Performance of Athletes With Visual Impairment in Track-and-Field Events at the Paralympic Games, From 1988 to 2016

Introduction: The Paralympic movement has grown considerably over the last decades, but few studies have analyzed the performance evolution of the best athletes with disabilities. This study examined the performance of athletes with visual impairments in track-and-field events over eight Paralympic Games (1988–2016). Method: Results in the Paralympic track-and-field events for athletes with visual impairments (and in the corresponding track-and-field Olympic events) were collected from official public websites. Results: Analysis showed that most performances at Paralympic track-and-field events increased linearly over the years, which finding contrasts with the general stagnation in Olympic events. The improvements from 1988 to 2016 in Paralympic sprinting, middle- and long-distance running, throwing, and long- jumping events were 4.0–16.3%, 3.2–16.2%, 23.0–54.2%, and 4.9–18.9%, respectively. Men had better performances than women in running, throwing, and jumping events. In general, sports classes with a less severe level of visual impairment achieved higher performance levels than those with a more severe level of visual impairment, especially men. The competition density of Paralympic track-and-field events showed modest improvements. Conclusions: This study provides evidence that the performance of track-and-field athletes with visual impairments have been improving persistently over the last eight Paralympic Games, con- firming that Paralympic athletes are achieving high-level performances. Implications for Practitioners: This study will be helpful for coaches and athletes with visual impairments who are setting performance (and training) goals for the Paralympic Games and other in- ternational athletic events

Physical activity levels in Portuguese high school physical education

The main aim of this study was to evaluate the physical activity (PA) levels of high school Portuguese students during physical education (PE) and investigate the association of PA levels with students’ goal orientation and intrinsic motivation. Forty-six students from three high schools participated. Heart rate telemetry and pedometry were used to assess PA and the Borg rate of perceived exertion scale was used to measure perceived exertion. Thirty PE lessons were monitored. The results indicated that high school PE lessons involve low levels of PA. Students engaged in moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA) only in about one-third (29.7 minutes) of the official PE scheduled time (90 minutes) and perceived exertion as light. In general, students seemed to be positively motivated toward PE and mainly task goal orientated. Boys felt more enjoyment/interest and perceived their competence in more positive ways than girls. The number of steps and the rate of perceived exertion were associated with levels of PA measured by heart rate telemetry. Intrinsic motivation and goal orientation were not related with MVPA

Associations of physical activity with driving-related cognitive abilities in older drivers: an exploratory study

The purpose of this study was to examine the associations between physical activity and driving-related cognitive abilities of older drivers. Thirty-eight female and male drivers ages 61 to 81 years (M = 70.2, SD = 5.0) responded to the International Physical Activity Questionnaire and were assessed on a battery of neuropsychological tests, which included measures of visual attention, executive functioning, mental status, visuospatial ability, and memory. A higher amount of reported physical activity was significantly correlated with better scores on tests of visual processing speed and divided visual attention. Higher amounts of physical activity was significantly associated with a better composite score for visual attention, but its correlation with the composite score for executive functioning was not significant. These findings support the hypothesis that physical activity is associated with preservation of specific driving-related cognitive abilities of older adults

Physical activity and functional fitness in older adults with cognitive impairment

The aging process leads to inevitable life changes, and is characterized by a progressive loss of psychological and physiological functions (Daroff & Aminoff, 2003; Spirduso, 2005). Cognitive impairment is very common in the elderly, (Daroff & Aminoff, 2003) and ranges from mild to severe (e.g., mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease). Unfortunately, the information available about the physical activity and sedentary behavior of people with cognitive impairment is scarce. Therefore, the main objective of this study was to examine physical activity levels and functional fitness of older adults with cognitive impairment

Associations of body image with internalizing symptoms and bullying in adolescents.

