Assessment Of Physical Fitness Research Articles

Effect of Wearing a Face Mask on the 6-Minute Walk Test in Healthy Volunteers

Objective: This study aimed to examine the influence of wearing different types of face masks on the results of the 6-Minute Walk Test (6MWT) in a cohort of healthy volunteers. Materials and Methods: Volunteers were partitioned into three groups (each comprising 36 individuals) with different mask-wearing conditions: NIOSH-approved N95 mask, and double-mask scenarios featuring two layers of surgical mask, and a combination of a surgical mask covered by a cloth face mask. Each participant performed two rounds of the 6MWT, one while wearing a mask and another without. Various metrics, such as the six-minute walk distance (6MWD), oxygen saturation (SpO2), and dyspnea and fatigue scores, were measured. Results: No significant differences were found in the 6MWD results between the mask-wearing and non-mask-wearing scenarios across all the mask types.Strong positive correlations were also established between the 6MWD results in the mask-wearing and non-mask-wearing conditions. However, a small cohort experienced dyspnea significantly more when wearing double surgical masks compared to not wearing a mask. Additionally, there were no major deviations in SpO2 levels or fatigue scores regardless of the type of mask used. Conclusion: The study indicated that wearing an N95 mask, or double surgical masks, or cloth-over-surgical face masks did not significantly influence the outcomes of the 6MWT in healthy individuals. However, caution is advised in the case of wearing double surgical masks, as this may induce a greater sense of dyspnea. This suggests that face masks can be worn safely during physical fitness and pulmonary function assessments, aligning with their essential role in viral spread prevention in daily life.

A SCALE OF ASSESSMENTS OF THE LEVEL OF AEROBIC ENDURANCE
 FOR STUDENTS OF A TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY
 BELONGING TO A SPECIAL MEDICAL GROUP

Based on the actual indicators of the students' time to overcome the distance of 3000 m in a stadium, a 10-point
 scale of assessments of the level of aerobic endurance and a 5-level scale of assessments of physical fitness in terms of
 aerobic endurance for students (boys) of I–III (IV) courses of study belonging to a special medical group of a technical
 university has been developed. The scale of assessments of the level of aerobic endurance is presented taking into account
 the method of overcoming the distance of 3000 m by students: running, walking, and their combination. The research
 data on the increase in the level of manifestation of aerobic endurance by young men from the first to the second year of
 study, and their discussion are considered. The methods of pedagogical observation, mathematical statistics, analysis
 and generalization of the information received, interpretation of research data using information from literary sources
 on the research topic were used.

Active Moms: a feasibility study of a community-based and home-based physical activity intervention for low-income, ethnic-minority mothers

BackgroundDespite the health benefits of physical activity, increasing regular physical activity levels among low-income, ethnic-minority mothers has remained a significant challenge. Yet, few studies have examined the feasibility of implementing interventions to address physical activity barriers often experienced by this population.MethodsThe current mixed-methods pilot study assessed the feasibility, impact, and acceptability of a 3-month community-based (CBI) and a home-based intervention (HBI) designed to improve physical activity and fitness levels, as well as psychosocial outcomes (self-efficacy and social support), among low-income, ethnic minority mothers. Mothers were randomized to either a 3-month CBI or HBI and completed pre- and post-intervention assessments of physical activity, fitness, self-efficacy, and social support. Intervention feasibility was assessed by tracking recruitment, retention, and adverse event rates, whereas intervention acceptability was assessed through post-intervention focus groups.ResultsAlthough participant recruitment was lower than expected (30 vs. target of 52 mothers), retention and adverse event feasibility goals were met (> 60% retention rate, 0% adverse events). Mothers in both groups (CBI and HBI) showed significant improvements in their physical activity and fitness levels and short-term improvements in receiving social support for physical activity. However, only mothers in the CBI group showed improvements in their self-efficacy for physical activity. Mothers also reported both types of interventions (CBI and HBI) to be acceptable with minor modifications highlighted, including the potential for graduates of these programs to serve as group facilitators.ConclusionsOverall, the study protocol was feasible, impactful, and acceptable to low-income, ethnic minority mothers with modifications required before large-scale evaluation. (TRN: NCT05540509; 9/12/22; retrospectively registered; ClinicalTrials.org).

