1,721,028 research outputs found
Association Between Sport Participation, Body Composition, Physical Fitness, and Social Correlates Among Adolescents: The PAHL Study
Get PDFBackground: Evidence suggests that social support impacts on participation in sport or physical activity (PA), and is associated with health benefits, although the link is complex and not well understood. The study aim was to examine whether participation in organized sports is related to body composition, physical fitness, and social correlates for PA. Methods: Cross-sectional data on 238 adolescents (90 boys and 148 girls), mean age 14.9 ± 0.8 years, who were participants in the Physical Activity and Health Longitudinal Study, were collected. The participants were divided into two groups: sport participation (SP) and non-sport participation (NSP). Height, weight, and triceps and subscapular skinfolds were assessed according to standard procedures. Weight (kg) and height (m2) were used to calculate body mass index (BMI), and skinfolds were used to calculate body fat percentage. The European Test of Physical Fitness (EUROFIT) battery of tests was used to assess physical fitness. The standardized International Physical Activity Questionnaire Short Form and Social Support for PA questionnaires were used to obtain information on PA and social correlates for PA, respectively. Participants were asked to choose between participation and non-participation in sport. Results: The SP group had lower BMI component values (p = 0.011, d = 0.52 for percentage body fat (%BF); p = 0.011, d = 0.53 for sum of skinfolds (∑SKF) obtained higher physical fitness scores in selected items (p = 0.003, d = 0.64 for sit ups (SUP); p < 0.000, d = 0.96 for maximal oxygen consumption VO2max) and received higher social support (p < 0.001, d = 0.86 for social support (SS)), than the NSP group. The social support received by those participating in sport correlated positively with most fitness components (p = 0.013, r2 = 18% for bent arm hang (BAH); p = 0.000, r2 = 12% for sit ups (SUP); p = 0.000, r2 = 17% for VO2max). Physical fitness components were negatively associated with most body composition components for both groups. Conclusions: The results provide a better understanding of sport participation in organized sports-related, body composition-related and physical fitness-related associations with changes in social support received by adolescents and may contribute to the development of more accurate promotive strategies to increase children’s and adolescents’ engagement in sport and PA
A survey of mental skills training among South Afrcan field hockey players at tertiary institutions
Get PDFThe aims of the study were to determine student field hockey players’ perceived need for Mental skills training (MST), and their perceptions regarding their ability to prepare psychologically for matches, as well as to compile a general profile of their psychological skills for the total group and by gender. A total of 197 (91 men and 106 women) South African field hockey players at tertiary institutions who participated in the University Sport of South Africa (USSA) tournament, took part in the study. The subjects completed two standardised sport psychological questionnaires (the Psychological Skills Inventory (PSI) and the Ottawa Mental Skills Assessment Tool-3 (OMSAT-3). Descriptive statistics, t-tests and frequency analyses were calculated using SPSS for Windows (Version 3.1). The results from the PSI questionnaire showed poor values for skills such as goal directedness, activation control, maintaining selfconfidence, concentration and imagery among the total group. Significant gender differences in which the male subjects performed better than the females were observed for concentration, achievement motivation and activation control. The highest mean scores on the OMSAT-3 were found for goal setting, self-confidence and commitment. Significant gender differences were observed for goal setting and commitment (in which the females performed better than the males), whilst the males fared better than the females in stress reaction. The participants in the study perceived MST as an important tool to enhance performance in field hockey. From these results, it can be recommended that sport psychologists and other role players in field hockey pay more attention to the development and implementation of MST programmes
Relationship between body composition and selected motor components in 17-year-old adolescents residing in the city of Poznań in Poland
No full textStudy aim: The objective of this study was to determine differences in body composition status and levels of selected motor components and assess the relationship between selected motor components and body composition in adolescent girls and boys
Health-related fitness, body composition and physical activity status among adolescent learners: The PAHL study
Get PDFPhysical inactivity (PI) is found to be a major contributor to the high incidence of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents. As such, PI was significantly related to risk factors of cardiovascular disease. Studies especially in the 14-years in adolescents’ learners are sparse. The purpose of this study was to determine the health-related physical fitness (HRPF), body composition and physical activity (PA) status among adolescent learners. A total of 283 adolescents learners (111 boys and 172 girls) with mean age of 14.90±0.72 years from the Physical Activity and Health Longitudinal Study (PAHLS) were participants in the study. Body composition according to the standard procedures of the International Society for the Advancement of Kinanthropometry (ISAK), HRPF using the Eurofit protocol test and PA levels using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) were assessed and administered. Subsequently, total PA scores were calculated. The results show that on average, the boys (165.41±9.55cm) were significantly taller than the girls (157.88±6.94cm) (p<0.000). Girls had a slightly higher significant BMI (21.43±4.37 kg/m²) than the boys (20.01±3.71kg/m²) (p=0.002). When the learners were categorised based on their BMI scores, the girls were more overweight (32.4%) compared to the boys (17.1%). Additionally, the girls (%body fat 26.01±8.51) were substantially (p<0.000) fatter than the boys (13.19±8.56). Furthermore, the results also indicated that the boys had consistently better performances in all the HRPF tests than the girls (p<0.000). More girls (19%) than boys (16%) watched TV for more than 3 hours daily. A total of 85 (30%), 78(27.5%) and 88(31.1%) of the adolescent students had low, moderate and high PA involvement. It was concluded that girls were more overweight and less active than boys. In view of the health implications of the findings, there is a need to create enabling environment and opportunities that will promote physically active lifestyle and develop life-long positive attitudes towards PA among the learners. Community-based strategies designed to facilitate effective and sustainable PA intervention programmes in schools are recommended
