Terms Of Physical Exercise Research Articles

Body Food: Touch Mat for Emotional and Physical Development of Children

This study proposed 'Body Food,' an interactive tactile mat that provides interactive visual responses and induces physical activity in young children at the time of developing tactile and five senses, along with the touch of various stimuli. The product combines fiber materials and digital content to achieve a variety of visual and auditory responses in real time when children touch the fabric. User tests were conducted for 4-year-olds and the result was positive in terms of physical exercise and artistic experience, but quantitative testing is required to generalize it. In the future, we will complement physical and digital contents to realize more complete product.

Motivational techniques to improve self-care in hemophilia: the need to support autonomy in children.

BackgroundIn pediatric hemophilia, caregivers are facing unique challenges to adherence and self-care in children and adolescents with hemophilia. Hemophilia treatment requires adequate prophylaxis and on-demand treatment, as well as a clear behavioral strategy to limit risk-taking in terms of physical exercise and diet. Medication adherence rates of hemophilia patients have been reported to decrease during late childhood and adolescence. In the developing child, moving safely from parent-care to self-care is one of the greatest challenges of integrative care within this domain. There is a clear need for initiatives designed to increase an individual’s motivation for treatment and self-care activities.DiscussionAmong motivational approaches, the self-determination perspective offers a useful framework to explain how the transition to self-care can be facilitated. We discuss how motivation regarding hemophilia treatment may be increased through parental autonomy support and we offer examples of applied communication techniques to facilitate autonomy-supportive caregiving. Although it has not yet been tested in the context of hemophilia, these communication techniques could potentially help caregivers promote adherence and self-care in children.SummaryConfronted by unique challenges to adherence and self-care, caregivers of children with hemophilia should move from an exclusive focus on illness-management education to an integrative strategy, including motivation-enhancing communication. The self-determination perspective provides important proximal objectives (e.g. autonomy support) to maintain optimal adherence in adolescents as they move from parent-care to self-care. Future research initiatives should address the practice of these communication techniques and evaluate them in the context of hemophilia.

Differential effects of health knowledge and health empowerment over patients’ self-management and health outcomes: A cross-sectional evaluation

ObjectiveThe role of health knowledge and empowerment in explaining behavioral and health outcomes was treated in depth in the literature, but the combined effect of these constructs has been somehow neglected. This study presents an empirical, a priori, cross-sectional evaluation of the differential effects of health knowledge and empowerment on patients’ self-management and health outcomes. MethodsThis study relies on a cross-sectional design involving a total of 209 Fibromyalgia patients. Structural Equation Modeling techniques were employed to analyze the model relationships. ResultsKnowledge and three empowerment dimensions were found to positively impact health outcomes. However, these relationships were not mediated by self-management. Self-management, operationalized in terms of physical exercise and drug intake, was found to be a strong predictor of health outcomes. ConclusionDespite the lack of support for the mediating role of self-management, a strong impact of knowledge and empowerment over health outcomes was observed. Theories of health literacy and empowerment may benefit from this result by integrating both dimensions in an overall model of behavioral and health outcomes change. Practice implicationsResults from this study suggest that health interventions targeted to chronic patients should focus simultaneously on knowledge and empowerment, rather than favoring one of these individual constructs.

Testicular Prostheses for Testis Cancer Survivors: Patient Perspectives and Predictors of Long-Term Satisfaction

