Introduction Healthcare professionals are in an optimal position to deliver exercise information to pregnant women, yet previous research suggests this seldom happens. Midwives and nurse practitioners, who may have more time with pregnant women, are particularly well suited for this role. Objectives This qualitative study examined the exercise advice and counseling provided by midwives and nurse practitioners in Kentucky, focusing on the barriers they face. Methods Twenty-one midwives and nurse practitioners were recruited until the sample size reached saturation. A survey with open-ended questions was distributed to potential participants in regional hospitals, universities, and professional associations. The framework method was employed to identify common themes in the responses from participants. Results Five main themes emerged: nature of advice, discussing exercise benefits, safety concerns, barriers to counseling, and suggestions for improvement. Findings revealed that midwives and nurse practitioners recommend moderate exercise, aiming for 150 min weekly, monitoring heart rate for intensity, continuing prepregnancy exercise routines, starting low-intensity exercise during pregnancy such as walking, slowing down as pregnancy advances, and avoiding heavy lifting and vigorous activities. Many midwives and nurse practitioners in our sample took a reactive approach to exercise counseling, providing exercise advice if pregnant women asked questions or if they were at high risk for hypokinetic diseases. It was also observed that midwives and nurse practitioners discussed the maternal benefits of exercise more than the fetal benefits. Only a few nurse practitioners and midwives were content with their counseling, while the majority did not feel their counseling was effective. Conclusions Many midwives and nurse practitioners in Kentucky provided comprehensive and accurate physical activity guidelines to pregnant women. However, there is room for them to improve: proactive counseling should include discussions on fetal benefits and using the “talk test” for exercise intensity. Advising patients to slow down as pregnancy progresses should be reconsidered, and evidence-based guidance on specific exercises should be prioritized.

Adaptations to resistance training and subsequent performance can be undermined by inadequate interset recovery. Methods typically used to monitor recovery were developed for longitudinal use, making them time-inefficient within singular exercise bouts. If valid, perceptual recovery status (PRS) may be used as an efficient and inexpensive assessment tool to monitor individual recovery. Purpose: The aim of this study was to assess the validity of PRS on monitoring recovery during a high-intensity back-squat session. Methods: Ten healthy men participated in the 2-session study (separated by at least 48 h). Session 1 included anthropometrics, PRS familiarization, and a 1-repetition-maximum back squat. Session 2 included a high-intensity protocol (5 sets of 5 repetitions; 5-min interset recovery; 85% of 1-repetition maximum). PRS was obtained before the first set and during the last 30 seconds of each 5-minute recovery; rating of perceived exertion (RPE) was also collected. A linear position transducer collected mean barbell velocity (MBV). Repeated-measures correlations assessed the common intraindividual relationships of PRS scores to intraset MBV and RPE, respectively. Results: A very large, positive correlation appeared between PRS and MBV (r [95% CI] = .778 [.613 to .878]; P < .0001). A large, negative correlation emerged between PRS and RPE (r [95% CI] = −.549 [−.737 to −.282]; P < .001). Conclusions: Results indicate that PRS can be a means for practitioners to monitor individualized recovery. PRS tracked well with RPE, strengthening its utility in a practitioner-based setting. Findings provide insight into the practicality of PRS for recovery monitoring. It could be used alongside other measures (eg, MBV and countermovement jump) to individually program and maintain performance.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this investigation was to examine the effectiveness of Bingocize®. This health promotion program strategically combines the game of bingo with fall prevention/nutrition education and exercise in 39 community centers across the state of Virginia. METHODS: Older adults and participants with disabilities (N = 410; age 75.4 + 7.5 y) attended the group Bingocize® sessions two times per week for 10 weeks. Participants played the traditional game of bingo with intermittent strength, balance, and flexibility exercise sessions and nutrition/falls prevention education. Participants completed a pre and post assessment to determine their individual rating for general health, fear of falling, and physical activity level. RESULTS: There was a significant increase in self-reported physical activity levels (Wilcoxon signed-rank; Z = -2.804, p = 0.005) and in pre and post self-reported responses for general health (Z = -2.133, p = 0.033), but fear of falling was not different (Z = -1.866, p = 0.059). However, participants (n = 54) with fair or poor health at baseline reported significantly decreased fear of falling (Z = -3.145, p = .002). CONCLUSIONS: A 10-week Bingocize® program can have a positive impact on increasing the general health and physical activity level of older adults and people with disabilities. The program also appears to improve fear of falling in the participants who report fair or poor health and, therefore, can benefit the most from participation.

Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise 55(9S):p 515, September 2023. | DOI: 10.1249/01.mss.0000984592.96379.7f

This quasi-experimental study evaluated the impact of a 10-week evidence-based falls prevention program (Bingocize®) on self-reported fear of falling, general health, physical activity, social isolation, and avoidance behavior, in community-dwelling older adults in Virginia. Participants > 60 years of age (n= 481) attended BingocizeR group sessions twice per week for 10 weeks. The program combined conventional bingo with periodic strength, balance, flexibility exercises, and fall prevention education. Pre and post assessments gauged participants' self-perception of fear of falling, general health, physical activity, social isolation, and avoidance behavior. 481 participants attended at least 80% of the sessions. Following the intervention, paired sample t-tests revealed statistically significant improvements (p <.05) in fear of falling, physical activity, social isolation, avoidance behavior, and yet there was no notable change in self-reported general health. The 10-week BingocizeR program appears to improve physical activity, social isolation, avoidance behavior, and fear of falling. Self-reported general health did not significantly change.

The Bruce and Astrand treadmill protocols are commonly utilized when assessing maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max). However, the steep grade implemented in the protocols often leads to localized muscular fatigue, potentially causing participants prematurely to terminate the test prior to reaching their true VO2max. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a Novel VO2max protocol that may be better suited for young, apparently healthy populations. The Novel protocol starts at a higher speed and lower initial grade to limit lower extremity fatigue. Fifteen participants performed the Bruce, Astrand, and Novel protocols with the following maximal values recorded from each: VO2max, maximal ventilation (VEmax), respiratory exchange ratio (RER), heart rate (HR), rating of perceived exertion (RPE) and time to exhaustion (TTE). The Novel protocol displayed substantial agreement with both criterion protocols. Mean absolute percent error (MAPE) was less than 10% indicating that the Novel protocol is a valid measurement for VO2max values. Bland-Altman analysis revealed that the Novel protocol exhibited a low degree of bias, with tight limits of agreement when compared to the Bruce (bias ±95% LOA = 0.824 ± 3.163) and Astrand protocols (-0.153 ± 3.528) for VO2max. A paired samples t-test revealed no significant differences between Novel and criterion protocols for VO2max. Paired samples t-tests revealed that the Novel protocol had significantly lower TTE when compared to the Bruce and Astrand protocols and produced similar VO2max values to that of the Bruce and Astrand. The Novel protocol may be considered a valid and time-efficient protocol.

Exercise guidance for women with pregnancies complicated by fetal growth restriction (FGR) is vague, despite the fact that physical activity during pregnancy improves placental development, placental blood flow, and encourages healthy fetal growth. The goal of this study is to test the hypothesis that women with pregnancies complicated by FGR are fearful of physical activity and are being given unclear or limited advice from healthcare providers. Participants (N = 78) (women who delivered an infant diagnosed with FGR within the past 5 years) took an electronic survey including demographic information, pregnancy information, provider advice recall, and other health-related information relevant to growth-restricted pregnancies. Quantitative and qualitative (post-positivism paradigm) methods were employed to analyze the data. When asked specifically about how the FGR diagnosis impacted their activity levels, nearly 50% of participants said the diagnosis led them to decrease their activity levels. Participants reported that healthcare providers who do discuss activity with pregnant patients with FGR suggest low-intensity activities or ceasing activity, although the majority of providers did not discuss activity at all. More fears surrounding physical activity were reported post-FGR diagnosis, including worrying about fetal growth and development and causing fetal harm when engaging in physical activity.

