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Biomedical subjects

G B Forbes

Publications and source records attributed to G B Forbes.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

College students with tattoos and piercings: motives, family experiences, personality factors, and perception by others.

The motives, family experiences, and personality characteristics of 341 college students with and without tattoos or piercings were studied. Participants completed Lippa's 1991 measures of the Big Five personality factors, a shortened version of the Body Cathexis Scale, a series of questions about their childhood experiences, and questions about risk-taking behaviors. In addition, reasons to have or not have body modifications and the perceptions of people with body modifications were investigated. Of the 116 men and 186 women, 25% and 33%, respectively, had at least one tattoo or body piercing. There were very few differences in the childhood experiences or personality characteristics of people with or without body modifications. Although people with body modifications did not differ from people without modifications on the Big Five personality measures, people without modifications perceived people with modifications as much different from themselves on these measures. These results indicate that tattoos and piercings in college students are associated with significantly more risk-taking behavior, greater use of alcohol and marijuana, and less social conformity. However, the traditional stereotype that body modifications are indicators of social or personal pathology does not describe contemporary college students.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Body fat content influences the body composition response to nutrition and exercise.

In most situations involving a significant change in body weight, both fat-free body mass (FFM) and body fat participate, but the relative contribution of FFM and fat to the total weight change is influenced by the initial body fat content. Overfeeding: In experiments of at least 3-weeks' duration, the weight gain of thin people comprises 60-70% lean tissues, whereas in the obese it is 30-40%. Underfeeding: In humans, there is an inverse curvilinear relationship between initial body fat content and the proportion of weight loss consisting of lean tissue. The same trend holds for animals and birds, including loss during hibernation. Another factor is the magnitude of the energy deficit: as energy intake is reduced, lean tissue makes up an increasing fraction of the total weight loss. Exercise: If individuals lose much weight with exercise, the result is usually some loss of lean tissue as well as fat, and once again the proportion of lean loss to total weight loss is greater in thin people than in those who have larger body fat burdens. Members of twin pairs often differ in weight. In thin individuals, lean accounts for about half of the intrapair weight difference, whereas in the obese it accounts for only one quarter. Body fat content must be taken into account in evaluating body composition changes induced by nutrition and exercise.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed1999

Longitudinal changes in adult fat-free mass: influence of body weight.

BACKGROUND: Almost all of the data on changes in body composition during aging are cross-sectional in nature. These show that fat-free mass (FFM) declines with age. OBJECTIVE: The goal was to analyze results of assays done in the author's laboratory of the FFM of normal adults studied at intervals for >/=2 decades to ascertain longitudinal changes. DESIGN: (40)K counting was used to estimate FFM in adult university personnel (15 men, 5 women) over periods ranging from 21 to 38 y. No advice was given about diet or exercise. RESULTS: There was considerable variation in the change of FFM over time. Some subjects lost FFM as the years went by, whereas others actually gained FFM. Analysis of the data showed that change in body weight was a prime factor in determining the magnitude and direction of the FFM change (R(2) = 0.54). Adults who maintained their weight lost an average of 1.5 kg FFM per decade and so gained an equal amount of fat; those who lost weight lost even more FFM, whereas those who gained weight either gained FFM or lost it more slowly than the others. Data from the literature confirmed this trend. CONCLUSIONS: FFM loss is not inevitable during adulthood-at least up to age 81 y, the oldest age yet studied. The magnitude and direction of the FFM change, be it positive or negative, is strongly influenced by change in body weight.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed1999

Body composition: overview.

The following is a listing of body composition techniques now available, together with a brief description of the underlying assumptions and the advantages and disadvantages of each.

Body Composition↗
PubMed1998

Clinical utility of the Test of Variables of Attention (TOVA) in the diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

Ability of the Test of Variables of Attention (TOVA) to distinguish between referred children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and other (OTHER) clinical diagnoses were studied. The ADHD group differed from the OTHER group on TOVA variables and most measures from the Revised Conners Teacher Rating Scale (RCTRS) and ADD-H Comprehensive Teacher's Rating Scale (ACTeRS). The criteria of any one TOVA variable > 1.5 standard deviations from age and sex adjusted means correctly identified 80% of the sample with attention deficit disorders and 72% of the sample without attention deficit disorder. Cases misclassified by teacher ratings were often correctly classified by the TOVA and conversely. The TOVA makes a unique and important contribution to diagnostic evaluations.

Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity↗
PubMed1995

Lean body mass in twins.

A study of 49 pairs of monozygous (MZ) twins and 38 pairs of same-sexed dizygous (DZ) twins showed that lean body mass (LBM), as determined by potassium 40 counting, is under genetic influence. Intrapair variances for LBM are much smaller than those for body fat, which suggests that LBM has a higher degree of heritability. There is a correlation between the magnitude of intrapair LBM differences and intrapair weight differences for both sets of twins, showing that environment is also an important influence. The effect of weight variation on LBM variation is greater for thin people than for those with appreciable burdens of body fat, an observation previously made on individuals who undergo a nutrition-induced weight change.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Diet and exercise in obese subjects: self-report versus controlled measurements.

Past decades have witnessed a continuing discussion on the relative role of food intake in the pathogenesis of obesity. Some observers argue that overeating is paramount; others claim that the obese are metabolically more efficient in energy utilization, and thus may not need as much food. There is a considerable amount of evidence that big people do need more food than those who are smaller and thinner. However, a recent study using advanced techniques has revealed a clear discrepancy between self-reported and actual energy intake and self-reported and actual physical activity in obese subjects, especially those who had great difficulty in losing weight by dietary means.

Adult↗