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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1994

Variation in quantitative respirator fit factors due to fluctuations in leak size during fit testing.

Variation in fit factors during quantitative respirator fit testing was studied for a high degree of fit (aerosol fit factors > 1000) and a low degree of fit (aerosol fit factors < 1000). In a controlled human study, fit factors were determined sequentially for three different exercises by (1) an aerosol fit test (using a portable condensation nuclei counter and room aerosol as the test agent) and (2) the newly developed dichotomous-flow fit test (Dichot). For the higher level of respirator fit, the aerosol fit factors were 30 to 60 times the corresponding flow fit factors, and for the lower level of respirator fit they were 2 to 4 times the flow fit factors. A coefficient of variation (CV) of 84% (GSD 1.6) for the higher respirator fit and 178% (GSD 2.2) for the lower respirator fit data was observed in the human study when aerosol fit factors for the three exercises were pooled. In a similar mannequin study, the center sampling probe gave aerosol fit factors with a CV of 5.4% (GSD 1.05). The flow fit factors for all three exercises pooled had a CV of 36% (GSD 1.3) for the higher respirator fit and 40% (GSD 1.5) for the lower respirator fit data, while the mannequin study gave flow fit factors with a CV of 2.2% (GSD 1.02). Thus, the variation in fit factors obtained in the human study was much higher than that obtained in a mannequin study. However, the variation in the aerosol method relative to the flow method, in the human study, os of the same order of magnitude as in the mannequin study.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Air↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Respiratory protection as a function of respirator fitting characteristics and fit-test accuracy.

The fitting characteristics of particulate respirators are no longer assessed in the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health respirator certification program. It is important for respirator program administrators to understand the implications of that change and the additional burden it may impose. To address that issue, a typical respirator fit-testing program is analyzed using a mathematical model that describes the effectiveness of a fit-testing program as a function of the fitting characteristics of the respirator and the accuracy of the fittesting method. The model is used to estimate (1) the respirator assignment error, the percentage of respirator wearers mistakenly assigned an ill-fitting respirator; (2) the number of fit-test trials necessary to qualify a group of workers for respirator use; and (3) the number of workers who will fail the fit-test with any candidate respirator model and thereby fail to qualify for respirator use. Using data from previous studies, the model predicts respirator assignment errors ranging from 0 to 20%, depending on the fitting characteristics of the respirator models selected and the fit-testing method used. This analysis indicates that when respirators do not necessarily have good fitting characteristics, respirator program administrators should exercise increased care in the selection of respirator models and increased care in fit-testing. Also presented are ways to assess the fitting characteristics of candidate respirator models by monitoring the first-time fit-testing results. The model demonstrates that significant public health and economic benefits can result when only respirators having good fitting characteristics are purchased and respirators are assigned to workers using highly accurate fit-testing methods.

Dust↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Anatomic fitting studies of a total artificial heart in heart transplant recipients. Critical dimensions and prediction of fit.

Anatomic fitting studies of the Cleveland Clinic-Nimbus total artificial heart were performed in 33 patients undergoing heart transplantation. The pump fit in the pericardial space in 20 men (80%) and 4 women (50%). There was no significant difference between the Fit and Non-Fit groups in external chest dimensions. Among 42 intrathoracic dimensions, the distance from the center of the mitral valve to the diaphragm (Fit: 5.6 +/- 2.2 cm, Non-Fit: 3.6 +/- 0.4 cm, p < 0.00001) and the distance from the caudal end of the pulmonary valve to the diaphragm (Fit: 9.4 +/- 1.6 cm, Non-Fit: 6.3 +/- 0.8 cm, p < 0.0001) were the most critical. To predict anatomic fit, an index (A x B x C) was obtained from chest X-ray measurements (A, the craniocaudal distance from the dorsal region of the 8th left rib to the left diaphragm; B, the maximum left chest width; and C, the maximum anteroposterior sternum-vertebrae dimension). The pump fit in 88.5% of the patients with an index above 1200 cm3, whereas it fit in only 14.3% of the patients with an index below 1200 cm3 (p < 0.001). This index was an easily obtainable, good predictor of anatomic fit.

Diaphragm↗
PubMed2001

Assessing fitness to stand trial: the utility of the Fitness Interview Test (revised edition).