We assessed the perspectives of patients with testicular cancer on the placement of a prosthesis at orchiectomy and identified predictors of long-term satisfaction. Consecutive patients who underwent radical orchiectomy for testicular cancer in 1995 to 2009 were asked to complete a telephone questionnaire covering background demographics, subjective assessment of implant characteristics, impact of the prosthesis on daily and sexual activities, and overall satisfaction with outcome. A total of 98 patients completed the interview, of whom 86 (87%) received a prosthesis. Median interval from surgery to interview was 6 years and most men were married or engaged in a steady relationship. The majority found the prosthesis to be of appropriate weight and size. The main complaints were firm consistency (70%) and high scrotal position (39%), both of which were significantly associated with lesser patient satisfaction (p = 0.03) and regret of the decision to accept an implant (p = 0.02). Approximately 15% of patients indicated the prosthesis interfered with physical exercise or sexual activity. Younger age at surgery was associated with a greater likelihood of accepting a prosthesis but not with long-term satisfaction. Overall the outcome was rated good to excellent in 77% of cases. Patients with testicular cancer scheduled to undergo orchiectomy should be offered a testicular prosthesis, and reassured that complications are few and that expected long-term satisfaction is fair. Optimizing the texture of the implant and its position in the scrotum may improve outcome. However, patients should be counseled about possible adverse implications in terms of physical exercise or sexual activity.

The significance of overweight and obesity for individual health behaviour: An economic analysis based on the Swedish surveys of living conditions 1980—81, 1988—89, and 1996—97

The aim of the study was to examine whether being overweight (25<or=BMI<30) or obese (BMI>or=30) affect subsequent individual health behaviour, applying the framework of the individual-as-producer-of-health model. A set of panel data for 3,693 individuals interviewed repeatedly in 1980-81, 1988-89, and 1996-97 was created from the Swedish population-based biannual survey of living conditions. Self-assessed health was chosen as indicator of individual health capital and physical exercise as indicator of individual health investment. (a) Men and women who suffered from obesity invested significantly less in their health in terms of physical exercise and reported significantly lower self-assessed health than the general male and female population, respectively. (b) Men who suffered from overweight invested less in their health and reported significantly lower self-assessed health than the general population, whereas women who were overweight--but not obese--did not differ from the general population. (c) Men and women who went from being obese to being overweight reported self-assessed health levels that did not differ from the general male and female population, respectively, but exercised less than men and women in general. The results imply (a) that the individual weight history must be taken into account in studies of the effect of obesity and overweight on health and health-related behaviour and (b) that men and women differ concerning the impact of obesity and overweight on health and health investments.

Predicting Physical Exercise in Cardiac Rehabilitation: The Role of Phase-Specific Self-Efficacy Beliefs

During the process of health behavior change, individuals pass different phases characterized by different demands and challenges that have to be mastered. To overcome these demands successfully, phase-specific self-efficacy beliefs are important. The present study distinguishes between task self-efficacy, maintenance self-efficacy, and recovery self-efficacy. These phase-specific beliefs were studied in a sample of 484 cardiac patients during rehabilitation treatment and at follow-up 2 and 4 months after discharge to predict physical exercise at 4 and 12 months follow-up. The three phase-specific self-efficacies showed sufficient discriminant validity and allowed for differential predictions of intentions and behavior. Persons in the maintenance phase benefited more from maintenance self-efficacy in terms of physical exercise than persons not in the maintenance phase. Those who had to resume their physical exercise after a health related break profited more from recovery self-efficacy in terms of physical exercise than persons who were continuously active. Implications for possible interventions are discussed.

Exercise psychology predicting physical exercise in cardiac rehabilitation: the role of phase-specific self-efficacy beliefs

During the process of health behavior change, individuals pass different phases characterized by different demands and challenges that have to be mastered. To overcome these demands successfully, phase-specific self-efficacy beliefs are important. The present study distinguishes between task self-efficacy, maintenance self-efficacy, and recovery self-efficacy. These phase-specific beliefs were studied in a sample of 484 cardiac patients during rehabilitation treatment and at follow-up 2 and 4 months after discharge to predict physical exercise at 4 and 12 months follow-up. The three phase-specific self-efficacies showed sufficient discriminant validity and allowed for differential predictions of intentions and behavior. Persons in the maintenance phase benefited more from maintenance self-efficacy in terms of physical exercise than persons not in the maintenance phase. Those who had to resume their physical exercise after a health related break profited more from recovery self-efficacy in terms of physical exercise than persons who were continuously active. Implications for possible interventions are discussed.