Motivos para hacer ejercicio

El propósito de esta investigación es ilustrar parte de las diversas razones por las cuales las personas hacen ejercicio físico, particularmente en su edad adulta, sobre todo por lo que se refiere a temas que puede ser interesante subrayar en futuras campañas. La muestra consistió en 2 grupos: el primero con 165 sujetos del personal no académico de la Universidad de Exeter, y el segundo con 58 mujeres que asistían a clases de gimnasia en un centro deportivo local. Los dos grupos contestaron a un cuestionario diseñado para medir varios aspectos de niveles de actividad física, importancia percibida de las diferentes razones para hacer ejercicio, y autopuntuación relativa al nivel de actividad y algunos detalles personales. Los resultados de este estudio han mostrado que hay diferencias entre hombres y mujeres, no tanto en la suma de ejercicio total que hacen, sino más bien, en términos de sus razones para hacer ese ejercicio, y también en cuanto a sus autopuntuaciones en relación con los niveles de actividad física. Los otros resultados principales están referidos a las diferencias entre aquellos que asisten o que no asisten a deportes organizados o a clases de ejercicio físico en términos de sus razones para hacer ejercicio. Los resultados apuntan en general a la deseabilidad de una aproximación multifactorial a la educación sanitaria dirigida a promocionar una participación en niveles más altos de ejercicio por parte de la población adulta.The purpose of this research is to illustrate part of the variety of reasons for people engaging in physical exercise, particularly in middle adulthood, so as to point to themes that may be worth emphasing in future campaigns. The sample consisted of two groups: the first one consisted of 165 subjects from non-academic staff of the University of Exeter, and the second one consisted of 58 women attending exercise classes at a local sports centre. 8oth of two groups answered a questionnaire designed to measure various aspects of physical activity levels, perceived importance of different reasons for exercise, self-ratings related to activity level and some personal details. The findings of this study have shown that there are differences between men and women, not so much in the amount of exercise they took, but in terms of their reasons for doing so, and their self-ratings in relation to levels of physical activity. The other main findings of note relate to the differences between those attending or not attending organised sports or exercise in terms of their reasons for taking exercise. The results therefore point to the desirability of a multifaceted approach to health education aimed at promoting higher levels of exercise participation among the adult population

How do men in the United Kingdom decide to dispose of banked sperm following cancer treatment?

Current policy in the UK recommends that men bank sperm prior to cancer treatment, but very few return to use it for reproductive purposes or agree to elective disposal even when their fertility recovers and their families are complete. We assessed the demographic, medical and psychological variables that influence the decision to dispose by contacting men (n = 499) who banked sperm more than five years previously, and asked them to complete questionnaires about their views on sperm banking, fertility and disposal. From 193 responses (38.7% response rate), 19 men (9.8%) requested disposal within four months of completing the questionnaire. Compared with men who wanted their sperm to remain in storage, they were significantly more confident that their fertility had recovered (OR = 1.78, 95% CI = 1.05-3.03, p = 0.034), saw fertility monitoring (semen analysis) as less important (OR = 0.61, 95% CI = 0.39-0.94, p = 0.026), held more positive attitudes to disposal (OR = 5.71, 95% CI = 2.89-11.27, p < 0.001), were more likely to have experienced adverse treatment side-effects (OR = 4.37, CI = 1.61-11.85, p = 0.004) and had less desire for children in the future (OR = 0.41, 95% CI = 0.26-0.64, p < 0.001). Information about men's reasons to dispose of banked sperm may be helpful in devising new strategies to encourage men to engage with sperm banking clinics and make timely decisions about the fate of their samples

Identifying predictors of attitudes towards local onshore wind development with reference to an English case study

The threats posed by climate change are placing governments under increasing pressure to meet electricity demand from low-carbon sources. In many countries, including the UK, legislation is in place to ensure the continued expansion of renewable energy capacity. Onshore wind turbines are expected to play a key role in achieving these aims. However, despite high levels of public support for onshore wind development in principle, specific projects often experience local opposition. Traditionally this difference in general and specific attitudes has been attributed to NIMBYism (not in my back yard), but evidence is increasingly calling this assumption into question. This study used multiple regression analysis to identify what factors might predict attitudes towards mooted wind development in Sheffield, England. We report on the attitudes of two groups; one group (target) living close to four sites earmarked for development and an unaffected comparison group (comparison). We found little evidence of NIMBYism amongst members of the target group; instead, differences between general and specific attitudes appeared attributable to uncertainty regarding the proposals. The results are discussed with respect to literature highlighting the importance of early, continued and responsive community involvement in combating local opposition and facilitating the deployment of onshore wind turbines. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved