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Biomedical subjects

M G Perri

Publications and source records attributed to M G Perri.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Can sedentary adults accurately recall the intensity of their physical activity?

BACKGROUND: Physical activity, in particular vigorous activity (i.e., > or =6 METs), lowers mortality from chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease (CVD). The 7-Day Physical Activity Recall (PAR), a self-administered activity log (LOG), and heart rate monitoring (HR) were used to quantify activity patterns among sedentary adults. We hypothesized that individuals in this population could accurately estimate the duration, but not the intensity, of their activity. METHODS: Sedentary adults (n = 94, 47.8 +/- 7.1 years) completed two PARs 1 week apart and underwent HR monitoring while completing a LOG for 1 day during the PAR assessment interval. RESULTS: The relationship between PARs (kcal. kg(-1). day(-1) ) was significant (r = 0.80, 95% CI 0.68-0.87) among individuals (n = 63) reporting "typical" activity patterns and among all individuals (n = 94) reporting "typical" and "not typical" activity patterns combined (r = 0.44, 95% CI 0.26-0.59). Quantity of moderate activity was greater (P = 0.0001) on PAR and LOG compared to that measured by HR. Quantity of hard (vigorous) activity was also greater (P = 0.019) on LOG compared to that measured by HR. CONCLUSIONS: Sedentary adults tend to overestimate the intensity of their activity, specifically for moderate activity. Furthermore, the aerobic capacity of our sedentary adult sample (about 7.3 METs) suggests that the definition of a threshold intensity level of activity necessary to reduce mortality from CVD should be reexamined, because a value of > or =6 METs appears to be too high in this population.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed2001

Individual versus group therapy for obesity: effects of matching participants to their treatment preferences.

This study examined the effects of matching participants to treatments on the basis of their preferences for either individual or group therapy for obesity. Seventy-five obese adults who expressed a clear preference for either individual or group therapy were randomly assigned to either their preferred or their nonpreferred treatment modality within a 2 (individual vs. group therapy) x 2 (preferred vs. nonpreferred modality) factorial design. At posttreatment, group therapy produced significantly greater reductions in weight and body mass than individual therapy, and no significant effects were observed for treatment preference or the interaction for treatment preference by type of therapy. All treatment conditions showed equivalent improvements in psychological functioning. These findings suggest that group therapy produces greater weight loss than individual therapy, even among those clients who express a preference for individual treatment.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Relapse prevention training and problem-solving therapy in the long-term management of obesity.

This study compared 2 extended therapy programs for weight management with standard behavioral treatment (BT) without additional therapy contacts. Participants were 80 obese women who completed 20 weekly group sessions of BT and achieved a mean initial weight loss of 8.74 kg. Participants were randomly assigned to a no-further-contact condition (BT only) or to one of two extended interventions consisting of relapse prevention training (RPT) or problem-solving therapy (PST). No significant overall weight-change differences were observed between RPT and BT or between RPT and PST. However, participants who completed the PST intervention had significantly greater long-term weight reductions than BT participants, and a significantly larger percentage of PST participants achieved clinically significant losses of 10% or more in body weight than did BT participants (35% vs. 6%).

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Dietary adherence: characteristics and interventions.

This paper reviews issues regarding dietary adherence. Issues and barriers unique to dietary adherence, in contrast to adherence to physical activity or medication regimens, are discussed. These include decision making, social and cultural contexts, perceptions and preferences, and environmental barriers. We review factors known to increase adherence in dietary interventions, including education, motivation, behavioral skills, new and modified foods, and supportive interactions. We conclude with directions for future study, such as improved measurement of diet-related behavior and longitudinal, culturally sensitive interventions. Control Clin Trials 2000;21:206S-211S

Aged↗
PubMed2000

Discrepancy between actual and ideal body images; Impact on eating and exercise behaviors.

This study examined how discrepancies between actual and ideal body images are related to eating and exercise patterns. A total of 115 college-age women completed the Body Discrepancy Scale (BDS, a measure of the discrepancy between one's "actual" vs. "ideal" weight and size), a leisure-time physical activity survey, and questionnaires assessing the intake of fat and fiber (i.e., fruits and vegetables), as well as measures of maladaptive eating attitudes and behaviors. Partial correlations (controlling for Body Mass Index, BMI) showed that scores on the BDS were significantly (P's<.05) associated with low levels of physical activity (r=-.28), with low levels of fruit and vegetable consumption (r=-.19), and with high levels of body image dissatisfaction (r=.32) and binge eating (r=.32). Collectively, these findings suggest that discrepancies between actual and ideal body images are associated with maladaptive eating and exercise patterns.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2000

Maintenance of dietary behavior change.

