Publications by authors named "Evan Matthews"

Objective: To identify the COVID-19 pandemic impact on well-being/mental health, coping strategies, and risk factors in adolescents worldwide.

Method: This study was based on an anonymous online multi-national/multi-language survey in the general population (representative/weighted non-representative samples, 14-17 years of age), measuring change in well-being (World Health Organization-Five Well-Being Index [WHO-5]/range = 0-100) and psychopathology (validated composite P-score/range = 0-100), WHO-5 <50 and <29, pre- vs during COVID-19 pandemic (April 26, 2020-June 26, 2022). Coping strategies and 9 a priori- defined individual/cumulative risk factors were measured.

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Article Synopsis
  • The COH-FIT study is a large, multi-country survey aimed at identifying factors affecting wellbeing and mental health outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic, involving a representative sample of 121,066 adults.
  • Researchers analyzed both modifiable (like coping strategies and pre-pandemic stress) and non-modifiable factors (such as age, gender, and socioeconomic status), finding significant negative effects on wellbeing and psychopathology scores during the pandemic.
  • The study identified 15 modifiable and 9 non-modifiable risk factors, alongside 13 modifiable and 3 non-modifiable protective factors, emphasizing the importance of social support and coping strategies in mental health outcomes.
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Article Synopsis
  • There is a lack of comprehensive international studies examining multidimensional mental health and wellbeing before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly identifying at-risk groups and effective coping strategies.
  • The COH-FIT survey, conducted from April 2020 to June 2022 in 30 languages, assessed changes in well-being and psychopathology among over 121,000 participants, revealing significant declines in mental health during the pandemic.
  • Key findings indicated that certain demographics, such as young adults and people in low-income countries, were particularly affected, while coping strategies like exercise, internet use, and maintaining social contacts emerged as the most effective for managing stress.
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Perlet, MR, Hosick, PA, Licameli, N, and Matthews, EL. Microvascular reactivity is greater following blood flow restriction resistance exercise compared with traditional resistance exercise. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000-000, 2024-Chronic blood flow restriction (BFR) resistance exercise can improve muscular strength, hypertrophy, and microvasculature function, but the acute microvascular effects are unknown.

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The sympathetic nervous system is critical for regulating blood pressure (BP) via the arterial baroreflex and sympathetic transduction in the peripheral vasculature. These mechanisms interact, and both may be altered with aging and impacted by menopause. Although age-related decreases in sympathetic transduction have been demonstrated in women, it remains unclear whether sympathetic baroreflex sensitivity (BRS) is impaired in postmenopausal women (POST).

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Background: Chronic disease (CD) accounts for more than half of the overall global disease burden and physical activity (PA) is an established evidence-based strategy for the prevention and management of CD. Global policy emphasises the value of embedding PA into primary healthcare, highlighting the positive effects on PA behaviour. However, there is limited implementation of PA protocols in primary care, and research is needed to guide its integration into routine practice.

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People from refugee and asylum seeker backgrounds resettling in Australia often experience intersecting risks for poor mental and physical health. Physical activity can promote better health outcomes, however there are limited programs tailored for this population. Therefore, understanding how to support refugees and asylum seekers to engage in physical activity is crucial.

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Unlabelled: Exercise is a major modifiable lifestyle factor that leads to temporarily increased systolic blood pressure (SBP), which is thought to influence left ventricular mass normalized to body surface area (LVM/BSA). This relationship has never been studied in women who habitually perform resistance exercise.

Purpose: To determine if a direct correlation exists between the SBP response to resistance exercise (change from rest; eSBP) and LVM/BSA in young healthy women who habitually resistance train.

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Background: A positive family history of hypertension (FHH) (+FHH) is associated with elevated left ventricular mass (LVM). Regular physical activity (PA) may eliminate differences in LVM between +FHH and negative family history of hypertension (-FHH) adults. The aim of this study was to determine if a +FHH is associated with a greater LVM compared to a -FHH group within a sample of young, mostly active healthy adults with and without statistically controlling for PA.

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Background: The Collaborative Outcome study on Health and Functioning during Infection Times (COH-FIT; www.coh-fit.com) is an anonymous and global online survey measuring health and functioning during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Background: Physical activity interventions can confer a range of physical and mental health benefits among young people with mental disorders. In some contexts, such as Ireland, integrated physical activity is not easily available within child and adolescent mental health services. Therefore, an interagency pilot intervention was established in a child and adolescent mental health service in Ireland with the integration of a novel exercise practitioner into the multidisciplinary mental health team.

