Public Health Commons^™

Low Fasting Plasma Glucose Level As A Predictor Of Cardiovascular Disease And All-Cause Mortality, Ming Wei, Larry W. Gibbons, Tedd L. Mitchell, James B. Kampert, Michael P. Stern, Steven N. Blair

Faculty Publications

Background - Although medical textbooks usually classify fasting plasma glucose <70 or 80 mg/dL (<3.89 or 4.44 mmol/L) as abnormal, the prognosis for patients with low fasting plasma glucose is unclear.

Methods and Results - We conducted prospective cohort studies among 40,069 men and women to investigate the association between fasting plasma glucose levels and cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality. We documented a U-shaped relation between fasting plasma glucose and mortality. In addition to diabetes and impaired fasting glucose levels, low fasting plasma glucose levels were also associated with high morality. After multivariate adjustment for age, sex, study population, ethnicity, current smoking status, high blood pressure, total cholesterol, body mass index, triglycerides, history of cardiovascular disease and cancer, and a family …

Correlates Of Physical Activity In Male And Female Youth, Timothy Bungum, Marsha Dowda, Anne T. Weston, Stewart G. Trost, Russell R. Pate

Faculty Publications

This study examined associations between psychosocial factors and physical activity in a group of youth (n=520). Students completed the Previous Day Physical Activity Recall and a survey of potential determinants of physical activity. Regression analyses of intentions to be physically active revealed that enjoyment and self-efficacy predicted intentions for both males and females. Attitudes predicted moderate to vigorous activity (MVPA), and enjoyment and self-efficacy predicted vigorous activity (VPA) for males. Self-efficacy predicted both MVPA and VPA for females. The findings suggest that intervention programs targeted at youth should include developmentally appropriate activities that are fun and promote physical …

Is Malnutrition Declining? An Analysis Of Changes In Levels Of Childhood Malnutrition Since 1980, Mercedes De Onis, Edward A. Frongillo Jr., Monika Blo¨ Ssner

Faculty Publications

Nutritional status is the best global indicator of well-being in children. Although many surveys of children have been conducted since the 1970s, lack of comparability between them has made it difficult to monitor trends in child malnutrition.

Cross-sectional data from 241 nationally representative surveys were analysed in a standard way to produce comparable results of low height-for-age (stunting). Multilevel modelling was applied to estimate regional and global trends from 1980 to 2005.

The prevalence of stunting has fallen in developing countries from 47% in 1980 to 33% in 2000 (i.e. by 40 million), although progress has been uneven according to …

Moderate Intensity Exercise Training Improves Cardiorespiratory Fitness In Women, J. David Branch, Russell R. Pate, Sharon P. Bourque

Faculty Publications

Among women, there is an increased prevalence of sedentary lifestyle and less participation in physical activity at levels recommended by the Surgeon General. As a result, women have been identified as a target group in public health initiatives to increase physical activity. The health-related benefits of habitual, moderate intensity physical activity are well documented in the epidemiological literature, but less is known about the effect of such physical activity on cardiorespiratory fitness. Our hypothesis was that moderate and vigorous exercise training regimens of similar estimated energy expenditure would result in similar changes in cardiorespiratory fitness. Eighteen sedentary premenopausal women with …

Cardiovascular Disease Prevention By Sports: Myth Or Reality?, Maria João C. A. Almeida, Steven N. Blair

Faculty Publications

Low levels of physical activity and fitness substantially increase risk of several chronic diseases, reduce longevity, and lead to loss of function. The strength and relation of inactivity to health problems and the high prevalence of sedentary habits in most countries of the world make lack of exercise a major public health problem. Fortunately, there is now good consensus regarding public health recommendations for physical activity from many important medical, scientific, and public health organizations. Recent research on physical activity interventions provides additional approaches to helping sedentary adults become more physically active.

