Exercise-induced changes in body fat, upper leg skeletal muscle area, BMI and body weight in overweight people with risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes

The study compared effects of maximal resistance training (MRT) versus endurance resistance training (ERT) in overweight people at risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes. Dependent variables included changes in body fat %, upper leg skeletal muscle area (left + right), BMI and body weight pre-to post intervention. Eighteen individuals, 33-69 years of age, were randomly assigned to one of two groups. Group 1 engaged in MRT three days/week over a four month period while members of Group 2 acted as controls. Later, Group 2 engaged in ERT three days/week over a four month period and the members acted as their own controls. Both interventions consisted of eight exercises. Pre- to post changes were significant for MRT with a reduction in BMI (p=0.013) and body weight (p=0.010), while percentage of body fat was significantly reduced (p=0.009) and skeletal muscle area increased (p=0.021) with ERT. The results support both approaches as interventions in primary prevention of obesity and consequently in reducing risk of Type 2 Diabetes

Jakten på helsefremmende faktorer i epidemiologisk forskning: Eksempler fra Helseundersøkelsen i Nord-Trøndelag (HUNT)

Epidemiologisk forskning har tradisjonelt hatt fokus på å studere utbredelsen av sykdommer, risikofaktorer og årsaksfaktorer, og med forebygging som et hovedmål. Forskning på helsefremming har som hensikt å undersøke hvilke faktorer som er vesentlige for å styrke helsa til enkeltmennesker og befolkninger, og undersøke hvilke ressurser som kjennetegner mennesker og samfunn som utmerker seg med god helse. Kunnskapen fra forsking om helsefremmende faktorer skal brukes til å styrke folks helse og mestringsfølelse, enten de i utgangspunktet er friske eller syke. Det er derfor vesentlige forskjeller på både tenkning og empiri knyttet til helsefremming sammenlignet med forebygging. Helsefremming er i dag blitt en viktig innfallsvinkel til helseutfordringer verden over, og i helsefremmende arbeid er politiske beslutninger og policyarbeid en viktig del av prosessene. Men helsefremmende tenkning har enda ikke fått ordentlig fotfeste innen epidemiologien. Målet med denne artikkelen er å beskrive mulighetene for å finne ny kunnskap om helsefremmende faktorer i norske befolkningsdatabaser, med Helseundersøkelsen i Nord-Trøndelag (HUNT) som et eksempel. I HUNT er det allerede samlet ei rekke helsefremmende faktorer, som fysisk aktivitet, kosthold, sans for humor, sosial kapital, livssyn og deltakelse i kulturaktiviteter, og flere studier er publisert. Opplevelse av sammenheng (sense of coherence) og engasjement er andre viktige helsefremmende faktorer. Sammenhengen mellom musikk og helse har vært kjent lenge, og ei rekke studier har vist både nevrologiske, hormonelle, immunologiske, psykiske og sosiale effekter av musikk. Også for flere av de andre helsefremmende faktorene er det beskrevet biologiske effekter, og to oppfølgingsstudier av sans for humor har vist tydelig effekt på dødelighet. Konklusjonen er at epidemiologiske studier kan være viktige kilder til kunnskap om helsefremmende faktorer, og slike studier kan dermed gi vesentlige bidrag til folkehelsearbeidet. Det aller beste vil være å satse på triangulering av kvalitative (intervju), deskriptive (kvantitativ kartlegging/tverrsnittsstudier) og eksperimentelle (kausale) metoder, alle med fokus på utvikling av kunnskap om en bestemt faktor basert på data fra en og samme populasjon

Jakten på helsefremmende faktorer i epidemiologisk forskning : Eksempler fra Helseundersøkelsen i Nord-Trøndelag (HUNT)

