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Maximal oxygen intake and body composition of female dancers.

Complete paucity of any data regarding the influence of habitual dance on cardiovascular-pulmonary fitness and body composition of female dancers prompted this study in which 12 female dancers and 12 sedentary female students of the same age range participated as subjects. Maximal oxygen intake was determined on the treadmill, body composition was calculated from skinfolds and vital signs were determined besides measurements of height and weight. Dancers had significantly lower weight, lower resting heart rate, and lower diastolic blood pressure. Systolic blood pressure was also lower in dancers but the difference between the means did not reach statistical significance. Maximal oxygen intake was higher in dancers when expressed in relative terms. Dancers had also significantly lower total body fat. In conclusion, it seems tha, dance with all the variations, should be encouraged in schools as a suitable behavioral modifier of sedentary habits and for maintenance of physical fitness and ideal weight.

Adult

Behavioral assessment of chronic orofacial pain.

Orofacial pain is usually evaluated and treated from a biomedical perspective. There is no question that the large majority of individuals having acute orofacial pain benefit from timely and appropriate medical intervention. When orofacial pain persists, however, the likelihood that this pain can influence and be influenced by behavioral factors increases. While some individuals are able to adapt and cope with chronic orofacial pain, others develop significant behavioral problems. These problems may include an overly sedentary lifestyle, dependence on habit-forming narcotic medications, or severe depression or anxiety. The hallmark of the behavioral perspective on chronic pain is the insistence that a careful assessment and treatment of such behavioral problems is just as important as appropriate biomedical intervention.(1)

Chronic Disease

The effects of aerobic exercise on psychological adjustment: a randomized study of sedentary obese women attempting weight loss.

This study evaluated the psychological effects of aerobic conditioning in 40 moderately obese, sedentary women participating in a 12-week behavioral weight loss program. Participants were randomly assigned to a no-exercise or moderate walking condition. Emotional impact of the treatment was assessed in two ways: (1) Subjects reported subjective mood prior to each eating episode and (2) the SCL-90-R was administered before and after the program. Exercisers lost more weight and body fat than non-exercisers. Both groups of subjects showed numerous improvements in mood as a result of participating in the weight loss program. Exercise had no specific differential effect on emotions as measured by daily mood ratings or the SCL-90-R. Exercise did not appear to add appreciably to the psychological benefits of losing weight in this sedentary obese population. Future studies utilizing longer periods of aerobic exercise training, larger sample size, and exercise specific measures are recommended.

Adaptation, Psychological

Behavioral economic analysis of activity choice in obese children.

Evaluated children's choice for sedentary versus vigorous activity. Experiment 1 assessed the influence of percent overweight (less than 20%, 20% to 80%, greater than 80%) on choice of a moderately liked vigorous activity at a constant variable ratio (VR) 2 reinforcement schedule versus a highly liked sedentary activity with the schedule varied from VR2 to VR32. All children chose the sedentary choice when the schedules were VR2. As the cost for sedentary activity increased, lean and moderately obese children switched to the vigorous activity, but the very obese children still chose the sedentary activity. Experiment 2 compared moderately obese children's choice between easily accessible, highly or least liked vigorous activities (VR2) and highly liked sedentary activity with the schedule varied from VR2 through VR16. When the reinforcement schedules were equal, and sedentary activity and vigorous activity were rated as equally linked, children chose the sedentary activity. All subjects switched from the sedentary to the vigorous activity, but there were no differences in choice as a function of liking for vigorous activities.

Child

Sympathetic nervous system and behavioral responses to stress following exercise training.

This study tests the hypothesis that a short-term (16 weeks) exercise program modifies sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and selected behavioral responses to acute psychological stress. Twenty-four previously sedentary middle-aged men with maximal aerobic capacity (VmaxO2) values less than 40 ml.kg-1.min-1 were assigned to experimental (n = 12) and control (n = 12) groups. All subjects performed a modified Stroop test (18 min) at pre- and postexercise training during which intravenous blood samples were drawn at three time intervals for plasma catecholamine (CA) determination. Motor performance was continuously recorded for assessment of premotor (PMT) and motor (MOT) components of reactions time. A set of anagrams were administered immediately following the modified Stroop to determine the level of cognitive fatigue induced. At both pre- and postexercise intervention, the total group (n = 24) manifested significant (p less than or equal to 0.05) elevations in state anxiety, heart rate, and plasma norepinephrine. No significant changes occurred over time on PMT or MOT. There were significantly (p less than or equal to 0.01) lengthened anagram performance scores poststress compared to nonstress values. The experimental group exercise trained 3 days/week for 16 weeks, resulting in a 20% increase in VO2max. However, there were no group differences on the CA or behavioral responses to the modified Stroop at pre- or postintervention. These findings do not support the hypothesis that short-term aerobic training significantly alters SNS activity or behavioral measures of central processing in middle-aged men exposed to an acute psychological challenge.

