Psychophysiological Tracking of a Female Physique Competitor Through Competition Preparation

International Journal of Exercise Science 10(2): 301-311, 2017. Natural physique competitions are based on subjective judgments of how a competitor appears on show day. Prior to competition, there is a prolonged dieting phase referred to as contest preparation. The primary goal is to reduce body fat levels while maintaining skeletal muscle mass. The study tracked the physiological and psychological changes for a 24 year old female preparing for a physique competition. Purpose: The study was conducted to describe the physiological and psychological changes of a female physique competitor who engages in long-term contest preparation. Methods: Diet, body composition, blood work, energy expenditure, mood, and performance were evaluated through contest preparation. Results: The participant lost 10.1kg throughout contest preparation in a strong weekly linear pattern (R2=0.97). Body fat was reduced from 30.45% to 15.85% while fat free mass was maintained. Mood for the participant remained stable until month five, when an observed variation occurred, with performance maintaining. Conclusions: Contest preparation was successful in reducing the body fat in the participant while having a minimum effect on both performance and fat free mass. For athletes looking to lose large amounts of body fat with minimal performance decrements a prolonged diet period with moderate exercise and food restriction can be an effective solution

Validity of the Bottle Buoyancy Model for Body Fat Determination

International Journal of Exercise Science 10(1): 87-96, 2017. We investigated a modification of the bottle buoyancy (BB) method in comparison to single frequency, bioelectric impedance analysis (BIA) as a valid noninvasive method of percent body fat (%BF) determination. Twenty-eight participants (15 men, 13 women), in counterbalanced-order, completed the BB, BIA, and computerized hydrostatic densitometry (HD) methods. We elected to modify the BB method using a 12.15 L container with participants hugging the container in an upright position. Consistency measures of intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), typical error (TE), coefficient of variation (CV) and total error of measurement (TEM) are reported. Our modification of the BB resulted in less “bobbing” than described in the previous method, and took ~5 to 15 min per participant to complete. Group values (%BF) did not differ (p \u3e 0.05) for BB (20.7 ± 6.6), BIA (21.0 ± 9.7), and HD (20.2 ± 7.2). Strong measurement agreement was observed between BB and HD (ICC: 0.95, TE: 1.80 %BF, CV: 10.7%, TEM: 1.77 %BF). Agreement between BIA and HD (ICC: 0.85, TE: 3.35 %BF, CV: 19.6%, TEM: 3.29 %BF) was lower than BB. Our modification of the BB method resulted in similar measurement consistency with the originating method. The BB method appears to represent a valid surrogate measure of %BF, superior to that observed with BIA

Health and wellness coaching positively impacts individuals with chronic pain and pain-related interference.

ObjectivesHealth and wellness coaching (HWC) interventions have been reported to improve health outcomes for individuals with chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, or cancer. However, HWC also holds potential as an effective intervention within a biopsychosocial chronic pain management framework. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of HWC on individuals with chronic pain.MethodsParticipants were referred by their primary care provider or insurance company to a comprehensive telephonic 12-month pain management HWC program. Relationships between pain outcomes and physical and psychological factors were retrospectively analyzed. Mixed linear-effects modeling explored whether physical and psychological variables were associated with pain outcomes over time.ResultsFour hundred nineteen participants (female, 58.9%; mean age, 54.8) enrolled in the program and 181 completed the intervention. After 12 months in the program, statistically and clinically significant reductions were observed for pain intensity (Hedges' g = 1.00) and pain-related interference (Hedges' g = 1.13). Linear mixed-effects modeling indicated that improvements in physical functioning and psychological factors were associated with improvements in pain intensity.DiscussionOur results provide a novel analysis on the effects of HWC on chronic pain and pain-related interference. HWC appears to be a promising intervention to improve pain-related outcomes in a population with chronic pain. Further investigation of HWC as an intervention for chronic pain is warranted

Influence of elbow angle on the reliability and validity of bioelectrical impedance analysis

Hand-to-hand bioelectrical impedance (HH BIA) is a low-cost method to estimate percent body fat (%BF). The BIA method is consistently reliable, but questions on validity remain. We have observed anecdotally that elbow position can render consistently different measures of %BF while using HH BIA, thus leading to the question: Does elbow angle influence the validity of measures derived using HH BIA? The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of elbow position (i.e., IN=flexed to 90° versus OUT=fully extended) on the reliability of HH BIA on 44 male and 24 female healthy adults (age=21±2 yrs, BMI=23±3). An additional aim was to assess the validity of the HH BIA %BF on a subset of subjects (n=12) using air displacement plethysmography (BOD POD®) as the criterion measure. The IN position was ~4%BF lower than the OUT position for HH BIA (p=0.05, effect size=0.67). Measures of %BF for both trials for the IN [intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC)=0.99, coefficient of variation (CV)=2.99%] and OUT (ICC=0.99, CV=1.48%) conditions were highly reliable. On the subsample, the OUT (18.3±6.7 %BF) position exceeded both the IN (14.5±7.4 %BF) and the BOD POD® (16.1±7.8 %BF) measures (p<0.05); however, IN and BOD POD® measures of %BF did not differ (p=0.21). These findings support that HH BIA is a reliable measure at both elbow positions; however, %BF estimations vary considerably (~4%) with respect to the criterion measure depending on elbow position. The OUT position was found to overestimate criteria %BF. Further research may reveal an optimum elbow angle position for HH BIA estimates of %BF

USAGE PATTERNS, PERCEIVED HEALTH EFFECTS, AND QUALITY OF LIFE AMONG YOUNG ADULT ELECTRONIC CIGARETTE USERS

BACKGROUND: Electronic cigarettes (EC) are devices that deliver nicotine and other substances by heating a liquid solution to produce an aerosol that is inhaled. Popularity of EC use among college students and young adults has increased dramatically over the last decade, with a scarcity of research investigating the potential deleterious impact on health and well-being. Identifying associations between EC use, perceived health effects, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) may provide valuable insights into lifestyle factors and conditions linked to EC use in young adults. METHODS: Targeted social media advertising was used to collect a convenience, respondent-driven sample of EC users. Subjects (ages 21-45 years) completed an online questionnaire that included measures of tobacco and EC use, perceived health effects, HRQoL assessed using the brief version of World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL-BREF), and sociodemographic factors. RESULTS: Survey respondents were predominantly young adults, 67% of whom identified as former cigarette smokers. Former smokers (62%) reported perceiving EC use as less harmful than tobacco cigarettes, compared to 30% of current smokers (p=.010). The majority (92.4%) of participants reported at least one adverse health effect attributable to EC use. WHOQOL-BREF scores were as follows: overall QOL (63.32 ± 20.45), physical health (60.44 ± 9.74), psychological well-being (60.51 ± 11.30), social relationships (64.31 ± 16.31), and environment (64.91 ± 12.97). The linear combination of QOL scores was significantly different based on smoking status (p=.008). CONCLUSIONS: The present study contributes to the limited literature on the associations of EC use with perceived health and HRQoL, especially in young adult populations. These associations may also identify groups most likely in need of targeted interventions to reduce health-related inequalities