First test of the theory of reasoned goal pursuit: predicting physical activity

OBJECTIVE

This study applied the theory of reasoned goal pursuit (TRGP) in predicting physical activity among Australian undergraduate students, providing the first empirical test of the model.Methods: The research comprised an elicitation study (N = 25; MAge= 25.76, SDAge= 11.33, 20 female, 5 male) to identify readily accessible procurement and approval goal beliefs and behavioural, normative, and control beliefs; and, a two-wave prospective online survey study (N = 109; MAge = 21.88, SDAge = 7.04, 63 female, 46 male) to test the tenets of the TRGP in relation to meeting World Health Organization physical activity guidelines during the COVID-19 pandemic among first year university students.Results: A linear PLS-SEM model displayed good fit-to-data, predicting 38%, 74%, and 48% of the variance in motivation, intention, and physical activity, respectively. The model supported the majority of hypothesised pattern of effects among theory constructs; in particular, the proposition that beliefs corresponding to procurement and approval goals would be more consequential to people's motivation and, thus, their intentions and behaviour, than other behavioural and normative beliefs, respectively.Conclusions: Results lend support for the TRGP and sets the agenda for future research to systematically test the proposed direct, indirect, and moderation effects for different health behaviours, populations, and contexts.

Supplemental data for this article is available online at https://doi.org/10.1080/08870446.2022.2026946 .

Can mHealth Technology Help Mitigate the Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic?

Goal: The aim of the study herein reported was to review mobile health (mHealth) technologies and explore their use to monitor and mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A Task Force was assembled by recruiting individuals with expertise in electronic Patient-Reported Outcomes (ePRO), wearable sensors, and digital contact tracing technologies. Its members collected and discussed available information and summarized it in a series of reports. Results: The Task Force identified technologies that could be deployed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and would likely be suitable for future pandemics. Criteria for their evaluation were agreed upon and applied to these systems. Conclusions: mHealth technologies are viable options to monitor COVID-19 patients and be used to predict symptom escalation for earlier intervention. These technologies could also be utilized to monitor individuals who are presumed non-infected and enable prediction of exposure to SARS-CoV-2, thus facilitating the prioritization of diagnostic testing.

Center of pressure in a walking boot shifts posteriorly in patients following lower leg fracture

BACKGROUND

Studies have shown that the ambulatory behavior and amount of weight bearing performed by lower leg fracture patients, increases over time. It is likely that gait features, such as center of pressure (CoP), also change over time.

RESEARCH QUESTION

The purpose of this study was to characterize changes in CoP exhibited by lower leg fracture patients wearing a walking boot during the recovery period.

METHODS

Approximately 2 weeks post-surgery, seven lower leg fracture patients were fitted with a MaxTrax walking boot which was integrated with the Ambulatory Tibia Load Analysis System, an underfoot load monitoring system. Patients wore the walking boot for 2-12 weeks resulting in continuous load data during the recovery period. Ambulation was filtered from the raw data and daily average CoP values were calculated by averaging the CoP vectors from all steps in a given day.

RESULT

In general, the CoP vector varied in both the x and y directions during the initial stages of recovery but was more uniform during the later stages of healing. In 6/7 patients, the CoP in the y direction was closer to the forefoot during the initial stages of healing but shifted posteriorly as time post-surgery increased. The single patient that did not exhibit a posterior shift in CoP was also the only patient to develop a non-union. CoP in the x direction show a less clear trend. CoP in the x direction exhibited a medial shift in 5 patients and a lateral shift in 2 patients.

SIGNIFICANCE

During lower leg fracture recovery in a walking boot, the CoP in the y direction shifts posteriorly as time post-surgery increases and CoP monitoring may become a useful tool to monitor individual patient healing progression.

Evaluating How Post-Bronchodilator Vital Capacities Affect the Diagnosis of Obstruction in Pulmonary Function Tests

BACKGROUND

Although the ratio of FEV₁ to the vital capacity (VC) is universally accepted as the cornerstone of pulmonary function test (PFT) interpretation, FVC remains in common use. We sought to determine what the differences in PFT interpretation were when the largest measured vital capacity (VC_max) was used instead of the FVC.

METHODS

We included 12,238 consecutive PFTs obtained for routine clinical care. We interpreted all PFTs first using FVC in the interpretation algorithm and then again using the VC_max, obtained either before or after administration of inhaled bronchodilator.

RESULTS

Six percent of PFTs had an interpretive change when VC_max was used instead of FVC. The most common changes were: new diagnosis of obstruction and exclusion of restriction (previously suggested by low FVC without total lung capacity measured by body plethysmography). A nonspecific pattern occurred in 3% of all PFT interpretations with FVC. One fifth of these 3% produced a new diagnosis of obstruction with VC_max. The largest factors predicting a change in PFT interpretation with VC_max were a positive bronchodilator response and the administration of a bronchodilator. Larger FVCs decreased the odds of PFT interpretation change. Surprisingly, the increased numbers of PFT tests did not increase odds of PFT interpretation change.

CONCLUSIONS

Six percent of PFTs have a different interpretation when VC_max is used instead of FVC. Evaluating borderline or ambiguous PFTs using the VC_max may be informative in diagnosing obstruction and excluding restriction.