Improvements In Physiological Measures Research Articles

Impact of advanced footwear technology for Japanese Ekiden athletes.

Advanced footwear technology (AFT) was developed with the goal of running a marathon in under 2 hours. This pace (2:51 min/km) is similar to the race pace of Ekiden, which are road relays where each athlete covers a distance ranging from 15 kilometers to 22 kilometers. This study aimed to elucidate the impact of AFT on the records of Japanese Ekiden runners. A total of 2000 men's performances in 10,000 m and half-marathon were analyzed. Top-100 performances for 10,000 m and half marathon were subjected to One-Way group Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), including year (2014/2015/2016/2017/2018/2019/2020/2021/2022/2023). Significant improvements are observed in 10,000 m times after 2020 and half marathon times after 2018. For 10,000 meters, track spikes with the AFT may improve running performance, rather than the first launch of the AFT in 2017. The improvement in the half-marathon for Japanese Ekiden athletes since 2018 may reflect improved running economy (RE). The present results would provide further evidence for Japanese Ekiden athletes to use AFT alongside the improvement in physiological measures like VO<inf>2</inf>.

Type 2 Diabetes Self-Management Interventions Among Asian Americans in the United States: A Scoping Review.

Introduction:Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is one of the leading causes of death among Asian Americans. Despite being a culturally diverse racial group with differences in history, language, religion, and values, Asian Americans are often viewed as a monolith. With the high prevalence rate of T2D, a careful examination of self-management interventions across Asian Americans is needed to develop effective and culturally sensitive interventions.Objective:To describe existing literature by examining study characteristics, different intervention components, and outcome measures of various T2D interventions among Asian Americans.Methods:Using Arksey and O'Malley's framework to ground this review, six online databases were used to identify studies.Results:A total of 18 publications were included. Thirteen studies were published after 2013, with 44% and 22% of these studies focused on Chinese Americans and Korean Americans. We found a lack of geographic diversity in the location of the studies. Majority of the participants were females. Most of the interventions were implemented in person. Licensed health care providers were the most common interventionists, with a number of studies using community health workers. Outcome measures focused on three key areas: physiological, psychosocial and behavioral, and program-related outcomes. Many of the studies measured changes in HbA1C, self-efficacy, distress, depression, and quality of life. Overall, we saw improvements in physiological measures in most of the studies. For example, majority of the studies showed a decline in the participants' HbA1C. Most studies showed an increase or improvement in healthy behaviors. Studies that measured efficacy, knowledge, attitude, motivation, quality of life, or general health showed improvement from baseline. All the studies that measured distress or depression showed a reduction of symptoms postintervention.Conclusion:Overall, we found that culturally tailored interventions that focus on specific Asian American subpopulations saw an improvement in physiological, psychosocial, or behavioral measures. There were several gaps in the existing T2D self-management programs or interventions among Asian Americans studied in the United States. Based on our analysis, we recommend when designing or implementing self-management interventions among Asian Americans, considerations should be made for targeted recruitment for understudied Asian American subgroups, gender, and location.

Comparison Between Classic and Light Touch Massage on Psychological and Physical Functional Variables in Athletes: a Randomized Pilot Trial

Despite the general belief of the benefits and the widespread use of massage in sport field, there are limited empirical data on possible effectiveness of massage on psychological and physical functional variables. The main objective of the present study was to compare the effectiveness of classical and light touch massage on psychological and physical functional variables in athletes. Athletic club of Valencia. 20 amateur athletes were recruited from two athletic clubs. A single-blind, randomized, pilot-placebo trial. The subjects were randomly allocated to two different groups: a) Massage group (MG) (n=10); b) Control group (CG) (n=10). The intervention period lasted one month (one session per week). Assessment of the participants was performed at baseline and 24 hours following the completion of the intervention. Outcome measures included hip flexion, knee extension, and mood state. The results suggest that MG obtained better results on physical variables (p < .05). However, for both groups, trends suggest significant improvements in the overall mood state of the participants (p < .05). Our results suggest that classic massage could be an effective intervention to improve functional physical variables in athletes. However, trends suggest that a light touch intervention could provoke improvements in physiological measures.

Differences in Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors and Health Behaviors Between Black and Non-Black Students Participating in a School-Based Health Promotion Program.

