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- Impact of Exercise Training on Depressive Symptoms in Cancer Patients: A Critical AnalysisPublication . Marconcin, Priscila; Marques, Adilson; Ferrari, Gerson; Gouveia, Élvio R.; Peralta, Miguel; Ihle, AndreasCancer patients must deal with several health challenges, including emotional distress and depressive symptoms. This study aimed to evaluate evidence from published systematic reviews and meta-analyses about the efficacy of exercise on depressive symptoms in cancer patients. Methods: We searched for previous meta-analyses of randomised controlled trials on PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus, with data inception to 30 December 2021. Two independent researchers assessed the methodological quality using the Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews 2 (AMSTAR2) instrument. Six meta-analyses were integrated. All included middle-aged and older adults. Five presented moderate quality, and one presented low quality. Results: Overall, a significant reduction in depressive symptoms was observed among the included studies. However, the heterogeneity between studies was high, and high-quality evidence for the efficacy of exercise on depressive symptoms was limited. Conclusions: Exercise could be a possibility in the treatment of depressive symptoms in cancer patients, especially when supervised and outside the home. The better dose of exercise needs to be clarified. More high-quality evidence is needed to better prescribe exercise to this vulnerable population.
- Physical Activity Dimensions Differentially Predict Physical and Mental Components of Health-Related Quality of Life: Evidence from a Sport for All StudyPublication . Ihle, Andreas; Gouveia, Bruna R.; Gouveia, Élvio R.; Cheval, Boris; Nascimento, Marcelo de Maio; Conceição, Lúcia; Marconcin, Priscila; Peralta, Miguel; Ferrari, Gerson; Oliveira, Duarte; Kliegel, MatthiasThe present cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the relationship between different dimen sions of physical activity (PA) (i.e., work, sport, leisure) and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) (i.e., overall, physical component, mental component) in an adult lifespan sample of 381 active individuals (age range: 18–88 years; 38.8% men), while controlling for important covariates in terms of sex, age, education, and health profile regarding medical history. HRQoL was assessed using the 12-item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-12). Usual (i.e., previous 12 months) PA was assessed during face-to-face interviews using the Baecke questionnaire. Hierarchical regression analyses showed in Step 1 that the three PA dimensions work, sport, and leisure (entered simultaneously) together predicted 8%, 10%, and 4% of the variance in SF-12 total score, SF-12 physical component, and SF-12 mental component, respectively. In the final model, adjusting for sex, age, education, and health profile regarding medical history, sport emerged as the only PA dimension predicting SF-12 total score and the SF-12 physical component. In conclusion, health-policy targets at the community level should include the promotion of lifelong engagement in PA, especially sport, to allow the sustainability of HRQoL across the lifespan of our society.
- The Relation of Having Experienced a Fall in the Past to Lower Cognitive Functioning in Old Age Is Mediated via Less Physical Activity Engagement as Cognitive Reserve ContributorPublication . Ihle, Andreas; Gouveia, Élvio R.; Gouveia, Bruna R.; Marques, Adilson; Marconcin, Priscila; Nascimento, Marcelo de Maio; Haas, Maximilian; Jurema, Jefferson; Tinôco, Maria A.; Kliegel, MatthiasSimple Summary: Experiencing a fall in old age represents a critical life event affecting physical and cognitive health and the ability to engage in physical activities and exercise. This is crucial since physical activity engagement contributes to the accumulation of the so-called cognitive reserve relevant for maintaining cognitive health at old age. The goal of our study was to investigate whether the relationship between having experienced a fall and lower cognitive functioning can be explained by hampered physical activity engagement. Confirming this idea, our findings demonstrated that experiencing a fall at an older age hinders sufficient physical activity engagement and thereby impedes cognitive reserve accumulation, resulting in lower cognitive functioning outcomes. Consequently, our study suggests that at old age, the prevention of falls and related accidents is not only crucial to avoid injuries and preserve physical health, but it is also essential for maintaining one’s ability to engage in physical activities and exercises and, consequently, for preserving cognitive health in later life. Abstract: Physical activity and exercise contribute to the accumulation of cognitive reserve, which is instrumental for preserving cognitive health in old age. In a large sample of 701 older adults (mean age = 70.36 years), we investigated whether the relationship between having experienced a fall in the past and lower performance in cognitive functioning was mediated via less physical activity engagement as a cognitive reserve contributor. General cognition was assessed using the mini-mental state examination (MMSE), long-term memory using a word-pair delayed recall test and working memory using a backward digit-span test. In face-to-face interviews, individuals reported information on falls during the past 12 months and their habitual physical activity engagement. Our analyses demonstrated that the relationship between having experienced a fall in the past and lower performance in the cognitive functioning measures was partly mediated (by 16.3% for general cognition, 30.6% for ong-term memory, and 33.1% for working memory, respectively) via less physical activity engagement. In conclusion, we suggest as a core bio-psychological mechanism that experiencing a fall at an older age is a critical life event that hinders sufficient physical activity engagement and thereby impedes cognitive reserve build-up, resulting in lower cognitive functioning outcomes.
