The health care cost of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in the EU is estimated to be today over 282 billion euros. It is well documented today that exercise training is one of the main strategies for ...secondary disease prevention and the follow-up integration of these patients. This study aimed to examine patients' attitudes towards online exercise with mobile monitoring of their vital signs. More specifically, the research objectives were as follows: (a) to examine patients' attitudes and expectations of online exercise, (b) cluster patients in high- and low-attitude groups and examine their intention to participate in online exercise, and (c) to examine age and gender differences in terms of their intention to exercise online. The final goal of this project was to develop a real application that could be of use to patients and professionals. Data were collected from fifty patients in the city of Thessaloniki, Greece. The results revealed that most patients were positive about exercising online if the programs were perceived as fun and, especially, safe. The use of an online monitoring application with the distant supervision of health professionals could both motivate them and strengthen their feeling of safety.
During the COVID-19 epidemic, opportunities for social interaction and physical activity among older people are decreasing, which may have a negative impact on their health. As a solution, a ...web-based group exercise program provided through a videoconferencing platform would be useful. As a web-based exercise program that older adults can easily, safely, and enjoyably perform at home, we developed a short-duration, light-intensity aerobic dance exercise program. Before studying the effectiveness of this exercise program, its characteristics, such as feasibility, safety, enjoyment, and system usability, should be examined among older adults.
This pilot study aimed to examine the feasibility, safety, and enjoyment of a web-based aerobic dance exercise program and the usability of a web-based exercise delivery system using a videoconferencing platform for older adults.
This study was designed as a prospective single-arm pilot study. A total of 16 older adults participated in an 8-week web-based aerobic dance program held every morning (8:30 AM to 8:50 AM) on weekdays at home. Retention and adherence rates were measured for the program's feasibility. Safety was assessed by the heart rate reserve, an index of exercise intensity calculated from heart rate, and the number of adverse events during exercise sessions. Enjoyment of this exercise program was assessed by an 11-point Likert scale ranging from 0 (not enjoyable at all) to 10 (extremely enjoyable) obtained through telephone interviews after the first-, third-, sixth-, and eighth-week intervention. For usability, the ease of the videoconferencing platform system was assessed through telephone interviews after the intervention.
A female participant with hypertension dropped out in the second week because of the continuously reported high blood pressure (≥180 mmHg) before attending the exercise session in the first week. Therefore, the retention rate was 93.8% (15/16). Among the remaining participants, the median (IQR) overall adherence rate was 97.4% (94.7-100). Regarding safety, the mean (SD) heart rate reserve during the aerobic dance exercise was 29.8% (6.8%), showing that the exercise was relatively safe with very light to light intensity. There were no adverse events during the exercise session. The enjoyment score (0-10 points) significantly increased from the first (6.7 1.7) to sixth (8.2 1.3) and eighth week (8.5 1.3). Regarding usability, 11 participants reported difficulties at the beginning, such as basic touch panel operations and the use of unfamiliar applications; however, all got accustomed to it and subsequently reported no difficulty.
This study showed high feasibility, enjoyment, and safety of the web-based aerobic dance exercise program in older adults, and the web-based exercise delivery system may have areas for improvement, albeit without serious problems. Our web-based aerobic dance exercise program may contribute to an increase in physical and social activities among older adults.
Online exercise communities play an important role in their users’ self-health management. The willingness of users to interact and create user-generated content in online communities reflects the ...vitality of the online exercise community and the positive impact it has on offline users’ health performance. Therefore, based on social capital theory, we study the relationship between three types of social capital and users’ offline exercise behaviors and add off-topics in the community in the model. We select the KEEP health community user group as the research setting and conduct the regression analysis. The results show that owned centrality and reciprocity have a significant positive relationship with users’ exercise behaviors; accessed centrality and trust have a significant negative relationship with users’ exercise behaviors; and common topics and off-topics show a partly significant correlation. As a moderating variable, off-topics have a negative moderating effect on owned centrality and betweenness centrality, but a positive moderating effect on reciprocity and trust among group members. The results enrich and expand social capital theory, deepen the research on users’ exercise behaviors in the online exercise community, and provide a good reference for online exercise community management.
Dual-task training is an emerging field used for people with Parkinson disease (PD) to improve their physical and cognitive well-being, but the patients' acceptability, safety, and adherence to such ...training in online settings are unknown.
This study aims to evaluate the acceptability of a dual-task cognitive and motor online training program for people with PD as a group online community program.
People with PD were invited to participate in an online program (PD3 Move) consisting of physical and vocal exercises in response to different cognitive challenges displayed as dynamic backgrounds on Zoom. The program ran twice per week for 16 weeks. Patient acceptability was assessed at 4 months by monitoring attendance rates and feedback from an exit questionnaire emailed to all participants assessing satisfaction, perceived benefit, safety, and willingness to continue and recommend to others.
