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At least 325 records · Page 18Linked to original sources
PubMed2005

Leisure Time Physical Activity Instrument and Physical Activity at Home and Work Instrument. Development, face validity, construct validity and test-retest reliability for subjects with fibromyalgia.

PURPOSE: A new instrument measuring leisure time physical activity (LTPAI) in populations predominately engaging in low intensity activities and a new instrument measuring the Physical Activity at Home and Work (PAHWI) were designed. METHODS: Patients with long-lasting pain and expert physiotherapists participated in the development of the two instruments. Test-retest reliability was evaluated for the LTPAI and the PAHWI. Construct validity was evaluated for the LTPAI by comparing it with an instrument measuring physical activities for older people, six-minute walk test and aerobic capacity. POPULATION: 37 women with FM, with the mean age of 46 years (SD 8.4) and mean symptom duration of 11 years (SD 5.9) were recruited to the study. RESULTS: The mean time that the study population spent in physical activities during leisure time was 5.2 hours (SD 4.0) a week. Satisfactory test-retest reliability was found for the total score of LTPAI (ICC 0.86, CI 0.79 - 0.93) and for the PAHWI (ICC 0.91, CI 0.82 - 9.96). A significant association between the LTPAI and the six-minute walk test (rs 0.40, p = 0.02) and another physical activity instrument (rs 0.39, p = 0.02) was found. As expected, LTPAI did not have any association with aerobic capacity. CONCLUSIONS: Face validity of the instruments was ensured during the development process. Satisfactory test-retest reliability was found for the LTPAI and the PAHWI. Significant but low associations were found between the LTPAI and the six-minute walk test and an instrument designed for older people, respectively, while no association was found between the LTPAI and aerobic capacity.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Effects of physical training on physical performance in institutionalised elderly patients (70+) with multiple diagnoses.

OBJECTIVE: the positive effect of physical training in healthy elderly people is well documented. The aim of this systematic review was to describe the effect of physical training on physical performance in institutionalised elderly patients with multiple diagnoses. DESIGN: systematic literature review of randomised controlled trials regarding effects of physical training of elderly (70+) subjects. METHODS: the randomised controlled trials were evaluated using a modified version of an evaluation form originally developed by the Cochrane Collaboration. It is based on a weighted scale of 0-100 points, and ranks the studies as high, moderate or low methodological quality. A total of 16 randomised controlled trials were included in the review. RESULTS: six studies scored as high quality, eight as moderate and two as low. There was a large heterogeneity in the studies concerning sample size, types of interventions and types of assessments. There is strong evidence for a positive effect of physical training on muscle strength and mobility; moderate evidence for an effect on range of motion; and contradictory evidence regarding gait, activities of daily living, balance and endurance. CONCLUSION: more studies are required, with larger sample sizes, higher specificity as to the types of interventions and assessments, greater focus on clinically relevant outcomes such as endurance and activities of daily living, and also, for example, quality of life and mortality.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1991

Nutritional status and daily physical activity of handicapped students in Tokyo metropolitan schools for deaf, blind, mentally retarded, and physically handicapped individuals.

Heights, weights, and skinfold thicknesses of 2222 handicapped students aged 3-22 y were measured in the 1984 nutritional survey for handicapped students in Tokyo metropolitan schools for deaf, blind, mentally retarded, and physically handicapped individuals. Although delayed growth was most obvious in physically handicapped students, obesity was already prevalent in many different types of handicapped students, especially those who were mentally handicapped. To estimate daily physical activity, 473 males and 329 females wore a pedometer for 24 h. There were considerable differences in the mean pedometer scores among the four groups of students: deaf greater than blind = mentally retarded greater than physically handicapped. In the female students who could walk normally, pedometer scores were negatively related with both body mass index and percent body fat. The nutritional status in the handicapped students is discussed in relation to daily physical activity.

Activity Cycles↗
PubMed1993

Development and validation of a physical performance instrument for the functionally impaired elderly: the Physical Disability Index (PDI).

