Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between Physical Activity (PA) and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) anxiety (or fear of infectious diseases) in patients with heart disease.

Methods: A total of 52 participants (mean age 71.7 ± 7.8 years) with heart disease were included in this study. Participants’ PA was measured for one week using Fitbit Inspire (Fitbit Inc.), whereby the average daily steps taken were calculated and used as a variable. Anxiety and fear of COVID-19 infection were assessed using The Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19 S). We used multivariate-adjusted models to assess the relationship between PA and FCV-19 S, adjusted for age, sex, BMI, six-minute walking distance, and HADS.

Results: The mean number of daily steps was 5,337 ± 2,534 and the mean FCV-19 S was 25 ± 3.6 points. Multivariate-adjusted models showed that FCV-19 S was significantly associated with PA.

Conclusion: Interventions are needed to address COVID-19 anxiety and fear of infectious diseases to improve PA in patients with heart disease.

Objective: This study examined the roles of physical therapists in special needs education based on the activities of physical therapists dispatched to two neighboring cities.

Methods: After being sent by A and B cities’ boards of education, we compared the scope of physical therapists’ visits to special needs and regular classes in public elementary and junior high schools.

Results: The two cities’ projects provided daily life guidance, guidance on assisting methods, and consultation services, among others, with the following differences. A city offered medical care to physically disabled children under doctors’ instructions. B city managed children with intellectual and developmental disorders by introducing them to medical institutions and promoting cooperation with prosthetic suppliers rather than providing medical care.

Conclusions: We concluded that physical therapists could support school life by directly listening to children, their families, and teachers. Moreover, continuous support enables physical therapists to provide advice about future care by understanding each child’s characteristics. physical therapy involved in special needs education need medical knowledge to provide physical therapy to physically handicapped children, knowledge of school education, environmental coordination, and learning task difficulties for children with intellectual and developmental disorders.

Objective: We examined the association between increased self-rated physical activity and mental health among university students during the COVID 19 pandemic.

Methods: Overall, 153 university students participated in the study. We collected information on age, sex, self-rated physical activity, exercise habit, and Kessler psychological distress scale (K6).

Results: The group of increased self-rated physical activity was 9.8 %. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that increased self-rated physical activity was significantly associated with increased K6 after adjusting for age and sex.

Conclusions: Increased self-rated physical activity was significantly associated with poor mental health among university students during the COVID 19 pandemic. While it is important to encourage college students to exercise during the spread of COVID-19, it is necessary to consider about mental health.

Objective: We conducted an exercise intervention program for frail female older adults and examined the effects of the program on their self-perceived health, focusing on their nutritional status.

Methods: The participants were 107 frail female older adults aged 70 years and older, excluding those who dropped out and those whose physical functions could not be measured. An exercise intervention session was conducted twice a week for a total of 18 times over 9 weeks. We assessed physical function tests, self-perceived health using questionnaires, and nutritional status assessments before and after the program intervention. The participants were stratified into three groups: good, fair, and poor.

Results: All three groups showed improvement in self-perceived health after the program. Multiple comparisons showed that the effect of the program on self-perceived health was significantly higher in the poor nutrition group than in the good nutrition group. Comparison of physical function assessment by nutritional status showed an interaction between the three groups in knee extension strength. The poor nutrition group had a higher intervention effect on self-perceived health than the good nutrition group.

Conclusion: It was suggested that self-perceived health in the frail elderly with a poor nutritional status (MNA-SF score, ≤ 11 points) can be improved by an exercise intervention program.

Objective: To identify characteristics of patients who experienced documented falls during rehabilitation and the circum stances leading to falls during gait practice. Methods: Information from patients who experienced documented falls during rehabilitation between April 1, 2016, and August 31, 2020, was reviewed for age, department, attending therapist’s years of experience, and the content of rehabilitation. For cases of falls during gait rehabilitation, the direction and cause of the fall, and the method of assistance was investigated. Results: There were 124 documented falls among 37,308 rehabilitation prescriptions, among 438,593.7 rehabilitation time (hour). The rate of falls was 0.43 / 1,000 person-hour and 0.25 / 1,000 person-hour for patients < 65 and ≥ 65 years of age, respectively. The rate of falls was highest among hematology/oncology patients (0.47 / 1,000 person-hour) and attending therapists with ≤ 3 years’ experience (0.37 / 1,000 person-hour). Among patients who experienced a fall during gait rehabilitation, forward direction, stumbling, and supervised falls were more common. Conclusions: The incidence of falls during rehabilitation was the younger group than older groups, higher among hema tology/oncology patients, and higher when therapists had less experience. The data suggested that among patients who fell, more stumbled and fell forward during supervised gait rehabilitation practice.

Objective: This study aimed to clarify whether exercising with others were associated with the maintenance of exercise behavior among older adults, mediated by psychological factors (social support, attitude, self-regulation, and self-efficacy). Methods: Web surveys were conducted with registered members aged 65-74 years. Among them, 274 individuals who engaged in exercise behavior at baseline and responded to the one-year follow-up surveys were analyzed. The surveys measured respondents’ exercise time, exercising alone or with others, psychological factors, demographics, and extraversion. Results: The multiple regression analysis revealed that exercising with others significantly regress the maintenance of exercise behavior for one year (β=.13, p=.027). The path analysis revealed that social support was associated with the maintenance of exercise behavior mediated by attitude, self-regulation, and self-efficacy; however, exercising with others was not significantly associated with psychological factors (β=-.05~.12, p=.054~.880). Conclusions: The present study indicated that these psychological factors did not mediate associations between exercis ing with others and maintenance of exercise behavior.

Objective: To investigate whether fit shoe affects gait stability of the older people using shoe of different sizes with uniform shoe types and characteristics.

Methods: 27 older adults who participated in the disability prevention experience were included in the study. To assess gait ability, we used a tri-axial accelerometer to calculate RMS, walking speed, step length, variation in gait cycle. We used Brannock device to measure shoe size, and prepared shoes that matched the two conditions of fit and non-fit. The subjects were randomized to wear the shoes, and their gait ability was measured. Statistical analysis was performed paired t-tests corresponding to the comparison of gait-related indices in shoe fit.

Results: Comparing fit vs. non-fit, only the anterior-posterior RMS was significantly lower (smaller sway) when the non-fit shoes were worn.

Conclusions: It is possible that the propulsive force during gait may have been affected, but further study is needed.