To compare cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors of black and non-black children participating in Project Healthy Schools (PHS), a school-based wellness program. Participants were surveyed and participated in physiological screenings pre- and post-PHS intervention. Middle schools in 4 Michigan communities of varying socioeconomic status. A total of 3813 sixth-grade students comprised the survey sample, and 2297 sixth-grade students comprised the screening sample. Project Healthy Schools is a school-based intervention designed to reduce the risk of obesity and CVD in children through the promotion of healthy eating and physical activity. Physical examination, blood test, and self-reported survey data on dietary habits, physical activity, and sedentary behaviors were collected pre- and post-PHS. Paired and independent t tests were used for physiologic variables. Wilcoxon sign-rank and rank-sum tests were used for survey variables. At baseline, blacks had a higher percentage of overweight/obese students (43% vs 34%; P < .0001) and demonstrated poorer health habits than non-blacks; however, non-blacks had poorer lipid profiles. At follow-up (post-PHS intervention), both groups demonstrated significant improvements in physiological measures and health behaviors. Despite disparities between the groups at both baseline and follow-up, changes seen post-PHS intervention were beneficial in both groups. These results suggest that early intervention for risk factor modification is possible and may be of great importance in the prevention of CVD, particularly in high-risk groups.

Effects of an after-school care-administered physical activity and nutrition protocol on body mass index, fitness levels, and targeted psychological factors in 5- to 8-year-olds.

Over one third of U.S. youth are overweight or obese. Treatments typically have had unreliable effects, inconsistently incorporating behavior-change theory. After-school care might be a viable setting for health behavior-change programs. We evaluated effects of two consecutive 12-week segments of a revised self-efficacy/social cognitive theory-based physical activity and nutrition treatment on fitness levels, body mass index (BMI), and targeted psychosocial factors in after-school care participants, ages 5-8years. Changes in physiological measures, exercise self-efficacy (ESE), and physical self-concept over 9months were contrasted in experimental (n = 72) vs. typical-care (n = 42) groups. Mediation of the group-BMI change relationship by the psychosocial factors was also assessed. Improvements in physiological measures and ESE were significantly greater in the experimental group. ESE change completely mediated the association of treatment type with BMI change. The experimental group demonstrated significantly greater improvements in the physiological measures, with its treatment's theoretical basis and application within after-school care supported.

Weight Science: Evaluating the Evidence for a Paradigm Shift

Current guidelines recommend that "overweight" and "obese" individuals lose weight through engaging in lifestyle modification involving diet, exercise and other behavior change. This approach reliably induces short term weight loss, but the majority of individuals are unable to maintain weight loss over the long term and do not achieve the putative benefits of improved morbidity and mortality. Concern has arisen that this weight focus is not only ineffective at producing thinner, healthier bodies, but may also have unintended consequences, contributing to food and body preoccupation, repeated cycles of weight loss and regain, distraction from other personal health goals and wider health determinants, reduced self-esteem, eating disorders, other health decrement, and weight stigmatization and discrimination. This concern has drawn increased attention to the ethical implications of recommending treatment that may be ineffective or damaging. A growing trans-disciplinary movement called Health at Every Size (HAES) challenges the value of promoting weight loss and dieting behavior and argues for a shift in focus to weight-neutral outcomes. Randomized controlled clinical trials indicate that a HAES approach is associated with statistically and clinically relevant improvements in physiological measures (e.g., blood pressure, blood lipids), health behaviors (e.g., eating and activity habits, dietary quality), and psychosocial outcomes (such as self-esteem and body image), and that HAES achieves these health outcomes more successfully than weight loss treatment and without the contraindications associated with a weight focus. This paper evaluates the evidence and rationale that justifies shifting the health care paradigm from a conventional weight focus to HAES.

Effectiveness of community health workers in the care of persons with diabetes

The purpose of this systematic review was to examine the effectiveness of community health workers in supporting the care of persons with diabetes. Computerized searches were conducted of multiple electronic bibliographic dababases until March 2004. We identified studies in any language and of any design that examined the effectiveness of diabetes-related interventions involving community health workers and reported outcomes in persons with diabetes. Results were synthesized narratively. Eighteen studies were identified, including eight randomized controlled trials. Most studies focused on minority populations in the USA. The roles and duties of community health workers in diabetes care were varied, ranging from substantial involvement in patient care to providing instrumental assistance in education sessions taught by other health professionals. Participants were generally satisfied with their contacts with community health workers and participant knowledge increased. Improvements in physiological measures were noted for some interventions and positive changes in lifestyle and self-care were noted in a number of studies. There were few data on economic outcomes, but several studies demonstrated a decrease in inappropriate health care utilization. Diabetes programmes include community health workers as team members in a variety of roles. There are some preliminary data demonstrating improvements in participant knowledge and behaviour. Much additional research, however, is needed to understand the incremental benefit of community health workers in multicomponent interventions and to identify appropriate settings and optimal roles for community health workers in the care of persons with diabetes.

