| Drug dependence,also known as drug addiction,is a biopsychological condition that affects individuals’ brains and behaviors.Due to illicit drug use,individuals develop an adaptive state that requires continuous self-administration to avoid withdrawal reactions.The impact of drug dependence on health can be divided into three main aspects:physical health,mental health,and drug cravings.Understanding the effects of drug dependence on physical and mental health and investigating effective intervention methods can help alleviate drug addiction symptoms and reduce drug cravings to minimize the relapse rate.The objective of this paper is 1)to understand the healthy condition of patients with drug dependence in non-acute withdrawal and to evaluate the effect of exercise on physical health,so as to improve their health;2)to study the impact of exercise on drug craving and to strengthen the effect of drug addiction treatment.The specific research contents include:1.A study was conducted to investigate the physiological health characteristics of individuals with drug use disorders(DUDs).Firstly,the study examined changes in weight and appetite among individuals with DUDs.572 women with DUDs were recruited and their BMI was assessed at baseline and two years later.The results showed a significant increase in BMI(baseline:22.8±5.16,follow-up:23.96±5.84,p<0.05).Additionally,73 women with DUDs underwent body composition tests and were interviewed about changes in their appetite.The results indicated that the main reason for their weight gain was an increase in body fat(baseline:18.26±5.70,follow-up:21.42±5.79,p<0.05),possibly due to increased hunger and energy intake.Secondly,the study investigated the bone health of individuals with DUDs.One study compared the peak bone mass between 107 men with DUDs and 110 age-matched healthy men.The results showed that the peak bone mass of men with DUDs.was significantly lower than healthy men(healthy men:106.03 ±22.39,men with DUDs:89.45 ± 15.28,p<0.01).Additionally,the study found that body composition,which was significantly associated with bone quality in healthy men,was not correlated with that in men with DUDs.Another study followed the bone quality of 31 men with D UDs for seven months and found that their bone quality had slightly increased(baseline:87.15± 13.01,follow-up:91.63±14.17,p<0.05).Thirdly,the cardiovascular health of individuals with DUDs was investigated.A total of 506 individuals with DUDs(198 men and 308 women)participated in the study,and their cardiovascular function was assessed.The results showed that 37%of women had abnormal blood pressure,and 94%of them were diagnosed with hypotension.The abnormal rate of arterial stiffness index(AI)was 24%for men and 40%for women,suggesting that these individuals were at risk of developing arterial stiffness.Then a study was following the heart rate and blood pressure of 563 individuals with DUDs and found that their heart rate has significantly decreased(baseline:84.15± 14.99,follow-up:63.18±8.69),as well as the blood pressure.2.A study on the psychiatric symptoms of patients with DUDs was conducted.230 individuals with DUDs were recruited and their psychiatric symptoms were assessed using SCL-90-R over a period of one and a half years.The results showed that the severity of psychiatric symptoms significantly improved(baseline:154.17,follow-up:115.39,t=11.46,p<0.01).Analysis of the risk factors for mental health indicated that a higher BMI was associated with more severe interpersonal sensitivity,depression,paranoid ideation,and psychotic symptoms.Physical activities could help improve interpersonal sensitivity,depression,and anxiety,while mental health counseling could alleviate depression.The severity of psychiatric symptoms tended to decrease over time in abstinence,even without interventions.These findings regarding the risk factors for mental health during withdrawal could provide patients with more targeted treatments.3.A study on drug craving was carried out.Firstly,the association between drug craving and psychiatric symptoms of 175 individuals with DUDs was analyzed.The results showed that the severity of drug craving and psychiatric symptoms was significantly correlated(r=0.38,p<0.01).Moreover,the relation was weakening as time goes,because the severity of psychiatric symptoms was decreasing,but that of drug craving was not.The findings indicated that mental health plays a crucial role in drug craving.Secondly,a machine learning model,CatBoost was built to predict the severity of craving and to extract important features of drug craving,including the time of using drugs,mental health,heart rate,BMI and physical activities.Thirdly,the heart rate variability of individuals with DUDs was assessed in the condition of with cue-induced and without cue-induced of drugs related photos.The results demonstrated that LF,LF/HF,CVI and SD2 significantly increased with cueinduced.An increase in CVI with cue-induced photos may suggest a decrease in sympathetic activity and an increase in parasympathetic activity,which may reflect a state of relaxation or reduced stress.4.Two exercise intervention studies were carried out to address the physical health characteristics and drug craving mentioned earlier.The first study found that moderateintensity aerobic exercises,such as radio exercises and aerobics,significantly improved patients’ physical health characteristics,such as body weight,bone strength,and cardiorespiratory endurance.The second study recruited 101 female volunteers who were randomly assigned into a control group and an exercise group.The exercise group received three months of Tai Chi training,while the control group did not have any exercise intervention during the same period.The results showed that the drug craving of the exercise group decreased more than that of the control group(time:F=27.383,df=2.36,p<0.01;groups and time:F=3.520,df=2.362,p=0.024).The results indicated that Tai Chi can contribute to the amelioration of drug craving.Additionally,Tai Chi also led to a decrease in body fat and an improvement in cardiovascular function as measured by the AI.In general,this paper systematically carried out the research on the health characteristics and exercise intervention of patients with DUDs.It makes an.important contribution to the scientific understanding and treatment of drug addiction. |
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