The aim of this study was to examine the association between adolescents' body image and internalizing symptoms and bullying. Forty-four portuguese adolescents (19 boys and 25 girls, aged 12-16 years old) completed the Collins’ Child Figure Drawings, the Preoccupation with Body Appearance questionnaire, the Children’s Depression Inventory, the Preoccupation/Rumination questionnaire, the Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents, the Self-report Behaviors during Bullying Episodes and the Florence Cyberbullying-Cybervictimization Scales. Higher preoccupation with body appearance was moderately associated (p<.05) with higher negative humor, negative selfesteem, preoccupation/rumination, fear of social negative evaluation, and victimization during bullying episodes. Higher dissatisfaction with body image (assessed by Collins’ Child Figure Drawings) was moderately associated (p<.05) with higher interpersonal problems, victimization during bullying episodes and cyberbullying victimization. These findings suggest that negative self-evaluation of body image may have major implications for adolescents' psychological wellbeing, and that it is important to determine whether there is a causal relationship

The effects of physical activity on driving ability in older adults

Doutoramento em Motricidade Humana na especialidade de Ciências da MotricidadeThe research described in this thesis aimed to examine the association between physical activity and driving ability in older drivers. Experimental and observational studies were conducted to evaluate the effects of physical activity both in driving-related abilities and on-the-road driving performance. The investigation was grounded mainly in an information processing approach. Visual attention showed a marked decline with aging. Physical activity levels were positively correlated with visual attention measures, namely processing speed and divided attention. Driving-related abilities and on-the-road driving tests performance were enhanced with an intervention that used a type of exercise that intended to simultaneously mobilize perceptual, cognitive, and physical abilities. Improvements resulting from the exercise intervention took place on several measures of visual attention, behavioral speed, and multitask processing. Positive transfer of learning from the exercise program to the driving task was obtained with relatively short time periods of intervention (two to three months). The type of activities to be included in the exercise programs for older drivers should try to target the same cognitive processes that are required in driving. Results also indicated that the practice of sports on a regular basis for several years has the potential to benefit driving performance. Particularly, tennis playing was associated with better speed of behavior during driving than running. Sports that are more challenging in attentional skills and whose performance is very dependent on the speed at which information is processed, may have a positive influence in several aspects of the driving task. The role of physical activity for older adults should not be restricted to the promotion of physical fitness, but should also be considered as a means to enhance cognitive functioning. The type of physical activity seems to be an important mediator of such positive effects. Literature reviewed about the effects of training and differential experience on the brain and behavior also supports this potential role of physical activity.O trabalho apresentado nesta dissertação teve como principal objectivo o estudo da associação entre a prática de actividade física e a capacidade de condução automóvel em pessoas idosas. Estudos experimentais e observacionais foram efectuados para investigar os efeitos da prática de actividade física em capacidades consideradas importantes para conduzir e no desempenho da condução em estrada. A investigação efectuada teve na psicologia cognitiva o seu quadro teórico de referência. Foi encontrado um declínio acentuado da atenção visual com o envelhecimento. Foi também estabelecida uma correlação positiva entre os níveis de actividade física e medidas de atenção visual, designadamente de velocidade de processamento e atenção dividida. Diversas capacidades importantes para conduzir e o desempenho em testes de condução em estrada, beneficiaram da participação num programa exercício planeado para mobilizar simultaneamente capacidades físicas, perceptivas e cognitivas. As melhorias verificaram-se em diversas medidas de atenção visual, velocidade comportamental e no processamento de múltiplas tarefas. Foi possível obter um transfer positivo do programa de exercício para a capacidade de conduzir com relativamente pouco tempo de intervenção (2 a 3 meses). Concluiu-se que o tipo de tarefas incluídas em programas de exercício para condutores idosos deve procurar mobilizar as mesmas funções cognitivas que são requeridas durante a condução. A prática regular de desporto pode influenciar positivamente a capacidade de conduzir de pessoas idosas. A prática de ténis foi associada a melhores resultados em tarefas de velocidade comportamental durante a condução em estrada do que a prática de corrida de longas distâncias. Os resultados sugerem que os desportos mais exigentes em processos atencionais e cuja performance depende muito da velocidade com que a informação é processada, poderão ter maior influência na realização da tarefa de condução. O papel da actividade física para pessoas idosas não deve ser apenas restringido à promoção da aptidão física, mas deve ser considerado também como forma de melhorar o funcionamento cognitivo. O tipo de actividade física parece ser um importante mediador nesta associação. A revisão de literatura efectuada sobre os efeitos de programas de treino e da experiência diferencial sobre o cérebro, suporta este papel potencialmente positivo da actividade física.FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologi

Effects of a multimodal exercise program on cognitive functioning and physical fitness of nursing home residents

Physical activity is an important strategy to promote successful aging, being associated with several health benefits and a reduction in risk of all-cause mortality. In recent years there has been a growing interest in the study of the effects of multimodal exercise in the functional capacity of older adults (e.g., Vaughan et al., 2014), but the investigation is still scarce. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate the effects of a multimodal exercise program on cognitive functioning and physical fitness of nursing home residents

Streets as social places

The design of a child-friendly living street should successfully balance the interaction between the traffic and children. Essential dimensions of a living street are safety, play, and learning. Safety is created by a clear and readable overview of what is where and by the consequent expectations created in the users. In this line of thought, a car is a visitor to the street area. The design of the area and its elements should make the driver immediately perceive that he/she is entering in a specific type of street, that requires him/her a change of behavior. As the car increasingly enters the street’s specific domain, providing safety to the children and other pedestrians, the street is required to force the cars to slowly drive and to give drivers a large field of view (e.g., corners should be avoided). If necessary, barriers towards the road should be provided, either by small hills or other elements (e.g., vegetation). Living streets are also wonderful places for children to play and learn about themselves, others, and the world. At the outside environment, they can engage in many physical activities with their peers and can also perform some activities alone. Therefore, it is desirable to have spaces that afford independent and group play, as well as spaces that afford movement and mobility

Monitoring of physical activity levels of guide dog owners – a preliminary study

Despite the well-documented benefits of regular physical activity, people with disabilities are often challenged with too many barriers that discourage an active lifestyle. This is particularly evident among people with visual impairments (VI). Previous studies have shown that adults with VI are significantly less active than the general population, and do not meet the physical activity recommendations of the World Health Organisation (WHO). However, most study samples are based on participants using a white cane. Owning a guide dog is often described as a factor for increased mobility and has the potential to increase physical activity. Therefore, the purpose of this preliminary study was to objectively assess the physical activity of adults with VI assisted by a guide dog

The effects of aerobic and combined aerobic and resistance exercise training on physical fitness in young women.

Introduction The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of aerobic training alone or combined with strength training on the physical fitness of young women. Methods Sixty-five women (18–28 years old), who were not engaged in any exercise program for at least one year, were randomly assigned to an aerobic training group, a combined training group, or a control group. The aerobic training consisted of indoor cycling sessions and the combined training consisted of indoor cycling and resistance exercise in the first and second half of each session, respectively. Both aerobic and combined exercise programs lasted 8 weeks with a periodicity of 3 sessions of 45 min per week. Assessments were conducted before and after the 8-week intervention period on muscular strength, body composition, bone mineral density and cardiorespiratory fitness. Total fat and bone mineral density (lumbar spine and femoral neck) were determined by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (Hologic QDR 1000). Knee and elbow extensor and flexor concentric strength were measured with an isokinetic dynamometer (Biodex System 3) using protocols with angular velocities of 60o/s (3 reps) and 180o/s (20 reps). The YMCA cycle ergometer test was used to estimate VO2max. Data were analysed using repeated measures ANOVA with Bonferroni post-hoc analysis (level of significance was set at p<0.05). Results Significant positive effects were found between groups at 8-week follow-up on knee strength measures. The post-hoc analysis showed that the combined training group improved significantly in comparison to the aerobic training group in knee flexion peak torque (PT) (p=0.024) and knee flexion PT/body weight (p=0.046) at an angular speed of 60o/s. Significant positive changes of the combined training group in comparison with the control group were also found in knee extension PT (p=0.013), knee flexion PT (p=0.002) and knee flexion PT/body weight (p=0.014) at an angular speed of 180o/s. Finally, after the 8-week training period and also for the evaluation at 180o/s, the combined training group showed better scores than the indoor cycling group in knee flexion PT/body weigh (p=0.014). No significant changes were found for measures of cardiorespiratory fitness, body composition and bone mineral density. Discussion Our results show that 8 weeks of combined training can improve the knee muscular strength of young women. Nevertheless, no other differences were found between groups in measures of physical fitness. Future studies should examine if prolonged training periods would lead to more noticeable differences on the effects of combined and indoor cycling training programs