The Effects of a Family Fitness Program on the Physical Activity and Nutrition Behaviors of Third-Grade Children

This study examined the efficacy of a school-based exercise and nutrition program with a parent component. Third-grade children (N = 238) from six elementary schools participated in the study, with three schools randomly assigned to a program group and the other three schools to a control group. The program group received a health-related fitness school-based program and a home program that required parents and children to complete activities and earn points for nutrition and exercise activities. The control group received their traditional physical education and nutrition education program. Univariate analysis of variance on pre- and posttest scores were completed on the following variables: height, weight, body mass index, skinfold, blood cholesterol, mile run, exercise and nutrition knowledge, calories, protein, carbohydrates, total fat, saturated fat, dietary cholesterol, fiber, sodium, percentage of calories from carbohydrates, and percentage of calories from fat. At pretest, the treatment and control groups did not significantly differ on the measures using schools as the unit of analysis. Girls scored significantly higher than boys on skinfold and pretest knowledge. At posttest, the treatment group scored significantly higher than the control group on exercise and nutrition knowledge and significantly lower than the control group on total fat intake, using schools as the unit of analysis. There was no improvement in physiological measures, including blood cholesterol. The study demonstrated that schools can adjust curriculum to meet some health needs of students and achieve modest changes in exercise and nutrition knowledge and diet. The family component of the program provided a practical approach to improving physical activity and nutrition behaviors for elementary school teachers who teach many participants in a crowded curriculum.

Home versus center based physical activity programs in older adults.

Physical inactivity is a leading cause of preventable death and morbidity in developed countries. In addition physical activity can potentially be an effective treatment for various medical conditions (e.g. cardiovascular disease, osteoarthritis). Many types of physical activity programs exist ranging from simple home exercise programs to intense highly supervised hospital (center) based programs. To assess the effectiveness of 'home based' versus 'center based' physical activity programs on the health of older adults. The reviewers searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (1991-present), MEDLINE (1966-Sept 2002), EMBASE (1988 to Sept 2002), CINAHL (1982-Sept 2002), Health Star (1975-Sept 2002), Dissertation Abstracts (1980 to Sept 2002), Sport Discus (1975-Sept 2002) and Science Citation Index (1975-Sept 2002), reference lists of relevant articles and contacted principal authors where possible. Randomised or quasi-randomised controlled trials of different physical activity interventions in older adults (50 years or older) comparing a 'home based' to a 'center based' exercise program. Study participants had to have either a recognised cardiovascular risk factor, or existing cardiovascular disease, or chronic obstructive airways disease (COPD) or osteoarthritis. Cardiac and post-operative programs within one year of the event were excluded. Three reviewers selected and appraised the identified studies independently. Data from studies that then met the inclusion/exclusion criteria were extracted by two additional reviewers. Six trials including 224 participants who received a 'home based' exercise program and 148 who received a 'center based' exercise program were included in this review. Five studies were of medium quality and one poor. A meta-analysis was not undertaken given the heterogeneity of these studies. CARDIOVASCULAR. The largest trial (accounting for approximately 60% of the participants) looked at sedentary older adults. Three trials looked at patients with peripheral vascular disease (intermittent claudication). In patients with peripheral vascular disease center based programs were superior to home at improving distance walked and time to claudication pain at up to 6 months. However the risk of a training effect may be high. There are no longer term studies in this population. Notably home based programs appeared to have a significantly higher adherence rate than center based programs. However this was based primarily on the one study (with the highest quality rating of the studies found) of sedentary older adults. This showed an adherence rate of 68% in the home based program at two year follow-up compared with a 36% adherence in the center based group. There was essentially no difference in terms of treadmill performance or cardiovascular risk factors between groups. CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE (COPD). Two trials looked at older adults with COPD. In patients with COPD the evidence is conflicting. One study showed similar changes in various physiological measures at 3 months that persisted in the home based group up to 18 months but not in the center based group. The other study showed significantly better improvements in physiological measures in the center based group after 8 weeks but again the possibility of a training effect is high. OSTEOARTHRITIS. No studies were found. None of the studies dealt with measures of cost, or health service utilization. In the short-term, center based programs are superior to home based programs in patients with PVD. There is a high possibility of a training effect however as the center based groups were trained primarily on treadmills (and the home based were not) and the outcome measures were treadmill based. There is conflicting evidence which is better in patients with COPD. Home based programs appear to be superior to center based programs in terms of the adherence to exercise (especially in the long-term).