Understanding the experiences of heavy smokers after exercise

There is now strong evidence that exercise has an acute effect on the urge to smoke and the accompanying withdrawal symptoms. However, the perceptions by heavy smokers of exercise and its relationship to the urge to smoke have not been well documented. The aim of the present study is to understand the experiences of heavy smokers with regard to exercise and its effect on their urge to smoke. Five physically inactive, heavy smokers are asked to abstain from smoking the night before exercising on a cycle ergometer under two conditions (one at medium and one at vigorous intensity done a week apart). Semi-structured, in-depth interviews are conducted after the second exercise session. Thematic analysis reveals six themes describing the participants’ experience of exercise, urge to smoke, exercise preferences, exercise and smoking relationship, exercise as an aid to quit smoking, and the effects of the experimental procedure. Overall, the participants’ experiences support the existing literature, which has posited affective, biological, and cognitive mechanisms contributing to a delay in the urge to smoke after exercise. The main findings pertain to: (1) the “feel-good” effect after exercise as a relief from the “feel-bad” effect during exercise; (2) the decreased urge to smoke after exercise, stated by all participants regardless of reported positive and negative feelings; and (3) exercise as a “clearing the mind” mechanism rather than an attention-distracting mechanism

THE EFFECT OF A GOAL SETTING EXERCISE PROGRAM ON IMPROVING UPPER BODY STRENGTH, LOWER EXTREMITY STRENGTH, BALANCE AND COMMITMENT TO EXERCISE OF PATIENTS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA

The purpose was to examine the effect of goal setting on improving upper body strength, lower extremity strength and balance of individuals with schizophrenia and to monitor the effect of goal setting toward commitment to exercise of schizophrenia patients. The sample consisted of four patients with schizophrenia, aged 48 to 58 years old, all randomly selected and separated into two groups (control and experiment). All patients were already involved in exercising twice per week of 45 minutes each session, within psychiatry hospital premises. Additional goals for experimental group individuals included two extra 10-15 minutes of workout per week to improve post measure results. Instruments used prior and after the application of the goal setting intervention program included the Five times sit to stand test, the Arm curl test and the Time up and go test. Results showed that participants of the experiment group improved their performance in all post measures while control group individuals also improved their scores in two out of the three tests used in this study. Although no generalizations can be made due to the small sample of this study, goal setting seems to have the potential to promote exercise commitment and adoption in patients with schizophrenia.  Article visualizations

Enhanced erythrocyte antioxidant status following an 8-week aerobic exercise training program in heavy drinkers

Alcohol-induced oxidative stress is involved in the development and progression of various pathological conditions and diseases whereas exercise training has been shown to improve redox status, thus attenuating oxidative stress-associated disease processes. PURPOSE: to evaluate the effect of an exercise training program on blood redox status in heavy drinkers. METHODS: Eleven sedentary, heavy drinking men participated in an intervention where they completed an 8-week supervised aerobic training program of moderate intensity. Blood samples were collected before, during (week 4) and after intervention and analyzed for total antioxidant capacity (TAC), thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), protein carbonyls (PC), uric acid (UA), bilirubin, reduced glutathione (GSH) and catalase activity. RESULTS: Catalase activity increased (p<0.05) after 8 weeks (340.7+13.3 U mg/Hb) of intervention compared to week 4 (299.5+18.7 U mg/Hb). GSH increased (p<0.05) after 8 weeks of intervention (1.22+0.16 μmol/g Hb) compared to the control condition (1.11 + 0.17 μmol/g Hb) and to week 4 (1.11 + 0.15 μmol/g Hb ). TAC, UA, bilirubin, TBARS and PC did not significantly change at any time point. CONCLUSION: An 8-week aerobic training program enhanced erythrocyte antioxidant status in heavy drinkers, indicating that aerobic training may attenuate pathological processes caused by alcohol-induced oxidative stress.Published versio

Exercise training reduces alcohol consumption but does not affect HPA-axis activity in heavy drinkers

It has been suggested that physical exercise could have potential beneficial effects in substance abusers, which are based on both physiological and psychological theories. Although a few studies have examined the effect of exercise on alcohol intake and fitness in individuals with alcohol use disorders (AUDs), there is a gap in the literature concerning the physiological and biochemical mechanisms that could be affected by physical exercise in this population