Epidemiologisk forskning har tradisjonelt hatt fokus på å studere utbredelsen av sykdommer, risikofaktorer og årsaksfaktorer, og med forebygging som et hovedmål. Forskning på helsefremming har som hensikt å undersøke hvilke faktorer som er vesentlige for å styrke helsa til enkeltmennesker og befolkninger, og undersøke hvilke ressurser som kjennetegner mennesker og samfunn som utmerker seg med god helse. Kunnskapen fra forsking om helsefremmende faktorer skal brukes til å styrke folks helse og mestringsfølelse, enten de i utgangspunktet er friske eller syke. Det er derfor vesentlige forskjeller på både tenkning og empiri knyttet til helsefremming sammenlignet med forebygging. Helsefremming er i dag blitt en viktig innfallsvinkel til helseutfordringer verden over, og i helsefremmende arbeid er politiske beslutninger og policyarbeid en viktig del av prosessene. Men helsefremmende tenkning har enda ikke fått ordentlig fotfeste innen epidemiologien. Målet med denne artikkelen er å beskrive mulighetene for å finne ny kunnskap om helsefremmende faktorer i norske befolkningsdatabaser, med Helseundersøkelsen i Nord-Trøndelag (HUNT) som et eksempel. I HUNT er det allerede samlet ei rekke helsefremmende faktorer, som fysisk aktivitet, kosthold, sans for humor, sosial kapital, livssyn og deltakelse i kulturaktiviteter, og flere studier er publisert. Opplevelse av sammenheng (sense of coherence) og engasjement er andre viktige helsefremmende faktorer. Sammenhengen mellom musikk og helse har vært kjent lenge, og ei rekke studier har vist både nevrologiske, hormonelle, immunologiske, psykiske og sosiale effekter av musikk. Også for flere av de andre helsefremmende faktorene er det beskrevet biologiske effekter, og to oppfølgingsstudier av sans for humor har vist tydelig effekt på dødelighet. Konklusjonen er at epidemiologiske studier kan være viktige kilder til kunnskap om helsefremmende faktorer, og slike studier kan dermed gi vesentlige bidrag til folkehelsearbeidet. Det aller beste vil være å satse på triangulering av kvalitative (intervju), deskriptive (kvantitativ kartlegging/tverrsnittsstudier) og eksperimentelle (kausale) metoder, alle med fokus på utvikling av kunnskap om en bestemt faktor basert på data fra en og samme populasjon.publishedVersio

Headache and musculoskeletal complaints among subjects with self reported whiplash injury. The HUNT-2 study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>To evaluate the life-time prevalence of self reported whiplash injury and the relationship to chronic musculoskeletal complaints (MSCs) and headache in a large unselected adult population.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Between 1995 and 1997, all inhabitants 20 years and older in Nord-Trondelag county in Norway were invited to a comprehensive health survey. Out of 92,936 eligible for participation, a total of 59,104 individuals (63.6%) answered the question about whiplash injury (whiplash). Among these, 46,895 (79.3%) responded to the questions of musculoskeletal complaints and headache.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The total life-time prevalence of self reported whiplash injury was 2.9%, for women 2.7% and for men 3.0%. There was a significant association between self reported whiplash injury and headache (OR = 2.1; 95% CI 1.8-2.4), and chronic MSCs (OR = 3.3; 95% CI 2.8-3.8), evident for all ten anatomical sites investigated. The association was most pronounced for those with a combination of headache and chronic MSC for both men (OR = 4.8; 95% CI 3.6-6.2) and women (OR = 5.2; 95% CI 3.7-7.1).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Subjects with self reported whiplash injury had significantly more headache and musculoskeletal complaints than those without, and may in part be due to selective reporting. The causal mechanism remains unclear and cannot be addressed in the present study design.</p

Consequences of Laughter Upon Trunk Compression and Cortical Activation: Linear and Polynomial Relations

Results from two studies of biological consequences of laughter are reported. A proposed inhibitory brain mechanism was tested in Study 1. It aims to protect against trunk compression that can cause health hazards during vigorous laughter. Compression may be maximal during moderate durations and, for protective reasons, moderate in enduring vigorous laughs. Twenty-five university students volunteered to see a candid camera film. Laughter responses (LR) and the superimposed ha-responses were operationally assessed by mercury-filled strain gauges strapped around the trunk. On average, the thorax compression amplitudes exceeded those of the abdomen, and greater amplitudes were seen in the males than in the females after correction for resting trunk circumference. Regression analyses supported polynomial relations because medium LR durations were associated with particularly high thorax amplitudes. In Study 2, power changes were computed in the beta and alpha EEG frequency bands of the parietal cortex from before to after exposure to the comedy “Dinner for one” in 56 university students. Highly significant linear relations were calculated between the number of laughs and post-exposure cortical activation (increase of beta, decrease of alpha) due to high activation after frequent laughter. The results from Study 1 supported the hypothesis of a protective brain mechanism that is activated during long LRs to reduce the risk of harm to vital organs in the trunk cavity. The results in Study 2 supported a linear cortical activation and, thus, provided evidence for a biological correlate to the subjective experience of mental refreshment after laughter

