Physical Activity Behaviors and Physical Work Capacity in University Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Objective. The COVID-19 pandemic led to restricted access to sports and recreation facilities, resulting in a general decrease in physical activity. Many studies present the results of on-line questionnaires conducted during the pandemic, but there are few reports of objectively measured indicators of physical condition. Thus, the objective of this study was to assess the changes in physical work capacity, body composition, and physical activity behaviors in university students during 14 weeks of lockdown. Material and Methods. Twenty students of Tourism and Recreation (13 female and 7 male) participated in the study. The first examination was conducted in November 2020, and the second in March 2021. Body composition was assessed with a Tanita 418 MA device. The students performed the PWC 170 cycling test and completed the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (short version) on-line. Results. Neither physical work capacity nor body composition parameters changed substantially during the analyzed period. In the female students, vigorous physical activity decreased significantly, but no substantial changes occurred in weekly metabolic equivalent of task. In male students, walking days and metabolic equivalent of task decreased, but the changes were not significant. Conclusions. Fourteen weeks of COVID-19 lockdown had little effect on the body composition, physical work capacity level, and physical activity habits of Tourism and Recreation students. Studies with larger groups of participants should verify the current conclusions, and care should be taken when extrapolating to other populations.

Enhanced food motivation in obese mice is controlled by D1R expressing spiny projection neurons in the nucleus accumbens.

Obesity is a chronic relapsing disorder that is caused by an excess of caloric intake relative to energy expenditure. In addition to homeostatic feeding mechanisms, there is growing recognition of the involvement of food reward and motivation in the development of obesity. However, it remains unclear how brain circuits that control food reward and motivation are altered in obese animals. Here, we tested the hypothesis that signaling through pro-motivational circuits in the core of the nucleus accumbens (NAc) is enhanced in the obese state, leading to invigoration of food seeking. Using a novel behavioral assay that quantifies physical work during food seeking, we confirmed that obese mice work harder than lean mice to obtain food, consistent with an increase in the relative reinforcing value of food in the obese state. To explain this behavioral finding, we recorded neural activity in the NAc core with both in vivo electrophysiology and cell-type specific calcium fiber photometry. Here we observed greater activation of D1-receptor expressing NAc spiny projection neurons (NAc D1SPNs) during food seeking in obese mice relative to lean mice. With ex vivo slice physiology we identified both pre- and post-synaptic mechanisms that contribute to this enhancement in NAc D1SPN activity in obese mice. Finally, blocking synaptic transmission from D1SPNs decreased physical work during food seeking and attenuated high-fat diet-induced weight gain. These experiments demonstrate that obesity is associated with a selective increase in the activity of D1SPNs during food seeking, which enhances the vigor of food seeking. This work also establishes the necessity of D1SPNs in the development of diet-induced obesity, identifying a novel potential therapeutic target.

Systematic Review of the Influence of Physical Work Environment on Office Workers’ Physical Activity Behavior

Background Many American workers spend over 7 hours a day at work in primarily sedentary office work. Physical activity is a key aspect of optimizing health and preventing disease; yet, 80% of American adults do not meet the recommended guidelines for physical activity. In this systematic review, the relationship between physical work environment and physical activity among office workers was explored. Methods Of the 321 studies screened, 26 studies met the eligibility criteria and were included for evaluation in this systematic review. Results Of the 26 studies, four were cross-sectional studies, 14 were quasi-experimental studies, and eight were randomized control trials. Physical activity during the workday was measured using self-report surveys and electromechanical devices such as accelerometers. Physical work environments examined by the studies included different types of desks ( n = 16), office arrangements ( n = 5), and building design ( n = 5). In nine studies, office environments and building work environments designed to promote activity using active design principles such as stairs and flexible workspaces were associated with increased physical activity. Sit–stand desks reduced overall sitting time, but had a minimal effect on physical activity. Conclusion/Application to practice Offices and buildings designed for activity had the largest impact on physical activity among office workers. To increase physical activity in office workers, focus should be placed on opportunities to increase incidental movement that can increase physical activity throughout the workday. Occupational health nurses should advocate workspace designs that can increase physical activity in workers.