Tracking Of Physical Activity, Physical Inactivity, And Health-Related Physical Fitness In Rural Youth, Russell R. Pate, Stewart G. Trost, Marsha Dowda, Alise E. Ott, Dianne S. Ward, Ruth P. Saunders, Gwen A. Felton

Faculty Publications

This study examined the tracking of selected measures of physical activity, inactivity, and fitness in a cohort of rural youth. Students (N=181, 54.7% female, 63.5% African American) completed test batteries during their fifth- (age=10.7±0.7 years), sixth-, and seventh-grade years. The Previous Day Physical Activity Recall (PDPAR) was used to assess 30-min blocks of vigorous physical activity (VPA), moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), TV watching and other sedentary activities, and estimated energy expenditure (EE). Fitness measures included the PWC 170 cycle ergometer test, strength tests, triceps skinfold thickness, and BMI. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) for VPA, MVPA, and after-school EE …

Validity Of The Previous Day Physical Activity Recall (Pdpar) In Fifth-Grade Children, Stewart G. Trost, Dianne S. Ward, Ben Mcgraw, Russell R. Pate

Faculty Publications

This study evaluated the validity of the Previous Day Physical Activity Recall (PDPAR) self-report instrument in quantifying after-school physical activity behavior in fifth-grade children. Thirty-eight fifth-grade students (mean age, 10.8 ± 0.1; 52.6%; female; 26.3% African American) from two urban elementary schools completed the PDPAR after wearing a CSA WAM 7164 accelerometer for a day. The mean within-subject correlation between self-reported MET level and total counts for each 30-min block was 0.57 (95% C.I., 0.51-0.62). Self-reported mean MET level during the after-school period and the number of 30-min blocks with activity rated at > 6 METs were significantly correlated with the …

Dietary Assimilation Of Cadmium Associated With Bacterial Exopolymer Sediment Coatings By The Estuarine Amphipod Leptocheirus Plumulosus: Effects Of Cd Concentration And Salinity, Christian E. Schlekat, Alan W. Decho, G. Thomas Chandler

Faculty Publications

Bacterial extracellular substances (also known as exopolysaccharides, or EPS) may serve as vectors for trophic transfer of metals in benthic systems because these ubiquitous sediment coatings can sorb high concentrations of toxic metals, and because many benthic invertebrates assimilate EPS sediment coatings upon ingestion. We conducted 3 sets of experiments to determine the assimilative bioavailability of EPS-associated Cd to the benthic amphipod Leptocheirus plumulosus as a function of Cd concentration and salinity. Bioavailability was measured as L. plumulosus Cd assimilation efficiency (AE) from EPS-coated silica (EPS●Si) and from uncoated silica (NC●Si) using modified pulse-chase methods with the gamma-emitting radioisotope ^{109 …}

Development And Testing Of A Quantitative Food Frequency Questionnaire For Use In Gujarat, India, James R. Hébert, Prakash C. Gupta, Ramesh B. Bhonsle, Pesi N. Sinor, Hemali Mehta, Fali S. Mehta

Faculty Publications

Objective: To develop and test a quantitative, interviewer-administered food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) to ascertain nutrient intakes of individuals in northern India. Design: A 92-item FFQ was developed based on food use and market surveys of the study area. A validation study was conducted consisting of 24-h diet recalls (24HR) administered on 6 randomly selected days over 1 year. Two FFQs were administered, one each at the beginning and end of the 1-year period. FFQ and 24HR-derived nutrient scores were compared using correlation and regression analyses and by computing differences between nutrient intakes estimated by the two methods. Setting: Rural villages …

Development And Testing Of A Quantitative Food Frequency Questionnaire For Use In Kerala, India, James R. Hébert, Prakash C. Gupta, Ramesh B. Bhonsle, P. R. Murti, Hemali Mehta, Florence Verghese, Mira Aghi, Kamala Krishnaswamy, Fali S. Mehta

Faculty Publications

Objective: To develop and test a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) for use in rural areas of Kerala, India. Design: Based on food use and market surveys of the study area, a quantitative 81- item interviewer-administered FFQ was developed. A validation study was conducted consisting of 24-h diet recalls (24HR) administered on 8 days randomly selected over an entire year and two administrations of the FFQ, one at the beginning of the l-year period and the other at the end. FFQ and 24HR-derived nutrient scores were compared using correlation and regression analyses and by examining differences in the nutrient scores. Setting: …

The Effects Of Malnutrition On Child Mortality In Developing Countries, D.L. Pelletier, Edward A. Frongillo Jr., D.G. Schroeder, J.P. Habicht

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Fibrinolytic Responses To Moderate Intensity Exercise: Comparison Of Physically Active And Inactive Men, Linda M. Szymanski, Russell R. Pate

