Eight-week Intervention Research Articles

Effects of Vibrotactile Feedback on Sedentary Behaviors in Adults: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.

No effective and easily implemented intervention strategies for reducing sedentary behavior have been established. This pilot trial (UMIN000024372) investigated whether vibrotactile feedback reduces sedentary behavior. Twenty-six adults aged 30–69 years who were sedentary ≥8 h/day were randomly assigned to control (n = 13) or vibration (n = 13) groups. Participants wore a monitor 9 h daily for seven-day periods at baseline (week zero), during the intervention (weeks one, three, five, and seven), and after the intervention (week eight). During the eight-week intervention, vibration-group participants were notified by a vibration through the monitor whenever continuous sedentary time reached ≥30 min; they also received weekly reports of their sedentary patterns. Control-group participants did not receive feedback. The primary outcome was change in total sedentary time. Changes in longer bouts of sedentary time (≥35 min) were also assessed. No significant difference was found in the change in total sedentary time (control: −17.5 min/9 h, vibration: −9.1 min/9 h; p = 0.42). Although no significant differences were observed in sedentary time in longer bouts, vibration-group participants exhibited significantly lower sedentary time (–21.6 min/9 h, p = 0.045). Thus, vibration feedback does not appear to offer any advantages in reducing total sedentary time.

THE EFFECTIVENESS OF A PEER-BASED INTERVENTION ON SOCIALLY ISOLATED OLDER CHINESE IMMIGRANTS IN CANADA

Objectives: This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of a peer-based intervention in reducing older Chinese immigrants’ loneliness and social isolation to improve their psychosocial well-being. Method: A randomized controlled trial design was adopted. A sample of 60 community-dwelling older Chinese immigrants aged 65 and above were randomly assigned to the intervention group (n=30) and the control group (n=30). Intervention group participants received an eight-week peer support intervention. 25 volunteers aged 48 to 76 were recruited and trained to provide one-to-one peer support services through home visits and telephone. The services included multiple activities such as providing emotional support, assisting in problem-solving, and community resources sharing. Different types of activities were consecutively executed throughout the eight weeks in accordance with the service protocol. Standardized assessments including loneliness, social support, social participation, and other psychosocial outcomes such as life satisfaction, happiness, depression, and resilience at baseline and after intervention were measured. Results: After the intervention, as compared to control group participants, intervention group participants reported a significant decrease in loneliness, fewer barriers in social participation, and a significant increase in resilience. They also reported fewer depressive symptoms, increased life satisfaction, and happiness, but no such improvements were observed in the control group. Discussion: The study findings illustrate the need to further examine the use of peer-based interventions for both program effectiveness and delivery efficiency. In the era of population aging, baby boomers can be trained to take up more volunteer roles to serve older adults in distress via peer-based intervention approaches.

VIRTUAL ONLINE COMMUNITIES FOR AGING LIFE EXPERIENCE (VOCALE) APPROACH: PILOT STUDIES

Emerging evidence suggests behavioral strategies focusing on symptom management can reduce frailty symptoms and improve quality of life. Unfortunately, these interventions are rarely scalable for implementation in geriatric care. Contemporary online technologies have tremendous potential for addressing this need. We developed and pilot tested an approach entitled Virtual Online Community for Aging Life Experience (VOCALE). The approach had two stages. In the first stage, we piloted the use of a Facebook platform to engage older adults with frailty symptoms in ten-week moderated discussions on health-related topics. In the second study, we used data from stage one to develop a prototypical persona of a person with frailty symptoms. The persona was then incorporated into an eight-week Facebook intervention informed by problem solving therapy to facilitate self-management in another group of older adults with frailty symptoms. The results from both rounds showed that it was feasible to recruit, engage, and retain persons ages 69-92 into virtual online community interventions. Attrition ranged from 25% to 33% in rounds one and two. In both rounds, we observed positive trends of change in health measures such as general health self-efficacy, disease self-efficacy, and health literacy. Throughout the studies, older adults shared multiple posts concerning their experience with age-related symptoms and described their self-management practices. These projects, which leveraged a common social media platform, demonstrated preliminary efficacy of an online intervention for frailty management. If confirmed, this approach might provide a viable model for other medically complex geriatric conditions where self-management is essential.

