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Biomedical subjects

J H Howard

Publications and source records attributed to J H Howard.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1986

The effects of personal interaction on triglyceride and uric acid levels, and coronary risk in a managerial population: a longitudinal study.

This two year longitudinal study of managers investigated whether the level of interaction with other individuals was a job stressor that influences coronary risk factors. The results presented here show that increased levels of interaction were associated with increased serum triglyceride and increased serum uric acid levels. It is suggested that past research positing stress effects from responsibility for people may be due to interaction levels rather than responsibility per se. It was also found that Type A behavior and physical activity levels moderated these effects. While it is difficult to say that personal interaction, as a job stressor, contributes very significantly to either coronary risk factors or coronary heart disease the evidence supports the hypothesis that the amount of interaction has some specific stress effects.

Administrative Personnel↗
PubMed1986

The role of frequency versus informational cues in uncertain frequency detection.

The role of frequency and informational cues in the detection of tones of uncertain frequency was investigated using the probe-signal method [G.Z. Greenberg and W.D. Larkin, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 44, 1513-1523 (1968)] with auditory and visual test patterns. Patterns consisted of a sequence of events, either tones or visual stimuli, preceding the tone to be detected. Both frequency and informational cues were available in the auditory patterns, whereas only informational cues were available in the visual patterns. Results indicated that observers in the auditory condition displayed trial-by-trial selective attention to one or another frequency band as a function of the cues provided by earlier pattern components. In contrast, listeners in the visual condition displayed simultaneous attention to the two separate frequency bands that could possibly contain the tone, regardless of the information provided by the cues. Results are discussed in terms of single- and multiple-band models of attention.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Personality as a moderator of the effects of cigarette smoking on coronary risk.

This study pursues an earlier investigation by G. D. Friedman et al. [Prev. Med. 12, 533-540 (1983)] which reported that a group of psychological questions moderated the effects of cigarette smoking on myocardial infarction. In a group of 65 smokers drawn from a study of 278 middle-aged men it is shown that, among smokers, the personality dimension entitled dependence/independence appears to have a significant moderating effect on the relationship between the amount smoked and the elevations of diastolic blood pressure, cholesterol, triglycerides, and uric acid. It is suggested that the moderating effects of this personality dimension, which is sometimes called "Promethean Will," and which appears similar to the concept of hardiness introduced by S. C. Kobasa [J. Pers. Soc. Psychol. 37, 1-11 (1979)] may be attributable to either the differential effect of coincident dietary behavior or variation in sympathetic response. It is noted that this type of investigation may provide greater insight into how cigarette smoking affects coronary risk, and it is suggested that a potentially interesting future investigation would examine whether, among smokers, such personality dimensions have associated dietary effects or might moderate the relationship between the amount smoked and catecholamine response.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Determinants of the training response in elderly men.

As part of a prospective randomized trial of the effect of regular exercise in older men, factors determining the magnitude of VO2max increase observed with endurance training were examined in 88 elderly [age 62.9 +/- 3.0 (SD) yr] males. VO2max before and after training was recorded as the highest VO2 observed during two incremental treadmill tests. One year of thrice weekly training sessions increased VO2max (12%, P less than 0.05) in the training group relative to baseline and to a control group (n = 100). The association between the post-training VO2max (VO2max, T2) and the following explanatory variables was assessed using multiple regression analysis: the initial VO2max (VO2max, T1); the reason for stopping the initial treadmill test: leisure time activity during the year previous to the study: the training intensity (speed of walking or running, pulse rate during training, and percentage of heart rate reserve); pulmonary function (forced expiratory volume in 1 s); adiposity (skinfold thickness at 8 sites) and frequency of training. VO2max T1, speed of walking or running during training, reason for stopping the treadmill test, and skinfold thickness were significantly related to post-training VO2max. The intensity and frequency of the training stimulus explained over 10% of the variance in the training effect. Subjects whose test was halted because of fatigue increased VO2max more than those whose test was discontinued for medical or other reasons, even when speed of running was held constant. Previous activity had only a weak effect on training response. The total variance explained by these independent variables was 62%.

