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Objective: To assess predictors for adherence to a home-based pelvic floor muscle exercise (PFME) program supplemented with three physical therapy sessions in women with urinary incontinence (UI). Design: Secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial of interventions to enhance self-efficacy with respect to PFME. Setting: Patients were referred from public primary or secondary care providers in Florianópolis, Brazil. Participants: Adult women with UI. Intervention: Three supervised physiotherapy sessions for the treatment of UI combined with home-based PFME program. Treatment groups were combined for predictive modelling because there was no difference after intervention between groups regarding UI and adherence rates. Main Outcome Measures: Adherence to PFME at 3-month follow-up (structured questionnaire). Baseline Predictors: self-efficacy and outcome expectation scales; severity of UI (ICIQ-SF), pelvic floor muscle strength, age, body mass index (BMI), and educational level. Results: 86 women with UI of whom 72 completed the study. An intention-to-treat analysis was performed. Forty-three women reported carrying out PFME every day. Adherence was correlated to: baseline self-efficacy (r = 0.299); age (r = 0.242); and educational level (r = −0.273). Hierarchical regression analyses incorporating treatment group, age, education, disease-related factors (severity of UI; pelvic floor muscle strength; BMI), and outcome expectations and self-efficacy showed that only baseline self-efficacy predicted adherence (R2 = 0.217). Conclusions: Adherence to home-based PFME is a complex phenomenon. Assessing self-efficacy may help physiotherapists to detect patients' confidence in performing home-based exercises and, when necessary, give patients additional incentives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Anabolic androgenic steroid (AAS) use among women has raising over years, especially due to aesthetic motivation, but performance improvement is another motivation. Since high-intensity functional training (HIFT) exhibits an intrinsic competitive aspect, we investigated the AAS use among women HIFT practitioners. Methods: Using the "virtual snowball," 291 Brazilian women HIFT practitioners answered an online survey. Results: The prevalence of AAS use was 22%, but the use after the HIFT adherence was 15%. Among those who never used, 12.3% reported intention to use. Age, marital status, and time of training were significantly associated with AAS use. Aesthetics was the main motivation for use, and 59.7% reported using it on medical advice. The main motivation was aesthetics, but it seems to have a trend to change the motivation for performance improvement over aesthetics, especially among women with longer training time. Conclusion: The prevalence of AAS use was high; however, it seems that HIFT adherence is not a factor raising the prevalence of AAS use among physically active women. Additionally, the motivation for AAS use among women HIFT practitioners seems to be trending toward change, increasing the motivation for performance improvement over aesthetic motivation, especially among women with longer HIFT adherence time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aims to compare pelvic floor muscles (PFM) strength and lower abdominal muscle activation in women with low back pain (LBP) and urinary incontinence (UI) or without UI. Methods: Fifty-four women with LBP were assessed. PFM strength was assessed using the modified Oxford scale and lower abdominal muscle activation was evaluated using a pressure biofeedback unit. Lumbar disability and pain intensity were evaluated by self-reported questionnaires. The Mann–Whitney U-test was used to compare the two groups. A correlation analysis was performed between PFM strength and lower abdominal muscle activation and self-reported measures. Results: Our results showed that 31 presented with UI and 23 without. No statistically significant difference was found between groups in PFM strength (median values; with UI = 3; without UI = 3; p =.61) and in lower abdominal muscle activation capacity (median values; with UI = 9mmHg; without UI = 6mmHg; p =.40). PFM weakness was found in both groups. No significant correlation between the strength of PFM and other variables was found. Conclusion: In conclusion, women with LBP showed an insufficient strength of the PFM, regardless of the presence of UI. The degree of PFM strength was not related to lower abdominal muscle activation, lumbar disability or LBP characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]