Article describes development of the Physical Disability Index (PDI), an observer-administered, performance-based instrument measuring physical disability in frail-elderly persons without severe cognitive impairment. Sixty-five items in four subscales encompassing Range of Motion (ROM), Strength (STR), Balance (BAL), and Mobility (MOB) were measured. Subjects were randomly selected frail nursing home residents (N = 103) with a Folstein Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE) score of > or = 11. Using correlation matrices, cluster analysis, and regression techniques, the scale was reduced to 54 items. All individual item values were standardized and aggregated into subscale and summary PDI scores, each with a range of 0-100. Test-retest and interrater reliability were evaluated. Discriminant and convergent validity were established using MMSE, Physical Self-Maintenance Scale (PSMS), and Sickness Impact Profile-Physical Dimension (SIP-PD). PDI is a performance-based instrument that appears to discriminate among frail individuals with differing levels of physical function. Further testing is warranted in other populations of frail-elderly persons to ascertain its applicability and generalizability.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Trajectories of boys' physical aggression, opposition, and hyperactivity on the path to physically violent and nonviolent juvenile delinquency.

A semi-parametric mixture model was used with a sample of 1,037 boys assessed repeatedly from 6 to 15 years of age to approximate a continuous distribution of developmental trajectories for three externalizing behaviors. Regression models were then used to determine which trajectories best predicted physically violent and nonviolent juvenile delinquency up to 17 years of age. Four developmental trajectories were identified for the physical aggression, opposition, and hyperactivity externalizing behavior dimensions: a chronic problem trajectory, a high level near-desister trajectory, a moderate level desister trajectory, and a no problem trajectory. Boys who followed a given trajectory for one type of externalizing problem behavior did not necessarily follow the same trajectory for the two other types of behavior problem. The different developmental trajectories of problem behavior also led to different types of juvenile delinquency. A chronic oppositional trajectory, with the physical aggression and hyperactivity trajectories being held constant, led to covert delinquency (theft) only, while a chronic physical aggression trajectory, with the oppositional and hyperactivity trajectories being held constant, led to overt delinquency (physical violence) and to the most serious delinquent acts.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Effects of a physical exercise intervention on subjective physical well-being, psychosocial functioning and general well-being among office workers: a cluster randomized-controlled cross-over design.

The purpose of the study was to examine the effects of a workplace physical exercise intervention on subjective physical well-being, psychosocial functioning and general well-being. The study was a cluster randomized-controlled trial with the department (n=4) as the unit of randomization. The subjects (n=90) were office workers [mean age 45.7 (SD 8.5) years]. Psychosocial functioning and well-being variables were measured by descriptive visual rating scales. The cross-over design consisted of one 15-week intervention period of light resistance training and guidance and another 15-week period of no training and no guidance. The statistical analysis was based on linear mixed models. The active component of the intervention, light resistance training, resulted in a slight, but statistically significant, increase in subjective physical well-being (P=0.015). At the average training time of 5 min/working day (25 min/week) the average increase during the 15-week period was 4 units (95% confidence interval (CI) 1-7) and 5% (95% CI 1-9). The physical exercise intervention had no effect on somatic symptoms, anxiety, self-confidence, mood, mental stress at work, working atmosphere, life satisfaction or meaning of life. Daily light resistance training, conducted during the working day, had a positive direction on subjective physical well-being among office workers.

Cross-Over Studies↗
PubMed2000

Physical activity and peptic ulcers. Does physical activity reduce the risk of developing peptic ulcers?

