Cross-sectional comparison of physical activity and inactivity patterns in Chinese and Filipino youth.

Background: To compare and contrast youth physical activity (PA) and inactivity patterns in two developing Asian countries: the Philippines and China.

Methods: Comparative analysis of 1997-1999 Cebu Longitudinal Health and Nutrition Survey and the 1997 China Health and Nutrition Survey, large-scale surveys that included questions on type, frequency and duration of: commuting mode to school, sports/exercise in and outside of school, select sedentary activities and chores.

Results: Filipino data included 760 males and 872 females aged 14-16 years.

The effect of single set resistance training on strength and functional fitness in pulmonary rehabilitation patients.

Purpose: The primary goal of pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) is for patients to achieve and maintain their maximum level of independence and functioning in the community. Traditional PR uses a predominantly aerobic/endurance approach to rehabilitation with little or no inclusion of exercises to increase strength. Few studies have investigated the impact of resistance training on PR despite growing evidence supporting its efficacy to improve physical function (functional fitness) in both healthy individuals and those with chronic disease.

Purging and alcohol-related effects in college women.

Objective: Previous research indicates that college students who purge are more likely to consume alcohol in an unhealthy manner. The current study replicates and extends a previous study but employs a much larger, national sample. This study addresses 2 questions: (a) Are 18-24-year-old college women who purge more likely to engage in high-risk alcohol behavior? (b) Are 18-24-year-old alcohol-drinking college women who purge more likely to report greater negative consequences of alcohol use.

Suitability of commuting by bicycle to Arizona elementary schools.

Purpose: To determine the biking suitability (i.e., bikeability) of and prevalence of biking in 14 elementary schools representing two extremes of bused students (2.

Perceptual processes used by drivers during overtaking in a driving simulator.

This study investigated the control strategies and decision making of drivers who were executing overtaking maneuvers in a fixed-base driving simulator. It was found that drivers were frequently inaccurate in deciding whether it was safe to overtake in front of an oncoming vehicle. One source of error in this situation was the control strategy adopted by the driver; in several instances our drivers initiated an overtaking maneuver when the oncoming car's distance was above a critical value, even though there was not sufficient time to complete a safe maneuver.

The best warm-up for the vertical jump in college-age athletic men.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of specific and nonspecific warm-ups on the vertical jump test performed by athletic men. Twenty-nine men (18-23 years) in athletics (speed positions in football) performed vertical jump tests on 4 separate days after completing 4 different warm-up protocols. The 4 warm-up protocols were (a) submaximal jump warm-up, (b) weighted jump warm-up, (c) stretching warm-up, and (d) no warm-up.

Strategies for healthy weight loss: from vitamin C to the glycemic response.

America is experiencing a major obesity epidemic. The ramifications of this epidemic are immense since obesity is associated with chronic metabolic abnormalities such as insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, and heart disease. Reduced physical activity and/or increased energy intakes are important factors in this epidemic.

Patterns of walking for transport and exercise: a novel application of time use data.

Background: Walking for exercise is a purposeful or structured activity that can be captured relatively easily in surveys focused on leisure time activity. In contrast, walking for transport is an incidental activity that is likely to be missed using these same assessment approaches. Therefore, the purpose of this analysis was to utilize 1997 Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Time Use Survey diary data to describe nationally representative patterns of walking for transport and for exercise.

Safety and efficacy of resistance training in patients with chronic heart failure: research-based evidence.

Although a rich body of research exists regarding the safety and efficacy of resistance training, health care providers continue to caution patients with heart failure not to engage in this type of exercise. Research studies utilizing resistance training demonstrate improvements in muscular strength and endurance, New York Heart Association functional class, and quality of life. Despite the hemodynamic changes which occur during resistance exercise, no negative outcomes have been reported.

How many days of pedometer monitoring predict weekly physical activity in adults?

Background: The study purpose was to establish the number (and type) of days needed to estimate mean pedometer-determined steps/day in a field setting.

Methods: Seven days of data were collected from 90 participants (33 males, age = 49.1 +/- 16.

Descriptive epidemiology of pedometer-determined physical activity.

Purpose: The dual purposes of this study were: 1) to provide preliminary descriptive epidemiology data representing pedometer-determined physical activity (PA) and 2) to explore sources of intra-individual variability in steps per day.

Methods: All participants (76 males, age = 48.4 +/- 16.

Energy cost of single-set resistance training in older adults.

The purpose of this study was (a) to assess the intensity and energy cost of a single-set resistance training (RT) protocol as recommended by the recent American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) guidelines for older adults and (b) to compare obtained values to those recently reported as eliciting health benefits via endurance-based physical activity (PA). Five males and 5 females (73.1 +/- 5.

Predicting a 10 repetition maximum for the free weight parallel squat using the 45 degrees angled leg press.