The relationship between leisure-time physical activity and health parameters in executive employees of selected African countries
Get PDFLeisure-time physical inactivity is a global public health concern affecting all people in different walks of life, including employees. This inactivity is associated with chronic diseases of lifestyle as well as low work capacity. The purpose of this study were twofold: to determine leisure-time physical activity- (LTPA), coronary risk-, health- and lifestyle profiles of some executive employees in selected African countries; and to determine the relationship between leisure-time physical activity and health related parameters in executive employees of selected African countries. A cross-sectional study design was used on a group of 156 (mean age 41.22±10.17 years) available executive employees. Participants were grouped according to age ( 46 years). Standardised questionnaires were used to collect data. Out of the156 participants in the study, 42.9% occupied top level management and 57.1% middle level management posts. When data were analysed according to age groups, 31% and 68.6% in the less than 35 years age group were in the top and the middle levels management respectively. In the age group 36 to 46 years of age 47% occupied the top level management posts and 52.8% occupied the middle level management positions. With regard to LTPA, top level managers (71.6%) scored low LTPA compared to middle level managers (62.9%). Top level managers scored higher percentages (14.9%) for developing the risk of coronary heart diseases. The results show a negative relationship between physical activity and selected health parameters, with significant negative relationships between low LTPA and daily habitual index (r= -0.52; p=0.01), and moderate LTPA and daily habitual index (r= -0.71; p<0.001) for middle level managers. It can be concluded that both top and middle level managers exhibited low LTPA and high risk for developing coronary heart disease. It was apparent that the managers in with low LTPA are prone to bad stages of life style, health status and coronary risk- indexes compared to the ones with moderate and high LTPA. Additionally, low and moderate LTPA inversely affected selected health parameters of executive employees. No significant association was found for high LTPA with selected health parameters. The study therefore recommends a strategic intervention programme geared towards improving the present state of affairs among the managers in the corporate environment
The effect of adventure-based experiential learning on personal effectiveness of adolescents
No full texthttp://search.sabinet.co.za/WebZ/Authorize?sessionid=0&next=ej/ej_content_ajpherd.html&bad=error/authofail.htm
Physical exercise conditioning as management modality during the in-hospital phase: a systematic literature review
Get PDFRegular physical exercise conditioning is already acknowledged for many years as an important component in healthy living, as well as an effective management modality in the later phases of rehabilitation for patients suffering from chronic / non-communicable diseases. Very little information regarding the involvement of "exercise therapists" during the in-hospital phase is available. The purpose of this study was to assess by means of a systematic literature review, the relevant application of physical conditioning during the in-hospital phase (acute phase) for some clinical conditions and which health professionals use as an interventions. A total of 38 studies were found from the internet search engines and other relevant sources. Of these studies 17 research studies complied with the criteria relevant to the purpose of the study. Only literature which reported on some structured physical training programme during the in-hospital phase were analyzed for the purpose of this study. Seven (7) out of seventeen (17) reviewed studies indicate that physiotherapists were primarily responsible for the physical conditioning management required for orthopedic patients during the in-hospital phase, while the remaining 10 were based on other chronic and non-communicable diseases. Regarding the application of physical conditioning during the in-hospital phase for lifestyle related as well as other chronic, non-communicable diseases, no clarity could be found about which health professionals were responsible for the treatment required. From the reviewed literature it became clear that a knowledge gap exists in health science research literature regarding the use of physical exercise conditioning during the in-hospital phase (acute phase) for some clinical conditions. In addition, no specific conclusion was made about which health professional were responsible for the treatment of patients especially for non-communicable diseases. It is therefore, recommended that more research studies in this area are needed to clarify or refute these findings.http://reference.sabinet.co.za/webx/access/electronic_journals/ajpherd/ajpherd_v18_supp1_2_a8.pd
Relationship between obesity and blood pressure among employees in the Vhembe district municipality of Limpopo Province, South Africa
No full textObjective: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between obesity and blood pressure among employees of the Vhembe district municipality of Limpopo province.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 452 local government employees (207 males, 245 females) aged 24–65 years. Body mass index (BMI), blood pressure (BP) and waist circumference (WC) measurements, and waistto- height ratio (WHtR) were assessed. Data were analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) statistics, version 21.