Faculty Publications

The purposes of this study were to compare fibrinolytic responses to moderate intensity exercise in physically active and inactive men and during morning and evening exercise. Fourteen physically inactive men (mean age, 34.7 ± 4.0 years) and 12 regularly active men (34.8 ± 4.0 years) performed two exercise sessions, morning and evening, at 50% of maximal oxygen consumption. Tissue plasminogen activator (TPA) andplasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) activity were measured before and after exercise. Data were analyzed using a three-way ANOVA with repeated measures. TPA actively increased with exercise in both groups, although the active group demonstrated greater increases than the …

Descriptive Epidemiology Of Physical Activity In Adolescents, Russell R. Pate, Barbara J. Long, Gregory W. Heath

Faculty Publications

This paper reviews the descriptive epidemiology of physical activity in adolescents. Large population-based studies were reviewed, along with smaller studies using objective monitoring of physical activity. Estimates showed that adolescents engage in physical activity of any intensity for a mean of one hour per day. Approximately two thirds of males and one quarter of females participate in moderate to vigorous activity for 20 min 3 or more days per week. Activity levels decline with increasing age across adolescence, and this decrease is more marked in females than in males. Comparison of these data to physical activity guidelines for adolescents suggests …

Aging And Exercise: A Health Perspective, Joanna L. Bokovoy, Steven N. Blair

Faculty Publications

Habitual exercise provides protection against fatal coronary heart disease, extends longevity, and enhances quality of life. National surveys show less physical activity in older men and women compared with middle-aged and younger persons; older women are particularly sedentary. Although there are still few longitudinal studies on exercise and physical activity in older individuals, the data support a positive relationship between physical activity and health function in older individuals. The data further show that with regular physical activity, health and fitness are maintained or even increased over time in older individuals. Studies on physical activity requirements for beneficial health effects in …

Humic And Fulvic Acids: Sink Or Source In The Availability Of Metals To The Marine Bivalves Macoma Balthica And Potamocorbula Amurensis?, Alan W. Decho, Samuel N. Luoma

Faculty Publications

Humic acids (HA) and fulvic acids (FA) are common forms of organic matter in marine sediments, and are routinely ingested by deposit- and suspension-feeding animals. These compounds may be a sink for metals, implying that once metals are bound to humic substances they are no longer available to food webs. A series of experiments was conducted to quantitatively examine this premise using 2 estuarine bivalves from San Francisco Bay, USA: the suspension feeder Potarnocorbula arnurensis and the facultative deposit feeder Macoma balthica. HA and FA, isolated from marine sediments, were bound as organic coatings to either hydrous ferric oxides …

Physical Inactivity. Workshop V. Aha Prevention Conference Iii. Behavior Change And Compliance: Keys To Improving Cardiovascular Health, Steven N. Blair, Kenneth E. Powell, Terry L. Bazzarre, James L. Early, Leonard H. Epstein, Lawrence W. Green, Sally S. Harris, William L. Haskell, Abby C. King, Jeffrey Koplan, Bess H. Marcus, Ralph S. Paffenbarger Jr., Kimberly K. Yeager

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Correlates To Performance On Field Tests Of Muscular Strength, Jeffrey A. Woods, Russell R. Pate, Maria L. Burgess

Faculty Publications

Field tests of upper body muscular strength and endurance (UBMSE) are often administered to children, but little is known about the determinants of performance on these tests. Therefore the purpose of this investigation was to examine potential determinants of performance on several common field tests of UBMSE including pull-ups, flexed-arm hang, push-ups, and two types of modified pull-ups. Subjects were 56 girls, and 38 boys, ages 9 to 11 years. Potential determinants assessed were age, height, weight, gender, % fat, physical activity, and laboratory measures of muscular strength and endurance. Multiple regression analysis revealed that the laboratory measures of UBMSE …

Statement On Exercise: Benefits And Recommendations For Physical Activity Programs For All Americans - A Statement For Health Professionals By The Committee On Exercise And Cardiac Rehabilitation Of The Council On Clinical Cardiology, American Heart Association, Gerald F. Fletcher, Steven N. Blair, James Blumenthal, Carl Caspersen, Bernard Chaitman, Stephen Epstein, Harold Falls, Erika S. Sivarajan Froelicher, Victor F. Froelicher, Ileana L. Piña

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Time-Courses In The Retention Of Food Material In The Bivalves Potamocorbula Amurensis And Macoma Balthica: Significance To The Absorption Of Carbon And Chromium, Alan W. Decho, Samuel N. Luoma

