Local Health Club Research Articles

The effect of aerobic exercises on peak expiratory flow rate and physical fitness index in female subjects

Background: A widely acknowledged fact is that people with more physical activity inclined to possess greater degree of fitness and physical activity can enhance cardiorespiratory health. Aims and Objective: To study the effect of aerobic exercises on peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR), body mass index (BMI), and physical fitness index (PFI) in apparently healthy female subjects. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted after a clearance from institutional ethical committee on 25 apparently healthy female subjects in the age group of 19–35 years who had voluntarily enrolled in a local health club, under the supervision of an expert trainer. The subjects were divided into two groups depending upon the aerobic exercise regimen they followed. They were assessed for height, weight, BMI, body surface area (BSA), PEFR, and PFI by Harvard step test at three different time intervals: 0 week, 6 weeks, and 10 weeks. The mean values of all the parameters were compared and evaluated. Result: There were significant changes (p < 0.001) in all the parameters while comparing with the baseline values at the three time intervals; an increase in PEFR, fall in BMI, and rise in PFI was seen. While comparing the values between the two groups, no significant difference could be found. Conclusion: Any form of aerobic exercise proves to be beneficial if followed consistently. Both the groups experienced an improvement in PEFR, BMI, and PFI, but labeling as which aerobic regimen was better could not be done.

A controlled study of community-based exercise training in patients with moderate COPD.

BackgroundThe effectiveness of clinic-based pulmonary rehabilitation in advanced COPD is well established, but few data exist for less severe patients treated in alternative settings. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether a novel, community-based exercise program (CBE) was feasible and effective for patients with moderate COPD.MethodsNineteen patients with moderate COPD (mean FEV1 62%) and self-reported exercise impairment were randomized to 12-weeks of progressive endurance and strength training at a local health club under the guidance of a certified personal trainer, or to continuation of unsupervised habitual physical activity. Outcomes assessed at baseline and 12 weeks included session compliance, intensity adherence, treadmill endurance time, muscle strength, dyspnea, and health status.ResultsCompliance was 94% and adherence was 83%. Comparisons between CBE and control groups yielded the following mean (SEM) differences in favor of CBE: endurance time 134 (74) seconds versus -59 (49) seconds (P = 0.041) and TDI 5.1 (0.8) versus -0.2 (0.5) (P < 0.001). The CBE group increased muscle strength (weight lifted) by 11.8 kilograms per subject per week of training (P < 0.001). SGRQ was not significantly changed.ConclusionsWe demonstrated the feasibility and effectiveness of a novel community-based exercise program involving health clubs and personal trainers for patients with moderate COPD.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov Identifier NCT01985529.

Engineers' role in preventive health care [President's Message

Recently, I have been quite motivated to go more often to our local health club, because the more I exercise, the more money I can save. My health insurance company offers about a 10% premium reduction if I go to a health club eight times or more in a month. It's a win-win situation for me and for my health insurance company, and it represents an example of preventive health care.

Contrasting gender differences on two measures of exercise dependence

Objective:Recent studies using multidimensional measures have shown that men (Exercise Dependence Scale; EDS-R) are more exercise-dependent than women, whereas others have found that women (Exercise Dependence Questionnaire; EDQ) are more...

Predictors and predictive effects of ambivalence.

Recent interest in people's ambivalence about social behaviours and social categories has provoked a number of challenges for the ways in which attitudes are conceptualized. Research into the implications of ambivalence for attitude-behaviour relationships and for information processing has developed alongside a concern with how best to measure ambivalence and with its implications for the application of social psychological theory. In a study (N = 197) of attendance at a local health club, two novel issues were addressed: firstly, an assessment of the effect of ambivalence on intention-behaviour relationships (using an objective behaviour measure) revealed the hypothesized moderation effect; secondly, in a move towards identifying some of the factors that may lead to ambivalence, an assessment of potential motivational conflicts based on a consideration of behavioural beliefs and outcome evaluations was introduced. We suggest that this method of assessing ambivalence represents a useful framework on which to build a fuller understanding of the relationship between people's attitudes and the variety of motives that may influence their social behaviour. Pointers for future research are outlined.

Post-Mortem Three-Dimensional Reconstruction of the Entire Coronary Arterial Circulation Using Electron-Beam Computed Tomography

A 50-year-old man died suddenly while exercising on a treadmill at a local health club. He had no known previous cardiac history. During autopsy, a radio-opaque silicone compound was injected into the coronary arteries. The explanted heart was then imaged by electron-beam computed tomography (EBCT) using 3-mm slices. A complete 3D reconstruction was then obtained …

Patient preferences for cardiac rehabilitation and desired program elements.

Data evaluating the efficacy of traditional cardiac rehabilitation programs to meet patient needs are limited. The authors studied patient-perceived preferences in cardiac rehabilitation programs and desired program elements to evaluate differences by gender or age. The authors surveyed 199 patients (136 men, 60.0 +/- 11.6 years; 63 women, 63.7 +/- 12.7 years; P = 0.045) discharged from a tertiary referral hospital with acute myocardial infarction. Participants completed a standardized questionnaire regarding enrollment in rehabilitation and preferences for six program types on a 10-point scale (1 = little or no agreement, 10 = strongly agree). In this study, 54.3% of subjects enrolled in cardiac rehabilitation. Older patients (> or = 65 years) were more likely to enroll in home-based programs compared with younger patients (< 65 years) (11.8% versus 1.4%, P = 0.02). Younger patients preferred a short-term rehabilitation facility more than older patients (7.4 +/- 3.5 versus 5.1 +/- 4.1 units on the 10-point scale, P = 0.001), and rated the following more favorably than older patients: local health club programs (6.2 +/- 3.7 versus 4.5 +/- 4.0, P = 0.01), long-term programs (6.5 +/- 3.8 versus 4.9 +/- 4.2, P = 0.02), and comprehensive programs (6.6 +/- 3.7 versus 4.9 +/- 2.2, P = 0.02). Younger patients rated the following program elements more favorably compared with older patients: stress management (7.0 +/- 3.5 versus 5.7 +/- 4.1, P = 0.04), vocational counseling (5.1 +/- 3.9 versus 1.9 +/- 2.4, P = 0.001), and smoking cessation (4.9 +/- 4.4 versus 2.7 +/- 3.4, P = 0.001). Program preferences differed significantly by age, but not gender. Older patients enrolled in home-based programs over clinic-based programs. Younger patients rated stress management, vocational counseling, and smoking cessation more favorably than older patients. Strategies to enhance patient participation in cardiac rehabilitation should incorporate patient age and preferences for program types and elements.