Evaluation and Intervention
Four Methods of Assessing Body Fat in 60 Seconds or Less in Young, Middle Age, and Older Healthy Adults
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Rafael Escamilla, Michael McKeough, Kyle Yamashiro, Robert Asuncion, Dan MacLean
I compare body fat in young, middle-aged, and old healthy adults using four different body fat assessment methods all performed in 60 seconds or less. Two hundred and two healthy adults between 20 and 88 years old served as subjects and were divided into three groups for both males and females. Each group was comprised of 30-35 subjects and consisted of a young group between 20-34 years old (mean age of 26±4 for males and 27±4 for females), a middle-aged group between 35-59 years old (mean age of 46±7 for both males and females), and an old group between 60-88 years old (mean age of 72±7 for males and 72±6 for females). The four methods used to assess body fat was Bioelectrical Impedance (InBody 770 device); skinfold calipers using regressive equations developed from seven skinfold sites; tape measure using regression equations developed from waist, abdominal, and hip circumference measurements and age, height, and weight; and body mass index (BMI), using regression equations developed from BMI, age, and gender. While excessive body fat is correlated with several diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and stroke and is an important aspect of all health/wellness programs, assessing body fat can be very expensive and times consuming using traditional methods, such as hydrostatic weighing and Duel-Energy X-Ray Absorpiometry (DEXA). Although hydrostatic weighing and DEXA are considered "gold" standard methods of assessing body fat, they are not practical in Health/Wellness clinics secondary to excessive time needed to assess body fat and the high monetary cost of the equipment. All four of the methods used in the current study are can assess body fat in 60 seconds or less and three of the four methods are very inexpensive and practical for all health/wellness clinics. This study was performed because it is currently unknown how these 4 methods compare to each other for young, middle-age, and old healthy males and females.
Efficacies of Therapies Employed in Disease Learned by Means of a Mathematical Model: Example of Glaucoma
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Samuel E. Moskowitz
A mathematical model may reveal the efficacy of a given therapy employed in the treatment of disease. We shall discuss advantages over experimental trials conducted in the laboratory. No ethical issue arises in violation of animal rights. Cost of solution is usually far less than experimental approaches. There is greater and simpler coverage of variables whose evaluations influence analysis and results. Analytical data acquired complement the imaging information inferred from Doppler optical coherence tomography. As an example, we refer to glaucoma, an eye disease that damages the optic nerve. Fluid delivers tissue nutrients and flows through a trabecular meshwork. Cellular debris within the meshwork blocks free movement. Accompanying faulty drainage, intraocular pressure rises and the elevated level is transmitted to the lamina cribrosa where axons of glia cells pass to form the optic nerve. Mass conservation equation and three momentum equations are sufficient to determine four unknown functions of aqueous humor pressure and three components of velocity subject to boundary and initial conditions. Separation of the boundary layer occurs within the blocked meshwork. Moving turbulent mixtures are formed. Doppler and tonometry data furnish parameters of the model. Measure of efficacy is then determined by the relationship between pressure and velocity. A mathematical model can reveal efficacy of a given therapy employed in the treatment of disease. We shall discuss advantages over experimental trials in learning comparative effects of presented therapies.
The Mediating Role of Self-determined Motivation in the Relationship between Perceived Exercise Barriers and Exercise Behavior in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Heon Jin Kang, Chee Keng John Wang, Stephen Francis Burns, Melvin Khee-Shing Leow
This study examines how self-determined motivation mediates the relationship between exercise barriers and exercise behavior in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) (Study 1). Moreover to better understand the extent to which self-determined motivation governs the relationship between exercise barriers and behavior, a qualitative approach was used comparing individuals displaying higher and lower motivation to exercise (Study 2). In Study 1, 154 patients with T2D completed a survey which assessed ten barriers to exercise, self-determined motivation, and exercise behavior. The relationship was analyzed by a bootstrap regression analysis for mediation effect guided by Preacher and Hayes (2004). In Study 2, patients with T2D were divided into higher (n=8) or lower (n=8) motivation groups after completing the questionnaire survey used in Study 1. Participants then completed an in-depth, semi-structured interview and data were analyzed by deductive content analysis. From Study 1, self-determined motivation showed a mediation role in the relationship between barriers to exercise and exercise behavior. Five out of ten barriers (willpower, support, health, knowledge, tiredness) were partially mediated and two (misconception and finance) were fully mediated to exercise behavior by self-determined motivation. From Study 2, patients with higher motivation had higher exercise participation and were better at managing perceived exercise barriers, while patients with lower motivation were hindered by a greater variety of exercise barriers with less exercise participation. These findings provide insight on how self-determined motivation may be an important consideration when designing strategies to increase exercise participation and remove barriers to exercise in T2D patients.
