Han Yuan’s research while affiliated with Kyungpook National University and other places

Background Weight and body shape concerns have become increasingly common among adolescents. Chinese university students show a high risk of eating disorder behaviors. This study aims to analyze the moderating effect of BMI on the relationships between body shape, attitudes, subjective norms, and eating disorder behavioral intentions among Chinese female university students using the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) model. Methods A stratified random sample of 679 female Chinese university students (age, mean ± SD = 19.792 ± 1.007) participated in the study. The surveys comprised the Theory of Reasoned Action Questionnaire (TRA-Q) and the Body Shape Questionnaire (BS-Q) to assess their body shape concerns and behavioral intentions regarding eating disorders. Structural equation modeling was used to test the extended TRA model, with body shape as an additional predictor and BMI as a moderator. Results Body shape positively affected attitudes (β = 0.444, p < 0.001), subjective norms (β = 0.506, p < 0.001), and intentions (β = 0.374, p < 0.001). BMI significantly moderated the relationships between attitudes (t = −3.012, p < 0.01), subjective norms (t = −2.678, p < 0.01), and body shapes (t = −4.485, p < 0.001) toward eating disorder intentions. Conclusion Body shape and BMI directly influence eating disorder behavioral intentions among Chinese female university students. The findings suggest that young Chinese women’s eating disorder intentions are increasingly influenced by external factors related to body shape and BMI.

Background/Purpose: Ultrasonographic echo intensity (EI) has been used to indicate skeletal muscle quality. Although lower extremity strength decreases significantly more than upper extremity strength during muscle decay with aging, it has yet to be demonstrated whether EI of the whole thigh muscle affects strength, explosive power, and physical function (PF) in older persons. Through a meta-analysis, this study aimed to systematically assess the association of EI, MS, and PF in older adults. Methods: A systematic approach to searching was performed using Boolean operators on PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, SPORTDiscus, and CINAHL up to October 2022. Studies of any design were included if the association between EI with MS and PF (strength, balance, and mobility) was investigated in healthy older persons. Study-related characteristics and Pearson's correlation coefficients were extracted. Fisher's z was used to convert Pearson r aggregation to a weighted average rz value, which was then back-transformed to r values. The random effects model was used to estimate the combined effect size and 95% confidence intervals, and heterogeneity was assessed using I ² statistics. Results: Twenty-four studies (2,491 individuals, mean age of the study population 71.3 ± 5.5 years) were included in the meta-analysis. Among healthy older persons, EI was negatively associated with lower extremity maximal strength (r = -0.351, 95% CI: -0.411 to -0.288, P < 0.001) and explosive power (r = -0.342, 95% CI: -0.517 to -0.139, P = 0.001). Subgroup analysis revealed there was a significant negative correlation between EI and handgrip strength (r = -0.361, 95% CI: -0.463 to -0.249, P < 0.001). In contrast, there was only a small-scale and non-significant negative association between EI and gait speed (r = -0.003, 95% CI: -0.083 to -0.077, P = 0.943), whereas a weak non-significant correlation was observed with the chair stand test (r = 0.072, 95% CI: -0.045 to 0.187, P = 0.227). Conclusion/Discussion: Enhanced EI in thigh muscles was found to be associated with lower strength and power, but not with balance and mobility in older persons. More well-designed large-sample studies and long-term follow-ups are warranted to provide applied value for this population's frailty prediction and risk assessment.

