• Journal of Korean Physical Therapy Science
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.7-14
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• 2006

Despite well-known benefits of physical activity for older adults, most older adults remain significantly underactive. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a physical activity on blood cholesterol in older adults with an inclusive, choice-based physical activity promotion program to increase lifetime physical activity levels of seniors. A six-month comparison-group trial was conducted with 14 older adults(experimental group = 8, control group = 6) in community senior center. Changes in self-reported physical activity and blood cholesterol were evaluated using paired t-test. The intervention group increased estimated caloric expenditure by 858 calories/week in physical activities of any intensity (p=.050), total cholesterol(p=0.049), high density lipoprotein cholesterol(p=0.045). Control group changes were also negligible. The program led to meaningful physical activity increase. Individually tailored programs to encourage lifestyle changes in seniors may be effective and applicable to health care and community settings.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.57-66
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• 2016

Background: For the treatment of forward head posture (FHP) and forward shoulder posture, methods for strengthening scapular retractors and deep cervical flexors and stretching pectoralis and upper cervical extensors are generally used. No study has yet assessed whether suboccipital release (SR) followed by cranio-cervical flexion exercise (CCFE) (SR-CCFE) will result in a positive change in the shoulders and neck, showing a "downstream" effect. Objects: The purpose of this study was to investigate the immediate effects of SR-CCFE on craniovertebral angle (CVA), shoulder abduction range of motion (ROM), shoulder pain, and muscle activities of upper trapezius (UT), lower trapezius (LT), and serratus anterior (SA) and LT/UT and SA/UT muscle activity ratios during maximal shoulder abduction in subjects with FHP. Methods: In total, 19 subjects (7 males, 12 females) with FHP were recruited. The subject performed the fifth phase of CCFE immediately after receiving SR. CVA, shoulder abduction ROM, shoulder pain, muscle activities of UT, LT, and SA, and LT/UT and SA/UT muscle activity ratios during maximal shoulder abduction were measured immediately after SR-CCFE. A paired t-test and Wilcoxon signed-rank test were used to determine the significance of differences in scores between pre- and post-intervention in the same group. Results: The CVA (p<.001) and shoulder abduction ROM (p<.001) were increased significantly post-versus pre-intervention. Shoulder pain was decreased significantly (p<.001), and LT (p<.05) and SA (p<.05) muscle activities were increased significantly post- versus pre-intervention. The LT/UT muscle activity ratio was increased significantly post- versus pre-intervention (p<.05). However, there was no significant change in UT muscle activity and SA/UT muscle activity ratio between pre- and post-intervention (p>.05). Conclusion: SR-CCFE was an effective intervention to improve FHP and induce downstream effect from the neck to the trunk and shoulders in subjects with FHP.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.115-121
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• 2016

PURPOSE: Many studies have reported the improvement of cognition through physical activity among subject with dementia. This study aimed to whether the current studies supports that physical activity intervention is efficacious on cognitive performance in subject with dementia. METHODS: Two independent reviewers searched National assembly library, RISS, KISS (2005-2015) using the concepts of dementia, exercise, and physical activity. We included randomized controlled trials that examined the efficacy of physical activity in subject with dementia. A meta-analysis was performed to estimate the effect sizes cognition with CMA (Comprehensive Meta-Analysis, version 2.2.064) soft-ware program. Nine randomized controlled trials were included, providing data from 133 individuals and excluding those failing to criteria of this study. RESULTS: The meta-analysis showed that physical activity intervention had a rather small effect sizes of 0.36 (95% confidence interval 0.14-0.59) on cognition performance in subject with dementia. Outcome measurement were MMSE-K (Mini-mental state examination Korean version) and LOCTA (Loewenstein Occupational Therapy Cognitive Assessment). We found heterogeneous among studies and there was difference between the studies (Q = 19.63, d(f)=12, $I^2= 38.88$). CONCLUSION: The present analysis suggests that physical activity interventions have the low effect sizes on cognition performance in subject with dementia Further studies will be required to develop the various programs for improving the cognitive performance in subject with dementia.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.376-391
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• 2023

