Physical Fitness Intervention Research Articles

Assessment Methods and their Effectiveness in Evaluating Physical Fitness in School Settings

Forming a vital contribution to the development of health conditions for individuals during school years, physical fitness tests and interventions in school environments are among such aspects. This general research article focuses on physical fitness assessment and brings together a humongous literature base. As sample of the study varied cohort from different contributors: from different schools, students , teachers and administrators. By means of stratified random sampling. The study begins with a baseline evaluation of fitness in the participants using both standardized tests recommended by Williams & Lacy, as well as self-report surveys derived from Vanhees et al This preliminary phase acts exactly like how much physically active that samples are currently at this point during their lifetime. This study provides an overall view of the physical fitness tests and interventions that have been conducted in various school systems. To establish the pre and post-intervention performances of cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength flexibility as well body composition were measured using standardized fitness tests. Application of appropriate interventions led to significant improvements in various components of fitness. In addition, self-reported physical activity questionnaires and wearable activity tracker data offer insight into behavioral changes among participants observed via frequency duration and intensity levels. Collectively, the findings discussed above provide insight into assessment measures which promote physical fitness in students and puts light on implications for teachers, school administrators as well as research community.

Effectiveness of Resistance Band Use in Conjunction With Tai Chi Among Older Adults With Prefrailty to Improve Functional Fitness, Quality of Life, and Heart Rate Variability.

The current randomized controlled trial aimed to bolster the physical fitness of prefrail older adults, potentially delaying their need for admission to care facilities and enhancing their overall well-being. The experimental group received a physical fitness intervention comprising resistance band use and tai chi three times per week for 12 weeks, whereas the control group received frailty-related health education. Thirty-four male participants completed the study. A total of seven items had statistically significant differences at 12- and 16-week posttest, respectively: frailty index (p = 0.03; p = 0.03); Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Scale (p < 0.001; p < 0.001); and physical fitness, back (p < 0.001; p < 0.001); physical fitness, arm curl (p = 0.02; p < 0.001); physical activity (p < 0.001; p = 0.009); quality of life, physiological (p = 0.04; p < 0.001); and heart rate variability (p < 0.001; p < 0.001). Results revealed substantial improvements in physical fitness, frailty conditions, self-care abilities, and quality of life, but not balance or lower limb flexibility, for the experimental group. Therefore, exercise interventions may effectively improve prefrail older adults' quality of life. [Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 50(5), 19-26.].

Impact of physical fitness and exercise training on subcutaneous adipose tissue beiging markers in humans with and without diabetes and a high-fat diet-fed mouse model.

Exercise training induces white adipose tissue (WAT) beiging and improves glucose homeostasis and mitochondrial function in rodents. This could be relevant for type 2 diabetes in humans, but the effect of physical fitness on beiging of subcutaneous WAT (scWAT) remains unclear. This translational study investigates if beiging of scWAT associates with physical fitness in healthy humans and recent-onset type 2 diabetes and if a voluntary running wheel intervention is sufficient to induce beiging in mice. Gene expression levels of established beiging markers were measured in scWAT biopsies of humans with (n = 28) or without type 2 diabetes (n = 28), stratified by spiroergometry into low (L-FIT; n = 14 each) and high physical fitness (H-FIT; n = 14 each). High-fat diet-fed FVB/N mice underwent voluntary wheel running, treadmill training or no training (n = 8 each group). Following the training intervention, mitochondrial respiration and content of scWAT were assessed by high-resolution respirometry and citrate synthase activity, respectively. Secreted CD137 antigen (Tnfrsf9/Cd137) expression was three-fold higher in glucose-tolerant H-FIT than in L-FIT, but not different between H-FIT and L-FIT with type 2 diabetes. In mice, both training modalities increased Cd137 expression and enhanced mitochondrial content without changing respiration in scWAT. Treadmill but not voluntary wheel running led to improved whole-body insulin sensitivity. Higher physical fitness and different exercise interventions associated with higher gene expression levels of the beiging marker CD137 in healthy humans and mice on a high-fat diet. Humans with recent-onset type 2 diabetes show an impaired adipose tissue-specific response to physical activity.

