Attitudes of Pre-school Teachers towards Movement Education

Educators’ attitudes have drawn attention of researchers worldwide, where numerous studies have been conducted to explore the factors that influence educators’ attitudes toward educational topics in order to understand them and direct them in ways that contribute to the enhancement of the educational practices. In this study, we aimed to identify attitudes of early childhood educators in the Sultanate of Oman towards movement education, and to investigate the differences in attitudes according to nationality and qualification. The sample of this study consisted of 201 pre-school female educators in the Sultanate of Oman. The participants responded to Attitudes towards Movement Education Scale, which consisted of three dimensions (emotional, cognitive and behavioral). This scale was designed and modified for the purpose of this study. The results of this study revealed that the participants’ attitudes towards movement education were positive in general. The emotional dimension ranked first (87.7%), followed by the cognitive (82.6%) and behavioral dimensions (78.8%). The results also showed that there were differences in attitudes towards movement education due to educators’ nationality and educational levels

Nutritional Practices of Athletes in Oman: A Descriptive Study

Objective: Adequate dietary intake is crucial for optimum training and performance of athletes. There is almost no available information related to dietary practices among Omani athletes, especially during the competition. This study aimed to assess the nutritional practices (nutritional knowledge, eating habits and daily nutrients intake) among Omani male handball athletes in Muscat city, Oman.Methods: This is a cross sectional study including 35 male handball athletes involved in serious training for no less than three years. Data collection was done through personal interviews using a study questionnaire which enlisted questions relating to socio-demographic information, anthropometric measurements and nutritional practices. All the study participants declared no intake of anabolic steroids.Results: The mean age of the study participants was 27 ± 3 years. Their anthropometric assessment revealed that their mean height was 166 ± 12 cm, mean weight was 75 ± 10 kg, and body mass index was 27 ± 3. Nutritional knowledge analysis revealed that 80% had no nutritional supervision by a nutritionist/dietitian. Their knowledge of nutritional requirements was only 23% correct for total energy intake, 63% for protein intake, 46% for carbohydrate intake, 11% for fat intake and 83% for water intake. Eating habits indicated that 55% had <3 meals/day, 51% had lunch as the principal meal, 51% always added extra salt to their food, 28% took protein supplements on a daily basis, and 51% used pre-competition glycogen load diet. However, none consumed vitamins or mineral supplements. The mean daily caloric intake was 3674 ± 265 kcal/day, which was roughly comprised of 596 ± 66 g carbohydrates, 147 ± 28 g of protein and 78 ± 20 g of total fat.Conclusion: Professional nutritional supervision is needed in order to improve the nutritional knowledge and eating habits of Omani athletes, and therefore improve their athletic performance

A Simple Field Tapping Test for Evaluating Frequency Qualities of the Lower Limb Neuromuscular System in Soccer Players: A Validity and Reliability Study

International audienceOver the years, the foot tapping test protocol has been proposed by scientists to identify the capabilities of the lower limb neuromuscular system in the medical context; however, to our knowledge, no studies have established its usefulness and relationship to athletic performance. The aim of the present study was to test the reliability, criterion validity and sensitivity of a new foot tapping (TAP) test, and to examine its relationship with proxies of athletic performance in soccer players. Forty voluntary soccer players of two different levels participated in this study (20 players from the national level: age: 22.6 ± 2.5 years and 20 players from regional level: 25.1 ± 3.6 years). They performed the TAP test on two separate occasions to test its relative and absolute reliability. To examine the criterion validity of the TAP test, all participants performed four types of jumps, sprint tests, agility tests, the Wingate test and the finger tapping test considered a gold standard tapping test. The sensitivity was assessed with national and regional player levels. The TAP test presented a high relative and absolute reliability with intra-class correlation coefficient ICC &gt; 0.90, standard errors of measurement SEM &lt; 5% and mean difference ±95% limits of agreement equal to 0.2 ± 0.8 tap·s−1. National level players showed a higher TAP score (p &lt; 0.001; dz = 1.96, large) compared to regional players (9.68 ± 1.41 tap·s−1 vs. 7.28 ± 1.01 tap·s−1, respectively) and the value of area under curve measured by the receiver operating characteristic curve technique was 0.95 (95% CI: 0.827–0.990). The TAP test showed a significant association with the finger tapping test (r = 0.84, p &lt; 0.001), whereas no correlation was seen between the TAP test and all the other physical tests measured. The TAP test could be considered a valid and reliable test to assess lower limb neuromuscular ability in soccer players

A Simple Field Tapping Test for Evaluating Frequency Qualities of the Lower Limb Neuromuscular System in Soccer Players: A Validity and Reliability Study

