The impact of a gender-specific physical activity intervention on the fitness and fatness profile of men in Ireland

Abstract Background Amid increasing concerns about rising obesity rates and unhealthy lifestyle behaviours, physical activity (PA) is seen as a prophylactic to many chronic conditions affecting men. Men respond best to community-based PA programmes, using gender-specific promotional and delivery strategies. ‘Men on the Move’ (MOM) was developed on this basis and targeted inactive adult men in Ireland. Methods Sedentary men (n = 927; age = 50.7 ± 10.9 years; weight = 92.7 ± 16.0 kg; METS = 6.06 ± 2.13) were recruited across eight counties: four ‘intervention group’ (IG; n = 501) and four ‘comparison-in-waiting group’ (CG; n = 426). The MOM programme involved structured group exercise twice weekly for 12 weeks (W), along with health-related workshops with the groups maintained up to 52 W. Primary outcome measures [aerobic fitness, bodyweight and waist circumference (WC)] together with self-administered questionnaires were used to gather participant data at baseline, 12, 26 and 52 W. Results Results show a net positive effect on aerobic fitness, bodyweight and WC, with significant (P < 0.05) net change scores observed in the IG compared to the CG (METS: 12 W = +2.20, 26 W = +1.89, 52 W = +0.92; weight: 12 W = −1.72 kg, 26 W = −1.95 kg, 52 W = −1.89 kg; WC: 12 W = −4.54 cm, 26 W = −2.69 cm, 52 W = −3.16 cm). The corresponding reduction in cardiovascular disease risk is particularly significant in the context of a previously inactive and overweight cohort. The high ‘dropout’ (42.7% presenting at 52 W), however, is of particular concern, with ‘dropouts’ having lower levels of aerobic fitness and higher bodyweight/WC at baseline. Conclusions Notwithstanding dropout issues, findings address an important gap in public health practice by informing the translational scale-up of a small controllable gender-specific PA intervention, MOM, to a national population-based PA intervention targeting inactive men.

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Habitual physical activity is not associated with lower cardiovascular risk profile or higher aerobic fitness

Manual Therapy Posturology & Rehabilitation Journal ◽

10.17784/mtprehabjournal.2016.14.429 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-6

Author(s):

Denis Fabrício Valério ◽

Arthur Fernandes Gáspari ◽

Giovana Vergínea de Souza ◽

Cleiton Augusto Libardi ◽

Claudia Regina Cavaglieri ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Cardiovascular Disease ◽

Cardiovascular Risk ◽

Aerobic Fitness ◽

Physical Inactivity ◽

Disease Risk ◽

Cardiovascular Disease Risk ◽

Risk Profile ◽

Cardiovascular Risk Profile ◽

Vo2 Max

Introduction: Physical inactivity is considered as one of the factors to increase the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and decrease aerobic fitness mainly in middle-age. Increased habitual physical activity (HPA) is one of the strategies recommended to reduce physical inactivity. However, it is not known whether middle-age individuals who exclusively perform greater amount of HPA have greater aerobic fitness and / or a lower risk of CVDs. Objective: Verify the association between HPA with the risk of CVDs and aerobic fitness in individuals who only perform HPA. Method: We selected 89 male volunteers, age: 47.4 ± 5.06 years, who did not practice systemized physical training. Our measurements were: HPA by the International Physical Activity Questionnaire and Baecke questionnaires, the aerobic fitness by direct assessment of maximal oxygen consumption (VO2 máx) and the risk of developing cardiovascular disease by the score calculation of General Cardiovascular Risk Profile from Framingham Study. Results: There was no correlation of the HPA level with cardiovascular risk factors, general cardiovascular disease risk and VO2 máx. Moreover, no difference was found between the categorical groups of the IPAQ questionnaire and between the groups, “clusters”, calculated from the Baecke questionnaire scores for the variables of cardiovascular risk, general cardiovascular disease risk and VO2 máx. Conclusion: This study have found that the HPA level of middle-aged men is not associated with lower cardiovascular risk profile or higher aerobic fitness, suggesting that only increase HPA may not be enough to promote beneficial adaptations in aerobic fitness and improve risk profile for CVDs. These results may be related to low volume and intensity of HPA, which reinforces the importance of performing physical training with control of these variables for health promotion.

