Moving together - benefits of an online dance program on physical and mental health for older women: an exploratory mixed-method study.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies show that in-person dance training is a beneficial form of physical activity that involves mental, social, and physical dimensions. This exploratory study investigated the benefits of a 12-week online dance training intervention on mental and physical health outcomes for older women. METHODS: A convergent parallel mixed-method design was used. Forty-five older adults (74.0 ± 5.3 yrs old, 44 women) were recruited through advertisements at activity and rehabilitation centers in the North Denmark region. The intervention consisted of two weekly 60-min classes of improvisation and salsa delivered online through video call applications. Changes in physical health outcomes (body mass and composition, resting blood pressure, Senior Fitness Test battery) and self-rated health and wellbeing (health-related quality of life (HRQOL), feelings of loneliness) were assessed prior to and after 12 weeks of dancing. Focus group interviews were conducted post-intervention to further explore the benefits as well as the participant's experience of the intervention. Thematic analysis of the qualitative data was conducted. RESULTS: Thirty-two participants (all women) completed the study. Significant improvements in fitness were found for the number of arm curls performed (baseline: 12.3 ± 3.0; post-intervention: 13.7 ± 3.0, P = 0.005), 2-min step test performance (baseline: 66.5 ± 20.0 reps.; post-intervention: 73.8 ± 22.6 reps., P = 0.016), and chair sit-and-reach (baseline: 0.4 ± 11.3 cm; post-intervention: 5.5 ± 10.1 cm, P < 0.001). There was a significant increase in body mass from baseline to post-intervention (P < 0.015). The themes from the focus groups included (1) Participation, (2) Challenges, (3) Progression, (4) Motivation, (5) Perceived health and wellbeing, and (6) Online dance instruction. No significant changes were reported in HRQOL and loneliness from the quantitative data, although the qualitative data did reveal improved feelings of physical health and wellbeing. CONCLUSIONS: The intervention improved several aspects of fitness in older women and improved the participants' perceptions of their own physical abilities and wellbeing. While most participants found the online intervention enjoyable, several participants missed the feedback from the instructors that naturally occurs with in-person instruction.

Impact of upper-body ergometer rowing exercise on aerobic fitness and cardiometabolic disease risk in individuals with spinal cord injury: A 6-month follow-up study.

OBJECTIVE: We recently demonstrated that upper-body rowing exercise (UBROW) improved aerobic fitness in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI), with no effect on traditional cardiometabolic risk factors. Here, we tested the hypothesis that the exercise-induced increase in aerobic fitness was maintained at 6-month (6M) follow-up. DESIGN: Six-month follow-up. SETTING: University/hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Seventeen wheelchair-dependent participants with SCI. INTERVENTIONS: 12-week of exercise training (UBROW) or control (CON). OUTCOME MEASURES: Aerobic fitness (POpeak and V̇O2peak), body composition, blood pressure, and blood biomarkers of cardiometabolic risk were assessed at 6M follow-up and compared to baseline (BL) and immediately post-intervention (12-week). Minutes of mild, moderate, and heavy intensity leisure time physical activity (LTPA) were assessed by self-report. RESULTS: Fourteen participants returned at 6M follow-up (CON, n = 6; UBROW, n = 8). In UBROW, POpeak (median (Q1-Q3)) increased from BL (70 W (37-84)) to 12-week (77 W (58-109), P = 0.01) and 6M follow-up (81 W (51-96), P = 0.01), with no difference between 12-week and 6M follow-up (P = 0.21). Similarly, V̇O2peak increased from BL (15.4 ml/kg/min (10.5-19.4)) to 12-week (16.6 ml/kg/min (12.8-21.3), P = 0.01) with no difference between 12-week and 6M follow-up (16.3 ml/kg/min (12.9-19.7), P = 0.74). No differences were found in CON for either POpeak (P = 0.22) or V̇O2peak (P = 0.27). There were no changes over time in traditional cardiometabolic risk factors or for minutes of different LTPA intensities. CONCLUSION: We demonstrate that improvements in aerobic fitness are maintained for at least six months after completion of a 12-week exercise intervention, supporting the use of periodic exercise interventions to boost aerobic fitness level in individuals with SCI.Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT04390087..

Rowing exercise increases cardiorespiratory fitness and brachial artery diameter but not traditional cardiometabolic risk factors in spinal cord-injured humans.

