NON – FORMAL PHYSICAL EDUCATION INFLUENCE ON HEALTH RELATED PHYSICAL FITNESS OF CHILDREN

The aim of this study was to develop and implement curriculum of non-formal physical education in school and assess its effectiveness for health related physical fitness of 11-13 year old children. The research was conducted in two stages. In the first stage 51 11-13 year old children participated in a quasi-experiment for two years. Pupils were organized into E (experimental) and C (control) groups. Both groups shared the duration (1 hour) and frequency (twice a week) but were different in their education curriculum. In the second stage 72 pupils (groups A and B) attended in the research from the same schools. The curriculum of the group A was modified and differed from group E, group B - the same as group C. In both stages the focus groups performed four physical fitness tests and BMI was calculated. Group E girls’ indices of three tests and boys’ indices of all four tests were significantly (p0.05) higher than young adolescents’ from group C. Group A girls’ flexibility and aerobic endurance as well as boys aerobic endurance were higher (p 0.05) than pupils from group B. Results suggest that the individualized, diverse, 11‒13 years old children hobbies, needs, abilities, physical and functional powers answering non-formal curriculum, which expands knowledge and develops new skills and when various child-activating teaching methods and forms are used, positively influence their health related physical fitness.

The intensity of physical activity during physical education lessons of 5th-6th grade pupils

Objectives. The aim of this study was to determine the intensity of physical activity during PE lessons of 5th - 6th grade pupils. Methods. The study subjects consisted of 58 fifth – sixth grade pupils between the ages of 11 and 13, from four Klaipeda city general education schools (Lithuania), selected by convenience sampling. The study included 27 fifth-graders (55% girls) and 31 sixth-graders (45% girls). The study involved the monitoring of heart rates (HR) during PE lessons by Polar M400 heart rate monitors. HR was measured for 3 lessons in each class, for a total of 12 lessons. Results. 5th grade pupils spent most of their time in all PE lessons in targeted medium to high intensity zones, but there were also PE lessons where pupils did not reach the required zones or were above the required zone. The pupils’ mean heart rate of all PE lessons was 148 ± 9.95 bpm, and the maximum heart rate was 184.04 ± 6.13 bpm. The biggest part of 6th grade pupils’ PE lessons physical activity intensity was within the recommended levels in medium-high intensity zones. In all PE lessons, the average heart rate of the pupils was 147.28 ± 9.65 bpm, and the maximum heart rate was 182.16 ± 8.38 bpm. Conclusion. The intensity of PE lessons met the recommendations - more than 50 % of physical activity during lessons was of medium to high intensity. Our study revealed that the change in pupils’ heart rate during a PE lesson was influenced by both factors – the type of activity and the lesson task. Depending on gender, girls had higher values regarding the percentage of lesson time in MVPA than boys

The effect of COVID-19 restrictions on changes in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity was "A Double-Edged Sword": it improved for some and worsened for others

The objective was to determine the contributions to changes in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) during the COVID-19 restrictions by age, gender, education, place of residence, type of work, type of sport, Body Mass Index (BMI), subjective health status, smoking, alcohol consumption, overeating, impulsivity, depression symptoms, stress level, sleep duration and emotional intelligence (EI). We interviewed 6369 people in Lithuania before the COVID-19 pandemic and 2392 during the COVID-19 restrictions, and they were 18–4 years old. The initial COVID-19 restrictions reduced MVPA. This decrease was greater in individuals with lower education levels, higher BMI, higher stress levels and higher self-rated health status. MVPA decreased among those whose self-rated health status was the poorest but increased among those whose self-rated health status was the best. MVPA decreased among young women, women whose work was mostly sedentary and smoking women, and it decreased among overeating men. The particularity of sport, alcohol consumption, sleep duration, EI, impulsivity and depression symptoms did not have a significant effect on changes in MVPA during the COVID-19 restrictions, among either gender or any age group

What types of exercise are best for emotional intelligence and logical thinking?

