No description available.

An Institutional Review Board (IRB)-approved study was conducted to investigate the effects of the Tsunami Bar® (TB), a flexible barbell, on ground reaction force (GRF) production and muscle activity in the quadricep, hamstring, and gluteal muscle groups during phases of the squat exercise and compare the effects to the effects to using a rigid barbell (RB). A two-by-two repeated measures Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) test was used to compare the results. Descriptive statistics showed significantly higher GRFs for the TB during the unweighting phase, significant differences in GRFs between speeds for each phase, significantly higher forces on average with the RB during the breaking and propulsive phases at the 90 beats-per-minute (bpm) speed, and significantly higher muscle activity with the RB at the 60-bpm speed. A linkage to the beneficial effects of the TB seen in literature was seen with familiarity with the TB.

The purpose of this study was to discern the effectiveness of Cardiac Rehabilitation/ Secondary Prevention Programs (CR/ SPP’s) by evaluating increased functional capacity in the form of MET (metabolic equivalent) scores post-myocardial infarction (MI) or heart attack. The Duke Activity Status Index (DASI) survey is administered as part of the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for participation in the Secondary Prevention Program. Criterion for the research included patients 65 and older, with a history of one myocardial infarction, and had completed all 36 sessions of CR. The scores from 11 SPP surveys were analyzed and compared in three time increments from sessions 1-18 (initial, or “pre”), sessions 19-36 (“pan”), and sessions 1-36 (“post”). A total of 11 (n=11) surveys were collected and analyzed at The Computing and Statistical Technology Laboratory in Education (CASTLE) in the Teaching Academy on UCF Main Campus. Results from the data showed mean MET scores of 6.21 at session 1, 7.59 at session 18, and 8.15 at session 36. The mean changes over time represented in METs were 1.38 (1), .56 (18), and 1.93 (36). Percent changes over time were 27% (1), 8% (18), and 36% (36). This study showed increased functional capacity over time and will improve program design in terms of frequency and duration.

<p>Obesity is a major health concern. Strategies to reduce obesity including weight loss by energy restriction have disease risk reduction benefits, however, energy restriction alone often leads to the loss of muscle mass. Muscle is a very important tissues in the body particularly from a metabolic standpoint, thus, efforts to maintain it by promoting weight loss with the greatest ratio of fat:lean mass loss should be implemented. Also, bone health may be negatively affected by weight loss if hypoenergetic diets are suboptimal in calcium. Hence, the objective of this thesis was to determine how hypoenergetic diets varying in protein (amount and type) with exercise impacted the composition of weight lost and bone health in premenopausal, overweight and obese women. Ninety women were randomized to three groups (n=30/group): HiDairyPro, DairyPro and Control, differing in the quantity of total protein consumed (30%, 15% or 15% of energy, respectively) and the amount from dairy foods (high, moderate or low, respectively). Body composition was measured by DXA and fourier-transform near infrared spectroscopy (FT-NIR) at 0, 8 and 16 weeks, and visceral adipose tissue by MRI (<em>n</em>=39) at 0 and 16 weeks. Blood and urine samples were taken at 0 and 16 weeks. All groups lost similar body weight, but HiDairyPro lost significantly more total and visceral fat, and gained significantly more lean mass than Control (Chapter 2). HiDairyPro significantly improved bone health and vitamin D status compared to Control (Chapter 3). DXA and FT-NIR measured fat mass correlated and agreed well with each other (Chapter 4). Therefore, diet- and exercise-induced weight loss with higher protein and dairy promoted more favourable body composition changes and improved bone health versus diets with lower protein and no dairy. These data have strong implications for the design of weight loss programs to combat obesity.</p> / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

