Longitudinal Effects of a Combined Program of Pelvic Floor Muscle Training and Yoga on Genitourinary Symptoms in Asian Women of Older Age: A Randomized Experimental Study.

This parallel-two-group randomized experimental study including a supervised group and an unsupervised group examined the longitudinal effects of pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) combined with yoga on genitourinary symptoms and the health-related quality of life (HRQOL), and compared practice adherence rates of the two groups. A sample of women experiencing ≥1 genitourinary symptom(s) were recruited and assigned to a supervised group or an unsupervised group. The supervised group attended supervised group practice sessions and performed at-home practice of PFMT and yoga. The unsupervised group performed at-home practice of PFMT and yoga. Information was collected at five time points (n = 91). Generalized estimating equation procedures were used to examine the intervention effects. An independent t-test was conducted to compare the practice adherence rates. Both groups' genitourinary symptoms and HRQOL significantly improved over time. The supervised group displayed greater improvements in genitourinary symptoms and HRQOL and better adherence than did the unsupervised group.

Stage of exercise and health-related quality of life among overweight and obese adults.

AIM: This paper reports a study whose main aim was to understand the correlation between stages of exercise and health-related qualities of life among overweight and obese adults in Taiwan. BACKGROUND: Regular exercise has been shown to improve health-related quality of life in the general population and among patients with chronic diseases. Nevertheless, systematic investigations of the correlation between exercise stages and the health-related quality of life among overweight and obese adults are lacking in Taiwan. METHOD: A cross-section of people from the weight loss clinics of a medical centre in Taipei was recruited to the study. The Chinese version of the Stages of Exercise and the Taiwanese version of Short Form 36 questionnaires were used to collect data from those whose body mass indexes were equal to or >24 kg/m2. The data were collected in 2003. RESULTS: In total, 212 overweight and obese adults participated in the study. The majority were in the preparation (38.2%) or contemplation (31.6%) stages of exercise; relatively few were in the action (14.2%) or maintenance (11.3%) stages, and the smallest number (4.7%) were in the precontemplation stage. Although over 70% of respondents were not in the habit of taking regular exercise, their motivations were very high. For the Short Form 36 scales, the highest scores were for physical functioning (84.5 +/- 17.3), while the lowest were for general health (55.5 +/- 20.9), vitality (59.8 +/- 18.1), and mental health (MH) (66.0 +/- 17.9). Different stages of exercise showed statistically significant differences within the eight domains of Short Form 36 (Wilks = 0.733, P = 0.001); a statistically significant difference was also found for physical functioning (P < or = 0.001), general health (P = 0.003), and vitality (P = 0.005). CONCLUSION: Since stages of exercise are correlated with health-related quality of life among overweight and obese adults, healthcare providers need to understand what stages people are at in order to educate them to achieve a better quality of life and to motivate those who are inactive to do more exercise on a regular basis.