Exercise and Smoking : A Literature Overview

The purpose of this review is to summarize the more recent research findings regarding the relationship between exercise and smoking behavior. Reviewed studies have been presented according to themes and research design types. Initially cross-sectional and longitudinal epidemiological studies have been reviewed in order to map findings regarding the correlations between those two behaviors. Moreover, studies exploring variables that function as mediators or moderators between smoking and exercise relationship have been included. Then studies examining the possible preventive effects of exercise on smoking behavior for adolescents are reviewed and implications for developing effective preventive intervention programs are provided. Finally, experimental studies examining the acute and long term effects of exercise on smokers are reviewed in order to conclude if exercise can act as a treatment for smokers to manage withdrawal symptoms and help them quit smoking. Overall, exercise seems to have a protective effect against smoking as well as a supportive effect on smoking cessation treatments. The investigation of the underlying mechanisms behind this relationship and the systematic synthesis of new knowledge on this topic can improve our understanding and inform the development of more effective health promotion programs.peerReviewe

Effects of Physical Activity, Smoking and Alcohol Consumption on Quality of Life of Students in Continuous Education Centers

Σκοπός της παρούσας εργασίας ήταν να διερευνηθούν οι επιδράσεις ορισμένων συμπεριφορών υγείας, όπως η άσκηση, το κάπνισμα και η κατανάλωση αλκοόλ στην ποιότητα ζωής ενηλίκων που βρίσκονται σε εκπαιδευτική διαδικασία. Το δείγμα της έρευνας ήταν 363 ενήλικες, (Μ.Ο. ηλικίας = 41.86, Τ.Α. = 11.42 έτη) που παρακολουθούσαν προγράμματα επιμόρφωσης, σε Κέντρο Εκπαίδευσης Ενηλίκων (ΚΕΕ). Χρησιμοποι- ήθηκαν ερωτηματολόγια για να καταγραφούν το κάπνισμα σε καθημερινή βάση, η κατανάλωση αλκοόλ σε εβδομαδιαία βάση, καθώς και η φυσική δραστηριότητα. Για την αξιολόγηση της ποιότητας ζωής χρησιμο- ποιήθηκε το ερωτηματολόγιο SF-36. Για τη στατιστική ανάλυση χρησιμοποιήθηκαν αναλύσεις παλινδρόμη- σης. Βρέθηκε ότι το κάπνισμα προβλέπει σημαντικά (p<.05) τόσο την ψυχική (R2=.03) όσο και τη σωματική υγεία (R2=.02), ενώ η κατανάλωση αλκοόλ προβλέπει σημαντικά (p<.05) μόνο τη σωματική υγεία (R2=.02). Βρέθηκε ακόμη ότι μόνο η μέτριας έντασης σωματική δραστηριότητα προβλέπει σημαντικά (p<.05) τόσο την ψυχική (R2=.04) όσο και την σωματική υγεία (R2=.03). Συμπερασματικά, οι συμπεριφορές υγείας συνδέονται με την ποιότητα ζωής ενηλίκων που επιλέγουν να ενταχθούν σε προγράμματα δια βίου εκπαίδευσης.The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of health behaviours, such as physical activity, smoking and alcohol use, on quality of life of adults who are in education process. The research sample was composed by 363 adult learners, (Mean Age = 41.86, SD = 11.42 years) who were attending training programmes in an Adult Education Centre. Questionnaires were used in order to record smoking on a daily basis, alcohol use on a week basis, as well as physical activity. For the evaluation of quality of life the SF-36 questionnaire was used. Regression analyses showed that smoking behavior contribute to the explanation of mental (R2=.03, p<.05) and physical health (R2=.02, p<.05), while alcohol use contribute to the explanation of physical health (R2=.02, p<.05). In addition, it was found that only medium-intensity physical activity contributed to the explanation of mental (R2=.04, p<.05) and physical health (R2=.03, p<.05). Hence, health behaviours are connected with the quality of life of adults who choose to attend lifelong education programmes.peerReviewe

The effect of performance feedback on cardiorespiratory fitness field tests.