The Correlation between Core Muscular Endurance, Body Composition, and Back Pain in Firefighters: An Observational Study

Firefighters are at a higher risk for experiencing back pain due to the nature of their job, but physical fitness may help to reduce this risk. Therefore, the primary purpose of this study was to determine if a correlation between subjective back pain severity and core muscular endurance exists in firefighters. A secondary purpose was to determine if age or body composition were correlated with back pain severity. This cross-sectional study was performed at a fire department during their Physical Fitness Assessment Program and included 72 male firefighters. Measures included weight, body fat percentage, maximal plank hold times for core muscular endurance, and the Oswestry Low Back Pain Disability Questionnaire. A Pearson product correlation analysis was performed between back pain score and each of the following variables: body fat percentage, BMI, age, and plank hold times. A second set of correlation coefficient analyses was performed between the same variables exclusively in subjects who reported back pain. This study found that, within this population of firefighters, there was no significant correlation between back pain and plank times or body composition variables, although there was a trend toward significant correlations between BMI and body fat percentage when only subjects with back pain were considered.

Independent and joint associations of cardiorespiratory fitness and lower-limb muscle strength with cardiometabolic risk in older adults.

The aim of this study was to investigate the independent and joint associations of low cardiorespiratory fitness and lower-limb muscle strength with cardiometabolic risk in older adults. A total of 360 community-dwelling older adults aged 60-80 years participated in this cross-sectional study. Cardiometabolic risk was based on the diagnosis of Metabolic Syndrome and poor Ideal Cardiovascular Health according to the American Heart Association guidelines. Cardiorespiratory fitness and lower-limb muscle strength were estimated using the six-minute walk and the 30-second chair stand tests, respectively. Participants in the 20th percentile were defined as having low cardiorespiratory fitness and lower-limb muscle strength. Poisson's regression was used to determine the prevalence ratio (PR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) of Metabolic Syndrome and poor Ideal Cardiovascular Health. Participants with low cardiorespiratory fitness alone and combined with low lower-limb muscle strength were similarly associated with a higher risk for Metabolic Syndrome (PR 1.27, 95% CI 1.09-1.48, and PR 1.32, 95% CI 1.10-1.58, respectively), and poor Ideal Cardiovascular Health (PR 1.76, 95% CI 1.25-2.47, and PR 1.65, 95% CI 1.19-2.28, respectively). Low lower-limb muscle strength alone was not associated with a higher risk for either Metabolic Syndrome or poor Ideal Cardiovascular Health (PR 1.23, 95% CI 0.81-1.87, and PR 1.11, 95% CI 0.89-1.37, respectively). Low cardiorespiratory fitness alone or combined with low lower-limb muscle strength, but not low lower-limb muscle strength alone, was associated with a higher cardiometabolic risk in older adults. The assessment of physical fitness may be a "window of opportunity" to identify youngest-old adults with a high cardiovascular disease risk.

The Impact of Service-Learning on the Prosocial and Professional Competencies in Undergraduate Physical Education Students and Its Effect on Fitness in Recipients.

