Comparison of obesity among Chinese and U.S. Special Olympic athletes with intellectual disabilities.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Obesity is a health problem in China, but there are no reports on the obesity status of Chinese citizens with intellectual disabilities (ID). Research has shown that adults with ID have higher body mass index (BMI) than adults without ID, but this information is primarily based on populations residing in North American and European countries. The purpose of this study was to compare BMI and obesity status of Chinese and U.S. Special Olympic athletes with ID. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Height, weight, BMI and self-reported physical activity (SRPA) data from the Special Olympics 2006 U.S. National Games and 2007 Shanghai World Games databases were analyzed. Linear and logistic analyses were conducted for continuous data and dichotomous variables, respectively. Predictor variables were age, gender, country, SRPA, and obesity status according to country specific criteria. Significance was set at p < 0.05. RESULTS: The U.S. group had significantly higher BMI values than their Chinese counterparts. Age (p = 0.001) and country (p = <0.001) were the main predictors of BMI and obesity status, even when country-specific standards of obesity classifications were used. Holding all other factors constant, each unit increase of age was associated with increased odds for obesity by a factor of 1.04 and the odds of obesity occurring in U.S. athletes was 2.47 times greater than in Chinese athletes. CONCLUSION: Obesity is an emerging health problem for Chinese adults with ID. Participation in Special Olympics does not offset obesity in people with ID and other methods of intervention are needed to address obesity in this population segment. This is a global health concern that requires immediate attention.

A pilot examination of social context and everyday physical activity among adults receiving Community Mental Health Services.

OBJECTIVE: Community mental health center (CMHC) clients include a variety of people with moderate to severe mental illnesses who also report a number of physical health problems. Physical activity (PA) has been identified as one intervention to improve health among this population; however, little is known about the role of social context in PA. The purpose of this study was to examine the role of social context in everyday PA among CMHC clients. METHOD: Data were collected from CMHC clients in two cultures using accelerometery and experience sampling methods. Data were analyzed using hierarchical linear modeling. RESULTS: Independence in housing nor culture was significantly associated with levels of PA. Being alone was significantly negatively related to PA level. CONCLUSION: Social isolation appears to be negatively related to PA at the level of everyday life. Physical activity interventions with this population should consider including social components as a part of PA.

Relationship between BMI, physical fitness, and motor skills in youth with mild intellectual disabilities.

INTRODUCTION: The negative impact of obesity on physical fitness and motor abilities has been documented in youth of various ages; however, this issue has not been explored in youth with mild intellectual disabilities (ID). Youth with ID are considered more overweight, less physically fit, and less motor proficient than peers without ID, so it is important to determine if these variables are associated in this population. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between body mass index (BMI), physical fitness, and motor skills in a large sample of youth with mild ID. METHOD: A systematic, stratified sampling method was used to select 444 youth with mild ID, aged 6-18 years, from eight special education schools in Hong Kong. Physical fitness was assessed using items from the national Hong Kong assessment: 6- (ages 6-8 years) or 9- (ages 9-18 years) minute run, sit-up, isometric push-up, sit and reach, and sum of skinfold. Functional motor skills were assessed in 244 youth from the fitness sample using the Test of Gross Motor Development-II. Subjects were categorized into normal or overweight/obese BMI groups based on international cutoff points. RESULTS: Approximately 20% of the sample was classified as overweight/obese (average BMI normal = 17.47+/-2.69; overweight/obese = 24.78+/-4.05). ANCOVA controlling for age and gender revealed group differences in the run (P = 0.001) and push-ups (P = 0.05), but not in the motor or other fitness variables. After controlling for age and gender, BMI was correlated with the run (r = -0.27, P < 0.001) and push ups (r = -0.18, P = 0.008). Age and gender were entered as the first block in hierarchical regression and accounted for most of the variance in all dependent variables, except sit and reach. The inclusion of BMI in the second block added to the model for run and push-ups only (deltaR2 run = 0.04, push-ups = 0.03, P<0.001). CONCLUSION: Overweight/obesity is minimally associated with aerobic fitness and muscular strength in youth with mild ID. BMI did not impact other fitness measures (sit-up, sit and reach) or motor skills in the sample. The undesirable level of overweight/obesity in this sample requires increased attention and immediate intervention.

Plasma catecholamine and lactate relationship during graded exercise in men with spinal cord injury.

Catecholamine and lactate responses to incremental exercise were examined in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI). Three men with high-level (HINJ) and four with low-level (LINJ) SCI performed VO2peak exercise tests on an arm ergometer. Forearm venous blood samples taken at rest and at the end of each work stage were analyzed for norepinephrine (NE), epinephrine (EPI), and lactate (LA) content. Mann-Whitney tests revealed that peak LA, NE, and EPI responses were greater in LINJ compared with HINJ subjects (LA = 7.1 +/- 0.5 vs 3.2 +/- 0.4 mM; NE = 3.1 +/- 1.0 vs 0.4 +/- 0.1 ng.ml-1; EPI = 0.5 +/- 0.2 vs 0.1 +/- 0.01 ng.ml-1). Spearman rank correlations for LINJ and HINJ groups were NE-EPI, rs = 0.85 vs rs = 0.17; NE-LA, rs = 0.83 vs rs = 0.31; and EPI-LA, rs = 0.73 vs rs = 0.41. The strong relationships between NE, EPI, and LA in the LINJ group were similar to those previously reported in able-bodied athletes. However, the relatively weak association between these factors in the HINJ group indicates that, while some function exits, the sympathoadrenal response to exercise is significantly impaired in these individuals. These results suggest that mechanisms other than catecholamines are primarily responsible for muscle lactate production during incremental exercise in individuals with HINJ.

Factors influencing excess postexercise oxygen consumption in trained and untrained women.

This study investigated the effects of blood lactate and norepinephrine levels and rectal temperature on excess postexercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) following two different exercise intensities. Six trained and seven untrained women each performed two exercise tests, short-term high-intensity exercise ([HI] approximately 80% maximum oxygen consumption [VO2max]) and long-term low-intensity exercise ([LOW] approximately 65% VO2max) until 300 kcal were expended. Rectal temperature, oxygen consumption (VO2), and lactate and norepinephrine levels were monitored at rest, during exercise, and for 60 minutes into recovery. Exercise times averaged 30.0 +/- 4.5 and 23.7 +/- 0.9 minutes in trained women and 45 +/- 3.6 and 30.0 +/- 0.4 minutes in untrained women for LOW and HI, respectively. Rectal temperature, VO2, and lactate and norepinephrine levels were significantly elevated (P < .05) during HI compared with LOW in both groups. VO2 was elevated throughout recovery following LOW and HI in untrained women only. Additionally, VO2 was elevated until minutes 50 and 40 following LOW and HI, respectively, in trained subjects. Rectal temperature returned to resting levels after 30 minutes of recovery following LOW, but remained significantly elevated throughout minute 50 of recovery following HI in trained women. However, values remained significantly elevated throughout recovery following both exercise bouts in untrained subjects. Norepinephrine levels remained elevated above resting levels throughout recovery following HI and until minute 50 following LOW in trained subjects, whereas levels remained elevated for 5 minutes following LOW and 50 minutes following HI in untrained subjects. Lactate levels remained elevated above baseline values throughout recovery following HI and LOW in both groups.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)