Daily Physical Activity Levels Research Articles

Home-based tele-exercise training and physical activity during the COVID-19 pandemic in chronic kidney disease patients.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and lockdown reduced physical activity levels in hemodialysis (HD) patients and kidney transplant recipients (KTRs). This study aimed to describe physical activity levels during lockdown and assess the effects of an online home-based exercise training program on physical activity levels in HD patients and KTRs. Forty-five HD patients and thirty-five KTRs were divided into four groups: exercise groups 1 (ΕΧ-HD) and 2 (EX-KTR) followed a 4-month tele-exercise training program, while control groups received usual care. All participants at baseline and at the end of the study completed the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), while their daily physical activity levels were recorded via a step counting application. At the end of the study, the repeated measures analysis revealed a significant effect of time, group, and time-by-group interaction in the average steps per day, walking, and moderate activity for the exercise-HD group (p < 0.05). Similarly, the analysis revealed a notable effect of time, group, and time-by-group interaction in the exercise-KTR group in average daily steps, vigorous and walking activity (p < 0.05). Multiple regression analysis showed that the level of physical activity at the end of the study was related to the urban place of residence and theparticipation in the 4-month exercise program of both HD patients and KTRs. Participation in a tele-exercise training program led to favorable effects on physical activity levels both in HD patients and KTRsduring lockdown.

Evaluating Weight Loss Efficacy in Obesity Treatment with Allurion's Ingestible Gastric Balloon: A Retrospective Study Utilizing the Scale App Health Tracker.

Obesity represents a growing public health concern, affecting more than 15% of the global adult population and involving a multi-billion market that comprises nutritional, surgical, psychological, and multidisciplinary interventions. The objective of this retrospective study was to evaluate the short-term efficacy and body weight measurements associated with differing levels of physical activity following the use of Allurion's ingestible gastric balloon that was designed to increase feelings of fullness and decrease food consumption, being naturally eliminated after approximately 16 weeks. This study involved 571 individuals who qualified for the intervention for being older than 20 years with a body mass index (BMI) of 27 kg/m2 or more. Utilizing the Scale App Health Tracker and Allurion's smartwatch, this study was able to track vital signs and physical activity in real time. The participants had an average initial BMI of 34.1 kg/m2 and a median age of 41 years. Notable outcomes were observed in both study groups, "Less Active" and "More Active", which were classified by achieving less or more than a median number of 8000 daily steps. Specifically, body fat percentage saw a reduction from 33.1 ± 9.4 to 28.3 ± 10.2 in the less active group and from 32.2 to 27.5 in the more active group, with both groups achieving statistical significance (p < 0.001). Additionally, there was a significant reduction in average weight, dropping from 98.2 ± 22.8 kg to 84.6 ± 19.3 kg in the less active group and from 97.7 ± 21.0 kg to 82.1 ± 22.9 kg in the more active group (both p < 0.001). Interestingly, those in the more active group also experienced a significant increase in lean mass compared to their less active counterparts (p = 0.045), although no substantial differences in weight loss, BMI reduction, and total body fat decrease were observed between the two groups. This investigation confirms the hypothesis that Allurion's ingestible gastric balloon significantly reduces weight in the short term and enhances several physical health metrics, demonstrating effectiveness as an autonomous method for challenging weight management, regardless of the level of daily physical activity.

Daily glucose pattern and physical activity levels in cancer survivors: preliminary results from remote monitoring