Utilizing Extensive Graded Reading and Strategy Instruction for Boosting Secondary Stage Students’ EFL Comprehension Skills

The current study aimed to investigate the impact of utilizing reading strategy instruction (RSI) taught through extensive graded reading (EGR) on Egyptian EFL secondary stage students’ comprehension skills. Two first grade EFL secondary stage students (n = 63), randomly assigned to two groups, the regular group (n=31) was introduced to EGR for eight weeks, and the intervention group (n=32) received an eight-week experimental intervention of EGR integrated with RSI. The researcher used a quasi-experimental design, and the data collected were statistically treated to compare the two groups and track the effect of the experimental intervention on the participants’ comprehension skills. The results of data analysis showed that there was no significant difference between the scores of the two groups in the pre-test, but the mean scores of the post-test for the intervention group was higher than theirs in the pre-test and outperformed the regular group in the post-test. These results were supported by the observation that the researcher had of the participants enthusiastically answering the questions, recycling much of the vocabulary they acquired, and revisiting the grammatical structures they were exposed to through EGR and RSI in the required tasks. The intervention group participants, who experienced EGR integrated with RSI, manifested an improved reading proficiency, enhanced comprehension skills, and expanded use of the taught strategies, particularly glossing strategies, use of contextual clues, and activating background information. Significant results were found on the effect of EGR combined with RSI on improving the participants’ comprehension skills. The findings manifested impactful results for participants’ employment of the reading strategies after being trained on them during the intervention. The intervention group significantly developed their writing abilities, presented in the open-ended questions, and demonstrated a well-focused writing style. The present study shed light on EFL reading instruction in Egypt and suggested an alternative approach to the traditional ones, and presented some guidelines for instructional procedures that could be used to enhance secondary stage students’ EFL comprehension skills, and accelerate their ability to utilize different reading strategies efficiently. The study concluded that the implementation of EGR combined with RSI could have positive effects on EFL students’ comprehension skills. استخدام القراءة المتدرجة الموسعة مع تعليم الاستراتيجيات لتعزيز مهارات فهم اللغة الإنجليزية کلغة أجنبية لدى طلاب المرحلة الثانوية د/ رندا محمد صفي الدين خربوش مدرس المناهج و طرق تدريس اللغة الإنجليزية کليـــــة التربيــــة – جامعـــــة بنهـــــا مستخلــــــص هدفت الدراسة الحالية إلى دراسة تأثير تعليم استراتيجيات الفهم القرائي من خلال القراءة المتدرجة الموسعة على مهارات فهم اللغة الإنجليزية کلغة أجنبية لدى طلاب المرحلة الثانوية و لقد تم إجراء البحث على مجموعة من طلاب الصف الأول بالمرحلة الثانوية (ن= 63 طالبة)، تم تقسيمهم عشوائيا إلى مجموعتين، حيث تم استخدام القراءة المتدرجة مع طلاب المجموعة الضابطة (ن=31 طالبة) لمدة ثمانية أسابيع، وتلقت المجموعة التجريبية (ن=32 طالبة) تدخلا تجريبيا لمدة ثمانية أسابيع للتدرب على استراتيجيات الفهم القرائي من خلال القراءة المتدرجة. ولقد استخدمت الباحثة التصميم شبه التجريبي، وتم جمع البيانات ثم معالجتها إحصائيا لمقارنة المجموعتين وتتبع تأثير التدخل التجريبي على مهارات الفهم للغة الإنجليزية. وأظهرت نتائج التحليل أنه لم يکن هناک فروق ذات دلالة إحصائية بين متوسطي درجات المجموعتين في الاختبار القبلي، ولکن متوسطات درجة الاختبار البعدي للمجموعة التجريبية کان أعلى من متوسط درجاتهم في الاختبار القبلي، وکذلک تفوقت المجموعة التجريبية على المجموعة الضابطة في الاختبار البعدي. ودعمت هذه النتائج ملاحظة الباحثة للمشارکين في التجربة و حماسهم الملموس للمشارکة في الإجابة عن الأسئلة، وإعادة استخدام الکثير من المفردات اللغوية التي اکتسبوها، والاستفادة من التراکيب النحوية التي تعلموها من خلال القراءة المتدرجة واستراتيجيات الفهم القرائي في إنجاز المهام اللغوية المطلوبة. وقد أظهر المشارکون في المجموعة التجريبية تحسنا في الکفاءة القرائية، وتطورا في مهارات الفهم اللغوي، وزيادة ملحوظة في استخدام الاستراتيجيات التي تم تدريسها؛ خاصة استخدام الحواشي أو المذيلات والاستفادة من الخلفية المعرفية ، واستخدام القرائن السياقية . و لقد أثبتت نتائج الدراسة التأثير الإيجابي لاستخدام القراءة المتدرجة متضافرة مع تدريس استراتيجيات الفهم القرائي التي تم التدرب عليها من خلال التجربة على قدرات الطلاب المشارکين في فهم اللغة الإنجليزية في سياقاتها المختلفة المستخدمة و کذلک التحسن الملحوظ في قدرتهم على التعبير الکتابي التي ظهرت من خلال إجاباتهم على الأسئلة المفتوحة. و تنتهي الدراسة إلى تقديم مقترح بديل للطريقة التقليدية في تدريس القراءة من خلال تصميم خطوات إجرائية تساعد على تحسين و تطوير مهارات الفهم القرائي لدى طلاب المرحلة الثانوية.

