Participation In Aerobic Exercise Research Articles

The health status of women with cerebral palsy

Objective: To determine preliminary associations between collected health status variables of women with cerebral palsy (CP) residing in the community. Design: Cross-sectional study using survey research. Participants: Sixty-three women residing in the community were administered the Telephone Questionnaire when contacted to arrange their visit to the study site located within the medical clinic of a local developmental services office. During the course of their visit to the study site, all 63 women completed the CP Study Protocol, in addition to the Mail-in Questionnaire upon completion of study participation. The women ranged in age from 20 to 74 years. Main Outcome Measures: Health status, consisting of four elements: (1) self-reported health status; (2) associated conditions; (3) secondary conditions; and (4) health behaviors (alcohol and tobacco use, physical activity, diet, and health care visit). Results: Women with CP residing in community living arrangements perceived themselves as healthy. The majority of women did not smoke (98%), had not consumed alcohol in the previous month (95%), and ate a balanced diet (52%). Participants also reported engaging in common physical activities (83%) and stretching and doing range-of-motion exercises in the previous week (43%), and participation in aerobic exercise in the previous week (43%). Sixty-eight percent (41 of 60) of the women walked, and more than 50% of the women did not require assistance with activities of daily living. The ability to walk and the use of a wheelchair were associated with participation in the common physical activities. The women reported associated conditions of mental retardation (34%), learning disabilities (26%), and a seizure history (40%). Additionally, the women in the sample reported the occurrence of several secondary conditions common among individuals with CP, including pain (84%), hip and back deformities (59%), bowel problems (56%), bladder problems (49%), poor dental health (43%), and gastroesphageal reflux (28%). Poor dental health was associated with a history of seizures, and associations were also found between pain and mental retardation, and between gastroesophageal reflux and mental retardation. Conclusions: Women with CP residing in the community perceived themselves as healthy, and the observed health status measures (eg, self-reported health, associated conditions, secondary conditions, and selected health behaviors) support this concept. For the most part, independent relationships were found between several of these measures indicating no significant association among the variables. Where associations were found, however, such as between walking and participation in physical activity, further investigation is warranted for a better understanding of their ramifications in the design of health promotion activities for women with CP.

Fibromyalgia

Recognition of fibromyalgia is crucial to avoid extraneous, costly diagnostic testing and ineffective, potentially dangerous therapy. Furthermore, failure to recognize that symptomatic physiologic change does result in a patient's response to stress demeans the legitimate importance of psychiatric disease. The keys to successful therapy are (1) specific pharmacologic manipulation of important processes and prognostic factors, (2) participation in aerobic exercise, which increases time spent in stages 3 and 4 (non-rapid eye movement) sleep and reduces stress, and (3) education, which reduces worry and perceived stress.

Exercise during pregnancy and pregnancy outcome

To investigate the effects of participation in aerobic exercise on pregnancy outcome, 388 women (mean age = 31.7, range = 18-42) were followed from a mean 16.5-wk gestation through delivery. Frequency, duration, and mode of aerobic exercise prior to conception and during the first trimester were determined by in-person interviews. Activity patterns during the second and third trimesters were assessed by telephone interviews. For each time period, women were categorized into one of the following exercise groups: Level I = aerobic exercise, excluding vigorous walking, at least three times a week for at least 20 min a time; Level II = aerobic exercise at least three times a week and 20 min at a time, if and only if vigorous walking is included; Level III = aerobic exercise less than three times a week, 20 min a time; and Level IV = aerobic exercise less than once a week. Mean birthweight was statistically unrelated to level of exercise preconceptionally or in any trimester. Gestational age, weight gain, and other pregnancy outcomes were also unassociated with exercise level. However, pregnancy symptoms were inversely associated with level of exercise; women who exercised more earlier in pregnancy reported fewer discomforts later in pregnancy (P = 0.01). These data suggest that participation in aerobic exercise during pregnancy at a level great enough to produce or maintain a training effect does not adversely affect birthweight or other maternal and infant outcomes but may be associated temporally with fewer perceived pregnancy-associated discomforts.

Predicting Aerobic Exercise Participation: Social Cognitive, Reasoned Action, and Planned Behavior Models

This study explored the utility of reasoned action, planned behavior, and social cognitive models in explaining aerobic exercise intentions and behavior. Two hundred eighty-four college students completed measures of each model's central predictor variables, as well as indices of prior exercise frequency and future exercise intentions and behavior. Findings indicate that the reasoned action and social cognitive models are each significantly predictive of future exercise intention and behavior. The planned behavior model did not improve over the theory of reasoned action in predictive analyses. The effects of prior exercise activity on future exercise behavior are also partially mediated by variables from the reasoned action and social cognitive models. Implications for further research on theories of exercise behavior are discussed.

The effects of aerobic exercise on psychological and behavioral variables of individuals with developmental disabilities: A critical review

Physical fitness of persons who are developmentally disabled has received relatively little attention in the special education literature when compared to intellectual functioning (e.g., learning, memory, and language) and to acquisition of functional skills (e.g., self-care, community, and vocational). Despite an increased interest in recreational programming stimulated by the concept offunctional curricula, teachers may still be reluctant to include physical fitness activities in their students' schedules. Perhaps physical fitness programming for those with developmental disabilities would have wider appeal and application if it were embedded in the broader context of psychological and behavioral change (i.e., engagement in exercise produces generalized changes beyond direct improvement in physical well-being). This article is a review and critique of literature that focuses on the effects of participation in aerobic exercise on three classes of psychological/behavioral variables for persons with mental retardation and associated disabilities. The methodology that characterizes this literature is analyzed, and recommendations for future research are proposed.