Background: Cancer survivors have elevated risk for type 2 diabetes. Increasing physical activity improves glucose control. However, this evidence is majorly based on blood glucose metrics (e.g., glucose or hemoglobin A1c) at a single point in time. Little is known about the effect of physical activity on blood glucose changes throughout a day in cancer survivors. Thus, we tested the hypothesis that higher physical activity levels is associated with a more favorable daily glucose pattern in cancer survivors in free-living settings. Methods: This is a preliminary analysis of an ongoing randomized controlled trial (Project KNOWN) to examine the effect of physical activity on daily glucose pattern via continuous remote monitoring. A total of 11 cancer survivors were included in this analysis (90% female, 90% white, average age 62.5 years [range 44-76 yr], 67% obese, and 75% hypertension). Participants wore a wrist-worn accelerometer (for daily steps) and a blinded continuous glucose monitor (CGM; for daily glucose averages [interstitial glucose was measured at every 15 minutes] and daily frequency of glucose spikes [defined as glucose level &gt;140 mg/dL]) for two weeks. Multilevel regression model was used to account for multiple observations within each individual and to separate the within-person (WP) and between-person (BP) effects. The WP effect represents deviation from one’s own mean on any given day, and the BP effect represents the individual mean deviation from the study sample mean. To explore moderating effect on the relationship between physical activity and daily glucose, inflammatory biomarkers, blood lipids, blood pressure and body fatness (DEXA scan) were measured. Results: At the WP level, participants with elevated (&gt;4 mg/L) systemic C-reactive protein (marker of inflammatory status), on the day when they had higher-than-usual step count, their glucose average was also lower than their usual level ( p=0.04). At the BP level, daily steps were negatively associated with daily frequency of glucose spikes in participants with less severe hypertension, lower % gynoid fat, and higher android/gynoid ratio than others in the study sample (all p&lt;0.05). Further, daily steps were negatively associated with daily glucose average in participants with higher trunk-to-total fat ratio than others (p&lt;0.05). Discussion: This preliminary study demonstrated the use of data from wearable sensors to analyze intra- and inter-person variability in daily glucose patterns in cancer survivors. Results suggested the impact of physical activity on daily glucose patterns might differ by a person’s physiological status. Future research can further characterize meaningful daily glucose dynamics from CGM data in cancer survivors to better understand how physical activity may have downstream effect on their health outcomes. American Institute for Cancer Research. This is the full abstract presented at the American Physiology Summit 2024 meeting and is only available in HTML format. There are no additional versions or additional content available for this abstract. Physiology was not involved in the peer review process.

The joint profiles of cardiorespiratory fitness and muscle strength on daily physical activity levels in patients with symptomatic peripheral artery disease: A cross-sectional study.

In peripheral artery disease (PAD) patients, the joint profile of low strength and cardiorespiratory fitness on movement behaviors, specifically physical activity levels and sedentary time, remains unclear. To investigate the joint profiles between cardiorespiratory and neuromuscular fitness and daily physical activity among PAD patients. Cross-sectional study in a sample of 155 PAD patients. We measured their physical activity level per week using accelerometers, assessed their muscle strength through a sit-to-stand test and cardiorespiratory fitness through a six-minute walk test. Patients were categorized into three groups: those with high strength and cardiorespiratory fitness (NC, n = 28), those with at least one component classified as low (1C, n = 88), and those with both components classified as low fitness (2C, n = 39). The patients in the 1C and 2C groups spent less time engaged in low-light and moderate activities compared to the NC group (low-light: NC: 2291 ± 680 minutes/week vs. 1C: 1826 ± 649 minutes/week vs. 2C: 1885 ± 651 minutes/week, p = .005; moderate: NC: 2617 ± 796 minutes/week vs. 1C: 2071 ± 767 minutes/week vs. 2C: 2092 ± 776 minutes/week, p = .005) and the patients in the 2C group spent less time engaged in vigorous activities compared to the NC and 1C groups (NC: 155 ± 148 minutes/week vs. 1C: 110 ± 110 minutes/week vs. 2C: 64 ± 70 minutes/week, p = .003). PAD patients with low strength and/or cardiorespiratory fitness are more likely to spend less time engaging in low-light and moderate physical activities and patients with low fitness in both components are more likely to spend less time engaging in vigorous physical activity.

Enhancing feedback by health coaching: the effectiveness of mixed methods approach to long-term physical activity changes in nurses. An intervention study