Education is a key component of the student's transformation towards the creation of a more sustainable future. Among the methodological adaptations in teaching-learning processes, Service-Learning (SL) stands out as a meaningful academic experience to respond to social needs by developing committed citizens to transform society. The aim of the present study was to analyze the impact of this SL program on prosocial competence and satisfaction levels in university students, enhance physical fitness and analyze the reflections of the recipients. Moreover, the reflections on SL of the students and the migrants were analyzed. A mixed-methods design was performed. Forty-five students of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences provided a service to a migrant group that consisted of physical fitness training. The instruments implemented were the Prosocial and Civic Competence, the Impact of Service-Learning During Initial Training of Physical Activity and Sports and the reflective diary. The recipients participated in a physical fitness assessment and in a group discussion. The results show that SL in PAH contributes to pedagogical, communication, wellbeing and intercultural competences and also improves their prosocial and civic attitudes. Moreover, the recipients could enhance their physical fitness and their social interaction.

The Impact of a 10-Week Military Training Course on Saudi Medical Recruits' Fitness and Physical Activity Levels.

Background In preparation for military service, new recruits undergo a physical transformation. We aimed to determine the fitness outcomes and self-reported activity levels of Saudi medical recruits after a 10-week initial military training course (IMTC). Methods The cohort comprised 104 recruits aged 25-29 years. Anthropometric variables, including height, body mass index (BMI), body weight (BW), percent body fat (%BF), lean body mass (LBM), waist circumference (WC), and waist-to-height ratio (WtHR), were assessed pre-IMTC and post-IMTC. Physical fitness assessments, including a one-minute sit-up test, push-up test, Cooper's 12-minute run/walk test, and relative maximal oxygen consumption (VO2 max), were also evaluated. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) was used to assess self-reported physical activity. Results We found a significant decrease in anthropometric variables following the course, including BW (P = 0.01), BMI (P = 0.01), %BF (P = 0.002), LBM (P = 0.01), WC (P = 0.005), and WtHR (P = 0.003). They also showed significant improvements in the push-up test(P = 0.001), one-minute sit-up test (P = 0.001), 12-minute test (P = 0.001), and relative VO2 max(P = 0.001). The comparison of pre-IPAQ with post-IPAQ demonstrated a percentage improvement in walking activity (15%-82%) and vigorous physical activity (17%-49%) after joining the IMTC. Conclusions These findings demonstrate that Saudi medical recruits who partake in the IMTC can attain significant improvements in their body composition, physical fitness, and physical activity levels.

Correlation analysis between the quality of physical activity and public health based on artificial intelligence technology

Abstract In the context of artificial intelligence technology, the declining physical fitness of Chinese college students is still a serious social problem, and it is urgent to improve the physical health of college students. In this paper, the K-menns algorithm and decision tree CART algorithm are selected to be applied to the analysis and evaluation of college students’ physical health data based on the actual range of attributes of college students’ physical health data, the specific ideas of big data mining algorithm, and the characteristics and application fields of the algorithm are fully considered. Then, in the analysis of the physical health test data of class students, the percentage of the specific index amount to the total index amount is calculated, and the superior and inferior indexes are derived so as to realize the diagnosis of physical health posture. In order to investigate the correlation between physical exercise behavior and the health level of college teachers, a correlation analysis was conducted between the scores of 5 dimensions of physical exercise quality of college teachers and the scores of 8 dimensions of health level. The results showed that among the 5 dimensions, except for the behavioral intention and behavioral control dimensions, which did not have a statistically significant correlation with the physiological function dimension of health level, each of the remaining dimensions had a highly significant positive correlation with each dimension of health level P<0.01. This study promotes the modernization of physical fitness assessment of college students, which is important for maintaining health.

The Impact of Sex and Biological Maturation on Physical Fitness in Adolescent Badminton Players.