OBJECTIVE: In Canada most evaluations of fitness to stand trial are conducted on an inpatient basis. This costs time and money, and deprives those defendants remanded for evaluation of liberty. This research assessed the predictive efficiency of the Fitness Interview Test, revised edition (FIT) as a screening instrument for fitness to stand trial. METHOD: We compared decisions about fitness to stand trial, based on the FIT, with the results of institution-based evaluations for 2 samples of men remanded for inpatient fitness assessments. RESULTS: The FIT demonstrates excellent utility as a screening instrument. The FIT shows good sensitivity and negative predictive power, which suggests that it can reliably screen those individuals who are clearly fit to stand trial, before they are remanded to an inpatient facility for a fitness assessment. CONCLUSION: We discuss the implications for evaluating fitness to stand trial, particularly in terms of the need for community-based alternatives to traditional forensic assessments.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

The Dorset Get-Fit Campaign--community fitness testing programme.

A pilot programme promoting fitness and exercise was launched through the local media in the Bournemouth area. The aim was to study the feasibility and effectiveness of a fitness testing programme as a trigger to increase exercise participation. Three hundred and eighty adult volunteers (male and female, all ages) undertook a sub-maximal fitness test and were given advice on exercise and diet by trained counsellors. Two hundred and eighty-five (75%) completed a second, follow-up fitness test, four months later. The results were very encouraging. Almost all of those classified as being unfit at the first test had exercised more frequently and made great improvements in physical fitness by the second test (p less than 0.01). Similarly, most of those who were overweight made substantial weight reductions during the course of the campaign (p less than 0.01). The majority of the group also made important changes in their diet. There appears to be sufficient interest in the general population to recruit people of all ages and fitness levels to join in fitness promotion programmes, but drop-out rates may be appreciative. On the basis of these findings it is proposed that fitness testing is an acceptable and helpful trigger to increased physical activity for both males and females of all ages. Such an increase in exercise appears to result in important improvements in fitness and, in combination with dietary modification, favourable reductions in weight. Further work should now be conducted in the form of controlled trials to compare the costs and effectiveness of fitness testing programmes with other methods of raising exercise levels in the community.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

Changes in cardiovascular fitness following physical fitness classes.

A program aimed at improving cardiovascular fitness was evaluated. This program involved 298 volunteer middle-aged participants who initially had a bicycle ergometry test to calculate fitness. Other measurements included body fat (estimated by skin fold measurements) and a rating of coronary-prone personality. The participants were given their results and then offered a six-week fitness class consisting of both didactic and exercise segments. After six months, bicycle ergometry was repeated. During this period, mean calculated maximum oxygen uptake (a measure of fitness with a "normal" range of 20 mL/kg/min to 60 mL/kg/min) improved from 38.0 to 39.6 mL/kg/min (t test, P = .0001). Classifying this according to a cardiovascular fitness rating based on age and sex, with 5 being excellent fitness to 1 being very poor fitness, the mean fitness rating went from 3.08 to 3.31 (t test, P = .0001). There was no change in weight or percentage of body fat. Both those who attended the fitness classes and those who did not attend improved equally. Those who did not attend classes had higher ratings on a coronary-prone personality scale compared with those attending classes. In some groups, it appears that significant improvement in cardiovascular fitness may be initiated with a five-minute, office-based bicycle test.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Modeling viral genome fitness evolution associated with serial bottleneck events: evidence of stationary states of fitness.

Evolution of fitness values upon replication of viral populations is strongly influenced by the size of the virus population that participates in the infections. While large population passages often result in fitness gains, repeated plaque-to-plaque transfers result in average fitness losses. Here we develop a numerical model that describes fitness evolution of viral clones subjected to serial bottleneck events. The model predicts a biphasic evolution of fitness values in that a period of exponential decrease is followed by a stationary state in which fitness values display large fluctuations around an average constant value. This biphasic evolution is in agreement with experimental results of serial plaque-to-plaque transfers carried out with foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) in cell culture. The existence of a stationary phase of fitness values has been further documented by serial plaque-to-plaque transfers of FMDV clones that had reached very low relative fitness values. The statistical properties of the stationary state depend on several parameters of the model, such as the probability of advantageous versus deleterious mutations, initial fitness, and the number of replication rounds. In particular, the size of the bottleneck is critical for determining the trend of fitness evolution.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Comparison of three procedures for initial fitting of compression hearing aids. I. Experienced users, fitted bilaterally.

