scholarly journals FitPi: Wearable IoT solution for a daily smart life

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-79
Author(s):  
Sabin Pruna ◽  
Anca Vasilescu
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Physical Activity ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Voice Recognition ◽  
Vital Signs ◽  
Proof Of Concept ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Past ◽  
Concept Evaluation

AbstractThe extensive implementation of Internet of Things (IoT) solutions and its wide popularity to the public over the past decade enabled emergent applications that provide sophisticated, proactive health care solutions that can improve the quality of life of individuals. This work proposes an IoT architecture and implements a prototype solution that allows its users to improve their physical activity by collecting vital signs using wearables and other environmental and habitual information in order to monitor their activity and propose behaviors in a smart way that will allow them to achieve their preset goals. The focus is on the increased usability of the system employing refined solutions like voice recognition and smart visualization to enable its seamless use while offering an interoperable architecture that will enhance its flexibility. The prototype implementation offers a proof of concept evaluation of the proposed system, applying state of the art technologies and using existing hardware and popular gadgets..

Online Social Exergames for Seniors

2020 ◽  
pp. 1599-1631
Author(s):  
Stathis Th. Konstantinidis ◽  
Ellen Brox ◽  
Per Egil Kummervold ◽  
Josef Hallberg ◽  
Gunn Evertsen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Physical Activity ◽  
Physical Training ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Social Contact ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Current State ◽  
The Future ◽  
The Impact

The population is getting older, and the resources for care will be even more limited in the future than they are now. There is thus an aim for the society that the seniors can manage themselves as long as possible, while at the same time keeping a high quality of life. Physical activity is important to stay fit, and social contact is important for the quality of life. The aim of this chapter is to provide a state-of-the-art of online social exergames for seniors, providing glimpses of senior users' opinions and games limitations. The importance of the motivational techniques is emphasized, as well as the impact that the exergames have to seniors. It contributes to the book objectives focusing on current state and practice in health games for physical training and rehabilitation and the use of gamification, exploring future opportunities and uses of gamification in eHealth and discussing the respective challenges and limitations.

scholarly journals Cognitive Rehabilitation in Patients with Gliomas and Other Brain Tumors: State of the Art

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Bergo ◽  
G. Lombardi ◽  
A. Pambuku ◽  
A. Della Puppa ◽  
L. Bellu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Brain Tumors ◽  
Cognitive Deficits ◽  
Cognitive Rehabilitation ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Daily Life ◽  
The Past ◽  
Disease Prognosis

Disease prognosis is very poor in patients with brain tumors. Cognitive deficits due to disease or due to its treatment have an important weight on the quality of life of patients and caregivers. Studies often take into account quality of life as a fundamental element in the management of disease and interventions have been developed for cognitive rehabilitation of neuropsychological deficits with the aim of improving the quality of life and daily-life autonomy of patients. In this literature review, we will consider the published studies of cognitive rehabilitation over the past 20 years.

scholarly journals FOOD AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY: an ethnographic study

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. a12en
Author(s):  
Jeferson Bertolini ◽  
Carmen Rial
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Physical Activity ◽  
Daily Life ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Ethnographic Study ◽  
Fitness Center ◽  
The Public ◽  
Health And Well Being

This article presents the results of a study with supermarket customers and fitness center users. The research shows that the daily life of these individuals (here called "the public") contemplates elements of the mediatic discourse about health and well-being. In the perspective of this study, this discourse is compatible with biopower, the power technique that seeks to create economically active bodies. The work uses participant observation. It was carried out in Santa Catarina, State recognized by the indices of human development and quality of life. The manuscript concludes that among the public, elements of the mediatic discourse appear in daily practices that result in an efficient body, or body conomically active.

scholarly journals Sport and physical activity across the lifespan: “Sports Trajectory Questionnaire”

2021 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-83
Author(s):  
Marta Moragas ◽  
Verònica Riera Batalla
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Physical Activity ◽  
Sport Participation ◽  
Developmental Psychology ◽  
Pilot Test ◽  
The Past ◽  
Sport Activities ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Activity Questionnaire

Activity and participation in sport have garnered a great deal of attention over the past few decades, due in part to growing awareness of the benefits they offer that lead to a better quality of life. This situation has opened up new lines of investigation in the sport sciences field, including the study of physical activity and sport participation according to the perspective of Lifespan Developmental Psychology, the approach that underlies this study. The aim of this research is (1) to design an instrument to collect information on individuals’ lifelong relationships with sport and physical activity (2) to implement the instrument through a pilot test to create profiles that can be compared with other variables, all in order to study the role that physical activity and sport participation play in a range of aspects throughout the lifespan. The results indicate the questionnaire was effective and capable of collecting data on the physical and sport activities of the members of the sample at different moments in the lifespan. It was also able to generate profiles that can be used to analyze the variables of participation in sport and/or physical activity in conjunction with other variable, thus offering a way  to measure the impact of physical activity on human development. Keywords: Sports trajectories; lifespan; physical activity questionnaire; physical activity profiles

scholarly journals Physical activity in working mothers: Running low impacts quality of life

