Physical Activity and the Link Among Stress, Burnout, and Well-Being in Athletic Trainers.

Context: Stress is a leading cause of burnout in working professionals, including athletic trainers (ATs). One consequence of burnout for ATs is lower perceptions of well-being, which have implications for mental and physical health. Physical activity is known to help reduce stress.

Validation of a series of walking and stepping tests to predict maximal oxygen consumption in adults aged 18-79 years.

Introduction: Field tests to estimate maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max) are an alternative to traditional exercise testing methods. Published field tests and their accompanying estimation equations account for up to 80% of the variance in VO2max with an error rate of ~4.5 ml.

Accelerometer Calibration: The Importance of Considering Functionality.

Purpose: To compare the accuracy and precision of a hip-worn accelerometer to predict energy cost during structured activities across motor performance and disease conditions.

Methods: 118 adults self-identifying as healthy ( = 44) and those with arthritis ( = 23), multiple sclerosis ( = 18), Parkinson's disease ( = 17), and stroke ( =18) underwent measures of motor performance and were categorized into groups: Group 1, usual; Group 2, moderate impairment; and Group 3, severe impairment. The participants completed structured activities while wearing an accelerometer and a portable metabolic measurement system.

Identification of Latent Classes of Motor Performance in a Heterogenous Population of Adults.

Objective: To determine classes of motor performance based on community deployable motor impairment and functional tests in a heterogeneous adult population.

Design: Sixteen tests of limb-specific and whole-body measures of motor impairment and function were obtained. Linear regression analysis was used to dichotomize performance on each test as falling within or outside the age- and sex-predicted values.

Energy Cost of Slow and Normal Gait Speeds in Low and Normally Functioning Adults.

Objective: Slow walking speed paired with increased energy cost is a strong predictor for mortality and disability in older adults but has yet to be examined in a heterogeneous sample (ie, age, sex, disease status). The aim of this study was to examine energy cost of slow and normal walking speeds among low- and normal-functioning adults.

Design: Adults aged 20-90 yrs were recruited for this study.

Efficacy of an Individually Tailored, Internet-Mediated Physical Activity Intervention in Older Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Objective: This study determined the effectiveness of an individually tailored, Internet-mediated physical activity (PA) intervention for increasing walking behavior in inactive older adults.

Method: This 12-week randomly controlled intervention divided participants ( N = 170) into three groups: control (CON, n = 51), pedometer only (PED, n = 62), and an individually tailored, Internet-mediated pedometer (TI-PED, n = 57) group. The PED group was instructed to increase weekly step count by 10% until 10,000 steps per day was achieved.

Wearables for Promoting Physical Activity.

Background: The rapid expansion and popularity of consumer-wearable physical activity monitors (WPAMs) has enabled the integration of technology into physical activity (PA) intervention, deployment, and evaluation. This brief review reports on the accuracy of consumer-WPAMs, considers the intervention effects of using consumer-WPAMs, and offers future considerations as the proliferation of this area of product development and consumer use continues to escalate.

Content: The studies reviewed document the utility for consumer-WPAMs to objectively assess PA, with output metrics similar to research-grade activity monitors.

Increasing the Energy Expenditure of Seated Activities in Older Adults with a Portable Elliptical Device.

Background: The ill-health effects of sedentary behavior are becoming well-documented, yet older adults spend 70-80% of waking hours sedentary.

Purpose: To determine if a portable elliptical device increases energy expenditure (EE) while performing popular seated activities.

Methods: Twenty older adults (68.