Attitudes toward older adults and willingness to acquire exercise instruction-related qualifications in university students who experience providing exercise instruction to them / 体力科学

In Japan, where the population is aging, it is important to train exercise instructors who promote health in older adults. Previous studies demonstrated that an intergenerational program that was not focused on exercise improved university students’ perceptions of older adults, but the effects of an intergenerational exercise-related program have not been explored. This study investigated whether obtaining experience in providing exercise instruction to older adults improved university students’ attitudes toward these adults and their willingness to acquire exercise instruction-related qualifications. Second-year university students majoring in sport and health sciences were divided into intervention (n = 29) or control (n = 33) groups. Students in the intervention group participated in a 5-session program that involved choreographing exercise with music and giving exercise instructions to community-dwelling older adults. In the final session, the students and older adults performed the exercise together, and this session was videotaped. Explicit attitudes toward older adults improved from before to after the program in the intervention group. The percentage of students in the intervention group who were willing to acquire exercise instruction-related qualifications was greater after the program than before it. In the control group, there were no detectable differences in these measures before and after the study period. Students’ feelings (i.e., vitality, stability, pleasure, and arousal) acutely improved after each session in the intervention group. These results may imply that after experiencing the provision of exercise instruction to older adults, university students’ explicit attitudes toward these adults and their willingness to obtain exercise instruction-related qualifications were increased.

Presenteeism in front-line physicians involved in COVID-19-related clinical practice: a national survey of employed physician members of the Japan Medical Association

BACKGROUND@#The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic may have increased the rate of presenteeism among front-line physicians. Presenteeism is the term used to describe attendance at work despite ill health that would normally prompt rest or absence from work. This study aimed to examine the associations between COVID-19 clinical practice and presenteeism among physicians.@*METHODS@#A cross-sectional study was conducted from December 2021 to January 2022. The questionnaires were distributed to 21,737 employed physicians who were members of the Japan Medical Association. Presenteeism was measured by the Work Functioning Impairment Scale. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the association between COVID-19 clinical practice and presenteeism.@*RESULTS@#Overall, 3,968 participants were included in the analysis, and presenteeism was observed in 13.9% of them. The rate of presenteeism significantly increased with both the number of COVID-19 patients treated and the percentage of work time spent treating these patients (both P values for trend < 0.001). In comparison to those not currently engaged in the treatment of COVID-19 patients, presenteeism was significantly higher among front-line (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.71, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.16-2.53) and second-line physicians supporting those in the front-line (aOR = 1.45, 95% CI: 1.17-1.78). There was no association between involvement in COVID-19 vaccination services and presenteeism.@*CONCLUSIONS@#The burden on front-line and second-line physicians in COVID-19 clinical practice must be minimized. Employed physicians also need to recognize the importance of communicating with their workplaces about presenteeism.

Use of sports tourism to motivate older adults to maintain increased aerobic exercise capacity and reduced arterial stiffness after supervised training: a non-randomized controlled trial / 体力科学

Habitual aerobic exercise decreases arterial stiffness, a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, and increases aerobic exercise capacity. Exercise habits can be difficult to maintain over time. We sought to determine if the prospect of participating in a sports tourism event (mountain climbing) helped older adults maintain increased aerobic exercise capacity and decreased arterial stiffness after a supervised training program. Forty community-dwelling middle-aged and older individuals were divided into training (n=20) and control (n=20) groups. The training group participated in six weeks of face-to-face exercise intervention (walking, 60%–75% of age-predicted maximal heart rate, 35–50 min/day, 1 day/week) and was additionally offered home-based walking (45 min/day, 2–4 days/week). During the same period, the control group was asked not to change their lifestyle. In the last session of the exercise program, we announced a mountain climbing event planned for six months in the future. The participants were encouraged to maintain their exercise habits leading up to the event. Arterial stiffness (brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity) and maximal oxygen uptake were measured before and after the six-week intervention and two weeks before the mountain climbing event. In the training group, arterial stiffness decreased, and maximal oxygen uptake increased after the intervention; these improvements were successfully maintained until the mountain climbing event. These parameters did not change significantly in the control group. Sports tourism may motivate older adults to maintain their exercise habits after a supervised training program.