Using Inverted Instruction for enhancing the oral performance of EFL pre-service teachers

يحرص التربويون والمهتمون بالتعليم في مجال تدريس اللغة الانجليزية على استثمار الابتکارات التکنولوجية لتحسين العملية التعليمية و خلق نماذج واستراتيجيات مستحدثة فعالة للتعليم والتعلم. ومنبين هذه النماذج التي تعتمد بشکل کبيرعلى توظيف التکنولوجيا نموذج التعليم المعکوس أو المقلوب أو الصف الدراسي المعکوس، ولقد حظي هذا النموذج بالکثير من الاهتمام على جميع المستويات في مختلف أنحاء العالم، وذلک لحداثته وجدة الفکرة التي يقوم عليها حيث يقوم الطالب بدراسة المحتوى الدراسي من خلال فيديوهات تعليمية ومحاضرات مسجلة مسبقا بالاضافة الى القراءات المکلف بها وذلک قبل حضوره الى الصف الدراسي التي يتم تکريس معظم الوقت المخصص له في المناقشات والتدريبات العملية وممارسة الأنشطة التعليمية المختلفة، وهذا من شأنه إتاحة فرص عديدة للمعلم والطلاب للتفاعل المثمر والتواصل اللغوي مما يساعد على تنمية المهارات اللغوية والکفاءة التواصلية للطالب في مناخ صحي مهيأ لتعزيز الأداء اللغوي للطالب. وقد هدفت الدراسة الحالية الى استخدام نموذج التعليم المعکوس في تحسين وتعزيز الأداء الشفهي للطلاب المعلمين بشعبة اللغة الإنجليزية . تکونت عينة الدراسة من 88 من طلاب برنامج الدبلوم العام للتأهيل التربوي لخريجي کلية الآداب بشعبة اللغة الانجليزية للعمل کمعلمين للغة الانجليزية. و أظهرت النتائج الاحصائية تفوق أفراد المجموعة التجريبية على أفراد المجموعة الضابطة في الأداء الشفهي للغة الانجليزية بأبعاده الأربعة :الطلاقة والاتساق اللغوي، الثروة المعجمية ، الدقة والقدرة النحوية، والنطق ومخارج الألفاظ. بينما کشفت الدراسة النوعية التحليلية عن تفهم الطلاب المشارکين لمفهوم التعليم المعکوس وتحمسهم له واقتناعهم بجدواه في تحسين مهاراتهم اللغوية وتعزيز أدائهم الشفهي للغة الانجليزية. Abstract The inverted instruction (II) as a pedagogical model has recently gained more recognition and commendation and become one of the most noteworthy innovative instructional models in education, where students watch instructional videos and read assigned materials outside/before the classroom and engage in productive tasks and activities inside/during the classroom. In foreign language (FL) teaching, the II may offer great benefits for both teachers and students by providing more interactive tasks that can help to enhance learners' language skills. In this context, the researcher deployed II to explore its impact on enhancing EFL pre-service teachers' (N=88) oral performance. A pre- and post-test quasi-experimental design, with control (N=45) and experimental (N=43) groups, was utilized to achieve the purpose of the study. Quantitative data was collected, analyzed, and statistically treated using SPSS. Statistical analysis of results revealed that the experimental group participants outperformed the control group participants, and there were statistically significant differences at 0.00 level between the two groups at the end of an eight-week intervention process using II. The findings of the study also indicated that the experimental group participants developed significantly in the four measured dimensions of oral performance: fluency and coherence, lexical resource, grammatical range and accuracy, and pronunciation. The researcher supported her quantitative results with qualitative data collected to gain insights into the participants' perceptions of the newly used model and their reflections on II. The results revealed that the EFL pre-service teacher participants had a positive attitude towards the use of II as a constituent part of their study courses. The study also provided recommendations for II's implementation and integration into courses in other EFL teaching.

An explicit multicomponent alphabet writing instruction program in grade 1 to improve writing skills

Learning to write involves the acquisition of several skills, not the least of which is handwriting. Indeed, studies in cognitive psychology have clearly demonstrated that it takes time to acquire this complex skill. The present study aimed to assess the effectiveness of an explicit multicomponent alphabet writing instruction program implemented in grade 1. Using a quasi-experimental design, this study was conducted in first grade classrooms. Classrooms were assigned to either the experimental or control group. Eighty pupils in grade 1, aged 6 (mean age, 6.2), participated in the study and had their handwriting and spelling skills assessed prior to and immediately following the eight-week intervention. The results show that the experimental group (n = 40) had significantly higher writing outcomes in handwriting and spelling compared with the paired control group (n = 40), suggesting a positive effect of the intervention. These findings highlight the relevance for teachers of implementing and using an explicit multicomponent alphabet instruction program in grade 1 to support the development of writing skills.

Smoking cessation intervention for reducing disease activity in chronic autoimmune inflammatory joint diseases.