Wearable Sensors and Machine Learning for Hypovolemia Problems in Occupational, Military and Sports Medicine: Physiological Basis, Hardware and Algorithms

Hypovolemia is a physiological state of reduced blood volume that can exist as either (1) absolute hypovolemia because of a lower circulating blood (plasma) volume for a given vascular space (dehydration, hemorrhage) or (2) relative hypovolemia resulting from an expanded vascular space (vasodilation) for a given circulating blood volume (e.g., heat stress, hypoxia, sepsis). This paper examines the physiology of hypovolemia and its association with health and performance problems common to occupational, military and sports medicine. We discuss the maturation of individual-specific compensatory reserve or decompensation measures for future wearable sensor systems to effectively manage these hypovolemia problems. The paper then presents areas of future work to allow such technologies to translate from lab settings to use as decision aids for managing hypovolemia. We envision a future that incorporates elements of the compensatory reserve measure with advances in sensing technology and multiple modalities of cardiovascular sensing, additional contextual measures, and advanced noise reduction algorithms into a fully wearable system, creating a robust and physiologically sound approach to manage physical work, fatigue, safety and health issues associated with hypovolemia for workers, warfighters and athletes in austere conditions.

Association of perceived work pace and physical work demands with occupational accidents: a cross-sectional study of ageing male construction workers in Denmark

Background Occupational accidents continue to be a significant public health challenge worldwide. Construction workers in particular are at high risk of occupational accidents, and thus it is of major importance to identify possible predictors of occupational accidents among construction workers. We aimed to investigate the association between self-reported work pace and physical work demands and occupational accidents among ageing male construction workers in Denmark. Methods Data on perceived work pace, physical work demands, and occupational accidents was acquired from questionnaires sent to ageing construction workers in Denmark in 2016 as part of the ALFA project (ALdring og Fysisk Arbejde; Ageing and Physical Work). A sample of 1270 Danish male construction workers above 50 years of age was included in the present study. Multiple logistic regression models were applied, with adjustments for age, smoking, body mass index, musculoskeletal disorders, occupation, work experience, and support at work. Results Of 1270 construction workers, 166 (13.1%) reported an occupational accident within the last 12 months. There was no significant association between perceived work pace and occupational accidents, but physical work demands were associated with higher odds for occupational accidents, with an odds ratio of 2.27 (95% confidence interval 1.26–4.10) for medium physical work demands and 2.62 (95% confidence interval 1.50–4.57) for high physical work demands. Conclusions Ageing male construction workers with high physical work demands had statistically significant higher odds of having an occupational accident. By contrast, perceived work pace was not associated with occupational accidents in this large cross-sectional study.

