Testing compensatory health beliefs in a UK population

Compensatory health beliefs, beliefs that healthy behaviours can compensate or neutralise unhealthy behaviours, have been proposed as one way of understanding why people engage in health-risk behaviours (Knäuper, B., Rabiau, M., Cohen, O., & Patriciu, N. (2004). Compensatory health beliefs scale development and psychometric properties. Psychology and Health, 19, 607–624). However, measuring compensatory health beliefs has proved a challenge, with several recent studies being unable to replicate the psychometric properties of Knäuper et al.'s (2004) scales. The aims of this study were to: (1) test the factor structure of the compensatory health beliefs scale in the UK, (2) examine the predictive validity of the scale by testing the relationships between compensatory health beliefs and health behaviours over a six-month time interval and (3) assess the 6-month test–retest reliability of the scale. A total of 393 participants completed measures of compensatory health beliefs and health behaviours at two time points separated by six months. The findings were potentially problematic for research into compensatory health beliefs: the factor structure was not confirmed, there was little evidence of predictive validity, and test–retest reliability was poor. Further research is required to understand the operation of compensatory health beliefs and to develop the measurement of compensatory health beliefs.     

Decline in executive control during acute bouts of exercise as a function of exercise intensity and fitness level

Studies on the effects of acute bouts of cardiovascular exercise on cognitive performances show contradictory findings due to methodological differences (e.g., exercise intensity, cognitive function assessed, participants’ aerobic fitness level, etc.). The present study assessed the acute effect of exercise intensity on cognition while controlling for key methodological confounds. Thirty-seven participants (M_age = 23. 8 years; SD = 2.6) completed a computerized modified-Stroop task (involving denomination, inhibition and switching conditions) while pedalling at 40%, 60% and 80% of their peak power output (PPO). Results showed that in the switching condition of the task, error rates increased as a function of exercise intensity (from 60% to 80% of PPO) in all participants and that lower fit individuals showed increased reaction time variability. This suggests that acute bouts of cardiovascular exercise can momentarily alter executive control and increase performance instability in lower fit individuals.     

Strengthening Voices

SUMMARY

As a therapist I have chosen to work with adolescent girls whose voices are among the weakest in our society. They have been sexually, physically and/or emotionally abused as children. Many have seen their mothers beaten by their boyfriends or husbands. Many have body-perfection obsessions such as anorexia and bulimia. Almost all of them have run away from home, hung out downtown, stolen property, relied on drugs and alcohol, and purposefully hurt themselves to take away their feelings. Many have resorted to selling their bodies on the streets or within their peer groups. They all operate from a self-belief of worthlessness, a belief that has gender socialization and abuse at its core. It is at this core that the therapeutic relationship must begin. This article describes a therapy relationship with a 14-year-old girl. This work with adolescent girls is described as being guided by three main principles, that of relationship, justice and soul work.     

Sociocultural correlates of compulsive exercise: is the environment important in fostering a compulsivity towards exercise among adolescents?

Sociocultural factors hypothesised to be influential in eating disorders were assessed for their relationship with compulsive exercise. A sample of 828 adolescent boys and girls completed measures assessing sociocultural messages to change body shape as well as pressure to be thin, and also measures of compulsive exercise and disordered eating. Results showed that the sociocultural influences differed slightly between boys and girls. Hierarchical regressions showed that, after controlling for disordered eating and BMI, messages to become more muscular and media pressure to be thin significantly predicted compulsive exercise in boys, while the same regression in girls reported only media pressure to be thin as a significant predictor of compulsive exercise. These findings demonstrate the influence of the media in boys’ and girls’ compulsive exercising, as well as highlight the influence of body shape messages to become more muscular on boys’ compulsive exercise.     

合理应用运动平板试验与冠脉CT诊断冠心病临床策略分析

本文针对临床诊断冠心病的两种常用手段即运动平板试验和冠脉CT进行分析,鉴于目前临床普遍存在重视采用冠脉CT,甚至达到滥用的地步,而逐渐忽视平板运动试验的现象,紧密结合临床,客观分析两者的特点,阐述各自优缺点。希冀通过本文以帮助临床医师正确选择应用,避免偏颇,最终达到将两者有机的结合,真正适合临床需要,提高冠心病患者的检出率,有利于更好地对冠心病进行二级预防。     

Brief Report: Self-Objectification and Esteem in Young Women: The Mediating Role of Reasons for Exercise

In this study we investigated the interrelationships between self-objectification, reasons for exercise, body satisfaction, body esteem, and self-esteem. A questionnaire that assessed each of these constructs was completed by 104 female participants between the ages of 16 and 25 who exercised regularly at a fitness center. Self-objectification and appearance-related reasons for exercise were significantly negatively related to body satisfaction, body esteem, and self-esteem, and functional reasons for exercise were positively related to each of these outcome measures. Self-objectification also predicted the reasons women exercise. More important, reasons for exercise were found to mediate the relationships between self-objectification and body satisfaction, body esteem, and self-esteem. It was concluded that objectification theory can be extended usefully into the realm of exercise and that, among women who exercise, motivations for exercise account for the reduced body satisfaction and self-esteem for women high on self-objectification.     

