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In this paper, we verify the effect of physical exercise on the functional capacity of people diagnosed with liver cirrhosis (LC). Inclusion criteria were people with LC, at any stage of the disease, over 18 years of age, of either sex, who performed any type of physical exercise in comparison with any other intervention or no intervention, obtaining functional capacity as the outcome, of the controlled and randomized experimental studies. The search for articles was carried out in 11 databases. The descriptors considered for the search were physical exercise, functional capacity, LC, and their synonyms. Methodological quality and study bias were assessed using the Jadad scale and the risk of bias 2 scale, respectively. Review Manager 5.4 was used for the meta-analysis of the data. Functional capacity was considered a continuous variable. The difference in standardized means was considered as the effect measure. The random effect analysis model was used. The confidence level adopted was 0.05. The level of evidence of the meta-analysis result was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) tool. The 113 participants with LC, who belonged to the physical exercise group, had a standardized mean difference in functional capacity of 0.57 (0.01–1.13); p = 0.05, more than the 107 participants who were in the control situation. The level of evidence from the meta-analysis assessed through the GRADE was considered moderate. Physical exercise caused a significant increase of moderate clinical relevance in the functional capacity of patients diagnosed with LC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evidence-based guidelines represent the highest level of scientific evidence to identify best practices for clinical/public health. However, the availability of guidelines do not guarantee their use, targeted knowledge translation strategies and tools are necessary to help promote uptake. Following publication of the 2019 Canadian Guideline for Physical Activity throughout Pregnancy, the Get Active Questionnaire for Pregnancy, and an associated Health Care Provider Consultation Form for Prenatal Physical Activity were developed to promote guideline adoption and use amongst pregnant individuals and health care providers. This paper describes the process of developing these tools. First, a survey was administered to qualified exercise professionals to identify the barriers and facilitators in using existing prenatal exercise screening tools. A Working Group of researchers and stakeholders then convened to develop an evidence-informed exercise pre-participation screening tool for pregnant individuals, building from previous tool and survey findings. Finally, end-user feedback was solicited through a survey and key informant interviews to ensure tools are feasible and acceptable to use in practice. The uptake and use of these documents by pregnant individuals, exercise, and health care professionals will be assessed in future studies. Novelty: Evidence supports the safety/benefits of exercise for most pregnant individuals; however, exercise is not recommended for a small number of individuals with specific medical conditions. The Get Active Questionnaire for Pregnancy and Health Care Provider Consultation Form for Physical Activity during Pregnancy identify individuals where prenatal exercise may pose a risk, while reducing barriers to physical activity participation for the majority of pregnant individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This Horizons is part of a series that identifies key, forward-thinking research questions and challenges that need to be addressed. Specifically, this Horizons paper discusses research in nutritional supplements and nutraceuticals for health, physical activity, and performance, and is the product of a discussion by an expert panel that took place in January 2018 prior to the Canadian Nutrition Society Thematic Conference "Advances in Sport Nutrition from Daily Living to High Performance Sport". The objective of this Horizons paper was to identify core considerations for future studies for this research area, and how scientists can be leaders in the field to ensure the best quality science is available for decision makers. It is strongly recommended that the various elements highlighted throughout this Horizons paper will increase the awareness of the significant before-, during-, and after-research due-diligence required to produce research of the highest quality. While it is recognized that many scientists will not be able to meet all of these aspects, it is nonetheless important to consider the points outlined and to recognize that those elements that are not met in studies may be significant limitations. Highlights Research questions that are hypothesis-driven are the strongest, and when combined with careful planning of the study, the result will often be of the best quality. Studies with a strong experimental design help discern between evidence-based findings and those that have not been substantiated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to critique how the promotion of physical activity (PA) is communicated and offer evidence-based alternative framings to encourage PA in youth. We argue that PA promotion messaging should not be tied to outcomes that focus on changing physical appearance, preventing or treating diseases, or sport performance or competition. From a public health perspective, we suggest that PA should instead focus on campaigns, policies, and programs that tie PA to enjoyment, wellbeing, and play. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper was to report the physical activity and health outcomes results from the Physical Activity Counselling (PAC) trial. Patients ( n = 120, mean age 47.3 ± 11.1 years, 69.2% female) who reported less than 150 min of physical activity per week were recruited from a large community-based Canadian primary care practice. After receiving brief physical activity counselling from their provider, they were randomized to receive 6 additional patient-centered counselling sessions over 3 months from a physical activity counsellor (intensive-counselling group; n = 61), or no further intervention (brief-counselling group; n = 59). Physical activity (self-reported and accelerometer) was measured every 6 weeks up to 25 weeks (12 weeks postintervention). Quality of life was also assessed, and physical and metabolic outcomes were evaluated in a randomly selected subset of patients (33%). In the intent-to-treat analyses of covariance, the intensive-counselling group self-reported significantly higher levels of physical activity at 6 weeks ( p = 0.009) and 13 weeks ( p = 0.01). There were no differences in self-reported physical activity between the groups after the intervention in the follow-up period, nor was there any increase in accelerometer-measured physical activity. Finally, the intensive-counselling patients showed greater decreases in percent body fat and total fat mass from 13 weeks to 25 weeks. Results for physical activity depended on the method used, with positive short-term results with self-report and no effects with the accelerometers. Between-group differences were found for body composition in that the intensive-counselling patients decreased more. A multisite randomized controlled