Five weeks of Yuishinkai karate training improves balance and neuromuscular function in older adults: a preliminary study.

BACKGROUND: Martial arts training has shown positive impacts on balance and physiological measurements. Further investigation of the contents and feasibility of an effective therapeutic assessment of martial arts is needed in older adults, mainly for future applications and real-world implementation. METHODS: Sixteen older adults (8 male, 8 female, age 59-90 years), with or without chronic conditions, participated in a preliminary study using 5-weeks of karate training and a triple baseline control procedure. Group and single subject data analyses were conducted for dynamic balance, Timed Up and Go (TUG), hand grip, ankle plantarflexion force, and spinal cord excitability (via the soleus H-reflex) pre- and post-training. RESULTS: On average, participants completed a total of 2437 steps, 1762 turns, 3585 stance changes, 2047 punches, 2757 blocks, and 1253 strikes. Karate training improved dynamic balance performance such that the group average time was reduced (time to target (-13.6%, p = 0.020) and time to center (-8.3%, p = 0.010)). TUG was unchanged when considering the entire group (p = 0.779), but six participants displayed significant changes. Left handgrip (7.9%, p = 0.037), and plantarflexion force in the right (28.8%, p = 0.045) and left leg (13.3%, p = 0.024) increased for the group. Spinal cord excitability remained unchanged in group data analysis but 5 individuals had modulated Hmax/Mmax ratios. CONCLUSION: 5-weeks of karate training delivered in a fashion to mimic generally accessible community-level programs improved balance and strength in older adults. Whole-body movement embodied in karate training enhanced neuromuscular function and postural control. We met the overriding goal of this preliminary study to emphasize and assess feasibility and safety for the generalizability of martial arts interventions to real-world communities to impact health outcomes. Further quantitative work should explore threshold dose and development of martial arts training interventions as potential "exercise is medicine" functional fitness for older adults.

Development of a self-guided web-based intervention to promote physical activity using the multi-process action control framework.

PURPOSE: Physical activity promotion has mostly focused on theories of intention-formation, with the assumption that positive intentions will lead to behaviour. Though necessary, exercise intentions alone are often not sufficient to improve physical activity behaviour. The Multi-Process Action Control (M-PAC) framework builds on previous intention-based theories by including both determinants of intention formation and its translation into behaviour. The purpose of this study was to describe the process of developing a self-guided web-based intervention to promote physical activity among adults using the M-PAC model. PROCEDURES: The development process consisted of the following three phases: 1) Intervention planning: determine intervention needs and requirements; 2) Intervention development: use an iterative process to design a web-based physical activity intervention based on the M-PAC framework; 3) Pilot testing: conduct usability and acceptability assessment on the web-based intervention to further enhance user experience. PRINCIPAL RESULTS: The intervention planning phase suggested that there is a need for web-based physical activity interventions and there is currently no web-based intervention designed using the M-PAC model. In phase two, we adopted an iterative process to develop a 10-week self-guided web-based intervention to help adults (>18 years of age) to meet 150 min of moderate to vigorous physical activity per week. The pilot testing phase yielded valuable feedback on usability, content, and design of the web-based intervention. MAJOR CONCLUSIONS: The development of a web-based physical activity intervention using the M-PAC model could further enhance the effectiveness of web-based interventions and have a significant impact on extending the reach of existing physical activity promotion programs. This study has reinforced the importance of an iterative development process that involves a multi-disciplinary team to design a web-based intervention to promote physical activity. The process enabled the team to clarify the needs for an intervention for our target users, and provided valuable feedback on the design and content of the web-based intervention. Future studies are now needed to evaluate the effectiveness of our web-based intervention.