Faculty Publications

Time courses for ingestion, retention and release via feces of microbial food was investigated using 2 bivalves with different feeding strategies, Potamocorbula amurensis, and Macoma balthica. The results showed 2 pathways for the uptake of food material in these clams. The first is represented by an initial label pulse in the feces. The second pathway operates over longer time periods. Inert ⁵¹Cr-labeled beads were used to determine time frames for these pathways. The first pathway, involving extracellular digestion and intestinal uptake, is relatively inefficient in the digestion of bacterial cells by P. amurensis but more efficient in …

Exercise Tolerance And Alcohol Intake: Blood Pressure Relation, G. Harley Hartung, Harold W. Kohl Iii, Steven N. Blair, Steven J. Lawrence, Ronald B. Harrist

Faculty Publications

The relations of systolic and diastolic blood pressures to alcohol intake and exercise tolerance levels in 15,612 men and 3,855 women were investigated. Alcohol intake was assessed by questionnaire and stratified into seven levels for men and six for women according to the ounces of ethanol consumed per week. Exercise tolerance was determined by maximal treadmill exercise testing and was categorized into six age-specific by sex-specific levels. Both systolic and diastolic blood pressure were significantly related to both alcohol intake and exercise tolerance levels in both men and women. These relations, which were positive for alcohol and negative for exercise …

The Safety Of Maximal Exercise Testing, Larry W. Gibbons, Steven N. Blair, Harold W. Kohl Iii, Kenneth H. Cooper

Faculty Publications

Previous reports on the safety of exercise testing have been based on surveys from different testing facilities with a variety of testing protocols and patient types. From 1971 through 1987, 71,914 maximal exercise tests conducted in a population with a low prevalence of known coronary heart disease under uniform conditions at a single medical facility resulted in six major cardiac complications including one death. No complications have occurred in the past 10 years in 45,000 maximal tests. The overall cardiac complication rate in men and women is 0.8 complications per 10,000 tests with 95% confidence intervals of 0.3-1.9 complications per …

How Do Harpacticoid Grazing Rates Differ Over A Tidal Cycle? Field Verification Using Chlorophyll-Pigment Analyses, Alan W. Decho

Faculty Publications

Four species of meiobenthic copepods were examined for diatom feeding. Microscopic analysis of gut-pellet contents from field-collected individuals indicated frequent ingestion of diatoms by 3 harpacticoids (Scottolana canadensis, Microarthridion littorale, Cletocamptus deitersi) while occasional diatom ingestion occurred Paronychocamptus huntsmani. Frustules were usually empty and broken, indicating that contents were digested. Laboratory experiments using ¹⁴C-labeling showed assimilation of diatoms by the 3 species examined. Field grazing rate studies were conducted over different portions of a tidal cycle using fluorescent chlorophyll-pigment analysis of gut-contents. Highest diatom consumption (p<0.05) occurred just after the mudflat became exposed (i.e. Early Low Water level, ELW) for S. canadensis, while consumption at Late Low Water …

Water-Cover Influences On Diatom Ingestion Rates By Meiobenthic Copepods, Alan W. Decho

Faculty Publications

Laboratory experiments on meiobenthic copepods using ¹⁴C-diatoms were conducted to investigate whether: (1) feeding rates or (2) food sources (planktonically-suspended foods or benthic sediment-associated foods) vary in response to the presence or absence of water-cover (i.e. simulated Higher-water vs Low-water conditions). Three diatom-feeding harpacticoids were examined. Scottolana canadensis feeds at significantly higher rates (2x) during Higher-water (HW) conditions (P<0.001), at which time it consumes planktonic foods; during Low-water (LW), feeding is greatly reduced. These feeding patterns are related to its burrow-dwelling and to its subtidal habitat. Cletocamptus deitersi remains virtually unaffected by changes in ambient water-cover, feeding at nearly equal rates during HW and LW conditions but always tending to consume more benthic diatoms. Microarthridion littorale consumes food at nearly equal rates during HW and LW …

Associations Of Resting Heart Rate With Concentrations Of Lipoprotein Subfractions In Sedentary Men, Paul T. Williams, William L. Haskell, Karen M. Vranizan, Steven N. Blair, Ronald M. Krauss, Robert Superko, John J. Albers, Barbara Frey-Hewitt, Peter D. Wood