Chronic inflammatory joint diseases (IJDs) affect 1% to 2% of the population in developed countries. IJDs include rheumatoid arthritis (RA), ankylosing spondylitis (AS), psoriatic arthritis (PsA), and other forms of spondyloarthritis (SpA). Tobacco smoking is considered a significant environmental risk factor for developing IJDs. There are indications that smoking exacerbates the symptoms and worsens disease outcomes. The objective of this review was to investigate the evidence for effects of smoking cessation interventions on smoking cessation and disease activity in smokers with IJD. We searched the Cochrane Tobacco Addiction Group Specialized Register; the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), the Cochrane Library; PubMed/MEDLINE; Embase; PsycINFO; the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL); and three trials registers to October 2018. We included randomised controlled trials testing any form of smoking cessation intervention for adult daily smokers with a diagnosis of IJD, and measuring smoking cessation at least six months after baseline. We used standard methodological procedures as expected by Cochrane. We included two studies with 57 smokers with a diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We identified no studies including other IJDs. One pilot study compared a smoking cessation intervention specifically for people with RA with a less intensive, generic smoking cessation intervention. People included in the study had a mean age of 56.5 years and a disease duration of 7.7 years (mean). The second study tested effects of an eight-week cognitive-behavioural patient education intervention on cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk for people with RA and compared this with information on CVD risk only. The intervention encouraged participants to address multiple behaviours impacting CVD risk, including smoking cessation, but did not target smoking cessation alone. People included in the study had a mean age of 62.2 years (intervention group) and 60.8 years (control group), and disease duration of 11.6 years (intervention group) and 14.1 years (control group). It was not appropriate to perform a meta-analysis of abstinence data from the two studies due to clinical heterogeneity between interventions. Neither of the studies individually provided evidence to show benefit of the interventions tested. Only one study reported on adverse effects. These effects were non-serious, and numbers were comparable between trial arms. Neither of the studies assessed or reported disease activity or any of the predefined secondary outcomes. We assessed the overall certainty of evidence as very low due to indirectness, imprecision, and high risk of detection bias based on GRADE. We found very little research investigating the efficacy of smoking cessation intervention specifically in people with IJD. Included studies are limited by imprecision, risk of bias, and indirectness. Neither of the included studies investigated whether smoking cessation intervention reduced disease activity among people with IJD. High-quality, adequately powered studies are warranted. In particular, researchers should ensure that they measure disease markers and quality of life, in addition to long-term smoking cessation.

Young Children’s Embodied Experiences: A Classroom-Based Yoga Intervention

Over the years, mindfulness and yoga-based interventions have been widely implemented in schools and demonstrated promising results. Despite the benefits, there is limited literature on the effects that yoga may have for young children. Furthermore, extant research on yoga and young children has primarily used quantitative methodologies. The objective of this study was to investigate pre-kindergarteners’ and kindergartners’ experiences with yoga through a qualitative-exploratory approach. This qualitative-exploratory study used interview methods and the application of grounded theory to learn about children’s perceptions (n = 154) of participating in a randomized waitlist-controlled trial an eight-week yoga intervention that targeted self-regulation and emotion regulation. The post-intervention child interview findings are reported here. Two themes, grounded in the dataset and most relevant to the topic of children’s experiences in practicing the yoga, emerged in the analysis: (1) children’s positive emotions about the yoga; and (2) children’s knowledge of yoga and self-regulation skills. Children were often eager to share their feelings and knowledge about the yoga and demonstrated their embodied expertise regarding their own emotions and bodies and thus ability to serve as active participants in the research process. This qualitative-exploratory study contributes to the research on the physical, cognitive, and emotional benefits of yoga for young children. Future researchers may work towards understanding how yoga promotes children’s development at a young age and conduct follow-up investigations into the embodied experiences and benefits of yoga practices with children.

The Effect of Mindfulness Meditation on Impulsivity and its Neurobiological Correlates in Healthy Adults

Interest has grown in using mindfulness meditation to treat conditions featuring excessive impulsivity. However, while prior studies find that mindfulness practice can improve attention, it remains unclear whether it improves other cognitive faculties whose deficiency can contribute to impulsivity. Here, an eight-week mindfulness intervention did not reduce impulsivity on the go/no-go task or Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11), nor produce changes in neural correlates of impulsivity (i.e. frontostriatal gray matter, functional connectivity, and dopamine levels) compared to active or wait-list control groups. Separately, long-term meditators (LTMs) did not perform differently than meditation-naïve participants (MNPs) on the go/no-go task. However, LTMs self-reported lower attentional impulsivity, but higher motor and non-planning impulsivity on the BIS-11 than MNPs. LTMs had less striatal gray matter, greater cortico-striatal-thalamic functional connectivity, and lower spontaneous eye-blink rate (a physiological dopamine indicator) than MNPs. LTM total lifetime practice hours (TLPH) did not significantly relate to impulsivity or neurobiological metrics. Findings suggest that neither short- nor long-term mindfulness practice may be effective for redressing impulsive behavior derived from inhibitory motor control or planning capacity deficits in healthy adults. Given the absence of TLPH relationships to impulsivity or neurobiological metrics, differences between LTMs and MNPs may be attributable to pre-existing differences.

