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BMC Public Health Aug 2015An important but often ignored aspect of physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior (SB) is the chronological succession of activities, or temporal pattern. The main...
BACKGROUND
An important but often ignored aspect of physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior (SB) is the chronological succession of activities, or temporal pattern. The main purposes of this study were (1) to investigate when certain types of PA and SB compete against each other during the course of the day and (2) compare intensity- and domain-specific activity levels during different day-segments.
METHODS
The study sample consists of 211 children aged 10-14, recruited from 15 primary and 15 secondary schools. PA was assessed combining the SenseWear Mini Armband (SWM) with an electronic activity diary. The intensity- and domain-specific temporal patterns were plotted and PA differences between different day-segments (i.e., morning, school, early evening and late evening) were examined using repeated-measures ANCOVA models.
RESULTS
Physical activity level (PAL) was highest during the early evening (2.51 METSWM) and school hours (2.49 METSWM); the late evening segment was significantly less active (2.21 METSWM) and showed the highest proportion of sedentary time (54 % of total time-use). Throughout the different day-segments, several domains of PA and SB competed with each other. During the critical early-evening segment, screentime (12 % of time-use) and homework (10 %) were dominant compared to activity domains of sports (4 %) and active leisure (3 %). The domain of active travel competed directly with motor travel during the morning (5 % and 6 % respectively) and early-evening segment (both 8 %).
CONCLUSIONS
Throughout the day, different aspects of PA and SB go in competition with each other, especially during the time period immediately after school. Detailed information on the temporal patterns of PA and SB of children could help health professionals to develop more effective PA interventions and promotion strategies. By making adaptations to the typical day schedule of children (e.g., through the introduction of extra-curricular PA after school hours), their daily activity levels might improve.
Topics: Adolescent; Anthropometry; Belgium; Child; Child Health Services; Female; Humans; Leisure Activities; Male; Motor Activity; Pediatric Obesity; School Health Services; Schools; Sedentary Behavior
PubMed: 26285826
DOI: 10.1186/s12889-015-2093-7 -
The Journal of Nutrition May 2005Obesity represents one of the most urgent global health threats as well as one of the leading causes of death throughout industrialized nations. Efficacious and safe... (Review)
Review
Obesity represents one of the most urgent global health threats as well as one of the leading causes of death throughout industrialized nations. Efficacious and safe therapies remain at large. Attempts to decrease fat mass via pharmacological reduction of energy intake have had limited potency or intolerable side effects. Increasingly widespread sedentary lifestyle is often cited as a major contributor to the increasing prevalence of obesity. Moreover, low levels of spontaneous physical activity (SPA) are a major predictor of fat mass accumulation during overfeeding in humans, pointing to a substantial role for SPA in the control of energy balance. Despite this, very little is known about the molecular mechanisms by which SPA is regulated. The overview will attempt to summarize available information on neuroendocrine factors regulating SPA.
Topics: Animals; Energy Metabolism; Ghrelin; Homeostasis; Humans; Motor Activity; Neurosecretory Systems; Obesity; Peptide Hormones
PubMed: 15867332
DOI: 10.1093/jn/135.5.1314 -
The Cochrane Database of Systematic... Apr 2006The association between an increase in regular physical activity and a reduction in the risk of hypertension is well documented for non-pregnant people. It has been... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
The association between an increase in regular physical activity and a reduction in the risk of hypertension is well documented for non-pregnant people. It has been suggested that exercise may help prevent pre-eclampsia and its complications. Possible adverse effects of increased physical activity during pregnancy, particularly on the risk of preterm birth and fetal growth restriction, are unclear. It is, therefore, important to assess whether exercise reduces the risk of pre-eclampsia and its complications and, if so, whether these benefits outweigh the risks.
OBJECTIVES
To assess the effects of exercise, or increased physical activity, on prevention of pre-eclampsia and its complications.
SEARCH STRATEGY
We searched the Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group Trials Register (December 2005), the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (The Cochrane Library 2005, Issue 1), and EMBASE (2002 to February 2005).
SELECTION CRITERIA
Studies were included if these were randomised trials evaluating the effects of exercise or increased physical activity during pregnancy for women at risk of pre-eclampsia.
DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
Two review authors independently selected trials for inclusion and extracted data. Data were entered on Review Manager software for analysis, and double checked for accuracy.
MAIN RESULTS
Two small, good quality trials (45 women) were included. Both compared moderate intensity regular aerobic exercise with maintenance of normal physical activity during pregnancy. The confidence intervals were wide and crossed the line of no effect for all reported outcomes including pre-eclampsia (relative risk 0.31, 95% confidence interval 0.01 to 7.09).
AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS
There is insufficient evidence for reliable conclusions about the effects of exercise on prevention of pre-eclampsia and its complications.