BackgroundAlthough knowledge of the barriers and motivators to physical activity participation among nurses is increasing, the factors influencing motivation methods’ effectiveness are not completely defined. This study aimed to identify the methods that support increasing the level of daily physical activity and the factors that influence the effectiveness of motivation methods among nurses.MethodsThis study was based on an intervention study protocol. All registered nurses in clinical settings were invited to participate in the study. The study involved 71 professionally active nurses. A self-reported questionnaire was used to collect sociodemographic and employment data. The level of physical activity was assessed using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire, and the daily number of steps was assessed using a pedometer. Body composition was measured using a bioimpedance method, and the 5-year risk of cardiovascular events was assessed using the Harvard Score. The intervention included self-monitoring daily steps using a pedometer and completing a diary daily for one month. Additionally, a few-minute speech was sent to each participant via email on the intervention’s 7th, 14th, and 21st days.ResultsThe analysis revealed a higher value of physical activity recorded in the follow-up compared to the initial and final measurement in the Recreation domain [Met] (p < 0.001) and a higher value of daily steps in the follow-up compared to the final measurement (p = 0.005). Participants with a higher Harvard Score were more likely to increase their daily number of steps (OR = 6.025; 95% CI = 1.70-21.41), and nurses working in hospital wards were less likely to do so (OR = 0.002; 95% CI = 0.00-0.41).ConclusionsRecommendations for physical activity in the nursing population should focus on increasing leisure time physical activity and regular risk assessment of cardiovascular events. A mixed methods approach, such as feedback enhanced by health coaching, effectively achieves long-term physical activity changes in nurses.

Effects of short-term upper extremity exercise training in office workers during COVID-19 restrictions: A randomized controlled trial.

During COVID-19 pandemic, physical inactivity and inactivity-related health problems have deepened in many individuals, including office workers. It is not yet known whether there are exercise programs through telerehabilitation that will provide rapid relief in a short time in office workers who apply part or full-time teleworking system. To comparatively investigate influences of short-term upper extremity exercise trainings (UEET) on pain, musculoskeletal discomforts (MSD), physical activity (PA), mood, and quality of life (QOL) in office workers during COVID-19 restrictions. Thirty office workers were divided into exercise (EG) (UEET and walking advice) and control (CG) (walking advice) groups. The UEET was applied for at least 20-40 minutes/day, 5-7 days/week for a one week between February 2022 and June 2022. Office workers' pain, MSD, PA level, mood and QOL were measured. Baseline characteristics of groups (EG: 37.8±7.04 years, CG: 41.6±7.97 years) were similar (p > 0.05). Following UEET, scores of office workers in EG on total step count, vigorous PA, moderate-intensity PA, walking, total PA, physical functioning, and body pain subscales of QOL significantly increased compared to scores of office workers in CG, while scores on neck, back and hip discomforts and anxiety and depression significantly decreased (p < 0.05). One-week UEET and walking advice can improve office workers' daily step counts, MSD, PA levels, mood, and QOL. Office workers who have a busy work schedule may do these UEET and walking exercises in break times to relieve perception of discomfort.

Daily Physical Activities, Stress Level, and Symptoms of Abdominal Discomfort among Islamic Students

The role of students as successors to the nation's aspirations for excellence and accomplishment is of great significance, particularly for the younger generation. The weight of this responsibility induces students to neglect their physical well-being, leading to the development of gastritis diseases. Hence, this study aims to investigate the factors that are correlated with the manifestation of gastritis symptoms. The objective of this study is to investigate the correlation between daily physical activity and stress levels with the manifestation of gastritis symptoms among enrolled students at the Islamic University in Makassar. This study examines the characteristics and experiences of college students through a cross-sectional approach. The data collection was facilitated through the use of an online questionnaire. A probabilistic sample method was employed, with a total of 401 respondents included in the study. The students conducted their studies at four universities in Makassar City that are affiliated with religious institutions. The statistical analysis of the data using Spearmen's test showed that there was no statistically significant association between daily physical activity and gastritis symptoms (p value 0.074). However, a significant relationship was observed between stress levels and gastritis symptoms among Islamic students in Makassar City (p value 0.000). The findings of this investigation demonstrated a statistically significant correlation between levels of stress and the manifestation of symptoms associated with gastritis. This study proposes that the implementation of effective stress management strategies among university students is crucial in reducing the occurrence of gastritis symptoms and promoting future academic success and overall well-being.&#x0D;

Predictors of 2-Year Post-Discharge Mortality in Hospitalized Older Patients.