We investigated the effects of performance feedback (PF) on predicting maximal oxygen uptake (VO2 max) using the 20 m Multistage Shuttle Run Test (MST) and 20 m Square Shuttle Test (SST). The agreement between these two field tests in relation to laboratory VO2 max was also examined. Forty healthy males (age: 21.5+/-2.3; BMI: 23.7+/-2.0) randomly performed four indirect VO2 max tests; that is the MST and SST, as well as a modified version of MST (MSTMD) and SST (SSTMD). During MST and SST subjects received PF with respect to both test stage and running pace. In contrast, MSTMD and SSTMD incorporated auditory feedback which solely emitted signals regulating the running pace. Participants also performed a laboratory VO2 max treadmill test (TT). ANOVA demonstrated significant mean predicted VO2 max decrements in both MSTMD (p<0.001) and SSTMD (p<0.05) compared to MST and SST, respectively. In predicting TTVO2 max, the '95% limits of agreement' analysis indicated errors equal to 3.6+/-9.6 and 1.4+/-10.3 ml kg-1 min-1 with coefficients of variation of +/-10.0% and +/-10.9%, for MST and MSTMD, respectively. The corresponding '95% limits of agreement' values for SST and SSTMD were 0.1+/-5.0 and -1.1+/-6.1 ml kg-1 min-1 with coefficients of variation of +/-5.4% and +/-6.7%, respectively. It is concluded that the application of PF leads to superior field testing performances

THE EFFECT OF A COMBINED EXERCISE AND GOAL SETTING PROGRAM ON PHYSICAL ACTIVITY LEVELS, NUTRITIONAL HABITS AND SMOKING CESSATION OF GREEK PATIENTS WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS

Background. A healthy lifestyle is crucial for patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Objective. The purpose of the study was to examine the effect of a combined exercise and goal-setting program of Greek patients with MS on increasing physical activity (PA) level, adopting healthier nutritional behaviors and reduce smoking. Methods. The sample consisted of 30 patients with multiple sclerosis, 15 men and 15 women, aged 23 to 65 years, randomly assigned into two equal (experiment and control) groups. The experiment group participated in an 8-week exercise program combined with nutrition and goal-setting strategies with a purpose to adopt and maintain a healthier lifestyle. The control group did not participate in any of the intervention procedures. Both groups completed -pre and post intervention- questionnaires measuring their leisure time PA, nutritional behaviors and smoking dependence. Results. The results showed higher rates of leisure time PA, improved eating habits and reduced smoking behaviors of experiment group participants following the 8-week intervention program compared to control group participants. Conclusions. Based on findings, further recommendations were made concerning PA levels, nutrition and smoking cessation of patients with multiple sclerosis.  Article visualizations

Predicting students' intention to smoke by theory of planned behaviour variables and parental influences across school grade levels

Differences were examined in Theory of Planned Behaviour determinants of students' intention to smoke including parents' attitudes towards smoking and parents' current cigarette use among Greek students of different school grade levels. Students (N = 763) aged 10-18 years reported their attitudes towards smoking, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control, self-identity and intention to smoke while their parents (N = 525) reported their attitudes towards smoking and their current cigarette use. All the TPB variables increased from lower to higher school grade level. Multi-sample path analyses showed that parent's attitudes towards smoking positively predicted students' intention to smoke only for elementary school children. Parents' current cigarette use did not contribute significantly. Students' attitudes, perceived behavioural control and self-identity predicted systematically intention to smoke in contrast to the subjective norm that did not contribute at all. Perceived behavioural control contributed to a higher degree in intention to smoke for senior high school students compared to the junior high school and elementary students. Self-identity contributed to a higher degree in intention to smoke for elementary compared to the junior high school students. The results of this study suggests that the determinants of smoking vary between early and late adolescence

Initial Evaluation of a Smoking Cessation Program Incorporating Physical Activity Promotion to Greek Adults in Antismoking Clinics

The purpose of this study was to evaluate an initial application of a smoking cessation program that integrated the promotion of physical activity (PA) as a cessation aid to Greek adults in antismoking clinics. From an initial pool of 50, 12 men and 28 women from Central Greece completed the program, and 18 of them succeeded in quitting for 1 year after the program. Additionally, after the program, they increased their PA. Suggestions for future applications of the program are further discussed.peerReviewe