PURPOSE: This study assessed the effects of upper-body rowing exercise on cardiorespiratory fitness, traditional cardiometabolic risk factors, and vascular health in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI). METHODS: Seventeen male and female adults with chronic (> 1 yr) motor-complete and incomplete SCI (level of injury: C4-L3) were randomized to control (CON, n = 9) or exercise (UBROW, n = 8). Participants in UBROW performed 12-week, 3 weekly sessions of 30-min upper-body ergometer rowing exercise, complying with current exercise guidelines for SCI. Cardiorespiratory fitness ([Formula: see text]O2peak), traditional risk factors (lipid profile, glycemic control) as well as inflammatory and vascular endothelium-derived biomarkers (derived from fasting blood samples) were measured before and after 6 (6W) and 12 weeks (12W). Brachial artery resting diameter and flow-mediated dilation (FMD) were determined by ultrasound as exploratory outcomes. RESULTS: UBROW increased [Formula: see text]O2peak from baseline (15.1 ± 5.1 mL/kg/min; mean ± SD) to 6W (16.5 ± 5.3; P < 0.01) and 12W (17.5 ± 6.1; P < 0.01). UBROW increased resting brachial artery diameter from baseline (4.80 ± 0.72 mm) to 12W (5.08 ± 0.91; P < 0.01), with no changes at 6W (4.96 ± 0.91), and no changes in CON. There were no significant time-by-group interactions in traditional cardiometabolic blood biomarkers, or in unadjusted or baseline diameter corrected FMD. Explorative analyses revealed inverse correlations between changes (∆12W-baseline) in endothelin-1 and changes in resting diameter (r = - 0.56) and FMD% (r = - 0.60), both P < 0.05. CONCLUSION: These results demonstrate that 12 weeks of upper-body rowing complying with current exercise guidelines for SCI improves cardiorespiratory fitness and increases resting brachial artery diameter. In contrast, the exercise intervention had no or only modest effects on traditional cardiometabolic risk factors. The study was registered at Clinicaltrials.gov (N-20190053, May 15, 2020).

Reliability of Running Economy Measurements: Influence of Shoe Familiarisation.

The purpose was to investigate differences in reliability of running economy measurements between familiar and unfamiliar shoes. Thirty-seven runners were included who all ran in familiar and unfamiliar running shoes while running economy was measured at steady state using a treadmill. Each participant was tested on two different visits (three sessions in total), with two trials in each of the three shoe conditions completed at each visit. Coefficient of variation, standard deviation of differences, and limits of agreement of running economy were used to quantify the repeatability (within-visit variation) and reproducibility (between-visit variation). The coefficient of variation showed a marginal difference in reproducibility across shoe conditions, whereas no differences were seen in coefficient of variation, standard deviation of the differences, or limits of agreement for repeatability across shoes. All three shoe conditions showed greater repeatability than reproducibility for running economy, and enhanced repeatability at visit 3 compared to visit 2. Our results indicate that familiarisation to shoes might not be needed for reliable measurements of running economy. Based on our results, when evaluating benefits in running shoes we suggest that running economy be assessed within the same day. Further, our data suggest a beneficial effect of using multiple familiarisation sessions if small differences between shoe conditions are expected.

Wheelchair-modified ergometer rowing exercise in individuals with spinal cord injury: a feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy study.

STUDY DESIGN: Exploratory clinical investigation. OBJECTIVES: To assess the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of upper-body rowing exercise adapted to wheelchair users with spinal cord injury (SCI). SETTING: University exercise laboratory. METHODS: Eight individuals with SCI exercised on a rowing ergometer modified for wheelchair users (REMW), three times weekly, for up to 30 min per session. Participants completed feasibility and acceptability questionnaire (1-5 Likert scale), and the Wheelchair Users Shoulder Pain Index (WUSPI) before and after six weeks of exercise. Average power output (POAVG), distance rowed, percent peak heart rate (%HRpeak), and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) (6-20 scale) were monitored throughout the 18 exercise sessions and analyzed to evaluate preliminary efficacy of the exercise modality. RESULTS: All eight participants completed the study (97% adherence). Participants rated the exercise high on the feasibility and acceptability scale; median (interquartile range) = 5.0 (4.0-5.0), where higher numbers indicated greater feasibility. Shoulder pain was reduced by 21% yet not significantly different from baseline (p = 0.899). Physiological measures (%HRpeak = 80-83%; RPE = 15.0-16.0) indicated a high cardiovascular training load. From week 1 to week 6, POAVG and distance rowed increased by 37 and 36%, respectively (both p ≤ 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Data from six weeks of exercise on the REMW suggests that upper-body rowing is a feasible and acceptable exercise modality for wheelchair users with SCI. Session data on %HRpeak, RPE, and shoulder pain indicate that REMW evoked moderate to vigorous intensity exercise without exacerbation of shoulder pain. Future research is required to quantify potential training-induced changes in cardiorespiratory fitness.

