Archive for month: November, 2018

Final Assignment

Metabolic Fitness Variables in an Athlete Population

You have done a good job this semester. I extend my sincerest thanks to all of you. This project couldn’t have been done without your contribution. You have obtained metabolic fitness data (blood lipids, glucose, blood pressure, body composition and Balance measurements on approximately 100 individuals. However, this is a credit bearing Capstone course so we must execute one more duty. The Final assignment is meant to bring some closure and provide at least a minimum of a learning component. The assignment will be a short paper (4-8 pages) in the form of a professional journal article. Consequently it will have several features:

BEWARE: There are missing cells. Data not collected or malfunctions along the way. Just work around it.

Abstract: A 100-300 (max) word summary of your paper. It will have a Purpose, Method, Result and Conclusion statements. An example is shown after these directions.

The body of the paper will have:

Introduction: The issues addressed in an Introduction revolve around the following questions. What exactly is being studied and why? [Some of these questions have been provided below. One question should originate with you]. Thus, you will have TWO questions addressed in your paper. An introduction will briefly describe the previous research or findings that has been done on the specific topics (e.g. BMI and BP)? Obviously all the variables we assessed this semester (blood lipids, glucose, BP, body comp etc.) have been studied, so it should be easy to find a few suitable reference papers. However the population we studied has not been exhaustively examined. The Introduction should have references to any statements of fact that you make (e.g. high blood pressure is a risk factor for CHD-needs a reference). The final statement/sentence/paragraph should tell the reader exactly what your purpose(s) were. Introductions are usually not more than a couple of pages.

Methods: Who were your subjects? What equipment or apparatus did you use in the work (this is everything not just a particular station you worked. What did you do to obtain the data (i.e. the specific procedures e.g. stand with arms perpendicular to sides for arm span); what did the subjects have to do to comply with the procedures (e.g. fast)?

Results: What did you find? Present in terms of the primary questions you chose e.g. what is a better measurement for body composition (BodPod or BIA)? Use Figures and Tables to the extent they “say” something. Pictures (graphs) do speak clearly. Do not duplicate a Table and a Figure. Thus if a figure of the curves is presented, a Table with the same data is redundant. There is no minimum page requirement for this paper. You don’t have to generate “filler”.

Discussion: Often begins with a summary statement of the main points of the Results (e.g. we found that BMI and percent fat were correlated, but the relationship differed from standard population etc—). Are there any caveats or “buts” that qualify the statement? Say so and use references. Do the results and conclusions agree with what others may have published (references)? If not, do you have any possible explanation? What research or observations might be done next to further this line of inquiry? Could the addition of another dependent variable or a different manipulation yield a more clear answer to your question?

References: List papers; links used. Be consistent in the form used (APA, etc)

Materials & Data:

Posted on Canvas is the Excel data sheet without names or dates with the results you generated this semester. This will contain about 100 individuals with measurements for the variables we assessed. You will notice that sometimes data is missing (e.g. blood work). It happens, welcome to research. Work around it.

Example of an Abstract

Glucose Tolerance: A comparison of Sitting vs. 0.5 mph Walk on the Active Workstation. Authors. Miami University, Oxford OH 45056.

A growing body of literature suggests that striking differences in metabolic responses to nutritional challenge can be demonstrated when the postural condition of the individual is changed from sitting to standing. PURPOSE: To describe the possible differences in glucose clearance, in young healthy individuals, in response to a glucose tolerance test performed under standard sitting conditions or while using an Active Workstation at very low speeds. METHODS: Nine students, eight females and one male (21±1 yrs) performed a series of glucose tolerance tests. After a minimum of an 8-hour fast a baseline glucose measurement (Accu-Chek®) was obtained. Subjects then ingested 75 gm of glucose solution (Trutol®75) within a ten-minute period. In a counterbalanced manner, subjects either spent the two hours sitting or walking at 0.5 mph on an Active Workstation. During the session, a blood sample (finger stick) was obtained every 30 min for the next two hours. RESULTS: Table 1 shows the means ± SD for blood glucose for each time period under the two conditions. All subjects showed a lower blood glucose curve during walking. The levels at 90 and 120 min were significantly lower (p< 0.05) in the walking condition.