Understanding prognostic factors for adverse health outcomes is clinically relevant for improving treatment decision-making processes, potentially leading to enhanced patient prognosis. This secondary analysis of a prospective observational study aimed to identify independent factors associated with 2-year post-discharge mortality in acutely hospitalized older patients. All-cause mortality and date of death of 115 patients (83.3 ± 6.3 years, females: n = 75, 65.2%) admitted to acute geriatric wards were determined two years after hospital discharge through telephone interviews. Potential prognostic factors measured at hospital admission included demographic and clinical characteristics, nutritional, cognitive, and psychological status, Fried frailty phenotype, functioning in activities of daily living, locomotor capacity, and 24 h in-hospital mobility and objectively measured physical activity (PA) behaviors. The 2-year mortality rate was 36.7% (n = 41). Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression models revealed that mean daily PA level (hazards ratio (HR) = 0.59, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.90-1.00; p = 0.042), frailty (HR = 3.39, 95% CI 1.20-9.51; p = 0.020), and underweight, in contrast to overweight (HR = 3.10, 95% CI 1.07-9.01; p = 0.038), at hospital admission were independently predictive of post-discharge mortality. PA, frailty, and underweight at hospital admission should be considered when evaluating long-term survival prognosis, establishing risk profiles, and developing personalized care pathways in acute hospital care of older adults.

Semantic representation and comparative analysis of physical activity sensor observations using MOX2-5 sensor in real and synthetic datasets: a proof-of-concept-study

The widespread use of devices like mobile phones and wearables allows for automatic monitoring of human daily activities, generating vast datasets that offer insights into long-term human behavior. A structured and controlled data collection process is essential to unlock the full potential of this information. While wearable sensors for physical activity monitoring have gained significant traction in healthcare, sports science, and fitness applications, securing diverse and comprehensive datasets for research and algorithm development poses a notable challenge. In this proof-of-concept study, we underscore the significance of semantic representation in enhancing data interoperability and facilitating advanced analytics for physical activity sensor observations. Our approach focuses on enhancing the usability of physical activity datasets by employing a medical-grade (CE certified) sensor to generate synthetic datasets. Additionally, we provide insights into ethical considerations related to synthetic datasets. The study conducts a comparative analysis between real and synthetic activity datasets, assessing their effectiveness in mitigating model bias and promoting fairness in predictive analysis. We have created an ontology for semantically representing observations from physical activity sensors and conducted predictive analysis on data collected using MOX2-5 activity sensors. Until now, there has been a lack of publicly available datasets for physical activity collected with MOX2-5 activity monitoring medical grade (CE certified) device. The MOX2-5 captures and transmits high-resolution data, including activity intensity, weight-bearing, sedentary, standing, low, moderate, and vigorous physical activity, as well as steps per minute. Our dataset consists of physical activity data collected from 16 adults (Male: 12; Female: 4) over a period of 30–45 days (approximately 1.5 months), yielding a relatively small volume of 539 records. To address this limitation, we employ various synthetic data generation methods, such as Gaussian Capula (GC), Conditional Tabular General Adversarial Network (CTGAN), and Tabular General Adversarial Network (TABGAN), to augment the dataset with synthetic data. For both the authentic and synthetic datasets, we have developed a Multilayer Perceptron (MLP) classification model for accurately classifying daily physical activity levels. The findings underscore the effectiveness of semantic ontology in semantic search, knowledge representation, data integration, reasoning, and capturing meaningful relationships between data. The analysis supports the hypothesis that the efficiency of predictive models improves as the volume of additional synthetic training data increases. Ontology and Generative AI hold the potential to expedite advancements in behavioral monitoring research. The data presented, encompassing both real MOX2-5 and its synthetic counterpart, serves as a valuable resource for developing robust methods in activity type classification. Furthermore, it opens avenues for exploration into research directions related to synthetic data, including model efficiency, detection of generated data, and considerations regarding data privacy.

Using Digital Health Technologies to Monitor Pain, Medication Adherence and Physical Activity in Young People with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis: A Feasibility Study

