@phdthesis{Arntz2023,
  author    = {Arntz, Fabian},
  title     = {Intervention and moderation of physical fitness in children with physical fitness deficits - Results of the SMaRTER study},
  doi       = {10.25932/publishup-62260},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-622607},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam},
  pages     = {169},
  year      = {2023},
  abstract  = {Background: Physical fitness is a key aspect of children's ability to perform activities of daily living, engage in leisure activities, and is associated with important health characteristics. As such, it shows multi-directional associations with weight status as well as executive functions, and varies according to a variety of moderating factors, such as the child's gender, age, geographical location, and socioeconomic conditions and context. The assessment and monitoring of children's physical fitness has gained attention in recent decades, as has the question of how to promote physical fitness through the implementation of a variety of programs and interventions. However, these programs and interventions rarely focus on children with deficits in their physical fitness. Due to their deficits, these children are at the highest risk of suffering health impairments compared to their more average fit peers. In efforts to promote physical fitness, schools could offer promising and viable approaches to interventions, as they provide access to large youth populations while providing useful infrastructure. Evidence suggests that school-based physical fitness interventions, particularly those that include supplementary physical education, are useful for promoting and improving physical fitness in children with normal fitness. However, there is little evidence on whether these interventions have similar or even greater effects on children with deficits in their physical fitness. Furthermore, the question arises whether these measures help to sustainably improve the development/trajectories of physical fitness in these children. The present thesis aims to elucidate the following four objectives: (1) to evaluate the effects of a 14 week intervention with 2 x 45 minutes per week additional remedial physical education on physical fitness and executive function in children with deficits in their physical fitness; (2) to assess moderating effects of body height and body mass on physical fitness components in children with physical fitness deficits; (3) to assess moderating effects of age and skeletal growth on physical fitness in children with physical fitness deficits; and (4) to analyse moderating effects of different physical fitness components on executive function in children with physical fitness deficits. Methods: Using physical fitness data from the EMOTIKON study, 76 third graders with physical fitness deficits were identified in 11 schools in Brandenburg state that met the requirements for implementing a remedial physical education intervention (i.e., employing specially trained physical education teachers). The fitness intervention was implemented in a cross-over design and schools were randomly assigned to either an intervention-control or control-intervention group. The remedial physical education intervention consisted of a 14 week, 2 x 45 minutes per week remedial physical education curriculum supplemented by a physical exercise homework program. Assessments were conducted at the beginning and end of each intervention and control period, and further assessments were conducted at the beginning and end of each school year until the end of sixth grade. Physical fitness as the primary outcome was assessed using fitness tests implemented in the EMOTIKON study (i.e., lower body muscular strength (standing long jump), speed (20 m sprint), cardiorespiratory fitness (6 min run), agility (star run), upper body muscular strength (ball push test), and balance (one leg balance)). Executive functions as a secondary outcome were assessed using attention and psychomotor processing speed (digit symbol substitution test), mental flexibility and fine motor skills (trail making test), and inhibitory control (Simon task). Anthropometric measures such as body height, body mass, maturity offset, and body composition parameters, as well as socioeconomic information were recorded as potential moderators. Results: (1) The evaluation of possible effects of the remedial physical education intervention on physical fitness and executive functions of children with deficits in their physical fitness did not reveal any detectable intervention-related improvements in physical fitness or executive functions. The implemented analysis strategies also showed moderating effects of body mass index (BMI) on performance in 6 min run, star run, and standing long jump, with children with a lower BMI performing better, moderating effects of proximity to Berlin on performance in the 6 min run and standing long jump, better performances being found in children living closer to Berlin, and overall gendered differences in executive function test performance, with boys performing better compared to girls. (2) Analysing moderating effects of body height and body mass on physical fitness performance, better overall physical fitness performance was found for taller children. For body mass, a negative effect was found on performance in the 6 min run (linear), standing long jump (linear), and 20 m sprint (quadratic), with better performance associated with lighter children, and a positive effect of body mass on performance in the ball push test, with heavier children performing better. In addition, the analysis revealed significant interactions between body height and body mass on performance in 6 min run and 20 m sprint, with higher body mass being associated