Cardiovascular (CV) and resistance training (RT) can moderate negative effects of aging, disease, and inactivity. Post-exercise hypotension (PEH) has been used as a non-pharmacological means to control and reduce BP. Few have evaluated PEH response following a bout of exercise combining CV and RT, whether or not there is an order effect, or if PEH continues when activities of daily living (ADLs) are resumed. Participants (N = 10) completed a non-exercise control, a graded exercise test (GXT), and two concurrent sessions (CVRT and RTCV). Each session was followed by a 60-minute laboratory and 3-hour ADLs PEH assessment, respectively. Two-way and Welch-one-way repeated measures ANOVAs were used to determine differences between among conditions in PEH. There was a significant interaction between BP and condition following the 60-minute laboratory measure (p = .030, ηp2 = .166) and the ADLs BP assessments (p = .008, ηp2 = .993), respectively. PEH occurred following concurrent exercise conditions at minute 45 for RTCV (118 ± 8, p = .041; 95% CI [0.223, 17.443]) and minutes 50 (117 ± 9; p = .036 95% CI [0.441, 21.097]) and 55 (118 + 8; p < .001; 95% CI [5.884, 14.731]) following CVRT. BP was elevated during ADLs following the control session compared to the GXT, RTCV, and CVRT. Regardless of the order, concurrent exercise is effective in potentiating PEH. Elevation in BP associated with ADLs can be mitigated if exercise is performed previously.

Cardiorespiratory endurance is an important element of aerobic fitness, particularly in weight management and reducing risk for cardiovascular disease. While there are numerous options for aerobic exercise, rope jumping is often overlooked. In addition to regular exercise and a healthy diet, the American Heart Association strongly recommends rope jumping. The first purpose of this study was to determine the steady state metabolic cost of repetitive jumping on the Digi-Jump machine to evaluate whether exercise on this device is more or less strenuous than similar exercise with a jump rope, as demonstrated in previous literature. A second purpose was to determine the relative intensity of exercise on the Digi-Jump by comparing to VO2max as measured on a treadmill. Twenty-seven participants completed two trials, one jumping trial at a rate of 120 jumps per minute with the jumping height set at 0.5 inch for 5-min on the Digi-Jump, and one graded exercise test using the Bruce protocol. Oxygen uptake (VO2), heart rate (HR), respiratory exchange ratio (RER), and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) were measured each minute during each trial. Results of this study indicated that steady state VO2 during the 5-min jump test was reached at the 3rd min. Steady state variables during the jumping trial expressed as percentage of max were as follows: VO2 was 57.1% of VO2max; HR was 80.9% of HRmax; RER was 86%of RERmax; and RPE was 75.2% of RPEmax. These data indicate that repetitive jumping is a strenuous activity and similar in intensity to jumping rope, even if the trial is done on the Digi-Jump machine with free-swinging arms and without a jump rope.

Attrition rates for Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) programs in the United States across the fields of engineering, life sciences, social sciences, mathematics and physical sciences, and humanities range from 36 - 51%. A qualitative literature review indicates certain factors may impact the PhD student's success in completing the program and degree. The factors focused on in this review include the student-advisor relationship, mentorship, and the dissertation process. Although kinesiology doctoral programs are evaluated and ranked by the National Academy of Kinesiology, little information is available exploring kinesiology PhD student success. General information on PhD student success may, therefore, be valuable to kinesiology PhD students and programs.

Quality of life (QOL) is an important aspect of overall well-being in older adults and can be improved with increased physical activity. One in four older adults experiences a fall each year, making it necessary to focus public health interventions towards decreasing fall risk and improving QOL in older adults. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of the health promotion program, Bingocize®, on QOL and fall risk in community-dwelling older adults (n = 36; mean age 73.63 ± 6.97). Participants were clustered and randomly assigned to (a) experimental (n = 19; participating in Bingocize® program, or (b) control (n = 17; only played normal bingo). Each group completed a 12-week intervention that consisted of two 45-60 minute sessions per week. There were no significant interactions for any of the variables, with the exception of positive affect (PA) (F (1,34) = 5.66, p = 0.02, ηp2=0.15 , power = 0.64) and handgrip strength (F (1,34) = 8.31, p = 0.007, ηp2=0.196 , power = 0.80). There was also a significant main effect for time for health knowledge. Participating in the Bingocize® health promotion program can produce a meaningful and detectable change in handgrip strength and PA in community-dwelling older adults.