We compared the effectiveness of three procedures for the initial fitting of hearing aids with multi-band compression: (1) CAMEQ, which aims to amplify speech so as to give equal loudness per critical band over the frequency range important for speech intelligibility, and to give similar overall loudness to 'normal': (2) CAMREST, which aims to amplify speech so as to restore 'normal' specific loudness patterns, over a wide range of speech levels; (3) DSL I/O, which aims to map the dynamic range of normally hearing people into the reduced dynamic range of hearing-impaired people, with 'full' restoration of audibility. Ten experienced hearing aid users with moderate sensorineural loss were fitted bilaterally with Danalogic 163D digital hearing aids, using each procedure in turn; the order was counterbalanced across subjects. The fitting required specification of gains for input levels of 55 and 80 dB SPL at six centre frequencies. Real-ear measurements were made to ensure that target gains were reached (+/-3 dB). Immediately after fitting with a given procedure, and one week after fitting, the gains were adjusted when required by the minimum amount necessary to achieve acceptable fittings. The amount of adjustment required provides one measure of the adequacy of the initial fitting. On average, the adjustments were smallest for the CAMEQ procedure. The gain changes were slightly larger for the CAMREST procedure and were largest of all for DSL I/O. For the latter, the gain changes were mostly negative, especially for high frequencies and the higher input level. This indicates that the DSL I/O procedure prescribes more high-frequency gain than is preferred by adult users. After these gain adjustments, users wore the aids for at least three weeks before filling out the APHAB questionnaire and taking part in laboratory measurements of the speech reception threshold (SRT) for sentences in quiet and in steady and fluctuating background noise at levels of 60 and 75 dB SPL. Following these tests, the hearing aids were re-fitted with the next procedure. The scores on the APHAB test and the SRTs did not differ significantly for the three procedures. We conclude that the CAMEQ and CAMREST procedures provide more appropriate initial fittings than DSL I/O.

Acoustic Stimulation↗
PubMed2003

Relations among physical activity, physical fitness, and self-perceived fitness in Hong Kong adolescents.

The relationships between physical fitness, activity, and self-perceived fitness in adolescents in Hong Kong were investigated. Regular physical activity patterns, self-perceptions of fitness, and health-related physical fitness were measured in 201 secondary school students (M age = 13.8 yr.). The battery of fitness tests measured cardiovascular capacity, flexibility, muscular strength, muscular endurance, and body fat composition. The boys had a higher self-perception of their own fitness and exercised more outside school than the girls. Participation in physical activity was related to cardiovascular capacity, muscular strength, and body composition. Linear regression analysis indicated that exercise activity and body composition explained a portion of variance in the subjects' self-perceived fitness. These findings highlight the connections between physical activity, fitness, and self-perception of fitness and consequently the need for understanding the concept for better health-promotion strategies.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Improving the fit of press-fit hip stems.

The implant-bone fit is critical to the longevity of press-fit total hips. Maximum contact on the internal cortical bone surface, especially proximally, produces more normal strain values and reduces micromotion and sinkage. Stem design computer software was developed to design both individualized hip stems that maximize implant-bone contact for a unique anatomy, and average anatomic hip stems in which the mean error of fit is minimized for many patients. Cadaver femurs were used to test the following two hypotheses: (1) Average anatomic stems, designed using the optimal-fit software for an average femoral geometry, improve implant-bone fit when compared with standard stems; and (2) Individualized optimal-fit stems provide an even better fit than average anatomic stems. Results showed that the average anatomical stems fit better than the standard stems. However, the individualized hip stems, designed from individual three-dimensional geometry data, fit the best.

Aged↗
PubMed2026

Impact of Annual School Fitness Reports on Students' Cardiorespiratory Fitness: A Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial of Parental Reporting.

