This study evaluates the separate effect and retention of 12-week traditional (TE) and horse (HE) exercise programs on physical function in healthy older participants (61 to 87 years old). Thirty-eight participants were randomly assigned to three groups: TE (n = 17), HE (n = 10), and control group (n = 11). TE and HE underwent a supervised exercise program (3 day/week). Maximal gait speed, muscle strength, and body balance were assessed at weeks 0, 12, and 16. Only TE and HE displayed significant improvements (P < .05) in knee extensor strength, and only HE had faster gait speed. Marginal balance improvements were found only in HE in the medial-lateral direction. However, TE showed larger improvements in handgrip than HE. The largest retention was in knee extensor strength but most of the exercise effects were lost in the follow-up. Besides TE, exercise with a horse may be an alternative option to older adults, provided that they want to interact with the animal.

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Several professional groups, which are not health professionals, are more likely to witness situations requiring basic life support (BLS) due to the nature of their job. The aim of this study was to assess BLS learning after 150 min of training in undergraduate students of sports science and their retention after eight months. Participants trained on BLS (150-min session: 30 theory, 120 practice). After training (T1) and after 8 months (T2), we evaluated their performance of the BLS sequence and two minutes of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). At T1, the 23 participants presented a mean score of 72.5 ± 21.0% in the quality of the CPRs (compressions: 78.6 ± 25.9%, ventilation: 69.9 ± 30.1%). More than 90% of the participants acted correctly in each step of the BLS sequence. At T2, although the overall quality of the CPR performed did not decrease, significant decreases were observed for: correct hand position (T1: 98.2 ± 8.8, T2: 77.2 ± 39.7%), compression depth (T1: 51.4 ± 7.9, T2: 56.0 ± 5.7 mm), and compression rate. They worsened opening the airway and checking for breathing. In conclusions, participants learned BLS and good-quality CPR after the 150-min training session. At eight months they had good retention of the BLS sequence and CPR skills. Training on airway management and the position of the hands during CPR should be reinforced.

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Regardless of the model, KStrength60° was the best predictor of MGS in rural female older adults. Future research should examine the generalization of these findings to rural male older adults.

Background: Physicians' own Physical Activity (PA) and other health-related habits influence PA promotion. The present study identifies the PA level, according to the current PA recommendations and other health-related habits of physicians from the Catalan Medical Council. Methods: 2,400 physicians (30 to 55 years) were randomly selected to generate a target sample of 800; each received a self-administered questionnaire identifying medical specialization, work setting, health self-perception, body mass index (BMI), PA and smoking habits. Results: 762 physicians responded (52% female). Almost one in two (49.3%) exercised sufficiently, nearly all selfperceived good health, while 80.5% were non-smokers. Almost 6 in 10 males reported overweight or obesity (56.9%) versus 18.2% of females. Active physicians dominated specific groups; (i) aged 45-55 years, (ii) specializing either in primary care or surgery, (iii) working in the private sector, (iv) BMI <25 kg/m 2 , (v) perceiving themselves in good health, or (vi) having free leisure time. Conclusions: Only half of Catalan physicians met current PA recommendations; male physicians were particularly at risk of overweight/obesity. Overweight and under exercise were associated with private workplaces and positive health perceptions, meaning that it is it is now possible to target inactive and/or overweight Catalan physicians in future interventions.

Background: Virtual reality (VR) is an interesting and promising way to teach cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to adult laypersons as its high immersive characteristics could improve the level of skills and acquired knowledge in learning basic life support (BLS). Methods: This systematic review assesses current literature about BLS training with VR and its possible effect on CPR-quality parameters, self-efficacy, perceived learning, and learners’ satisfaction and short and long-term patients’ outcome. We screened the Cochrane Library, PubMed, CINAHL, MEDLINE Ovid, Web of Science, and Scopus databases and included only clinical trials and quasi-experimental studies published from inception to October 1, 2021, which analyzed adult laypersons’ BLS training with the use of VR. Primary outcomes were CPR parameters (chest compression rate and depth, Automated External Defibrillator use). Secondary outcomes were self-efficacy, perceived learning and learners satisfaction, and patients’ outcomes (survival and good neurologic status). The risk of bias of included study was assessed using the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions tool to evaluate randomized control trials and the transparent reporting of evaluations with nonrandomized designs checklist for nonrandomized studies. Results: After full article screening, 6 studies were included in the systematic review (731 participants) published between 2017 and 2021. Because of the heterogeneity of the studies, we focused on describing the studies rather than meta-analysis. The assessment of the quality of evidence revealed overall a very low quality. Training with VR significantly improved the rate and depth of chest compressions in 4 out of 6 articles. VR was described as an efficient teaching method, exerting a positive effect on self-efficacy, perception of confidence, and competence in 2 articles. Conclusion: VR in BLS training improves manual skills and self-efficacy of adult laypersons and may be a good teaching method in a blended learning CPR training strategy. VR may add another way to divide complex parts of resuscitation training into easier individual skills. However, the conclusion of this review suggests that VR may improve the quality of the chest compressions as compared to instructor-led face-to-face BLS training.