BACKGROUND: Although Helicobacter pylori has been identified as a major cause of chronic gastritis, not all infected patients develop ulcers, suggesting that other factors such as lifestyle may be critical to the development of ulcer disease. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the role physical activity may play in the incidence of peptic ulcer disease. METHODS: The participants were men (n = 8,529) and women (n = 2,884) who attended the Cooper Institute for Aerobics Research, Dallas, Texas, between 1970 and 1990. The presence of gastric or duodenal ulcer disease diagnosed by a physician was determined from a mail survey in 1990. Participants were classified into 3 physical activity groups according to information provided at the baseline clinic visit (before 1990): active, those who walked or ran 10 miles or more a week; moderately active, those who walked or ran less than 10 miles a week or did another regular activity; and the referent group consisting of those who reported no regular physical activity. RESULTS: With the use of gender-specific proportional hazards regression models that could be adjusted for age, smoking, alcohol use, body mass index, and self-reported tension, active men had a significantly reduced risk for duodenal ulcers (relative hazard [95% confidence interval] for the active group, 0.38 [0.15-0.94], and 0.54 [0.30-0.96] for the moderately active group). No association was found between physical activity and gastric ulcers for men or for either type of ulcer for women. CONCLUSION: Physical activity may provide a nonpharmacologic method of reducing the incidence of duodenal ulcers among men.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Prevalence of physical inactivity and recommended physical activity in community-based adults with mental retardation.

Little information has been reported on the leisure time physical activity (LTPA) habits of adults with mental retardation. Prevalence of physical inactivity and recommended LTPA of adults with mild to moderate mental retardation who live in community settings was described. Adults with mental retardation (76 men, 74 women) reported their physical activity habits. Overall, men and women who resided in community settings were similarly inactive, with 47% to 51% of individuals participating in little to no LTPA. Forty-two to 47% of them reported participation in moderate to vigorous LTPA five or more times per week. Limitations to quantifying physical activity through questionnaire process is discussed and development and implementation of programs designed to increase physical activity levels recommended.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1993

The relationship between ambulatory blood pressure and physical activity in young and older shiftworkers. A quantitative assessment of physical activity using a microcomputer with acceleration sensor.

We studied the relationship between physical activity and ambulatory blood pressure (BP) in young and older shiftworkers by simultaneous recordings of activity, blood pressure and pulse rate (PR). Activity was assessed using Activetracer, a self-contained microcomputer with an acceleration sensor, attached to a waist belt. Ambulatory BP was monitored every 30 minutes for 48 hours with a TM2421. Three types of hemodynamic responses were noted in relation to the physical activity. The balance type, in which both BP and PR increase with physical activity, was observed in 5 of 10 young cases (50%) but only in 1 of 7 older cases (14.3%). The BP response type, in which the BP increases with no change in the PR, was observed in 6 of the 7 older (86%) but only in 3 cases in the young group (30%). The PR response type, in which only the PR increase correlated with activity, was observed in 2 cases in the young group (20%) and none in the older group. The difference in systolic BP between periods of activity and rest in the older shiftworker was significantly larger than that in the young group (15.9 +/- 6.4 vs. 5.9 +/- 6.6 mmHg, p < .01), although no significant difference was observed in diastolic BP. In contrast, the increase in pulse rate after movement was significantly higher in the young group (4.4 +/- 4.0 vs. 9.0 +/- 4.8 bpm, p < .05). Thus, the fluctuation of the systolic BP was more dependent on physical activity in the older group, whereas PR variations correlated with the physical activity in the young group.

Acceleration↗
PubMed1995

Objectively measuring physical ability in elderly persons: the Physical Capacity Evaluation.

The Physical Capacity Evaluation, a performance measure of functional capabilities comprised of 13 tasks simulating those used in activities of daily living, was tested on 289 community-dwelling elderly people and compared against a widely used self-report measure of function, the Health Assessment Questionnaire. Factor analysis identified one dominant component in each instrument. Internal consistency reliability (Cronbach's alpha) was .90 for both instruments. Global disability (Health Assessment Questionnaire) and function (Physical Capacity Evaluation) scores were correlated -.74. One-week retest reliabilities on 58 subjects were .94 for the Physical Capacity Evaluation and .95 for the Health Assessment Questionnaire. The Physical Capacity Evaluation is a valid and reliable measure of physical performance for use with elderly people.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed2004

Body mass index, physical activity, and the risk of decline in overall health and physical functioning in late middle age.

