This study aimed to explore the amenable factors contributing to the improvement in subjective well-being (SWB) immediately after a short-term visit to an urban park in an uncontrolled condition. Ninety-four park visitors from three urban parks completed a short questionnaire evaluating SWB (with two components: affect and life satisfaction) immediately before and after their park visit. In addition, their level of physical activity was tracked by wearing an accelerometer during the park visit. Results indicated a significant improvement in SWB, affect, and life satisfaction scores of park visitor participants from before and after their visit. Duration of park visit was bivariately associated with SWB scores, and independently associated with the improvement in life satisfaction scores, controlling for parks and age, after the visit; a 20.5-min park visit predicted the highest overall accuracy (64%) improvement in life satisfaction. It is recommended that design of the park space should attract visitors to stay for at least 20 min in the park.

Purpose: To examine the effect of a home orofacial exercise program on increasing oral aperture among adults with systemic sclerosis (SSc). Method: Forty-eight adults with SSc were assigned randomly to the multifaceted oral-health intervention or usual dental care control group. Participants with an oral aperture of <40 mm in the intervention group received an orofacial exercise program, which included daily manual mouth-stretching and oral-augmentation exercises twice a day with a total of 6 minutes for 6 months. The outcome measure was oral aperture which was measured at baseline, 3-months, and 6-months intervals. Results: A significantly larger increase in oral aperture for participants received the orofacial exercise program was found when compared to those in the usual care at 3 months (P = 0.01), but not at 6-months evaluation. Participants’ adherence rate to the exercise program was low (48.9%). Conclusions: The orofacial exercise program intervention for adults with SSc and microstomia did not show significant improvement at 6 months. In addition to the low exercise adherence rate, insufficient frequencies, repetitions, and durations of the orofacial exercises may contribute to these results.

Objective. Previous studies have suggested that no single wheelchair pressure-relieving cushion material was optimal for all persons with spinal cord injury (SCI). The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of the shortterm pressure-relieving ability of the three most commonly prescribed wheelchair cushions (Roho, Jay, Pindot) for a person with SCI. Method. The number of pressure sensors registering at the buttock–cushion interface during wheelchair sitting was measured by the Xsensor Pressure Mapping System after 5 min of sitting. An alternating treatments research design, with an initial baseline and a final treatment phase ending with the most effective cushion for relieving pressure, was used for the clinical evaluation. Measurements were compared using visual inspection and a Wilcoxon signed ranks test. Results. Data analyses indicated that the number of pressure sensors that registered potential harmful levels of pressure at the buttock–cushion interface for the Roho cushion was significantly less than those of the Jay and Pindot cushions. Conclusion. The Roho cushion was more effective in relieving pressure at the seating surface than the Jay and Pindot cushions.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of a volunteer activity on the perceived well-being of long-term-care (LTC) residents. Residents from five LTC facilities were randomly assigned into either a mentoring or a usual-care control group. Residents in the mentoring group tutored conversational skills to English-as-a-second-language students on a one-on-one basis for 1 hour twice per week for 12 weeks. Well-being, as a global outcome construct, was measured at baseline, after intervention, and at 3-month follow-up using the Geriatric Depression Scale, Life Satisfaction Index–A, and a self-rated health question. After intervention, residents who participated in the mentoring group rated their level of well-being higher ( p = .047) than those in the usual-care group on the basis of a multivariate nonparametric global statistical test. The positive effect of mentoring on well-being relative to the control was sustained at 3-month follow-up assessment ( p = .029). Findings provide preliminary support for engaging LTC residents in volunteer mentoring activities to improve their well-being.