PURPOSE: To examine the effect of the exercise therapy, and exercise-behavior modifi- cation therapy on obesity, blood lipids and self-esteem of the obese middle-aged women. METHOD: A total of 35 middle-aged women (BMI: over 30) were selected for this research. Walking at a 50% intensity was administered 4 days a week for 12 weeks, while the behavior modification therapy performed for 60~90 minutes per week for 12 weeks. RESULT: Body weight and BMI has significantly reduced in the case of EG and E.BG. The result of comparing body weight between groups showed significant difference between EG and CG, and E.BG and CG whereas BMI showed significant difference between EG and CG only. TC, TG, LDL-C, %TC/HDL-C have shown significant decrease in EG and E-BG, while HDL-C displayed significant increase in EG and E.BG. And HDL-C showed significant decrease in CG. As for comparison between groups, significant difference was noted in EG and CG, and E.BG and CG at TC, HDL-C, LDL-C, and in EG and CG at %TC/HDL-C. Self-esteem displayed significant increase in EG and E.BG; however, there was no significant different in CG. As for comparison between groups, there was significant difference noted in E.BG and CG only. CONCLUSION: The results showed that the exercise therapy and the exercise-behavior modification therapy were effective in changing obesity, blood lipids and self-esteem of the obese middle-aged women.

This study is aimed at analyzing the trend of research on the use of exercise in nursing research, through suggesting directions for future research and implementation of the various exercise therapies. Research studies were taken from dissertations and theses selected from the Academic Society Journals of nursing science, Journals from universities, medical and nursing schools, research institutes in various universities, the Central Journal of Medicine, and the New Medical Journal. The research published between 1970 and 1997 in Korea were analyzed, 51 research were selected. The research are analyzed according to: published time, source of the research, research design, subjects, sample size, dependant variables, exercise therapy, and effect of exercise therapy. The results were as follows: 1. Research on exercise therapy increased rapidly in the 1990's. At this time, 88.2% of research was published. 2. Research areas included: 54.9% non- degree research, 27.5% Doctoral theses, and 17.6% Master's theses. 3. The experimental design included: 66.7% non- equivalent control group pre-test/ post-test design and 29.4% one group pre-test/post- test design. 4. Out of the Subjects: 52.9% were patients with various health problems, and 47.1% were healthy individuals. 5. Sample size included: 52.9% with above 31 subjects, 11.8% with 11~15 and 26~30. 6. Exercise therapy was analyzed by type, intensity, frequency, duration, and period. 1) The Types: Aerobic exercise at 60.8% was the most common, active exercise for muscle strengthening and building made up 21.6%. 2) Exercise with 40~65% intensity comprised 25.5%, 70~85% with 7.8%, and no description of the intensity was 66.7%. 3) Frequency of 3~5 per week was the most common at 78.4%. 4) Duration: 15~60 minutes was the most common length of time at 76.5%. 5) Periods: More than 5 weeks at 82.3% were the most common in their categories. 7. Dependant variables: Psychological response was measured as a dependant variable in 92.2%, Cardio-pulmonary function 88.2%, Body Composition was 86.3%, Physical Response was 60.8%, Lipid Metabolism was 58.8%, Physical Strength was 49.0%, Glucose Metabolism was 25.5%, Activities of Daily Living was 17.6% and others added to be 3.9%. 8. The effect of Exercise Therapy was categorized into 'positive', 'partially positive', and 'no effect' according to dependant variables: Having a positive effect - Glucose Metabolism (93.3%), Physical Response (85.0%), Activities of Daily Living (81.8%), Psychological Response (71.6%), Lipid Metabolism (67.6%), Cardio- pulmonary Function (63.6%), Physical Strength (68.1%), and Body Composition (56.4%). The following suggestions can be made on the above findings: 1. Research findings on Exercise Therapy as a Nursing Intervention need to be described by their elements of type, intensity, frequency, duration and period. 2. Toproperly study the positive effects of Exercise Therapy, there needs to be (1) appropriate research design, (2) selection criteria for the subjects (3) contents of exercise prescription to individuals or groups (4) measurement criterion for the dependent variables. 3. Meta-analysis on exercise therapy also needs to be done to analyze and integrate the various results.

This study was designed to investigate the effects of exercise therapy on joint mobility, daily activity, pain and depression of patients with ankylosing spondylitis. 25 persons with the experimental group and 25 persons with the control group were conveniently sampled among out-patients diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis at the rheumatism center of H University Medical Center. The control patients were matched to the experimental group and they were selected considering sex and age. The exercise therapy was developed by the author with the assistance of exercise specialists. The program includes muscle relaxation, flexibility, muscle strengths, breathing strengths and straight posture exercises. The 20-minute exercise therapy was carried out to the experimental group once a day for eight weeks from October, 1997 to February, 1998. Before and after the experiments, joint mobility, daily activity, pain and depression were measured respectively. Data were analyzed by x2-test, t-test, paired t-test and unpaired t-test. The results were as follows : Joint mobility(cervical flexion, extension, shoulder flexion, abduction, hip abduction, knee flexion and fingertip to floor distance) and daily activity in the experimental group after the exercise were significantly increased than that in the control group. The pain and depression score in the experimental group after the exercise were significantly decreased than that in the control group. These findings may indicate that the exercise therapy is effective in increasing the joint mobility and daily activity, and also effective in decreasing pain and depression in patients with ankylosing spondylitis. Accordingly, the exercise therapy can be adopted as an effective nursing intervention for ankylosing spondylitis.

