Exercise is important for body composition promotion. Although many studies have indicated that physical competence promotes exercise participation, there are relatively few studies examining the relationships among these factors. The purpose of the present study was to model the relationships among body composition, exercise habits and physical competence by using structural equation modeling. The subjects were 223 Japanese male and female high school students. Height, lean bone mass and bone area ratio were measured. Exercise habits and physical competence scale including three subscales (perceived physical competence, feeling of control and peer and teacher acceptance) were assessed by self-administered questionnaires. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The model showed acceptable fit indices (GFI = .905, AGFI = .863 CFI = .954, RMSEA = .069). The path from peer and teacher acceptance to exercise habit was significant (β = 0.51, p < .001). Moreover, the path from exercise habits and from perceived physical competence to body composition was significant (respectively β = 0.53; p < .001, β = 0.47, p < .001). We could model the relationships among body composition, exercise habits and physical competence. These results indicate that not only exercise habits but also physical competence promoting exercise participation influence on body composition promotion.

Objective: This study aimed to examine the background and outcomes of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) in patients with low-risk scores. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 69 patients with risk scores of<4% undergoing TAVR in a single institution from January 2016 through June 2021. Results: The mean age of the patients was 81±4.5 years, and 52% of them were women. The reasons for TAVR selection included very old age (≥85 years; 20%); frailty (51%); ascending aortic calcification (4.3%); history of mediastinal radiation therapy (2.8%); and respiratory diseases (10%). Six patients required early discharge and recovery for another surgery following treatment of aortic stenosis or family members' care, and 2 patients had an estimated life expectancy of 1-5 years. Also, three patients strongly desired TAVR despite having none of the objective factors that favor TAVR. The median lengths of stay in the ICU and after TAVR were 1 day (1-11 days) and 5 days (3-40 days). There was neither operative mortality nor a need for aortic valve reintervention. Kaplan-Meier curves showed that the one-year survival rate was 99%, and two-year and three-year survival rates were 97% each. The causes of late death were sepsis, unknown factor, and intracranial hemorrhage. Discussion: The short-term and medium-term outcomes of TAVR with low-risk score patients were favorable although the patient background was poor due to high-risk factors for surgery that were excluded from the risk scores.