Effectiveness of surf therapy for children with disabilities

BackgroundFew researchers have examined the effects of surf programs on children with disabilities. Due to previous research findings, surfing is being used, as the focus of physical activity intervention due to its numerous health and therapeutic benefits. Objective/hypothesisThe purpose of this study was to explore the effects of an eight-week surfing intervention on various physical fitness measures in 71 children with disabilities such as autism spectrum disorder, down syndrome, global developmental delays, and cerebral palsy. The study also sought to compare the differences in overall fitness levels between the surf therapy group and an unstructured pool playgroup. Researchers predicted significant differences in the surf therapy group. MethodsThe assessment procedure consisted of pre and post physical fitness measures selected from the Brockport Physical Fitness Test in two groups: surfing (n = 71) and an unstructured aquatic program (n = 20). ResultsThe results demonstrated significant improvements in core strength (p = 0.00), upper body strength (p = 0.00), flexibility (p = 0.01) and cardiorespiratory endurance (p = 0.00) in the surfing group. However, there were no significant differences in overall fitness levels between the surfing and unstructured pool playgroups. Body composition measurements on the surfing group demonstrated a significant reduction in total body fat % (p = 0.016) and fat free mass (p = 0.008) and a significant improvement in bone mineral density (p = 0.004) pre to post surf therapy. ConclusionsThis research demonstrated the effectiveness and physiological benefits of surf therapy for children with selected disabilities.

Comparison of the Effects of Islamic Spiritual Educations and Breathing Techniques with Heart Rate Variability Feedback Therapies on Heart Rate Variability, Psychophysiological Coordination and Stress in Patients Undergoing Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery

Background: Patients with coronary artery disease also have psychological disorders, such as stress and depression, especially if they underwent coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery; a type of bypass surgery that forms new routes around narrowed and blocked coronary arteries, permitting increased blood flow to deliver oxygen and nutrients to the heart muscle. Objectives: The current study aimed at comparing the effect of Islamic educations and breathing techniques with heart rate variability (HRV) biofeedback therapies on HRV, psychophysiological coordination, and stress in patients undergoing CABG. Methods: A total of 60 patients who underwent CABG surgery were selected and randomly assigned to three equal groups of the Islamic educations, breathing techniques, and control. The experimental groups received an eight-week intervention as a two-hour session per week with home practices. The control group received only the routine hospital care. The stress, HRV, and psychophysiological coordination levels of the subjects were evaluated before and after the interventions in the three groups using depression, anxiety, and stress scale-21 for stress and emWave Desktop software for HRV and psychophysiological coordination. The data were analyzed using ANCOVA and descriptive tests with SPSS version 21. Results: The results showed a significant difference among the three groups in the increase of HRV and psychophysiological coordination and decrease of stress. Moreover, stress level reduced more in the Islamic educations group, while HRV and psychophysiological coordination levels increased more in the breathing techniques group. Conclusions: Based on the results, it is recommended using both Islamic educations and breathing techniques as well as HRV biofeedback therapies in rehabilitation programs for patients undergoing CABG in hospitals.

Effects of Physical Exercise Intervention on Psychological and Physical Fitness in Lymphoma Patients.

Background and objectives: Lymphoma patients experience a psychological and physiological decline that could be reversed by exercise. However, little is known about the effects of the exercise on psychological and physical fitness variables. Therefore, the purpose of this longitudinal study was to assess self-efficacy, fatigue and physical fitness before and after an eight-week exercise intervention. Materials and Methods: Thirty-six participants (54.4 ± 19.1 years) performed a supervised exercise program (~60 min, 2d·wk−1). Each session included a combined progressive training of cardiorespiratory, resistance, flexibility and postural education exercises. Self-efficacy and fatigue were measured with the Regulatory Emotional Self-Efficacy scale and 0–10 rating scale, respectively. Physical fitness was assessed with the body mass index, lower back flexibility, static balance, muscle strength and functional mobility. Results: Adherence to exercise was high (91.2% ± 4.8%) and no major health problems were noted in the patients over the intervention period. At baseline, significant differences were found between Hodgkin’s lymphoma and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma patients by age and all dependent measures (p < 0.05). Fatigue significantly decreased and the perceived capability to regulate negative affect and to express positive emotions improved after exercise (p < 0.001). Significant improvements were found for body mass index, trunk lateral flexibility, monopodalic balance, isometric handgrip force and functional mobility (p < 0.001). Fatigue was significantly correlated with handgrip force (r = −0.56, p < 0.001) and functional mobility (r = −0.69, p < 0.001). Conclusions: The supervised exercise program improved psychological and physical fitness without causing adverse effects and health problems. Therefore, exercise to improve fitness levels and reduce perceived fatigue should be considered in the management of lymphoma patients.