Objectives: Our previously published study showed that a workplace nutrition intervention program with personalized goal setting and smartphone-based nutrition counseling improved dietary habits and physical activity in city bus drivers who were overweight/obese. This study explored the facilitators and barriers that participants faced in achieving their dietary and physical activity goals six months after the intervention. Methods: The study included bus drivers and dietitians who participated in the intervention program. Three focus group interviews were conducted with 10 bus drivers (divided by two groups based on their achievement of set goals) and five dietitians who had provided nutrition counseling. Results: Willpower was the most important intrapersonal facilitator for drivers to achieve their goals. Other factors that promoted behavioral changes were nutrition counseling by dietitians, trackable physical activity using smartwatches, and setting of practical and achievable goals. Meanwhile, the most important barriers identified were occupational factors such as long driving hours, short breaks, and shift work. Other barriers were environmental factors such as availability of snackable food, accessibility to convenience stores, and cold weather. Family and colleagues were perceived as both facilitators and barriers. In addition, dietitians identified a lack of knowledge about healthy diet as one of the barriers. Conclusions: Our results suggested that the workplace environment should be improved and that nutrition intervention programs at the workplace could encourage bus drivers to practice healthy eating habits. The facilitators and barriers identified in this study should be considered when planning a nutrition intervention program for bus drivers.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.205-211
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• 2022

Purpose: This study investigated the effects of an intervention that combined the abdominal drawing-in maneuver and frequency-specific neuromuscular electrical stimulation on changes in trunk muscle activity, muscle fatigue, and balance in stroke patients. Methods: Thirty stroke patients were randomly assigned to two groups. Fifteen subjects were assigned to group I which performed the abdominal drawing-in maneuver combined with low-frequency neuromuscular electrical stimulation and the other 15 subjects to group II where the abdominal drawing-in maneuver was combined with high-frequency neuromuscular electrical stimulation. Muscle activity and fatigue were measured using surface electromyography before the intervention. Balance was measured using the Trunk Impairment Scale and re-measured after six weeks of intervention for comparative analysis. Results: Both groups showed a significant increase in muscle activity and balance (p<0.05), and there was no significant difference between the groups (p>0.05). In the changes in muscle fatigue, only the experimental group II showed a significant increase in muscle fatigue (p<0.05). The difference between the groups was statistically significant (p<0.05). Conclusion: It was confirmed that among stroke patients, the combination of the abdominal drawing-in maneuver and low-frequency neuromuscular electrical stimulation was more effective in changing the muscle activity and balance of the trunk by minimizing the occurrence of muscle fatigue compared to the combination of the abdominal drawing-in maneuver and high-frequency stimulation. These results can be used as basic data for clinical trunk stabilization training.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.37-49
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• 2014

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of a lifestyle modification program for Korean adults with cardiovascular disease risk factors on their health behaviors and health status. Methods: A total of 448 adults with abdominal obesity and additional cardiovascular disease risk factors(high blood pressure, low HDL-cholesterol, high triglyceride or high blood glucose) were randomly assigned to either an intensive intervention group (IIG, n=216) or a minimal intervention group(MIG, n=232). Participants in the IIG received lifestyle modification program which consisted of health counseling with nutrition assessment, health booklet and health diary, while those in MIG received minimal information. Results: The participants in the IIG significantly improved dietary habits(p<.05), retrained eating(p<.001), external eating(p<.01) behaviors, leisure time physical activity(p<.05), dietary self-efficacy(p<.01), exercise self-efficacy(p<.01) and MetS score(p<.001) after 3 months. In addition, the participants in the IIG showed more improvement in dietary habits(p<.05) compared with those in the MIG. Conclusion: The lifestyle modification program was effective in improving some health behaviors, behavioral determinants and cardiovascular risk factors for a short term.

• Journal of International Academy of Physical Therapy Research
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.2253-2260
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• 2020

Background: Patients with low back pain (LBP) experience misalignments in the center of pressure (COP) and muscle imbalances due to frequent onesided posture adjustments to avoid pain. Objectives: To identify the effects of Squat Exercises with Vertical Whole-Body Vibration on the Center of Pressure and Trunk Muscle Activity. Design: Randomized controlled trial. Methods: Thirty LBP patients with an imbalance in the COP were sampled and randomly assigned to an experimental group of 15 patients who under went an intervention involving squat exercises with vertical WBV and a control group of 15 patients who were treated via a walking intervention. As pretests before the interventions, the subjects' COP was identified by measuring their stability index (ST), and erector spinae, rectus abdominis, transverse abdominis, gluteus medius muscle activity was analyzed by determining the % reference voluntary contraction (%RVC) value using surface electromyography while sit to stand. After four weeks, a post test was conducted to remeasure the same variables using the same methods. Results: Statistically significant differences were found in the ST (P<.01) and trunk muscle (P<.05, P<.001) in the experimental group before and after the intervention. In terms of the differences between the left- and right-side (RL) muscle activity, only the transverse abdominis (TrA) and gluteus medius (GM) exhibited statistically significant increase (P<.05). A comparison of the groups showed statistically significant differences in the TrA with respect to muscle activity (P<.05) and in the RLTrA and RLGM in terms ofthe difference between left- and right-side muscle activity (P<.01). Conclusion: Squat exercises with vertical WBV produced effective changes in the COP of patients with LBP by reducing muscle imbalances through the delivery of a uniform force. In particular, strengthening the TrA and reducing an imbalance in the GM were determined to be important factors in improving the COP.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.125-135
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• 2019