The purpose of this research was to devise prediction equations whereby a 10 repetition maximum (10RM) for the free weight parallel squat could be predicted using the following predictor variables: 10RM for the 45 degrees angled leg press, body mass, and limb length. Sixty men were tested over a 3-week period, with 1 testing session each week. During each testing session, subjects performed a 10RM for the free weight parallel squat and 45 degrees angled leg press.

BMI-referenced standards for recommended pedometer-determined steps/day in children.

Background: Recommended levels of youth physical activity (PA) should emerge from data related to important health outcomes. The purpose of the present study was to establish criterion-referenced standards for PA (using pedometer-assessed steps/day) related to healthy body composition.

Methods: This is a secondary analysis of an existing data set (including pedometer-assessed PA and objectively measured BMI) of 1,954 children (995 girls, 959 boys; ages 6-12 years) from the USA, Australia, and Sweden.

Motion sensor accuracy under controlled and free-living conditions.

Purpose: Two studies were conducted to examine the concurrent accuracy of the Yamax SW-200 (YAM), Omron HJ-105 (OM), and Sportline 330 (SL) pedometers, as well as a CSA accelerometer.

Methods: In study 1, motion sensor performance was evaluated against actual (observed) steps taken during 5-min bouts at five different treadmill speeds (54, 67, 80, 94, and 107 m x min) using a two-way repeated measures ANOVA (instrument x speed). Additionally, the direction and magnitude of motion sensor error was examined.

Utility of pedometers for assessing physical activity: construct validity.

Valid assessment of physical activity is necessary to fully understand this important health-related behaviour for research, surveillance, intervention and evaluation purposes. This article is the second in a companion set exploring the validity of pedometer-assessed physical activity. The previous article published in Sports Medicine dealt with convergent validity (i.

Attending to the execution of a complex sensorimotor skill: expertise differences, choking, and slumps.

A simulated baseball batting task was used to compare the relative effects of attending to extraneous information (tone frequency) and attending to skill execution (direction of bat movement) on performance and swing kinematics and to evaluate how these effects differ as a function of expertise. The extraneous dual task degraded batting performance in novices but had no significant effect on experts. The skill-focused dual task increased batting errors and movement variability for experts but had no significant effect on novices.

Review of the studies cited in the DataBase section of the American Journal of Health Promotion.

Purpose Of The Review: To analyze the characteristics of the articles reviewed in the DataBase section of the American Journal of Health Promotion and to summarize this review in tabular format.

Data Sources: All 350 entries in the American Journal of Health Promotion DataBase section beginning with issue 1:3 (Winter 1987) through issue 17:3 (January/February 2003) were included in this review.

Study Inclusion And Exclusion Criteria: Every study summarized in the DataBase section was included.

Reliability of maximal strength testing in older adults.

Objectives: To determine (1) the reliability of a maximal strength test (1 repetition maximum) [1-RM] in older adults and (2) the impact of differing periods of familiarization.

Design: Within-subject, repeated trials of maximal strength.

Setting: Community-based senior center.

Orange juice ingestion and supplemental vitamin C are equally effective at reducing plasma lipid peroxidation in healthy adult women.

Objective: To directly examine the contribution of vitamin C to the antioxidant potential of fruits and vegetables, the antioxidant effect of orange juice consumption (8 and 16 fl. oz.) was compared to the antioxidant effect of supplemental vitamin C (dosage equivalent to that supplied by 8 fl.

Long range interactions between object-motion and self-motion in the perception of movement in depth.

Self-motion through a three-dimensional array of objects creates a radial flow pattern on the retina. We superimposed a simulated object moving in depth on such a flow pattern to investigate the effect of the flow pattern on judgments of both the time to collision (TTC) with an approaching object and the trajectory of that object. Our procedure allowed us to decouple the direction and speed of simulated self motion-in-depth (MID) from the direction and speed of simulated object MID.

Controlled outcome evaluation of the First Step Program: a daily physical activity intervention for individuals with type II diabetes.

Objective: To conduct a randomised trial of a physical activity (PA) intervention, The First Step Program (FSP) for adults with type II diabetes.

Design: A 16-week intervention study and 24-week follow-up assessment.

Participants: A total of 47 overweight/obese, sedentary individuals (age=52.

Cardiac rehabilitation patient versus proxy quality-of-life perceptions.

Spousal perceptions and/or attitudes to their patient partners' capabilities have been shown to affect the effectiveness of the cardiac rehabilitation (CR) process. The purpose of this study was (a) to assess differences between patient and proxy responses to the Medical Outcomes Survey-Short Form 36 (SF36)and (b) suggest how such information may contribute to enhancing rehabitation outcomes. Fifty-eight patients completed the SF36 prior to entering Phase II CR.