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1 – 10 of over 4000Zheng Wang and Rong Deng
Fitness games, as a medium that combines playfulness and usefulness for exercise, face challenges in sustaining long-term user engagement. Currently, there is limited research…
Abstract
Purpose
Fitness games, as a medium that combines playfulness and usefulness for exercise, face challenges in sustaining long-term user engagement. Currently, there is limited research exploring factors influencing users' continued intention to use from the perspective of user experience. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the priority of various user experience attributes of fitness games in promoting users' sustained engagement and to construct a user behavior model, offering theoretical guidance for designers and businesses.
Design/methodology/approach
This study distributed 441 survey questionnaires and, based on the fundamental characteristics of external games, established a model for users' continued intention to use external games. It explores the impact of various gaming elements on users' continued intention to use fitness games and the relationships between these elements.
Findings
The study indicates that usefulness, functional quality, and ease of use directly influence players' intention to continue playing external games. Social interactions, technical quality, and playfulness do not have an impact on the continued intention to use.
Originality/value
This research breaks away from the bias of previous studies overly focusing on playfulness in games. It fills the research gap regarding the continued intention to use fitness games and provides insights into the design and operation of fitness games.
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Hasliza Hassan, Abu Bakar Sade and Lohan Selva Subramaniam
Health fitness has become a major issue in Malaysia since the population of overweight and obesity is becoming critical. One of the ways to achieve optimum health fitness is by…
Abstract
Purpose
Health fitness has become a major issue in Malaysia since the population of overweight and obesity is becoming critical. One of the ways to achieve optimum health fitness is by consistently consuming balanced diet meals. Hence, this paper aims to focus on the willingness of society to purchase functional foods as an alternative for their daily meals to stay fit.
Design/methodology/approach
The research framework was developed based on a combination of findings by other research scholars within a similar field. The willingness to purchase functional foods to stay fit is positioned as the dependent variable, while lifestyle adaptation, social media influence and food consumption awareness are placed as the independent variables. Quantitative research was conducted by collecting primary data from respondents in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The collected data were analysed using descriptive and regression analyses.
Findings
The willingness to purchase functional foods to stay fit is dependent on the lifestyle adaptation, social media influence and food consumption awareness.
Research limitations/implications
Although the current market for functional foods in Malaysia is still at a small scale, the market for this industry seems very promising. Nevertheless, greater awareness on functional food is still needed.
Practical implications
Functional food producers should make an effort to gain the untapped market by focussing on the lifestyle adaptation, social media influence and food consumption awareness.
Originality/value
This research is a breakthrough to discover the willingness of Malaysians to purchase functional food to stay fit, which is influenced by lifestyle adaptation, social media and food consumption awareness.
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Mostafa Abd-El-Barr, Kalim Qureshi and Bambang Sarif
Ant Colony Optimization and Particle Swarm Optimization represent two widely used Swarm Intelligence (SI) optimization techniques. Information processing using Multiple-Valued…
Abstract
Ant Colony Optimization and Particle Swarm Optimization represent two widely used Swarm Intelligence (SI) optimization techniques. Information processing using Multiple-Valued Logic (MVL) is carried out using more than two discrete logic levels. In this paper, we compare two the SI-based algorithms in synthesizing MVL functions. A benchmark consisting of 50,000 randomly generated 2-variable 4-valued functions is used for assessing the performance of the algorithms using the benchmark. Simulation results show that the PSO outperforms the ACO technique in terms of the average number of product terms (PTs) needed. We also compare the results obtained using both ACO-MVL and PSO-MVL with those obtained using Espresso-MV logic minimizer. It is shown that on average, both of the SI-based techniques produced better results compared to those produced by Espresso-MV. We show that the SI-based techniques outperform the conventional direct-cover (DC) techniques in terms of the average number of product terms required.
