Quality of Life and Physical Activity: Their Relationship with Physical and Psychological Well-Being

Many studies have been focused on the analysis of different factors that relate to the quality of life. And those studies have found a clear relationship between the quality of life, psychological well-being, and health. It is important to know those relationships and to know factors that can improve these three aspects simultaneously. And one of the most important factors is the realization of physical activity on a regular basis. This study analyzes the effect of physical activity on improving the quality of life (physical health and well-being) and its relationship with psychological well-being through two studies. One was a randomized clinical trial involving 98 low-risk incident cases of acute coronary syndrome, who were randomly assigned to an unsupervised walking program or a cycle ergometer exercise program. The other study is an expost-facto investigation with a total of 841 healthy subjects. We apply them questionnaires to measure subjective well-being, satisfaction with life, positive and negative affect, Short Form-36 Health Survey (SF-36), and the specific Velasco-del Barrio questionnaire for post-myocardial infarction. This study concludes physical activity and exercise are key factors in an individual’s perception for their quality of life, both in the area of physical and psychological health

Procrastination and physical activity: questionnaire development PAF

Recientemente la comunidad educativa ha mostrado interés por el estudio de la procrastinación académica del alumnado en el ámbito escolar. Asimismo, el estudio de la procrastinación puede extenderse a ámbitos de tanta relevancia como es la práctica de actividad física. Son ampliamente conocidos los beneficios que aporta una práctica continuada de actividad física de cara a la salud de las personas. Por lo tanto, es importante identificar y analizar las razones que llevan a los jóvenes a retrasar la práctica de actividad física, ya que esta actitud podría derivar en hábitos de vida sedentarios. Por consiguiente, esta comunicación pretende mostrar la revisión en torno a la variable procrastinación y exponer los primeros pasos dirigidos a la elaboración del cuestionario Procrastinación en la Actividad física (PAF), expresamente diseñado para conocer la relación existente entre procrastinación y actividad física.Recently the educational community has shown interest in the study of student academic procrastination in schools. Also, the study of procrastination can be extended to areas such as the practice of physical activity. They are widely known the health benefits of continued physical activity. Therefore, it is important to identify and analyze the reasons that lead young people to delay the practice of physical activity as, this attitude could lead to a sedentary lifestyle. Therefore, this paper aims to show the review about procrastination variable and to expose the first steps towards preparing the questionnaire Procrastination in Physical Activity (PAF), specifically designed to understand the relationship between procrastination and physical activity

Acompañando las emociones de la pequeña infancia (0-3 años) mediante el teatro

The present research studies the validity of a pedagogical proposal for early childhood education through theatre. This a rticle analyses the contextual variables of a theatre play, Kubik a performance for babies developed by the Paraiso Theatre Company. The aim is to understand how to approach the theatre space in order to develop the aesthetic sensibility and the artistic abilities of children in early childhood education. The study focuses on different aspects to be taken into account in a theatre athmosphere when working with the emotions of children aged 0-3 years old. Data was collected through interviews, questionnaires and fieldnotes. The participants in the study were: university students of the Early Childhood Education Degree, the people involved in the Paraiso Theatre Company, and children / spectators of several council nursery schools.Esta investigación estudia la validez de una propuesta pedagógica teatral. En este artículo se analiza cómo son utilizadas las condiciones contextuales de una obra de teatro para bebés, concretamente, la obra Kubik de la Compañía Paraíso. Se desea conocer cómo acercarse al espacio escénico para desarrollar la sensibilidad estética y las capacidades artísticas en educación infantil. El estudio recoge diferentes aspectos que deben cuidarse en el ambiente escénico para realizar un buen trabajo en la gestión de las emociones cuando se trabaja con criaturas de 0 -3 años.La información se recogió a través de entrevistas, cuestinarios y cuadernos de campo. En el proceso han participado estudiantes del Grado de Educación Infantil, las personas que componen la Compañía de Teatro Paraíso y, como espectadores, las niñas y niños de varias Escuelas Infantile

Las Matemáticas de la mano de la Educación Física en Educación Primaria. Mathematics hand in hand with Physical Education in Elementary School