OBJECTIVES: We examined the relation between body mass index, exercise, overall health, and physical functioning. METHODS: We studied 7867 adults aged 51 to 61 years in 1992 to 1996. Adjusted relative risks for health decline and new physical difficulties were determined with logistic regression. RESULTS: Overweight and obesity were independently associated with health decline (adjusted relative risk [ARR] = 1.29 and 1.36) and development of a new physical difficulty (ARR = 1.27 and 1.45). Regular exercise significantly reduced the risk of health decline and development of a new physical difficulty, even among obese individuals. CONCLUSIONS: Maintaining ideal body weight is important in preventing decline in overall health and physical functioning. However, regular exercise can reduce the risk of health decline even among individuals who cannot achieve ideal weight.

Attitude to Health↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Evaluation of a new physical exercise taken from salat (prayer) as a short-duration and frequent physical activity in the rehabilitation of geriatric and disabled patients.

BACKGROUND: The major function of rehabilitation and physical medicine specialists is to provide the proper therapy that helps in improving the physical activities of impaired, disabled and handicapped persons through improvement in their muscle strength. In performing their function, the rehabilitation team should always take heed of the social and mental well-being of such patients. Having observed millions of Muslims perform the salat (prayer) regularly at specified times throughout the world, we postulated that salat, along with its various postures, can play a role in increasing psychological well-being including self-reliance and self-esteem, improving musculo-skeletal fitness, motor behavior and cerebral blood flow that may be beneficial in the rehabilitation of geriatric and disabled persons. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The various postures of salat were studied and a range of joint motions were measured by goniometer, an instrument for measuring angles. Brain blood pressure was calculated from the effect of gravity on blood pressure at different positions. RESULTS: We found that during the offering of salat, most of the joints and muscles of the body were involved in physical activities with little effort, which probably play a vital role in cerebral blood flow and postural reflexes. CONCLUSION: The physical activities involved in the performance of salat helps in the rehabilitation process in disabled geriatric patients by improving blood flow and increasing musculoskeletal fitness. The salat prayer involves little effort (standing, bowing, prostration and sitting), has a short duration and is beneficial for mental and physical health. More studies are needed in future to determine the full beneficial effects of the salat prayer on the rehabilitative process of disabled persons.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1992

[Physical activity and physical work capacity of patients with initial manifestations of cerebrovascular disorders in arterial hypertension].

The routine protocol of general and neurological examinations and some special questionnaires were used to examine physical activity (FA) and physical working capacity (FWC) in a random population from one of the Moscow districts which included 1200 persons (males and females aged 30-64 years). The majority of the examinees were those who had slight and moderate exercises, mainly sitting work, did few or no physical exercises. The proportion of persons with low physical activity increased with age both among males and females. The ratios generally remained despite the presence of early signs of abnormal blood supply. Bicycle ergometer testings showed a significant reduction in the physical working capacity of the patients with abnormal brain blood supply, in a greater extent, in arterial hypertension. Decreased functional activity and functional working capacity may regarded as one of the risk factors for cerebrovascular disorders, in arterial hypertension in particular, and should be borne in mind in implementing preventive measures.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Association of pain and physical dependency with depression in physically ill middle-aged and elderly persons.

To investigate the relationship of pain and physical dependency to depression, the authors conducted a panel survey of 133 middle-aged and elderly persons with recent exacerbations of various physical illnesses. Of the original 133 subjects, 114 participated in two in-depth personal interviews conducted about three months apart. Variables that were measured included age, income, social support, physical dependency, pain, and depression. Physical dependency was moderately associated with depression (r = .27). A multiple regression analysis performed to control for the other variables, however, revealed that physical dependency had little effect on depression (R2 change = .03). Correlation (r = .41) and regression (R2 change = .13) analyses indicated that pain was an important factor in level of depression even after controlling for all of the other variables.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1993

Comparison of physical health benefits utilization. Mental and physical health claimants, 1989 and 1990.