The online program was delivered to 15 participants (n=9, 60%, females) with a diagnosis of PD, a mean age of 69.4 (SD 9.3) years, and Hoehn and Yahr (H&Y) stages I-IV. The attendance rate was high, with participants coming to more than 13 (81%) of the sessions. Participants were very satisfied (n=8, 53%) or satisfied (n=7, 47%) with the program. Participants reported that what they most liked were the new cognitive physical challenges. The 3 main facilitators to participating were perceiving the benefits, instructor's flexibility and engagement, and the social interaction moments with others. The 3 main difficulties were dealing with motor fluctuations (n=3, 20%), difficulties in using technology (n=2, 13%), and difficulty hearing instructions due to hearing loss (n=2, 13%). Patients had favorable perceived benefits of the program, with 14 (93%) considering it very useful for the current management of health and 1 (7%) moderately useful. No adverse events were reported, and all participants said that they were willing to continue the program and recommend it to others.
Our findings suggest that the online cognitive and motor program was well received, safe, and perceived to be of benefit to this group of medically stable people with PD in H&Y stages I-IV. Access to specialized care and enhancement of long-term adherence to regular exercise can be achieved with online community group programs.
A multipurpose software tool for building web apps and software-based Open Education Resources, called "Digital Makerspace" (DMS), was developed in the last 8 years at the applied university and is ...now ready for use. The tool is useful for creating and designing almost all thinkable material and tools for online usage by web users, for example providing digital learning material and digital interactive exercises. The tool is free for use for everyone and is supposed to be self-explaining. In this paper, the DMS is introduced and as an example multi-purpose learning material for students are shown which were designed via the DMS.
This study focusses on the development of a motion-sensing smart leggings prototype with the help of a module that monitors motion using a fiber-type stretch sensor. Additionally, it acquires data on ...Electrocardiogram (ECG), respiration, and body temperature signals, for the development of smart clothing used in online exercise coaching and customized healthcare systems. The research process was conducted in the following order: 1) Fabrication of a fiber-type elastic strain sensor for motion monitoring, 2) Positioning and attaching the sensor, 3) Pattern development and three-dimensional (3D) design, 4) Prototyping 5) Wearability test, and 6) Expert evaluation. The 3D design method was used to develop an aesthetic design, and for sensing accurate signal acquisition functions, wearability tests, and expert evaluation. As a result, first, the selection or manufacturing of an appropriate sensor for the function is of utmost importance. Second, the selection and attachment method of a location that can maximize the function of the sensor without interfering with any activity should be studied. Third, the signal line selection and connection method should be considered, and fourth, the aesthetic design should be reflected along with functional verification. In addition, the selection of an appropriate material is important, and tests for washability and durability must be made. This study presented a manufacturing method to improve the functionality and design of smart clothing, through the process of developing a prototype of motion-sensing smart leggings.
In a financial accounting course, it is important that students review the learning material multiple times throughout the semester. Nonetheless, procrastination behaviour is adopted by many ...accounting students. Procrastination behaviour, induced by low self-efficacy, is harmful as it leads to higher test anxiety. Hence, interventions are suggested to favourably influence procrastination. Based on Astin's (1984) theoretical Input–Environment–Output model, this study investigates the potential of voluntary online exercises — online formative assessments (OFAs) — to increase self-efficacy and decrease test anxiety. The setting involves a quasi-experiment in a financial accounting course. Quantitative OFA log data are used (N = 762), as well as survey data, measuring self-efficacy and test anxiety at the beginning and the end of the semester. Qualitative focus group data verifies if the quantitative results are in line with students' OFA perceptions. Findings show that (1) during the semester, students' self-efficacy decreases and test anxiety increases, (2) students using OFA experience an increase in self-efficacy, and (3) those students also tend to experience lower test anxiety. Students confirm these favourable effects based on their experiences with the OFAs. This paper contributes to accounting education by demonstrating how OFAs support accounting students to increase self-efficacy and decrease test anxiety.
The application of information technology to self-assessment has received a lot of attention in recent years. Several previous studies have discovered a positive relationship between online ...self-assessment and academic performance. This study aimed to confirm the relationship between online self-assessment and learning outcomes and self-assessment skills among grade 11 students in Vietnam. With a total of 160 students, this research had been designed as quasi-experimental. The two groups did the self-assessment in different ways over the six weeks of impact implementation. To perform an online self-assessment, the intervention group employed interactive online exercises that delivered instant feedback on Liveworksheets. Throughout this period, the control group engaged in traditional self-assessment. The study found that the intervention group’s final test scores (7.7) were higher than the control group’s (6.3), and their self-assessment skills were more developed at the end of the study. The study confirms the positive relationship between online self-assessment and learning outcomes and self-assessment skills among grade 11 students in Vietnam. The findings suggest that online interactive exercises with immediate feedback can improve learning outcomes and that regular online self-assessment can enhance students’ self-assessment skills. Conceptually, this study contributes to the growing body of research on the application of information technology in education and gives insight into the potential of online self-assessment as a promising tool to promote student learning and development. The results of this study can serve as early data to investigate the effectiveness of online self-assessment in diverse educational settings.