<p>Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an immune-mediated neurodegenerative disease that results in a myriad of physical and mental symptoms. Current disease-modifying therapies do not prevent long-term disability accumulation and are particularly ineffective for patients with a progressive disease onset. Exercise may represent an alternative strategy for managing symptoms and disability accumulation, particularly in progressive MS.</p> <p>Whereas the benefits of exercise have been established primarily in ambulatory MS patients with a relapsing disease course, few studies have investigated the benefits of exercise for patients with progressive MS with greater impairment. Therefore, the purpose of this dissertation was to determine the short-term, long-term, and maintenance effects of adapted exercise interventions for patients with progressive MS of high disability which was addressed by conducting two adapted exercise interventions.</p> <p>The first intervention examined the effects of 24 weeks of body weight supported treadmill training (BWSTT) on outcomes of physical and mental functioning, fatigue, quality of life, and brain health. Outcomes were evaluated at baseline, 12, and 24 weeks following the intervention, and again 12 weeks post-intervention. The second intervention evaluated and compared the effects of 12 weeks of total-body recumbent stepper training (TBRST) to BWSTT on outcomes of safety, physical and mental functioning, fatigue, quality of life, and equipment preference.</p> <p>Safety of BWSTT and TBRST was established. Significant improvements in fatigue and QoL were observed with both training modalities; however, neither significantly improved physical function. There was some evidence to suggest long-term BWSTT may improve cognitive performance and brain health, and that TBRST was the preferred exercise modality. Furthermore, most beneficial effects of long-term BWSTT tended not to be maintained when exercise was discontinued.</p> <p>This dissertation established evidence for the potential benefits of BWSTT and TBRST in patients with progressive MS with high disability. BWSTT and TBRST may represent viable alternative strategies for disease management.<strong></strong></p> / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Objectives: To examine variation in clustered metabolic risk (cMetS) in adolescents classified as not overweight/active (NOA), not overweight/not active (NONA), overweight/active (OA), and overweight/not active (ONA). Background: While studies to date have shown that children and adolescents who meet the current physical activity (PA) recommendations and maintain a healthy body weight demonstrate significantly lower cardiometabolic risk, there are some studies that suggest the relationship between PA and metabolic risk may be mediated by adiposity. Methods: The sample included adolescent participants (n=875; 12-17 years) of the 2007-2012 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). The cMetS score included triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, fasting plasma glucose, and mean arterial pressure. Age- and sex-specific body mass index (BMI) percentiles were utilized; overweight was defined as BMI percentile ≥ 85th. Activity data included self-reported frequency of moderate-to-vigorous PA. Adolescents reporting ≥ 60 min/day of PA were considered “active”. General linear models, adjusted for age, sex, and race-ethnicity, were used. A six-year fasting sample weight was applied to the analyses in order to ensure representativeness of the data. Results: The cMetS scores were significantly (p Conclusions: The cMetS scores were higher in OA and ONA adolescents when compared to those classified as NOA. Whereas only ONA males demonstrated significantly higher cMetS score when compared to the NOA referent, both OA and ONA cMetS scores (vs NOA) were significantly higher in females.

Muscle Dysmorphia (MD) is characterized by preoccupation with muscularity. Although there is a growing body of research concerning MD, there is a lack of research concerning the potential role exercise training environment has on the clinical features of MD. The purpose of this study was to compare MD symptomology in traditional strength-trained (TRAD) individuals to individuals training in communal high intensity functional training environments (HIFT). Participants were recruited from both types of facilities. Participants (N=376) completed online (Qualtrics) demographics survey and Muscle Dysmorphia Inventory (MDI). One-way ANOVA compared the effect of training environment on MDI scores among HIFT, TRAD, both HIFT and TRAD (BOTH), home gym (HOME), and “OTHER.” Training environment significantly affected MDI for the 5 environments [F (4, 345) = 3.765, p = .005, d = 0.737]. Mean score for TRAD (M = 111.73, SD = 20. 39, [107.78, 115.68]) was significantly higher than HIFT (M = 102.20, SD = 19.59, [99.17, 105.23]). MDI for BOTH (M= 107.06, SD = 18.01, [100.77, 113.34]), HOME (M = 108.89, SD = 22.80, [99.86, 117.90]), and OTHER condition (M = 108.19, SD = 22.43, [97.97, 118.40]) did not significantly differ from HIFT or TRAD. Results suggest training environment is correlated with levels of MD symptomology. Specifically, males and females with higher levels of MD symptoms prefer to train in a traditional training environment, which is potentially more conducive to facilitating and perpetuating MD symptomology. The results of this study provide insight into the social physique anxiety associated with MD, as participants with higher levels of MD symptoms do not prefer to train in a HIFT environment where training occurs communally and other gym members provide extrinsic motivation. Additionally, the results of the present study further our understanding into the psychopathology of MD in that the motivating factors related to aesthetics (high level of body focus) associated with a TRAD environment take precedence over the motivating factors relating to selfimprovement and the desire to increase functional fitness that is associated with a HIFT environment. Results may provide knowledge for creating optimal treatment programs for individuals with clinical MD.

There is need for enhanced prevention and treatment methods to combat sedentary lifestyle, obesity, and chronic disease by investigating the impact of specific exercise modalities and dietary factors on human health. The purposes of this study were: 1) to assess self-selected and perceived exercise intensity during High-Intensity Functional Training (HIFT) between males and females and to determine variables that predict self-selected exercise intensity (%VO2max) and/or perceived intensity (RPE) and 2) to investigate the impact of obesity on skeletal muscle metabolism in response to lipid oversupply by analyzing the responses of genes linked with fatty acid oxidation and inflammation in lean and obese subjects. Males and females were recruited to complete a 15min HIFT circuit wearing a metabolic analyzer, reporting RPE during and after the exercise bout. Obese and lean females were recruited to provide skeletal muscle cell biopsies for harvesting cell cultures from which to measure change in gene expression after exposure to a high lipid treatment. The first study results demonstrate that females exercised at a significantly higher self-selected exercise intensity while also reporting a lower RPE (p < 0.05). The second study revealed differential gene expression response and pathway activation related to lipid metabolism and inflammation between the lean and obese. In conclusion, gender plays a significant role in the intensity self-selected and the RPE reported during HIFT, suggesting HIFT may be an optimal home-based modality for female clients. Additionally, the skeletal muscle metabolic and inflammatory gene expression of the lean and obese respond differently to a high fat exposure and may provide further evidence of mechanisms linking obesity to metabolic disease.

