The Relationship of Physical Activity and Aerobic Fitness with Health-Related Quality of Life and Executive Function in Celiac Disease Patients

UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
Lisa A. Barella (Creator)
Institution
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/
Advisor
Jennifer Etnier

Abstract: Celiac Disease (CD) is a multisystem disorder that is caused by gluten and affects approximately 1% of the United States population. Approximately 10% of CD patients have neurological complications, such as ataxia, brain atrophy, dementia, epileptic seizures, peripheral neuropathy, and cognitive impairment. CD patients have also been found to have lower health-related quality of life (HRQL) than the general population. Given the established relationships of physical activity and aerobic fitness with HRQL and executive function in other chronic disease populations and in older adults, it seems likely that these same relationships may exist for CD patients. However, these relationships have not been investigated. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine if both physical activity (number of vigorous bouts of physical activity/week; MET hours/week) and aerobic fitness were positive predictors of HRQL and executive function in CD patients. The relationship of functional fitness with those same outcome variables was also explored given the established positive relationship between functional fitness and HRQL. Separate canonical correlations were used for the HRQL composite and the executive function composite with the physical activity measures, aerobic fitness, and functional fitness. Canonical correlations for the HRQL composite with number of vigorous bouts of physical activity/week, MET hours/week, aerobic fitness, or functional fitness were not statically significant. However, canonical correlations for the executive function composite with number of vigorous bouts of physical activity/week (Rc = .55; p=0.02) and functional fitness (Rc = .57; p=0.01) were statistically significant. The results do not support positive relationships for any of the predictor variables with HRQL, and this may be due to our high functioning CD sample, which scored higher than normative scores on measures of HRQL. However, these findings do support a positive relationship for number of vigorous bouts of physical activity/week and functional fitness with executive function.

Additional Information

Publication
Dissertation
Language: English
Date: 2008
Keywords
Celiac Disease, Cognition, Executive function, exercise, Health related quality of life, Physical activity
Subjects
Celiac disease $x Exercise therapy.
Celiac disease $x Complications.
Cognition disorders.
Celiac disease $x Management.
Physical fitness.
Quality of life.
Aerobic exercises.

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