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 ◽  
pp. 174550652092916
Author(s):  
Christine A Limbers ◽  
Christina McCollum ◽  
Kelly R Ylitalo ◽  
Mikki Hebl
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Physical Activity ◽  
United States ◽  
Working Mothers ◽  
Work Productivity ◽  
The United States ◽  
World Health ◽  
The Past ◽  
Recommended Guidelines

Objectives: The transition to motherhood is associated with declines in physical activity in women. Working mothers may be particularly at-risk for low levels of physical activity, since they have to balance the competing interests of work and family life, and exercise often takes a backseat to more seemingly pressing concerns. The potential benefits working mothers can experience from physical activity are numerous. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the percentage of working mothers from the United States who met the World Health Organization’s and the American College of Sports Medicine’s recommended guidelines for weekly physical activity and investigate the associations between physical activity, quality of life, and self-rated work productivity in this sample of working mothers. Methods: Participants were 334 working mothers from the United States (mean age = 35.00 years; standard deviation (SD) = 5.85; 77.8% White) recruited from a Qualtrics research panel. To be eligible to participate in the study, a woman had to be 18 years or older with at least one child aged 5 years or younger, work at least 30 h per week at a job, live with her child(ren) at least 50% of the time, and have a minimum of a bachelor’s degree. Participants completed the Godin leisure time exercise questionnaire, the World Health Organization—five well-being index, a single-item indicator of self-rated work productivity, and a demographic questionnaire. Results: Of the working mothers in the sample, 45.5% met the recommended guidelines of at least 150 min of moderate exercise in the past week. Approximately 39% of working mothers reported engaging in no 30-min bouts of strenuous exercise in the past week. Non-white working mothers, working mothers with a higher singular annual income, and working mothers who obtained a higher educational level were more likely to meet the recommended guidelines for physical activity in the past week. Meeting the recommended physical activity guidelines in the past week was associated with better quality of life ( r = 0.39; p < 0.001) and self-rated work productivity ( r = 0.13; p < 0.05). Only the association between physical activity and quality of life remained significant in a multivariate analysis (standardized beta coefficient = 0.33; p < 0.001) after controlling for race/ethnicity, maternal singular annual income, and maternal highest level of education. Conclusion: Our findings highlight that working mothers in the United States are a group at risk for low levels of physical activity. Given the great benefits that these women do experience as a function of getting exercise, it is critically important we pay more attention to how individual, organizational, and societal-level interventions might assist them in attaining target levels of physical activity.

scholarly journals Physical Activity and Quality of Life of University Students, Their Parents, and Grandparents in Poland—Selected Determinants

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (8) ◽  
pp. 3871
Author(s):  
Katarzyna Kotarska ◽  
Maria Alicja Nowak ◽  
Leonard Nowak ◽  
Paweł Król ◽  
Artur Sochacki ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Physical Activity ◽  
Physical Education ◽  
University Students ◽  
World Health ◽  
Physical Culture ◽  
Life Questionnaire ◽  
Mothers And Fathers ◽  
The Past

Physical activity is one of the factors conditioning human health. Research shows a positive impact of regular physical activity on the quality of human life. The aim of the study was to determine the relationship between the physical activity of university students, their parents, and their grandparents, and the overall quality of their lives in individual domains (physical, mental, social, environmental), as well as the perceived state of health in relation to selected determinants. The research included 1001 participants, including 253 students related to physical culture and health promotion studying at the University of Szczecin (faculties: physical education, tourism and recreation, public health, sports diagnostics), and their 336 parents and 412 grandparents. Purposive sampling was used to outline the determinants of quality of life and family factors in physical activity. The diagnostic survey was carried out based on the standardized WHOQOL-BREF (World Health Organization Quality of Life) questionnaire. Statistically significant differences were shown in the studied generations regarding the assessment of quality of life and satisfaction with health in the physical, psychological, social, and environmental domains. The oldest generation gave the lowest assessment of quality of life and was the least satisfied with their health regarding particular domains. Female students were more satisfied with their health compared to grandmothers and grandfathers, whereas male students compared to mothers and fathers. Fathers achieved the highest scores in the psychological and social domains, but, in case of the latter, differences were found between mothers’ and fathers’ assessments. Intergenerational differences were found in quality of life and the assessment of health status. Current participation in broadly understood physical culture was often a result of positive attitudes towards physical education and doing sport in the past, which meant higher scores in the physical domain each time. The study demonstrated that taking up physical activity impacted the quality of life and assessment of health in the past and currently.