An Exercise in Psychological Growth*

The author presents a case report followed by a self- assessment exercise which was generated spontaneously in collaboration with the patient herself during the treatment process. The lists of questions, designed to provoke thought and stimulate maturation, were found to be quite helpful especially in making important life decisions. It is proposed as a learning tool and template for use by those confronting similar issues. Lois Gerby, MA, is a psychologist and family therapist in private practice, 32 Hapalmach St., Suite 32/7, Jerusalem, Israel 92542 (jack.friedman@mail.mcgill.ca). *Translation by Yacov Friedman and Haim Sherrf.     

急性有氧运动对认知表现的影响

急性有氧运动是持续时间在10~60分钟的一次有氧运动。急性有氧运动可暂时性地改变感觉敏感度、记忆、执行功能等认知功能, 但其对不同认知功能的影响效果存在差异, 干预结果受到个体体适能水平、运动强度和运动类型等因素的调节。目前用于解释急性有氧运动影响认知表现的理论有唤醒理论、前额叶功能衰退理论、神经内分泌模型和神经营养因子假说。未来的研究应加强对急性运动发挥作用机制的探究, 更多关注身心运动、团体运动等不同运动形式的干预效果, 以期为长期“运动处方”的开具提供依据。     

Can a before-school physical activity program decrease bullying victimization in disadvantaged children? The Active-Start Study

Background/ObjectiveTo test the effectiveness of an 8-week before-school physical activity program to reduce bullying victimization among a group of socially disadvantaged children in the Active-Start study.MethodA non-blinded randomized controlled trial was conducted in three public schools classified as highly vulnerable and located in a deprived area of Santiago (Chile). A total of 5 classes participated, totaling 170 fourth grade children. The intervention was delivered before starting the first school-class (8:00–8:30 a.m.). The program lasted for 8 weeks. Primary outcome measurement on bullying victimization was assessed by the CUBE questionnaire at baseline and post-intervention.ResultsThere was a statistically significant reduction in the probability of suffering physical bullying (OR= 0.18, 95% CI, 0.04-0.82; p= .027) and verbal bullying (OR=0.13, 95% CI, 0.02-0.97; p= .046) after the 8-week program.ConclusionsParticipation in an 8-week before-school physical activity intervention implemented in schools located in a disadvantaged district in Santiago (Chile) resulted in lower levels of bullying victimization among study participants. The Active-Start program may be a feasible and potentially scalable intervention option to improve the climate and pro-sociality environment at schools.     

Moderate-to-vigorous intensity cycling exercise immediately after visual learning enhances delayed recognition memory performance

A single bout of acute aerobic exercise has been shown to improve long-term memory, though it is unclear if exercise before learning or after learning is optimal for memory enhancement. Although some research has demonstrated that exercise before learning is ideal, investigations have consistently shown that acute arousal post-learning is a powerful memory enhancer. Therefore, the purpose of this investigation was to compare the effects of self-perceived hard cycling before or after learning on recognition memory for emotional and neutral images, and examine the relationship between central noradrenergic activity and memory performance. Seventy-two males and females (18–35 years of age) participated in this between-subjects study. Participants were randomly assigned to one of the following groups: exercise before learning, exercise after learning, and control. Participants in the exercise groups engaged in 20 min of cycling at a rating of perceived exertion (RPE) of 15 (“hard”) on the Borg RPE scale before or after viewing a series of 90 pleasant, unpleasant, and neutral images (30 each). Participants in the control group engaged in no exercise before or after image viewing. At several time points throughout the experiment, saliva was collected to measure salivary alpha amylase (sAA), a marker of central noradrenergic activity. One-week later, recognition memory was assessed where participants viewed 180 images (90 new) and had to identify which images were previously viewed. Participants in the exercise after learning group had significantly higher recognition memory compared to the control group, but this was not seen with exercise before learning. sAA was not correlated with memory in any group, though it did increase during exercise. These results demonstrate that acute self-perceived hard cycling post-learning, but not pre-learning, improves recognition memory, though this was unrelated to the exercise-induced increase in central noradrenergic activity as measured in saliva.