In this article I argue that whereas quantified technologies that measure physical functioning and worn on the body encourage a mind-body dualism, affective experiences caused by haptic devices emphasize a unity of the two. I turn to French ontologist Gilles Deleuze’s concept of immediate encounters that precede subject-object relations and contrast these encounters and their productive character with mediated experiences to illustrate the fundamental differences between the two wearable technologies. I furthermore argue that our experience with, and understanding of, wearing textile integrated haptic technologies can be enriched by applying the concepts of the ‘extended felt-body’, ‘felt-body islands’, and ‘corporeal communication’ as coined by German phenomenologist Hermann Schmitz. The case study used throughout this article is based on an auto-ethnographic, first person research project into a heartbeat monitor worn attached to a sports bra and a posture corrector worn just under the collar bone. In combination with the philosophical perspective suggested, the results from this project open up a plethora of potential new ways of creating and experiencing future fashions.
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A designerly journey into textiles and HCI leads to thinking about data as a material for a cybernetic future.
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Objectives: Promoting unstructured outside play is a promising vehicle to increase children’s physical activity (PA). This study investigates if factors of the social environment moderate the relationship between the perceived physical environment and outside play. Study design: 1875 parents from the KOALA Birth Cohort Study reported on their child’s outside play around age five years, and 1516 parents around age seven years. Linear mixed model analyses were performed to evaluate (moderating) relationships among factors of the social environment (parenting influences and social capital), the perceived physical environment, and outside play at age five and seven. Season was entered as a random factor in these analyses. Results: Accessibility of PA facilities, positive parental attitude towards PA and social capital were associated with more outside play, while parental concern and restriction of screen time were related with less outside play. We found two significant interactions; both involving parent perceived responsibility towards child PA participation. Conclusion: Although we found a limited number of interactions, this study demonstrated that the impact of the perceived physical environment may differ across levels of parent responsibility.
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Aim and method: To examine in obese people the potential effectiveness of a six-week, two times weekly aquajogging program on body composition, fitness, health-related quality of life and exercise beliefs. Fifteen otherwise healthy obese persons participated in a pilot study. Results: Total fat mass and waist circumference decreased 1.4 kg (p = .03) and 3.1 cm (p = .005) respectively. The distance in the Six-Minute Walk Test increased 41 meters (p = .001). Three scales of the Impact of Weight on Quality of Life-Lite questionnaire improved: physical function (p = .008), self-esteem (p = .004), and public distress (p = .04). Increased perceived exercise benefits (p = .02) and decreased embarrassment (p = .03) were observed. Conclusions: Aquajogging was associated with reduced body fat and waist circumference, and improved aerobic fitness and quality of life. These findings suggest the usefulness of conducting a randomized controlled trial with long-term outcome assessments.
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An overview of whole body scanners in 1998 (H.A.M. Daanen, G.J. Van De Water. Whole body scanners, Displays 19 (1998) 111–120) shortly after they emerged to the market revealed that the systems were bulky, slow, expensive and low in resolution. This update shows that new developments in sensing and processing technology, in particular in structured light scanners, have produced a new generation of easy to transport, fast, inexpensive, accurate and high resolution scanners. The systems are now moving to the consumer market with high impact for the garment industry. Since the internet sales of garments is rapidly increasing, information on body dimensions become essential to guarantee a good fit, and 3D scanners are expected to play a major role.
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ObjectivesBody weight and muscle mass loss following an acute hospitalization in older patients may be influenced by malnutrition and sarcopenia among other factors. This study aimed to assess the changes in body weight and composition from admission to discharge and the geriatric variables associated with the changes in geriatric rehabilitation inpatients.DesignRESORT is an observational, longitudinal cohort.Setting and ParticipantsGeriatric rehabilitation inpatients admitted to geriatric rehabilitation wards at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, Melbourne, Australia (N = 1006).MethodsChanges in body weight and body composition [fat mass (FM), appendicular lean mass (ALM)] from admission to discharge were analyzed using linear mixed models. Body mass index (BMI) categories, (risk of) malnutrition (Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition), sarcopenia (European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People), dependence in activities of daily living (ADL), multimorbidity, and cognitive impairment were tested as geriatric variables by which the changes in body weight and composition may differ.ResultsA total of 1006 patients [median age: 83.2 (77.7–88.8) years, 58.5% female] were included. Body weight, FM (kg), and FM% decreased (0.30 kg, 0.43 kg, and 0.46%, respectively) and ALM (kg) and ALM% increased (0.17 kg and 0.33%, respectively) during geriatric rehabilitation. Body weight increased in patients with underweight; decreased in patients with normal/overweight, obesity, ADL dependence and in those without malnutrition and sarcopenia. ALM% and FM% decreased in patients with normal/overweight. ALM increased in patients without multimorbidity and in those with malnutrition and sarcopenia; ALM% increased in patients without multimorbidity and with sarcopenia.Conclusions and ImplicationsIn geriatric rehabilitation, body weight increased in patients with underweight but decreased in patients with normal/overweight and obesity. ALM increased in patients with malnutrition and sarcopenia but not in patients without. This suggests the need for improved standard of care independent of patients’ nutritional risk.