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  • The study investigated the impact of a hip strap on physiological responses while walking with a backpack weighing 30% of the participant's body mass.
  • Participants were tested in two conditions (with and without the hip strap) while walking on a treadmill, with data collected on metrics like heart rate, blood pressure, and oxygen saturation.
  • The results showed no significant differences in physiological responses between the strapped and unstrapped conditions, indicating that using a hip strap does not affect these responses during moderate-intensity walking.
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No studies have directly measured ventilatory and metabolic responses while wearing a respiratory training mask (RTM) at rest and during exercise. Eleven aerobically fit adults (age: 21 ± 1 years) completed a randomized cross-over study while wearing an RTM or control mask during cycling at 50% Wmax. An RTM was retrofitted with a gas collection tube and set to the manufacturer's "altitude resistance" setting of 6,000 ft (1,800 m).

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Purpose: Naltrexone (NTX) is an opioid antagonist that can reverse the physiological effects of opioid receptors when bound. Opioid receptors have been found to play a role in cardiovascular (CV) function, and thus, binding of NTX may alter CV activity at rest and in response to acute and chronic exercise (EX). We hypothesized that opioid receptor blockade will alter the typical CV responses following acute EX.

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Objective: The role of atherosclerosis in abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) pathogenesis is controversial. The aim of this study was to compare AAA growth in patients who did and did not have concurrent athero-occlusive disease (AOD).

Methods: Patients with an AAA measuring 35 - 49 mm in maximum diameter were recruited as part of the TElmisartan in the management of abdominal aortic aneurysm (TEDY) trial.

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Introduction: Postmenopausal women (PMW) display exaggerated increases in blood pressure (BP) during exercise, yet the mechanism(s) involved remain unclear. Moreover, research on the impact of menopausal changes in estradiol on cardiovascular control during exercise are limited. Herein, we tested the hypothesis that sympathetic responses during exercise are augmented in PMWcompared with young women (YW), and estradiol administration attenuates these responses.

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Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has altered daily routines and family functioning, led to closing schools, and dramatically limited social interactions worldwide. Measuring its impact on mental health of vulnerable children and adolescents is crucial.

Methods: The Collaborative Outcomes study on Health and Functioning during Infection Times (COH-FIT - www.

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Aim: To evaluate nasopharyngeal aspirate cultures for screening otopathogen carriage in the adenoid in children 2-7 years of age.

Methods: Thirty-seven children, 2-7 years of age, scheduled for adenoidectomy were enrolled into this prospective study at Rockhampton, Australia. Adenoid biopsy and nasopharyngeal aspirate bacteriology were assessed by conventional culture.

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Background: Accurate repeat assessment of the diameter of an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is important. This study investigated the reproducibility of different methods of measuring AAA diameter from ultrasound images.

Methods: Fifty AAA patients were assessed by ultrasound.

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Objective: To determine whether, like hypertensives, normotensive adults with a family history of hypertension (+FHH) display lower microvascular reactivity and conduit artery function than normotensive adults without a family history of hypertension (-FHH).

Methods: A forearm vascular occlusion test was performed on healthy normotensive adults while resting in the supine position. A near-infrared spectroscopy sensor placed on the forearm measured skeletal muscle oxygen saturation kinetics to determine microvascular reactivity.

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Physical activity has therapeutic benefits for mental health service users. To date, there is limited evidence that has brought together the experiences of physical activity for service users and key multi-disciplinary service providers that support activity in outpatient settings, particularly in contexts where activity is not well integrated into policy and care structures. Previous research has relied on homogenous samples of either service users or service providers of a specific discipline, and key stakeholders like peer-support workers are under-represented.

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Background: Dehydration is common among athletes. The negative impact of dehydration on aerobic performance is well characterized. However, little is known about the effect of dehydration on anaerobic performance particularly when dehydration results from insufficient water intake, not water loss due to body temperature regulation.

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Objective: Readmission to the hospital after revascularization for peripheral artery disease (PAD) is frequently reported. No consensus exists as to the exact frequency and risk factors for readmission. This review aimed to determine the incidence of and risk factors for 30-day readmission after revascularization for PAD.

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