Post-Cancer Treatment Reflections by Patients Concerning the Provisions and Support Required for a Prehabilitation Programme.

Evidence suggests that physical fitness interventions, mental health support and nutritional advice before surgery (prehabilitation) could reduce hospital stay and improve quality of life of patients with cancer. In this study we captured the opinions of a group of patients with cancer undergoing these interventions after treatment to discover what a prehabilitation programme should encompass. Patients from the Cancer and Rehabilitation Exercise (CARE) programme based in Nottingham took part in a 26-point online questionnaire about the design of prehabilitation programmes. The questionnaire was completed over a 2-week period in December 2021 by 54 patients from the CARE programme. Their responses were as follows: 44 (81.5%) participants would have participated in prehabilitation had it been available to them and 28 (51.9%) ranked physical exercise as the most important component. Forty (74.1%) participants believed the counselling aspect of prehabilitation would have contributed to a successful outcome and 35 (64.8%) thought dietary advice would have benefitted them before surgery. Thirty-one (57.4%) participants preferred the programme to take place in a fitness centre, rather than at home or hospital and 43 (79.6%) would have liked to have known about prehabilitation from their doctor at the time of diagnosis. Patients are interested in prehabilitation to become more physically fit and mentally prepared for surgery. They expressed the need for a focus on physical exercise, counselling to improve mental health and personalised nutritional advice. Tailoring a prehabilitation programme, with input from patients, could contribute to improving patient outcomes following cancer treatments.

Physical fitness of Tibetan adolescents at different high altitudes in Tibet, China: A comparative study.

High altitude hypoxic environment has a certain negative impact on physical fitness of adolescents. We aimed to understand the physical fitness status of Tibetan adolescents in different high-altitude areas in Tibet, China. Physical fitness items, such as grip strength, standing long jump, sit and reach, 50 m dash, 1000 m run for boys, and 800 m run for girls were tested on 3806 Tibetan adolescents by using stratified whole group sampling method in class units. The mean age of the participants was (15.51 ± 1.69) years for Tibetan males and (15.54 ± 1.69) years for females. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and other methods were used to make cross-sectional comparisons of physical fitness performance of Chinese Tibetan adolescents in different high-altitude regions. The standing long jump scores of boys (203.37 ± 28.36) were higher than that of girls (152.97 ± 19.46) and the lowest standing long jump scores of adolescents in Shigatse region (166.39 ± 35.04). The highest level of sit and reach was found among boys (10.69 ± 5.34) in Nyingchi and the lowest level of sit and reach was found among girls (8.42 ± 5.84) in Shigatse. Shigatse region adolescents had the lowest performance in 50 m dash (9.09 ± 1.72) while the best performance in 1000 m run (266.23 ± 35.82) and 800 m run (245.40 ± 27.92). There is variability in the physical fitness of Tibetan adolescents in different high-altitude regions of Tibet, China. Targeted physical fitness interventions should be carried out for Tibetan adolescents in different high-altitude regions. The focus should be on improving the endurance quality of Tibetan adolescents in Lhasa and the lower limb muscle strength, flexibility, and speed quality of adolescents in Shigatse.

The KORE-INNOVATION trial, a prospective controlled multi-site clinical study to implement and assess the effects of an innovative peri-operative care pathway for patients with ovarian cancer: rationale, methods and trial design

BackgroundAdvanced ovarian cancer is managed by extensive surgery, which could be associated with high morbidity. A personalized pre-habilitation strategy combined with an ‘enhanced recovery after surgery’ (ERAS) pathway may decrease...