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Aims: This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluates the additional effect of exercise to hypocaloric diet on body weight, body composition, glycaemic control and cardio-respiratory fitness in adults with overweight or obesity and type 2 diabetes. Methods: Embase, Medline, Web of Science and Cochrane Central databases were evaluated, and 11 studies were included. Random-effects meta-analysis was performed on body weight and measures of body composition and glycaemic control, to compare the effect of hypocaloric diet plus exercise with hypocaloric diet alone. Results: Exercise interventions consisted of walking or jogging, cycle ergometer training, football training or resistance training and duration varied from 2 to 52 weeks. Body weight and measures of body composition and glycaemic control decreased during both the combined intervention and hypocaloric diet alone. Mean difference in change of body weight (−0.77 kg [95% CI: −2.03; 0.50]), BMI (−0.34 kg/m2 [95% CI: −0.73; 0.05]), waist circumference (−1.42 cm [95% CI: −3.84; 1.00]), fat-free mass (−0.18 kg [95% CI: −0.52; 0.17]), fat mass (−1.61 kg [95% CI: −4.42; 1.19]), fasting glucose (+0.14 mmol/L [95% CI: −0.02; 0.30]), HbA1c (−1 mmol/mol [95% CI: −3; 1], −0.1% [95% CI: −0.2; 0.1]) and HOMA-IR (+0.01 [95% CI: −0.40; 0.42]) was not statistically different between the combined intervention and hypocaloric diet alone. Two studies reported VO2max and showed significant increases upon the addition of exercise to hypocaloric diet. Conclusions: Based on limited data, we did not find additional effects of exercise to hypocaloric diet in adults with overweight or obesity and type 2 diabetes on body weight, body composition or glycaemic control, while cardio-respiratory fitness improved.
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ObjectiveThe Plants for Joints (PFJ) intervention significantly improved pain, stiffness, and physical function, and metabolic outcomes, in people with metabolic syndrome-associated osteoarthritis (MSOA). This secondary analysis investigated its effects on body composition.MethodIn the randomized PFJ study, people with MSOA followed a 16-week intervention based on a whole-food plant-based diet, physical activity, and stress management, or usual care. For this secondary analysis, fat mass, muscle mass, and bone mineral density were measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) for all participants. Additionally, in a subgroup (n = 32), hepatocellular lipid (HCL) content and composition of visceral adipose tissue (VAT) were measured using magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS). An intention-to-treat analysis with a linear-mixed model adjusted for baseline values was used to analyse between-group differences.ResultsOf 66 people randomized, 64 (97%) completed the study. The PFJ group experienced significant weight loss (−5.2 kg; 95% CI –6.9, −3.6) compared to controls, primarily from fat mass reduction (−3.9 kg; 95% CI –5.3 to −2.5). No significant differences were found in lean mass, muscle strength, or bone mineral density between groups. In the subgroup who underwent MRI scans, the PFJ group had a greater reduction in HCL (−6.5%; 95% CI –9.9, 3.0) compared to controls, with no observed differences in VAT composition.ConclusionThe PFJ multidisciplinary intervention positively impacted clinical and metabolic outcomes, and appears to significantly reduce body fat, including liver fat, while preserving muscle mass and strength.
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Background: To assess the prevalence of chronic lymphedema and trismus in patients > 6 months after head and neck cancer (HNC) treatment, and to explore how the severity of these conditions correlates with body image and quality of life. Methods: The cross-sectional sample included 59 patients, treated for HNC between six months to three years ago. Physical measurements were performed to assess the presence of external lymphedema and trismus (<36 mm). Furthermore, participants completed two questionnaires regarding body image (BIS) and quality of life (UW-QoL V4). Results: Lymphedema prevalence was 94.1% (95% CI 0.86–0.98), with a median severity score of 9 (range 0–24). Trismus prevalence in this sample was 1.2%. The median BIS score was 2, indicating a positive body image. The UW-QoL score showed a good QOL with a median of 100. Only the domain of saliva and overall related health had a lower median of 70 and 60, respectively. There was no correlation between lymphedema and body image (r = 0.08, p = 0.544). Patients with higher lymphedema scores reported poorer speech with a moderate correlation (r = −0.39, p = 0.003). Conclusion: Lymphedema is a highly prevalent, but moderately severe late side-effect of HNC with a limited impact on quality of life domains except for speech, in our cohort.
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This article comments on the article on the myth of generational differences in the workplace by Stassen, Anseel and Levecque published in this journal. We reflect on a number of topics: Is the concept of generations a myth or a hype (no); the contribution of Stassen et al.‘s article to the body of knowledge on generations (limited); a discussion of research methods and conceptualization (we suggest other methods and other questions to ask); and the added value of research on generations in the workplace to managers and HR professionals. In this commentary, we do not just comment on the article by Stassen et al., but propose a number of alternative approaches of the problem. Finally, we argue that generational research, albeit with limitations, is relevant for managers and HR professionals, if only for adding a socio-cultural frame of reference to the discussion in organizations on how diversity in organizations can be better understood and used.
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