Adult

Prevalence of behavioral risk factors in two American Indian populations in Montana.

Despite great improvements in recent decades, the health status of American Indians continues to lag behind that of other Americans. Continued health improvement will depend largely on changes in individual behavior. However, few data exist on health risk behaviors among American Indians. We used face-to-face interviews to estimate the prevalence of some of these behaviors among American Indians 15-49 years of age in two Montana locations: on the Blackfeet Reservation and in Great Falls. The prevalence of several important health risk behaviors was higher in these populations than in adult Montana residents in general. Tobacco use was very prevalent. Fifty percent of on-reservation women, 62% of off-reservation women, 34% of on-reservation men, and 63% of off-reservation men were smokers at the time of the survey. Thirty-three percent of reservation men used smokeless tobacco. Other risk behaviors of high prevalence included acute heavy drinking (26% to 42% of men); overweight (29% to 41% of females); sedentary lifestyle (46% to 62% of all respondents); and nonuse of seat belts (64% to 79% of all respondents). Tribal leaders and the Indian Health Service are using the survey results to reduce the prevalence of behaviors harming the health of Indian people. In addition to providing valuable information about the surveyed populations, the survey served as a pilot for subsequent surveys of other American Indian groups.

Adolescent

Using the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System to monitor year 2000 objectives among American Indians.

The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, a data set based on telephone surveys that have been conducted by States in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control, has been used to estimate the prevalence of behavioral risk factors for adults in the United States so health objectives can be set and progress towards accomplishing them measured. Data for adult American Indians in this regard have not been available generally. The use of these data to estimate behavioral risk prevalence for American Indians by geographic region was examined and the results compared with those for white Americans. In addition, data from the system were compared with other data sets, including the results of selected surveys in American Indian communities, to explore the validity of the system as a tool for evaluating the behavioral risks of Indians. Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data for the period 1985 to 1988 were used. During this period, the 1,055 American Indian respondents constituted 0.63 percent of those responding under the system and 0.70 percent of the population of the participating States. Separate (sex-specific) behavioral risk prevalence estimates were derived for Indians and whites for four geographic regions--Southwest, Plains, West Coast, and Other States. The system's behavioral risk estimates for the Plains region were compared with available data from behavioral risk surveys done in three American Indian communities in Montana (Blackfeet, Fort Peck, and Great Falls) from 1987 to 1989. The behavioral risk factors compared include use of automobile seatbelts, current smoking, current use of smokeless tobacco, heavy drinking, drinking and driving, overweight, hypertension, and sedentary lifestyle. Although large regional differences in the prevalence of these risk factors were found, the magnitude and direction of the differences are frequently similar among American Indians and whites living in the same geographic regions. The findings from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System among American Indians are largely consistent within dependently collected data from more resource intensive household surveys, at least when surveys in Montana are compared with system data from the Plains. These data are generally consistent with other epidemiologic studies.When they are used in conjunction with community-specific surveys, the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data may be useful for monitoring the progress of American Indians towards the Year 2000 national health objectives. The value of the surveillance system for monitoring trends in behavioral risk factors among Indians would be enhanced if States attempted to over sample regions (such as Indian reservations) with a high proportion of Indian residents. It appears that aggressive health promotion and disease prevention efforts will be needed if these objectives are to be achieved.

Adolescent

The impact of previous athleticism on exercise habits, physical fitness, and coronary heart disease risk factors in middle-aged men.

A longitudinal study was performed to determine differences in physiologic variables, health behaviors, risk factors, or clinical status between former athletes (FA) (N = 345) and nonathletes (NA) (N = 75). The subjects, 420 self-referred white males aged 25-60 years old, were examined for prior athleticism and health. Athleticism was determined through self-reported high school or college athletic history. Baseline physiologic and health behavior characteristics were not different between the two groups. Of those study participants (N = 203 FA, 48 NA) who were sedentary at baseline, 208 (N = 167 FA, 41 NA) voluntarily began an exercise program during the followup period (average followup = 56 months). These numbers correspond to exercise adoption rates of 82 and 85% for FA and NA respectively, and were not statistically different (95% CI FA = 0.76, 0.88, NA = 0.73, 0.97). Repeated measures analysis of covariance was performed to determine if physiologic responses to adoption were different between FA and NA. No statistically significant difference was found between the two groups, time effects were similar in the two, and no significant interaction of time by group was observed. We conclude that prior athleticism has little apparent impact on health and health behaviors, thus suggesting that contemporaneous exercise has more impact on clinical variables.

