The Influence of Religious Affiliation on Participant Responsiveness to the Complete Health Improvement Program (CHIP) Lifestyle Intervention.

Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) and non-SDA (21.3 and 78.7 %, respectively) individuals (n = 7172) participating in the Complete Health Improvement Program, a 30-day diet and lifestyle intervention, in North America (241 programs, 2006-2012) were assessed for changes in selected chronic disease risk factors: body mass index (BMI), blood pressure (BP), pulse, lipid profile and fasting plasma glucose (FPG). Reductions were greater among the non-SDA for BMI, pulse and blood lipids. Furthermore, the majority of non-SDA in the highest risk classifications for BP, lipids and FPG, but only some lipids among SDA, were able to show improvement by 20 % or more.

'Live more': Study protocol for a community-based lifestyle education program addressing non-communicable diseases in low-literacy areas of the South Pacific.

BACKGROUND: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) have reached epidemic proportions in Pacific Island countries. Unhealthy lifestyle is one of the major risk factors and lifestyle interventions have been shown to be efficacious for primary, secondary and early tertiary prevention. However, there is a paucity of evidence regarding effective community-based lifestyle interventions in the Pacific Islands. The Complete Health Improvement Program for high-income countries was contextualised for rural communities with relatively low-literacy rates in low-income countries using the REFLECT delivery approach. This study will assess the effect of this 'Live More' program to reduce participant's NCD risk factors and improve lifestyle behaviours associated with health and wellbeing, in low-literacy communities in countries of the South Pacific. METHODS/DESIGN: This study is a 6-month cluster-randomised controlled trial of 288 adults (equal proportions of men and women aged 18 years and over) with waist circumference of ≥92 cm for men and ≥80 cm for women in four rural villages in each of Fiji, Vanuatu and Solomon Islands. Participants will permanently reside in their village and be able to prepare their own meals. Two villages will be randomised to the 'Live More' intervention (n = 24) or to control receiving only country specific Ministry of Health literature (n = 24). Intervention participants will meet three times a week in the first month, then once a week for the next two months and once a month for the last three months. Themes covered include: NCDs and their causes; and the benefits of positive lifestyle choices, positive psychology, stress management, forgiveness and self-worth, and how these influence long-term health habits. Outcome assessments at baseline, 30-days, 3-months and 6-months include body mass index, waist circumference, blood lipids, blood pressure and blood glucose. Secondary outcomes include changes in medication and substance use, diet, physical activity, emotional health and supportive relationships, collected by lifestyle questionnaire at the same time points. DISCUSSION: This is the first lifestyle intervention using the Reflect approach to target NCDs. The findings from the study will be used to guide broader delivery of a lifestyle intervention to improve health and wellbeing across the South Pacific. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12614001206617 .

Epidemlology of exercise-related transient abdominal pain at the Sydney City to Surf community run.

A questionnaire was administered to 848 participants (76% runners, 24% walkers) at the conclusion of the 14 km City to Surf community run in order to investigate their experience of exercise-related transient abdominal pain (ETAP). Twenty-seven percent of respondents reported experiencing ETAP during the event, with the condition reported more frequently (p< 0.01) by runners (30%) than walkers (16%). ETAP was mostly described as well-localised (88%) and of an aching (25%), sharp (22%) or cramping (22%) sensation. The most commonly-reported sites of the pain were the right (46%) and left lumbar (23%) regions of the abdomen. Forty-two percent of the respondents who experienced ETAP reported that the pain was detrimental to their performance. Reports of ETAP decreased with age (r= -0.23, p< 0.01) but were unrelated to gender, body mass index or the time taken to complete the event. Among respondents who ran, those who consumed a large mass of food relative to body weight in the time interval 1-2 hr before the event were more likely to develop symptoms of ETAP (p < 0.05). The nutritional content of the pre-event meal did not influence the experience of ETAP. Sufferers of ETAP were more likely to experience nausea (r = 0.12, p< 0.01) and report shoulder tip pain (r= 0.14, p< 0.01). The results indicate that ETAP is a commonly experienced problem and provide insights into the cause of the complaint.

Exercise related transient abdominal pain.

The causes of exercise related transient abdominal pain remain to be elucidated.

Characteristics and etiology of exercise-related transient abdominal pain.

PURPOSE AND METHODS: In order to investigate the characteristics of the exercise-related transient abdominal pain (ETAP) commonly referred to as "stitch," a questionnaire was administered to a total of 965 regular sporting participants involved in six sports. RESULTS: The percentage of respondents claiming to have experienced ETAP within the past year for the respective sports were: running (69%, N = 439), swimming (75%, N = 103), cycling (32%, N = 76), aerobics (52%, N = 126), basketball (47%, N = 121), and horse riding (62%, N = 100). ETAP appears to be most prevalent in activities that involve repetitive torso movement, either vertical translation or longitudinal rotation. ETAP appears to be a single condition, common in its manifestation to most sufferers, and was described by respondents as a well-localized pain (79%), mostly experienced in the right or left lumbar regions of the abdomen (78%). The sensation of ETAP may be related to the severity of pain with less intense ETAP being described as cramping, aching, or pulling, and greater severity ETAP as sharp or stabbing in nature. Fourteen percent of respondents indicated that they experience shoulder tip pain (STP), which being the diaphragmatic-referred site could suggest irritation of the diaphragm. Respondents claiming to have experienced ETAP were more likely to report STP (r = 0.14, P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The findings of the present study provide perspective on previously suggested etiologies of ETAP, which include diaphragmatic ischemia and stress on the visceral "ligaments," and form the basis for examining alternative etiologies such as cramp of the musculature and irritation of the parietal peritoneum.

Effect of high intensity board training on upper body anaerobic capacity and short-lasting exercise performance.

Seven conditioned post-pubescent male subjects (VO2peak = 2.8 +/- 0.1 l.min-1) performed three high intensity board training sessions per week for an eight week period, followed by ten days of reduced training (taper). Subjects performed a 60 second all-out test, on a Biokinetic swim bench ergometer, on five occasions throughout the duration of the study. Testing occurred pre-training (T1), during the third week of training (T2), during the sixth week of training (T3), following eight weeks of training (T4), and post-taper (T5). Performance parameters as well as oxygen deficit (OD) were recorded during the 60 second all-out tests for the assessment of anaerobic capacity. Time trials were completed at times corresponding to T1, T3 and T5 over distances of 75, 140 and 250 metres. Over the duration of the study improvements of 17 percent (p < 0.05) and 60 percent (p < 0.01) were observed for Biokinetic swim bench mean power and peak power, respectively. Improvements in mean power and OD reached significance after five weeks of training. Improvements of 11 (p < 0.05), seven (p < 0.05) and six (p < 0.05) percent were noted from pre-training to post-taper for the 75, 140 and 250 metre time trials, respectively. Peak oxygen uptake improved by five percent from pre-training to post-taper which was almost significant at the 0.05 level (p = 0.052). Mean power correlated significantly with the 75 (r = -0.74, p < 0.05) and 140 (r = -0.79, p < 0.05) metre time trials, indicating that in-water performance and Biokinetic swim bench ergometry are well related. The ten day period of reduced training had no effect on performance parameters assessed during the 60 second all-out tests. It was concluded that improvements in the anaerobic energy systems, and associated performance in short-lasting exercise of high intensity, can be induced within five weeks of high intensity training with no decrements in the aerobic energy system.