International audienceOver the years, the foot tapping test protocol has been proposed by scientists to identify the capabilities of the lower limb neuromuscular system in the medical context; however, to our knowledge, no studies have established its usefulness and relationship to athletic performance. The aim of the present study was to test the reliability, criterion validity and sensitivity of a new foot tapping (TAP) test, and to examine its relationship with proxies of athletic performance in soccer players. Forty voluntary soccer players of two different levels participated in this study (20 players from the national level: age: 22.6 ± 2.5 years and 20 players from regional level: 25.1 ± 3.6 years). They performed the TAP test on two separate occasions to test its relative and absolute reliability. To examine the criterion validity of the TAP test, all participants performed four types of jumps, sprint tests, agility tests, the Wingate test and the finger tapping test considered a gold standard tapping test. The sensitivity was assessed with national and regional player levels. The TAP test presented a high relative and absolute reliability with intra-class correlation coefficient ICC &gt; 0.90, standard errors of measurement SEM &lt; 5% and mean difference ±95% limits of agreement equal to 0.2 ± 0.8 tap·s−1. National level players showed a higher TAP score (p &lt; 0.001; dz = 1.96, large) compared to regional players (9.68 ± 1.41 tap·s−1 vs. 7.28 ± 1.01 tap·s−1, respectively) and the value of area under curve measured by the receiver operating characteristic curve technique was 0.95 (95% CI: 0.827–0.990). The TAP test showed a significant association with the finger tapping test (r = 0.84, p &lt; 0.001), whereas no correlation was seen between the TAP test and all the other physical tests measured. The TAP test could be considered a valid and reliable test to assess lower limb neuromuscular ability in soccer players

A Simple Field Tapping Test for Evaluating Frequency Qualities of the Lower Limb Neuromuscular System in Soccer Players: A Validity and Reliability Study

Over the years, the foot tapping test protocol has been proposed by scientists to identify the capabilities of the lower limb neuromuscular system in the medical context; however, to our knowledge, no studies have established its usefulness and relationship to athletic performance. The aim of the present study was to test the reliability, criterion validity and sensitivity of a new foot tapping (TAP) test, and to examine its relationship with proxies of athletic performance in soccer players. Forty voluntary soccer players of two different levels participated in this study (20 players from the national level: age: 22.6 &plusmn; 2.5 years and 20 players from regional level: 25.1 &plusmn; 3.6 years). They performed the TAP test on two separate occasions to test its relative and absolute reliability. To examine the criterion validity of the TAP test, all participants performed four types of jumps, sprint tests, agility tests, the Wingate test and the finger tapping test considered a gold standard tapping test. The sensitivity was assessed with national and regional player levels. The TAP test presented a high relative and absolute reliability with intra-class correlation coefficient ICC &gt; 0.90, standard errors of measurement SEM &lt; 5% and mean difference &plusmn;95% limits of agreement equal to 0.2 &plusmn; 0.8 tap&middot;s&minus;1. National level players showed a higher TAP score (p &lt; 0.001; dz = 1.96, large) compared to regional players (9.68 &plusmn; 1.41 tap&middot;s&minus;1 vs. 7.28 &plusmn; 1.01 tap&middot;s&minus;1, respectively) and the value of area under curve measured by the receiver operating characteristic curve technique was 0.95 (95% CI: 0.827&ndash;0.990). The TAP test showed a significant association with the finger tapping test (r = 0.84, p &lt; 0.001), whereas no correlation was seen between the TAP test and all the other physical tests measured. The TAP test could be considered a valid and reliable test to assess lower limb neuromuscular ability in soccer players

Effects of multimodal training program on muscle deoxygenation in women with breast cancer: A randomized controlled trial

Abstract Purpose Chemotherapy and/or radiation are the most often delivered treatments to cancer patients. Usually during the adjuvant treatment, patients complain about fatigue. In addition, physical exercise during adjuvant treatment of cancer seems to have beneficial effects. The aim of this investigation was to assess the effects of multimodal aerobic and strength exercises programs on muscle deoxygenation of patients with breast cancer undergoing adjuvant chemotherapy treatment. Methods Thirty-two women with breast cancer (20 patients as the training group and 12 patients as the control group) undergoing adjuvant chemotherapy participated in the study. The training group took part in 6 weeks of supervised intermittent aerobic cycling, home-based walking, isometric and electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) exercise training programs. The Outcome measures were muscle deoxygenation (ΔHHb), Maximal Voluntary isometric Contraction (MViC) and Endurance Time (ET) before and after the training period. Results Compared to the control group, a significant increase in ΔHHb (P < 0.01) accompanied with an increase in ET (P < 0.01) and MViC (P < 0.01) of the quadriceps was obtained in the training group. However, no significant differences of MViC, ET and ΔHHb were observed in the control group. Conclusion Multimodal aerobic and strength exercise programs enhance muscle oxygen utilization, which may partly explain the improvement in muscular strength and endurance, and the reduction of muscle fatigue in patients with breast cancer during an adjuvant chemotherapy period