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Jaleel Mohammed, Russell Kabir, Hadeel R. Bakhsh, Diana Greenfield, Volkova Alisa Georgievna, Aleksandra Bulińska, Jayanti Rai, Anne Gonzales and Shahrukh K. Hashmi
Hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) patients can suffer from long-term transplant-related complications that affect their quality of life and daily activities. This study, a…
Abstract
Purpose
Hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) patients can suffer from long-term transplant-related complications that affect their quality of life and daily activities. This study, a narrative review, aims to report the impact of HCT complications, the benefits of rehabilitation intervention, the need for long-term care and highlights the research gap in clinical trials involving rehabilitation.
Design/methodology/approach
A comprehensive search strategy was performed on several databases to look for relevant articles published from 1998 to 2018. Articles published in English with the following terms were used: hematopoietic stem cell transplant, chronic graft-versus-host disease, rehabilitation, exercise, physical therapy, occupational therapy. A patient/population, intervention, comparison, and outcomes (PICO) framework was employed to ensure that the search strategies were structured and precise. Study year, design, outcome, intervention, sample demographics, setting and study results were extracted.
Findings
Of the 1,411 records identified, 51 studies underwent title/abstract screening for appropriateness, 30 were reviewed in full, and 19 studies were included in the review. The review found that, for the majority of patients who underwent HSCT and developed treatment-related complications, rehabilitation exercises had a positive impact on their overall quality of life. However, exercise prescription in this patient group has not always reflected the scientific approach; there is a lack of high-quality clinical trials in general. The review also highlights the need to educate healthcare policymakers and insurance companies responsible for rationing services to recognise the importance of offering long-term follow-up care for this patient group, including rehabilitation services.
Practical implications
A large number of HSCT patients require long-term follow-up from a multidisciplinary team, including rehabilitation specialists. It is important for healthcare policymakers and insurance companies to recognise this need and take the necessary steps to ensure that HSCT patients receive adequate long-term care. This paper also highlights the urgent need for high-quality rehabilitation trials to demonstrate the feasibility and importance of rehabilitation teams.
Originality/value
Healthcare policymakers and insurance companies need to recognise that transplant patients need ongoing physiotherapy for early identification of any functional impairments and appropriate timely intervention.
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Kiara Lewis, Leanne Livsey, Robert J. Naughton and Kim Burton
Exercise has the potential to provide benefits for people living with dementia, yet the balance of evidence is uncertain. This paper aims to provide an evidence synthesis to…
Abstract
Purpose
Exercise has the potential to provide benefits for people living with dementia, yet the balance of evidence is uncertain. This paper aims to provide an evidence synthesis to determine whether exercise improves their health and well-being and what exercise should be recommended.
Design/methodology/approach
Structured search for existing literature reviews on exercise for dementia. Relevant articles were selected and critically appraised against systematic criteria. The findings from 15 high quality reviews were collated by using a best evidence synthesis approach.
Findings
The evidence is convincing for improving physical health, promising for cognitive benefits, mixed for psychological benefits and limited for behavioural outcomes. No evidence of harm was found. Overall, exercise can improve physical and mental health for people living with dementia: there is sufficient evidence to recommend multimodal exercise.
Social implications
The potential beneficial outcomes are of significant importance both for people with dementia and their caregivers. In the absence of more specific findings, the current recommendation for older adults in general is pragmatically justified – some activity is better than none, more activity provides greater benefits. Adding social interaction may be important for psychological and behavioural outcomes.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper is the first to encapsulate the literature to date on exercise for dementia. Combining the findings from previous reviews enabled a novel synthesis across the range of relevant interventions and outcomes.
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Ladawan Chutimakul, Suchitra Sukonthasab, Thanomwong Kritpet and Chanai Vannalee
Aging population is on the rise around the world. Strategies to improve quality of life in this population are being implemented. Exercise is one of those strategies that has been…
Abstract
Purpose
Aging population is on the rise around the world. Strategies to improve quality of life in this population are being implemented. Exercise is one of those strategies that has been proven to be effective as it produces many health benefits. The purpose of this paper is to determine the effects of Khon exercise on functional fitness in older persons.