The main objective of this study was to examine the impact of maturity status and sex on selected measures of physical fitness in adolescent badminton players. Eighty-one badminton players (39 boys, 42 girls; age: 12.7 ± 1.4 years; body height: 153.5 ± 10.5 cm; body mass: 48.3 ± 13.2 kg) participated in the study and were divided into pre-peak height velocity (PHV, n = 31), circa-PHV (n = 29), and post-PHV (n = 21) groups. The assessment of physical fitness included linear sprint (5-m, 10-m) and change-of-direction (CoD) speed tests using a modified 5-0-5 CoD test (CoD deficit [CoDD%]) and an on-court CoD test, as well as the countermovement jump (CMJ) test as a proxy of lower limbs' muscle power. Pre-PHV players presented lower performance levels (p < 0.001; ES: 1.81-1.21) than post-PHV in CMJ, linear sprint (5, 10-m) speed, and both CoD tests. In addition, compared to circa-PHV, pre-PHV players demonstrated moderately lower performances in the 10 m sprint and CoD tests (p < 0.05; ES: 0.65-1.00). Regarding the CoDD%, no between-group differences were found. Irrespective of the maturity status, boys outperformed girls in CMJ (p = 0.01; ES: 0.71), linear sprint speed (p < 0.05, ES: 0.52-0.77), and the modified 505 test (p = 0.01; ES: 0.71). Findings only showed significant sex-by-maturity interactions for the pre-PHV group. In addition, sex-related performance differences were found in favor of the boys for most measures except for CoDD%. Our results imply that maturity status (i.e., PHV) and not chronological age should be used to design training programs. Female adolescent badminton players should receive specifically targeted exercise interventions based on their fitness status and needs.

Orthodox versus virtual approach in the administration of battery of physical fitness tests in the higher education context

PFTs for both traditional and virtual approaches have been shown to be effective in several scientific studies. Over five weeks, this study compared the two PFT administration methods. Participants' post-test scores were used to evaluate both procedures. The participants were divided into two groups. The battery of PFTs includes the hexagonal test, Plank test, Hand-wall test, Stork-balance test, and Vertical jump. One of these exams will be given weekly for five weeks to each student. Obtained data were processed via IBM SPSS 27. The profile and results of the selected PFTs were interpreted using descriptive statistics like frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation. Additionally, Independent samples and Paired t-test were performed to determine the variance between the approaches in the administration of PFTs. All selected PFTs performed similarly for both approaches. Interestingly, both treatments showed considerable BMI change. Virtual administration of selected PFTs is modestly significant compared to traditional administration. Finally, the effectiveness of both approaches was not significantly different. Even though traditional is slightly higher than virtual one. Both procedures work well for college students, and the physical fitness assessments can be utilized repeatedly. This study discusses limitations and further research.

COMPLEX CONTROL OF THE PHYSICAL FITNESS OF QUALIFITED ATHLETES IN THE ANNYAL MACROCYCLE

The relevance of the research topic. Comprehensive control of the physical fitness of athletes involves an accurate quantitative assessment of all its components and indicators. Solving the problem of improving the training process of qualified sprinters on the basis of a comprehensive assessment of physical fitness, various approaches to its study, and the diversity of its aspects is an actual direction that requires its further study. The purpose of the study is to develop and experimentally test the method of comprehensive control of the physical fitness of qualified sprinters in the annual cycle of training. Research methods: analysis, generalization and systematization of scientific literature data, pedagogical research methods (pedagogical observation, pedagogical testing, pedagogical experiment), mathematical methods of processing the obtained results. Research results. The use of staged, operational and ongoing control of the physical training process made it possible to effectively make adjustments to the volume and intensity of training work in order to improve the necessary indicators of physical fitness and bring them closer to the model values for each period of training. At the end of the one-year training cycle, the athletes of the experimental group in the running test exercises increased their performance from 2.52 to 10.4%; in jumping exercises, the increase in results was from 2.82 to 4.05%; in exercises for demonstrating strength abilities, the increase in results was from 5 to 5.14% (p&lt;0.05), and in the test for demonstrating flexibility - 5.71%. Conclusions. The analysis of the data obtained during the experiment shows that the proposed method of monitoring the physical fitness of track and field athletessprinters is quite acceptable for practice, is effective and can be recommended for use in the training process of short-distance runners.