Research has indicated an association between mental health problems and physical illness, including higher physical health benefits utilization among persons with a mental health diagnosis. We hypothesized that mental health claimants will have higher covered health benefits and be more likely to make physical health claims than physical health claimants. The data for the study included all health benefits claims for 1989 and 1990. The results indicated that mental health claimants have higher total covered benefits and higher covered benefits in a number of diagnostic categories. In addition, the findings revealed a greater likelihood to make any health claim as well as a claim for several diagnostic categories among persons with a mental health diagnosis. The study indicates the need for coordination between mental health and physical health benefits cost management.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1976

Physical performance capacity of children in Norway. Part IV. The rate of growth in maximal aerobic power and the influence of improved physical education of children in a rural community - population parameters in a rural community.

During a period of 4 years the annual increase of the physical performance of 31 boys and 34 girls was examined in a longitudinal study. In spite of the expected mean increase of the physical performance unsystematic annual variations of the increase of the maximal oxygen uptake related to body weight were observed. These variations can only be explained by the variations of the daily physical activity. The fact that in the longitudinal study a clear better performance over the years was observed than in a cross sectional study which was performed in the first year of the longitudinal study confirms this tendency. This can partly be explained by the improvement of the possibilities for physical activities in the community since the begin of the longitudinal study.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed2000

Development of physical selection procedures for the British Army. Phase 2: relationship between physical performance tests and criterion tasks.

This paper is the second in a series of three to describe the development of physical selection standards for the British Army. The first paper defined criterion tasks (single lift, carry, repetitive lift and carry, and loaded march tasks) and set standards on the criterion tasks for all British Army trades. The principal objective was to determine which combination of physical performance tests could be best used to predict criterion task performance. Secondary objectives included developing so-called 'gender-free' and 'gender-unbiased' models. The objectives were met by analysing performance data on the criterion tasks and a large battery of physical performance tests collected from 379 trained soldiers (mean age 23.5 (SD 4.45) years, stature 1734 (SD 79.5) mm, body mass 71.4 (SD 10.58) kg). Objective 1 was met: the most predictive physical performance tests were identified for all criterion tasks. Both single lift tasks were successfully modelled using muscle strength and fat free mass scores. The carry model incorporated muscle endurance and body size data, but the errors of prediction were large. The repetitive lift models included measures of muscle strength and endurance, and body size, but errors of prediction were also large. The loaded march tasks were successfully modelled incorporating indices of aerobic fitness, supplemented by measures of strength, endurance or body size and composition. The secondary objectives were partially fulfilled, though limitations in the data hampered the process. Although only one model (a loaded march) was gender-free, three models were gender-related (i.e. contained 'gender' explicitly in the model). The remaining six were gender-specific (i.e. were appropriate for men or for women). Owing to both a lower accuracy of prediction in women's scores and a greater tendency for the women's scores to be distributed around the pass standards, a greater percentage of women than men were misclassified as passing or failing, resulting in indirect discrimination. A validation of the models in a separate sample of the user population of recruits is reported in the third paper in this series.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Influence of physical fitness in determining the impact of stressful life events on physical and psychologic health.

To determine whether physical fitness (aerobic capacity) moderated the relationship between stressful life events and subsequent illness, 112 subjects first reported their life changes (stress) for the preceeding 12 months and then had their fitness assessed with a submaximal bicycle ergometer test. For the next 9 weeks, the subjects kept records concerning their physical health (e.g., ailments, doctor visits, medication usage), and at the end of that period they completed forms that measured psychologic symptoms (e.g., depression, anxiety, alienation). Multiple regression analyses revealed that a high level of life stress during the preceding year was related to poorer subsequent physical health for subjects with a low level of fitness in particular. Life stress was found to have little impact on the subsequent physical health of fit subjects. Similar results were found for depression. These results indicate that fitness does moderate the stress-illness relationship and suggest that increasing fitness may be a way of diminishing the effects of unavoidable stress.

Adolescent↗