Thesis (D. Min.)--New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, 1991. / Includes abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 164-170).

Please read the abstract in the 00front part of this document / Thesis (DPhil (Social Work))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Social Work and Criminology / unrestricted

No description available.

published_or_final_version / abstract / Social Work and Social Administration / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

While a great deal of research has been directed towards investigating the age-related decline in V02max, the effect of physical activity on the age-related decline in V02max has not been clearly established. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between physical activity and the age-related decline in maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max) in apparently healthy individuals. In order to assess the effects of physical activity on the age-related decline in V02max, physiological data was obtained from 142 former participants (116 men and 26 women) (40 ± 8.0 years), in the Ball State University Adult Physical Fitness Program across an average of 12 ± 4.5 years. The subjects were divided into three physical activity group categories depending on their self-reported physical activity status at the time of the first and follow-up test. Those subjects who were sedentary at the first and last test were designated as SED-SED. Those who reported sedentary at the first test and active at the last test were designated as SEDACT and those who were physically active at the time of both tests were designated as ACT-ACT. The data from the analysis revealed that the rate of decline in V02mx expressed as change per year among adult men varied as a function of their reportedphysical activity habits. Those men designated as SED-SED and ACT-ACT experienced a statistically significant decline (p<0.05) in V02max during the follow-up period, while, those men designated as SED-ACT maintained their V°2max. The rates of the change in V02max (ml-kg- 1•min-1) for the men were -0.45, 0.03 and -0.22 ml•kg-l-min-1•yr1 for the SED-SED, SED-ACT and ACT-ACT groups respectively. The percent decline in V02max were 6%, 11% and 2% respectively. A statistical comparison of the rate of change among physical activity groups indicated a difference between the SED-SED and SED-ACT groups (p<0.05). Within the limitations of this study, these data suggested that there was no statistically significant difference in the rate of change in V02max (ml•kg-1•min-1-yr1) between the SED-SED and ACT-ACT physical activity groups. However, when presented as percent change per decade, the decline for those men who were sedentary at both time points was twice that of those men who reported an active lifestyle at both time points. Although the rates of change were not different for the SED-SED and ACT-ACT physical activity groups, those men with a physically active lifestyle maintained their aerobic power advantage as compared to sedentary men who remained sedentary. Furthermore, sedentary men who took up an active lifestyle had offset the decline in V02max (ml•kg-1•min-1) attributed to physical inactivity.The rates for the change in V02max (ml•kg-1•min-1-yr1) for the women were -0.36, 0.20 and -0.21 (ml•kg-1•min-1-yr1) for the SED-SED, SED-ACT and ACT-ACT groups respectively. While these changes were similar in direction and magnitude to those observed for the men, there were no statistically significant differences among the female groups (p>0.05). Therefore the results from the present study were inconclusive for women possibly due to the low sample size (n=26). / School of Physical Education

A number of chronic disease and behavioural factors are recognised to increase the risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. These putative ???vascular??? risk factors have increasingly been recognised to increase the risk of cognitive impairment in the absence of clinically manifest ischemic events. Their relationship to structural brain changes has received limited attention. In this dissertation, I used high resolution magnetic resonance image (MRI) to examine two structural features of the brain, regional gray matter (GM) volumes and silent lacunar infarcts, and determined their association with vascular risk factors. I related these to cognitive function in both cross-sectional and longitudinal studies. The work was based on the data of three waves in two healthy cohorts drawn from the PATH Through Life Study, which is a population-based longitudinal study of ageing comprising 3 cohorts aged 20-24, 40-44, and 60-64 years, with about 2500 participants in each cohort. Random subsamples of Wave 1 of the cohort aged 60-64 years (N = 478) and Wave 2 of the 40+ cohort (aged 44-48 years) (N = 411) were examined cross-sectionally for the MRI sub-study. The MRI cohort aged 60-64 years was re-examined 4 years later in Wave 2. These studies showed that vascular risk factors are associated with lower regional GM volumes and this association varies at different ages. In adults aged 44-48 years, individual risk factors did not show a significant relationship with GM volumes, but the Framingham risk score was associated with less GM volumes in a number of brain regions, suggesting an additive effect of the risk factors. In the 60+ cohort, hypertension was independently associated with less regional GM volumes in bilateral medial frontal, right superior frontal, left superior temporal and precentral gyri. The same cohort, when examined in Wave 2, showed the negative association of hypertension with gray matter volumes to be more widespread. These associations were observed in men but not in women in either wave. Sex dimorphism was observed in the younger cohort as well, with greater GM volumes in temporal and occipital cortices, midbrain and cerebellum in men, while less GM volumes in cingulate and parietal cortices in comparison with women. Lacunar infarcts were present in 7.8 % of the 60+ cohort, and asymptomatic new lacunar lesions developed in 0.4 % per year in this group. The prevalence of lacunar infarcts was correlated with hypertension and a steeper decline in mental speed. These series of studies indicate the relationship of vascular risk factors with changes in brain structure and cognitive function in healthy middle-aged adults. It is suggested that modifying these vascular risk factors may protect the brain from silent lesions and cognitive impairment, and that intervention should begin early in life to have a major impact.