Quality of life (QOL) is an important aspects of overall well-being in older adults. QOL is associated with functional, physical, and psychological health; all of which can be improved with increased physical activity. A high fall risk is associated with low physical function and QOL. One in four older adults experiences a fall each year, making it necessary to focus public health interventions towards decreasing fall risk and improving QOL in older adults. Bingocize® is a health promotion program designed to promote health, health knowledge, physical activity, and social engagement among older adults. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of the new version of Bingocize® on QOL and fall risk in community-dwelling older adults (N=36; mean age 73.63 ± 6.97). METHODS: Participants were clustered and randomly assigned to (a) experimental (n=19; participating in Bingocize® program, which included the bingo game, exercise, and health education) or (b) control (n=17; only played bingo). Each group completed a 12-week intervention that consisted of two 45-60 minute sessions per week. Pre and post data assessments included the TUG, 30-second chair stand, 4-staged balance, handgrip strength, WHOQOL-BREF, PANAS, and a health knowledge quiz. A mixed design analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to compare intervention effects. Associations were significant at p≤0.05. RESULTS: There were no significant interactions for any of the variables, with the exception of positive affect (PA) (F (1,34) = 5.66, p = 0.02, power = 0.64) and handgrip strength (F (1,34) = 8.31, p = 0.007, power = 0.80). There was also a significant main effect for time for health knowledge. Post hoc analysis using independent samples t-tests were conducted on PA (t (33) = 2.39, p = 0.023, two-tailed) and handgrip strength (t (34) = 2.85, p = 0.007, two-tailed). CONCLUSION: Participating in the Bingocize® health promotion program can produce a meaningful and detectable change in handgrip strength and PA in community-dwelling older adults.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the agreement of five commercially available accelerometers in estimating energy expenditure while performing an acute bout of high-intensity functional training (HIFT). Methods: Participants (n = 47; average age: 28.5 +/- 11.6 years) consisted of recreationally active, healthy adults. Each participant completed a session of HIFT: a 15-minute workout consisting of 12 repetitions each of air-squats, sit-ups, push-ups, lunges, pull-ups, steps-ups, and high-knees; performed circuit-style by completing as many rounds as possible. During this session, each participant wore the Cosmed K4b2 portable metabolic analyzer (PMA) and five different accelerometers (ActiGraph GT3X, Nike Fuelband, Fitbit One, Fitbit Charge HR, and Jawbone UP Move). Results: Four of the five activity trackers reported lower (p < .05) total EE values compared to the PMA during the acute bout of HIFT. The waist-mounted device (ActiGraph, 182.55 +/- 37.93 kcal) was not significantly different from, and most closely estimated caloric expenditure compared to the PMA (144.99 +/- 37.13 kcal) (p = .056). A repeated-measures ANOVA showed that all activity trackers were significantly different from the reference measure (PMA) (p < .05). Systematic relative agreement between the activity trackers was calculated, exhibiting a significant ICC = 0.426 (F [46,230] = 5.446 [p < .05]). Conclusion: The wrist- and hip-mounted activity trackers did not accurately assess energy expenditure during HIFT exercise. With the exception of the ActiGraph GT3X, the remaining four activity trackers showed inaccurate estimates of the amount of kilocalories expended during the HIFT exercise bout compared to the PMA.

PURPOSE: Women who are pregnant report receiving little or no advice about physical activity during pregnancy from their provider. The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of an evidence-based educational brochure on both immediate and two-week retention of knowledge about exercise during pregnancy. METHODS: Thirty-two women of childbearing age (age: 25.0 ± 4.0 years, body mass index: 29.5 ± 6.5 kg/m2) completed a survey before exposure to an evidence-based educational brochure regarding exercise during pregnancy. Post surveys were taken immediately after viewing the educational brochure and again 2-weeks later. RESULTS: After exposure to educational brochures, survey scores on both surveys were significantly higher immediately-post and two-weeks post compared to baseline survey scores [Survey 1 (assessing beliefs) – pre: 79.2±8.9%, post: 92.6±7.4%, 2-weeks post:92.0±6.5%, p < 0.001; Survey 2 (assessing knowledge) – pre: 65.3±16.4%, post: 81.3±14.9%, 2-weeks post:78.8±12.4%, p < 0.001)]. No significant differences detected between immediate post and 2-weeks post for either Survey 1 (p = 0.72) or Survey 2 (p = 0.52); suggesting the information was retained. CONCLUSION: An evidence-based educational brochure is effective for improving and retaining information regarding exercise during pregnancy. Health care providers should consider providing patients with this information in order to improve knowledge and patient-provider communication on this topic.