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis can be influenced by pain, medication adherence, and physical activity. A new digital health intervention, InteractiveClinics, aims to monitor these modifiable risk factors. Twelve children, aged 10 to 18 years, received daily notifications on a smartwatch to record their pain levels and take their medications, using a customised mobile app synchronised to a secure web-based platform. Daily physical activity levels were automatically recorded by wearing a smartwatch. Using a quantitative descriptive research design, feasibility and user adoption were evaluated. The web-based data revealed the following: Pain: mean app usage: 68% (SD 30, range: 28.6% to 100%); pain score: 2.9 out of 10 (SD 1.8, range: 0.3 to 6.2 out of 10). Medication adherence: mean app usage: 20.7% (SD, range: 0% to 71.4%), recording 39% (71/182) of the expected daily and 37.5% (3/8) of the weekly medications. Pro-re-nata (PRN) medication monitoring: 33.3% (4/12), one to six additional medications (mean 3.5, SD 2.4) for 2–6 days. Physical activity: watch wearing behaviour: 69.7% (439/630), recording low levels of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (mean: 11.8, SD: 13.5 min, range: 0–47 min). To conclude, remote monitoring of real-time data is feasible. However, further research is needed to increase adoption rates among children.

Correlation between daily physical activity and intestinal microbiota in perimenopausal women

This study aimed to examine the correlation between daily physical activity levels and gut microbiota during the perimenopausal period. To explore the physiopathological traits of perimenopause women, and provide a theoretical basis for the development of menopause exercise intervention program. In this study, daily physical activity was assessed using the ActiGraph wGT3X-BT wearable sensor, and 16S rRNA sequencing was employed to analyze gut microbiota diversity and composition. Comparative analysis was conducted to evaluate the association between physical activity and specific phyla and genera in the gut microbiota, comparing perimenopausal women to youth women. The results showed perimenopausal women exhibited significantly lower levels of daily physical activity, including Kcals, metabolic equivalents (METs), and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), compared to youth women. The composition of the gut microbiota was markedly different between the two groups. Specifically, the abundance of Acidobacteria, Chloroflexi, Nitrospirae, and Gemmatimonadetes were lower at the phylum level (p < 0.01). Collinsella, Ruminococcus gnavus, Rothia, Haemophilus, Sphingomonas, Lactobacillales, and Lactococcus were lower at the genus level, while Phascolarctobacterium, Paraprevotella, Acinetobacter, Flavonifractor, and Intestinimonas exhibited a significant increase (p < 0.05, p < 0.01). Furthermore, a positive correlation was observed between Chloroflexi or Sphingomonas and physical activity (kcals, METs, and MVPA), while a negative correlation was found between Intestinimonas and physical activity (METs: p < 0.01, and MVPA: p < 0.05). Doubtlessly, the perimenopausal period is associated with lower levels of physical activity and distinct changes in gut microbiota. Sphingomonas may serve as a sensitive bacterium closely linked to physical activity.

Collecting electronic health record (EHR) to support holistic spa therapy as a diagnostic procedure for advance care planning (ACP): a literature review

Developing technology and collecting electronic information are fostering the creation of new procedures and clinical decision-support tools for therapy in rehabilitation hospitals and spa resorts. Electronic health records (EHR) does not take into account the complementarity of activities with the need for effective patient care in rehabilitation and sanatorium hospitals and spas. This paper aims to present a proposal for a complementary electronic anamnestic tool (CEAT) in a holistic approach to the patient's prevention and rehabilitation process in a rehabilitation hospital or a spa resort using EHRs that will be effective in ACP. To achieve the objective thus formulated, the literature was reviewed and thoroughly analyzed in terms of stratification and classification of the tools using EHRs. designed CEAT tool consists of a history of physical status (weight, height, waist circumference), neurological incidents, cardiovascular disorders, past treatments/surgeries, psychiatric disorders, and level of daily physical activity, supplemented by survey questionnaires selected in a literature review based on their widespread usefulness supported by scientific evidence. The questionnaires included in CEAT allow for a multifaceted assessment of the patient's health status, taking into account their physical state, functional capacity, and well-being.

Prevalence and associated factors of overweight and obesity among medical students from the Western Balkans (South-East Europe Region).