PURPOSE: This study examined the effects of low frequency neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) training on abdominal obesity in middle-aged women through electromyography and ultrasound. METHODS: Twenty-two middle aged women with abdominal obesity participated in the study. A low-frequency NMES device was used on the abdomen and waist of each subject for 20 minutes each (a total of 40 minutes) three times a week for eight weeks. The waist-hip ratio (WHR), weight and BMI (Body Mass Index) were measured. Electromyography (EMG) and ultrasound measurements were performed three times in total (pre-intervention, four weeks into the intervention, and eight weeks post-intervention) to examine the effects of low-frequency NMES on the abdominal muscle activity, muscle thickness, and subcutaneous fat. RESULTS: The results indicated a difference in the WHR and waist circumference before and after intervention (p<.05). The external oblique muscle (EO) showed a significant increase in muscle activity during all measurements taken post-intervention (p<.05). The abdominal subcutaneous fat thickness also showed a significant decrease between each measurement (p<.05). The test results showed that the abdominal subcutaneous fat thickness values taken eight weeks post-intervention were significantly lower than those taken pre-intervention and four weeks into the intervention (p<.05). CONCLUSION: These findings show that low-frequency NMES device training can be applied to middle-aged women with abdominal obesity to improve their body shape and exercise performance.

• Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.24-31
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• 2022

Objective: This study attempted to find out if it changes the child's ability to perform daily life activities when visiting the familiar environment and daily living space of children with cerebral palsy and conducting a home activity support program for children and parents. Design: Randomized Controlled Trial Methods: Among 22 children aged 3 to 12 years old, they were assigned to the intervention group and control group. Of these, 12 boys and 10 girls participated in the study. Gross motor function measure and upper extremity function evaluation were used to measure the physical function of children with cerebral palsy, and self-care skills, mobility and social functions were evaluated in the pediatric evaluation of disability inventory. In addition, a parenting sense of competence was used to find out the efficacy of parents in raising children. After the pre-evaluation, basic rehabilitation treatment and intervention programs were applied to the intervention group, and only basic rehabilitation treatment was performed to the control group, and post-evaluation was performed 8 weeks later. Results: As a result of the study, among the items that measured the gross motor function, upper limb function, and daily life performance ability of the intervention group in the difference between the intervention group and the control group, statistically improved in personal processing and movement (p<0.05). In addition, the parenting sense of competence children in the intervention group was statistically significant (p<0.05). Conclusions: The home activity support program will help strengthen the ability of cerebral palsy children to perform daily life as a way to set mutually agreed goals with their families or children and achieve them in a familiar environment.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.240-245
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• 2015

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare the blocked practice and random practice of task-oriented training in patients with chronic stroke to determine the effect of lower extremity muscle activity and balance ability. Methods: The thirty participants were randomly assigned to either the block practice group (BP) group or the random practice group (RP) and received the training three times per week, 30 minutes per day, for six weeks. Surface electromyography was used for measurement of lower extremity muscle activity. Static balance was to measured the stability index (SI) and weight distribution index (WDI) using the Tetrax. The four square step test (FSST) was used to measure dynamic balance. The paired t-test was used for determination of differences before and after intervention, and the independent t-test was used for determination of differences between groups. Results: Lower extremity muscle activity, RA and GCM was improved in the RP group after intervention and between groups. TA was significantly improved in the RP group compared with the BP group. In comparison of before and after interventions, SI was reduced in BP and RP. WDI in OS was reduced in comparison of BP and RP before and after intervention. CS was reduced in BP and RP. The OS and CS was improved in RP compared with BP. In comparison of before and after intervention, FSST was improved in BP and RP. Conclusion: Task-oriented training methods using random practice was found to be effective in promoting lower extremity muscle activity and balance ability in chronic stroke patients.