RESUMEN
Introduction: Positive social interactions with farm animals may have therapeutic benefits on humans by increasing brain oxytocin secretion, as inferred from circulating oxytocin levels. The aim of this observational study was to investigate acute changes in human plasma oxytocin levels and state anxiety associated with interactions with dairy cows. Methods: Data were collected from 18 healthy female nursing students who performed stroking and brushing of an unfamiliar cow for 15 min. Blood samples were drawn before entering the cowshed (T1, baseline), and after 5 (T2) and 15 (T3) min of interaction with a cow. At T1 and T3, the students filled out the Norwegian version of the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-State Subscale (STAI-SS). Results: Across participants, no significant changes in average plasma oxytocin concentration were detected between time points (p>0.05). There was, however, a modest decline in the STAI-SS scores between T1 and T3 (p=0.015) and a positive correlation between the change in individual level of state anxiety between T1 and T3 and the change in OT concentration of the same individual between T2 and T3 (p = 0.045). Discussion: The results suggest that friendly social interactions with cows are beneficial in lowering state anxiety, but any relationship with release of OT into the circulation was complex and variable across individuals. The acute reduction in state anxiety lends support to the value of interacting with farm animals in the context of Green Care for people with mental health challenges.
RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Participants who completed a 3-month prescribed individualized exercise program in groups were followed-up prospectively. The aims were to describe the characteristics of the participants, their health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and physical fitness at baseline, at completion and at 12-month follow-up, and to identify predictors of HRQoL and physical fitness at completion and at 12-month follow-up. METHODS: A 1-group follow-up design was used. Data were collected from records of 163 attendees at a municipality-sponsored health center in Norway. HRQoL was measured by self-report using the COOP/WONCA questionnaire. Physical fitness was estimated from the results of a 2-km walk test. RESULTS: Of the 163 participants referred to the clinic, 130 (79.8%) were women and 33 were (20.2%) men. Participants who completed were older than those who dropped out. The participants showed clinical improvement in physical fitness and all health-related quality life domains (d > 0.53) at the completion of the program and in physical functioning, mental health, performance of daily activities, overall health, and perceived improved health after 12 months (d > 0.36). CONCLUSIONS: Participation in group-based prescribed exercise program for 3 months may improve physical fitness and HRQoL significantly in short and long terms.
Asunto(s)
Terapia por Ejercicio/métodos , Ejercicio Físico , Estado de Salud , Aptitud Física/psicología , Calidad de Vida , Anciano , Terapia por Ejercicio/psicología , Femenino , Estudios de Seguimiento , Conductas Relacionadas con la Salud , Promoción de la Salud/organización & administración , Humanos , Masculino , Salud Mental , Persona de Mediana Edad , Noruega , Estudios Prospectivos , Factores Socioeconómicos , Encuestas y Cuestionarios , Población Urbana , Caminata/psicologíaRESUMEN
Although fatigue is a common complaint after stroke, relatively little is known about how poststroke fatigue is experienced and what its related factors are. An in-depth understanding is necessary to develop effective and patient-centered poststroke rehabilitation programs. This review was undertaken to provide a comprehensive synthesis of knowledge from the literature concerning the description, definition, and measurement of fatigue and its relationship to sociodemographic and clinical factors. A search in PubMed, CINAHL, EMBASE, and PsychInfo was performed using "stroke" or "cerebrovascular accident" as medical subject headings in combination with "fatigue" as a key word. Descriptions of fatigue revealed multiple dimensions of the phenomenon. Although no specific theoretical definition of fatigue as a poststroke condition was found, a case definition has recently been published to be used as a tool to determine the presence of fatigue in poststroke patients. Poststroke fatigue is most frequently measured by using the general fatigue scales such as the Fatigue Severity Scale and a Fatigue Visual Analogue Scale, as there is no scale developed to measure poststroke fatigue specifically. Age, sex, living conditions, and personality were associated with poststroke fatigue, albeit with some conflicting findings. Conflicting results also were found in the relationships between fatigue and stroke-related characteristics such as stroke location/type, the number of strokes, and neurological deficits. There is an indication that prestroke and poststroke fatigue are related. Possible antecedent components identified are personal factors, biomarkers, stroke characteristics, prestroke fatigue, and comorbidity. As knowledge regarding poststroke fatigue remains limited, there is a need to continue empirical research with various theoretical orientations.