Being overweight and obese is associated with an elevated risk of developing noncommunicable diseases, which are the leading causes of mortality worldwide. It is a warning that global prevalence of overweight among university students ranges from 20 to 40%, which presents a significant public health problem. To date, there was no research conducted on medical students regarding the prevalence and associated factors of overweight and obesity in the countries of the Western Balkans (Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, and Serbia). The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and potential demographic, socioeconomic, and health-related behavioral factors associated with overweight and obesity of medical students from Western Balkans. A cross-sectional study was conducted, surveying 2452 students from 14 medical faculties from 5 countries in the region. The prevalence of overweight was 12% and obesity was 2.3% among medical students from Western Balkans. Male gender and smoking status are significant positive predictors of overweight and obesity. Daily level of physical activity up to 1h per day, going to preventive check-ups once a year or as a part of annual dormitory check-ups are associated with lower odds of being overweight and obese. By creating adequate public health educational programs, students can be influenced to acquire proper health-related lifestyle habits, which would lead to reducing the prevalence of overweight and obesity among the student population, as well as risk of developing noncommunicable diseases and improving the overall health of the population.

Higher levels of physical activity are associated with less evasive coping, better physical function and quality of life in patients with axial spondyloarthritis.

To evaluate daily physical activity (PA) in relation to psychosocial factors, such as anxiety, depression and different types of coping strategies, as well as patient- and disease-related factors in patients with axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA). Consecutive outpatients from the Groningen Leeuwarden AxSpA (GLAS) cohort completed the modified Short Questionnaire to assess health-enhancing PA (mSQUASH), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and Coping with Rheumatic Stressors (CORS) questionnaires, as well as standardized patient- and disease-related assessments. Univariable and multivariable linear regression analyses and comparison of lowest and highest PA tertiles were performed to explore associations between the HADS, CORS, patient- and disease-related factors and PA. In total, 84 axSpA patients were included; 60% male, mean age 49 (SD ±14) years, median symptom duration 20 (25th-75th percentiles: 12-31) years, mean ASDAS 2.1 (±1.0). Higher PA levels were significantly associated with better scores on patient-reported disease activity (BASDAI), physical function (BASFI) and quality of life (ASQoL). Furthermore, higher levels of PA were associated with less impact of axSpA on wellbeing and lower HADS depression scores. In the multivariable linear regression model, less use of the coping strategy 'decreasing activities' (β: -376.4; p 0.003) and lower BMI (β:-235.5; p: 0.030) were independently associated with higher level of PA. Comparison of patients from the lowest and highest PA tertiles showed results similar to those found in the regression analyses. In this cohort of axSpA patients, higher levels of daily PA were associated with better patient-reported outcomes and lower depression scores. Additionally, the passive coping strategy "decreasing activities" and lifestyle factor BMI were independently associated with PA. Besides anti-inflammatory treatment, coping strategies and lifestyle should be taken into account in the management of individual axSpA patients. Incorporating these aspects into patient education could increase patient awareness and self-efficacy. In the future, longitudinal studies are needed to better understand the complex relationship between patient-, disease- and psychosocial factors associated with daily PA.

Influence of daily physical activity on fine motor skills of adults around a Fitts task.

Achieving our daily tasks depends on the speed-accuracy conflict. Physical activity plays a role in the development of our motor skills. However, the relationship between physical activity level (PAL) and fine motor skills remains largely unexplored.

Relationship of Body Composition with Height and Weight in Attendants of Cancer Patients

Objective: To discern the relationship of height and weight with body composition in healthy attendants of cancer patients. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: Combined Military Hospital, Rawalpindi Pakistan, from Oct to Dec 2022. Methodology: A total of 226 healthy adults aged 19-47 years having similar daily physical activity levels were included. The body composition of study participants was evaluated using a bioelectric impedance analysis (BIA) machine. The weight of all participants was recorded with the help of a weighing machine. The participants' height was measured using a Harpenden Stadiometer and recorded. Results: Our study showed that weight had a significant positive correlation with body fat mass (rs value=0.83), skeletal muscle mass (rs value=0.763), total body water (rs value=0.704), fat-free mass (rs value=0.75) and per cent body fat (rs value 0.716). On the other hand, height had a negative but non-significant association with fat mass (rs value= 0.025) and a negative significant association with per cent body fat (rs value=-0.16). Height had a positive and significant association with fat-free mass (rs value=0.553), total body water (rs value=0.501) and skeletal muscle mass (rs value=0.505). Conclusion: Weight, if used alone, is not a good indicator of obesity or emaciation, and height has a negative association with fat mass.