Reducing dietary fat, saturated fat, and sodium and increasing intakes of dietary fiber and fruits and vegetables are important for cardiopulmonary risk reduction. Behaviorally, these dietary changes are very challenging, and in different ways. Fewer than half of U.S. adults have diets meeting recommended intakes of these constituents, and many do not see a need to align their diets with recommendations. Various nutrition education and behavioral counseling approaches have been shown to facilitate changes in fat, fiber, sodium, and fruits and vegetables, but primarily in research settings and among the highly motivated. Practice-based and interdisciplinary studies are needed to refine strategies to effect long-term dietary changes, to differentiate behavioral issues for changes involving additions versus deletions from the diet, and to elucidate the roles of sensory, psychosocial, and contextual factors in adoption and maintenance.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

The Psychosocial Adjustment to Illness Scale--Self-Report: factor structure and item stability.

The Psychosocial Adjustment to Illness Scale--Self-Report (PAIS-SR; Derogatis & Derogatis, 1990), a frequently used measure of adjustment in medically ill adults, was subjected to several exploratory factor analyses, with principal-axes factor extractions and varimax rotation procedures. The sample consisted of kidney, heart, liver, lung, and bone marrow transplant candidates (N = 280). The final analysis yielded a six-factor, 26-item instrument accounting for 59% of the variance. Coefficient alpha for the 26-item measure was .87, and internal consistency estimates for the factors ranged from .50 to .86. Strong correlations with other adjustment measures commonly used in the assessment of adults with chronic physical conditions support the validity of the PAIS-SR.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1998

Smokeless tobacco and cigarettes: differential attitudes and behavioral intentions of young adolescents toward a hypothetical new peer.

Examined adolescents' perceptions of cigarette smokers and smokeless tobacco users. Participants were 562 middle school students in rural Florida who viewed 1 of 6 videotapes of a hypothetical peer (i.e., actor) who would soon be attending their school. The videotapes differed only as a function of sex (boy or girl) and tobacco condition (no tobacco, cigarette, smokeless tobacco). After viewing the videotape, participants completed 2 measures designed to assess attitudes and behavioral intentions toward the peer. Results indicated that (a) the actor in the no-tobacco condition was rated more favorably than actors in the other two conditions, although the actor in the smokeless-tobacco condition was rated more favorably than the actor in the cigarette condition; (b) girls viewed the actor in smokeless-tobacco condition more favorably than did boys; (c) compared to nonsmokers, adolescents with a cigarette use history provided more favorable ratings for the actor in the cigarette condition. Taken together, results suggest that different types of tobacco use may have a different impact on social image within the young adolescent population.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Effects of group- versus home-based exercise in the treatment of obesity.

This study examined the effects of 2 aerobic exercise regimens on exercise participation, fitness, eating patterns, treatment adherence, and weight change in 49 obese women undergoing a year-long behavioral weight loss program. Participants were assigned randomly to weight loss treatment plus either group- or home-based exercise. All participants were instructed to complete a moderate-intensity walking program (30 min/day, 5 days/week). Group exercise participants were provided with 3 supervised group exercise sessions per week for the first 26 weeks and with 2 sessions per week thereafter. Home exercise participants were instructed to complete all exercise in their home environment. After 6 months, both conditions displayed significant improvements in exercise participation, fitness, eating patterns, and weight loss. At 12 months, the home-based program showed superior performance to the group condition in exercise participation and treatment adherence; at 15 months, participants in the home program demonstrated significantly greater weight losses than those in the group program.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Treatment for snoring. Combined weight loss, sleeping on side, and nasal spray.

OBJECTIVE: We sought to find a combination of noninvasive treatments for snoring by adding weight loss to previously studied treatments, including the combination of sleeping on one's side and using a decongestant nasal spray. STUDY POPULATION: Twenty asymptomatic men who snore heavily were studied previously on a control night and on a night when they slept on their side and used a nasal spray. With these two treatments, minor improvements in apnea/hypopnea index (AHI) were seen, but no improvement occurred in snoring frequency. Nineteen of these subjects subsequently completed a 6-month weight loss program, and 12 lost weight. These 19 subjects comprise the study population of this report. STUDY DESIGN: At the conclusion of the weight loss program, a repeated sleep study was done from which the effect of adding weight loss to the two previously studied treatments could be assessed. RESULTS: Those 12 subjects who lost any amount of weight showed a very mild reduction in snores per hour from 328 using two modalities of treatment to 232 per hour with the addition of weight loss (p = 0.15). The nine subjects who lost > or = 3 kg reduced the number of snores per hour from 320 to 176 (p = 0.0496). Three subjects losing an average of only 7.6 kg showed virtual elimination of snoring after weight loss. Subjects who gained weight had no improvement in snoring. Weight loss added to the other two modalities of treatment had no effect on the AHI. CONCLUSION: In most cases, the combination of weight loss, sleeping on one's side, and the administration of a nasal decongestant significantly reduces the frequency of snoring in asymptomatic men who snore heavily. The major effect appears to be related to weight loss.

