Effects of Metabolic Syndrome on Cognitive Performance of Adults During Exercise

The metabolic syndrome (MS) has been associated with poor performances in multiple cognitive domains, as processing speed, visuo-spatial abilities, and executive functioning. Exercise is a critical factor for MS people’s vulnerability to cognitive dysfunction, because this may be beneficial to reduce cognitive impairment, but limited physical activity and impaired cerebral blood flow in response to exercise have been reported by individuals suffering from MS. Using an attentional interference test, the Bivalent Shape Task (BST), and metaboreflex, we analyzed cognitive performance and cerebral oxygenation (COX) in 13 MS people (five women), and 14 normal age-matched control (CTL, six women). Five different sessions were administered to all participants, each lasting 12 min: control exercise recovery (CER), post-exercise muscle ischemia (PEMI) to activate the metaboreflex, CER + BST, PEMI + BST, and BST alone. During each session, cognitive performance was assessed by means of response times and response accuracy with which participants make the decision and COX was evaluated by near infrared spectroscopy with sensors applied in the forehead. Compared to CTL, MS group performed significantly worse in all sessions (F = 4.18; p = 0.05; ES = 0.13): their poorest performance was observed in the BST alone session. Moreover, when BST was added to PEMI, individuals of the CTL group significantly increased their COX compared to baseline (103.46 ± 3.14%), whereas this capacity was impaired in MS people (102.37 ± 2.46%). It was concluded that: (1) MS affects cognitive performance; (2) people with MS were able to enhance COX during exercise, but they impair their COX when an attentional interference task was added

Inter-individual variability in psychological outcomes of supervised exercise in adults with Type 2 Diabetes

Exercise is a key component in the management of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM), however despite the strong evidence of its protective effects, a majority of the population with this diagnosis remains inactive and those who start an exercise program are not willing to train themselves over the long-term. Self-ef cacy and perceived stress are related to barriers to exercise in T2DM, therefore the aim of this longitudinal study is to investigate variations across time and individual differences in both variables as effects of a supervised exercise training (6 months) in a small sample of persons diagnosed with T2DM. Results show a general decline in the mean values of self-ef cacy and perceived stress at 6 months and a high individual variability in both variables. These results support the need to develop customized pro- grams of exercise in T2DM that take into account different phases of the exercise process and individual variability.El ejercicio es un componente clave en la prevención y el tratamiento de Diabetes Mellitus Tipo 2 (DMT2); sin embargo, a pesar de la fuerte evidencia de sus efectos protectores, la mayoría de las personas con este diagnóstico permanece inactiva y aquellos que comienzan un programa de ejercicio no están dispuestos a entrenar a largo plazo. La autoefcacia y la percepción de estrés se relacionan con las barreras para realizar ejercicio en pacientes T2DM; por lo tanto, el objetivo de este estudio longitudinal consiste en investigar las variaciones a través del tiempo y las diferencias individuales en ambas variables, como efectos de un entrenamiento de ejercicio supervisado (6 meses), en una muestra pequeña de pacientes diagnosticados con TD2M. Los resultados muestran una disminución general de los valores promedio de la autoefcacia y del estrés percibido a los 6 meses y una alta variabilidad individual en ambas variables. Estos resultados apoyan la necesidad de desarrollar programas personalizados de ejercicio en pacientes T2DM con el objetivo de considerar las diferentes fases del proceso de ejercicio y de la variabilidad individual

Type 2 diabetes mellitus, physical activity, exercise self-efficacy, and body satisfaction. An application of the transtheoretical model in older adults

Physical activity (PA) is a relevant component of the treatment of Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). However, to prevent its related morbidities, PA requires an immediate and lasting change of lifestyle. Exercise self-efficacy and body satisfaction were used in a sample of older adults with T2DM, classified in different stages of change, to predict levels of PA. Results show that exercise self-efficacy increases linearly from precontemplation to maintenance stage, while body satisfaction shows an inverted U shape. However, only stages of change, other than exercise self-efficacy, add a significant and noticeable contribution to prediction of levels of PA. This evidence claims a tailored approach to PA in older adults with T2DM and advises behavioural health interventions based on exercise self- efficacy

Mixed effects of a six-month supervised exercise program in overweight and moderately obese adults with Type 2 diabetes mellitus

Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) is often associated with overweight or obesity. Clinical practice guidelines recommend that people with T2DM should regularly perform aerobic and resistance exercise and reduce the amount of time spent sitting. However, most adults with T2DM remain inactive and those who start a program are not willing to maintain exercise for the long run. To evaluate the relationship between supervised exercise, glycemic control, fitness and potential body image a longitudinal study with intervention was conducted. Twenty-three T2DM adults were assessed on Body Mass Index, glycosylated haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), Fitness Index (FI) and Potential Body Image (PBI) at baseline and after completing a six-month supervised exercise program. BMI and Fitness Index were modified by exercise. No group differences were found on HbA1c and PBI. However, significant individual differences in BPI were detected by means of mixed-effects models. A six-month exercise program can affect some biological and clinical parameters as BMI and Fitness Index. High inter-individual variability was observed in PBI. Mixed-effects models should be preferred to the traditional ANOVA's and personalized supervised intervention should be implemented for long-term maintenance of exercise

An evaluation of the Movement ABC-2 Test for use in Italy: A comparison of data from Italy and the UK

Background. The standardized test within the Movement Assessment Battery for Children-2nd edition (MABC-2) is used worldwide to assess motor problems in children. Ideally, any country using a test developed in another country should produce national norms to ensure that it functions effectively in the new context. Aim. The first objective of this study was to explore the differences in motor performance between Italian and British children. The second was to examine the structural validity of the test for the Italian sample. Method. A total of 718 Italian (IT) and 765 British (UK) children, aged 3–10 years, were individually tested on the age-appropriate items of the MABC-2 Test. Results. Developmental trends emerged on every task and differences between IT and UK children were obtained on 11 of 27 task comparisons. Interactions between age and country indicated that differences were not consistently in favor of one culture. Confirmatory factor analysis generally supported the proposed structure of the MABC-2 Test. Conclusion. Although the differences between the IT and the UK children were relatively few, those that did emerge emphasize the need for population specific norms and suggest that cultural diversity in motor experiences should be considered when evaluating motor abilities in children

Type 2 diabetes: negative thoughts to physical activity

The aim of the present study was to examine the relationship between negative thoughts and self-repor- ted physical activity in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), after controlling for social support. Physical activity is key to prevention and management of T2DM and its related morbidities. Numerous barriers have been studied in association with failure to adoption or mainte- nance of physical activity in T2DM (e.g. poor self-efficacy, low motivation). In other chronic diseases, the negative thoughts have shown to modulate the physical activity levels. Negative thoughts hinder the decision to carry out planned physical activity (negative outcome expectations, cons, barriers)

Inter-individual Variability in Psychological Outcomes of Supervised Exercise in Adults with Type 2 Diabetes

Exercise is a key component in the management of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM), however despite the strong evidence of its protective effects, a majority of the population with this diagnosis remains inactive and those who start an exercise program are not willing to train themselves over the long-term. Self-efficacy and perceived stress are related to barriers to exercise in T2DM, therefore the aim of this longitudinal study is to investigate variations across time and individual differences in both variables as effects of a supervised exercise training (6 months) in a small sample of persons diagnosed with T2DM. Results show a general decline in the mean values of self-efficacy and perceived stress at 6 months and a high individual variability in both variables. These results support the need to develop customized programs of exercise in T2DM that take into account different phases of the exercise process and individual variability

Impact of a TV-based assistive technology on older people’s ability to self-manage their own health

Nowadays, special emphasis is being focused on involving people on their own health and care. The use of digital technologies in the home-care management process is increasingly contributing to the maintenance of quality of life and preservation of functional independence in older adults. There is a huge number of available m-health applications for self-tracking health parameters, but the majority of them are inconsistent with the needs of older adults who do not currently use technologies such as computers, smartphones or tablets. The aim of this work is to present a pilot study, which included 19 older adults, that was conducted to objectively measure the effect of a TV-based assistive system on the improvement of older adults’ activation levels about self-management of health. The correlation with the usage of specific digital services provided by the system was also investigated. The results reveal how the impact is limited by the aspecific nature of the intervention with respect to the participants’ health condition. At the same time, they are encouraging and indicate that there is the potential for the system to impact on older people’ self-management skills