Thesis (M.A.)--West Virginia University, 2001. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains v, 47 p. Vita. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 26-28).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Mississippi State University. Department of Counseling, Educational Psychology and Special Education. / Title from title screen. Includes bibliographical references.

The purpose of this study was to describe the physical fitness of middle-aged adults with an intellectual disability and how their state of fitness has changed over time. Thirty-two adults with an intellectual disability served as participants: 14 were female and 18 were male. Participants had an age range from 34 to 57 years. All worked at a readaptation center in Montreal and were participants in a study of physical fitness in 1983. Using the "Canadian Standardized Test of Fitness", the participants were evaluated on tests of Cardiovascular Endurance, Muscular Strength, Muscular Endurance, Flexibility, and Body Composition. All participants were deemed physically capable of performing all the tests after a screening procedure was used. A home visit, previous to the testing session, familiarized the participants with the procedures for each test. The battery of tests took one hour per participant. Three levels of analysis were used to describe the change in physical fitness with age: First, the conversion of raw scores into percentiles highlighted individual differences within the group. Second, to assess the change in fitness over time, a 2 x 2 (group x time) repeated measures design was used. Third, effect sizes were calculated to measure the magnitude of change in fitness over the 13 year period as compared to the general population. Results indicate that, when compared to the general population, the participants had lower levels of fitness and that their fitness had changed significantly over time. Most interesting were results showing that the participants had a significantly greater magnitude of change in VO2max and percent body fat than what is expected in the general population. The findings of this study raise concerns regarding the potential health risks associated with aging and poor fitness for adults with an intellectual disability.

A number of chronic disease and behavioural factors are recognised to increase the risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. These putative ???vascular??? risk factors have increasingly been recognised to increase the risk of cognitive impairment in the absence of clinically manifest ischemic events. Their relationship to structural brain changes has received limited attention. In this dissertation, I used high resolution magnetic resonance image (MRI) to examine two structural features of the brain, regional gray matter (GM) volumes and silent lacunar infarcts, and determined their association with vascular risk factors. I related these to cognitive function in both cross-sectional and longitudinal studies. The work was based on the data of three waves in two healthy cohorts drawn from the PATH Through Life Study, which is a population-based longitudinal study of ageing comprising 3 cohorts aged 20-24, 40-44, and 60-64 years, with about 2500 participants in each cohort. Random subsamples of Wave 1 of the cohort aged 60-64 years (N = 478) and Wave 2 of the 40+ cohort (aged 44-48 years) (N = 411) were examined cross-sectionally for the MRI sub-study. The MRI cohort aged 60-64 years was re-examined 4 years later in Wave 2. These studies showed that vascular risk factors are associated with lower regional GM volumes and this association varies at different ages. In adults aged 44-48 years, individual risk factors did not show a significant relationship with GM volumes, but the Framingham risk score was associated with less GM volumes in a number of brain regions, suggesting an additive effect of the risk factors. In the 60+ cohort, hypertension was independently associated with less regional GM volumes in bilateral medial frontal, right superior frontal, left superior temporal and precentral gyri. The same cohort, when examined in Wave 2, showed the negative association of hypertension with gray matter volumes to be more widespread. These associations were observed in men but not in women in either wave. Sex dimorphism was observed in the younger cohort as well, with greater GM volumes in temporal and occipital cortices, midbrain and cerebellum in men, while less GM volumes in cingulate and parietal cortices in comparison with women. Lacunar infarcts were present in 7.8 % of the 60+ cohort, and asymptomatic new lacunar lesions developed in 0.4 % per year in this group. The prevalence of lacunar infarcts was correlated with hypertension and a steeper decline in mental speed. These series of studies indicate the relationship of vascular risk factors with changes in brain structure and cognitive function in healthy middle-aged adults. It is suggested that modifying these vascular risk factors may protect the brain from silent lesions and cognitive impairment, and that intervention should begin early in life to have a major impact.