The effect of a high-intensity interval training program on combat soldiers fitness

Running helps maintain aerobic and anaerobic fitness and normal body weight in combat fighters. However, alternative training methods are necessary to maintain combat fitness when conditions do not allow running, be it service-related or, recently, coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic-related limitations. This prospective interventional, unblinded, nonrandomized controlled study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a high-intensity interval training program that excluded prolonged running in maintaining physical fitness and bodyweight. The study included 60 compulsory service male soldiers, aged 20.45 ± 0.48 years, divided into equal matched intervention and control groups. The three weekly workouts in the control group comprised 5–8 km running. The intervention group underwent three weekly workouts that included agility and strength training at short, intense intervals with brief recovery times between sets. The groups were compared before and after six weeks of training. At the start and end of the six-week program, the groups were similar at a significance level of P < 0.05 for bodyweight, body fat and muscle percent, background characteristics, Army Fitness Test (3-km running, pull-ups, squats, dips), agility, and maximal oxygen consumption. Our findings showed that the intervention training program was as effective as the standard running program in maintaining the participants aerobic and anaerobic fitness and normal bodyweight. The suggested high-intensity interval training program could be a viable fitness strategy when running is not possible in combat soldiers and civilians alike. (English) [ FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of a high-intensity interval training program on combat soldiers fitness

Summary Introduction Running helps maintain aerobic and anaerobic fitness and normal body weight in combat fighters. However, alternative training methods are necessary to maintain combat fitness when conditions do not allow running, be it service-related or, recently, coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic-related limitations. This prospective interventional, unblinded, nonrandomized controlled study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a high-intensity interval training program that excluded prolonged running in maintaining physical fitness and bodyweight. Summary of facts and results The study included 60 compulsory service male soldiers, aged 20.45±0.48 years, divided into equal matched intervention and control groups. The three weekly workouts in the control group comprised 5–8km running. The intervention group underwent three weekly workouts that included agility and strength training at short, intense intervals with brief recovery times between sets. The groups were compared before and after six weeks of training. At the start and end of the six-week program, the groups were similar at a significance level of P<0.05 for bodyweight, body fat and muscle percent, background characteristics, Army Fitness Test (3-km running, pull-ups, squats, dips), agility, and maximal oxygen consumption. Conclusion Our findings showed that the intervention training program was as effective as the standard running program in maintaining the participants aerobic and anaerobic fitness and normal bodyweight. The suggested high-intensity interval training program could be a viable fitness strategy when running is not possible in combat soldiers and civilians alike. Résumé Introduction La course à pied aide à maintenir la forme aérobie et anaérobie et un poids corporel normal chez les combattants. Cependant, des méthodes d’entraînement alternatives sont nécessaires pour maintenir l’aptitude au combat lorsque les conditions ne permettent pas de courir, que ce soit des limitations liées au service ou, récemment, liées à la pandémie de coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19). Cette étude prospective interventionnelle, sans insu et non randomisée visait à évaluer l’efficacité d’un programme d’entraînement par intervalles à haute intensité qui exclurait la course prolongée pour maintenir la forme physique et le poids corporel. Résumé des faits et des résultats L’étude a été portée sur 60 soldats (Homme) en service obligatoire, âgés de 20,45±0,48 ans, répartis en groupes recherche et de contrôle appariés égaux. Les trois entraînements hebdomadaires du groupe témoin comprenaient 5 à 8km de course. Le groupe recherche a également subi trois séances d’entraînement hebdomadaires comprenant de l’agilité et de la musculation à intervalles courts et intenses avec de brefs temps de récupération entre les séries. Les groupes ont été comparés avant et après six semaines d’entraînement. Au début et à la fin du programme de six semaines, les groupes étaient similaires à un niveau de signification de p<0,05 pour le poids corporel, le pourcentage de graisse corporelle et de muscle, les caractéristiques de base, le test de condition physique de l’armée (course de 3km, tractions, squats, dips), agilité et consommation maximale d’oxygène. Conclusion Nos résultats ont montré que le programme d’entraînement utilisé était aussi efficace que le programme de course standard pour maintenir la forme aérobie et anaérobie des participants et un poids corporel normal. Le programme d’entraînement par intervalles à haute intensité suggéré pourrait être une stratégie de remise en forme viable lorsque la course n’est pas possible chez les soldats de combat et les civils.