When switching to online teaching, the question arises about the feasibility, methods and form of transposing existing teaching materials into the Internet and creating new ones. The aim of the study ...is to show what opportunities electronic educational environment ViLLE, developed in Finland, has for teaching Russian as a foreign language and as a second home language. The material of the article include exercises created in this e-environment, and the methods of the research include various software and pedagogical solutions aimed at implementing the methodology. During research, starting in 2017, e-learning platform ViLLE has allowed the Russian language to find and to take its place in Finlands digital language teaching system. Different courses were created, with different sets of tasks and exercises that can be used by teachers and students of any educational institution. Some of the courses, among them those aimed at bilinguals, provide an opportunity to familiarize students with the included theoretical material. Having mastered the necessary minimum skills of using ViLLE, any teacher can independently modify tasks and exercises, combine them in the desired sequence and volume, and thus create courses adapted to the needs of their students. An integrated performance analysis system makes their work easier by allowing the teacher to focus on a specific language teaching problem. The results showed that among the existing electronic educational resources, online platforms and e-learning environments are the most essential tools for teaching a foreign/second language, since only they give the teacher the opportunity to independently plan and structure the entire educational process, manage it, use existing materials and create new ones, automatize certain functions, combine various educational events, and communicate with students. The article compares criteria for evaluating such resources and dividing them into two categories: (1) general criteria that include multi-functionality, the set of features provided by the environment, and compatibility with regard to encoding and format of training materials and other system components; (2) those considering needs of specific teachers and students and their resources, namely, resource administrating, creating tasks and courses, managing and monitoring the learning process. The future plans concern carrying out extensive monitoring of the effectiveness of the system in school and university teaching.
У статті обґрунтовано актуальність застосування інтернет-технологій у медичних закладах освіти в умовах карантину під час пандемії COVID-19. Здійснено аналіз наукових джерел у контексті застосування ...інтернет-технологій в освіті. Метою статті є визначення результативності організації освітнього процесу за допомогою освітніх інтернет-технологій, зокрема освітнього блогу, ментальних карт та онлайн-вправ сервісу LearningApps, під час підготовки майбутніх лікарів і фахових молодших медичних бакалаврів під час вивчення фахових дисциплін. Висвітлено основні питання організації онлайн навчання студентів-медиків, також перевірено ефективність запропонованого підходу. Описано результати опитування майбутніх лікарів і молодших медичних фахових бакалаврів стосовно їх оцінювання сучасного викладання фахових дисциплін у медичних закладах освіти. Дослідження проводилось у Вінницькому національному медичному університеті та медичних коледжах Вінницького регіону в 2017-2020 роках. Освітній процес у дистанційному режимі охоплював онлайн заняття з використанням освітнього блогу Blogger, ментальних карт Mindomo та інтерактивних вправ сервісу LearningApps. На початковому етапі дослідження було визначено недостатній рівень професійних знань і практичних навичок студентів-медиків. Виявлено недоліки професійної підготовки майбутніх медиків під час вивчення фахових дисциплін, зокрема традиційність підготовки та обмежене використання ІКТ у медичних закладах освіти. Емпіричну базу на формувальному етапі педагогічного експерименту склали 247 студентів та 70 викладачів фахових дисциплін Вінницького національного медичного університету та медичних коледжів Вінницької області. На формувальному етапі педагогічного експерименту студенти контрольної групи навчалися за традиційною методикою, а їхні викладачі фахових дисциплін використовували традиційні технології навчання. Студенти експериментальної групи навчалися за інноваційними методиками, а їхні викладачі використовували сучасні інтернет-технології. У результаті майбутні медики експериментальної групи показали кращі результати, ніж студенти контрольної групи. Зроблено висновок, що використання Інтернет-технологій в освітньому процесі значно покращує якість та ефективність навчання, наближає студентів до реальних умов клінічного середовища, дає змогу якісно вдосконалювати свої практичні навички. Ефективність використання блогів, ментальних карт та онлайн-вправ LearningApps під час викладання фахових дисциплін була перевірена шляхом проведення комплексного клінічного оцінювання. Статистична перевірка також підтвердила ефективність впровадження інтернет-технологій. Перспективи подальших досліджень зумовлені необхідністю використання педагогічного досвіду онлайн-технологій в організації ізольованого дистанційного навчання в медичній освіті під час вивчення природничих, соціально-економічних та гуманітарних дисциплін у сучасних умовах воєнного стану в Україні.
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