Prediction of maximal aerobic power from a submaximal exercise test performed by paraplegics on a wheelchair ergometer.

The aim of the present study was to verify the basic principles underlying the prediction of VO2 peak from a submaximal exercise test performed by paraplegics on a wheelchair ergometer and thus to propose regression equations of VO2 peak prediction. Forty-six paraplegic subjects (mean age = 33.2 +/- 8.7 years) with a traumatic lesion (T1-L3) performed a graded exercise test on a wheelchair ergometer until exhaustion. The test started with an initial workload of 0 watts, with an increment of 6 watts per 2 minutes. Measurements included power output (W), heart rate (HR) and oxygen consumption (VO2) throughout the test. Linear relationships were observed between VO2 and W (VO2 = 0.79 + 0.02 W, r = 0.80, SEE = 0.22 l min-1) as well as between %VO2 max and % maximal heart rate (% VO2 max = 8.7 + 0.83 %HR, r = 0.83 SEE = 10.5%). Combination of the two equations for estimating VO2 peak led to a linear relationship between the estimated and measured VO2 peak. Nonetheless, the strength and accuracy of the prediction were low (r = 0.49, SEE = 0.29 l min-1). Participation in aerobic exercise, body mass and lean body mass, introduced as correction factors in the regression equation, significantly improved the strength and the accuracy of the prediction (r = 0.85, SEE = 0.29 l min-1).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Effects of Walking on Reaction and Movement Times among Elders

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a 6-wk. walking program on reaction times and movement times among 52 elders. Twenty-seven elderly, whose mean age was 71.8 yr. comprised the experimental group, and 25 elderly whose mean age was 71.8 yr. comprised the comparison group. The former subjects walked for 30 min. three times a week for 6 wk. while the latter maintained their normal activity. No significant differences in simple or choice reaction times and the associated movement times were found. To clarify the relationship of health and current and past physical activity, correlations of these with both simple and choice reaction times and movement times were examined. Except for the number of miles walked in a week, none of the correlations were significant. These results may not support previous findings that reaction and movement times were shorter with life-long participation in aerobic activity. However, the present study examined persons who were sedentary and were not involved in a life-long participation in aerobic exercise. Implications of these findings are discussed.

Sensation seeking and participation in aerobic exercise classes

The structured and formal nature of aerobic exercise classes was predicted to be more attractive to low than to high sensation seekers. This relationship was investigated by administering Zuckerman's (1979) Sensation-Seeking Scale, Form V and a questionnaire which probed various aspects of aerobic exercise participation (e.g. patterns of attendance, motivations for starting and continuing, and social aspects of the activity) to 177 females who were currently enrolled in aerobic exercise classes. Aerobic exercise participants were found to score lower on sensation seeking than did the individuals of comparable age groups of Australians or Canadian students.

Cardiovascular and Behavioral Effects of Aerobic Exercise Training in Healthy Older Men and Women

The cardiovascular and behavioral adaptations associated with a 4-month program of aerobic exercise training were examined in 101 older men and women (mean age = 67 years). Subjects were randomly assigned to an Aerobic Exercise group, a Yoga and Flexibility control group, or a Waiting List control group. Prior to and following the 4-month program, subjects underwent comprehensive physiological and psychological evaluations. Physiological measures included measurement of blood pressure, lipids, bone density, and cardiorespiratory fitness including direct measurements of peak oxygen consumption (VO2) and anaerobic threshold. Psychological measures included measures of mood, psychiatric symptoms, and neuropsychological functioning. This study demonstrated that 4 months of aerobic exercise training produced an overall 11.6% improvement in peak VO2 and a 13% increase in anaerobic threshold. In contrast, the Yoga and Waiting List control groups experienced no change in cardiorespiratory fitness. Other favorable physiological changes observed among aerobic exercise participants included lower cholesterol levels, diastolic blood pressure levels, and for subjects at risk for bone fracture, a trend toward an increase in bone mineral content. Although few significant psychological changes could be attributed to aerobic exercise training, participants in the two active treatment groups perceived themselves as improving on a number of psychological and behavioral dimensions.

The influence of aerobic exercise on physiological stress responsivity.

ABSTRACTThe present study examined the relationship between aerobic exercise participation and physiological stress responsivity to psychosocial stressors. Male subjects (N = 107) who were either intense aerobic exercisers, moderate aerobic exercisers, or nonexereisers completed a telephone interview, a personality assessment battery, a life stress questionnaire, and a physical exercise and hobby questionnaire. Subjects then participated in a stressful laboratory procedure where they faced two stressors: an electric shock procedure, and a difficult “intelligence test.” Pulse rate, finger pulse volume, and skin resistance were assessed during the entire laboratory procedure.Although results demonstrated consistent significant cardiovascular (i.e., pulse rate and pulse volume) differences among the exercise groups during the entire laboratory procedure in that exercisers were less physiologically reactive to the stressors and the recovery periods, most of these results failed to reach significance when statistically controlling for the baseline/anticipation‐of‐stressors physiological measures. The implications of this study for further research are discussed.