No prospective studies have investigated motives and barriers to exercise in new untrained fitness club members. The aims of the present prospective longitudinal study were to (a) examine proportions reporting regular exercise, non‐regular exercise, and exercise dropout; (b) identify motives and barriers to exercise; and (c) compare motives between regular and non‐regular exercisers the first year of fitness club membership. New members (n = 250) were followed for 1 year. A questionnaire including demographics, exercise frequency, motives (EMI‐2), and barriers (18 common reported barriers) was used, and 184 answered at four time points (onset, and after 3, 6, and 12 months). Participants were categorized into regular exercise: ≥2 sessions/wk or non‐regular exercise: ≤1 session/wk, exercise relapse, or dropout. At 3, 6, and 12 months, 63.4%, 59.6%, and 57.2% exercised regularly, whereas 20.1%, 21.1%, and 28.3%, dropped out, respectively. Throughout the follow‐up, 37% reported regular exercise. At all time points, motives regarding positive health and strength/endurance were rated highest on a six‐point scale. Exercise dropouts rated priority as the greatest barrier. Regular exercisers rated the motives enjoyment (such as “I enjoy the feeling of exerting myself”) and challenge (such as “To give me goals to work towards”) higher than non‐regular exercisers (P = ≤.05). In conclusion, less than half exercised regularly, and most members were motivated by factors such as positive health and physical fitness the first year of fitness club membership. Higher levels of the motives enjoyment and challenge were associated with regular exercise.

Asthma is frequently reported in endurance athletes, particularly in cross-country skiers. It has been reported that an exercise field test performed with the competitive type of exercise is the better for diagnosing asthma and bronchial hyperresponsiveness in athletes than bronchial provocation with methacholine. The main objective was to compare an exercise field test consisting of a skiing competition with methacholine bronchial provocation in the diagnosis of asthma and bronchial hyperresponsiveness among skiers. Twenty-four elite cross-country skiers from the Norwegian national teams (males/females = 16/8) were included in the study. The cumulative dose of inhaled methacholine causing a 20% fall in forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) (PD20) was compared with reduction in lung function (FEV1) >or= 10% from before to after an exercise field test consisting of a cross-country skiing competition, 10 km (males) and 7 km (females), respectively. Nine out of 24 (37.5%) athletes experienced a positive methacholine test (PD20 < 8 micromol) (2 females and 7 males), whereas only 2 of the 24 subjects (8.3%) had reductions in FEV1 >or= 10% after the exercise field test. A significant negative correlation was found between age and bronchial responsiveness, r = -0.47, P = 0.02. The methacholine bronchial provocation test is more sensitive than a sport specific exercise field test for identifying athletes with asthma and/or bronchial hyperresponsiveness.

F this study was to evaluate the relationship among respiratory symptoms in young elite swimmers, eucapnic voluntary hyperpnea (EVH), and the inhaled dose of methacholine, causing a 20% decrease in forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1; PD20 methacholine). The second aim of this study was to assess the repeatability of the EVH test. Methods: For this study, 15 male and 9 female adolescent elite swimmers, aged 15 to 25 yr, performed one PD20 methacholine test and two EVH tests in a randomized order. Dry air containing 5% CO2 was inhaled for 6 min with a target ventilation of ≥85% of maximum voluntary ventilation (minimum = 65%). PD20 methacholine ≤2 μmol and EVH with FEV1 reduction ≥10% were considered positive. Respiratory symptoms and medication were reported in the modified AQUA2008 questionnaire. Results: Twenty swimmers (83%) reported respiratory symptoms, 13 (65%) of them had a positive provocation test. Fourteen (58%) had at least one positive test to either EVH or PD20 methacholine; three had only one positive EVH test. One athlete had BHR without symptoms. The sensitivity of PD20 methacholine ≤2 μmol for respiratory symptoms was 50% versus 60% and 47.37% for the two EVH tests, respectively, and 75% for PD20 methacholine ≤4 μmol. The Bland-Altman plot of the two EVH tests showed a consistent distribution, with only one subject outside the limits of agreement. Conclusions: BHR was frequently found among adolescent competitive swimmers. PD20 methacholine ≤2 μmol and EVH ≥ 10% compared well, but PD20 methacholine ≤4 μmol had the highest sensitivity for respiratory symptoms. The EVH test has high repeatability but is very expensive and uncomfortable to perform....

Sufferers from bulimia nervosa (BN) and binge eating disorder (BED) underestimate the severity risk of their illness and, therefore, postpone seeking professional help for years. Moreover, less than one in five actually seek professional help and only 50% respond to current treatments, such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). The impetus for the present trial is to explore a novel combination treatment approach adapted from physical exercise- and dietary therapy (PED-t). The therapeutic underpinnings of these separate treatment components are well-known, but their combination to treat BN and BED have never been previously tested. The purpose of this paper is to provide the rationale for this new treatment approach and to outline the specific methods and procedures. The PED-t trial uses a prospective randomized controlled design. It allocates women between 18 and 40 years (BMI range 17.5–35.0) to groups consisting of 5–8 members who receive either CBT or PED-t for 16 weeks. Excess participants are allocated to a waiting list control group condition. All participants are assessed at baseline, post-treatment, 6, 12 and 24 months’ post-follow-up, respectively, and monitored for changes in biological, psychological and therapy process variables. The primary outcome relates to the ED symptom severity, while secondary outcomes relates to treatment effects on physical health, treatment satisfaction, therapeutic alliance, and cost-effectiveness. We aim to disseminate the results in high-impact journals, preferable open access, and at international conferences. We expect that the new treatment will perform equal to CBT in terms of behavioral and psychological symptoms, but better in terms of reducing somatic symptoms and complications. We also expect that the new treatment will improve physical fitness and thereby, quality of life. Hence, the new treatment will add to the portfolio of evidence-based therapies and thereby provide a good treatment alternative for females with BN and BED. Prospectively registered in REC the 16th of December 2013 with the identifier number 2013/1871 , and in Clinical Trials the 17th of February 2014 with the identifier number NCT02079935 .