Thesis (M.P.H.)--University of Queensland. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2003. / Title from first page of PDF file. Document formatted into pages; contains xi, 264 p.; also includes graphics. Includes abstract and vita. Advisor: Rick Petosa, Dept. of Physical Activity and Educational Services. Includes bibliographical references (p. 203-210).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2004. / Title from first page of PDF file. Document formatted into pages; contains xviii, 132 p.; also includes graphics. Includes abstract and vita. Advisors: George E. Billman and Timothy E. Kirby, Dept. of Educational Services and Research. Includes bibliographical references (p. 124-132).

Quercetin is a flavonoid found in commonly consumed fruits and vegetables that has exhibited powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties in rodents and in vitro. In humans, the effect of quercetin on exercise induced oxidative stress and inflammation is still equivocal and need to be further investigated. A powerful antioxidant such as quercetin may inhibit the high levels of oxidative stress and inflammation associated with the high volume and intensity of exercise training seen with endurance-trained individuals. PURPOSE: To determine the effect of 28 days of daily quercetin supplementation on intensive endurance exercise induced cytokine response. vi METHODS: Thirteen trained cyclists (VO2peak 58.8 ± 3.9 ml/kg/min) were recruited for this study from the University of Texas at Austin and the local Austin, Texas community and participated in this placebo controlled, randomized, crossover designed study. After initial assessment of baseline data (VO2peak, lactate threshold, and two familiarization time trials), participants began daily supplementation with either an antioxidant supplement containing vitamins and quercetin (Q-VIT: 1000mg quercetin, 820mg Vitamin C, 40mg Vitamin B3) or the same vitamin supplement without quercetin (VIT: 820mg Vitamin C, 40mg Vitamin B3). A simulated time trial using an electromagnetically braked cycle ergometer in which subjects had to complete a set amount of work (kJ) as fast as possible was performed on the last day of supplementation. Blood collection was performed at three time points of the time trial days: before exercise (PRE), after warm up (MIN 20), and immediately after time trial exercise (POST). Measured plasma markers were Interleukin-6 (IL-6), C-Reactive Protein (CRP), and Interleukin-10 (IL-10). RESULTS: Q-VIT compared to VIT had no effect on pre, min 20 and post exercise plasma IL-6, CRP, and IL-10 ( P= 0.7, 0.08, and 0.32 respectively). However there was a trend that Q-VIT lowered plasma CRP compare to VIT ( P = 0.08). CONCLUSION: Chronic supplementation for 28 days with a quercetin based antioxidant supplement did not affect plasma cytokine before during or after exercise. The results of the current study suggest that chronic supplementation with quercetin does not influence plasma cytokine and exercise induced cytokine response in endurance-trained athletes. / text

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease causing bronchospasm, which leads to the sensation of shortness of breath. Children with asthma are often afraid of exercise because the exercise induced exacerbation which gives children a sense of breathlessness. As a result, they usually have a sedentary lifestyle that decreases their physical fitness. However, there is evidence supporting the claim that exercises do not induce exacerbation, and exercise should be encouraged to asthmatic children to improve their physical fitness. In Hong Kong, protocol for exercise training with asthmatic children is limited. This is unfortunate because recent studies have shown that exercise training has improved the physical fitness of asthmatic children. This present studies used databases included PubMed (from 1950 to 2012), Ovid MEDLINE® (from 1950 to 2012), CINAHL (from 1982 to 2012), and ProQuest (from 1999 to 2012), to identify significant research on the topic. Eight studies, including seven RCTs and one cohort study, were chosen for in depth review. They were all good quality studies with satisfactory results that identified improvement in physical fitness for mild to moderate asthmatic children after exercise training. This present studies proposed an exercise training program for a pediatric ward in a public hospital in Hong Kong. The target population is children, aged 7 to 17, who suffer from mild to moderate asthma. They will enroll in an exercise training program to perform cycling in a clinical setting three times per week. The program will be sustained for nine weeks. The participants will undergo the innovation under the supervision of trained nurses. Evidence-based protocol is developed for the innovation to guide nurses on how to carry out the exercise training effectively and smoothly. The Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) grading system is adopted to measure the levels of evidence and grading of the recommendations in the protocol. A communication plan will be developed to gain support from the identified stakeholders. A pilot study plan will be established in order to determine the feasibility of the proposed innovation. The exercise stress test, which is the primary outcome of the innovation, will be measured in the pilot study. Knowledge, job satisfaction, and confidence level of staff will be evaluated. The effectiveness of the innovation will be evaluated based improvements as measured by lung function, exercise stress and quality of life of the asthmatic children after exercise training. It will also consider nurse competency in carrying out the exercise training program. In the pediatric ward of a public hospital, mild to moderate asthmatic children are going to perform cycling under close monitoring and supervision. The proposed clinical setting for exercise program is intentional. Its relax atmosphere may encourage asthmatic children to do more exercises even after the training program. The researcher identifies transferable elements in the innovation, including characteristics of the patients, staff, setting and philosophy of care. The feasibility of the program is evaluated according to the culture and resource environment. The cost effectiveness is considered and it factors in the benefits of the innovation physically and psychologically. In order to implement this program successfully, a well-designed and planned protocol is proposed. The innovation is designed to be effective in improving the physical and psychological fitness of asthmatic children. / published_or_final_version / Nursing Studies / Master / Master of Nursing