THE PUBLIC HEALTH IMPLICATIONS OF EXPANDING U.S. ALCOHOL HOME DELIVERY LAWS

Purpose: During the COVID-19 pandemic, many states expanded online alcohol sales and directto- consumer home delivery and shipping laws. Given that expanding access to and availability of alcohol in general is harmful to youth and adults, it is important to track these new laws and understand their impacts. This presentation will: (1) discuss the expansion of alcohol home delivery laws across the U.S.;and (2) assess the drinking patterns and behaviors of adults who reported having alcohol delivered to their homes. Method: (1) An inter-disciplinary team studied state alcohol home delivery laws and developed a new policy topic to be tracked by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration under the Sober Truth on the Prevention of Underage Drinking (STOP) Act. (2) Along with colleagues at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, a team of researchers conducted a cross-sectional online survey with a convenience sample of U.S. adults over 21 years old in May 2020 to assess the relation between having alcohol delivered and alcohol consumption. Data: Data were obtained from: (1) Analyzing relevant alcohol-related home delivery statutes and regulations for all states and the District of Columbia. (2) The online survey whose sample included 832 participants - 84% female, 85%White, and 72%ages 26-49. Results: (1) Preliminary results demonstrate that more states expanded current laws or enacted new laws to allow manufacturers and retailers to ship or deliver alcohol directly to consumers' homes by the end of 2021 than had such laws in 2009. (2) Participants who had alcohol delivered reported consuming significantly more drinks (p < 0.001) and drinking on a significantly greater number of days (p < 0.001) than participants who obtained their alcohol in other ways. Conclusions: Alcohol home delivery laws have significantly expanded over the last decade, with many changes occurring during the COVID-19 pandemic. As these laws change to expand consumers' access to alcohol at home, this may result in increased public health harms, including among the underage population. States should consider these public health findings when deciding on the permanency of their alcohol delivery laws.

Gravitating Toward the Arts During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on our lives with individuals experiencing a wide range of emotions. While much attention has been placed on promoting physical health to control the coronavirus, far less attention has been placed on promoting mental health and well-being. There are well-known reports of individuals gravitating toward the arts during times of extreme stress: art is made in prisons;novels are written secretly in police states. In this study we examined whether individuals turned to the arts to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic, how everyday artistic activities helped them regulate their emotions, and whether certain personality traits predicted the use of these strategies. We administered a survey to 486 participants (M-age = 35.7;SDage = 12.3;Range(age) = 18 to 79), asking them about the frequency of artistic activities they engaged in, the artistic activity they felt was the most helpful for coping with the pandemic, and how they used that activity to regulate their emotions. Four findings emerged: (a) participants reported engaging in artistic activities more often during than before the pandemic;(b) listening to music was the most helpful activity, followed by reading, and then the visual arts;(c) artistic activities regulated emotions most commonly by providing a means of escape;and (d) the personality trait of openness to experience predicted use of the approach and self-development emotion regulation strategies. These findings demonstrate that we gravitated toward the arts during the COVID-19 pandemic and that we did so because these activities provided a form of escape.

Automated processing of thermal imaging to detect COVID-19 and microvascular dysfunction

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is associated with microvascular dysfunction. Non-invasive thermal imaging can hypothetically detect changes in perfusion, inflammation and vascular injury. We sought to develop a new point-of-care, non-contact thermal imaging tool to detect COVID-19 by microvascular dysfunction, based on image processing algorithms and machine learning analysis. Materials and methods: We captured thermal images of the back of 101 individuals, with (n=62) and without (n=39) COVID-19, using a portable thermal camera that connects directly to smartphones. We developed new image processing algorithms that automatically extract multiple texture and shape features of the thermal images (Figure 1A). We then evaluated the ability of our thermal features to detect COVID-19 and systemic changes of heat distribution associated with microvascular disease. We also assessed correlations between thermal imaging to conventional biomarkers and chest X-ray (CXR). Results: Our novel image processing algorithms achieved up to 92% sensitivity in detecting COVID-19 with an area under the curve of 0.85 (95% CI: 0.78, 0.93;p<0.01). Systemic alterations in blood flow associated with vascular disease were observed across the entire back. Thermal imaging scores were inversely correlated with clinical variables associated with COVID-19 disease progression, including blood oxygen saturation, C-reactive protein, and D-dimer. The thermal imaging findings were not correlated with the results of CXR. Conclusions: We show, for the first time, that a hand-held thermal imaging device can be used to detect COVID-19. Non-invasive thermal imaging could be used to screen for COVID-19 in out-of-hospital settings, especially in low-income regions with limited imaging resources. Moreover, thermal imaging might detect micro-angiopathies and endothelial dysfunction in patients with COVID-19 and could possibly improve risk stratification of infected individuals (Figure 1B).