A criterion method to evaluate cardiorespiratory health is measuring peak oxygen consumption (VO2 peak) from a maximal graded exercise test (GXT). While VO2 peak is a valuable measure, heart rate recovery (HRRec) and endothelial function (EF) also describe cardiorespiratory health and fitness. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether differences exist in VO2 peak, HRRec, and EF between healthy-weight (HW) and obese (OB) women and children and to determine if there were significant correlations among these variables. A total of 60 women and children participated in this study. Anthropometric, body composition, resting heart rate and blood pressure (BP) were measured. EF was evaluated to determine the reactive hyperemia index (RHI). Finally, each subject performed a graded exercise test (GXT) to determine VO2 peak. Following the GXT, the subjects’ recovery responses were monitored for 5 minutes. A factorial MANOVA was used to evaluate differences between obesity status and age in relative VO2 peak and relative HRRec. The MANOVA resulted in a significant (p < 0.001) main effect for obesity status and age, but there was no interaction effect. HW individuals had a greater relative VO2 peak compared to OB individuals. Children had a greater relative VO2 peak and HRRec compared to adults. Absolute VO2 peak and absolute HRRec were examined using univariate ANOVAs. Women had greater absolute VO2 peak values compared to children (p2 peak and absolute HRRec, relative HRRec, and RHI. Relative VO2 peak was significantly correlated to RHI. Absolute HRRec was correlated with relative HRRec and RHI. Relative HRRec was correlated with RHI. Lack of significant differences in HRRec and EF across adiposity levels were likely due to the obese, but otherwise healthy population recruited for this study. Age affected the response to all variables included in this study.

The United States is a rapidly aging nation. Older adults have higher rates of falls than any other age group. One in four older adults fall each year. Many of these falls are associated with sedentary lifestyles and decreased muscular strength effecting balance and gait performance. Physical activity (exercise) can reduce the risk of falls among older adults, yet adherence remains low. Exergames can increase adherence to interventions that promote health and physical activity. Social engagement can increase self-efficacy and motivation to exercise. By design, the Bingocize® health promotion mobile application (app) increases social engagement, while providing a multi-factorial fall prevention intervention. The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the efficacy of the app to improve gait in community-dwelling older adults (N=38; mean age 72.42 years +12.58). Participants were clustered and randomly assigned to (a) experimental (n=20; using app with bingo game, health education and exercise) or (b) control (n=18; using app with bingo game, health education without exercise) condition. Each group completed a tenweek intervention that consisted of two- 45-60 minute sessions per week. Pre and post gait analysis, at self-selected (SS) and fast-walking speeds, measured using the GAITRite® Electronic Walkway (GWS). Gait analysis included parameters of velocity, cadence, step time, step length and width, and single and double support time. A mixedmodel ANOVA (p < .05) was used for statistical analysis. There were no main effects observed. Significant interactions (group x time) were observed at fast speed and SS speed compared to the control group. Significant interactions were observed at fast speed included velocity (λ = .886, F (1, 36) = 4.61, p = .039, 𝜼𝒑 𝟐 = .114); and step length (λ = .864, F (1, 36) = 5.64, p = .023, 𝜼𝒑 𝟐 = .136); and were observed at SS speed for single support time (λ = .887, F (1, 36) = 4.59, p = .039, 𝜼𝒑 𝟐 = .113). Post hoc analyses using paired and independent samples t-tests were conducted on gait variables with observed significant interactions. The independent samples t-test for Single Support Time (SS) post was significant (t (36) = 2.454, p = .019, two-tailed). None of the remaining post hoc analyses were significant. There was a meaningful detectable change (MDC) in mean velocity (>5 cm/s) over time, for both SS and fast walking speeds, within the experimental condition. MDC in gait speed ranges from 5 cm/s (small) to 10 cm/s (large). As for clinical significance, this should be considered a small, yet meaningful detectable change. It is the conclusion of the investigators, that the app, with the exercise intervention, can effectively produce a meaningful change in gait speed (5 cm/s), which has the potential for reducing the risk of falls in older adults. This investigation was funded by The Retirement Research Foundation.