Motricidade

Active commuting of adolescents to school: barriers according to gender, socioeconomic status and area of residence

Sat, 10 May 2025 00:00:00 +0100

This study analysed the barriers to active commuting to school among adolescents according to gender, residential area, and socioeconomic status. The variables were collected through questionnaires (Neighborhood Impact on Kids and Associação Brasileira de Empresas de Pesquisa). A total of 1,431 students aged between 12 and 17 participated. The dichotomized categorical variables were analyzed using the Chi-square test with a 95% confidence interval and a significance level of p< .05. The main reported barriers to active commuting were: in the urban area: “the weather is very hot, and I sweat a lot” and “there is a lot of traffic”; in the rural area: “there are no sidewalks or bike paths” and “the school is far away”; urban area girls: “the school is far away” and “there is a lot of traffic”; rural area girls: “the route was tiring”; rural area boys: “the route was not well-lit”; socioeconomic status: low socioeconomic status students from urban area and rural area reported “the school is far away”. The main barriers to active commuting relate to hot weather, distant schools, traffic, and built environment, mainly impacting students with low socioeconomic status from both residential areas, requiring decision-making by policymakers to facilitate active commuting for adolescents.

Change in young swimmers’ anaerobic potential in response to taper

Thu, 24 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0100

The current study aims to determine the effect of one-week tapering on the anaerobic potential of young swimmers based on a simple and non-invasive test. Twenty competitive young swimmers (12.83 ± 1.08 years) performed an all-out 25 m front crawl sprint coupled to an electromechanical speedometer before and after a week of taper. The variation of the velocity along time [v/(t) curves] was determined for each swimmer. The push-off maximum velocity, push-off velocity decay, maximum and average gliding velocity, maximum and average swimming velocity, fatigue index, swimming velocity decay, velocity variation coefficient, total number of cycles, and total swim time were calculated. An individual anaerobic fatigue threshold was determined by applying a mathematical procedure based on wavelet analysis to the aforementioned v/(t) curves. The number of upper limb cycles performed was registered using video. The blood lactate concentration was measured at rest and after the 25 m sprint. The swim duration time of 25 m (pretaper: 17.91 ± 1.69; post-taper: 17.90 ± 2.18 s, p= .976) and the post-effort blood lactate (pre-taper: 4.92 ± .85 and post-taper: 4.77 ± 1.80 mmol/l, p= .780) did not change with the taper. The other variables also did not change, except for the velocity decay (-1.19 ± .94 vs. -.52 ± .21 m.s-1, p= .016). The moment of occurrence of the anaerobic fatigue threshold was no different after the taper. The one-week taper did not significantly change young swimmers’ anaerobic potential.

Decoding futsal defensive game situations through the eyes of coaches

Sun, 27 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0100

Following an interpretative approach, this study sought to understand, from the perspective of elite futsal coaches, the critical information that shrouds the game dynamics of defensive situations in futsal game (i.e., defensive organisation, defensive set pieces, strategical defence). Ten male futsal coaches (age: 48.30 ± 5.85 years; experience 18.10 ± 4.12 years) who currently coach elite futsal teams were selected. A total of thirty-four video clips related to different defensive situations were selected. Qualitative data was obtained through semi-structured interviews and analysed by content analysis. In analysing defensive game situations, coaches emphasised both individual and collective defensive behaviours. Much of the focus was on individual actions to maintain defensive stability, such as tracking, defensive exchanges, marking, and roles within the team’s defensive structure. Still, when the coaches intended to characterise defensive information, they focused on understanding information related to the attack and its inherent strategies. Expert coaches balance their knowledge about and of the environment in preparing their team for competition. Thus, the ability to recognise and retrieve critical information both before through video analysis and in-loco, during competition are vital to guide the team. Thus, developing these skills must be paramount in coach education courses in futsal.

Positive Development, Personal and Social Responsibility and Sport… what relationship? – “A Study carried out in a Portuguese School with priority intervention”

Thu, 01 May 2025 00:00:00 +0100

This study aimed to analyze the relationships between the sporting practice of Portuguese students from a school considered a Priority Intervention Educational Territory with their levels of positive youth development and personal and social responsibility. Four hundred and thirty students of both sexes (45.6% female), aged between 10 and 20 (M = 13.94 and SD = 2.61) participated in this study. To assess Positive Development, was used the PYDp/red questionnaire to assess Personal and Social Responsibility, the PSRQ questionnaire was used. The results showed that only 24.2% of young people practised sports more regularly. Regarding positive youth development, the results showed that female individuals had higher average levels in the Care/attention dimension. Regarding the Character dimension, it was verified that students in older groups seemed to show greater respect for the rules, while the younger ones showed higher average levels of Connection. Also was found that the perception of social responsibility was higher than that of personal responsibility. Finally, a trend was identified: the more years of sports practice and weekly frequency, the higher the positive youth development and personal and social responsibility values.

Impact of COVID-19 on physical activity, sedentary behavior, and general health status in adults and older adults: a retrospective observational study

Wed, 28 May 2025 00:00:00 +0100

The present study aimed to compare physical activity, sedentary behavior, and general health status pre-diagnosis and post-recovery in individuals diagnosed with COVID-19; to assess the influence of COVID-19 signals, symptoms, and clinical outcomes on physical activity, sedentary behavior, and general health status in adults and older adults. A total of 509 individuals (≥ 18 years) diagnosed with COVID-19 between March 2020 and February 2021 in Ribeirão Preto/SP were evaluated. The short version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire was used to assess physical activity and sedentary behavior, and the “profile of people diagnosed with COVID-19” questionnaire was used to self-report general health status. Data were collected via telephone regarding the week before the COVID-19 diagnosis (pre-diagnosis) and during the interview (post-recovery). There was a significant reduction in physical activity in adults and older adults (p < .001) post-recovery. Sedentary behavior increased in adults (p = .021). General health status worsened in both adults and older adults (p < .001). Symptoms such as runny nose, sore throat, and muscle pain affected physical activity; respiratory difficulty and the need for oxygen support negatively influenced sedentary behavior. Sore throat, fatigue/tiredness, and muscle pain affected general health status in adults and older adults. COVID-19 signals and symptoms negatively influenced physical activity, sedentary behavior, and general health status.