The role of exercise in the treatment of HIV-1 and AIDS

As the epidemic of AIDS continues to spread worldwide, patients, researchers, and health care practitioners have persisted in the search for beneficial treatment strategies to combat the primary complications associated with the disease. The purpose of the present study was to examine the role of regular exercise participation in the treatment of HIV-1 and AIDS. Specifically, this study investigated the effects of a 12-week exercise intervention on psychological/emotional, immunological, and physiological training variables. The subjects for this study (N = 33) were randomly assigned to one of three treatment conditions: (1) aerobic exercise training, (2) resistance weight training, or (3) stretching/flexibility control. Subjects were assessed on a variety of measures before, during, and following completion of the intervention. It was hypothesized that the exercise groups would demonstrate the greatest improvements in the variables of interest over the course of the program while control subjects would experience declines. The results indicated that both aerobic and weight training exercise interventions enhanced psychological and emotional well-being, cardiovascular fitness, muscular strength, body composition, and immune function in an HIV-1-infected subject sample. Specifically, exercise subjects demonstrated improvements in physical self-efficacy, exercise-induced affective responses and feelings of fatigue, positive and negative mood, and satisfaction with life. Conversely, control subjects exhibited further regressions in each of these variables. This same pattern of findings was extended to assessments of the immune system, muscular strength, lean body mass, and steady-state exercise heart rate. The findings concerning psychological/emotional health were interpreted and discussed within the social cognitive (Bandura, 1986) and subjective well-being (Andrews & Withey, 1976) frameworks. It was suggested that exercise may be one therapeutic modality capable of enhancing all three primary complications associated with HIV-1 infection. Finally, it was pointed out that no negative effects of exercise were noted and that regular participation in both aerobic and weight training exercise should be considered a viable form of complimentary therapy for treating individuals suffering from HIV-1 and AIDS.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Kinesiology Health

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2011

Author dc:creator

• Lox, Curt Lawrence

Contributors dc:contributor

• McAuley, Edward

• Health Sciences, Rehabilitation and Therapy
• Psychology, Clinical
• Health Sciences, Immunology

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 1994 Lox, Curt Lawrence

Language dc:language

eng

Identifier

AAI9512469
(UMI)AAI9512469

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/20194