Introduction: Dementia refers to impairments of memory and other cognitive functions with consequent decline in activities of daily living. Besides cognitive symptoms, demented patients can also exhibit behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD), which are stressors leading to family caregivers’ burden. Physical activity may give rise to benefits in cognitive function, and may reduce behavioral symptoms and caregivers’ burden. However, most previous studies were reported from Caucasian populations. There was no previous report on the relationship of physical activity in dementia patients on family caregiver’s burden in Hong Kong Chinese older adults. Objectives: The objective of this study was to investigate the associations of physical activity level with cognitive function, behavioral and psychological symptoms and caregivers’ burden in dementia patients in Hong Kong Chinese population. Method: This was a cross-sectional study. 201 dementia patients who were screened by the inclusion and exclusion criteria were recruited from the Geriatric Clinic in Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong, from May 2013 to August 2013. Social demographic information and comorbid diseases information were collected from all subjects. Subjects were then assessed with the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), Alzheimer’s Disease Cooperative Study Activities of Daily Living Inventory (ADCS-ADL), Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly (PASE), as well as Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI). Subjects’ family caregivers were assessed with Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI). Main outcome measures: The outcome measures for the cognitive function were the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). The outcome measures for BPSD and caregiver’s burden were the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) and Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI), respectively. Results: We screened a total of 239 subjects in the Geriatric Clinic of Queen Mary Hospital. 201 subjects (70 males and 131 females) were recruited. 38 participants were excluded according to the exclusion criteria. The score means (SD) of the recruited were: PASE =27.5 (23.9); ADCS-ADL=45.3 (14.5); MMSE=17.3 (5.4); MoCA=9.9 (5.3); NPI=9.5 (9.7); ZBI=33.3 (14.8). In bivariate analysis, the PASE score was significantly associated with the MMSE score (rho=0.259, p<0.001), the MoCA score (rho=0.311, p<0.001), the NPI score (rho=-0.225, p=0.001), and the ZBI score (rho=-0.253, p<0.001). In multivariate analyses, using general linear models, the PASE score was independently associated with the MMSE (F=5.57, p=0.001) and MoCA (F=7.10, p<0.001) scores, after adjusting for significant confounders in bivariate analyses (i.e. age, education and gender). The PASE was also independently associated with the NPI score (F=2.89, p=0.037). The PASE score was not an independent predictor of the ZBI score. However, the subjects’ ADCS-ADL score (F=15.65, p<0.001), and the NPI score (F=8.55, p=0.004) were independent predictors of the caregiver’s ZBI score. / published_or_final_version / Medical Sciences / Master / Master of Medical Sciences