Condition	Baseline	30 min	60 min	90 min	120 min
Sitting	85± 8	149± 27	156± 33	139± 22	124± 15
Walk .5 mph	86± 9	132± 23	116± 21	102± 18	106± 19

CONCLUSION: These results support the impact of even very low levels of physical activity on metabolic response to glucose ingestion compared to sitting. In fact, walking at a speed of 0.5 mph is a near proxy for standing in healthy people. This result has implications for the standardization of glucose tolerance tests and reaffirms the potentially deleterious effects of sitting while offering support for the benefits of movement in normalizing blood glucose.

Questions: Pick one Primary question and generate one question of your own using the guidelines listed under “Your Question”.

Primary question options: PICK ONE

1. What is relationship between Whole body Phase angle and % fat;

2. Is there any relationship between phase angle and gender (gender differences, total muscle mass (SMM), BMI, SBP, DBP. Pick one or two of these variables and analyze. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO DO THEM ALL.

2. What is relationship between blood pressure and neck circumference?

3. What is relationship between neck length and blood pressure?

4. Are there any relationships (associations, correlations) between the difference value of height and arm span, and any other variable e.g. BP, lipids etc. Same as #2 above except arm span- height difference used instead of phase angle. This is a high value question. Please note, there will be negative and positive differences. An arm span greater than height will be positive, the same = 0 and less than will be negative.

5. What is relationship between arm length and waist measurement?

Your question: [You may choose another from the primary, but more creative if you pick your own]

Generate one other question that can be addressed with the data. I have avoided some of the most obvious ones so there should be little difficulty coming up with one. Part of the grade will be based on creativity and logical thought as to the nature of the question. There is a plethora of information in the variables we have measured. You can find some question that can be addressed with it. Some of the questions posed above are referred to as “data fishing”. There may be no theoretical rationale for asking the question but just ‘looking’ to see if any associations can be detected.

Authors: One to three students may submit a single paper. NO more than 3 students per paper. You may submit alone, that is you do not have to work in a group.

Outside Help: If you use other people please give them attribution. E.g. Thanks to Clarence Pudfarker for statistical help, Appreciation is extended to Dr. Thomas Pickering for telling me what BP meant, etc. This will not negatively affect your grade. However, failure to acknowledge help or assistance will negatively affect your grade.

Page limit: Eight. I would expect 4-8 should be fine NOT counting figures and Tables. Penalties will be assessed for every page over 8. There is a real world limitation in the academic realm. I will convert the paper to Times Roman numeral, 12 font to see what the paper occupies. This will only be used if I get very short papers that appear to be manipulated to appear bigger than they really are. Really folks, 4 pages?? You can do it.

I will only clarify. Any statistics or analysis you do is up to you. I won’t be teaching statistics or Excel. A few key strokes can get you correlations and scatter plots. Anything more is all plus for you. I am easy to impress.

RESNO, CALIFORNIA is the community

FOLLOW ALL DIRECTIONS- OR WILL BE DISPUTED

APA, 2000 words, 3 scholarly sources

Instructions- Read Carefully

 

Defining the Community

Your community should be within a specifically designated geographic location.

One must clearly delineate the following dimensions before starting the process of community assessment:

• Describe the population that is being assessed?

• What is/are the race(s) of this population within the community?

• Are there boundaries of this group? If so, what are they?

• Does this community exist within a certain city or county?

• Are there general characteristics that separate this group from others?

• Education levels, birth/death rates, age of deaths, insured/uninsured?

• Where is this group located geographically…? Urban/rural?

• Why is a community assessment being performed? What purpose will it serve?

• How will information for the community assessment be collected?

Assessment

After the community has been defined, the next phase is assessment. The following items describe several resources and methods that can be used to gather and generate data. These items serve as a starting point for data collection. This is not an all-inclusive list of resources and methods that may be used when a community assessment is conducted.

The time frame for completion of the assessment may influence which methods are used. Nonetheless, these items should be reviewed to determine what information will be useful to collect about the community that is being assessed. It is not necessary to use all of these resources and methods; however, use of a variety of methods is helpful when one is exploring the needs of a community.

Data Gathering (collecting information that already exists)

Demographics of the Community

• When demographic data are collected, it is useful to collect data from a variety of levels so comparisons can be made.

• If the population that is being assessed is located within a specific setting, it may be best to contact that agency to retrieve specific information about that population.

