Biomaterial Database

Physical and psychological effects of aerobic exercise in delinquent adolescent males. 1988

J R MacMahon, and R T Gross

Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, Calif. 94304.

Aerobic exercise has been associated with improved psychological status and physical fitness in adults, but its effects in adolescents have been less clear. This study evaluated the effects of aerobic exercise on the self-concept, depression level, and physical fitness of juvenile delinquents. Ninety-eight incarcerated youths who volunteered to participate were assigned in a blind fashion to one of two exercise programs lasting three months. Sixty-nine completed all phases of the study and are the subjects of this report. One exercise program (32 subjects) emphasized aerobic exercise; the other (37 subjects), limited exertion. Before and after participating, each subject underwent measurement of self-concept, mood, and physical fitness. While the aerobic and comparison groups were initially similar, the data demonstrated an association between participation in the aerobic exercise program and improved self-concept, mood, and fitness. Improvement in psychological variables was not dependent on improved physical fitness and was not related to preintervention measures.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007604	Juvenile Delinquency	The antisocial acts of children or persons under age which are illegal or lawfully interpreted as constituting delinquency.	Delinquency, Juvenile
D008297	Male		Males
D010809	Physical Fitness	The ability to carry out daily tasks and perform physical activities in a highly functional state, often as a result of physical conditioning.	Fitness, Physical
D011446	Prospective Studies	Observation of a population for a sufficient number of persons over a sufficient number of years to generate incidence or mortality rates subsequent to the selection of the study group.	Prospective Study,Studies, Prospective,Study, Prospective
D011897	Random Allocation	A process involving chance used in therapeutic trials or other research endeavor for allocating experimental subjects, human or animal, between treatment and control groups, or among treatment groups. It may also apply to experiments on inanimate objects.	Randomization,Allocation, Random
D003863	Depression	Depressive states usually of moderate intensity in contrast with MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER present in neurotic and psychotic disorders.	Depressive Symptoms,Emotional Depression,Depression, Emotional,Depressive Symptom,Symptom, Depressive
D006339	Heart Rate	The number of times the HEART VENTRICLES contract per unit of time, usually per minute.	Cardiac Rate,Chronotropism, Cardiac,Heart Rate Control,Heartbeat,Pulse Rate,Cardiac Chronotropy,Cardiac Chronotropism,Cardiac Rates,Chronotropy, Cardiac,Control, Heart Rate,Heart Rates,Heartbeats,Pulse Rates,Rate Control, Heart,Rate, Cardiac,Rate, Heart,Rate, Pulse
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000293	Adolescent	A person 13 to 18 years of age.	Adolescence,Youth,Adolescents,Adolescents, Female,Adolescents, Male,Teenagers,Teens,Adolescent, Female,Adolescent, Male,Female Adolescent,Female Adolescents,Male Adolescent,Male Adolescents,Teen,Teenager,Youths
D012649	Self Concept	Persons' view of themselves.	Self Esteem,Self Perception,Self Confidence,Self-Perception,Concept, Self,Confidence, Self,Esteem, Self,Perception, Self,Perceptions, Self,Self Esteems,Self Perceptions,Self-Perceptions