The purpose of this study is to analyze the effects of exercise therapy on serum lipid levels and antioxidants of obese and normal college female students. The subject group composed of ten normal-weight students(below 30% body fat ratio) and ten obese students(above 30% body fat ratio). After a pilot test, the subjects were given an eight-weeks exercise program. Before and after the exercise program, the subjects were given test for serum lipid and antioxidants were analyzed. The SAS program was used in the data analysis. The statistical measurements employed here were T-test, Wilcoxon signed rank test, and Wilcoxon rank sum test. The results of this research are as follows. 1) The effects of exercise therapy on serum lipid levels; Before the exercise therapy, the levels of Total-cholesterol, Triglyceride and LDL-cholesterol of the obese group were higher than those of the normal-weight group. However, the HDL-cholesterol levels were higher in the normal-weight group than in the obese group, but these differences were not significant. With the exercise therapy, the levels of Total-cholesterol increased gradually. The HDL-cholesterol increased gradually, the LDL-cholesterol level decreased in both groups, However, the Triglyceride level decreased in the obese group and increased in normal group, but the difference was not significant. 2) The effects of the exercise therapy on serum antioxidants; Before exercise therapy, the serum FR and GSSG levels of the obese group were significantly higher than those if the normal-weight group(p=0.00, p=0.04). The serum GSH level of the normal-weight group was higher than that of the obese group, and the serum MDA level of the obese group was higher than that of the normal-weight group. Again these differences were not significant. With exercise therapy, serum FR level was reduced and serum GSSG level significantly increased in both group(obese group p=0.01, normal-weight group p=0.01), The serum GSH level of the obese group significantly increased(p=0.01), and serum MDA level significantly increase in the obese group(p=0.01), but the difference in the normal-weight group was not significant. These results show that regular exercise therapy reduces serum FR levels and activation of antioxidant systems, and suppress oxidative stress. These effects were slightly higher in the obese group than in the normal-weight group. The regular exercise therapy decrease the serum Triglyceride levels more in the obese group than in the normal-weight group. However the improvement of the serum lipid profile may require a longer exercise period than eight weeks. The results show that the exercise therapy was overall more effective in the obese group than the normal-weight group.

This study was conducted to investigate whether exercise therapy applied in an efficacy expectation promoting program based on the self-efficacy theory of Bandura(1977) would increase self-efficacy and metabolism in NIDDM patients. The study design was a nonequivalent control group pre-test post-test quasi-experimental design. The exercise therapy applied in the efficacy expectation promoting program was composed of a staged exercise program, a small booklet relating personal experience with diabetes mellitus and a telephone coaching program on performance accomplishment, vicarious experience and verbal persuasion, which are all induction modes of efficacy expectation. The subjects of the study were twenty eight NIDDM patients who received follow-up care regularly through the out-patient department of endocrine medicine in one general hospital which had a diabetic clinic. Fourteen were assigned to the experimental group and fourteen to the control group. The experimental group participated in the exercise therapy applied in the efficacy expectation promoting program from three to five times per week for four weeks and the control group did not have the program. The collected data were analyzed using the x2-test, t-test, paired t-test, and Cronbach's Alpha using SPSS/PC+. The results are summarized as follows : 1. Experimental group had higher efficacy score than control group(t=5.98, p=.00). And, There was a significant different in the efficacy score before exercise therapy applied in the efficacy expectation promoting program and after in experimental group(t=-6.42, p=.00). 2. Experimental group did not have lower level of glucose metabolism than control group(FBS : t=.32, p=.75, HbA1C : t=.60, p=.55, pc 2hrs. glucose : t=-.29, p=.78). But, There was a significant different in the amount of glucose metabolism before exercise therapy applied in the efficacy expectation promoting program and after in experimental group(FBS : t=3.63, p=.003, HbA1C : t=4.20, p=.00 2hrs . glucose : t=1.93, p=.001). 3. Levels of lipid metabolism were partly a significant different between Experimental group and control group(triglyceride : t=-1.87, p=.07, HDL cholesterol : t=-.29, p=.77, body weight : t=1.78, p=.09, Total cholesterol : t=-2.17, p=.04). And, There was partly a significant different in the amount of lipid metabolism before exercise therapy applied in the efficacy expectation promoting program and after in experimental group(triglyceride : t=2.50, p=.03, HDL cholesterol : t=-.43, p=.67, body weight : t=5.34, p=.00, Total cholesterol : t=2.26, p=.04). In conclusion, it was found that exercise therapy applied in an efficacy expectation promoting program was an effective nursing intervention for increasing self-efficacy and metabolism.