Effect of Extracurricular After-School Physical Activities on Academic Performance of Schoolchildren

The beneficial effects of increasing outdoor physical activity time on children's myopia onset and physical well-being are widely acknowledged. However, in countries with competitive educational systems, such as China, parents and school administrators may be relatively reluctant to increase the extracurricular physical activity time for children due to concerns that this action will compromise children's academic performance. To investigate whether additional extracurricular physical activity time after school compromises the academic performance of schoolchildren. This cluster randomized clinical trial was conducted from October 2020 to June 2021 in Yudu, Jiangxi, China. Eligible children in grades 3 and 4 from 24 elementary schools were randomized to the intervention or control group. Primary analysis was conducted in the full sample using the intention-to-treat principle. The intervention group received 2 hours of after-school physical activity time outdoors on school days. The control group was free to arrange their after-school activity. The primary outcome was the between-group mean difference in mathematics test scores at the end of 1 academic year, with a noninferiority margin of -3.3 points. Standardized mathematics tests, physical fitness assessments (in reference to the 2018 National Physical Fitness Survey Monitoring Programme in China), and cycloplegic autorefraction were performed at baseline and the end of 1 academic year. Myopia was defined as a cycloplegic spherical equivalent refraction of -0.5 diopters or less in either eye. A total of 2032 children (mean [SD] age, 9.22 [0.62] years; 1040 girls [51.2%]) from 24 schools were randomized to the intervention group (12 schools; 1012 children) or control group (12 schools; 1020 children). The mean (SD) mathematics score at the end of 1 academic year was 78.01 (17.56) points in the intervention group and 77.70 (17.29) points in the control group. The adjusted between-group mean difference was 0.65 points (95% CI, -2.85 to 4.15). The adjusted between-group mean difference in physical fitness score was 4.95 points (95% CI, 3.56-6.34; P < .001) and -1.90% (95% CI, -18.72% to 14.91%; P > .99) in myopia incidence. Results of this trial indicate that, compared with the control practice of free play after school, adding 2 hours of extracurricular physical activity outdoors after school was noninferior in academic performance and had superior efficacy in improving physical fitness. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04587765.

S11-4 Physical activity prescription in the municipality of Camarena in Castilla-La Mancha, Spain

Abstract Purpose A pilot study of the Physical Activity (PA) Prescription (PAP) Plan in the municipality of Camarena (Castilla-La Mancha - CLM, Spain) was conducted to evaluate the incorporation of the exercise units which work together with General Practitioner (GP) to make “PA practice the easy option”. Target group is inactive people with or without chronic disease. Project or policy description The High Council for Sports of Spain launched a national PAP plan developed by the creation of exercise units that will work together with PA referral (PAR) in all autonomic Communities in Spain. The plan is using digital tools to improve the accessibility and efficacy of the Community Sport and Health systems to provide PA for the inactive population with or without chronic disease. This investment is part of the Sports Sector Digitization Plan, one of the three axes of the Component 26, of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan, aimed at promoting the sports sector. A pilot study in PAP was implemented in Camarena designed by PAFS research group from the University of CLM. The pilot study started with a local meeting including all agents in the community: local nurses and general practitioners (GP), all staff involved in the community PA and Sports offer, and town hall members. The pilot study included: (i) developing a both-ways communication system between GP practice and the exercise unit, (ii) developing a Physical Fitness and Health assessment battery tool for all patients, (iii) developing individualized exercise programs using digital tools, (iv) analyzing all opportunities to be physically active at the community, (v) quantitative and qualitative evaluation analyses of the implementation of the PAP in Camarena. This pilot study aimed to be the seed to scale-up PAP plan in CLM region. Conclusions The PAP plan had a good acceptance by the community of Camarena. The response rate of patients was high (85% of referred patients came to the exercise unit). Patients’ adherence to the exercise program was excellent. An educational plan is now developed as a policy-implication, for nurses, doctors, and PA educators in CLM, including all outcomes from PAP plan in Camarena.

