Overview
For this week's lab, you will be collecting some baseline information about your personal health and the physiological function of your body. As you will learn next week, the organ systems you will test play an essential role in your body's ability to respond to stress!
Submission Guidelines
For this lab, answer and record all of the prompts highlighted in blue in a Google Doc or a word processor. This assignment will need to be submitted as a pdf. Both Google and Word will let you save your document as a PDF.
Grading
To see how this assignment will be graded, scroll down to view the grading rubric. If no rubric is visible, click on the three dots in the upper right corner of this page, then click "Show Rubric". If you're reviewing this assignment using the Canvas mobile app, the rubric is included in the Grade tab.
Note: While I am not specifically grading you on your spelling or grammar, scientific communication is an important skill. Please proofread and spellcheck before submitting to ensure that your ideas come across clearly. Up to 10% may be deducted for excessive grammar and spelling errors that affect the readability of your work.
Part 1 - Hypothesizing About Your Health
Lifestyle and Hereditary Risks
Take a minute to think about the following questions:
Do you eat enough fruits and vegetables? Too much salt? Sugar? Fat? Do you exercise enough? Do you smoke or consume alcohol? Do you have a family history of Type II diabetes, kidney, or heart disease?
- What do you think are your top three lifestyle or hereditary risk factors?
- How do you think these risk factors will affect your scores for your risk of developing type II diabetes? Heart disease? Kidney disease?
- How do you think these factors will affect your overall cardiovascular fitness?
Environmental Risk
Take a minute to think about the following questions:
Is your neighborhood safe and welcoming for walking? Do you live near a freeway or a very high-traffic road? Do you live nearby industrial land or other environmental hazards? Is your neighborhood prone to high temperatures in the summer?
- What do you think are your top two environmental risk factors?
- How do you think these risk factors will affect your scores for your risk of developing type II Diabetes? Heart Disease? Kidney Disease?
- How do you think these factors will affect your overall cardiovascular fitness?
Part 2 - Health Risk Testing
1. Measuring your Resting Heart and Respiratory Rates
Your parasympathetic (resting) and sympathetic (fight or flight) systems help regulate your heart and respiratory rates. When you are in a relaxed and resting state, your parasympathetic system is dominant and your heart rate and respiratory rate will be lower. When you are stressed or during exercise the sympathetic system is dominant and these rates increase.
Practice manual pulse: Using your second or third finger feel for your pulse along your carotid artery (carotid pulse). This pulse you are feeling is your blood pressure rising; when your heart contracts it pumps blood out to your body. Count how many heartbeats you feel (your pulse) in 15 seconds and then multiply by 4. Repeat this three times.
Resting Pulse: 1_____________ 2)_____________ 3)_______________
Were all three numbers similar? If not, what could explain any significant differences?
Next measure your respiratory rate. Count how many breaths you take in 1 minute. The normal respiratory rate is 12-20 breaths per minute at rest. This rate increases with exercise to move more oxygen to the muscles where it is needed.
Resting Respiratory Rate: 1_____________ 2)_____________ 3)_______________
2. Waist-to-Hip Ratio
Abdominal fat is more likely than fat stored in other places to cause changes in hormone levels which result in inflammation and clogged arteries. People with apple-shaped bodies (more fat around the abdominal area) develop cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus (all of which can contribute to premature death) more frequently than those with pear-shaped bodies (more fat in the hips, buttocks, and thighs).
- Stand up and measure your waist just above the navel. ________________________.
- Measure your widest point around your hips or buttocks_______________________.
- Divide your waist number by your hip number to get waist-to-hip ratio __________________.
- Based on the table below, what is your cardiovascular risk?
Health risk | Women | Men |
|---|---|---|
| Low | 0.80 or lower | 0.95 or lower |
| Moderate | 0.81–0.85 | 0.96–1.0 |
| High | 0.86 or higher | 1.0 or higher |
3. Type 2 diabetes risk
According to the American Heart Association, adults with diabetes are 2-4 times more likely to die of heart disease than those without diabetes. To evaluate your risk, use this test from the American Diabetes Association: Type 2 Diabetes Risk AssessmentLinks to an external site..
Your risk assessment score: ____________________________
4. Stress
Chronic stress can affect the other body systems. Ever notice how you often get sick when you are stressed out? The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis regulates the homeostasis of the immune response. Communication between the nervous system and the immune system is bi-directional. Long-term stress leads to immune dysfunction which comprises our ability to deal with an infection. It can also cause other health issues and inflammatory diseases such as cardiovascular disease, irritable bowel syndrome, psoriasis, arthritis, asthma, and depression. How stressed are you?
Take this stress test now.
After taking the stress test, record your stress score (score and interpretation): _____________________________
5. CV Composite Score
From: Fit & Well: Core Concepts and Labs for Physical Fitness
Your chances of suffering a heart attack or stroke before age 55 depend on a variety of factors, many of which are under your control. To help identify your risk factors, circle the response for each risk category that best describes you. Keep track of the number of points associated with each response. There are 8 questions.