NP15 Social Cohesion Interaction with Text Message Intervention Effect on Fast Food Frequency

Objective Social cohesion among peers profoundly influences decision making during adolescence. Despite this, the current research is very limited concerning the association of social cohesion and intimacy among rural adolescent peers with dietary intake and weight outcomes. The purpose of this study is to investigate how social cohesion and intimacy among rural adolescents in Kentucky and North Carolina affects the outcomes of a text message intervention aimed at improving fruit, vegetable, fast food and sugar sweetened beverage intake. Description Eight schools participated (n = 4 were randomized as intervention schools and n = 4 were randomized as control schools). Adolescents were recruited to participate in the eight-week text messaging intervention (n = 277 intervention students and n = 134 delayed control students). Baseline and post-intervention surveys were completed by all participants to gather information about dietary intakes, social networking, anthropometrics, and demographics. Evaluation Food cohesion was defined as those with lots of friends (two or more listed for each of the three questions) who they share food and intimate details with, or low food cohesion, those with few friends (less than two listed for each of the three questions) who they share food or intimate details with. A log linear regression model was then used to determine the association between the dietary intake variables and food cohesion within the control and intervention groups and between the two groups. Conclusion and Implications There was a statistically significant decreases in the amount of fast food consumed per week among individuals in the intervention group with high levels of food cohesion compared to individuals in the control group with low levels of food cohesion -0.318 times per week (95% CI -0.71-0.051). A strong food cohesion among those in the intervention had a modest effect on the amount of times fast food was consumed per week. However, future interventions need to be tailored to target cohesion as a core construct before any conclusions can be made. Funding 2016-68001-24915.

Randomized controlled trial of a well-being intervention in cardiac patients

ObjectivePositive psychological well-being interventions have demonstrated promise in improving both psychological and physical health-related outcomes in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD), but evidence of the efficacy of these interventions with individuals with CAD is limited. As such, we developed an eight-week group-based intervention targeting eudaimonic aspects of psychological well-being in a randomized pilot trial. The primary aims of the trial were feasibility and acceptability, and we also explored the intervention's effectiveness on psychological outcomes. MethodParticipants were 40 CAD outpatients randomly assigned to the intervention (n = 20) or an attention-matched control group (n = 20). Feasibility was measured by rates of group session attendance and homework completion, and acceptability was assessed through participant ratings of intervention activities. Additional study outcomes, compared between groups, included psychological well-being, optimism, depression, and positive and negative affect. ResultsThe intervention met a priori criteria for feasibility and acceptability. The intervention was also associated with greater improvements in psychological well-being (β = −16.90; 95% Confidence Interval [CI] = −23.36, −10.44; p < .001, ES = 1.65), optimism (β = −8.80; 95% CI = −11.17, −6.43; t = −7.41; p < .001; ES = 2.34), and depression (β = 26.45; 95% CI = 20.97, 31.93; p < .001) immediately post-intervention, with sustained effects six weeks later. ConclusionsThese results indicate that the intervention was feasible, well-accepted, and effective in improving clinically relevant psychological outcomes in individuals with CAD. Future work should seek to replicate this work and assess general health-related and cardiac health-specific outcomes.

1821-P: A Possible Mechanism: Genistein Improves Metabolism and Induces White Fat Browning through Modulating Hypothalamic Expression of Ucn3, Depp, and Stc1

Bioactive food components have gained growing attention in recent years. Multitude of studies have demonstrated that genistein, as a soy-derived phytoestrogen, has beneficial effects on metabolism. However, the exact mechanism by which genistein improving metabolic disorders remains unclear, especially the central regulation. This study was designed to evaluate whether addition of genistein to the high-fat diet could counter the metabolic disorders and whether these alterations were associated with the gene expression in hypothalamus. C57BL/6 mice were fed either a high-fat diet (HF), high-fat diet with genistein (0.25g/kg diet) (HFG) or a normal control diet (CON) for eight weeks. Body weight were assessed during the study. After eight-week intervention, content of subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT), visceral adipose tissue (VAT) and brown adipose tissue (BAT) were weighed. Glucose tolerance test, the serum levels of insulin and lipid were assessed. The mRNA of browning marker was detected in the WAT. The hypothalamus was collected for whole transcriptome sequencing and reverse transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) validation. The results demonstrated that mice fed the HFG diet had lower body weight (p&amp;lt;0.05) and SAT mass (p&amp;lt;0.01), decrease levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) (p&amp;lt;0.01) and free fatty acids (FFA) (p&amp;lt;0.05), higher browning marker of Ucp1 (p&amp;lt;0.01) and Cidea (p&amp;lt;0.05) in WAT and an improvement in glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity compared with those in the HF group. Transcriptome sequencing showed that there were three differentially expressed genes in hypothalamus among the three groups, including Ucn3 (p&amp;lt;0.05), Depp (p&amp;lt;0.01) and Stc1 (p&amp;lt;0.01). Thus, regulating gene expressions in hypothalamus is a potential mechanism for genistien improving metabolism and inducing WAT browning, which may provide a novel target for the precaution and treatment of T2DM. Disclosure L. Zhou: None. X. Xiao: None. M. Deng: None. J. Liu: None. M. Yu: None. Funding National Natural Science Foundation of China