Faculty Publications

In major prospective studies it has been reported that high heart rate at rest predicts the development of coronary heart disease (CHD) or cardiovascular disease (CVD) in men, but the mechanisms producing these relationships are unknown. Since lipoprotein levels contribute strongly to the risk of CHD and CVD, we examined the relationship of resting heart rate to plasma concentrations of high-density (HDL), low-density (LDL), and very low-density (VLDL) lipoproteins, apolipoprotein (apo) A-I and A-II, and serum concentrations of lipoprotein subfractions in 81 men to determine if atherogenic lipoproteins could potentially induce the reported association of heart rate with development of …

Effects Of Water Quality And Water Quantity On Nutritional Status: Findings From A South Indian Community, James R. Hébert

Faculty Publications

Quantitative assessments of the relative effects on health of various aspects of water supply are virtually absent from the literature. Despite the lack of information, resources are being allocated throughout the developing world, for projects related to water and sanitation. The present study was designed specifically to overcome many of the methodological problems that other researchers have faced. Data were collected concerning the nutritional status of 627 children in three urban communities in South India. Information was also collected on water quality, water quantity, household sanitation, socioeconomic conditions, and housing. A statistical technique is presented that allows for controlling potential …

Comparison Of Haitian Children In A Nutrition Intervention Programme With Children In The Haitian National Nutrition Survey, G. G. Berggren, James R. Hébert, C. M. Waternaux

Faculty Publications

Weight-for-height and height-for-age data were compared for preschool-age Haitian children enrolled in a community health and nutrition intervention programme and children measured in the Haiti national nutrition survey of 1978. Cross-sections of the longitudinal data of the intervention programme corresponding to the season when the national survey was conducted (May to September) were chosen for the three years of available programme data (1969, 1970, 1971). Significantly less stunting was found in children in the 1970 and 1971 intervention group than in the children covered by the national survey. Tests of trend also showed that the height (or length) status of …

Association Between Coronary Heart Disease Risk Factors And Physical Fitness In Healthy Adult Women, Larry W. Gibbons, Steven N. Blair, Kenneth H. Cooper, Mike Smith

Faculty Publications

We examined associations between physical fitness and risk factors for coronary heart disease in healthy women ages 18-65 years. Physical fitness was objectively determined by the duration of a maximal treadmill exercise test. Six physical fitness categories (very poor to superior), specific within 10-year age increments, were established. Mean risk factor levels varied across categories, but so did potential confounders such as age and weight. Multiple linear regression modeling was used to control for the effects of age, weight and year of exam on coronary risk factors. After adjustment, physical fitness was independently associated with triglycerides (p < 0.001), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) (p less …

Does Weight Loss Cause The Exercise-Induced Increase In Plasma High Density Lipoproteins?, Paul T. Williams, Peter D. Wood, Ronald M. Krauss, William L. Haskell, Karen M. Vranizan, Steven N. Blair, Richard Terry, John W. Farquhar

Faculty Publications

Studies showing an increase in plasma concentration of high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) with moderate exercise have usually rejected the role of body weight change in the HDL-C raising process, ostensibly because the amount of weight lost has been negligible. To investigate HDL-C changes more thoroughly, we followed initially sedentary middle-aged men randomly assigned to either a moderate running (N=36) or a sedentary control (N=28) group for one year. Among runners, one-year changes in plasma HDL-C concentrations correlated strongly with their body weight changes (r = -0.53, P < 0.001). Curve-fitting procedures and regression analysis suggested that processes associated with weight change produce much of the plasma HDL-C changes induced by moderate exercise and that changes in HDL-C concentration predominantly reflect changes in the reputedly anti-atherogenic HDL2 sub-component. Further, the interaction between weight change and plasma HDL-C concentration was significantly different (P

Hormonal Regulation Of Lipolysis And Phosphorylase Activity In Human Fat Cells, Jay Moskowitz, John N. Fain

Faculty Publications

A B S TR A C T Prostaglandin E₁ (PGE₁) at a concentration of 1 ng/ml antagonized theophylline, and norepinephrine induced release of glycerol and free fatty acids (FFA) in human fat cell preparations. Insulin at higher doses also inhibited theophylline-stimulated lipolysis. The N₆-2-O^'dibutyryl derivative of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (DCAMP) stimulated lipolysis. Prostaglandin E1 did not significantly inhibit the lipid mobilizing effects of DCAMP. Changes in glycogen phosphorylase activity after treatment with theophylline, norepinephrine, DCAMP, and PGE₁ paralleled those of lipolysis. These results suggest that in man as in experimental animals lipolysis …