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The Relation of Childhood Physical Activity and Aerobic Fitness to Brain Function and Cognition: A Review

Pediatric Exercise Science ◽

10.1123/pes.2013-0125 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 26 (2) ◽

pp. 138-146 ◽

Cited By ~ 134

Author(s):

Naiman A. Khan ◽

Charles H. Hillman

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Aerobic Fitness ◽

Executive Control ◽

Physical Activity Intervention ◽

Control Function ◽

Future Research ◽

Brain Health ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Childhood Physical Activity ◽

The Impact

Physical inactivity has been shown to increase the risk for several chronic diseases across the lifespan. However, the impact of physical activity and aerobic fitness on childhood cognitive and brain health has only recently gained attention. The purposes of this article are to: 1) highlight the recent emphasis for increasing physical activity and aerobic fitness in children’s lives for cognitive and brain health; 2) present aspects of brain development and cognitive function that are susceptible to physical activity intervention; 3) review neuroimaging studies examining the cross-sectional and experimental relationships between aerobic fitness and executive control function; and 4) make recommendations for future research. Given that the human brain is not fully developed until the third decade of life, preadolescence is characterized by changes in brain structure and function underlying aspects of cognition including executive control and relational memory. Achieving adequate physical activity and maintaining aerobic fitness in childhood may be a critical guideline to follow for physical as well as cognitive and brain health.

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Changes in diet and physical activity resulting from the Strong Hearts, Healthy Communities randomized cardiovascular disease risk reduction multilevel intervention trial

International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity ◽

10.1186/s12966-019-0852-z ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 16 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Sara C. Folta ◽

Lynn Paul ◽

Miriam E. Nelson ◽

David Strogatz ◽

Meredith Graham ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Healthy Lifestyle ◽

Disease Risk ◽

Cardiovascular Disease Risk ◽

Intervention Group ◽

Self Report ◽

Group Differences ◽

Control Group ◽

Activity Data ◽

Diet And Physical Activity

Abstract Background Women living in rural areas face unique challenges in achieving a heart-healthy lifestyle that are related to multiple levels of the social-ecological framework. The purpose of this study was to evaluate changes in diet and physical activity, which are secondary outcomes of a community-based, multilevel cardiovascular disease risk reduction intervention designed for women in rural communities. Methods Strong Hearts, Healthy Communities was a six-month, community-randomized trial conducted in 16 rural towns in Montana and New York, USA. Sedentary women aged 40 and older with overweight and obesity were recruited. Intervention participants (eight towns) attended twice weekly exercise and nutrition classes for 24 weeks (48 total). Individual-level components included aerobic exercise, progressive strength training, and healthy eating practices; a civic engagement component was designed to address social and built environment factors to support healthy lifestyles. The control group (eight towns) attended didactic healthy lifestyle classes monthly (six total). Dietary and physical activity data were collected at baseline and post-intervention. Dietary data were collected using automated self-administered 24-h dietary recalls, and physical activity data were collected by accelerometry and self-report. Data were analyzed using multilevel linear regression models with town as a random effect. Results At baseline, both groups fell short of meeting many recommendations for cardiovascular health. Compared to the control group, the intervention group realized significant improvements in intake of fruit and vegetables combined (difference: 0.6 cup equivalents per day, 95% CI 0.1 to 1.1, p = .026) and in vegetables alone (difference: 0.3 cup equivalents per day, 95% CI 0.1 to 0.6, p = .016). For physical activity, there were no statistically significant between-group differences based on accelerometry. By self-report, the intervention group experienced a greater increase in walking MET minutes per week (difference: 113.5 MET-minutes per week, 95% CI 12.8 to 214.2, p = .027). Conclusions Between-group differences in dietary and physical activity behaviors measured in this study were minimal. Future studies should consider how to bolster behavioral outcomes in rural settings and may also continue to explore the value of components designed to enact social and environmental change. Trial registration clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT02499731. Registered 16 July 2015.

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