Results: The results showed that 27% of the participants were classified as overweight and 34% as obese, with females being more overweight and obese (29 and 48%, respectively) compared to males (24 and 17%, respectively). Twenty-five per cent of the participants were hypertensive, with females (27%) showing a higher prevalence compared to males (22%). Based on BMI categories, the obese group (35%) had a higher prevalence of hypertension in contrast to groups that were of normal weight (18%) and overweight (22%). The results also showed that systolic blood pressure (SBP) was positively (p ≤ 0.05) correlated with BMI (r = 0.15), WC (r = 0.26) and WHtR (r = 0.29) in the normal and overweight groups (WC, r = 0.23 and WHtR, r = 0.26), and WHtR correlated with SBP (r = 0.26) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) (r = 0.19).
Conclusion: The study showed a high prevalence of overweight, obesity and hypertension, with females more affected than their male counterparts. BMI, WC and WHtR were positively correlated with SBP in the normal and overweight groups, with WHtR positively correlated with both SBP and DBP in the overweight group. Therefore, it is recommended that intervention regimes designed to address obesity and hypertension should consider risk awareness for cardiovascular diseases, impaired quality of life and productivity among local government employee
Human resources status and department responsible for recreation service delivery in the North West Province of South Africa
Get PDFIt is a known fact that the provision of recreation facilities alone is not enough, and that there is a growing demand for professionally trained people and suitable department, to develop and enhance the delivery of recreation services. The purpose of this study was to determine the human resources status and department responsible for recreation service delivery in the North West province, South Africa. A mixed-method research design using a questionnaire and focus group were used on a targeted 20 personnel who are responsible for managing recreation at local government levels in the North West Province. Frequencies and phi coefficients were calculated for the quantitative data, while for qualitative data patterns were established. The results show that the majority (75%) of the local governments are in the rural settings whilst 25% found in urban areas with limited resources. It was found that 60% of the personnel are in the middle management with 40% in the top management. A total of 25% of the personnel are reported to have diploma qualification. From the results it is clear that recreation services delivery is widely spread across numerous service points; the Department of Parks accounted for 25%; Social Services 20% and other departments 20%, and 35% uncertainty. The focus groups discussion indicated that no agreement regarding which department must be responsible for recreation service delivery. It is concluded from the present results that human resources and department responsible for recreation service delivery are inconsistent and as such warranting urgent intervention from stakeholders dealing with recreation
Anthropometrically determined nutritional status of urban primary schoolchildren in Makurdi, Nigeria
Get PDFAbstract Background No information exists on the nutritional status of primary school children residing in Makurdi, Nigeria. It is envisaged that the data could serve as baseline data for future studies, as well as inform public health policy. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of malnutrition among urban school children in Makurdi, Nigeria. Methods Height and weight of 2015 (979 boys and 1036 girls), aged 9-12 years, attending public primary school in Makurdi were measured and the body mass index (BMI) calculated. Anthropometric indices of weight-for-age (WA) and height-for-age (HA) were used to estimate the children's nutritional status. The BMI thinness classification was also calculated. Results Underweight (WAZ Conclusions There is severe malnutrition among the school children living in Makurdi. Most of the children are underweight, stunted and thinned. As such, providing community education on environmental sanitation and personal hygienic practices, proper child rearing, breast-feeding and weaning practices would possibly reverse the trends.</p
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