As multiple spacefaring nations contemplate extended manned missions to Mars and the Moon, health risks could be elevated as travel goes beyond the Earth’s protective magnetosphere into the more intense deep space radiation environment. The primary purpose of this study was to determine whether mortality rates due to cardiovascular disease (CVD), cancer, accidents and all other causes of death differ in (1) astronauts who never flew orbital missions in space, (2) astronauts who flew only in low Earth orbit (LEO), and (3) Apollo lunar astronauts, the only humans to have traveled beyond Earth’s magnetosphere. Results show there were no differences in CVD mortality rate between non-flight (9%) and LEO (11%) astronauts. However, the CVD mortality rate among Apollo lunar astronauts (43%) was 4–5 times higher than in non-flight and LEO astronauts. To test a possible mechanistic basis for these findings, a secondary purpose was to determine the long-term effects of simulated weightlessness and space-relevant total-body irradiation on vascular responsiveness in mice. The results demonstrate that space-relevant irradiation induces a sustained vascular endothelial cell dysfunction. Such impairment is known to lead to occlusive artery disease, and may be an important risk factor for CVD among astronauts exposed to deep space radiation.
Counseling interventions that use contemporary behavior change strategies, such as the CHANGE intervention, can reduce the number of individuals who do not exercise following cardiac events.
Background
The purpose of this secondary analysis was to determine if age affects women’s and men’s exercise adherence after a cardiac event.
Methods
In a convenience sample of 248 adults aged 38–86 having a cardiac event, exercise adherence (exercise three sessions a week) was compared between men and women among three age groups (≤60, 61–70, and >70). Exercise patterns were recorded by heart rate monitors worn during exercise.
Results
No differences were found in adherence between the age groups for women; older men were non-adherent sooner than younger men when controlling for fitness level, pain, comorbidity, self-efficacy, depressed mood, and social support.
Conclusion
Exercise adherence after a cardiac event was higher for younger men compared to older men. At all age groups, less than 37% of the total sample adhered to a three-times-a-week exercise regimen after one year, suggesting that interventions to maintain exercise are needed.
The APDA system offers a promising new method for collecting data in the middle school environment. Students with cognitive deficits and language barriers were able to complete the survey in a similar amount of time without additional help; however, differences in data quality suggest that limitations in comprehension of the questions remained even though the questions were read to the respondents. More research on the use of APDA is necessary to fully understand the effect of data collection mode with special populations.
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