Aged↗
PubMed1984

Physical activity as a moderator of life events and somatic complaints: a longitudinal study.

During the past 15 years a very large number of studies have shown that life events are a significant stressor with attendant physiological and psychological outcomes. Much of this research was summarized by Dohrenwend and Dohrenwend (1974). There is also considerable literature suggesting that physical activity may be an effective coping mechanism which can buffer the relationship between an environmental stressor and such psychological and physiological outcomes. This paper reports on the relationship of life change events and somatic complaints and the moderating effects of physical activity. The study was longitudinal involving 278 managers from 12 different corporations. All participants were men. Data have been collected at entry, two years later, and four years later. This provides two test periods in which the data are analysed. Analyses are by way of multiple regression and in both time periods the change data support the hypothesis that somatic complaints are significantly related to both life events and physical activity. The results also show that physical activity has a significant buffering effect on the relationship between life events and somatic complaints. These findings lend strong support to the hypothesis that physical activity can be a significant moderator of the effects of environmental stress.

Administrative Personnel↗
PubMed1983

Energy cost of treadmill and floor walking at self-selected paces.

Oxygen uptake-velocity regression equations were developed for floor and level treadmill walking by having two groups of men, aged 19-29 years (n = 20) and 55-66 years (n = 22), walk at four self-selected paces, from "rather slowly" to "as fast as possible". A two-variable quadratic model relating VO2 (ml X kg-1 X min-1) to velocity (m X s-1) was adopted for prediction purposes. However, age and fatness significantly (P less than 0.05) interacted with treadmill walking speed, while age alone significantly interacted with floor speed. In addition, a significant difference was found between the energy cost of floor and treadmill walking. For example at the normal walking speed of 1.33 m X s-1, the energy cost for the treadmill (age 55-66 years) was 10.58 ml X kg-1 X min-1 and for the floor, 11.04 ml X kg-1 X min-1 (P less than 0.05). Four quadratic equations are therefore presented, one each for floor and treadmill in each of the two age-groups. The percent variance explained was between 87 and 95% for each of these equations.

Adult↗
PubMed1978

Directional effects of size change on the comparison of visual shapes.

Recent studies have investigated the effect of an irrelevant size change on reaction time in tasks involving comparison of same or different shapes. In most cases, however, studies have examined simultaneous presentation or else successive presentation where the second stimulus was always larger than the first. In the present study, subjects made same-different shape judgments on successively presented closed geometric forms, where the second form was smaller than, larger than, or the same size as the first. Comparison reaction times were observed to increase with increasing size difference regardless of the direction of size change (i.e., when the second figure was either larger or smaller than the first). In addition, the effects of size change were identical for both "same" and "different" responses. These findings were seen to support an analog normalization process in which subjects mentally equate the figures for size before comparing their shapes. The relation of these results to previous data is discussed.

Discrimination, Psychological↗
PubMed1976

Health patterns associated with type A behavior: a managerial population.

Type A Behavior is a behavioral syndrome found to be related to coronary heart disease and characterized by excessive drive, ambition, and competitiveness. Managers from 12 different companies were examined for this syndrome and for a number of the known risk factors in coronary heart disease (blood pressure, cholesterol, triglycerides, uric acid, smoking, and fitness). Those individuals exhibiting extreme Type A Behavior (Type A) showed significantly higher blood pressure (systolic and diastolic) and higher cholesterol and triglyceride levels. A greater percentage of these individuals were cigarette smokers. On serum uric acid there were no differences. In each age group, Type A's were less interested in exercise, although differences in cardio-respiratory fitness were found only in the oldest age group. Type A Behavior also was related to age, education, company growth rates, and stress symptoms. Overall, the Type A1's were found to be higher on a number of risk factors known to be associated with coronary heart disease. With regard to the Type A2's (individuals with less developed Type A Behavior), the findings were not conclusive.

Administrative Personnel↗