BACKGROUND: School-based physical fitness testing is an important population health monitoring tool and has the potential to improve student fitness performance. However, few studies exist on the impact of reporting student fitness to parents. METHODS: Using data from the Fit Study (2014-2017) from 12 California public schools, we used mixed-effects models to compare changes in cardiorespiratory fitness (estimated peak oxygen consumption, calculated from the 1-mile run) and strength (curl-ups and push-ups) over 1 and 2&#xa0;years between students randomized to having their parents receive an annual fitness report (intervention, n = 1638 students) and control (n = 2070) in grades 5 to 8 (ages 10-15&#xa0;y). The student sample was 47.9% female, 55.9% Hispanic, and 24.1% Asian. RESULTS: After 1&#xa0;year, intervention students did not demonstrate differential change compared with control students in estimated peak oxygen consumption (between-group change: -0.03&#xa0;mL/kg/min; 95% CI, -.367 to 0.302), curl-ups (between-group change: 1.2 curl-ups; 95% CI, -0.306 to 2.660), or push-ups (between-group change: 0.1 push-ups; 95% CI, -0.672 to 0.787). Similarly, no differences were seen after 2&#xa0;years. CONCLUSION: Sending a 2-page, once-a-year school-based fitness report home to parents-in the absence of environmental changes and/or behavioral coaching and support-does not impact student fitness performance after either 1 or 2&#xa0;years of reporting.

fitness reporting↗
PubMed2003

Use of self-reports of physical fitness as substitutes for performance-based measures of physical fitness in older adults.

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the association between self-reported physical fitness and performance-based measures of physical fitness in older adults. The specific components of physical fitness evaluated included aerobic endurance, muscular strength, and flexibility. Adults (25 men and 47 women) ranging in age from 56 to 92 years (M age=75 yr.) were recruited from the local community. Generally, the associations between self-reported and performance-based measures of physical fitness were low to moderate (r = 30-.01). Based on these findings, self-reports of physical fitness should not be used as substitutes for performance-based measures of physical fitness in older adults. Furthermore, present findings suggest that older adults, when asked to rate subcomponents of physical fitness, may not do so but rather evaluate a more general concept of physical fitness with aerobic endurance as the dominant factor.

Aged↗
PubMed1996

Fitness spectrum among random mutants on Mt. Fuji-type fitness landscape.

Statistical properties of a Mt. Fuji-type fitness landscape on a multi-valued sequence space were analysed. We constructed the model landscape based on additivity of the free energy contributed by each residue on a biopolymer, introducing "tolerance functions" that describe tolerance to residue substitution at each site. The fitness spectrum among a random mutant population around a wild-type sequence was theoretically obtained as the probability density distribution function of fitness. As the Hamming distance from the wild-type to the mutants increases, the mean fitness of the mutant population gradually decreases, and the variance of the fitness increases. These features are originated from the anisotropy of the landscape. On the assumption that the free energy is statistically additive around a wild-type in a sequence space of a real biopolymer, one can estimate the Hamming distance from the wild-type to the optimal biopolymer and the fitness of the optimum. Two sets of experimental data were analysed: (1) a promoter strength spectrum of a mutant population produced by the random mutagenesis of a wild-type lac promoter; (2) four stepwise optimization processes of different peptide mixtures evaluated with ligand binding affinity. Analysis of both experiments showed the compatibility with the hypothesis that local fitness landscapes around contemporary biopolymers are near Mt. Fuji-type. The mean slope of each of the four affinity landscapes for (2) was estimated as delta In K(d)/delta d = 1.3 approximately 2.3, where d denotes the Hamming distance from the optimum and K(d) represents the mean dissociation constant of sequences located at the Hamming distance of d. Mt. Fuji-type landscape can be regarded as a zero-th order approximation to the real local landscape just like an "ideal gas". We showed a method to gauge statistically the shape of a near Mt. Fuji-type landscape by measuring mutant fitness spectra.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Size of genetic bottlenecks leading to virus fitness loss is determined by mean initial population fitness.

Genetic bottlenecks are important events in the genetic diversification of organisms and colonization of new ecological niches. Repeated bottlenecking of RNA viruses often leads to fitness losses due to the operation of Muller's ratchet. Herein we use vesicular stomatitis virus to determine the transmission population size which leads to fitness decreases of virus populations. Remarkably, the effective size of a genetic bottleneck associated with fitness loss is greater when the fitness of the parental population increases. For example, for starting virus populations with low fitness, population transfers of five-clone-to-five-clone passages resulted in a fitness increase. However, when a parental population with high fitness was transferred, 30-clone-to-30-clone passages were required simply to maintain fitness values.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Staying fit and staying well: physical fitness as a moderator of life stress.

