Enhancing Driving Ability in Older Adults through Health Exercises and Physical Activity: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

The global rise in the aging driving population has heightened concerns about traffic incidents involving this demographic. Beyond transportation, automobiles represent a vital lifeline for older adults, fostering social activities and influencing their health-related quality of life. This study explores improving and sustaining driving ability among older adults with anticipated declines through health-conscious exercises. Sixty-eight participants were randomly allocated into two groups. The exercise-oriented group (E-group) engaged in twelve 90 min health and exercise sessions over twelve weeks, while the control group (C-group) maintained their regular daily routines and did not receive any specific interventions during this period. The focal point of assessment was driving ability, as evaluated by a person using a real car on public roads without using a simulator. Driving ability and physical fitness were assessed before the intervention in both groups. Post-intervention measurements occurred twelve weeks after the initial gauging, encompassing both cohorts. Comparative analysis of pre- and post-intervention changes was executed between the two groups. The E-group demonstrated improved overall driving ability compared to the C-group. The results suggest that healthy exercise and physical activity may maintain and enhance driving ability for older adults.

Disaster Prevention Education along with Weekly Exercise Improves Self-Efficacy in Community-Dwelling Japanese People-A Randomized Control Trial.

Background and Objectives: Both disaster prevention and health promotion have become public health challenges in Japan. Maintaining physical fitness from the perspective of disaster prevention and maintaining physical fitness from the perspective of health are basically covering similar issues, they are seen as different from one another because of differences in administrative jurisdiction in Japan. In the case of disaster prevention education, physical fitness is not mentioned. In and outside Japan, partial integration of disaster prevention education and health education is required. This study compares and examines the effects of disaster prevention education and traditional exercise education, as well as exercise practice. A randomized controlled trial alongside an evacuation behavior model during the event of a disaster were used in this research. Materials and Methods: A total of 97 community-dwelling participants were randomly allocated to two groups, a disaster prevention education group (Group D) and a traditional exercise education group (Group E). Group D received disaster prevention education with weekly exercise. Group E received traditional exercise education with weekly exercise. After ten weeks of intervention, the total evacuation time of the disaster evacuation model course, physical fitness, self-efficacy (General Self-Efficacy Scale: GSES), and health-related quality of life (QOL) were compared between the two groups. Results: No differences were observed between the two groups regarding the changes in the parameters of total evacuation time, physical fitness, and health-related QOL. However, the changes in GSES scores were significantly higher in Group D (1.4 ± 3.9) than in Group E (-1.1 ± 7.5). Conclusions: Disaster prevention education with weekly exercise significantly increased participants' self-efficacy compared to traditional exercise education. The combination of disaster prevention education and exercise practice may have a positive effect not only on disaster prevention behavior but also on self-efficacy in health promotion. Disaster prevention education does not directly influence health promotion, but it may be a very effective method for indirectly promoting health.

Face-to-Face Exercises Performed by Instructors to Improve the Mental Health of Japanese in the Community-A Randomized Control Trial.

Background and objectives: The purpose of this study is to clarify the effects on the mental health of face-to-face exercise performed by an instructor (lesson-style Group: Group L) and exercise using machines (program-style Group: Group P) by randomized control trial. Materials and Methods: Among 120 subjects, 117 subjects were allocated to two groups with stratified randomization by sex (Group P: 58 subjects; Group L: 59 subjects). A 60-min health exercise class was held once per week for 12 consecutive weeks. The measurement items were mental health as a primary evaluation item and self-efficacy as a secondary evaluation item. Physical fitness was also measured using a new physical fitness test used in Japan. The 12-item general health questionnaire (GHQ-12) was used to measure mental health and the general self-efficacy scale (GSES) was used to measure self-efficacy. Results: After the intervention, 102 subjects were analyzed. The changes in mental health evaluated by GHQ-12 scores were significantly lower in Group L -0.7 (95% CI, -1.2 to -0.3) than Group P -0.1 (95% CI, -0.4 to 0.2) (p = 0.03). The changes in self-efficacy evaluated by GSES scores were significantly higher in Group P 5.3 (95% CI, 3.1 to 7.5) than Group L 1.3 (95% CI, -0.4 to 3.1) (p < 0.01). Conclusions: Compared with program exercises mainly using machines, face-to-face exercises performed by instructors improved mental health.

A pilot study of the relationship between diet and mental health in female university students enrolled in a training course for registered dietitians.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the present pilot study was to investigate the link between diet and mental health in female university students enrolled in a training course for registered dietitians. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A total of 62 female university students, with a mean age of 18.79 ± 0.45 years, participated in this cross-sectional study. Diet surveys were performed using the brief-type self-administered diet history questionnaire (BDHQ). Mental health was also evaluated using the general health questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12), which was the shortest form and clinically available. Lifestyles such as physical activity levels were also evaluated. RESULTS: The mean energy intake was 1379 ± 575 kcal and the mean GHQ score was 3.11 ± 2.41. Among nutrients, vegetable fat and sucrose showed a weak positive correlation with the GHQ scores. Among food groups, potatoes, fats and oils, and confectioneries also showed a weak positive correlation with the GHQ scores. A multiple regression analysis showed that the confectioneries were the determining factor for the GHQ scores. CONCLUSION: Proper education concerning their diets and reducing confectioneries in their daily lives might be beneficial for the mental health of female university students.