Administration, Intranasal↗
PubMed1993

Comparative effectiveness of social problem-solving therapy and reminiscence therapy as treatments for depression in older adults.

Compared the effects of 2 psychotherapies based on divergent conceptualizations of depression in later life. Seventy-five older adults diagnosed with major depressive disorder were assigned randomly to problem-solving therapy (PST), reminiscence therapy (RT), or a waiting-list control (WLC) condition. Participants in PST and RT were provided with 12 weekly sessions of group treatment. Dependent measures, taken at baseline, posttreatment, and 3-month follow-up, included self-report and observer-based assessments of depressive symptomatology. At posttreatment, both the PST and the RT conditions produced significant reductions in depressive symptoms, compared with the WLC group, and PST participants experienced significantly less depression than RT subjects. Moreover, a significantly greater proportion of participants in PST versus RT demonstrated sufficient positive change to warrant classification of their depression as improved or in remission at the posttreatment and follow-up evaluations.

Aged↗
PubMed1993

Strategies for improving maintenance of weight loss. Toward a continuous care model of obesity management.

The management of obesity represents an important objective in the care of many NIDDM patients. In recent years, progress has been made in increasing initial weight reductions, but poor long-term maintenance of weight loss remains a vital clinical concern. This article reviews the challenge of weight-loss maintenance and recommends the adoption of a continuous care model of obesity management. Strategies to improve the long-term maintenance of weight loss are described, and empirical tests of their effectiveness are reviewed. Collectively, the findings suggest that, after treatment for obesity, multifaceted programs comprised of continued professional contact, skills training, social support, and exercise, can enhance the long-term maintenance of weight loss.

Continuity of Patient Care↗
PubMed1989

Effect of length of treatment on weight loss.

In this study we tested whether the efficacy of behavior therapy for obesity might be improved by lengthening the duration of treatment. Forty-eight obese clients were randomly assigned to either a standard treatment of 20 weekly sessions or to an extended treatment of 40 weekly sessions. The content of each program was identical, but the treatment procedures were introduced in a more gradual manner in the extended condition. At Week 20, the conditions showed equivalent weight losses. At 40- and 72-week evaluations, however, the extended treatment produced significantly greater mean weight losses than did the standard treatment.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Social problem-solving therapy for unipolar depression: an initial dismantling investigation.

Tests the efficacy of social problem-solving therapy for unipolar depression and examines the relative contribution of training in the problem-orientation component of the overall model. This process involves various beliefs, assumptions, appraisals, and expectations concerning life's problems and one's problem-solving ability. It is conceptually distinct from the remaining four problem-solving components that are specific goal-directed tasks. A dismantling research design, involving 39 depressed Ss, provides findings that indicate problem-solving to be an effective cognitive-behavioral treatment approach for depression, thereby extending previous research. Moreover, the results underscore the importance of including problem-orientation training.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1988

(Phosphinyloxy)acyl amino acid inhibitors of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE). 1. Discovery of (S)-1-[6-amino-2-[[hydroxy(4-phenylbutyl)phosphinyl]oxy]-1-oxohexyl]-L -proline a novel orally active inhibitor of ACE.

The synthesis of a series of orally active, phosphinyloxyacyl proline inhibitors of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) is described. The in vitro and in vivo ACE inhibitory activities are reported for each compound. The structure-activity relationship for this series of compounds in relation to the carboxyalkyl dipeptide ACE inhibitors as well as other types of hydroxyphosphinyl-containing ACE inhibitors (e.g., the corresponding nitrogen and carbon isosteres) is discussed. Within an isosteric series of phosphorus-containing inhibitors based on the lysylproline terminal dipeptide sequence, only the phosphonates (oxygen isosteres) show a high level of oral activity. Optimum potency and oral activity in the phosphonate series occurs with the (phenylbutyl)- and n-hexylphosphonate side chains. An aminobutyl side chain in the P1' residue is an absolute requirement for full expression of oral activity. The most potent of these compounds, 8b (SQ 29,852), has intravenous and oral activities superior in potency to those of captopril in the normotensive rat.

Administration, Oral↗