The aim of our study was to determine whether EI and LT vs. intuitive thinking (CRT score) are related to participation in professional sports, independent exercise, and exercise at a gym/health center compared with no exercise. We selected 20 of the most popular types of exercise in Lithuania among respondents who exercise independently or at a gym/health center, and we ranked these types of exercise according to the participants’ emotional intelligence and logical thinking. We studied 4545 women and 1824 men aged 18–74 years with a focus on whether emotional intelligence and logical thinking are related to type of exercise. Participation in any exercise was significantly related to emotional intelligence in men and women. Women in professional sports solved the lowest number of logic tasks. Women who exercise independently or at a gym/health center had better logical thinking than those who do not exercise. Among men, logical thinking was not associated with the type of exercise. We found the tendency for a negative correlation between EI and LT in the 20 most popular types of exercise. Emotional intelligence correlated positively with participation in MVPA. The highest emotional intelligence was in women who participate in dance or Pilates and in men who participate in martial arts, wrestling, boxing, or yoga. Logical thinking was the highest in men who participate in triathlon and in women who perform CrossFit. Men who practice martial arts or track and field and women who participate in cycling were in the top five for emotional intelligence and logical thinking

Did COVID-19 pandemic change people’s physical activity distribution, eating, and alcohol consumption habits as well as body mass index?

This cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate whether COVID-19 had an impact on people’s (aged 18–74) physical activity distribution, eating, and alcohol consumption habits as well as body mass index. We interviewed 6369 people (4545 women and 1824 men) in Lithuania before the COVID-19 pandemic started and 2392 during COVID-19 (1856 women and 536 men). They were aged 18–74 years. We found that both genders had not stopped their physical activity (PA) completely because of lockdown imitations (for example, prohibition from attending sport clubs), but they started doing different physical exercises at sport clubs. We determined the PA distribution according to the Danish Physical Activity Questionnaire (DPAQ). Despite increases in independent PA and the quantity of light PA, the amount of total energy used in metabolic equivalent of task (MET) units per day decreased significantly for both genders irrespective of age. Although the amounts of sedentary behavior, moderate PA (MPA), vigorous PA (VPA) or a combination of MPA and VPA (MVPA) did not change significantly. Surprisingly, lockdown reduced the duration of sleep for older women but increased their amount of intense VPA (>6 METs). However, the amount of intense VPA decreased for men. Both genders reported overeating less during the pandemic than before it, but did not start consuming more alcohol, and their body mass index did not change. Thus, the COVID-19 in Lithuania represented ‘good stress’ that mobilized these individuals to exercise more independently and overeat less

Mood profile in men and women of all ages is improved by leisure-time physical activity rather than work-related physical activity

Abstract Background The aim of our study was to determine how six mood indicators (vigour, fatigue, depression, anger, confusion, tension) depend on moderate to vigorous physical activity, walking time and sedentary time at work, after working hours and during leisure time, in men and women of different age groups. Methods A total of 1,140 individuals aged 18 to 64 years participated in the study. The participants were enrolled in this cross-sectional survey using a snowball sampling method. An online questionnaire was shared through popular social networks and emails within the period October 2019 to June 2020. Mood responses were assessed using The Brunel Mood Scale-LTU. Physical activity was assessed using the long International Physical Activity Questionnaire. Descriptive analysis, a two-way analysis of variance, and linear regression analysis were used to interpret the data. Results The survey results showed that vigour and fatigue correlated significantly only with leisure-time moderate to vigorous physical activity. The present results show a significant positive correlation between women and men moods and leisure-time moderate to vigorous physical activity, the length of time walking to work and back home, and negative correlation between moods and leisure-time sedentary behaviour. However, there was no significant correlation between moods and work-related moderate to vigorous physical activity and household moderate to vigorous physical activity, walking at work, and sitting duration at work. Conclusions This study provides theoretical implications of the physical activity paradox, justifying the benefits of moderate to vigorous physical activity practiced in different circumstances. According to the regression analysis, exercising men in all age groups moved the most (had a higher moderate to vigorous physical activity level) during leisure time, the highest work-related moderate to vigorous physical activity was observed in men and women with lower education, and the highest household moderate to vigorous physical activity was observed in older age men and women living in rural areas. Clinicians and leaders at all levels of health care should consider the greater importance of leisure-time physical activity for mental health when choosing the most targeted physical activity recommendations for mood profile improvement in men and women of different age groups