Secular trends in physical fitness of rural Chinese children and adolescents aged 7–18 years from 1985 to 2019

The main purpose of the study was to evaluate the secular trends in physical fitness of Chinese rural children and adolescents aged 7–18 from 1985 to 2019. The speed, muscular strength, explosive power fitness, cardiorespiratory fitness, and flexibility were investigated by National Survey on Students’ Constitution and Health in 1985, 2000, 2010 and 2019. During the period 1985–2000, the physical fitness of Chinese rural children and adolescents improved except for flexibility, and almost all of them reached the maximum increase rate. During the period 2000–2010, in addition to the improvement of flexibility, other fitness showed downward trends, and the decline ranges were large. During the period 2010–2019, the speed of boys rebounded, flexibility, explosive power and muscular strength continued to decrease. Meanwhile, speed, flexibility and muscular strength in girls rebounded, and the explosive power continued to decline. From 2000 to 2019, the body mass index increase accelerated. This study shows that some components of physical fitness of Chinese rural children and adolescents have shown positive trends in recent years, especially for girls and adolescents aged 13–15 years. However, it may also imply inequality between sexes and ages, which provides a reference for the focus of the country's physical fitness and health monitoring and intervention measures.

Correlations between muscle strength and psychological health in Chinese adolescents: a cross-sectional analysis.

BackgroundStudies indicate that muscle strength is associated with good mental health. However, it remains unclear whether muscle strength is directly correlated with psychological symptoms in Chinese adolescents. Given the declining muscle strength and worrying mental health status of Chinese adolescents, the present study aimed to estimate the correlation between muscle strength and psychological symptoms as well as explore the gender differences in those correlations in Chinese adolescents.MethodFrom April to July 2018, a total of 14,344 Chinese adolescents from eight provinces were selected using a stratified clustered sampling method. Psychological symptoms were evaluated using the Multidimensional Sub-health Questionnaire of Adolescents (MSQA), a verified and validated questionnaire that assesses three psychological areas: emotional symptoms, behavioral symptoms, and social adaptation difficulties. Muscle strength was assessed using grip strength, sit-ups, and standing long jump. The Chi-square test was used to compare the detection rates of the different categories of psychological symptoms. A logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the correlations between muscle strength and psychological symptoms and explore the gender differences in those correlations in Chinese adolescents.ResultsIn general, the detection rate of psychological symptoms for Chinese adolescents was 21.39%. Males had a higher detection rate of psychological symptoms (22.12%) than females (20.66%, p < 0.05). Psychological symptoms were present in significantly fewer Chinese adolescents with a muscle strength index >P75 (19.26%) than among Chinese adolescents with a muscle strength index ≤P25 (23.00%) (χ2 = 23.417, p < 0.01). Compared with females, the OR values for males in most groups were over one (OR = 1.04–1.43), indicating that males have a higher risk of psychological symptoms than females.ConclusionsThe psychological symptom detection rate of Chinese adolescents is correlated with muscle strength. Psychological symptoms were more correlated to muscle strength in males than in females. The significance of the present study lies in the important insights for integrated mental and physical fitness intervention strategies that promote muscle strength and psychological symptoms simultaneously.

Integrated cognitive and physical fitness training enhances attention abilities in older adults

Preserving attention abilities is of great concern to older adults who are motivated to maintain their quality of life. Both cognitive and physical fitness interventions have been utilized in intervention studies to assess maintenance and enhancement of attention abilities in seniors, and a coupling of these approaches is a compelling strategy to buttress both cognitive and physical health in a time- and resource-effective manner. With this perspective, we created a closed-loop, motion-capture video game (Body-Brain Trainer: BBT) that adapts a player’s cognitive and physical demands in an integrated approach, thus creating a personalized and cohesive experience across both domains. Older adults who engaged in two months of BBT improved on both physical fitness (measures of blood pressure and balance) and attention (behavioral and neural metrics of attention on a continuous performance task) outcome measures beyond that of an expectancy matched, active, placebo control group, with maintenance of improved attention performance evidenced 1 year later. Following training, the BBT group’s improvement on the attention outcome measure exceeded performance levels attained by an untrained group of 20-year olds, and showed age-equilibration of a neural signature of attention shown to decline with age: midline frontal theta power. These findings highlight the potential benefits of an integrated, cognitive-physical, closed-loop training platform as a powerful tool for both cognitive and physical enhancement in older adults.