Drivers of Pigeon Pea Consumption Among School-Aged Children in Central Tanzania

Background: Protein energy malnutrition (PEM) and iron deficiencies (ID) are of major public health concern in Tanzania including among school-aged children. PEM and ID in early childhood have serious, long-term consequences because they impede motor, sensory, social and emotional development, growth retardation, poor cognitive development, learning disability of children, lowered resistance to infectious diseases, and reduced physical work capacity. The objective of this study was to elucidate the drivers of pigeon pea consumption among school-aged children in Dodoma district, Central Tanzania. Understanding these drivers would be useful in promoting pigeon pea consumption among school-aged children as one of the strategies to increase dietary protein and iron intake.Methods: This study was a cross-sectional study in which data were collected using a questionnaire based on a combination of the Theory of Planned Behavior and Health Belief Model. The data were collected from caregivers (n = 138) in four villages in Kongwa district, Dodoma region, Central Tanzania. We used correlations and multiple regressions to assess associations between constructs and identify predictive constructs. Mann–Whitney U tests were used for score comparisons with a significant p-value set at <0.10.Results: Health value was significantly correlated with health behavior identity (rs = 0.63, p < 0.001) and also significantly predicted health behavior identity (rs = 0.49, p = 0.001). The constructs cues to action and control belief were significantly associated with intention (β = −0.41, p = 0.059 and β = 0.06, p = 0.019 respectively). Finally, we observed that intention was a significant predictor of behavior (β = 1.38, p = 0.001). We also observed a significant negative interaction between perceived barriers and intention to consume pigeon pea (β = −0.04, p = 0.006), indicating that perceived barriers limit intention to consume pigeon pea.Conclusion and Implication: Our findings indicate that when the caregiver places increased importance on preventing her school-aged child from being iron or protein deficient or indeed anemic (health value), it results in a positive evaluation of the effectiveness of giving pigeon pea to address these nutrient deficiencies. Programs and efforts aimed at promoting pigeon pea consumption should focus on educating caregivers on iron and protein deficiency and the role that pigeon pea could play in addressing these. However, perceived barriers such as pest infestation during storage need to be addressed to increase pigeon pea consumption. The involvement of post-harvest management specialists is therefore crucial. Along with this, increasing productivity and crop management is also crucial to ensure year-round affordable supply of pigeon pea.

A Study on the Effects of Leadership Style, Compensation, and Physical Work Environment on High School Economics Teachers in Subang Regency

Motivation for Instructors at work is an incentive to move the spirit of teachers in such a way that their conduct can be oriented toward genuine attempts to attain the goals that have been established. As a result, the purpose of this study is to examine whether the leadership style, salary, and physical work environment of high school Economics instructors in Subang Regency have an impact on their work motivation. The sampling technique utilized in this study was a saturated sample technique, which meant that all members of the population were sampled, with a total of 221 teachers. Based on the findings of a multiple linear regression analysis performed with the SPSS 21 software package. This study's findings indicate a positive and statistically significant relationship between leadership style, remuneration, and physical work environment and the job motivation of high school Economics teachers in Subang Regency.

The Role of Customer Satisfaction in Mediation the Effect of Customer Relationship Management on Customer Loyalty (Study at Ramayana Bali Department Store Denpasar)

This study aims to analyze the effect of leadership style, work environment on employee retention with non-physical work environment as a moderating variable. The research design used is associative. The research was conducted at Ayodya Resort Bali. The population of this study was 501 employees with 84 employees as samples. The sample selection technique is proportional stratified. The data collection method used is Observation, Interview, Questionnaire and analyzed by Moderated Regression Analysis (MRA). The results show that leadership style has a positive and significant effect on employee retention, the better the leadership style applied by the company, the employee's desire to remain in the company will also increase. The non-physical work environment strengthens the influence of leadership style on employee retention, the better the leadership style supported by a good non-physical work environment, the employee's desire to remain in the company will increase. Companies must always pay attention to the relationship between employees and the relationship between employees and superiors so that they continue to run well and harmoniously.

The Effect of Leadership Style on Employee Retention at Ayodya Resort Bali with Non-Physical Work Environment as Moderating Variable

This study aims to analyze the effect of leadership style, work environment on employee retention with non-physical work environment as a moderating variable. The research design used is associative. The research was conducted at Ayodya Resort Bali. The population of this study was 501 employees with 84 employees as samples. The sample selection technique is proportional stratified. The data collection method used is Observation, Interview, Questionnaire and analyzed by Moderated Regression Analysis (MRA). The results show that leadership style has a positive and significant effect on employee retention, the better the leadership style applied by the company, the employee's desire to remain in the company will also increase. The non-physical work environment strengthens the influence of leadership style on employee retention, the better the leadership style supported by a good non-physical work environment, the employee's desire to remain in the company will increase. Companies must always pay attention to the relationship between employees and the relationship between employees and superiors so that they continue to run well and harmoniously.