with performance improvements in larger children, while higher body mass was associated with performance declines in smaller children. In addition, the analysis revealed overall age-related improvements in physical fitness and was able to show that children with better overall physical fitness also elicit greater age-related improvements. (3) In the analysis of moderating effects of age and maturity offset on physical fitness performances, two unrotated principal components of z-transformed age and maturity offset values were calculated (i.e., relative growth = (age + maturity offset)/2; growth delay = (age - maturity offset)) to avoid colinearity. Analysing these constructs revealed positive effects of relative growth on performances in star run, 20 m sprint, and standing long jump, with children of higher relative growth performing better. For growth delay, positive effects were found on performances in 6 min run and 20 m sprint, with children having larger growth delays showing better performances. Further, the model revealed gendered differences in 6 min run and 20 m sprint performances with girls performing better than boys. (4) Analysing the effects of physical fitness tests on executive function revealed a positive effect of star run and one leg balance performance and a negative effect of 6 min run performance on reaction speed in the Simon task. However, these effects were not detectable when individual differences were accounted for. Then these effects showed overall positive effects, with better performances being associated with faster reaction speeds. In addition, the analysis revealed a positive correlation between overall reaction speed and effects of the 6 min run, suggesting that children with greater effects of 6 min run had faster overall reaction speeds. Negative correlations were found between star run effects and age effects on Simon task reaction speed, meaning that children with larger star run effects had smaller age effects, and between 6 min run effects and star run effects on Simon task reaction speed, meaning that children with larger 6 min run effects tended to have smaller star run effects on Simon task reaction speed and vice versa. Conclusions: (1) The lack of detectable intervention-related effects could have been caused by an insufficient intervention period, by the implementation of comprehensive and thus non- specific exercises, or by both. Accordingly, longer intervention periods and/or more specific exercises may have been more beneficial and could have led to detectable improvements in physical fitness and/or executive function. However, it remains unclear whether these interventions can benefit children with deficits in physical fitness, as it is possible that their deficits are not caused by a mere lack of exercise, but rather depend on the socioeconomic conditions of the children and their families and areas. Therefore, further research is needed to assess the moderation of physical fitness in children with physical fitness deficits and, in particular, the links between children's environment and their physical fitness trajectories. (2) Findings from this work suggest that using BMI as a composite of body height and body mass may not be able to capture the variation associated with these parameters and their interactions. In particular, because of their multidirectional associations, further research would help elucidate how BMI and its subcomponents influence physical fitness and how they vary between children with and without physical fitness deficits. (3) The assessment of growth- related changes indicated negative effects associated with the growth spurt approaching age of peak height velocity, and furthermore showed significant differences in these effects between children. Thus, these effects and possible interindividual differences should be considered in the assessment of the development of physical fitness in children. (4) Furthermore, this work has shown that the associations between physical fitness and executive functions vary between children and may be moderated by children's socioeconomic conditions and the structure of their daily activities. Further research is needed to explore these associations using approaches that account for individual variance.},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Frahnow2016,
  author    = {Frahnow, Turid},
  title     = {Bioinformatische Analyse der NUGAT-Studie (NUtriGenomic Analysis in Twins)},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-394902},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam},
  pages     = {XI, 91, xxvi},
  year      = {2016},
  abstract  = {Durch die Zunahme metabolischer Stoffwechselst{\"o}rungen und Erkrankungen in der Weltbev{\"o}lkerung wird in der Medizin und den Lebenswissenschaften vermehrt nach Pr{\"a}ventionsstrategien und Ansatzpunkten gesucht, die die Gesundheit f{\"o}rdern, Erkrankungen verhindern helfen und damit auch die Gesamtlast auf die Gesundheitssysteme erleichtern. Ein Ansatzpunkt wird dabei in der Ern{\"a}hrung gesehen, da insbesondere der Konsum von ges{\"a}ttigten Fetten die Gesundheit nachtr{\"a}glich zu beeinflussen scheint. Dabei wird {\"u}bersehen, dass in vielen Studien Hochfettdi{\"a}ten nicht ausreichend von den Einfl{\"u}ssen einer zum Bedarf hyperkalorischen Energiezufuhr getrennt werden, sodass die Datenlage zu dem Einfluss von (ges{\"a}ttigten) Fetten auf den Metabolismus bei gleichbleibender Energieaufnahme noch immer unzureichend ist. In der NUtriGenomic Analysis in Twins-Studie wurden 46 Zwillingspaare (34 monozygot, 12 dizygot) {\"u}ber einen Zeitraum von sechs Wochen mittels einer kohlenhydratreichen, fettarmen Di{\"a}t nach Richtlinien der Deutschen Gesellschaft f{\"u}r Ern{\"a}hrung f{\"u}r ihr Ern{\"a}hrungsverhalten