Evaluation of Children’s Physical Fitness Index and Prediction of Health Risk Trend Based on BP Neural Network Algorithm

On the basis of literature review and expert interview, this study constructs the indexes of health fitness evaluation, obtains the difference of the indexes before and after the 15-week health fitness intervention, and establishes the health risk trend predictive equation based on BP neural network algorithm. The results of the study are as follows: after 15 weeks of health fitness intervention, there were significant differences in body fat rate, waist circumference, and waist-to-hip ratio ( P &lt; 0.01 ). There were significant differences in maximal oxygen uptake, 12-minute running distance, one-minute sit-ups, push-ups, standing long jump, pull-ups, and sitting forward flexion ( P &lt; 0.05 ). Body fat percentage, maximal oxygen uptake, forward bending in sitting position, and standing long jump can be used to evaluate the level of children’s physical fitness. In conclusion, after 15 weeks of health and fitness intervention course, the children’s health and fitness were improved. Health and Physical Fitness Intervention Curriculum can be promoted in schools so that more children can benefit from it. And the health risk trend prediction model based on BP neural network algorithm has a certain validity.

【論文摘要】Effects of Health-related Fitness and Motor Skill Training Program in School-aged Children with Probable Developmental Coordination Disorder

Background and Purpose: Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) is characterized by impaired motor coordination that involves difficulty in fine motor and gross motor control and interferes with academic performance and activities of daily living. Due to poor motor coordination and inferior motor competence, children with DCD spend less time in physical activities and consequently result in underdeveloped health-related physical fitness and motor skills. However, evidence on the effect of intervention program focusing on both physical fitness and motor skill is limited. In addition, follow-up studies were also sparse. Therefore, the aims of this study were to investigate whether children with probable DCD would improve their motor skills, health-related physical fitness, and physical activity after receiving 8-week health-related physical fitness and motor skill training program, as well as the effects at 8-week follow-up. Methods: Nineteen children with probable DCD (≤ 15 percentile on Movement Assessment Battery for Children-Second Edition, MABC-2) aged 6 to 11 years were recruited and received 40-minute physical fitness and motor skill intervention twice a week for 8 week. All subjects were collected for their basic data and were assessed for outcome measurements at pretest, posttest, and 8-week follow-up. Outcome measures included the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency-2 (BOT-2), Weight-Length Index (WLI), 6-minute walk test (6MWT), sit and reach, 1-minute sit-ups, and physical activity assessed using Actigraph® GT3 triaxial accelerometers. Results: Significant improvement in motor skills (manual coordination, body coordination, strength, and agility components in BOT- 2) were found after the training (all p ＜ 0.01) and the effect was maintained at follow-up (all p ＜ 0.007). Body composition was significantly improved after 8-week intervention (p = 0.035) but revealed regression at follow-up (p = 0.013). However, only a positive trend was found for the effect on muscle strength and endurance, proportion of overweight, average physical activity, and percentage of moderate to vigorous physical activities (MVPA%) after intervention (all p ＞ 0.05). Conclusion: Intervention program that consisted of both health-related physical fitness and motor skill training lasting for 8 weeks had significant positive impact on motor skills in children with probable DCD and the effect still could be observed after 8 weeks post intervention. However, the positive impact on body composition could only be seen during intervention period. Clinical Relevance: Our findings support the use of health-related physical fitness and motor skill intervention program for children with probable DCD to improve their motor and physical fitness outcomes.

Enhanced physical and cognitive performance in active duty Airmen: evidence from a randomized multimodal physical fitness and nutritional intervention