Topics: Exercise; Female; Humans; Motor Activity; Pre-Eclampsia; Pregnancy; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
PubMed: 16625645
DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD005942 -
Psychological Medicine Apr 2023Exposure to trauma is common and can have a profoundly negative impact on mental health. Interventions based on trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy have shown... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
BACKGROUND
Exposure to trauma is common and can have a profoundly negative impact on mental health. Interventions based on trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy have shown promising results to facilitate recovery. The current trial evaluated whether a novel, scalable and digital early version of the intervention, Condensed Internet-Delivered Prolonged Exposure (CIPE), is effective in reducing post-traumatic stress symptoms.
METHOD
A single-site randomised controlled trial with self-referred adults ( = 102) exposed to trauma within the last 2 months. The participants were randomised to 3 weeks of CIPE or a waiting list (WL) for 7 weeks. Assessments were conducted at baseline, week 1-3 (primary endpoint), week 4-7 (secondary endpoint) and at 6-month follow-up. The primary outcome measure was PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5).
RESULTS
The main analysis according to the intention-to-treat principle indicated statistically significant reductions in symptoms of post-traumatic stress in the CIPE group as compared to the WL group. The between-group effect size was moderate at week 3 (bootstrapped = 0.70; 95% CI 0.33-1.06) and large at week 7 (bootstrapped = 0.83; 95% CI 0.46-1.19). Results in the intervention group were maintained at the 6-month follow-up. No severe adverse events were found.
CONCLUSIONS
CIPE is a scalable intervention that may confer early benefits on post-traumatic stress symptoms in survivors of trauma. The next step is to compare this intervention to an active control group and also investigate its effects when implemented in regular care.
Topics: Adult; Humans; Checklist; Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; Control Groups; Internet
PubMed: 37310324
DOI: 10.1017/S0033291721003706 -
Neuropsychologia Mar 2018Basal ganglia dysfunction in Parkinson's disease (PD) is thought to generate deficits in action control, but the characterization of these deficits have been qualitative...
Basal ganglia dysfunction in Parkinson's disease (PD) is thought to generate deficits in action control, but the characterization of these deficits have been qualitative rather than quantitative. Patients with PD typically show prolonged response times on tasks that instantiate a conflict between goal-directed processing and automatic response tendencies. In the Simon task, for example, the irrelevant location of the stimulus automatically activates a corresponding lateralized response, generating a potential conflict with goal-directed choices. We applied a new computational model of conflict processing to two sets of behavioral data from the Simon task to quantify the effects of PD and dopaminergic (DA) medication on action control mechanisms. Compared to healthy controls (HC) matched in age gender and education, patients with PD showed a deficit in goal-directed processing, and the magnitude of this deficit positively correlated with cognitive symptoms. Analyses of the time-course of the location-based automatic activation yielded mixed findings. In both datasets, we found that the peak amplitude of the automatic activation was similar between PD and HC, demonstrating a similar degree of response capture. However, PD patients showed a prolonged automatic activation in only one dataset. This discrepancy was resolved by theoretical analyses of conflict resolution in the Simon task. The reduction of interference generated by the automatic activation appears to be driven by a mixture of passive decay and top-down inhibitory control, the contribution of each component being modulated by task demands. Our results suggest that PD selectively impairs the inhibitory control component, a deficit likely remediated by DA medication. This work advances our understanding of action control deficits in PD, and illustrates the benefit of using computational models to quantitatively measure cognitive processes in clinical populations.
Topics: Antiparasitic Agents; Computer Simulation; Conflict, Psychological; Dopamine Agents; Executive Function; Goals; Humans; Inhibition, Psychological; Models, Biological; Models, Psychological; Motor Activity; Parkinson Disease; Self-Control
PubMed: 29360609
DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2018.01.014 -
JAMA Internal Medicine Nov 2021Incentivizing research participation is controversial and variably regulated because of uncertainty regarding whether financial incentives serve as undue inducements by... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
IMPORTANCE
Incentivizing research participation is controversial and variably regulated because of uncertainty regarding whether financial incentives serve as undue inducements by diminishing peoples' sensitivity to research risks or unjust inducements by preferentially increasing enrollment among underserved individuals.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether incentives improve enrollment in real randomized clinical trials (RCTs) or serve as undue or unjust inducements.
DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS
Two RCTs of incentives that were embedded in 2 parent RCTs, 1 comparing smoking cessation interventions (conducted at smoking cessation clinics in 2 health systems) and 1 evaluating an ambulation intervention (conducted across wards of the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania) included all persons eligible for the parent trials who did not have prior knowledge of the incentives trials. Recruitment occurred from September 2017 to August 2019 for the smoking trial and January 2018 through May 2019 for the ambulation trial; data were analyzed from January 2020 to July 2020.