Effect of an eight-week smartphone-guided HRV-biofeedback intervention on autonomic function and impulsivity in healthy controls

A large body of scientific studies suggest a close relationship between increased vagal function and better cognitive performance. Objective: In the current study, we investigated the association between autonomic function and behavioral impulsivity. We hypothesized that heart rate variability (HRV) biofeedback training increases HRV and enhances inhibitory control. Approach: A total of 28 healthy participants were recruited. After drop-out, 14 participants completed an eight-week HRV biofeedback training with five training sessions per week including one session at the clinic’s laboratory and four sessions at home using a mobile application running on their smartphone. Ten control subjects matched with respect to age and gender played a mobile game according to the same schedule as the biofeedback group. The assessment of autonomic status and the stop-signal task were conducted before the beginning of the training (T1) and after finishing the schedule (T2). Main results: We found a relationship of reaction times in the stop-signal task and standard HRV as well as cardiorespiratory indices. After biofeedback training, short-term HRV and baroreflex function significantly increased by 33% (CI [2%, 64%], p < 0.05) and 21% (CI [5%, 36%], p < 0.05), respectively. The performance in the stop-signal task was not affected by the biofeedback intervention. Compared to the changes of autonomic indices in the control group, only a decrease of skin conductance levels in the biofeedback group remained statistically significant. Significance: Our results indicate that a smartphone-based HRV biofeedback intervention can be applied to improve cardiovagal function in healthy subjects. Although higher HRV was associated with higher levels of inhibitory control, HRV biofeedback had no effect on measures of impulsivity.

Effects of Eight-week Fundamental Motor Skills Intervention on Children’s Physical and Cognitive Health Outcomes

Globally, 80.3% of school-aged children do not engage in the recommended 60 minutes of daily moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA; Hallal et al., 2012). Motor skill competence is fundamental to a child’s physical activity and cognitive development (Stodden et al., 2008), and thus may explain the lack of MVPA engagement among children. PURPOSE: This study aimed to examine the effects of a fundamental motor skills (FMS) intervention program on physical and cognitive health outcomes among elementary children. METHODS: Participants were 31 K-2 students (19 girls, 12 boys; Mage = 6.65) from three public elementary schools in the southwestern U.S. They were randomly assigned to either the intervention (1 school, n = 20) or the control group (2 schools, n = 11). During two separate 8-week periods in 2017 and 2018, children in the intervention group (13 girls, 7 boys) joined the FMS intervention for three times per week (60 minutes each time), while children in the control group (6 girls, 5 boys) followed a traditional afterschool program (e.g., free play). Children’s pre- and post-intervention data were collected using the Test of Gross Motor Development - 2nd edition (TGMD-2; Ulrich et al., 2000), accelerometers (Actical), and a cognitive function questionnaire (PedsQLTM; Varni et al., 2011). To examine the intervention effect, a 2 × 2 repeated measures MANOVA was used, with group as the between-subjects variable and time as the within-subjects variable. RESULTS: The MANOVA showed significant differences between the intervention and the control group over time, F(4,26) = 16.83, p < .001, partial η2 = .72. Follow-up univariate tests for the group × time effect indicated significant differences (p < .05) in locomotor skills (intervention: MT1 = 25.4 vs. MT2 = 37.98, d =8.31; control: MT1 = 29.73 vs. MT2 = 30.32, d = 0.25), object-control skills (intervention: MT1 = 24.68 vs. MT2 = 39.78, d = 7.07; control: MT1 = 27.05 vs. MT2 = 27.59, d =0.19), and MVPA (intervention: MT1 = 143.62 vs. MT2 = 170.06, d = 2.54; control: MT1 = 166.24 vs. MT2 = 155.17, d = 0.79), but not in cognitive function (p > .05). CONCLUSION: The FMS intervention showed significant improvements in FMS and MVPA, compared to a traditional afterschool program. Findings highlight the importance of FMS for motor skill competence and MVPA promotion among school-aged children.

Lipids and insulin regulate mitochondrial-derived peptide (MOTS-c) in PCOS and healthy subjects.