Achieving military mission objectives requires high levels of performance from Airmen who operate under extreme physical and cognitive demands. Thus, there is a critical need to establish scientific interventions to enhance physical fitness and cognitive performance—promoting the resilience of Airmen and aiding in mission success. We therefore conducted a comprehensive, 12-week randomized controlled trial in active-duty Air Force Airmen (n = 148) to compare the efficacy of a multimodal intervention comprised of high-intensity interval aerobic fitness and strength training paired with a novel nutritional supplement [comprised of β-hydroxy β-methylbutyrate (HMB), lutein, phospholipids, DHA and selected micronutrients including B12 and folic acid] to high-intensity interval aerobic fitness and strength training paired with a standard of care placebo beverage. The exercise intervention alone improved several dimensions of physical fitness [strength and endurance (+ 7.8%), power (+ 1.1%), mobility and stability (+ 18.3%), heart rate (− 1.3%) and lean muscle mass (+ 1.1%)] and cognitive function [(episodic memory (+ 19.9%), processing efficiency (+ 4.6%), executive function reaction time (− 5.8%) and fluid intelligence accuracy (+ 11.0%)]. Relative to exercise training alone, the multimodal fitness and nutritional intervention further improved working memory (+ 11.2%), fluid intelligence reaction time (− 6.2%), processing efficiency (+ 4.3%), heart rate (− 2.3%) and lean muscle mass (+ 1.6%). These findings establish the efficacy of a multimodal intervention that incorporates aerobic fitness and strength training with a novel nutritional supplement to enhance military performance objectives and to provide optimal exercise training and nutritional support for the modern warfighter.

Representative Percentile Curves of Physical Fitness From Early Childhood to Early Adulthood: The MoMo Study.

Introduction: Monitoring of physical fitness in youth is important because physical fitness is a summative indicator of health. From a developmental and preventive perspective, physical fitness levels are relatively stable from childhood to early adulthood. Thus, it is important to monitor physical fitness on a population based level being able to intervene at early stages (1). In order to reliably assess and evaluate the physical fitness of youth, a reliable system of standard values based on representative data is required. The aim of this analysis is to report sex- and age-specific physical fitness percentile curves from childhood to early adulthood in a nationwide sample in Germany.Methods: We use data from the nationwide representative Motorik Modul (MoMo) Study in Germany (data collection wave 1: 2009–2012; age: 4–23 years; n = 3,742; 50.1% female). Physical fitness was assessed by means of the MoMo test profile covering four dimensions of physical fitness (strength, endurance, coordination, and flexibility) and including eight physical fitness items. Percentile curves were fitted using the LMS transformation method of Cole and Green.Results: Standardized age- and sex-specific physical fitness percentiles were calculated for eight items: ergometric endurance testing, standing long jump, push-ups, sit-ups, jumping side-ways, balancing backwards, static stand, and stand and reach test. The physical fitness curves differ according to gender and the fitness dimension. Physical fitness improvements with age are linear (e.g., max. strength) or curvilinear (e.g., coordination) and have their stagnation points at different times over the course of adolescence.Discussion: Our results provide for the first time sex- and age-specific physical fitness percentile curves for Germany from 4 to 17 years. Differences in curve-shapes indicating a timed and capacity-specific physical fitness development. Nationwide German physical fitness percentiles can be useful in comparing different populations (e.g., cross-country), reporting secular trends, comparing special groups, and to evaluate physical fitness interventions.

Applying machine learning methods to develop a successful aging maintenance prediction model based on physical fitness tests.

The purpose of this study was to develop a machine learning prediction model for successful aging (SA) based on physical fitness tests. A total of 3657 community-dwelling adults aged ≥60 years from Nanchang city were recruited in this study. A 3-year follow-up test was carried out for all the participants to determine whether they turn to non-SA. Developed questionnaires and physical fitness tests were used to obtain overall health condition, balance, agility, speed, reactions and gait. Four machine learning models (logistic regression, deep learning, random forest and gradient boosting decision tree) were applied to develop the prediction models, the analyzed sample was 890. The baseline prevalence of successful aging was 26.99%, The average annual incidence rate of SA to non-SA was 11.04%. There were significant differences between the SA and non-SA groups for all physical fitness tests at baseline. The accuracy and area under the curve of all four machine learning models was >85%, the positive predictive value and sensitivity was >75%, and the specificity was >86% on the average. The deep learning model outperformed the other model, with area under the curve 90.00%, accuracy 89.3%, positive predictive value 85.8% and specificity 93.1%, respectively. Compared with other models, the logistic regression model performed best in sensitivity. Age, arm curl, 30-s sit-to-stand and reaction time were important predictors in all models. The deep learning model is ideal in the prediction of SA maintenance, and the corresponding physical fitness interventions are essential to ensuring SA. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2020; ••: ••-••.