Sex differences in microvascular function across lower leg muscles in humans.

Studies have reported sex-based differences in conduit artery function, however little is known about possible sex-based differences in microvascular function, and possible influence of muscle group. Blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) MR images acquired during ischemia-reperfusion assess the reactive hyperemic response in the microvasculature of skeletal muscle. We tested the hypothesis that women have greater microvascular reactivity, reflected by faster time-to-peak (TTP) and time-to-half-peak (TTHP) of the BOLD response, across all lower leg muscles. In healthy, young men (n = 18) and women (n = 12), BOLD images of both lower legs were acquired continuously during 30 s of rest, 5 min of cuff occlusion and 2 min of reperfusion, in a 3 T MR scanner. Segmentation of tibialis anterior (TA), soleus (SO), gastrocnemius medial (GM), and the peroneal group (PG) were performed using image registration, and TTP and TTHP of the BOLD response were determined for each muscle. Overall, women had faster TTP (p = 0.001) and TTHP (p = 0.01) than men. Specifically, women had shorter TTP and TTHP in TA (27.5-28.4%), PG (33.9-41.6%), SO (14.7-19.7%) and GM (15.4-18.8%). Overall, TTP and TTHP were shorter in TA compared with PG (25.1-31.1%; p ≤ 0.007), SO (14.3-16%; p ≤ 0.03) and GM (15.6-26%; p ≤ 0.01). Intra class correlations analyses showed large variation in absolute agreement (range: 0.10-0.81) of BOLD parameters between legs (within distinct muscles). Faster TTP and TTHP across all lower leg muscles, in women, provide novel evidence of sex-based differences in microvascular function of young adults matched for age, body mass index, and physical activity level.

Effect of wheelchair-modified rowing exercise on cardiometabolic risk factors in spinal cord injured wheelchair users: protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

INTRODUCTION: Cardiovascular and metabolic diseases are a growing concern for individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI). Physical inactivity contributes to cardiometabolic morbidity and mortality in the SCI population. However, previous studies have shown mixed results regarding the effects of exercise on cardiometabolic risk factors in individuals with SCI. This discrepancy could be influenced by insufficient exercise stimuli. Recent guidelines recommend 30 min of moderate-to-vigorous intensity aerobic exercise, three times per week, for improvement in cardiometabolic health in individuals with SCI. However, to date, no studies have implemented an exercise intervention matching the new recommendations to examine the effects on cardiometabolic risk factors. Therefore, the primary objective of this study is to determine the effects of 12 weeks of wheelchair user-modified upper-body rowing exercise on both traditional (constituents of the metabolic syndrome) and novel (eg, vascular structure and function) cardiometabolic risk factors in manual wheelchair users with SCI. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: A randomised controlled trial will compare 12 weeks of upper-body rowing exercise, 30 min three times per week, with a control group continuing their normal lifestyle. Outcome measurements will be performed immediately before (baseline), after 6 weeks (halfway), 12 weeks of training (post) and 6 months after the termination of the intervention period (follow-up). Outcomes will include inflammatory (eg, C reactive protein) and metabolic biomarkers determined from venous blood (with serum fasting insulin as primary outcome), body composition, arterial blood pressure, cardiorespiratory fitness level, brachial artery vascular structure and function and autonomic nervous system function. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This trial is reported to the Danish Data Protection Agency (J.nr. 2019-899/10-0406) and approved by the Committees on Health Research Ethics in The North Denmark Region on 12 December 2019 (J.nr. N-20190053). The principal investigator will collect written informed consent from all participants prior to inclusion. Irrespective of study outcomes, the results will be submitted to peer-reviewed scientific journals for publication. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT04390087.