The use of nasal dilator strips is popular among athletes participating in a variety of high intensity sport activities. Their used is observed in anaerobic-type sports involving intermittent short maximal work outputs (e.g. football, hockey, volleyball), and in aerobic-type sports, which involve continuous high intensity exercise (e.g. distance running, soccer). Currently, there is little scientific evidence that demonstrate improved athletic performance in healthy individuals during anaerobic or aerobic exercise activities. However, few studies have been designed to investigate the potential effects of training status, gender, and ethnicity. The physiologic mechanisms that might mediated improved athletic performance with the use of nasal dilator strips in healthy individuals have not been determined. A general hypothesis is that nasal strips dilate the nasal valve area of the nose, which reduces nasal airway resistance resulting in improved ventilation, pulmonary gas exchange, and arterial oxygenation. However, there is scare information on the effects of using nasal dilator strips during exercise on physiological measures of airway function and ventilation, or pulmonary gas exchange and arterial oxygenation. The purpose of this study is to: a.) Determine the potential ergonomic mechanisms that might mediate improved athletic performance. Specifically, the strategy of the study is to utilize a repeated measures design that examines the interactive effects of five factors (intervention, type of exercise, training status, gender, and ethnicity) on physiological measures of exercise performance, airway function, and pulmonary gas exchange, during high intensity exercise. A pilot study has been conducted which helped to identify study design considerations, protocol concerns, and supports our ability to successfully conduct such a study. A priority area of """"""""Health People 2000"""""""" is Physical Activity and Fitness. Clarifying the exercise performance effects of nasal strips may possibly contribute to the specific objective of promoting increased participation in vigorous physical activity. Furthermore, this study can contribute new knowledge in biomedical sciences concerning the dynamics of pulmonary respiration and exercise capacity, in African- Americans and women, and thus potentially contribute to the general goal of """"""""Healthy People 2000"""""""", of reducing health disparities among Americans.
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