234 research outputs found
Running economy, maximal muscular performance and muscle damage after long distance running
No full textThis study aimed to analyze whether prolonged running (semimarathon or marathon) elicited an increase of the energy cost of running and an impairment of the maximal muscular performance in correlation with muscle damage in unskilled runners
Metabolic and kinematic parameters during walking with poles in Parkinson's disease
No full textIn healthy people, energy expenditure is generally higher during walking with poles (WP) than during conventional walking (W). In persons with Parkinson's disease (PD), walking is slower and may be associated with greater energy consumption, stride-to-stride variability, and difficulty in regulating stride length. The aim of this study was to determine whether treadmill WP at three different speeds could induce changes in gait kinematics and oxygen consumption in PD patients. The study sample was 20 patients with mild-to-moderate PD and 20 age-matched healthy controls. Subjects underwent 5-min W and WP treadmill tests at three different speeds (2.5, 3.5, and 4.5 km/h). Metabolic and gait parameters (ventilation, gas exchange, stride count and length) were recorded. As compared with the healthy controls, higher energy consumption (P < 0.05) (and other metabolic parameters), shorter stride, and reduced cadence (P < 0.05) were observed for the PD patients, independent of the walking technique. All subjects were noted to take longer strides during WP (P < 0.001), especially at the lowest treadmill speed. However, significantly higher energy consumption was observed only for the healthy controls (P < 0.05). No changes in metabolic parameters during WP were recorded; however, a substantial improvement in gait cycle length was noted for the PD patients
Exercise motives in independent older adults
No full textAims: People report a host of reasons for exercising. Exercise motives is an important area of study because it can provide significant information for understanding and predicting health behaviors.
The aim of the study was to examine which of the six Exercise Motivations Inventory (EMI-2) scales - Health and Fitness (HF), Social/Emotional Benefits (SEB), Weight Management (WM), Stress Management (SM), Enjoyment (E) and Appearance (A) - discriminate three physical activity levels of Inactive, Active, and Sustained Maintainers.
Methods: Three hundred fifty-five older adults (Age=66.1±6.5y) completed EMI-2 and Physical Activity Stage of Change Questionnaire (PASCQ). BMI was also assessed. Age, BMI, PASCQ, and EMI-2 subscales correlation was investigated with Pearson’s r. Two way ANOVA was used to determine whether exercise motives could discriminate among three physical activity level based on PASCQ. For this aims the six stage of change categories were collapsed into three physical activity level groups: Inactives (precontemplation and contemplation), Actives (preparation, action, early maintenance), and Sustained Maintainers (maintenance for longer than one year).
Results: The three activity levels groups show a low correlation with HF and E (r=.18; p<.001 for both); BMI was correlated with WM (r=.30; p=<.001) while Age was negatively correlated with SM and E (r=-.16; p<.001 / r=-.11, p<.05 respectively). Two way ANOVA shows differences among the six EMI-2 subscales (data expressed in mean±s.d.: HF=3.50±1.05; SEB=2.27±1.23; SM=3.13±1.47; WM=3.34±1.41; E=3.63±1.30; A=1.75±1.54; p<.001), and an interaction groups-subscales (p<.001); the two subscales HF and E discriminate the Inactive group vs Active and Sustained Maintainers (p=<.05 ÷ <.001). Results suggest that Enjoyment (E) and Health and Fitness (HF) motives are important for the maintenance of actual activity in independent older adults. Implications for exercise promotion must be studied
How do elite female athletes cope with symptoms of their premenstrual period? A study on Rugby Union and Football players’ perceived physical ability and well-being
No full textWomen’s participation in sports has recently grown worldwide, including in sports typically associated with men (e.g., rugby and football). Similarly, literature on female athletes has increased, but how they cope with premenstrual (PM) physical and affective symptoms remains a poorly studied topic. Our study aimed to explain which coping strategies elite female rugby and football players use during their PM period to maintain perceived physical ability (PPA) and well-being. A mediation model analysis considering coping strategies (i.e., avoiding harm, awareness and acceptance, adjusting energy, self-care, and communicating) as independent variables, PPA and well-being as dependent variables, and PM physical and affective symptoms and PM cognitive resources as mediators was run on the data collected via an anonymous online survey. A dysfunctional impact of avoiding harm (indirect) and adjusting energy (both direct and indirect) and a functional indirect influence of awareness and acceptance, self-care, and communicating as coping strategies were found on PPA and well-being during the PM period. As predicted, PM physical and affective symptoms as mediators reduced PPA and well-being, while PM cognitive resources enhanced them. These results may inform practitioners on how to support elite female athletes’ PPA and well-being by knowing and reinforcing the most functional PM coping strategies for them
Wearable devices for gait and posture monitoring via telemedicine in people with movement disorders and multiple sclerosis: a systematic review
No full textIntroduction: Wearable devices and telemedicine are increasingly used to track health-related parameters across patient populations. Since gait and postural control deficits contribute to mobility deficits in persons with movement disorders and multiple sclerosis, we thought it interesting to evaluate devices in telemedicine for gait and posture monitoring in such patients. Methods: For this systematic review, we searched the electronic databases MEDLINE (PubMed), SCOPUS, Cochrane Library, and SPORTDiscus. Of the 452 records retrieved, 12 met the inclusion/exclusion criteria. Data about (1) study characteristics and clinical aspects, (2) technical, and (3) telemonitoring and teleconsulting were retrieved, The studies were quality assessed. Results: All studies involved patients with Parkinson's disease; most used triaxial accelerometers for general assessment (n = 4), assessment of motor fluctuation (n = 3), falls (n = 2), and turning (n = 3). Sensor placement and count varied widely across studies. Nine used lab-validated algorithms for data analysis. Only one discussed synchronous patient feedback and asynchronous teleconsultation. Conclusions: Wearable devices enable real-world patient monitoring and suggest biomarkers for symptoms and behaviors related to underlying gait disorders. thus enriching clinical assessment and personalized treatment plans. As digital healthcare evolves, further research is needed to enhance device accuracy, assess user acceptability, and integrate these tools into telemedicine infrastructure
Motivational climate, resilience, and burnout in youth sport
No full textPurpose: Grounded in the theoretical framework of achievement goal theory, the purpose of this study was to examine the role of some personal factors (perceived competence and resilience) and situational variables (motivational climate) on burnout in young athletes practicing team sports.
