Impact Of Activity Level Research Articles

Association between remotely-monitored activity, patient-reported outcomes, and physical function in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer.

1572 Background: Patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) experience significant functional decline over the course of their treatment, which can negatively impact their quality of life (QOL) and clinical outcomes. There are currently no standardized methods to monitor physical function (PF) in PDAC patients outside the clinic setting. The use of wearable technology to obtain continuous and objective activity data combined with routine collection of patient-reported outcomes (PROs) provides an opportunity to monitor PF and intervene in a timely matter. Methods: We conducted a single-site, single-arm prospective study in advanced stage 3 and 4 PDAC patients between 2019 and 2/2022. Patients used a wrist-worn wearable activity monitor (Fitbit) continuously for 8 weeks and completed NIH PROMIS surveys (PF, pain, fatigue, sleep disturbance, and emotional distress) at baseline, week 4 and week 8. ECOG performance status (PS), hand grip strength, and timed 15-foot walk test were also assessed at each timepoint. Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated for activity data (step counts, distance, stairs, time spent sedentary and in light, moderate, or vigorous activity, sleep), PROs, and functional outcomes. Multivariable regression models, adjusted for age, sex, and cancer stage, were fit to evaluate associations between activity metrics, PROs, and functional outcomes. Multivariable cox proportional hazard models were fit to evaluate the impact of activity levels on survival. Results: A total of 40 patients consented onto study: 50% female, median age: 67 years (range 47-85), 92% ECOG 1. Baseline activity data are summarized in Table. Statistically significant correlations between step counts and PF T-scores (coeff: 0.6, p = 0.001) and lower pain scores (coeff: -0.53, p = 0.002) were observed. Increased stairs count and time spent in moderate and high physical activity were also positively correlated with increased PF (p<0.001). No statistically significant correlations were observed between hand grip strength, activity metrics or PROs. Fewer average step counts and worse PF scores were significantly associated with poor survival with hazard ratios (HR) of 1.44 per 1000 steps (95% CI 1.06, 1.97, p = 0.02) and 1.69 (95% CI 1.1-2.56, p = 0.017), respectively, after adjusting for age, sex, stage, and ECOG PS. Conclusions: Findings from this research suggest that the use of wearable technology for remote monitoring of daily activity is feasible and may be used to supplement functional assessment and predict outcomes in PDAC patients. Larger trials are needed to validate findings. [Table: see text]

Estimation of military training demand from a wrist-worn activity monitor and the potential impact of activity level on improvement of aerobic fitness

Estimation of military training demand from a wrist-worn activity monitor and the potential impact of activity level on improvement of aerobic fitness

Activity, functional capacity and well-being in ageing Finnish workers

The ageing of the labour force and falling employment rates have forced policy makers in industrialized countries to find means of increasing the well-being of older workers and of lengthening their work careers. To longitudinally study the relationship between activity and functional capacity and the well-being of ageing workers. Follow-up study to that carried out by the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health in 1981-97 (n = 3817). Activity level was measured using various free-time activities, and functional capacity was measured through daily-life activities. The measure of well-being included items with both positive and negative affects. The associations between activity, functional capacity and well-being were analysed by general linear models with repeated measures. Activity level and functional capacity had a strong positive effect (the effects of one unit increase were 0.32 and 0.30, respectively) on well-being. They were also interdependent. The impact of activity level in maintaining well-being became 31% greater during the follow-up, whereas the effect of functional capacity diminished by 17%. The results of the study indicate that both involvement in activities and functional capacity have an important, partly compensatory role in maintaining the well-being of ageing workers.

A computer model of human thermoregulation for a wide range of environmental conditions: the passive system.

A dynamic model predicting human thermal responses in cold, cool, neutral, warm, and hot environments is presented in a two-part study. This, the first paper, is concerned with aspects of the passive system: 1) modeling the human body, 2) modeling heat-transport mechanisms within the body and at its periphery, and 3) the numerical procedure. A paper in preparation will describe the active system and compare the model predictions with experimental data and the predictions by other models. Here, emphasis is given to a detailed modeling of the heat exchange with the environment: local variations of surface convection, directional radiation exchange, evaporation and moisture collection at the skin, and the nonuniformity of clothing ensembles. Other thermal effects are also modeled: the impact of activity level on work efficacy and the change of the effective radiant body area with posture. A stable and accurate hybrid numerical scheme was used to solve the set of differential equations. Predictions of the passive system model are compared with available analytic solutions for cylinders and spheres and show good agreement and stable numerical behavior even for large time steps.

The impact of activity level on sweat accumulation and thermal comfort using different underwear

The purpose of this study was to investigate the significance of work level and sweat production for the total amount accumulated and the location of the sweat in a three-layer ensemble as a function of material and textile construction. Furthermore, it was also an aim to investigate how this influenced thermoregulatory responses and thermal comfort during work and during a rest period. Long-legged/long-sleeved underwear manufactured from two different 100% fibre-type materials, polypropylene and wool, was tested as part of a three-layer clothing system. The underwear manufactured from 100% polypropylene was tested in two different knit constructions, a 1-by-1 rib knit and a fishnet structure, and the woollen underwear in a 1-by-1 rib knit construction. The test was performed on eight male subjects (Ta = 10 degrees C, RH = 85%, Va < 0.1 m/s), and comprised a twice-repeated bout of 40-min cycle exercise followed by 20 min rest. Each subject conducted two tests with the work level approximating 30% VO2 max and 40% VO2 max, respectively. Skin temperatures, rectal temperature, weight loss and humidity near the skin were recorded during the test. Total changes in body and clothing weight were measured separately. Furthermore, subjective ratings on thermal comfort and on sensation of temperature and humidity were collected. The results demonstrated that high heat and sweat production during work periods, leading to increased sweat accumulation, will give higher thermal discomfort ratings for rest periods as well as for work periods compared to intermittent work with lower work intensities. Distribution of accumulated sweat in the clothing ensemble after heavy sweating is dependent on the fibre type in the underwear. Further, it can be concluded that underwear construction clearly has an influence on the evaporation rate in a three-layer ensemble during work at a high activity level.