The association between fitness and obesity in diverse multi-ethnic college students

Objective We examined differences and associations between physical fitness and behavioral factors with obesity in a multi-ethnic student population. Participants: Study population included non-Hispanic whites (NHW, n = 1,454); Hispanics (n = 1,436) and Asians (n = 1,016) at a metropolitan university from Fall 2006 to Fall 2013. Methods: Analyses of Variance and regression analyses, utilizing cross-sectional data, measured the association between fitness, and behavior with obesity. Results: BMI differences (p < .05) were observed between NHW (23.17 ± 3.67), Hispanics (24.32 ± 3.67), and Asians (22.92 ± 4.12). Fitness parameters, relative VO2 max, % body fat, and total fitness score were significantly (p < .0001) associated with obesity. Stress was strongly significantly associated with obesity in Hispanics (p < .001) and somewhat in NHW. Conclusions: Obesity disparities persist in college. Physical fitness and stress management interventions should be targeted towards Hispanic and NHW college students, which may curb current and/or adult-onset obesity.

Optische Kohärenztomographie-Angiographie als zukünftiges Diagnostikum in der Sportmedizin?

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) proved to be efficient for increasing health-related fitness in general and in patients with life style-induced chronic diseases. This study aimed to evaluate if (I)individual physical fitness and (II)aHIIT intervention affects optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) measurements at the ocular fundus of healthy young adults. A total of 65 healthy participants performed astandardized incremental running test to determine their physical fitness. This was defined as speed at the individual anaerobic threshold and maximum running speed followed by a4-week HIIT with two exercise sessions/week. The OCTA measurements of the foveal avascular zone (FAZ) and flow densities in various segments of the macula and optic nerve head were performed at rest before and after HIIT. An inverse correlation between individual fitness and FAZ area was detected. No further correlations between individual physical fitness and other OCTA parameters were found. In response to HIIT the mean FAZ area in the deep retinal plexus and macular flow density of the superficial layer decreased by 14.00 ± 13.02% and 1.26 ± 3.20%, respectively. The flow density of the nerve head layer in the peripapillary area showed an increase of 1.94 ± 2.39%. All other parameters showed no differences between measurements before and after HIIT. Differences were found in the OCTA measurements of the FAZ depending on the individual physical fitness. Performing HIIT can induce significant changes in certain OCTA parameters. Therefore, OCTA imaging appears to be apromising imaging modality in the field of sports medicine.

Effect of exercise and nutritional support on the inflammatory parameters among prefrail and frail elderly patients

Objective To evaluate the effects of exercise and nutritional support on the inflammatory parameters among prefrail and frail elderly patients. Methods A total of 64 inpatients in the Geriatrics Department of Yancheng Third People's Hospital from April 2016 to October 2017 were selected by convenience sampling method, and randomly divided into control group and intervention group, with 32 cases in each group. The patients in the control group received routine geriatric nursing, while the patients in the intervention group received an adapted physical fitness and nutrition intervention program for 12 weeks. The tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) , interleukin 6 (IL-6) , C-reaction protein (CRP) and total leukocyte count of the patients before and after intervention were compared. Results There was no statistical significance in the difference of TNF-α and total leukocyte count between the two groups after 12 weeks' intervention (P>0.05) . The IL-6 and CRP of the intervention group were (2.62±1.78) pg/ml and (0.38±0.19) mg/dl respectively, which were both lower than those of the control group, and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05) . Conclusions In prefrail and frail elderly people, exercise and nutritional support can delay the increase in some inflammatory parameters, like IL-6 and CRP. Key words: Aged; Frail elderly; Exercise; Nutrition; Inflammatory parameters

Physical fitness interventions for nonambulatory stroke survivors: A mixed-methods systematic review and meta-analysis.

