BACKGROUND:: Physical activity is the only nonpharmacological therapy that is proven to be effective in heart failure (HF) patients in reducing morbidity. To date, little is known about the levels of daily physical activity in HF patients and about related factors. OBJECTIVE:: The objectives of this …

Last year we published a randomised trial demonstrating that stretching before sleep reduces the frequency and severity of nocturnal leg cramps in older adults (Hallegraeff et al 2012). The results of that study align perfectly with the uncontrolled study of Daniell (1979). In a recent letter to this …

QUESTIONS: What are the perceived reasons for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) to be physically active or sedentary? Are those reasons related to the actual measured level of physical activity? DESIGN: A mixed-methods study combining qualitative and quantitative approaches. PARTICIPANTS: …

In very old and/or frail older people living in long-term care facilities, physical inactivity negatively affects activities of daily living. The main reason to assess older adults' perceived fitness is to establish the relation with their beliefs about their ability to perform physical activity adjusted …

QUESTION: Do negative expectations in patients after the onset of acute low back pain increase the odds of absence from usual work due to progression to chronic low back pain? DESIGN: Systematic review with meta-analysis of prospective inception cohort studies. PARTICIPANTS: Adults with acute or subacute …

QUESTION: In adults who experience nocturnal leg cramps, does stretching of the calf and hamstring muscles each day just before sleep reduce the frequency and severity of the cramps? DESIGN: A randomised trial with concealed allocation and intention-to-treat analysis. PARTICIPANTS: Eighty adults aged …

Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are often limited in their daily physical activity. However, the level, type and intensity of daily physical activity are not known, nor there is a clear insight in the contributing factors. The aim of this review is to describe daily physical …

The objective of this study was to perform a systematic review on training outcomes influencing physical fitness, activity of daily living performance, and quality-of-life in institutionalized older people. We reviewed 27 studies on older people (age, ≥70 yrs) in long-term care facilities and nursing …

Objective: To determine the effects on energy expenditure, health and fitness outcomes in sedentary older adults aged 55-65 after 6-month participation in the GALM program. Methods: In three Dutch communities, subjects from matched neighbourhoods were assigned to an intervention (n = 79) or a waiting-list …

Several studies have reported improved survival rates thanks to the use of an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) in the treatment of patients with life-threatening arrhythmia. However, the effects of the ICD on health-related quality of life (HR-QoL) of these patients are not clear. The aim …