Seelig, Harald, Gerber, Markus, Bosma, Jacob, Dolley, Danielle, Adams, Larissa, Degen, Jan, Gall, Stefanie, Joubert, Nandi, Nienaber, Madeleine, Nqweniso, Siphesihle, Aerts, Ann, Steinmann, Peter, du Randt, Rosa, Walter, Cheryl, U...

Introduction: Hypertension in children has increased globally over the past 20 years; yet, little is known about this issue among disadvantaged communities from low- and middle-income countries. Age-, sex-, and height-adjusted normative tables are the “gold” standard for the diagnosis and estimation of pediatric hypertension worldwide, but it is un...

Basic motor competencies (BMC) are a prerequisite for children to be physically active, participate in sports and thus develop a healthy, active lifestyle. The present study provides a broad screening of BMC and associations with age, sex, body mass index (BMI) and extracurricular physical activity (PA) in 10 different European countries. The diffe...

Often school educators appointed to teach physical education (PE) are non-specialists and lack the understanding and confidence to adequately teach the content. According to teaching staff the implementation of quality physical education (QPE) is not feasible with the current curricular, resource and PE-trained teacher constraints. In some lower qu...

Background: Psychosocial stress is a major health threat in modern society. Short-term effects of stress on health behaviors have been identified as relevant processes. This article examines the moderating effect of dispositional self-control on the association between stress at work and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) after work. Met...

This 16 page document: "Supplementary Material" contains additional methods and results.

This report presents a series of reviews of the scientific literature to summarise the current evidence of the contributions of different school-based settings on the promotion of health-enhancing physical activity. The objectives of this report are: to review evidence from the last ten years of the contributions of school-based physical activity,...

Introduction: Available data within LMICs indicate that the disease profile is moving towards a profile seen in more Westernised countries, where more deaths are being attributed to chronic NCDs. With most of the risk factors preventable through healthy lifestyle behaviours, more emphasis needs to be placed on primary prevention strategies. One way...

Objectives: Muscular strength represents a specific component of health-related fitness. Hand grip strength (HGS) is used as an indicator for musculoskeletal fitness in children. HGS can also be used as a marker of cardiometabolic risk, but most available HGS data are derived from Western high-income countries. Therefore, this study examines whethe...

Background The prevalence of overweight and obesity is increasing among African children potentially predisposing them to greater obesity and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in adulthood. This risk may be higher among growth-impaired children who may have greater fat mass. Therefore, we examined the effects of school-based physical activity (PA) p...

Background Exercise addiction is increasingly being recognized as a psychologically and physically burdensome set of symptoms. However, little is known about the psychiatric profiles of individuals who are at risk. It is well-established that individuals affected by substance use disorders frequently suffer from depression, attention deficit hypera...

Background: Inconsistent data exist regarding the influence of parasitic infection on the prevalence of allergic sensitization and disorders. Objective: To investigate the impact of geohelminth and protozoan infections on sensitization patterns and allergic symptoms of children living in low-income communities in Gqeberha, South Africa. Methods...

Background Due to ongoing political and social conflicts, the number of international refugees has been increasing. Refugees are exposed to severe mental and physical strain, as well as traumatic experiences during their flight. Therefore, the risk of psychiatric disorders is markedly increased among international refugees. International organizati...

The novelty of the results falls upon the little evidence on the prevalence of hypertension among children in Sub-Saharan Africa and the variability of results in the literature, partially due to the different approaches that exist for collecting and analyzing blood pressure data. Currently, normative tables derived from a population of nearly 50,0...

Background: Childhood hypertension drives hypertension in later life; hence, assessing blood pressure in children is an important measure to determine current and future cardiovascular health. There is, however, a paucity of childhood blood pressure data, particularly for sub-Saharan Africa. Purpose: This study explores blood pressure and associat...

Information on COVID-19-related school suspensions and closures in South Africa and in the Gqeberha region, formerly known as Port Elizabeth

Introduction: The prevalence of chronic, lifestyle-related diseases is increasing among both adults and children from low- and middle-income countries. Despite the effectiveness of community-based interventions to address this situation, the benefits thereof may disappear in the long-term, due to a lack of maintenance, especially among disadvantage...

Being physically active contributes to the development of physical competence and fitness as well as to the child’s cognitive, social and emotional development. Physical Education (PE) plays a crucial role in the holistic education and development of children. Yet, in many schools from marginalised neighbourhoods, PE is not given the recognition an...

Background: Physical inactivity and low cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) are independent cardiovascular risk factors among children, but have rarely been investigated concurrently in sub-Saharan Africa. The purpose of this study was to compare physical activity (PA) and CRF of primary schoolchildren living in Côte d'Ivoire (CI), South Africa (ZA), a...

(1) Background: Early childhood malnutrition may result in increased fat mass (FM) among school-aged children in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). We explored whether South African children with shorter stature have greater overall and abdominal FM compared to normal stature children. (2) Methods: Baseline assessments of body composition an...

The development of effective (non-pharmacological) treatment approaches for executive dysfunction in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) requires evidence that factors influencing this domain can be modified by behavioral interventions. The present cross-sectional study investigated the relative associations of ASD, muscle strength and body mass index w...

Background: Little is known whether physical activity (PA)-promoting environments are equally accessible to children with divergent socioeconomic status (SES) in low-/middle-income countries. The authors, therefore, examined whether South African children from poorer versus wealthier families living in marginalized communities differed in moderate...

