BACKGROUND: The purpose of the current study was to examine the effect of an oncologist's exercise recommendation with and without an exercise motivation package on the amount of exercise participation and quality of life (QOL) in survivors of breast and colorectal cancer.METHODS: A total of 162 survivors of early‐stage breast and colorectal cancer who completed primary and adjuvant treatments were recruited for the current study. Participants were randomly assigned into 1 of 3 groups: 1) control (59 patients); 2) those receiving an oncologist's exercise recommendation (53 patients); and 3) those receiving an oncologist's exercise recommendation with an exercise motivation package (50 patients). At baseline and after 4 weeks, the level of exercise participation and QOL were assessed.RESULTS: Of the 162 participants, 130 (80.2%) completed the trial. Intention‐to‐treat analysis indicated that participants who received an oncologist's exercise recommendation with an exercise motivation package significantly increased their level of exercise participation in terms of minutes (47.57 added minutes per week; 95% confidence interval, 9.62‐85.52 minutes [P =.022] vs control) and in Metabolic Equivalent of Task (MET)‐hours per week (4.14 additional MET‐hours per week; 95% confidence interval, 1.70‐6.58 MET‐hours [P =.004] vs control) compared with the control group. Participants who received only their oncologist's exercise recommendation did not increase their exercise participation level. Further analysis demonstrated that role functioning was significantly improved among participants who received an oncologist's exercise recommendation with an exercise motivation package.CONCLUSIONS: Providing an exercise motivation package in addition to the oncologist's exercise recommendation to increase the level of exercise among survivors of breast and colorectal cancer should be considered. Cancer 2015;121:2740‐2748. © 2015 American Cancer Society

Background: This study aimed to test the validity of three different submaximal tests (i.e., 3-min step test with 20.3-cm step box height (3MST₂₀), 3-min step test with 30-cm step box height (3MST₃₀), and 6-min walk test (6MWT)) in estimating maximal oxygen consumption (VO_2max) in young and healthy individuals. Methods: The 3MST₂₀, 3MST₃₀, 6MWT, as well as the cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) were performed in 73 participants (37 men and 36 women; mean age: 30.8 ± 9.3 years). All participants visited the clinic three times in a random order for anthropometric measurements, three submaximal tests, and the VO_2max test. Multiple linear regression analyses were conducted to construct the VO_2max prediction equations for each submaximal test. Results: The prediction equations developed based on multiple regression analyses for each submaximal tests were as follows: 3MST₂₀: VO_2max = 86.0 − 10.9 × sex (male = 1, female = 2) − 0.4 × age − 0.1 × weight − 0.1 × heart rate recovery at 30 s (HRR30s); 3MST₃₀: VO_2max = 84.5 − 10.2 × sex (male = 1, female = 2) − 0.4 × age − 0.1 × weight − 0.1 × HRR30s; and 6MWT: VO_2max = 61.1 − 11.1 × sex (male = 1, female = 2) − 0.4 × age − 0.2 × weight − 0.2 × (distance walked·10⁻¹). The estimated VO_2max values based on formulated equations were 37.0 ± 7.9, 37.3 ± 7.6, and 36.9 ± 7.9 mL∙kg⁻¹∙min⁻¹ derived from the 3MST₂₀, 3MST₃₀, and 6MWT, respectively. These estimated VO_2max values were not significantly different from the measured VO_2max value, 37.3 mL∙kg⁻¹∙min⁻¹. The estimated VO_2max based on the 3MST₂₀, 3MST₃₀, and 6MWT results explained 73.4%, 72.2%, and 74.4% of the variances in the measured VO_2max (p < 0.001), respectively. Conclusions: The 3MST₂₀, 3MST₃₀, and 6MWT were valid in estimating VO_2max in relatively young and healthy Asian individuals.

Background: The prevalence of scoliosis in Korean elementary school students is increasing, leading to various physical and psychological problems. This study aimed to investigate the association between low body weight and scoliosis among Korean elementary school students. Methods: This was a cross-sectional analysis. Participants were 1062 elementary school students in the metropolitan areas of Korea. Participants were evaluated for scoliosis based on body composition, including weight and height, and with spine structure analysis equipment. Scoliosis diagnosis was defined as having a Cobb’s angle greater than 10°. Results: Participants were divided into Normal Weight (NW), Underweight (UW), and Severely Underweight (SUW) groups. Results show that the UW and SUW groups had significantly higher risks of developing scoliosis (odds ratio (OR): 1.43, 95% CI (confidence interval): 1.07–1.90; OR: 1.45, 95% CI: 1.02–2.05) compared to the NW group; after controlling for age and gender, the OR were 1.44 (95% CI: 1.08–1.92) and 1.46 (95% CI: 1.01–2.09), respectively. Conclusions: Low weight and the risk of developing scoliosis are very closely associated. Maintenance of appropriate and normal weight in Korean elementary school students appears to be a very effective method for preventing and reducing the risk of scoliosis.

Although sarcopenia has been dealt with in several studies, the standardized guidelines for preventing sarcopenia resulting from increased life expectancy are still insufficient. Therefore, this study evaluated the effects of daily resistance exercise and the intake of leucine-rich protein supplements daily for 12 weeks on the body composition and physical function of healthy adults aged >50 years living in Korea. The study analyzed 50 healthy people without medical conditions, who were randomly assigned to two groups (taking either protein powder or placebo powder) twice a day for 12 weeks. All participants performed resistance exercises regularly that could be repeated 8–12 times using a TheraBand for 12 weeks. A total of 41 participants completed the study. When measured via bioimpedance analysis (BIA), body fat mass (kg) and body fat (%) significantly decreased, and lean body mass (LBM) (kg) and skeletal muscle mass (SMM) (kg) significantly increased, in both groups. However, when measured via dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), LBM was significantly increased only in the protein powder group. The LBM and SMM change measured via BIA was significantly greater in the protein powder group than in the placebo powder group (LBM: 0.95 ± 0.91 kg in the protein powder group vs. 0.38 ± 1.06 kg in the placebo powder group, p = 0.043; SMM: 0.69 ± 0.58 kg in the protein powder group vs. 0.29 ± 0.65 kg in the placebo powder group, p = 0.039, respectively). In the senior fitness test (SFT), significant functional improvement was found within the two groups, but no significant difference was found between the groups in the degree of improvement. In conclusion, in older people aged >50, to prevent sarcopenia, is more effective to combine resistance exercise and leucine-rich protein supplementation than to simply perform resistance exercise.