Adult

Enhanced sexual behavior in exercising men.

The effects of 9 months of aerobic exercise on aerobic work capacity (physical fitness), coronary heart disease risk factors, and sexuality were studied in 78 sedentary but healthy men (mean age, 48 years). The men exercised in supervised groups 60 min per day, 3.5 days per week on average. Peak sustained exercise intensity was targeted at 75-80% of maximum aerobic working capacity. A control group of 17 men (mean age, 44 years) participated in organized walking at a moderate pace 60 min per day, 4.1 days per week on average. Each subject maintained a daily diary of exercise, diet, smoking, and sexuality during the first and last months of the program. Beneficial effects of chronic, vigorous exercise on fitness and coronary heart disease risk factors were obtained in close agreement with prior studies. Analysis of diary entries revealed significantly greater sexuality enhancements in the exercise group (frequency of various intimate activities, reliability of adequate functioning during sex, percentage of satisfying orgasms, etc.). Moreover, the degree of sexuality enhancement among exercisers was correlated with the degree of their individual improvement in fitness.

Anxiety

The effects of self-monitoring and reinforcement on exercise adherence.

Two behavioral techniques were assessed to determine their effects on subjects' adherence to unsupervised exercise. The subjects were 35 moderately fit persons who had just completed an adult fitness program (AF group) and 42 sedentary individuals who were recruited through the campus newspaper (NEWS group). Participants were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: (a) self-monitoring, (b) reinforcement supplied by another person, or (c) control. All subjects were given instructions on how to exercise and asked to exercise on their own for 18 weeks. Self-monitoring subjects kept written records of their exercise behavior, while reinforcement subjects verbally reported their exercise behavior to another person who periodically administered rewards. Pre- and posttreatment tests on the NEWS group revealed no significant treatment or interaction effects. However, the reinforcement group had an 11% improvement in predicted max VO2 and a 9 bpm improvement in exercise heart rate compared to 7.8%, 5 bpm for the self-monitoring (SM) group and 5.3%, 6 bpm for the control group. T-tests indicated that reward and SM groups improved significantly on these variables, whereas the control group did not. SM (M = 2.07) and reinforcement (M = 2.29) groups reported a significantly higher frequency of exercise per week than the control (M = 1.36) group. The AF subjects were able to maintain their fitness level (with the exception of a small increase in body fat) over the 18-week period. The behavioral interventions had little differential effect on adherence by AF subjects who were already regular exercisers.

Adult

Effects of exercise training on vasomotor reactivity of porcine coronary arteries.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether exercise training induces changes in the contractile behavior of proximal coronary arteries. Female Yucatan miniature swine were either exercise trained (ET) on a motor-driven treadmill or allowed to remain sedentary (SED) for 16-22 wk. Responses to vasoactive compounds were evaluated in vitro using coronary arterial rings (approximately 2 mm diam) isolated from ET and SED pigs. Each ring was stretched to the apex of the length-active tension relationship. Concentration-response relationships for isometric contractions evoked with KCl (5-100 mM), prostaglandin F2 alpha (PGF2 alpha; 10(-8)-3 x 10(-5) M), acetylcholine (ACh; 10(-9)-10(-4) M), and endothelin (10(-10)-10(-7) M) were similar in arteries from SED and ET pigs. In contrast, arteries from the ET group developed 50-60% less maximal tension in response to norepinephrine (NE; 10(-6)-10(-4) M) than did controls. Vasodilator responses of rings precontracted with either KCl or PGF2 alpha were evaluated with adenosine (ADO; 10(-9)-10(-4) M), isoproterenol (10(-9)-10(-4) M), forskolin (10(-9)-10(-4) M), and sodium nitroprusside (NP; 10(-10)-10(-4) M). Vasodilator responses were similar in SED and ET groups for all agents except ADO and NP; arteries from ET pigs were more sensitive to ADO and less sensitive to NP. The ET-induced alterations in vasomotor responses to NE and ADO appear to be due to changes in vascular smooth muscle because they were still present after removal of endothelium. We conclude that chronic exercise training in pigs induces selective alterations in NE and ADO receptor-second messenger coupling and/or postreceptor-related events in epicardial coronary vascular smooth muscle.

