Exercise Science Commons^™

Reporting Quality Of Randomized Trials In The Diet And Exercise Literature For Weight Loss, Cheryl A. Gibson, Erik P. Kirk, James D. Lecheminant, Bruce W. Bailey Jr, Guoyuan Huang, Joseph E. Donnelly

Faculty Publications

Background

To adequately assess individual studies and synthesize quantitative research on weight loss studies, transparent reporting of data is required. The authors examined the reporting quality of randomized trials in the weight loss literature, focusing exclusively on subject characteristics as they relate to enrollment, allocation, and follow-up.

Methods

An extensive literature review, which included a computerized search of the MEDLINE database, manual searches of bibliographic references, and cross-referencing of 92 review articles was conducted. A checklist, based on CONSORT recommendations, was used to collect information on whether or not authors reported age, gender, co-morbid disease, medication use, race/ethnicity, and postmenopausal …

Physical Activity Among Children Attending Preschools, Russell R. Pate, Karin A. Pfeiffer, Stewart G. Trost, Paula Ziegler, Marsha Dowda

Faculty Publications

Objectives. Obesity rates are increasing among children of all ages, and reduced physical activity is a likely contributor to this trend. Little is known about the physical activity behavior of preschool-aged children or about the influence of preschool attendance on physical activity. The purpose of this study was to describe the physical activity levels of children while they attend preschools, to identify the demographic factors that might be associated with physical activity among those children, and to determine the extent to which children’s physical activity varies among preschools.

Methods. A total of 281 children from 9 preschools wore an Actigraph …

A New Approach To Modeling Vertical Stiffness In Heel-Toe Distance Runners, Iain Hunter

Faculty Publications

Various models have been used to describe distance running technique. Among these, the mass-spring model is fairly simple to use and apply, but when employed as a model, does not predict vertical force accurately especially when a heel strike is exhibited. The purpose of this article is to demonstrate how the mass-spring model can be modified to provide a simple, yet accurate prediction of ground reaction forces in distance running. Sixteen subjects ran on a force instrumented treadmill. Vertical forces during running at a self-selected pace were collected at 500 Hz. Vertical stiffness was calculated using the conventional mass-spring model …

Creatine Supplementation Differentially Affects Maximal Isometric Strength And Time To Fatigue In Large And Small Muscle Groups, William J. Vincent, Steven F. Loy, Richard L. Urbanski, Ben B. Yaspelkis

Faculty Publications

Ten physically active, untrained, college-aged males (26.4 ± 5.8 years old) received creatine (CR. 5 g creatine monohydrate + 3 g dextrose) and placebo (PLA, 7 g dextrose) supplementation four times per day for 5 days in a doubleblind, randomized, balanced, crossover design. Performance was assessed during maximal and three repeated submaximal bouts of isometric knee extension and handgrip exercise. CR supplementation significantly increased (p < .05) maximal isometric strength during knee extension but not during handgrip exercise. CR supplementation increased time to fatigue during each of the three bouts of submaximal knee extension and handgrip exercise when compared to the PLA trials. These findings suggest that CR supplementation can increase maximal strength and time to fatigue during isometric exercise. However, the improvements in maximal isometric strength following CR supplementation appear to be restricted to movements performed with a large muscle mass.

Contextual Interference Effects In The Acquisition And Retention Of Motor Tasks By Individuals With Mild Mental Handicaps, William J. Vincent, Mary A. Painter, Kathleen B. Inman

Faculty Publications

The effects of contextual interference on motor skill acquisition and retention were examined in 24 subjects (mean age 13.9 years) with mild mental retardation and 24 chronologically age-matched subjects (mean age 13.11 years) with no disabilities. Subjects from each group were assigned randomly to either a blocked or a random practice schedule. All subjects performed 15 practice trials for each of three different beanbag throwing tasks, 45 trials total. Following a 10-min filled retention interval, 2 trials of each throw (6 total) were performed in a random order by all subjects. Accuracy scores were measured as absolute error from the …