Methods: Participants were 87 adolescent basketball and volleyball players.
Results: Mastery (task-involving) climate correlated positively with resilience and perceived competence, and negatively with the three dimensions of burnout (emotional/physical exhaustion, reduced sense of accomplishment, and sport devaluation). In contrast, performance (ego-involving) climate related positively with the three dimensions of burnout. Regression analysis results showed perceived mastery climate to significantly contribute to the amount of the variability in two burnout variables (i.e., reduced sense of accomplishment and sport devaluation). In addition, resilience and perceived competence were shown to moderate the effects of the motivational context towards burnout.
Conclusions: Overall, findings suggest protective effects of mastery climate, resilience, and perceived competence against burnout symptoms. From an applied perspective, coaches should adopt suitable behaviours to promote a mastery-involving climate
GPS Devices for Match Analysis in Soccer
No full textThe analysis of tactical behaviour in team sports has rapidly increased in the last decade. On the other hand, the cost in terms of the generally used instruments (i.e. video analysis) and time spent on data elaboration makes this analysis possible only at a high level where there is a high budget available and the team's staff is usually numerous. This study aims to provide a methodological approach for the use of GPS devices and an automated process to evaluate some tactical behaviour of the players. Data of latitude and longitude of eight players have been collected during six consecutive soccer matches by using GPS devices. The data have been then elaborated by means of a customed Matlab code in order to calculate the time spent and the distance covered in different zones of the playing field. The data suggested that a five weeks tactical training period appeared to influence the tactical behaviour of players during the match. Comparing three matches at the beginning of the training period and three at the end, the players tended to spend more time and cover more distance in the offensive zone after the training than before. Despite the limited number of subjects on which this methodology has been tested, it seems that it showed a likely powerful use of quite cheap technology. © 2023 IEEE
Kinematic and mechanical changes during a long half-marathon race: males and females at uphill/downhill slopes
No full textBACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to compare the running kinematics and the spring mass model mechanics over an entire half-marathon race in male and female athletes on different slopes (- 7%, 0% and +7%). METHODS: 59 recreational runners (39 males and 20 females) participated in this study. Their running steps at own best self-selected speed were video recorded during a half-marathon (i.e. in ecological conditions): the kinematic variables (i.e. running speed, stride length and frequency, contact and flight time) were calculated, as well as the spring-mass characteristics (i.e. leg and vertical stiffness) of their running steps. RESULTS: Males were able to run with greater speeds and lengths compared to females (P < 0.001) but with lower flight times (P < 0.05), and they reached higher values of both leg and vertical stiffness (P < 0.001). During downhill running, step lengths were larger compared to the level and the uphill (+6%) whereas frequencies slightly decreased (-2%), and aerial times were the greatest ones (+17%). During uphill running, contact times were slightly higher compared to other conditions (+3%), and leg stiffness reached the lowest values (-8%). CONCLUSIONS: This study confirmed that there are important alterations in running steps in function of sex and surface slope. Importantly, the response to fatigue (i.e. alterations with the covered distance) does not alter these sex differences and is therefore independent of the sloped conditions
Post-traumatic symptoms, resilience, and enjoyment of physical activity in children exposed to the 2012 earthquake in Emilia
No full textPeople, including children, who have lived through a natural disaster may develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Buoni stili di vita a scuola. Progetti territoriali da Più Sport @ Scuola a DEDIPAC
No full textQuesto volume illustra l’esperienza del progetto della Regione Veneto “Più Sport @ Scuola” (PS@S), raccontandone gli scopi, il background culturale, la struttura organizzativa, le azioni intraprese ed alcuni dei risultati ottenuti attraverso l’osservatorio del programma europeo DEDIPAC. Il progetto PS@S, promosso a partire dall’anno scolastico 2004/2005 e durato fino al 2014/2015, ha cercato di costruire un ponte tra scuola e territorio, per offrire ai giovani significative opportunità di attività motoria e sportiva che contrastassero l’epidemia di sedentarietà e di disaffezione allo sport della nostra società
- …