• The following resources provide a broad overview of the demographics of a city, county, or state:

• American Fact Finder—Find population, housing, and economic and geographic data for your city based on U.S. Census data:http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/index.xhtml

• State and County Quick Facts—Easy access to facts about people, business, and geography, based on U.S. Census data:https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/US/PST045216

• Obtain information about a specific city or county on these useful websites:

www.epodunk.com and www.city-data.com

Information from Government Agencies

• Healthy People 2020—this resource is published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It identifies health improvement goals and objectives for the country to be reached by the year 2020: http://www.healthypeople.gov/

• National Center for Health Statistics—this agency is part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; this website provides statistical information about the health of Americans: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss.htm

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)—The CDC website contains a large amount of information related to the health of the American population. The search engine within this website can be used to find relevant information: http://www.cdc.gov

• Federal agencies with statistical programs: http://www.fedstats.gov/agencies

• Every state in the United States has its own specific health improvement plan and goals that are based on the Healthy People 2020 document. This information may be available on the state health department website.

• State and local health departments provide information related to vital statistics for the community.

Other Data Sources

• America’s Health Rankings—this website provides information about various health indicators for each state:  https://www.americashealthrankings.org/

• Other relevant data sources may be found by conducting an Internet search related to the topic that is being examined through the community assessment.

After data are collected from various sources, it is important to review the information and to identify assets and areas for improvement in the community by comparing local data (if available) versus state and national data. This will facilitate organization of the information that has already been obtained and will provide direction for the next step of the process.

Data Generation (data are developed that do not already exist)

Windshield Surveys

With the use of public transportation or by driving a vehicle around the community, one can observe common characteristics of the community.

Examples of key observations to make when one is assessing the community through a windshield survey include the following:

• Age of the homes in the community
• Location of parks and other recreational areas
• Amount of space between homes and businesses
• Neighborhood hangouts
• Transportation in the community
• Quality and safety of streets and sidewalks
• Stores and other businesses
• People out in the community
• Cleanliness of the community
• Billboards or other media displays
• Places of worship
• Healthcare facilities

Participant Observation

Spend time observing the population that is being assessed. Through observation of interactions among group members, much can be learned about the community, including the following:

• Developmental level of the population
• Effectiveness of peer-to-peer interactions
• Respect for peers and others
• Safety in the environment
• Economic status

Informant Interviews

Informants could be people who are familiar with and interact with the population on a regular basis.

Examples of questions that may be asked of key informants include the following:

• Strengths/assets of the community
• Areas of improvement for the community
• Concerns of community members
• Access to health care
• Emergency plans for natural or man-made disasters

Focus Groups

Focus groups (usually small groups of 6-12 people) can be helpful when one is gathering information about specific areas of concern within the population. Use of a focus group involves open dialogue about the population, whereas an interview or survey yields only individual responses.

• Focus groups may be effective for assessing the following:
• Satisfaction with services provided
• Community resources used
• Transportation issues within the community
• Safety within the community
• General concerns of members of the population

Surveys

Surveys may be used to collect data from the community. Selecting a sample of the target population may prove helpful in the collection of data that are easier to analyze. It is important to ensure that the sample is representative of the target population.

A survey should be developed that takes into consideration the developmental level of the group that is being assessed. Questions should be written at the appropriate developmental level, so they are answered in a way that makes the data useful. Surveys might include closed-ended (yes/no), multiple choice (several responses to choose from), Likert scale (Strongly Agree/Agree/Neutral/Disagree/Strongly Disagree), or open-ended (“why”/“how”) questions.

Topics that may be addressed in a survey include the following:

• Demographic information
• Status of employment
• Safety within community
• Safety in environment
• Personal safety (seatbelts, helmets, etc.)
• Stressors/stress management patterns
• Risky behaviors
• Support systems
• Volunteer/community activities
• Rest patterns
• Nutrition
• Dental hygiene
• Health promotion activities

Managed Care Trends/Issues Analysis

Research and evaluate what you believe to be the top three most significant trends/ issues in managed care today. Provide explanations for your three choices.

Your paper must be three to five double-spaced pages (excluding title and reference pages) and formatted according to APA Style. Utilize a minimum of three- to- five scholarly and/or peer-reviewed sources that were published within the last three years. All sources must be documented in APA style