Рухова активність дітей з особливими освітніми потребами у процесі змішаного навчання: стан та тенденції

Ensuring the proper level of motor activity in conditions of mixed education of children with special educational problems has become especially relevant in terms of their health care. The purpose of the article is to identify the advantages and disadvantages of mixed learning in ensuring the appropriate level of motor activity for children with special educational problems. Material and methods. At the theoretical level, general scientific methods were used: theoretical analysis, systematization, comparison of different views on the investigated problem, generalization of data from scientific and methodological, and special literature. At the empirical level, the method of a descriptive inclusive survey implemented in an online format was used. The results. It was found that before the introduction of the quarantine, the level of motor activity of children with special educational problems, which reached 90 % of the norm, was ensured during classes by inclusive physical education. During the quarantine, a significant deterioration in the motor activity of children with special educational problems was investigated. At this stage, an increase in the level of motor activity in extracurricular time has been established based on the recommendations received in classes on inclusive physical education in the conditions of mixed education, which was introduced in connection with martial law. These results are conclusions from the answers of 87.7 % of respondents, who at the same time noted that the level of daily physical activity did not decrease in the conditions of mixed training (100 % of respondents). 89.2 % of respondents noticed an improvement in general well-being based on increased forms of motor activity. Conclusions. The advantages and disadvantages of the organization of mixed education in ensuring the appropriate level of motor activity of children with special educational problems are revealed. Among the advantages, the following are highlighted: providing effective feedback, promoting the implementation of a differentiated individual approach, the ability to motivate to carry out independent motor activity, a positive effect on the emotional sphere, and expanding the opportunities for children with special educational problems to receive information. As for the shortcomings, the most important are the shortcomings of a technical nature, Internet failures, and the low level of methodical materials that would contribute to increasing the share of independent motor activity of children with special educational problems, lack of communication and interaction with classmates.

Wearable Activity Trackers That Motivate Women to Increase Physical Activity: Mixed Methods Study.

Physical inactivity is a significant public health concern, particularly among women in the United States. Wearable activity trackers (WATs) have been proposed as a potential solution to increase awareness of and engagement in physical activity (PA). However, to be effective, WATs must include features and designs that encourage daily use. This study aims to explore the features and designs of WATs that appeal to women and determine whether devices with these attributes are effective motivators for women to be physically active. A mixed methods study guided by the self-determination theory was conducted among 15 women. Participants trialed 3 WATs with influence in their respective accessory domains: Apple Watch for the wrist; Oura Ring for the finger; and Bellabeat Leaf Urban for multiple sites (it can be worn as a bracelet, necklace, or clip). Participants documented their daily PA levels and rated their satisfaction with each device's comfort, features, and motivational effect. Focus groups were also conducted to gather additional feedback and experiences within the a priori areas of comfort, features, and motivation. Behavioral Regulation in Exercise Questionnaire-2 scores indicated that most participants (14/15, 93%) were motivated at baseline (amotivation score: mean 0.13, SD 0.45), but on average, participants did not meet the national minimum PA guidelines according to the self-reported Physical Activity Vital Sign questionnaire (moderate to vigorous PA score: mean 144, SD 97.5 min/wk). Mean WAT wear time was 16.9 (SD 4.4) hours, 19.4 (SD 5.3) hours, and 20.4 (SD 4.7) hours for Apple Watch, Bellabeat Leaf Urban, and Oura Ring, respectively. During focus groups, participants reinforced their quantitative ratings and rankings of the WATs based on personal experiences. Participants shared a variety of both activity-related and non-activity-related features that they look for in a motivating device. When considering what the ideal WAT would be for a woman, participants suggested features of (1) comfort, (2) extended battery life, (3) durability, (4) immediate PA feedback, (5) intuitive PA sensing, and (6) programmability. This study is the first to specifically address women's experiences with and preferences for different types of WATs. Those who work with women should realize how they view WATs and the role they play in motivation to be active.