The appropriate intensity of exercise needed to reduce the risk of hypoglycemia (≤3.9 mmol/L) in persons with type 1 diabetes (T1D) is not known. Ten participants with T1D performed four exercise sessions on a treadmill lasting 45 minutes: a control condition at 45-55% of heart rate reserve and three high intensity sessions at 70, 80, and 90% of heart rate reserve. A blinded continuous glucose monitor was used to measure time spent ≤3.9 mmol/L and glucose variability in the 12 hours following exercise. There were no significant changes in the percentage of time spent ≤3.9 mmol/L (p=0.58) and glucose variability as measured by mean absolute glucose change (p=0.53) and continuous overall net glycemic action (CONGA1: p=0.95; CONGA2: p=0.90; CONGA4: p=0.72) between the sessions. High intensity exercise at 70, 80, and 90% of HRR does not significantly reduce the amount of time spent ≤3.9 mmol/L or glucose variability compared to the 45-55% session alone. / October 2015

Activity promotion advocates regular exercise as a way of reducing mortality, thus providing a cost-effective strategy for public health improvement. However, many individuals embarking on a regime have unpleasant experiences and are more likely to withdraw. One construct identified in the literature that may contribute to this negative affect is social physique anxiety (SPA; Hart et al., 1989). Although the correlates and consequencesa ssociatedw ith SPA have provided invaluable insight, there still lacks conceptual focus. Therefore, adopting the tenets of Lazarus (1999), one individual difference factor important in the cognitive appraisal process that may contribute to SPA is perfectionism (Hewitt & Flett, 1991). This motivational construct has been found to influence the appraisal process and predispose individuals to experience anxiety. Therefore, the purpose of Study 1 was to firstly, investigate the influence of individual differences in perfectionism on SPA and to secondly, explore the mediating influence of coping strategies on SPA, threat, and levels of enjoyment among beginner exercise class participants. In the first part of Study 1, four hundred and four (376 females, 28 males) participants completed measures of social physique anxiety, perfectionism, ability, importance, capacity beliefs, self-efficacy, threat, and enjoyment. In the second part of Study 1, only those participants who deemed that being good at exercise was important to them (N = 317) were used in the analyses. Path analyses results using structural equation modelling procedures provided adequate support for the first part of Study 1 (x I /df = 2.41, BBNNFI = 0.96, Robust CFI = 0.99), and little support for the second part of Study 1 (x2/df = 7.87, BBNNFI = 0.66, Robust CFI = 0.77). Although the research has acknowledged the importance of secondary 11 appraisal characteristics as contributing to threat, the importance of differing motivational orientations as contributing to variations in cognitions and affective responses (Deci & Ryan, 1985) may be equally important. Therefore, in addition to Study 1, the purpose of Study 2 was to investigate the influence of perfectionism on levels of self-determination (Deci & Ryan, 1985), SPA, threat, and enjoyment through the mediational role of perceived competence and autonomy. In addition to the measures used in Study 1, two hundred and eighteen participants (192 females, 26 males) further completed a measure of locus of causality for exercise and a measure of regulation in exercise behaviour. Path analyses results provided little support for Study 2 (x 2/df= 11.85, BBNNFI = 0.23, Robust CFI = 0.27). Overall, the results from the second part of Study 1 and Study 2 provide little support for the hypothesised relationships due to the overall poor fit of the models found. However, the results of the first part of Study 1 provided adequate fit indices suggesting that socially prescribed perfectionism more than self oriented perfectionism influences SPA. In turn SPA significantly and negatively influenced self-efficacy as would be expected. Furthermore, both self-efficacy and capacity beliefs significantly and positively influenced exercise enjoyment. The importance of investigating perfectionism and other individual difference factors as antecedents of SPA are discussed, and future research recommendations proposed. 111

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The purpose of this Master's project was to investigate the effects of a l2-week Pilates training program on neck-shoulder posture and motion, core strength and neck-shoulder kinematics and muscles activity associated with a shoulder flexion task performed under six different conditions. After the training, scapula anterior tilt and upper and lower thoracic extension were reduced and there was increased activity of the rectus abdominis, serratus anterior and rhomboid muscles during the shoulder flexion task; passive shoulder range of motion increased in flexion and internal rotation; static thoracic kyphosis was smaller and abdominal strength was greater. Theses results suggest that Pilates is effective in improving core strength, thoracic static and dynamic posture, and shoulder flexibility as well as in stabilizing core posture as limb movements are performed. Our results support the use of the Pilates method in the rehabilitation, and possibly in the prevention, of neck-shoulder disorders.