Since its inception, the mission of the International Journal of Exercise Science (IJES) has been to engage student researchers, to provide an outlet for peer-review and possible publication of their work, and to grant an opportunity for them to gain experience as peer-reviewers. The Editors of IJES take pride in providing these opportunities for student involvement, and we are constantly seeking new and innovative ways to enhance students' professional development. As our readership has expanded across the globe and our scope has broadened to cross many Kinesiology related disciplines, we believe it is timely to revisit the purpose of peer-review, give advice on best practices, and provide a template for reviews. Presenting these guiding principles should simplify and streamline both the review and the revision processes for students and professionals alike.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of utilizing sit-stand workstations (Ergotron) throughout the workday on stress, focus, and productivity when following sit-stand progression protocols for 10 weeks. METHODS: Participants (N=60) were randomly assigned to one of three groups. Group 1 and 2 followed a prescribed protocol to progress up to 30 and 20 minutes of standing per hour, respectively. The protocol consisted of reminder emails delivered to participants each hour to reinforce prescribed standing times. Group 3 was instructed to sit and stand according to their preference throughout the day. Stress, focus, and productivity during standing and sitting time were measured using the visual analogue scale (VAS) at the end of each day. Data were analyzed using mixed-designrepeated measures ANOVA with significance set at p < 0.05. RESULTS: For each group, stress was significantly lower and focus and productivity were significantly higher standing compared to sitting (p = 0.01) over the 10 weeks. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that there is an increase in focus and productivity, along with reductions in stress, when standing compared to sitting throughout the workday. Furthermore, there was no influence of standing time progression throughout the 10 weeks or total standing time per hour. Future investigations should examine the long-term utilization and compliance of the sit-stand workstations and the potential impact on overall health.

PURPOSE: As the competitive level and skill level of the athletes increases, so does the demand and elevation in expectation of that official’s performance. There is currently a dearth of information and data as it relates to the official’s capacity and ability to perform their job. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the health and physical fitness status as well as job satisfaction of officials in the sport of American football. METHODS: Eighteen National Federation of High Schools certified officials in the sport of American football participated in the study. Participants completed an Adult Health History Questionnaire to risk classify for cardiovascular disease (CVD) according to American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) standards (ACSM, 2017). Also, each participant completed a Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (1977) related to their current officiating responsibilities. In addition, each participant had body mass index (BMI) assessed using standard scales. RESULTS: Descriptive statistics showed that the mean age of the participants was 47.7±13.2 years old with a mean BMI of 29.0±5.0 kg/m2. 50.0% of participants were classified as High Risk for CVD, 27.8% Moderate Risk, and 16.7% Low Risk. A significant correlation was found between age and total sports officiated (r = -.505, p = 0.046) and while the correlation between BMI and extrinsic satisfaction (r = -.493, p = 0.062) was not significant, it did imply a moderate correlation. A one-way ANOVA exhibited a significant difference between ACSM risk classification and the number of sports officiated (p = 0.044). A post-hoc Tukey test indicates that individuals who are High Risk officiate significantly more sports (p = 0.046) than those who are Moderate Risk. However, High Risk was not significantly different from Low Risk and Low Risk was not significantly different from Moderate Risk (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Based on the results of the current study, it appears that the data can confirm that as officials get older they tend to drop out of officiating. In addition, a large degree of officials (77.8%) were considered either Moderate or High Risk for CVD, implying that the physiological stress that officiating typically entails could place these individuals at an increased risk of experiencing a cardiovascular event.