This paper describes a didactic resource aimed at teaching mathematical content of Elementary School level through Physical Education. The teaching-learning sequence elaborated includes several games and activities that have been designed with an interdisciplinary approach including Mathematics and Physical Education. The activities proposed take into account different criteria such as the age of the students, the type of activity and the contents to be addressed. Information on the design of the proposed activities is presented in a functional and practical way, with the purpose of facilitating the use of this resource to the teachers, highlighting cooperative activities and activities that address the issue of health.En este artículo se presenta una propuesta didáctica que ha sido elaborada para trabajar contenidos matemáticos de Educación Primaria desde la asignatura de Educación Física. La propuesta didáctica elaborada contiene diversos juegos y actividades que han sido diseñados con un tratamiento interdisciplinar, entre las Matemáticas y la Educación Física, teniendo en cuenta diferentes criterios, como son la edad del alumnado, el tipo de actividad o el tema a tratar. La información sobre el diseño de las actividades propuestas se presenta de manera funcional y práctica, con la intención de facilitar la labor al profesorado que decida utilizar este recurso, con especial énfasis en actividades cooperativas y actividades que abordan el tema de la salud

IMPLICACIÓN ESCOLAR DE ESTUDIANTES DE SECUNDARIA: LA INFLUENCIA DE LA RESILIENCIA, EL AUTOCONCEPTO Y EL APOYO SOCIAL PERCIBIDO

The aim of this study was twofold: first, to analyze the relationship between school engagement and resilience, self-concept and perceived social support.Second, to determine predictors of school engagement. The sample wascomprised of 1,250 students between 12 and 15 years of age (M = 13.72, SD = 1.09), of which 612 were boys (49%) and 638 (51%) girls, randomly selected in the Basque Country. The following assessment instruments were administered: School Engagement Measurement (SEM) of Fredericks, Blumenfeld, Friedel and Paris (2005); Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) of Connor and Davidson (2003); Dimensional Self-Concept Questionnaire-33 (AUDIM-33) of Fernández-Zabala, Goñi, Rodríguez-Fernández and Goñi (2015); and Social Support from Family and Friends Questionnaire (AFA-R) of González and Landero (2014). Significant correlations between school engagement and resilience, self-concept and social support were found. All the variables studied were predictive of the three dimensions of school engagement (behavioral, emotional and cognitive) with the exception of self-concept, which was found to be a predictor of behavioral engagement and emotional engagement, but not of cognitive engagement.El objetivo de este estudio fue doble: en primer lugar, analizar las relaciones entre la implicación escolar y la resiliencia, el autoconcepto y el apoyo social percibido. En segundo lugar, determinar variables predictoras de la implicación escolar. Participaron en el estudio 1250 estudiantes entre 12 y 15 años (M=13.72, DT=1.09), de los cuales 612 eran chicos (49%) y 638 (51%) chicas, seleccionados aleatoriamente en el País Vasco. Se administraron los siguientes instrumentos de evaluación: Cuestionario de Implicación Escolar (SEM) de Fredericks, Blumenfeld, Friedel, y Paris (2005), Escala de Resiliencia (CDRISC) de Connor y Davidson (2003), Cuestionario de Autoconcepto Dimensional-33 (AUDIM-33) de Fernández-Zabala, Goñi, Rodríguez-Fernández y Goñi (2015), y Cuestionario de Apoyo Familiar y de Amigos (AFA-R) de González y Landero (2014). Se hallaron correlaciones significativas entre implicación escolar y resiliencia, autoconcepto y apoyo social. Todas las variables estudiadas fueron predictoras de las tres dimensiones de implicación escolar (conductual, emocional y cognitiva) a excepción del autoconcepto, que se mostró como variable predictora de la implicación conductual y la implicación emocional, pero no de la implicación cognitiva

Apoyo social percibido, autoconcepto e implicación escolar de estudiantes adolescentes

The study of school engagement is currently a topic of great interest in psychoeducational research, since it offers a new vision of students’ development. The aim of this study is to analyze the relationship between perceived social support, general self-concept and school engagement. Participants were 1,250 students (49% boys; 51% girls) aged between 12 and 15 (M = 13.72, SD = 1.09), who were selected randomly for the sample group. The study tests a structural model for analyzing the effects of perceived social support and general self-concept on school engagement. The results provide evidence in favor of the influence of family and peer support on school engagement, through the mediating variable general self-concept. Support from teachers and family was found to have a direct influence on school engagement. The results are discussed within the framework of positive psychology, along with the implications for future research.; El estudio de la implicación escolar constituye en la actualidad una temática de gran interés en el ámbito de la investigación psicoeducativa al aportar una renovada visión del desarrollo del alumnado. El objetivo de este estudio es analizar las relaciones entre apoyo social percibido, autoconcepto general e implicación escolar. Participaron 1250 estudiantes (49% chicos; 51% chicas), de entre 12 y 15 años (M =13.72, DT = 1.09), seleccionados aleatoriamente. Se somete a prueba un modelo estructural para analizar los efectos del apoyo social percibido y el autoconcepto general sobre la implicación escolar. Los resultados aportan evidencias a favor de la influencia que el apoyo familiar y el apoyo de los iguales ejercen sobre la implicación escolar a través del autoconcepto general como variable mediadora, mientras que el apoyo del profesorado y de la familia inciden directamente sobre la implicación escolar. Se discuten los resultados en el marco de la psicología positiva y las implicaciones para futuras investigaciones