Previous research suggests that physical fitness moderates the adverse effects of stressful life events. However, a reliance on self-reports of fitness and health may limit the validity of prior investigations. The present research tested the stress-buffering effect of fitness with subjective and objective indicators of exercise, fitness, and physical well-being. For self-reports of health, both self-reports of exercise and objective measures of fitness showed the buffering effect; however, only objective fitness levels buffered stress when visits to a health facility were considered. Additional evidence indicated that this effect was largely independent of measures of psychological distress. Implications for understanding the link between fitness, stress, and health status are discussed.

Affect↗
PubMed2001

Age-related physical fitness and the predictive values of fitness tests for work ability in home care work.

Despite the widespread assessment of physical fitness in occupational medicine and health services, only a few validity studies have been made of the fitness tests used in relation to job demands. The purpose of this study was to assess the physical fitness of female home care workers (n = 132) in relation to age and to evaluate whether the fitness tests used predict work ability over a 5-year period of follow-up. Muscle endurance declined by 18% to 37%, and isometric muscle strength by 10% to 18%, from the youngest (21 to 35 years) to the oldest (45 to 59 years) age group. The proportion of those subjects who could be classified below the average age-related fitness categories according to the maximal oxygen consumption was highest (50%) for the 21-to-35 age group. The logistic regression model showed that obesity (odds ratio [OR] = 7.51) and poor results on the sit-up (OR, 8.9), balance (OR, 6.5), and weight-lifting (OR, 4.6) tests predicted the highest risk for reduced work ability, according to the work ability index used in the 5-year follow-up. Moreover, average results for the trunk side-bending test (OR, 4.6), poor results for the squatting test (OR, 3.8), poor knee extension strength (OR, 4.2), and the average maximal oxygen consumption (l.min-1) (OR, 3.1) indicated a high risk for reduction in work ability. The physical fitness tests were strongly associated with the physical demands of home care work and were relevant for the evaluation of work-related fitness among home care workers.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

The Australian Schools Health and Fitness Survey. Physical fitness related to blood pressure but not lipoproteins.

BACKGROUND: Recent research indicates that levels of conventional coronary heart disease risk factors in children are related to the premature development of atheroma. It is therefore important to determine how risk factors might be modified on a population scale in children. METHODS AND RESULTS: In 1985, the Australian Schools Health and Fitness Survey was conducted on a representative sample of Australian schoolchildren aged 7 to 15 years. In children aged 9, 12, and 15, data on plasma cholesterol, triglycerides, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol were obtained along with measurements of blood pressure, fitness, and body fatness. From an original sample of 2400 in these three age categories 1919 underwent the full set of measurements. Univariate analysis of these data revealed a strong association between body fatness and plasma lipids. There was no significant association between fitness (measured as physical work capacity at a heart rate of 170 beats per minute per kilogram of lean body mass) and plasma lipids, but a significant negative association was found for fitness and systolic blood pressure (r = -.12, P < .001). Multiple regression analysis revealed that the association of fitness with systolic blood pressure was only partly accounted for by the confounding effect of lower body fatness in fitter children. CONCLUSIONS: These data collected on a representative sample of children under standardized conditions confirm a previous finding of a link between fitness and blood pressure in schoolchildren and also support a growing consensus that fitness is only weakly linked to plasma lipids and lipoproteins in children and adolescents.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

The Fitness to stand trial Interview Test: how four professions rate videotaped fitness interviews.

The results of this study provide some preliminary support for the use of the FIT as a method for providing structure to interviewers. The FIT may be particularly useful as a guide for making initial decisions about fitness. It was suggested that a screening evaluation based on the FIT could be completed by any properly trained individual with some professional background. The more difficult cases can be referred for lengthier evaluations. Of course, further research on the use of the FIT with actual defendants in real assessments will need to occur before such a procedure can be used as a matter of routine. Finally, the FIT promises to be an effective research tool for isolating professional group differences in definitions of fitness and the importance of different aspects of it, from both a legal and a mental health perspective.

Expert Testimony↗