Exergaming to improve physical, psychological and cognitive health among home office workers: A COVID-19 pandemic commentary

Acute effects of exergaming on young adults' energy expenditure, enjoyment, and self-efficacy

This study investigated the effects of a dance-based exergaming on Chinese college students' energy expenditure, self-efficacy, and enjoyment in comparison with the traditional aerobic dance exercise. Forty young adults (33 females; Mage = 21.55 years, SD = 2.06) completed two separate 20 min exercise sessions with 10 min intervals on the same day: (1) Xbox 360 Kinect Just Dance exergaming session; and (2) a traditional instructor-led aerobic dance exercise session. Participants' energy expenditure (Kcal/session) was measured by the ActiGraph GT9X Link accelerometers, and their perceived self-efficacy and enjoyment were assessed via validated surveys following each session. Dependent t-test indicated significant differences in participants' enjoyment (t = -1.83, p = 0.04). Specifically, participants in the dance-based exergaming session reported a higher level of enjoyment (M = 3.96, SD = 0.65) as compared to the aerobic dance session (M = 3.61, SD = 0.54). However, there was no significant difference in energy expenditure and self-efficacy between the two sessions. Findings suggest that college students had comparable energy expenditure as the traditional aerobic dance session while experiencing more fun and enjoyment. This suggests that exergaming can be a fun exercise alternative for promoting physical activity among young adults.

The relationship between Turkish women’s self-efficacy for managing work-family conflict and depression, anxiety and stress during the COVID-19 pandemic: A web-based cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has changed working women’s workplace and family workload. The changing workplace-family workload may cause a decrease in work-family conflict management self-efficacy. The decrease in work-family conflict management self-efficacy in women may increase their depression, anxiety, and stress levels. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to examine the relationship between Turkish women’s self-efficacy for managing work-family conflict and their depression, anxiety, and stress during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHOD: This cross-sectional study was conducted with 244 Turkish women via social media (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp). The data were collected online through a Questionnaire, the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21), and sub-scales of the Self-Efficacy for Managing Work-Family Conflict Scale (SE-WFC): Work-to-Family Conflict (WFC) and Family-to-Work Conflict (FWC). RESULTS: During the COVID-19 pandemic, 87.3% of working women experienced an increase in their family workload (100% increase in cooking and cleaning jobs). On the other hand, workplace workload of 83% of women increased. According to DASS-21, women experienced depression (55.7% ), anxiety (49.6% ) and stress (63.1% ). A negative correlation was found between the mean scores of WFC/FWC and the mean scores of depression, anxiety, and stress. (p <  0.001). CONCLUSION: During the COVID-19 pandemic, Turkish women’s self-efficacy for managing work-family and family-work conflict decreased, and their depression, anxiety, and stress levels increased.

Exercise for Osteoarthritis: A Literature Review of Pathology and Mechanism

Osteoarthritis (OA) has a very high incidence worldwide and has become a very common joint disease in the elderly. Currently, the treatment methods for OA include surgery, drug therapy, and exercise therapy. In recent years, the treatment of certain diseases by exercise has received increasing research and attention. Proper exercise can improve the physiological function of various organs of the body. At present, the treatment of OA is usually symptomatic. Limited methods are available for the treatment of OA according to its pathogenesis, and effective intervention has not been developed to slow down the progress of OA from the molecular level. Only by clarifying the mechanism of exercise treatment of OA and the influence of different exercise intensities on OA patients can we choose the appropriate exercise prescription to prevent and treat OA. This review mainly expounds the mechanism that exercise alleviates the pathological changes of OA by affecting the degradation of the ECM, apoptosis, inflammatory response, autophagy, and changes of ncRNA, and summarizes the effects of different exercise types on OA patients. Finally, it is found that different exercise types, exercise intensity, exercise time and exercise frequency have different effects on OA patients. At the same time, suitable exercise prescriptions are recommended for OA patients.