- Bidirectional Association between Physical Activity and Dopamine Across Adulthood—A Systematic ReviewPublication . Marques, Adilson; Marconcin, Priscila; Werneck, André O.; Ferrari, Gerson; Gouveia, Élvio R.; Kliegel, Matthias; Peralta, Miguel; Ihle, AndreasPhysical activity (PA) may influence the secretion of neurotransmitters and thereby have positive consequences for an individual’s vulnerability (i.e., reducing anxiety and depressive symp toms). This systematic review aims to analyse the potential bidirectional effects of exercise on dopamine from young adulthood to old age. The article search was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science in December 2020. The inclusion criteria were longitudinal and experimental study design; outcomes included dopamine and exercise; effect of exercise on dopamine and vice versa; adults; and articles published in English, Portuguese, or Spanish. Fifteen articles were included in the review. We observed robust findings concerning the potential effects of PA on dopamine, which notably seem to be observable across a wide range of participants characteristics (including age and sex), a variety of PA characteristics, and a broad set of methods to analyse dopamine. By contrast, regarding the potential effects of dopamine on PA, findings were mixed across studies. Thus, there are robust effects of physical exercise on dopamine. These findings further strengthen the idea that innovative approaches could include PA interventions for treating and preventing mental disorders. Therefore, it seems that PA is a potential alternative to deal with mental health issues.
- Effects of Exercise during Pregnancy on Postpartum Depression: A Systematic Review of Meta-AnalysesPublication . Marconcin, Priscila; Peralta, Miguel; Gouveia, Élvio R.; Ferrari, Gerson; Carraça, Eliana; Ihle, Andreas; Marques, AdilsonPostpartum depression (PPD) is a public health issue. Exercise is a nonpharmacologic alter native to deal with PPD. This study conducted a systematic review of previous meta-analyses and an exploratory pooled analysis regarding the effects of exercise on depressive symptoms among women during the postpartum period. We searched for previous meta-analyses of randomised controlled trials on PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus, date of inception to 31 May 2021. The methodological quality was assessed using the Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews 2 (AMSTAR2) instrument. We pooled the standardised mean differences from the selected studies. Of the 52 records screened, five were included. The results revealed a significant moderate effect of exercise on depressive symptoms among women during the postpartum period (SMD = −0.53; 95% CI: −0.80 to −0.27, p < 0.001). The pooled effect of the five meta-analyses established that exercise had a significant, small effect on depressive symptoms (SMD = −0.41; 95% CI: −0.50 to −0.32, p < 0.001). Our study indicates that exercise is effective in reducing PPD symptoms. Compared with traditional control approaches (psychosocial and psychological interventions), exercise seems have a superior effect on PPD symptoms. The implications of the present synthesis of past meta-analytical findings to guide health policies and research are discussed.
- The association between physical activity and mental health during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic reviewPublication . Marconcin, Priscila; Werneck, André O.; Peralta, Miguel; Ihle, Andreas; Gouveia, Élvio R.; Ferrari, Gerson; Sarmento, Hugo; Marques, AdilsonIntroduction: The Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic afected countries worldwide and has changed peoples’ lives. A reduction in physical activity and increased mental health problems were observed, mainly in the frst year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, this systematic review aims to examine the association between physical activ ity and mental health during the frst year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: In July 2021, a search was applied to PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science. Eligibility criteria included cross-sectional, prospective, and longitudinal study designs and studies published in English; outcomes included physical activity and mental health (e.g., depressive symptoms, anxiety, positive and negative efects, well-being). Results: Thirty-one studies were included in this review. Overall, the studies suggested that higher physical activity is associated with higher well-being, quality of life as well as lower depressive symptoms, anxiety, and stress, indepen dently of age. There was no consensus for the optimal physical activity level for mitigating negative mental symp toms, neither for the frequency nor for the type of physical activity. Women were more vulnerable to mental health changes and men were more susceptive to physical activity changes. Conclusion: Physical activity has been a good and efective choice to mitigate the negative efects of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health during the frst year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Public health policies should alert for possibilities to increase physical activity during the stay-at-home order in many countries worldwide.
- Cognitive Functioning Mediates the Association of Cognitive Reserve with Health-Related Quality of LifePublication . Ihle, Andreas; Gouveia, Élvio R.; Gouveia, Bruna R.; Marques, Adilson; Marconcin, Priscila; Nascimento, Marcelo de Maio; Jurema, Jefferson; Tinôco, Maria A.; Kliegel, MatthiasWe investigated whether the relations of the cognitive reserve markers education and cogni tive level of work to the physical and the mental component of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) were mediated via cognitive functioning in a large sample of 701 older adults (mean age = 70.36 years, SD = 6.87). HRQoL was measured with the 12-item Short-Form Health Survey. To measure cog nitive functioning, we used the COGTEL, which is a cognitive test battery assessing prospective memory, verbal short-term memory, verbal long-term memory, working memory, verbal fluency, and inductive reasoning, combined into a composite score. Individuals reported information on their education and their main profession during their working life. Mediation analyses showed that better cognitive functioning mediated the association of higher values in the cognitive reserve markers (longer education and a high cognitive level of work) with higher HRQoL. In conclusion, the present study suggests that the sustainability of cognitive functioning in old age with the help of cognitive reserve is fundamental for the sustainability of quality of life, presumably particularly for the mental HRQoL component.