IntroductionPhysical fitness training after stroke is recommended in guidelines across the world, but evidence pertains mainly to ambulatory stroke survivors. Nonambulatory stroke survivors (FAC score ≤2) are at increased risk of recurrent stroke due to limited physical activity. This systematic review aimed to synthesize evidence regarding case fatality, effects, experiences, and feasibility of fitness training for nonambulatory stroke survivors.MethodsEight major databases were searched for any type of study design. Two independent reviewers selected studies, extracted data, and assessed study quality, using published tools. Random‐effects meta‐analysis was used. Following their separate analysis, qualitative and quantitative data were synthesized using a published framework.ResultsOf 13,614 records, 33 studies involving 910 nonambulatory participants met inclusion criteria. Most studies were of moderate quality. Interventions comprised assisted walking (25 studies), cycle ergometer training (5 studies), and other training (3 studies), mainly in acute settings. Case fatality did not differ between intervention (1.75%) and control (0.88%) groups (95% CI 0.13–3.78, p = 0.67). Compared with control interventions, assisted walking significantly improved: fat mass, peak heart rate, peak oxygen uptake and walking endurance, maximum walking speed, and mobility at intervention end, and walking endurance, balance, mobility, and independent walking at follow‐up. Cycle ergometry significantly improved peak heart rate, work load, peak ventilation, peak carbon dioxide production, HDL cholesterol, fasting insulin and fasting glucose, and independence at intervention end. Effectiveness of other training could not be established. There were insufficient qualitative data to draw conclusions about participants' experiences, but those reported were positive. There were few intervention‐related adverse events, and dropout rate ranged from 12 to 20%.ConclusionsFindings suggest safety, effectiveness, and feasibility of adapted fitness training for screened nonambulatory stroke survivors. Further research needs to investigate the clinical and cost‐effectiveness as well as experiences of fitness training—especially for chronic stroke survivors in community settings.

Mindfulness training induces structural connectome changes in insula networks

Although mindfulness meditation is known to provide a wealth of psychological benefits, the neural mechanisms involved in these effects remain to be well characterized. A central question is whether the observed benefits of mindfulness training derive from specific changes in the structural brain connectome that do not result from alternative forms of experimental intervention. Measures of whole-brain and node-level structural connectome changes induced by mindfulness training were compared with those induced by cognitive and physical fitness training within a large, multi-group intervention protocol (n = 86). Whole-brain analyses examined global graph-theoretical changes in structural network topology. A hypothesis-driven approach was taken to investigate connectivity changes within the insula, which was predicted here to mediate interoceptive awareness skills that have been shown to improve through mindfulness training. No global changes were observed in whole-brain network topology. However, node-level results confirmed a priori hypotheses, demonstrating significant increases in mean connection strength in right insula across all of its connections. Present findings suggest that mindfulness strengthens interoception, operationalized here as the mean insula connection strength within the overall connectome. This finding further elucidates the neural mechanisms of mindfulness meditation and motivates new perspectives about the unique benefits of mindfulness training compared to contemporary cognitive and physical fitness interventions.

Exploring the relations among physical fitness, executive functioning, and low academic achievement

Physical fitness seems to be related to academic performance, at least when taking the role of executive functioning into account. This assumption is highly relevant for the vulnerable population of low academic achievers because their academic performance might benefit from enhanced physical fitness. The current study examined whether physical fitness and executive functioning are independent predictors of low mathematics and spelling achievement or whether the relation between physical fitness and low achievement is mediated by specific executive functions. In total, 477 students from second- and third-grade classes of 12 primary schools were classified as either low or average-to-high achievers in mathematics and spelling based on their scores on standardized achievement tests. Multilevel structural equation models were built with direct paths between physical fitness and academic achievement and added indirect paths via components of executive functioning: inhibition, verbal working memory, visuospatial working memory, and shifting. Physical fitness was only indirectly related to low achievement via specific executive functions, depending on the academic domain involved. Verbal working memory was a mediator between physical fitness and low achievement in both domains, whereas visuospatial working memory had a mediating role only in mathematics. Physical fitness interventions aiming to improve low academic achievement, thus, could potentially be successful. The mediating effect of executive functioning suggests that these improvements in academic achievement will be preceded by enhanced executive functions, either verbal working memory (in spelling) or both verbal and visuospatial working memory (in mathematics).