INTERVENTIONS
Patients were randomly assigned to incentives of $0, $200, or $500 for participating in the smoking cessation trial and $0, $100, or $300 for the ambulation trial.
MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES
The primary outcome of each incentive trial was the proportion of people assigned to each recruitment strategy that consented to participate. Each trial was powered to test the hypotheses that incentives served neither as undue inducements (based on the interaction between incentive size and perceived research risk, as measured using a 10-point scale, on the primary outcome), nor unjust inducements (based on the interaction between incentive size and participants' self-reported income). Noninferiority methods were used to test whether the data were compatible with these 2 effects of incentives and superiority methods to compare the primary and other secondary outcomes.
RESULTS
There were a total of 654 participants (327 women [50.0%]; mean [SD] age, 50.6 [12.1] years; 394 Black/African American [60.2%], 214 White [32.7%], and 24 multiracial individuals [3.7%]) in the smoking trial, and 642 participants (364 women [56.7%]; mean [SD] age, 46.7 [15.6] years; 224 Black/African American [34.9%], 335 White [52.2%], and 5 multiracial individuals [0.8%]) in the ambulation trial. Incentives significantly increased consent rates among those in the smoking trial in 47 of 216 (21.8%), 78 of 217 (35.9%), and 104 of 221 (47.1%) in the $0, $200, and $500 groups, respectively (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] for each increase in incentive, 1.70; 95% CI, 1.34-2.17; P < .001). Incentives did not increase consent among those in the ambulation trial: 98 of 216 (45.4%), 102 of 212 (48.1%), and 92 of 214 (43.0%) in the $0, $100, and $300 groups, respectively (aOR, 0.88; 95% CI, 0.64-1.22; P = .45). In neither trial was there evidence of undue or unjust inducement (upper confidence limits of ORs for undue inducement, 1.15 and 0.99; P < .001 showing noninferiority; upper confidence limits of ORs for unjust inducement, 1.21 and 1.26; P = .01 and P < .001, respectively). There were no significant effects of incentive size on the secondary outcomes in either trial, including time spent reviewing the risk sections of consent forms, perceived research risks, trial understanding, perceived coercion, or therapeutic misconceptions.
CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE
In these 2 randomized clinical trials, financial incentives increased trial enrollment in 1 of 2 trials and did not produce undue or unjust inducement or other unintended consequences in either trial.
TRIAL REGISTRATION
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02697799.
Topics: Control Groups; Depressive Disorder, Major; Female; Hospitalization; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Motivation; Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care; Patient Reported Outcome Measures; Patient Selection; Research Subjects; Reward; Smoking Cessation; Walking
PubMed: 34542553
DOI: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2021.5450 -
Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and... 2007This review of the literature provides an update on the scientific biological and psychosocial bases for Canada's Physical Activity Guide for Health Active Living, with... (Review)
Review
This review of the literature provides an update on the scientific biological and psychosocial bases for Canada's Physical Activity Guide for Health Active Living, with particular reference to the effect of physical activity on the health of adults aged 20-55 years. Existing physical activity guidelines for adults from around the world are summarized briefly and compared to the Canadian guidelines. The descriptive epidemiology of physical activity and inactivity in Canada is presented, and the strength of the relationship between physical activity and specific health outcomes is evaluated, with particular emphasis on minimal and optimal physical activity requirements. Finally, areas requiring further investigation are highlighted. Summarizing the findings, Canadian and most international physical activity guidelines advocate moderate-intensity physical activity on most days of the week. Physical activity appears to reduce the risk for over 25 chronic conditions, in particular coronary heart disease, stroke, hypertension, breast cancer, colon cancer, type 2 diabetes, and osteoporosis. Current literature suggests that if the entire Canadian population followed current physical activity guidelines, approximately one-third of deaths related to coronary heart disease, one quarter of deaths related to stroke and osteoporosis, 20% of deaths related to colon cancer, hypertension, and type 2 diabetes, and 14% of deaths related to breast cancer could be prevented. It also appears that the prevention of weight gain and the maintenance of weight loss require greater physical activity levels than current recommendations.
Topics: Adult; Canada; Cardiovascular Diseases; Chronic Disease; Diabetes Mellitus; Evidence-Based Medicine; Exercise; Guidelines as Topic; Humans; Hypertension; Life Style; Mental Health; Motor Activity; Neoplasms; Obesity; Osteoporosis
PubMed: 19377540
DOI: 10.1139/H07-168 -
Current Opinion in Psychiatry Nov 2016Rest-activity rhythm (RAR) measurements may aid in the detection of depression risk and serve as an important target for depression prevention. This review evaluates the... (Review)
Review
PURPOSE OF REVIEW
Rest-activity rhythm (RAR) measurements may aid in the detection of depression risk and serve as an important target for depression prevention. This review evaluates the strength of current evidence supporting these potential applications.