High intensity functional training (HIFT) emphasizes constantly varied, high intensity, functional activity by programming strength and conditioning exercises, gymnastics, Olympic weightlifting, and specialty movements. Conversely, traditional circuit training (TCT) programs aim to improve muscular fitness by utilizing the progressive overload principle, similar movements weekly, and specified work-to-rest ratios. The purpose of this investigation was to determine if differences exist in health and performance measures in women participating in HIFT or TCT after a six-week training program. Recreationally active women were randomly assigned to a HIFT (n = 8, age 26.0 + 7.3 yrs) or TCT (n = 11, age 26.3 + 9.6 yrs) group. Participants trained three days a week for six weeks with certified trainers. Investigators examined body composition (BC), aerobic and anaerobic capacity, muscular strength, endurance, flexibility, power, and agility. Repeated-measures ANOVA were used for statistical analyses with an alpha level of 0.05. Both groups increased body mass (p = .011), and improved muscular endurance (p < .000), upper body strength (p = .007), lower body power (p = .029) and agility (p = .003). In addition, the HIFT group decreased body fat (BF) %, while the TCT group increased BF% (p = .011). No changes were observed in aerobic or anaerobic capacity, flexibility, upper body power, or lower body stair climbing power. Newer, high intensity functional exercise programs such as HIFT may have better results on BC and similar effects when compared with TCT programs on health and fitness variables such as musculoskeletal strength and performance.

Regular exercise can improve lower-extremity physical function (LEPF) in older adults. It is important that participants do exercise not only in the exercise classroom but also in their daily lives. We conducted an exercise program and compared the effects on LEPF between participants with goal-setting (GS) aimed at increasing daily physical activity (PA) by 1000 steps/day and participants without GS. PURPOSE: To investigate the effects of GS on daily PA and LEPF during the exercise program. METHODS: The study was conducted in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. Participants (community-dwelling older adults) were non-randomly allocated to two groups: with GS (n = 19, average age: 68.9±3.3 years) and without GS (n = 13, average age: 69.9±4.2 years). Participants in the GS group were encouraged to increase their PA by 1000 steps/day above their baseline step counts. All subjects in both groups participated in a square-stepping exercise program for 90 min once a week for 9 weeks. To determine the LEPF benefits of the program, we performed six types of test before and after the program. We evaluated the participants’ daily PA during the program by using pedometers. RESULTS: There was a significant group-by-time interaction on daily PA (p = 0.004): the group with GS significantly increased their PA (early period: 9650±3939, late period: 10892±4416), and the group without GS did not change their PA (early period: 8055±3566, late period: 7069±2062). There were significant time effects in the 5-m habitual walk, the choice stepping reaction time and the 6-min walk. There was a significant group-by-time interaction in the five-repetition sit-to-stand test (p = 0.006): only the group without GS improved their performance. CONCLUSIONS: Although the group with GS significantly increased their daily PA compared with the group without GS, we could not confirm the effect of GS on LEPF. A longer term program is needed to confirm the effects of GS in increasing daily PA.

There is growing evidence prolonged workplace sitting is associated with multiple health risks. Utilizing static and active workstations may increase daily workplace physical activity and reduce workplace-sitting time. PURPOSE: The purpose of study was to determine if access to both static and active workstations could increase workplace physical activity and decrease sitting time. METHODS: Participants (N=15) were assigned to an experimental (sit-stand workstation and shared treadmill desk; n=8) or control group (n=7) for seven weeks. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire long form was administered at baseline and at the end of the study to assess workplace physical activity and sitting time. Participants wore an activity tracker (Fitbit One) to objectively assess daily footsteps and physically active hours. A mixed between-within subject analysis of variance was used to compare the groups (alpha: p < .05). RESULTS: There were no statistically significant between group differences in the dependent variables. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to examine the use of static and active workstations to increase workplace physical activity and reduce sitting time. Workday sitting decreased 61% in the experimental group, while increasing 8.3% in the control group. Although only half of the experimental group participants used the shared treadmill desk, the mean number of footsteps taken (8897.25) was well above the recommended >5000 steps/day. Because no attempt was made to motivate or promote use of the equipment in any way, a health education component may be needed, along with a larger sample size to attain more significant increases in workplace physical activity and reductions in sitting time.