AI and semantic ontology for personalized activity eCoaching in healthy lifestyle recommendations: a meta-heuristic approach

BackgroundAutomated coaches (eCoach) can help people lead a healthy lifestyle (e.g., reduction of sedentary bouts) with continuous health status monitoring and personalized recommendation generation with artificial intelligence (AI). Semantic ontology can play a crucial role in knowledge representation, data integration, and information retrieval.MethodsThis study proposes a semantic ontology model to annotate the AI predictions, forecasting outcomes, and personal preferences to conceptualize a personalized recommendation generation model with a hybrid approach. This study considers a mixed activity projection method that takes individual activity insights from the univariate time-series prediction and ensemble multi-class classification approaches. We have introduced a way to improve the prediction result with a residual error minimization (REM) technique and make it meaningful in recommendation presentation with a Naïve-based interval prediction approach. We have integrated the activity prediction results in an ontology for semantic interpretation. A SPARQL query protocol and RDF Query Language (SPARQL) have generated personalized recommendations in an understandable format. Moreover, we have evaluated the performance of the time-series prediction and classification models against standard metrics on both imbalanced and balanced public PMData and private MOX2-5 activity datasets. We have used Adaptive Synthetic (ADASYN) to generate synthetic data from the minority classes to avoid bias. The activity datasets were collected from healthy adults (n = 16 for public datasets; n = 15 for private datasets). The standard ensemble algorithms have been used to investigate the possibility of classifying daily physical activity levels into the following activity classes: sedentary (0), low active (1), active (2), highly active (3), and rigorous active (4). The daily step count, low physical activity (LPA), medium physical activity (MPA), and vigorous physical activity (VPA) serve as input for the classification models. Subsequently, we re-verify the classifiers on the private MOX2-5 dataset. The performance of the ontology has been assessed with reasoning and SPARQL query execution time. Additionally, we have verified our ontology for effective recommendation generation.ResultsWe have tested several standard AI algorithms and selected the best-performing model with optimized configuration for our use case by empirical testing. We have found that the autoregression model with the REM method outperforms the autoregression model without the REM method for both datasets. Gradient Boost (GB) classifier outperforms other classifiers with a mean accuracy score of 98.00%, and 99.00% for imbalanced PMData and MOX2-5 datasets, respectively, and 98.30%, and 99.80% for balanced PMData and MOX2-5 datasets, respectively. Hermit reasoner performs better than other ontology reasoners under defined settings. Our proposed algorithm shows a direction to combine the AI prediction forecasting results in an ontology to generate personalized activity recommendations in eCoaching.ConclusionThe proposed method combining step-prediction, activity-level classification techniques, and personal preference information with semantic rules is an asset for generating personalized recommendations.

Physical Activity in Community‐Dwelling Older Persons With Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

AbstractBackgroundTo examine the association between traumatic brain injury (TBI) and physical activity in older adults.MethodWe conducted a cross‐sectional analysis of 944 older persons (mean age = 85, SD = 7.48 years; 77% female) at their last available physical activity measure from the Rush Memory and Aging Project. Physical activity was measured 24 hours per day for 7‐10 days with wrist‐worn actigraphy (Actical; Philips Respironics, Bend, OR). We analyzed two separate outcomes from actigraphy: total daily activity and intensity of daily activity. To account for positive skewness, we applied a logarithmic transformation. TBI status was assessed by self‐report. We classified the participants as 1) TBI with loss of consciousness (LOC), 2) TBI without LOC, or 3) no TBI exposure (reference group). Multiple linear regression analyses, adjusted for age, education, and sex, were used to examine TBI with LOC and TBI with no LOC as separate predictors in a single model for each actigraphy outcome.ResultA history of TBI was reported in 351 (37%) participants, of whom 89 (9%) had at least one TBI with LOC and 262 (28%) had TBIs that did not result in LOC. Individuals with TBI with LOC had less total daily physical activity, with their total daily physical activity being about 19% (95%CI = 3.4%, 32.5%) lower than the reference group. The intensity of daily physical activity in those with TBI with LOC was 10% (95%CI = 0.7%, 18.2%) lower than the reference group. These associations remained after controlling depression, BMI, vascular risk factors, vascular diseases, and motor ability. Those with TBI without LOC did not differ from the reference group in daily physical activity and intensity of daily physical activity. We analyzed a subset of the 944 consisting of 710 deceased individuals who had undergone pathologic examination from postmortem brain tissue. Even after accounting for brain pathologies of Alzheimer’s disease, Lewy bodies, and cerebral infarcts, TBI with LOC remained associated with daily physical activity (p = 0.002).ConclusionOur result suggests that people with a history TBI with LOC may be associated with lower daily physical activity levels independent of the accumulation of diverse brain pathologies.