Introduction This study aimed to evaluate the effects of varied resistance training modalities on physical fitness components, body composition, maximal strength assessed by one-repetition maximum (1RM), isokinetic muscle functions of the shoulder and knee joints, and biomechanical properties of core muscles. Methods Forty participants were randomly assigned to four groups: control group (CG, n = 10), compound set training group (CSG, n = 10), pyramid set training group (PSG, n = 10), and superset training group (SSG, n = 10). Excluding the CG, the other three groups underwent an 8-week resistance training program, three sessions per week, at 60%–80% of 1RM intensity for 60–90 min per session. Assessments included body composition, physical fitness components, 1RM, isokinetic muscle functions, and biomechanical properties (muscle frequency, stiffness, etc.) of the rectus abdominis and external oblique muscles. Results The PSG demonstrated the most significant improvement in relative peak torque during isokinetic testing of the shoulder and knee joints. Compared to the CG, all exercise groups exhibited positive effects on back strength, sprint performance, 1RM, and core muscle biomechanics. Notably, the PSG showed superior enhancement in external oblique stiffness. However, no significant differences were observed among the exercise groups for rectus abdominis biomechanical properties. Discussion Structured resistance training effectively improved maximal strength, functional performance, and core muscle biomechanics. The pyramidal training modality conferred specific benefits for isokinetic muscle functions and external oblique stiffness, suggesting its efficacy in enhancing force production capabilities and core stability.

Background: Eating disorders (EDs) have become a global public health concern among adolescents and young adults. However, Chinese university students exhibit a high prevalence of eating disorders. This study aims to investigate the effects of self-esteem (SE) and body shape (BS) on ED behaviors among Chinese university students. Methods: Using random sampling, 946 Chinese university students (aged 18 to 24, M = 19.94, SD = 1.04) participated in a survey comprising the Sick, Control, One, Fat, and Food Questionnaire (SCOFF-Q), the Body Shape Questionnaire (BS-Q), and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RS-S) to assess their eating disorder or non-eating disorder (NED) behavior. Results: There was a significant positive correlation between body shape and eating disorder behaviors (r = 0.19, p < 0.01), while there was a significant negative correlation between self-esteem and eating disorder behaviors (r = -0.14, p = 0.001 < 0.01). Gender was a moderating factor in the relationship between body shape and eating disorder behaviors (t = 3.14, p = 0.002 < 0.01), while parents' marital status was a moderating factor in the relationship between self-esteem and eating disorder behavior (t = 2.72, p = 0.007 < 0.01). Body shape (z = 6.47, p = 0.001 < 0.01), self-esteem (z = -2.81, p = 0.005 < 0.05), and gender (z = 3.06, p = 0.002 < 0.01) significantly influenced eating disorder behavior among Chinese university students aged 18-24 years. Conclusions: There was a direct effect between body shape and self-esteem and eating disorder behaviors among Chinese university students aged 18-24 years. Alarmingly, female university students are becoming susceptible to external influences on self-esteem and body shape, leading to eating disorder behaviors at an increasingly younger age in China.

This study aimed to examine the effects of supervised fitness training under the guidance of a personal trainer and those of competitive fitness training with others and reveal the effects of specific differences between them in a detailed manner. The study's participants consisted of 66 healthy male adults (age: 29.2 ± 5.4 years). The participants were divided into three groups: the individual training group (n = 21), which served as the control group; the exercising with a partner group (n = 22); and the group trained by a personal trainer (n = 23). Each participant was subsequently assessed using one repetition maximum bench press, squats, skeletal muscle mass, fat mass, and a questionnaire regarding nutritional plan and injury to compare the effects of training sessions over a period of 12 weeks. Among the three groups, only the group trained by a personal trainer showed an obvious enhancement in fat reduction compared to baseline (-1.61 kg, p = 0.033), which was suggestive of a salient trend that far surpassed those of the individual training group and the exercising with a partner group. Regarding squats, only the group trained by a personal trainer showed a significant change compared to the individual training group (p = 0.003). Regarding the participants' consistent use of a nutritional plan, only the group trained by a personal trainer exhibited a palpable tendency (p < 0.001); furthermore, the effect of preventing injury in the group trained by a personal trainer was more notable than that in the individual training group and the exercising with a partner group. Our results indicate that a fitness personal trainer service is effective in expediting the process of achieving fitness goals in a relatively safe manner, thereby substantiating the diversified values of the fitness personal trainer service.