The Sense of Humor Questionnaire: Conceptualization and Review of 40 Years of Findings in Empirical Research

This paper presents the background for developing the Sense of Humor Questionnaire (SHQ), including ideas that guided the ambition to design a tool for assessment of individual differences in sense of humor that was relatively neutral to variations in culture, content and technique. The test was first organized into three dimensions of items, based on face validity of content, with items oriented to openness to ambiguity, preference for humorous situations and emotional suggestibility. The first revision reduced items from twenty-seven to twenty-two. A second revision presented seven items on each of three dimensions that were theoretically founded on ideas of person-situation interactions. Research found that items on meta-message sensitivity (M-items) and liking of humorous situations (L-items) yielded fair alphas, whereas those on mirthful expression (E-items) did not. A review of research is presented based on scores from the M- and L-items of the SHQ. The SHQ-6 is a short form including three items from the M- and the L-dimensions, respectively. This scale has proven effective in research across a vide range of applications including the role of sense of humor in mood, coping, morbidity and mortality. An ultra-short version (SHQ-3) was included in a population health survey and provided descriptive evidence on the prevalence of sense of humor as well as the positive role for sense of humor in surviving into retirement. After age seventy this protective effect of sense of humor faded away

Consequences of laughter upon trunk compression and cortical activation: Linear and polynomial relations

Results from two studies of biological consequences of laughter are reported. A proposed inhibitory brain mechanism was tested in Study 1. It aims to protect against trunk compression that can cause health hazards during vigorous laughter. Compression may be maximal during moderate durations and, for protective reasons, moderate in enduring vigorous laughs. Twenty-five university students volunteered to see a candid camera film. Laughter responses (LR) and the superimposed ha-responses were operationally assessed by mercury-filled strain gauges strapped around the trunk. On average, the thorax compression amplitudes exceeded those of the abdomen, and greater amplitudes were seen in the males than in the females after correction for resting trunk circumference. Regression analyses supported polynomial relations because medium LR durations were associated with particularly high thorax amplitudes. In Study 2, power changes were computed in the beta and alpha EEG frequency bands of the parietal cortex from before to after exposure to the comedy “Dinner for one” in 56 university students. Highly significant linear relations were calculated between the number of laughs and post-exposure cortical activation (increase of beta, decrease of alpha) due to high activation after frequent laughter. The results from Study 1 supported the hypothesis of a protective brain mechanism that is activated during long LRs to reduce the risk of harm to vital organs in the trunk cavity. The results in Study 2 supported a linear cortical activation and, thus, provided evidence for a biological correlate to the subjective experience of mental refreshment after laughter

Sickness Absence due to Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain: The Exploration of a Predictive Psychological Model Including Negative Moods, Subjective Health and Work Efficacy in an Adult County Population (The HUNT Study)

The relation between musculoskeletal pain and sickness absence was tested in an adult county population. Maximal explained variance in absence from work due to chronic musculoskeletal pain (sickness absence) was tested in a model in which subjective health was expected to mediate the associations between such pain and dysphoria, respectively, and work efficacy. In turn, work efficacy was expected to mediate the link between subjective health and sickness absence. All the residents in the County of Nord-Trøndelag, Norway, aged 20 and older, were invited to take part in a public health survey during 1995-97 (HUNT-2), and 66,140 (71.2%) participated. Prevalence of musculoskeletal pain, dysphoria, subjective health and work efficacy were assessed, as well as sickness absence last year due to musculoskeletal pain. The model test was performed by use of the LISREL procedure based upon data from 30,158 employees reporting chronic musculoskeletal pain last year. The measurement model fitted the data well: χ2 = 9075, df = 52, p &lt; .0004, Critical N = 1041, RMSEA = 0.038, CFI = 0.99, SRMR = 0.020. The structural model fitted the data equally well, and the best prediction of sickness absence was obtained with lower back pain, upper and lower extremity pain, as well as dysphoria as the primary variables affecting subjective health that, in turn, was the convergent predictor of work efficacy that, finally, best explained the variance in sickness absence (56%). The data supported an indirect sequence of complaint-health-efficacy (CHE-model) as the best predictor of sickness absence due to musculoskeletal pain