The "Pattupattu": A historical, social and linguistic study.

The Thesis is a study of the Pattuppattu, a collection of ten Tamil poems, from a historical, social and linguistic point of view. References from the Ettuttokai, an Anthology of eight works belonging to the same period, are also given in support of the data gathered from the Pattuppattu. the material has been dealt with under various heads and the whole thesis is divided into four main parts, namely, Historical, Religious, Social and Linguistic. In the Introduction, besides a general account of the ten poems, the term Sangam, the works that may be called Sangam works, and how and when they were collected, have been discussed. In Part I, historical background and chronology of the period, kings and chiefs celebrated in Pattuppattu, kingship, administration, revenue etc. have been examined. Part II deals deals with the religion and religious cults of the period and includes an examination of the Aryan and Dravidian gods, religious practices, traces of Buddhism and Jainism, superstition and mythology etc. In Part III, social structure, influence of the Brahmans, life of the people of the different regions, occupations, industry and trade, marriage, fine arts etc. have been dealt with. Part IV is a linguistic study where the non Tamil words appearing in the Pattuppattu are examined, obsolete grammatical forms and words are discussed, the prosody of the poems is analysed and the points of difference between the Pattuppattu and similar Sanskrit poems with regard to subject matter, treatment etc. are worked out

Physical activity and quality of life in severely obese individuals seeking bariatric surgery or lifestyle intervention

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Given that bariatric surgery (BS) and lifestyle intervention (LI) represent two vastly different approaches to treating severe obesity, there is growing interest in whether individuals who seek BS versus LI also differ on weight-related behaviors. In the present study, we compared BS- and LI-seekers on physical activity (PA) and sedentary behaviors (SB), and examined between-group differences in health-related quality of life (HRQoL), while controlling for PA.</p> <p>Findings</p> <p>A sample of 34 LI-seekers were matched with 34 BS-seekers on gender, age, BMI, and PA monitor-daily wear time (age: 42.1±10.0 years; BMI: 45.6±6.5 kg/m²). PA and SB were assessed over a 7-day period via the SenseWear Armband (SWA). HRQoL was measured using the SF-36, with scores standardized to a population normal distribution (M=50, SD=10). Participants wore the SWA for 13.7±1.6 h/day. BS-seekers did not differ from LI-seekers on average min/d over the wear period spent in SB (641±117.1 vs. 638.4±133.4, <it>p</it>=0.62) or light (136.4±76.1 vs. 145.5±72.5, <it>p</it>=0.59) and moderate-to-vigorous (>1-min bouts=36.4±26.2 vs. 40.2±31.3, <it>p</it>=0.59; ≥10-min bouts=5.7±8.3 vs. 10.2±17.0, <it>p</it>=0.17) PA. BS-seekers reported significantly lower SF-36 physical functioning (42.4±10.9 vs. 49.0±6.8, <it>p</it>=0.004) and physical component summary (43.9±10.1 vs. 48.9±7.0) scores versus LI-seekers. BS-seeker group status was related to lower physical functioning (β=0.30, <it>p</it>=0.009), independent of gender, age, BMI, and daily PA.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Findings suggest that seeking BS versus LI is not related to patterns of PA or SB, and that lower subjective physical functioning is not associated with lower overall PA levels in BS-seekers.</p

Associations of daily weight management‐focused social support with weight loss, activity behaviors, and eating regulation in the context of metabolic and bariatric surgery

Abstract Objective Greater perceived social support (PSS) is associated with more favorable changes in weight loss, activity behaviors, and eating regulation after metabolic and bariatric surgery (MBS). However, studies have relied on generic, retrospective PSS measures, and stability of PSS levels and relations with weight loss and weight‐related behaviors over time is unknown. Using smartphone‐based Ecological Momentary Assessment, this study evaluated pre‐to 1‐year post‐MBS changes in daily weight management‐focused PSS and associations with weight loss, device‐measured activity behaviors, and eating regulation before and during the initial year after MBS. Method Adult MBS patients (n = 71) received (1) an accelerometer to measure daily moderate‐to‐vigorous intensity physical activity (MVPA) and sedentary time (ST) minutes/day, and (2) a smartphone to complete morning weight‐focused PSS ratings and eating regulation (dietary restraint/disinhibition) ratings at four semi‐random times daily for 10 days at pre‐ and 3, 6, and 12‐month postoperative. Generalized linear mixed models analyzed the associations of PSS with total weight loss (%TWL) and activity/eating outcomes. Results Participants on average reported relatively stable moderate‐to‐high PSS (3.98 on one to five scale) across assessments. Perceived social support was not related to %TWL, MVPA, or ST. Participants with higher PSS reported lower disinhibition and higher restraint than those with lower PSS (ps < 0.05); however, participants reported higher restraint on days that PSS was lower than their usual levels (p = 0.009). Conclusions MBS patients on average had stable PSS levels across time. Higher PSS levels were associated with greater resistance to overeating cues (disinhibition) and cognitive control to restrict food intake (restraint) over time. Additionally, participants reported higher restraint when PSS levels were lower than usual. Overall, weight‐focused PSS appeared to hold greater importance in relation to regulating eating behavior than engaging in activity behaviors or weight loss among MBS patients during the initial postoperative year. Clinical Trial Registration NCT02777177

Multi-sensor ecological momentary assessment of behavioral and psychosocial predictors of weight loss following bariatric surgery: study protocol for a multicenter prospective longitudinal evaluation

Abstract Background Bariatric surgery is currently the most effective strategy for producing significant and durable weight loss. Yet, not all patients achieve initial weight loss success and some degree of weight regain is very common, sometimes as early as 1–2 years post-surgery. Suboptimal weight loss not fully explained by surgical, demographic, and medical factors has led to greater emphasis on patient behaviors evidenced by clinical guidelines for appropriate eating and physical activity. However, research to inform such guidelines has often relied on imprecise measures or not been specific to bariatric surgery. There is also little understanding of what psychosocial factors and environmental contexts impact outcomes. To address research gaps and measurement limitations, we designed a protocol that innovatively integrates multiple measurement tools to determine which behaviors, environmental contexts, and psychosocial factors are related to outcomes and explore how psychosocial factors/environmental contexts influence weight. This paper provides a detailed description of our study protocol with a focus on developing and deploying a multi-sensor assessment tool to meet our study aims. Methods This NIH-funded prospective cohort study evaluates behavioral, psychosocial, and environmental predictors of weight loss after bariatric surgery using a multi-sensor platform that integrates objective sensors and self-report information collected via smartphone in real-time in patients’ natural environment. A target sample of 100 adult, bariatric surgery patients (ages 21–70) use this multi-sensor platform at preoperative baseline, as well as 3, 6, and 12 months postoperatively, to assess recommended behaviors (e.g., meal frequency, physical activity), psychosocial indicators with prior evidence of an association with surgical outcomes (e.g., mood/depression), and key environmental factors (e.g., type/quality of food environment). Weight also is measured at each assessment point. Discussion This project has the potential to build a more sophisticated and valid understanding of behavioral and psychosocial factors contributing to success and risk after bariatric surgery. This new understanding could directly contribute to improved (i.e., specific, consistent, and validated) guidelines for recommended pre- and postoperative behaviors, which could lead to improved surgical outcomes. These data will also inform behavioral, psychosocial, and environmental targets for adjunctive interventions to improve surgical outcomes. Trial registration Registered trial NCT02777177 on 5/19/2016