standardisiert, ehe sie zu einer kohlenhydratarmen, fettreichen Di{\"a}t, die insbesondere ges{\"a}ttigte Fette enthielt, f{\"u}r weitere sechs Wochen wechselten. Beide Di{\"a}ten waren dem individuellen Energiebedarf der Probanden angepasst, um so sowohl akut nach einerWoche als auch l{\"a}ngerfristig nach sechs Wochen {\"A}nderungen des Metabolismus beobachten zu k{\"o}nnen, die sich in der vermehrten Aufnahme von (ges{\"a}ttigten) Fetten begr{\"u}ndeten. Die {\"u}ber die detaillierte Charakterisierung der Probanden an den klinischen Untersuchungstagen generierten Datens{\"a}tze wurden mit statistischen und mathematischen Methoden (z.B. lineare gemischte Modellierung) analysiert, die der Gr{\"o}ße der Datens{\"a}tze und damit ihrem Informationsvolumen angepasst waren. Es konnte gezeigt werden, dass die metabolisch gesunden und relativ jungen Probanden, die eine gute Compliance zeigten, im Hinblick auf ihren Glukosestoffwechsel adaptieren konnten, indem die Akutantwort nach einer Woche im N{\"u}chterninsulin und dem Index f{\"u}r Insulinresistenz in den weiteren f{\"u}nf Wochen ausgeglichen wurde. Der Lipidstoffwechsel in Form der klassischen Marker wie Gesamtcholesterin, LDL und HDL war dagegen st{\"a}rker beeinflusst und auch nach insgesamt sechs Wochen deutlich erh{\"o}ht. Letzteres unterst{\"u}tzt die Beobachtung im Transkriptom des weißen, subkutanen Fettgewebes, bei der eine Aktivierung der {\"u}ber die Toll-like receptors und das Inflammasom vermittelten subklinischen Inflammation beobachtet werden konnte. Die auftretenden Ver{\"a}nderungen in Konzentration und Komposition des Plasmalipidoms zeigte ebenfalls nur eine teilweise und auf bestimmte Spezies begrenzte Gegenregulation. Diesbez{\"u}glich kann also geschlussfolgert werden, dass auch die isokalorische Aufnahme von (ges{\"a}ttigten) Fetten zu Ver{\"a}nderungen im Metabolismus f{\"u}hrt, wobei die Auswirkungen in weiteren (Langzeit-)Studien und Experimenten noch genauer untersucht werden m{\"u}ssen. Insbesondere w{\"a}re dabei ein l{\"a}ngerer Zeitraum unter isokalorischen Bedingungen von Interesse und die Untersuchung von Probanden mit metabolischer Vorbelastung (z.B. Insulinresistenz). Dar{\"u}ber hinaus konnte in NUGAT aber ebenfalls gezeigt werden, dass die Nutrigenetik und Nutrigenomik zwei nicht zu vernachl{\"a}ssigende Faktoren darstellen. So zeigten unter anderem die Konzentrationen einiger Lipidspezies eine starke Erblichkeit und Abh{\"a}ngigkeit der Di{\"a}t. Zudem legen die Ergebnisse nahe, dass laufende wie geplante Pr{\"a}ventionsstrategien und medizinische Behandlungen deutlich st{\"a}rker den Patienten als Individuum mit einbeziehen m{\"u}ssen, da die Datenanalyse interindividuelle Unterschiede identifizierte und Hinweise lieferte, dass einige Probanden die nachteiligen, metabolischen Auswirkungen einer Hochfettdi{\"a}t besser ausgleichen konnten als andere.},
  language  = {de}
}
@article{MassonKliegl2013,
  author    = {Masson, Michael E. J. and Kliegl, Reinhold},
  title     = {Modulation of additive and interactive effects in lexical decision by Trial History},
  series = {Journal of experimental psychology : Learning, memory, and cognition},
  volume    = {39},
  journal   = {Journal of experimental psychology : Learning, memory, and cognition},
  number    = {3},
  publisher = {American Psychological Association},
  address   = {Washington},
  issn      = {0278-7393},
  doi       = {10.1037/a0029180},
  pages     = {898 -- 914},
  year      = {2013},
  abstract  = {Additive and interactive effects of word frequency, stimulus quality, and semantic priming have been used to test theoretical claims about the cognitive architecture of word-reading processes. Additive effects among these factors have been taken as evidence for discrete-stage models of word reading. We present evidence from linear mixed-model analyses applied to 2 lexical decision experiments indicating that apparent additive effects can be the product of aggregating over- and underadditive interaction effects that are modulated by recent trial history, particularly the lexical status and stimulus quality of the previous trial's target. Even a simple practice effect expressed as improved response speed across trials was powerfully modulated by the nature of the previous target item. These results suggest that additivity and interaction between factors may reflect trial-to-trial variation in stimulus representations and decision processes rather than fundamental differences in processing architecture.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{SorensenHohensteinVasishth2016,
  author    = {Sorensen, Tanner and Hohenstein, Sven and Vasishth, Shravan},
  title     = {Bayesian linear mixed models using Stan: A tutorial for psychologists, linguists, and cognitive scientists},
  series = {Tutorials in Quantitative Methods for Psychology},
  volume    = {12},
  journal   = {Tutorials in Quantitative Methods for Psychology},
  publisher = {University of Montreal, Department of Psychology},
  address   = {Montreal},
  issn      = {2292-1354},
  doi       = {10.20982/tqmp.12.3.p175},
  pages     = {175 -- 200},
  year      = {2016},
  abstract  = {With the arrival of the R packages nlme and lme4, linear mixed models (LMMs) have come to be widely used in experimentally-driven areas like psychology, linguistics, and cognitive science. This tutorial provides a practical introduction to fitting LMMs in a Bayesian framework using the probabilistic programming language Stan. We choose Stan (rather than WinBUGS or JAGS) because it provides an elegant and scalable framework for fitting models in most of the standard applications of LMMs. We ease the reader into fitting increasingly complex LMMs, using a two-condition repeated measures self-paced reading study.},
  language  = {en}
}