Eskola-inplikazioa: kontzeptua, neurketa, aldakortasuna eta testuinguruaren aldagaiak nahiz aldagai psikologikoak

The study of school engagement is currently an interesting line of research in the field of educational psychology. This study reviews the scientific literature regarding the conceptualization and measure of school engagement. In addition, the variability of school engagement by gender and age / educational level as well as its relationship with contextual variables (perceived social support from family, friends and teachers) and psychological variables (self-concept and resilience) is analyzed. Although the conceptualization o.f the construct varies in the studies reviewed, there is a general consensus about the multifaceted nature, which includes three dilnensions contained in most of the measuring instruments: behavioral, emotional and cognitive. lt is .found that the predonzinant empirical evidence shows that the variables analyzed in this study have a direct association with various indicators of school adjustment, being evident the incipient rise of studies that include school engagement. Finally, the conclusions are developed in the context ofpositive psychology and outstanding issues forfuture research are discussed.; El estudio de la ilnplicación escolar ( school engagement) constituye en la actualidad una línea de investigación de gran interés en el ámbito de la psicología de la educación. En este trabajo se realiza una revisión teórica actualizada de las principales contribuciones que la literatura científica ofrece sobre la conceptualización y la medida de la implicación escolar. Además, se analiza la variabilidad de la implicación escolar en función del sexo y la edad/nivel educativo, así como su relación con variables contextuales (apoyo social percibido de la familia, amistades y profesorado) y psicológicas (autoconcepto y resiliencia). Aunque la conceptualización del constructo varía en los trabajos revisados, hay consenso general respecto a su naturaleza multifacética, que incluye tres dimensiones recogidas en la mayor parte de los instrumentos de medida: conductual, emocional y cognitiva. Se comprueba que la evidencia e1npírica predominante muestra que las variables analizadas en este estudio guardan una asociación directa con diversos indicadores de ajuste escolar, siendo constatable el incipiente aumento de estudios que incluyen la implicación escolar. Por último, se elaboran las conclusiones en el marco de la psicología positiva y se exponen las cuestiones pendientes más relevantes para futuras investigaciones

Rationale and design of a randomised controlled trial evaluating the effectiveness of an exercise program to improve the quality of life of patients with heart failure in primary care : the EFICAR study protocol

Background: Quality of life (QoL) decreases as heart failure worsens, which is one of the greatest worries of these patients. Physical exercise has been shown to be safe for people with heart failure. Previous studies have tested heterogeneous exercise programs using different QoL instruments and reported inconsistent effects on QoL. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a new exercise program for people with heart failure (EFICAR), additional to the recommended optimal treatment in primary care, to improve QoL, functional capacity and control of cardiovascular risk factors. Methods/Design: Multicenter clinical trial in which 600 patients with heart failure in NYHA class II-IV will be randomized to two parallel groups: EFICAR and control. After being recruited, through the reference cardiology services, in six health centres from the Spanish Primary Care Prevention and Health Promotion Research Network (redIAPP), patients are followed for 1 year after the beginning of the intervention. Both groups receive the optimized treatment according to the European Society of Cardiology guidelines. In addition, the EFICAR group performs a 3 month supervised progressive exercise program with an aerobic (high-intensity intervals) and a strength component; and the programme continues linked with community resources for 9 months. The main outcome measure is the change in health-related QoL measured by the SF-36 and the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaires at baseline, 3, 6 and 12 months. Secondary outcomes considered are changes in functional capacity measured by the 6-Minute Walking Test, cardiac structure (B-type natriuretic peptides), muscle strength and body composition. Both groups will be compared on an intention to treat basis, using multi-level longitudinal mixed models. Sex, age, social class, co-morbidity and cardiovascular risk factors will be considered as potential confounding and predictor variables. Discussion: A key challenges of this study is to guarantee the safety of the patients; however, the current scientific evidence supports the notion of there being no increase in the risk of decompensation, cardiac events, hospitalizations and deaths associated with exercise, but rather the opposite. Safety assurance will be based on an optimized standardised pharmacological therapy and health education for all the participants