- Sex and Age
0 Female age 55 or younger; male age 45 or younger
2 Female over age 55; male over age 45 - Heredity/Family History
0 Neither parent suffered a heart attack or stroke before age 60.
3 One parent suffered a heart attack or stroke before age 60.
7 Both parents suffered a heart attack or stroke before age 60. - Smoking
0 Never smoked
3 Quit more than 2 years ago and lifetime smoking is less than 5 pack-years*
6 Quit less than 2 years ago and/or lifetime smoking is greater than 5 pack-years*
8 Smoke less than 1⁄2 pack per day
13 Smoke more than 1⁄2 pack per day
15 Smoke more than 1 pack per day
*Pack-years can be calculated by multiplying the number of packs you smoked per day by the number of years you smoked. For example, if you smoked a pack and a half a day for 5 years, you would have smoked the equivalent of 1.5 x 5 = 7.5 pack-years. - Environmental Tobacco Smoke
0 Do not live or work with smokers
2 Exposed to tobacco smoke at work
3 Live with a smoker
4 Both live and work with smokers - Exercise
0 Exercise three times a week
1 Exercise once or twice a week
2 Occasional exercise less than once a week
7 Rarely exercise - Diabetes
0 No personal or family history
2 One parent with diabetes
6 Two parents with diabetes
9 Type 2 diabetes
13 Type 1 diabetes - Body Mass Index (Use the NIH BMI CalculatorLinks to an external site. to calculate your BMI)
0 <23.0
1 23.0–24.9
2 25.0–28.9
3 29.0–34.9
5 35.0–39.9
7 >40
*Note: BMI is a useful number to evaluate health at a population level but can have some inaccuracies depending on the context of the individual (e.g., extremely muscular or tall individuals). Using BMI as the sole indicator of overall health is not recommended. - Stress
0 Relaxed most of the time
1 Occasionally stressed and angry
2 Frequently stressed and angry
3 Usually stressed and angry
Total score __________________
Risk
Based on your total score above, use the list below to approximate your risk of suffering an early heart attack or stroke.
- Less than 10 Low risk
- 10–19 Moderate risk
- 20–35 High risk
- Over 35 Extremely high risk
Score Estimated Risk _________________________________
6. Cardiovascular fitness*
How does exercise impact your health?
Exercise has been shown to reduce blood pressure. This is thought to be due to several different physiological mechanisms that are triggered during exercise. Their mechanisms increase blood flow to the muscles by dilating blood vessels, allowing more blood to flow and reducing blood pressure (Chen & Bonham, 2011). This effect on blood pressure can be seen for up to 10 hours! That is why exercise is generally helpful for people trying to lower their blood pressure.
*Note: The step test can be quite demanding. If you have been diagnosed with a respiratory condition or heart disease, suspect you may have heart disease, or if you have major risk factors, ask your doctor about a formal stress test instead of taking the step test. And if you are out of shape or think the test may be hard for you, take a one-minute pretest to see how you fare.
The objective of the Harvard Step Test is to assess cardiovascular fitness by measuring recovery from strenuous exercise.
Procedure:
- The test subject steps up and down on a 12" platform (or use a step or tall curb) at a rate of 24 steps per minute for 3 minutes (it should take about 2 seconds to step up on the platform and back down to the floor) or until exhaustion.
- Rest for one minute in a seated position.
- After 1 minute of rest, count and record the heartbeats for the next 60 seconds: _____________________________
- Use your heart rate from 3 and the table below to determine your score category: ____________________________
Age | Good - Excellent | Above Average - Average | Fair - Poor |
|---|---|---|---|
MEN | |||
18–25 | 84 or lower | 85–100 | 101 or higher |
26–35 | 86 or lower | 87–103 | 104 or higher |
36–45 | 90 or lower | 91–106 | 107 or higher |
46–55 | 93 or lower | 94–112 | 113 or higher |
56–65 | 96 or lower | 97–115 | 116 or higher |
Above 65 | 102 or lower | 103–118 | 119 or higher |
| WOMEN | |||
18–25 | 93 or lower | 94–110 | 111 or higher |
26–35 | 94 or lower | 95–111 | 112 or higher |
36–45 | 96 or lower | 97–119 | 120 or higher |
46–55 | 101 or lower | 102–124 | 125 or higher |
56–65 | 103 or lower | 104–126 | 127 or higher |
Above 65 | 105 or lower | 106–130 | 131 or higher |
7. Effect of Physical Activity on Mortality
It is fairly common knowledge that exercise is generally good for your health; however, not all physical activities are equal - some activities are more energetically demanding than others. Scientists have assigned a numerical value to different types of physical activities called metabolic equivalents (METS), which take into account the metabolic demand of the activity. METS is defined as the amount of energy used, relative to a resting state. So an activity like running (8mph/hr) has a METS of 12.9 (i.e., your body requires 12.9 times more energy compared to rest). More recently, researchers have calculated how weekly METS of activity impact the risk of mortality.