Design/methodology/approach
In total, 44 older people aged 60–65 years were recruited through a senior club in an urban area. They were divided into two groups: the Khon exercise group (performed exercise for 12 weeks, 60 min/day, 3 times/week) and the control group (engaged in routine physical activity). The Senior Fitness Test, which consisted of chair stand, arm curl, 2-min step, chair sit and reach, back scratch, 8-ft up and go, and body mass index, was performed before and at 12 weeks after the exercise.
Findings
After 12 weeks of training, significant differences in chair stand, 2-min step, chair sit and reach, and 8-ft up and go tests were noted between the exercise and control groups.
Originality/value
These findings showed that Khon exercise has positive effects on lower body strength and flexibility, aerobic endurance and balance. Hence, it is recommended for health promotion among older persons.
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Patrick van Esch, Sarah Maree Duffy, James Teufel, Gavin Northey, Edward Elder, Catherine Frethey-Bentham, Thomas B. Cook and Jonas Heller
The purpose of this research is to examine a downstream social marketing program that slows the typical decline in functional fitness and independence of adults over 55 with…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this research is to examine a downstream social marketing program that slows the typical decline in functional fitness and independence of adults over 55 with particular attention to the ROI and the efficiency of the program.
Design/methodology/approach
Within subjects quasi-experimental design.
Findings
The ExerStart program is cost-efficient and effective delivering an ROI of 33 per cent. The participants of the ExerStart social marketing program significantly improved functional fitness. Further, this program demonstrates that this result may be achieved with just four exercises rather than six.
Practical implications
A successful, cost-effective, high-retention social marketing program is outlined for social marketers who aim to increase the functional fitness and independence of adults over 55 years.
Social implications
Two societal benefits, the first is that it provides direction about how to efficiently prolong the independence of adults over 55 years, and the second is that it decreases pressure and costs on the healthcare system. This may be useful for policy makers and social marketers alike.
Originality/value
The authors contribute to the literature in two important ways. First, this paper details a cost-effective intervention that improves the physical fitness of a significant and growing portion of the community and suggests additional considerations for future ROI calculations. Second, this paper contributes methodologically by introducing the senior fitness test (a new criterion-referenced clinically relevant physical fitness standard specifically developed for seniors).
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Sujo Thomas, Nidhi Titus, Sushmita Suggala and Piyush Kumar Sinha
Parsana Health Centre Private Limited, a part of the INR 4,500 crore1 fitness industry, was a fitness centre established at Ahmedabad (Gujarat) in India in December 2002, as an…
Abstract
Parsana Health Centre Private Limited, a part of the INR 4,500 crore1 fitness industry, was a fitness centre established at Ahmedabad (Gujarat) in India in December 2002, as an integral part of the organized players of the fitness industry. It had been relentlessly working towards creating and nurturing a healthy lifestyle for the people of Ahmedabad over the previous two eventful decades. Under the able guidance of skilled trainers and dieticians, the fitness enthusiast could enjoy state of the art gym facilities, in the upcoming mega city of Ahmedabad. Parsana Health Centre Private Limited enjoyed the first mover advantage in Ahmedabad and tapped the fitness club2 market through its 13 franchises opened in select vantage locations of the city. It was started by the Parsana brothers: Vijay and Dinesh. They strived hard to inculcate the fitness regime in people and attempted to interweave the benefits of fitness with their occupations. However, the road undertaken threw challenges at them – sometimes from people who failed to underline the importance of fitness in their daily schedule, and sometimes from other fitness brands which emerged as strong competitors. The emergence of many individual and branded fitness chains started making inroads into the busy streets of Ahmedabad and they too worked hard to pull out fitness enthusiasts to these social fitness centres by providing personal health counseling, rejuvenation, yoga, etc. Sustaining competitive advantage became a tough task.
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