Participation In Exercise Activities Research Articles

Mens Sana in Corpore Sano! The hiring premium for physical versus mental exercise in different occupations

ABSTRACT We investigate the impact of participation in physical and mental exercise activities on hirability. To this end, an audit experiment is conducted in which we send 2184 fictitious applications of young job seekers to real job vacancies. On average, the estimated effect of both physical and mental exercise activities is small and statistically nonsignificant. However, the effect of participation in any exercise activity is significantly positive for jobs combining low cognitive with low physical demands. These findings are not consistent with the common consideration of physical exercise activities being used by employers as signals of physical fitness and appearance.

Impact of Social Participation Types on Depression in the Elderly in China: An Analysis Based on Counterfactual Causal Inference.

ObjectivesDepression is the leading cause of ill health and disability worldwide, and has become one of the key issues in the public health sector. Social participation is one of the most important measures to support the rapidly aging population and can reduce the risk of depression in the elderly. This study aims to explore the causal relationship between different types of social participation and depression in the elderly, and reduce the level of depression in the elderly by promoting social participation.MethodsIn order to accurately evaluate the causal relationship between participation in different types of social activities and depression in the elderly, this paper uses propensity score matching (PSM) for analysis based on counterfactual framework. The specific matching methods used are: k-nearest neighbor matching method, kernel matching method and radius matching method.ResultsIn this study, 31.4% of the elderly have depression, and the proportion of female elderly is significantly higher. Participation in different social activities has different effects on depression in the elderly. Taking into account sample selection bias, participation in friend-making, exercise, and recreational activities can effectively reduce the risk of depression in the elderly. Compared with other social activities, participation in exercise and recreational activities are more helpful to reduce the risk of depression in the elderly. Participating in exercise activities only reduces the risk of depression in 60–69-year-olds, while participating in economic activities increases the risk of depression in the elderly aged 70 and over. Compared with the male elderly, participation in friend-making, exercise, and recreational activities results in the female elderly having stronger resistance to the risk of depression.ConclusionsDepression was prevalent among the elderly. Through PSM analysis, different types of social participation have different effects on depression in the elderly. In order to maximize the positive effects of different types of social participation on depression in the elderly, it is necessary to provide differentiated social support environment for the elderly. Expanding the research on the relationship between social participation and depression of the elderly will help to formulate more reasonable public health policies and improve the mental health of the elderly.

Long-term effects of physical exercise during rehabilitation in patients with severe burns

We have reported that a 12-week exercise program is beneficial for the exercise performance of severely burned children. It is not known, however, whether the beneficial effects remain at 2years postburn. Severely burned children who received no long-term anabolic drugs were consented to this Institutional Review Board-approved study. Patients chose between a voluntary exercise program (EX-group) and no exercise (NoEX-group) after discharge from the acute burn unit. Peak torque per lean leg mass, maximal oxygen consumption, and percent predicted peak heart rate were assessed. In addition, body mass index percentile and lean body mass index were recorded. Both groups were compared for up to 2years postburn using mixed multiple analysis of variance. A total of 125 patients with a mean age of 12±4years were analyzed. Demographics between the EX-group (N=82) and NoEX-group (N=43) were comparable. In the EX-group, peak torque per lean leg mass, percent predicted peak heart rate, and maximal oxygen consumption increased significantly with exercise (P<.01). Between discharge and 12-24months, body mass index percentile increased significantly in the EX-Group (P<.05) but did not change in the NoEX-group. There were no significant differences between groups in body mass index percentile, lean body mass index, peak torque per lean leg mass, and maximal oxygen consumption at 24months postburn. Exercise significantly improves the physical performance of burned children. The benefits are limited to early time points, however, and greatly narrow with further recovery time. Continued participation in exercise activities or a maintenance exercise program is recommended for exercise-induced adaptations to continue.

The Influence of Exercise Characteristics Before and During Pregnancy on Gestational Diabetes Mellitus

Background: Although exercise is recommended for preventing gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), the situation has remained unclear regarding the characteristics and timing of the proper exercise. Objectives: The aim of the present study was to compare exercise characteristics including volume, frequency, intensity and energy expenditure before and during pregnancy in diabetic and non-diabetic pregnant women. Patients and Methods: Participants of the study included 137 pregnant women (80 diabetics and 57 non-diabetics) who were selected based on the inclusion criteria. Exercise activities of the participants were evaluated by interviews. Statistical tests of Mann-Whitney and Chi-square were used for data analysis. Results: Participating in regular exercise activities was significantly higher in the non-diabetics compared to the diabetics during all stages including 8 and 1 years before pregnancy and during the 1st and 2nd trimesters of pregnancy (P < 0.05). However among the diabetics and non-diabetics who regularly exercised, there was no significant difference in terms of exercise characteristics (frequency, intensity, duration and energy cost). Conclusions: Regular participation in exercise activities before and during pregnancy especially during the second trimester is important for preventing GDM. However, in few cases, similar exercise characteristics were found among diabetics and non-diabetics.