In this part, you will calculate your weekly physical activity, accounting for METS, to predict your overall risk of mortality.
- Make a table with four columns labeled 'activity', 'time', 'METS', and 'total METS' (see example below).
- In the 'activity' and 'time' columns, record any physical activity that you've done in the past week to the best of your recollection. Estimate time to the nearest 15-minute interval (e.g., 15, 30, 45, etc.).
- If your activity levels over the past week were irregular, document the physical activities of a "regular" week.
- Consult this table that displays different activities and their METS. Fill in the 'METS' column accordingly. If your activity is not found in the table, try your best to estimate the value, using the values in the table as a reference.
- Multiply the values in the 'time' column by the 'METS' column to obtain 'MET-min'. Then, add together all the values in the 'MET-min' column to obtain your MET-min/week.
Example table:
| Activity | Time (mins/week) | METS | MET-min |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tennis | 180 | 6.8 | 1224 |
| Walking (3 mi/hr) | 300 | 3.2 | 960 |
| Weightlifting (light) | 120 | 3 | 360 |
| MET-min/week | 2544 |
- Compare your MET-min/week that you calculated to the mortality risk table below. Record your relative mortality risk: ___________________
| Physical Activity | Increased risk of mortality (w/history of cardiovascular disease) | Increased risk of mortality (no history of cardiovascular disease) |
|---|---|---|
| Sedentary | 87% | 27% |
| <500 MET-min/week | 45% | 8% |
| 500-999 MET-min/week | 37% | 2% |
| 1000-1499 MET-min/week | 14% | 1% |
| ≥1500 MET-min/week | 14% | 0% |
8. Stress Reduction - Mindfulness
Mindfulness is defined as a mental state achieved by focusing one's awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one's feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, used as a therapeutic technique. Some studies support the idea that mindfulness effectively reduces the stress response; however, some studies refute it. We are going to try it out.
When Science Meets Mindfulness
Mindfulness meditation as a therapeutic technique and alternative to pharmaceuticals has gained popularity in the last decade. Here is an example of a paper that shows mindfulness can actually cause physiological changes!
MRI scans show that after an 8-week course of mindfulness practice:
- the amygdala shrinks
- the prefrontal cortex increases
- the connection between the amygdala and the rest of the brain gets weaker
- the connections between areas associated with attention and concentration get stronger
Now time to try mindfulness! It is important that you follow the instructions exactly.
Record your resting Heart Rate ____________________
Record your resting Respiratory Rate ____________________
Now participate in this 5-minute guided meditation. This is ideally done in a quiet place if possible.
Record your resting Heart Rate ____________________
Record your resting Respiratory Rate ____________________
Did your rates change after the mediation?
Part 3 - Reflection
- What were the top three risk factors (lifestyle, hereditary, or environmental) that you identified in Part 1?
- Based on the three risk factors listed above and after doing the testing, do you see evidence that any of these are impacting your health currently? How likely will these risk factors impact your health as you age? Incorporate specific values from the health testing above to support your response.
- What was your cardiovascular fitness score (i.e., your step test score)? Is this score close to what you would have predicted? What does this result indicate about your cardiovascular health?
- Considering your cardiovascular fitness score (#6) and your mortality risk (#7), what specific action(s) can you take to improve or maintain your cardiovascular health? Explain the underlying biology of how your action will improve cardiovascular function.
- Find a scholarly/reputable source that supports your proposed action. Provide a proper in-text citation and full reference.
- Did you feel any effect from the mindfulness meditation? Explain what you think is happening at a physiological level and incorporate relevant concepts/terminology in your response.
Image Credits:
Autonomic Innervation of the Heart"Links to an external site. by OpenstaxLinks to an external site. is licensed under CC BY 3.0Links to an external site.
"Carotid Pulse"Links to an external site. by Rama is licensed under CC BY 3.0Links to an external site.
"Vasoconstriction and Vasodilation"Links to an external site. by Elizabeth2424 is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0Links to an external site.
Video Credit:
The Mindful Movement. (2018, Sept. 24). 5 Minute Guided Meditation for Gratitude / Mindful Movement [Video]. Youtube.
Rubric
Physiology and Health Remote Lab
| Criteria | Ratings | Pts | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomePart 1 - Hypothesizing |
| 3 pts | ||||
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomePart 2 - Recording of Data |
| 5 pts | ||||
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomePart 3 - Questions |
| 4 pts | ||||
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeSources are properly cited |
| 1 pts | ||||
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeSpelling and Grammar |
| 0 pts | ||||
Total Points: 13 |