Animals

Exercise in behavioral medicine.

Research on the preventive and rehabilitative applications of exercise and literature on exercise adherence from the past 10 years are briefly reviewed. Although there is now substantial evidence that a low level of physical activity is associated with decreased life expectancy for both men and women and contributes independently to the development of many prevalent chronic diseases, most adults and children lead sedentary lives. Recent intervention studies suggest exercise adherence can be improved in a variety of populations. Researchers in the next decade should continue to elaborate the population- and disease-specific effects of physical activity and exercise and give priority to the problem of exercise adherence, which limits the effectiveness of exercise interventions and remains a significant challenge to behavioral medicine.

Behavior Therapy

Association between exercise and other preventive health behaviors among diabetics.

Two hundred and seventy patients were studied to investigate the cross sectional association between exercise and other preventive health behaviors in a diabetic population. Patients included both insulin and noninsulin dependent diabetics and were recruited from the Family Practice and Pediatrics Clinics at Bowman Gray School of Medicine. During screening, patients underwent a physical examination as well as completing a survey to assess exercise and health behavior habits. Three exercise groups were compared: (a) patients who expended more than 600 kilocalories per week during exercise, (b) patients who expended 600 kilocalories or less, and (c) patients who did not exercise. The mean body weights of both exercise groups were found to be less than the nonexercise group, and the heavy exercise group also had a lower mean body mass index. Heavy exercisers reported greater caloric intakes than both moderate and nonexercisers. There were no differences found concerning the composition of their diets among groups. The heavy exercise group reported wearing their seatbelts a greater percentage of the time and visited the dentist more often compared with the sedentary group. There were no significant differences found among exercise groups concerning blood sugar monitoring, alcohol consumption, smoking, or in obtaining periodic health examinations. It was concluded that exercise was associated with several, but not a majority, of other healthful behaviors in a population of diabetics.

Blood Glucose

Glycolysis in Anolis carolinensis during agonistic encounters.

We examined the influences of territorial status, encounter outcome, body mass difference, activity, and display on lactate accumulation in adult male Anolis carolinensis during agonistic interactions. Of the pairs of lizards frozen at the onset of an encounter, intruders had significantly higher lactate concentrations than residents. Lactate levels at the onset of an interaction were not significantly different from those at the conclusion, suggesting a limited role for glycolysis during such events. The outcome of an agonistic encounter was not based on fatigue. Individuals that were larger or changed sites had a lower relative lactate concentration at the conclusion of an interaction than smaller or sedentary animals. We consider the influence of autonomic arousal on glycolysis.

Agonistic Behavior

Five months of daily standardized exercise for sedentary monkeys.

A system to physically exercise rhesus monkeys is described, based on their natural capacity to climb. It is composed of an enclosure where a motor-driven rope is continually going down. The two stage training to this task is easily performed. The total work of each run, evaluated with the weight of the animal and the distance climbed, may be very stable. It was used to provide five sedentary monkeys with daily physical training for five months.

Animals

[Increase of physical activity by improvement of the nutritional status].

Physical activity is affected by nutritional modifications and, in turn, influences growth, cognition, social behavior, work performance and other functions. Studies in preschool children showed that: 1. A decrease in energy intake during four to seven days reduced the time allocated to energy-demanding activities and increased sedentary activities. 2. Children with mild weight deficit were more sedentary than well-nourished counterparts. 3. Children became more active when nutritional status improved. 4. A 10% reduction in energy intake reduced total energy expenditure by 15% without affecting weight gain nor basal metabolism. Studies of men working in non-mechanized agriculture showed that: 1. Dietary improvements led to faster salaried work, reduction of napping time and greater physical activity after work. 2. An increase in energy intake increased total daily energy expenditure, tending to maintain energy balance and relatively stable body weight within the cyclic variations of the agricultural year. 3. Food supplementation did not necessarily improve productivity. Other labor incentives without dietary improvements increased energy expenditure during working hours, which resulted in weight loss. In conclusion, good health and nutrition provide the biological basis for adequate physical activity that may improve cognitive development, social interactions, economic productivity and the quality of life of an individual or a population, but other incentives are required for the optimal expression of that biologic potential.

Adult