trial with a longer intensive intervention and follow-up is warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The evidence that physical activity is an effective therapeutic tool in the management of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes is well documented. Limited research has addressed how best to promote and maintain physical activity in these individuals. This paper explores strategies to enhance compliance to physical activity for patients with insulin resistance. Several evidence-based guidelines and reviews recommend that physical activity interventions are based on a valid theoretical framework. However, there is no evidence-based consensus on the best theory or the combination of theories to use. Motivational tools such as pedometers, wearable sensors measuring energy expenditure, and point of choice prompts appear to be effective at stimulating short-term substantial increases in physical activity, but further strategies to maintain physical activity behaviour change are required. Physical activity consultation has demonstrated effective physical activity promotion over periods of up to 2 years in people with type 2 diabetes. Future research should identify the longer term effects of this intervention and the effectiveness of different methods of delivery. Overall, there needs to be a lot more focus on this area of research. Without this, the abundance of research investigating the effects of physical activity on people with insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes is essentially redundant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Every rodent experiment is based on important parameters concerning the levels of caloric intake and physical activity. In many cases, these decisions are not made consciously, but are based on traditional models. For experimental models directed at the study of caloric intake and activity, the selection of parameters is usually aimed at modeling human conditions, the ultimate goal of which is to gain insight into the pathophysiology of the disease process in man. In each model, it is important to understand the influence of diet, exercise, and genetic background on physiology and the development of disease states. Along the continuum of energy intake from caloric restriction to high-fat feeding, and of energy output from total inactivity to forced exercise, a number of models are used to study different disease states. In this paper, we will evaluate the influence of the quantity and composition of diet and exercise in several animal models, and will discuss how each model can be applied to various human conditions. This review will be limited to traditional models using the rat as the experimental animal, and although it is not an exhaustive list, the models presented are those most commonly represented in the literature. We will also review the mechanisms by which each affects rat physiology, and will compare these to the analogous mechanisms in the modeled human disease state. We hope that the information presented here will help researchers make choices among the available models and will encourage discussion on the interpretation and extrapolation of results obtained from traditional and novel rodent experiments on diet, exercise, and chronic disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alarming trends in childhood obesity even among preschool children have re-focused attention on the importance of physical activity in this age group. With this increased attention comes the need to identify the amount and type of physical activity appropriate for optimal development of preschool children. The purpose of this paper is to provide the scientific evidence to support a link between physical activity and biological and psychosocial development during early childhood (ages 2-5 years). To do so, we summarize pertinent literature informing the nature of the physical activity required to promote healthy physical, cognitive, emotional, and social development during these early years. A particular focus is on the interaction between physical activity and motor skill acquisition. Special emphasis is also placed on the nature of physical activity that promotes healthy weight gain during this period of childhood. The paper also discusses the strongest determinants of physical activity in preschool-age children, including the role of the child’s environment (e.g., family, child-care, and socio-economic status). We provide recommendations for physical activity based on the best available evidence, and identify future research needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides a brief overview of the epidemiological data regarding Canadians with physical disabilities, with a particular emphasis on health status. A literature review is then presented, focusing on activity levels and the physiological and health-related quality of life benefits of activity for people with four different physical disabilities (arthritis, fibromyalgia, spinal cord injury, and multiple sclerosis). The unique physical activity barriers faced by people with physical disabilities are discussed. The paper concludes with recommendations for the development of a physical activity guide for Canadians with physical disabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides a brief overview of the epidemiological data regarding Canadians with physical disabilities, with a particular emphasis on health status. A literature review is then presented, focusing on activity levels and the physiological and health-related quality of life benefits of activity for people with four different physical disabilities (arthritis, fibromyalgia, spinal cord injury, and multiple sclerosis). The unique physical activity barriers faced by people with physical disabilities are discussed. The paper concludes with recommendations for the development of a physical activity guide for Canadians with physical disabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Physical activity guidelines offer evidence-based behavioural benchmarks that relate to reduced risk of morbidity and mortality if people adhere to them. Essentially, the guidelines tell people what to do, but not why and how they should do it. Thus, to motivate adherence, messages that translate guidelines should convey not only how much physical activity one should attempt and why it is recommended, but also how to achieve such a recommendation. Canada's physical activity guides exemplify how guidelines can be translated. This paper (i) provides a brief overview of the challenges encountered in creating the existing guides and (ii) highlights important practical issues and empirical evidence that should be considered in the future when translating guidelines into messages and disseminating these messages. We draw on the successes of past efforts to translate the goals of physical activity guidelines and on recent literature on messages and media campaigns to make recommendations. Information to motivate people to move toward the goals in physical activity guidelines should be translated into a set of messages that are informative, thought provoking, and persuasive. These messages should be disseminated to the public via a multi-phase social-marketing campaign that is carefully planned and thoroughly evaluated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]