Online Social Exergames for Seniors

2016 ◽  
pp. 245-276 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stathis Th. Konstantinidis ◽  
Ellen Brox ◽  
Per Egil Kummervold ◽  
Josef Hallberg ◽  
Gunn Evertsen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Physical Activity ◽  
Physical Training ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Social Contact ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Current State ◽  
The Future ◽  
The Impact

The population is getting older, and the resources for care will be even more limited in the future than they are now. There is thus an aim for the society that the seniors can manage themselves as long as possible, while at the same time keeping a high quality of life. Physical activity is important to stay fit, and social contact is important for the quality of life. The aim of this chapter is to provide a state-of-the-art of online social exergames for seniors, providing glimpses of senior users' opinions and games limitations. The importance of the motivational techniques is emphasized, as well as the impact that the exergames have to seniors. It contributes to the book objectives focusing on current state and practice in health games for physical training and rehabilitation and the use of gamification, exploring future opportunities and uses of gamification in eHealth and discussing the respective challenges and limitations.

scholarly journals Efficacy of a Community-Based Technology-Enabled Physical Activity Counseling Program for People With Knee Osteoarthritis: Proof-of-Concept Study (Preprint)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda C Li ◽  
Eric C Sayre ◽  
Hui Xie ◽  
Ryan S Falck ◽  
John R Best ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Physical Activity ◽  
Knee Osteoarthritis ◽  
Daily Living ◽  
Activity Of Daily Living ◽  
Proof Of Concept ◽  
Counseling Program ◽  
Activity Counseling ◽  
Mean Time

BACKGROUND Current practice guidelines emphasize the use of physical activity as the first-line treatment of knee osteoarthritis; however, up to 90% of people with osteoarthritis are inactive. OBJECTIVE We aimed to assess the efficacy of a technology-enabled counseling intervention for improving physical activity in people with either a physician-confirmed diagnosis of knee osteoarthritis or having passed two validated criteria for early osteoarthritis. METHODS We conducted a proof-of-concept randomized controlled trial. The immediate group received a brief education session by a physical therapist, a Fitbit Flex, and four biweekly phone calls for activity counseling. The delayed group received the same intervention 2 months later. Participants were assessed at baseline (T0) and at the end of 2 months (T1), 4 months (T2), and 6 months (T3). Outcomes included (1) mean time on moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA ≥3 metabolic equivalents [METs], primary outcome), (2) mean time on MVPA ≥4 METs, (3) mean daily steps, (4) mean time on sedentary activities, (5) Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS), and (6) Partners in Health scale. Mixed-effects repeated measures analysis of variance was used to assess five planned contrasts of changes in outcome measures over measurement periods. The five contrasts were (1) immediate T1-T0 vs delayed T1-T0, (2) delayed T2-T1 vs delayed T1-T0, (3) mean of contrast 1 and contrast 2, (4) immediate T1-T0 vs delayed T2-T1, and (5) mean of immediate T2-T1 and delayed T3-T2. The first three contrasts estimate the between-group effects. The latter two contrasts estimate the effect of the 2-month intervention delay on outcomes. RESULTS We recruited 61 participants (immediate: n=30; delayed: n=31). Both groups were similar in age (immediate: mean 61.3, SD 9.4 years; delayed: mean 62.1, SD 8.5 years) and body mass index (immediate: mean 29.2, SD 5.5 kg/m2; delayed: mean 29.2, SD 4.8 kg/m2). Contrast analyses revealed significant between-group effects in MVPA ≥3 METs (contrast 1 coefficient: 26.6, 95% CI 4.0-49.1, P=.02; contrast 3 coefficient: 26.0, 95% CI 3.1-49.0, P=.03), daily steps (contrast 1 coefficient: 1699.2, 95% CI 349.0-3049.4, P=.02; contrast 2 coefficient: 1601.8, 95% CI 38.7-3164.9, P=.045; contrast 3 coefficient: 1650.5, 95% CI 332.3-2968.7; P=.02), KOOS activity of daily living subscale (contrast 1 coefficient: 6.9, 95% CI 0.1-13.7, P=.047; contrast 3 coefficient: 7.2, 95% CI 0.8-13.6, P=.03), and KOOS quality of life subscale (contrast 1 coefficient: 7.4, 95% CI 0.0-14.7, P=.049; contrast 3 coefficient: 7.3, 95% CI 0.1-14.6, P=.048). We found no significant effect in any outcome measures due to the 2-month delay of the intervention. CONCLUSIONS Our counseling program improved MVPA ≥3 METs, daily steps, activity of daily living, and quality of life in people with knee osteoarthritis. These findings are important because an active lifestyle is an important component of successful self-management. CLINICALTRIAL ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02315664; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02315664 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6ynSgUyUC)

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