RECENT FINDINGS
Depression is associated with lower activity levels, that is less regularly patterned, and potentially shifted earlier or later in the day. Specific RAR patterns (combinations of several RAR characteristics) in patients with clinical depression may be unique or partially shared across disorders. Longitudinal research is limited but provides initial evidence that multiple distinct RAR patterns are associated with the risk of developing depression symptoms.
SUMMARY
RAR measures provide a comprehensive and objective assessment of depression's behavioral manifestations, and therefore may be useful as monitoring tool, providing additional information to help clinicians tailor behavioral treatments to specific patients. RARs also appear to contribute to depression risk and may be an important target for depression prevention. But research has not established valid predictive metrics using RARs to diagnose depression or detect depression risk. Future research should prioritize establishing the specific RAR patterns related to depression risk in high-risk groups, and should seek to place this risk within the known psychosocial and neurobiological risk architecture of depression.
Topics: Actigraphy; Humans; Mood Disorders; Motor Activity; Rest
PubMed: 27636598
DOI: 10.1097/YCO.0000000000000283 -
Journal of Advanced Nursing Oct 2012To appraise the external validity of physical activity interventions designed to reduce falls among community-dwelling older adults, using the reach,... (Review)
Review
AIM
To appraise the external validity of physical activity interventions designed to reduce falls among community-dwelling older adults, using the reach, efficacy/effectiveness, adoption, implementation, and maintenance framework.
BACKGROUND
Falls are a globally common, important, and a preventable problem. The efficacy of physical activity interventions to reduce falls among older adults is well established. Translation of this research into practice is slow as evidenced by persistently low proportions of older adults who engage in physical activities and the rising incidence of falls.
DATA SOURCES
Four electronic databases were searched for relevant studies published between 2000-2010. Studies that examined the effects of physical activity interventions designed to reduce falls among community-dwelling older adults were included in this review (n = 46).
DESIGN
This was a quantitative systematic review with narrative synthesis. The reach, efficacy/effectiveness, adoption, implementation, and maintenance framework guided the identification, appraisal, and synthesis of indicators representing study validity.
RESULTS
The majority of studies in this review described indicators representing internal validity. Details about indicators representing external validity were reported infrequently, limiting the generalizability of fall-preventive physical activity interventions in diverse cultures and social contexts over time.
CONCLUSIONS
To foster translational research in real world settings, additional programmatic intervention research is needed that: (i) targets diverse populations; (ii) incorporates theories of behavioural change; (iii) describes and operationalizes critical content that enables replication and translation; (iv) tests innovative measures of fall risk and physical activity; and (v) evaluates feasibility and acceptability.
Topics: Accidental Falls; Aged; Exercise; Humans; Independent Living; Motor Activity; Reproducibility of Results
PubMed: 22416905
DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2648.2012.05974.x -
Schizophrenia Bulletin Jul 2008The social significance of imitation is that it provides internal tools for understanding the actions of others by simulating or forming internal representations of...
The social significance of imitation is that it provides internal tools for understanding the actions of others by simulating or forming internal representations of these actions. Imitation plays a central role in human social behavior by mediating diverse forms of social learning. However, imitation and simulation ability in schizophrenia has not been adequately addressed. The major aim of the present study was to investigate imitation ability in schizophrenia patients and healthy individuals by examining simple motor imitation that involved the replication of meaningless manual and oral gestures, and the imitation of emotional facial expressions, which has implications for mentalizing. A secondary aim of the present study was to investigate the relationships among imitation ability, social functioning, and working memory. Subjects were asked to mimic hand gestures, mouth movements, and facial expressions of others, online. Clinical symptoms, social competence, and working memory were also assessed. Patients with schizophrenia were significantly impaired on all imitation tasks. Imitation errors were significantly correlated with reduced social competence and increased negative symptoms. However, imitation ability was only weakly associated with working memory. To summarize, the present study examined the ability of patients with schizophrenia to imitate the behaviors demonstrated by others. The results indicate a fundamental impairment in imitation ability in schizophrenia and implicate a possible difficulty in simulation. Further research to determine the neural and developmental origins of this difficulty could be extremely helpful in elucidating the role of simulation in schizophrenia and to establish the complex relationships among mental representation, imitation, and social cognition.
Topics: Adult; Cognition Disorders; Control Groups; Emotions; Facial Expression; Female; Gestures; Hand; Humans; Imitative Behavior; Male; Memory; Motor Activity; Neuropsychological Tests; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; Schizophrenia; Schizophrenic Psychology; Social Adjustment; Social Perception
PubMed: 18499703
DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sbn048