Effect of Urban Area Size and Commuting Modes on Physical Activity among working people who took part in health guidance / 体力科学

In the present research, first we evaluated the association between urban area size and commuting modes with physical activity among working people. Then we investigated the longitudinal effects of urban area size and commuting modes on increased physical activity due to health guidance intervention. The subjects were 401 male employees (aged 46.3±7.8) of A corporation, and were split into two groups, metropolitan area group (N=235) and local area group (N=166), based on the population density of place of work. IPAQ-E was used for evaluation of walking environments, and physical activity was assessed using pedometers. The intervention consisted of an exercise-focused health guidance over the course of one year. The cross-sectional study admitted that in comparison with the local area group the metropolitan area group had more than physical activity (p<0.01). Not only the size of urban area but commuting modes were significantly related to the level of daily physical activity (p<0.001). In longitudinal study, regarding the effects of the intervention for the physical activity, the study showed the possibility that urban area size was not directly effective but traffic safety in residential area (p<0.05) and willingness to take a walk (p<0.01) were effective. The cross-sectional study suggested that the size of the urban area and commuting modes had independently an effect on the physical activity of working people. The longitudinal study, on the other hand, suggested that the size of the urban area and commuting modes may not any direct influence on the effects of physical activity intervention.

EFFECTS OF COMBINED TRAINING OF RESISTANCE AND AEROBIC TRAINING WITH PROTEIN INTAKE ON BODY COMPOSITION IN OBESE MIDDLE-AGED WOMEN / 体力科学

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of combined resistance training and aerobic training with protein intake after resistance training on body composition in obese middle-aged women. The subjects were 42 middle-aged women (age : 56.5±4.3 years, BMI : 26.6±2.3 kg/m²), who were classified into three supplementation groups: Protein group (PG), Isocalorie placebo group (IG), and Noncalorie placebo group (CG) by Double Blind Randomized Trial. The training program consisted of combined resistance training and aerobic training for 10 weeks, 5 times per week: twice a week in a university training room and 3 times per week at home. The subjects took the nutrient supplement immediately after each resistance training session. We measured body weight (Bw), body fat volume (Bf) by bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA), and cross-sectional area (CSA) of muscle of the thigh extensor group (Te), flexor group (Tf), and psoas major (Pm) by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) before and after the 10-week training period. Irrespective of group, Bw and Bf showed a significant decrease after the training period compared to before (p<0.001), and the CSA of Te muscle showed a significant increase after the training period (p<0.01). Moreover, the interaction of time×group was accepted in the CSA of Pm muscle (p<0.05), and the increase in muscle volume for PG was the highest increase among the three supplementation groups (p<0.05)(PG : 2.1±0.8 cm², IG : 1.3±1.0 cm², CG : 1.3±0.9 cm²). These results suggest that combined training in middle-aged obese women improves body composition, and resistance training with protein intake may increase the CSA of muscle of psoas major.

EFFECT OF EXERCISE PROGRAM PARTICIPATION ON PERSONAL FACTORS OF EXERCISE ADHERENCE PROMOTION IN MIDDLE-AGED AND ELDERLY SUBJECTS / 体力科学

The purpose of this research was to study the effects of exercise program participation on the personal factors of exercise adherence promotion in the middle-aged and elderly by comparing a group and individual exercise program. The personal factors for promoting exercise adherence, the four domains (i, e. initiative attitude, achievement satisfaction, self-recognition, and intrinsic motivation), were hypothesized. Two groups of middle-aged and elderly subjects, who volunteered to participate in different 6-month exercise programs, were examined. Group 1, 33 subjects (aged 67.7 ±4.3 years : mean±SD), participated in a program consisting of an individual exercise program (combination of endurance and resistance exercise, e. g. cycling exercise, dumbbell and machine exercise, once a week) and group exercise program (e, g. dance and ball game, once a week) . Group 2, 27 subjects (aged 65.2±4.Ovears), participated in the same individual exercise program twice a week. After the 6-month exercise program, significant improvements in group 1 were found in the selfassessment of activity score of the initiative attitude domain, the achievement satisfaction score including enjoyment, achievement and satisfaction, and the self-recognition score representing competence. In group 2, the mastery score in the intrinsic motivation domain was reduced, and the curiosity score in the same domain and the achievement score in the achievement satisfaction domain tended to decrease. These results show that a group program might have a more significant effect on the personal factors hypothesized to promote exercise adherence in this study. Hut there should be follow-up study on the subjects to determine the effectiveness of the program over the long term.