Physical Activity of Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

This study ascertained the extent to which Japanese patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) were involved in various modes of physical activity in daily life and factors affecting their physical activity levels. Information on physical activity, demographics, and lifestyle characteristics was obtained by face-to-face interviews with 257 eligible patients (227 men and 30 women) recruited from 6 hospitals in central Japan. Overall, 77% of patients participated in weekly physical activities, but only 25% engaged in moderate or vigorous activities. The mean metabolic equivalent tasks devoted to all physical activities were 1807 (SD = 3124) minutes per week for men and 1656 (SD = 3931) minutes per week for women. Stepwise regression analyses found that disease severity and perceived lifelong physical activity involvement were significant factors related to total physical activity, whereas age, COPD severity, and current smoking were negatively associated with walking. Patients with COPD had lower physical activity levels than the general elderly population. They should be encouraged to increase their participation in exercise activities.

Exercise as a Health-Promoting Activity Following Spinal Cord Injury

Spinal cord injury is a catastrophic event that immeasurably alters activity and health. Depending on the level and severity of injury, functional and homeostatic decline of many body systems can be anticipated in a large segment of the paralyzed population. The level of physical inactivity and deconditioning imposed by SCI profoundly contrasts the preinjury state in which most individuals are relatively young and physically active. Involvement in sports, recreation, and therapeutic exercise is commonly restricted after SCI by loss of voluntary motor control, as well as autonomic dysfunction, altered fuel homeostasis, inefficient temperature regulation, and early-onset muscle fatigue. Participation in exercise activities also may require special adaptive equipment and, in some instances, the use of electrical current either with or without computerized control. Notwithstanding these limitations, considerable evidence supports the belief that recreational and therapeutic exercise improves the physical and emotional well-being of participants with SCI. This article will examine multisystem decline and the need for exercise after SCI. It will further examine how exercise might be used as a tool to enhance health by slowing multisystem medical complications unique to those with SCI. As imprudent exercise recommendations may pose avoidable risks of incipient disability, orthopedic deterioration, or pain, the special risks of exercise misuse in those with SCI will be discussed.

Factors influencing participation of African American elders in exercise behavior.

This study was designed to examine factors influencing exercise behavior of older African American adults. Using the Transtheoretical Stages of Change Model and focus group methodology, 103 participants were assigned to gender and stage specific groups of 5 to 12 each. The focus group discussion guide was developed to explore the meaning of health and exercise, and factors that influence exercise behavior for each stage of the model. Responses varied by stage and gender. Men and women alike described health as the ability to remain active and participate in desired activities. The meaning of exercise varied, by stage, from the ability to perform household chores to engaging in aerobic activities. Many factors such as health, social support, efficacy, and motivation influenced the desire and ability to exercise. Women were more likely than men to identify family responsibility as a barrier to participation in exercise activities. Participants identified strategies to recruit and retain African American elders in exercise programs. Findings of the study have implications for health professionals designing exercise health promotion programs for older African American adults in community settings.

Handling and self-handling: An object relations perspective on leisure exercise

This paper considers participation in exercise activities as a form of ‘self-handling’. The focus is on individual exercise rather than on activities, such as those involved in some sports and martial arts, which involve pair or group interaction. The author suggests that the way in which physical activity is used, abused, or avoided in adult life is linked to the quality of primary relationships and in particular to childhood experiences of handling (Winnicott 1962a, 1970). She suggests that exercise evokes ‘memories-in-feeling’ (Klein 1957) of early experiences of handling and is thus essentially object related. A number of different psychic functions of exercise are considered in relation both to theory, particularly Winnicottian theory, and to clinical material. As we are all aware, not everything a client does in the external world is raised for consideration in the context of the therapeutic relationship. The author reflects on the need to consider the meaning of the client's introduction of the subject of exercise into the therapeutic discourse, as well as the meaning of the physical activity itself.

A survey of exercise beliefs and exercise habits among people with arthritis.

To explore a possible explanation for the problem of why few people exercise despite the positive health advantages, by examining the relationship between exercise beliefs and participation in exercise activities. Eighty-one respondents aged 27-80 were recruited from 3 Chicago-area health care facilities to complete the study survey; 68 (84%) did so. Participants were asked about their participation in 6 types of exercise activities; they also reported their beliefs concerning their ability to exercise (self-efficacy for exercise), barriers to exercise, benefits of exercise, and the impact of exercise on their arthritis. Study results indicate that belief in the benefits of exercise and self-efficacy for exercise are associated with participation in exercise activities. Also, severity of disease differentiated exercisers from non-exercisers. Results suggest the importance of finding ways to strengthen belief in the benefits of exercise and self-efficacy for exercise in people with arthritis, particularly people with moderate to severe disease-related limitations.