Background: South African (SA) children from disadvantaged communities are plagued by a double burden of under- and over-nutrition. The resulting overweight and obesity on the one hand, and stunting on the other, are risk factors for chronic diseases in adulthood. Objective: To determine the effect of school-based interventions on body composition...

Background. Physical activity is known to improve health and cognitive function in children. Yet, in Côte d’Ivoire, physical education (PE) receives little attention in the current school curricula due to insufficient time allocation, lack of fresh-up training for teachers, as well as insufficient governmental financial contribution towards school...

Background. Accumulating evidence suggests that adolescents' moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) is associated with less off-task behaviour in the classroom. However, the contribution of cognitive functions to this relation still remains unclear. Executive function and aspects of social cognition, which appear to be correlated with MVPA,...

Childhood hypertension drives hypertension in later life; hence, assessing blood pressure in children is an important measure to determine current and future cardiovascular health. There is, however, a paucity of childhood blood pressure data, particularly for sub-Saharan Africa. This study explores blood pressure and associations with age, sex, so...

Background Adequate nutrition is essential for good health and active life. However, diets in most low and middle-income households lack diversity, especially in settings where people eat predominantly starchy foods. In this study, we assessed the associations between socio-economic status and household dietary diversity in families living in South...

Abstract Background Cardiovascular fitness has been associated with both executive function and academic achievement in multiple cohort studies including children and adolescents. However, research is scarce among children from low- and middle-income countries. Hence, this paper focuses on South African primary schoolchildren living in marginalized...

Exercise is an integral part of children’s lives, and research in educational settings has found that regular engagement promises improvements in executive function (i.e. top-down control of goal-directed behavior). Based on recent advances in understanding the moderators and the neurocognitive mechanisms of these effects, we highlight a potential...

Childhood stunting can have negative long-term consequences on cognitive development, academic achievement, and economic productivity later in life. We determined the prevalence of stunting and examined whether stunting and associated risk factors (low dietary diversity, insufficient hemoglobin, food insecurity, and soil-transmitted helminth (STH)...

The neurophysiological mechanisms underlying executive function deficits in very preterm born children still remain unclear. Moreover, evidence on factors that can be modified by behavior and exert an influence these deficits is lacking. The present case-control study examined the association between very preterm birth and neurophysiological indice...

(1) Background: While the antidepressant effects of aerobic exercise (AE) are well documented, fewer studies have examined impact of AE as an add-on treatment. Moreover, various effects on neurobiological variables have been suggested. This study examines effects of AE on Cortisol Awakening Reaction (CAR), serum Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor (s...

The coexistence of multiple cardiovascular risk factors has been reported in school-aged children from the age of nine years, but most evidence stems from high-income countries. This cross-sectional study aimed at describing the cardiovascular health risk, physical activity (PA) behavior and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) levels of South African p...

Introduction: Although exercise is suggested to benefit inhibitory control in children and adolescents, the current evidence is limited to exercise-induced improvements for its interference control subtype. In contrast, the potential of exercise to facilitate response inhibition still remains unclear. However, the neurocognitive profile of martial...

Physical Education (PE) is a part of a balanced holistic curriculum in schools. There is scientific evidence that PE contributes to the healthy development of learners, improves their academic performance and promotes their joy of life in the school setting. The main goals of this project here are closely connected to UNESCO’s sustainable developme...

While neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) do not feature prominently in the burden of disease statistics of South Africa, some NTDs are common in disadvantaged populations, especially in children growing up in poor neighborhoods. Moreover, the general wellbeing of primary schoolchildren from poor neighbourhoods may also be affected by lack of nutrit...

Physical Education (PE) plays a critical role in the education of a child and schools can make a meaningful contribution to the goal of achieving the recommended daily physical activity WHO guidelines by incorporating PE lessons into the school curriculum. The KaziKidz toolkit (with open access on https://kazibantu.org/kazikidz/) is a holistic educ...

Physical Education (PE) plays a critical role in holistic childhood education and development. To be physically active contributes to the development of physical competence and fitness, as well as to the cognitive, social and emotional development of the child. PE plays a critical role in the education of a child, whereas schools can make a meaning...

Background: Accumulating evidence suggests that sports participation promotes the development of inhibitory control, but the influences of the sports category and inhibition type still remain unclear. The categorization of sports based on the open-skill (externally paced) and closed-skill (self-paced) continuum allows for the integration of the env...

Background and Aims: While a number of studies have reported on individuals who exercise excessively, and feel unable to stop despite negative consequences, there is still insufficient evidence to categorize exercise as an addictive disorder. The aim of this meta-review is to summarize the published articles and to compile a list of symptoms report...

Introduction Exercise addiction is one of several behavioral addictions which has not yet been designated as an addictive disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5 (DSM-5). This is in part due to a lack of clarity concerning co-occurring mental disorders of individuals at risk for exercise addiction. The aim of this re...

Background: High psychosocial stress can impair executive function in adolescents, whereas acute exercise has been reported to benefit this cognitive domain. The aim of this study was to investigate whether an acute bout of aerobic exercise improves the inhibitory aspect of executive function and the associated dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPF...

Accumulating evidence suggests an association between outcomes of sports participation, such as motor skills and cardiorespiratory fitness, and aspects of inhibitory control in children. However, it remains unclear if motor skills and cardiorespiratory fitness are related to different source activity patterns and if neurophysiological indices of re...