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a heterogeneous endocrine disorder associated with mitochondrial dysfunction and insulin resistance (IR). MOTS-c, a mitochondrial peptide, promotes insulin sensitivity (IS) through activating AKT and AMPK-dependent pathways. The current study was designed to examine the response of MOTS-c to lipids (intralipid) followed by insulin in PCOS and healthy subjects. All subjects underwent 5-hour intralipid/saline infusion with a hyperinsulinemic-euglycaemic clamp in the final 2hours. Plasma samples were collected to measure circulating MOTS-c using a commercial ELISA kit. Subsequently, this was repeated following an eight-week exercise intervention. Intralipid significantly increased plasma MOTS-c both in controls and PCOS subjects, whilst the insulin infusion blunted the intralipid-induced response seen for both lipids and MOT-c. Intralipid elevated plasma MOTS-c to 232±124% of basal in control (P<0.01) and to 349±206% of basal in PCOS (P<0.001) subjects. Administration of insulin suppressed intralipid-induced MOTS-c from 232±124% to 165±97% (NS) in control and from 349±206% to 183±177% (P<0.05) in PCOS subjects, respectively. Following exercise, intralipid elevated plasma MOTS-c to 305±153% of basal in control (P<0.01) and to 215±103% of basal in PCOS (P<0.01) subjects; insulin suppressed intralipid-induced MOTS-c only in controls. In conclusion, this is the first study to show increased lipid enhanced circulating MOTS-c whilst insulin attenuated the MOTS-c response in human. Further, eight weeks of moderate exercise training did not show any changes in circulating MOTS-c levels in healthy controls and in women with PCOS.

EFFECTS OF INDIVIDUALLY STRUCTURED TRUNK TRAINING ON BODY FUNCTION AND STRUCTURES IN CHILDREN WITH SPASTIC CEREBRAL PALSY: A STRATIFIED RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the effects of trunk training on body function and structures of children with spastic cerebral palsy (CP). Methods: Children included in this study were classified according to the Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) and divided into two groups by stratified randomization based on their GMFCS levels and ages. A total of 36 children with bilateral spastic CP were recruited for this study, and 19 children (4 females, 15 males, age=8.81±3.92 years) were included in the trunk training group, and 17 children (6 females, 11 males, age=10.44±4.63 years) were included in the control group. Muscle tone of upper and lower extremity muscles was assessed using the Modified Tardieu Scale (MTS), and muscle activation of the trunk muscles was assessed using Surface Electromyography during rest (sEMG minimum) and forward reaching (sEMG maximum) at baseline and after an eight-week intervention. Results: When the therapy-induced changes were considered, it was seen that there was no difference in muscle tone in both groups (p>0.05). The sEMG maximum scores for erector spinae muscles (p=0.025 for right and p=0.006 for left) improved in the trunk training group. There was no change in the sEMG scores of lumbar multifidus, M. rectus abdominis, internal oblique-transversus abdominis, external oblique, and M. gluteus maximus muscles (p>0.05). Conclusion: Individually-structured trunk training is a promising method to increase activation of trunk extensors. This intervention can be used safely without the risk of increasing muscle tone of upper and lower extremities in children with CP.

Feasibility of an eight-week telerehabilitation intervention for patients with unresectable thoracic neoplasia receiving chemotherapy: A pilot study

BACKGROUND: Exercise-based rehabilitation improves physical function, fatigue and quality of life in patients with thoracic neoplasia. However, the implementation of this intervention is limited because of poor accessibility and adherence. Consequently, telerehabilitation is a promising strategy to improve access and adherence to rehabilitation.OBJECTIVES: To investigate the feasibility, adherence and satisfaction of a home-based telerehabilitation program (TELERP) with real-time physiological parameters acquisition in patients with unresectable thoracic neoplasia receiving chemotherapy and to explore its effects on patients’ functional capacity.METHODS: Five patients receiving chemotherapy followed an 8-week TELERP using real-time monitoring combined with interactive exercises. The TELERP included supervised and unsupervised exercise sessions (3 sessions/week). The feasibility of the TELERP, adverse outcomes and adherence were analyzed. Six-minute walking test (6MWT) and timed stair test (TST) were done to assess functional capacity.RESULTS: Five patients with lung cancer (mean age of 62 ± 7 yr; BMI of 24 ± 3 Kg/m2) completed the TELERP. Patients completed 15 supervised and 8.6 ± 2.97 unsupervised exercise sessions, representing 100 and 96% of the prescribed sessions, respectively. Patients trained at moderate and high intensity ≥50% of the time of the cardiopulmonary exercise session. No adverse event occurred. Following the TELERP, TST and 6MWT improved significantly (Δ −3.0 ± 0.19 s, p = 0.05 and Δ 39.8 ± 19.7 m, p = 0.01, respectively).CONCLUSION: These results support the feasibility of a TELERP and suggest that such intervention may contribute to maintain or improve functional capacity for patients with thoracic neoplasia receiving chemotherapy.