Field-Driven Physical Fitness Assessment for Firefighters: Overcoming Challenges and Improving Standards

Being a firefighter is a profession that requires a higher level of physical fitness compared to the general population. This fitness is crucial for effectively carrying out firefighting duties in specialized environments. The level of physical fitness is assessed during the initial employment examination and periodically evaluated throughout the firefighter's career. However, after conducting expert group interviews and surveys with current firefighters, several issues were identified with the current system, which mainly consists of basic physical fitness assessments. These issues include a lack of relevance to actual firefighting tasks, a high risk of injury for participants, inadequate reliability of measurement instruments and assessors, and a failure to incorporate appropriate exercises for improving physical fitness. To address these concerns, an analysis was conducted on the implementation of the U.S. Candidate Physical Ability Test (CPAT) and the performance evaluation of 629 domestic firefighters before and after an 8-week training program. The analysis revealed a significant reduction of approximately 18% in completion time and 17% in oxygen consumption pressure after the training period. These findings highlight the need to move beyond simple physical fitness assessments and develop a new fitness testing system that is specifically tailored to the demands of modern firefighting tasks. This study provides essential data that can serve as a foundation for future research on the development of an improved firefighting fitness testing system. The goal is to establish a reliable and trustworthy system that aligns with public expectations.

Associations between patient-reported functional disability and measures of physical ability in juvenile fibromyalgia.

Juvenile fibromyalgia (JFM) is a chronic condition characterized by symptoms of pain and fatigue and is associated with sedentary behavior and functional disability. Adults with fibromyalgia exhibit deficits in physical fitness as evidenced by lower aerobic capacity and physical endurance, but it is unknown whether these impairments are apparent in adolescents with JFM. Furthermore, the extent to which functional disability and pain interference relate to measures of physical fitness has not been investigated in a pediatric pain population. During a baseline assessment for a clinical trial, 321 adolescents with juvenile fibromyalgia (M age = 15.14, 85.2% female) completed measures of pain intensity, fatigue, JFM symptom severity, functional disability, and pain interference. They also completed 2 validated fitness tasks: (1) the Harvard step test, which assesses aerobic fitness, and (2) the 6-minute walk test, a simple submaximal test of endurance. We examined associations among self-report measures and fitness assessments using bivariate correlations. We then employed hierarchical regression analyses to determine the unique contributions of physical fitness assessments to self-reported functional disability and pain interference. Results indicated that youth with JFM exhibited deficits in aerobic capacity and physical endurance. However, physical fitness explained negligible variance in functional disability and pain interference beyond that accounted for by pain, fatigue, and JFM symptom severity. Scores on available functional disability measures may reflect perceived difficulties in coping with symptoms during physical tasks rather than actual physical capability. Rigorous and sensitive assessments of physical fitness and endurance are needed to determine whether rehabilitation interventions for pediatric pain improve physical functioning.

Physical Fitness Assessment for Cancer Patients Using Multi-Model Decision Fusion Based on Multi-Source Data

Objective and quantitative physical fitness assessment is the basis of pre-rehabilitation treatment for cancer patients, which can speed up the treatment process and reduce the adverse effects after treatment. In this study, in order to make up for the shortcomings of the traditional assessment by oncologists according to the scale, a method using multi-model decision fusion based on multi-source data is proposed. After fully considering the physical weakness of the cancer patients, a novel experimental paradigm is designed. The multi-source physiological data of 201 patients suffer from cancers have been collected and a series of features which can be used to assess the physical fitness are extracted. An improved data oversampling method based on the Mahalanobis distance and boundary constraints (MDBC) is proposed to overcome the problem of class imbalance. Moreover, a multi-model decision fusion (MMDF) method is proposed for classification, which combines multiple individual machine learning classifiers with a meta learner, to improve the accuracy of the physical fitness assessment. The recognition accuracy of our proposed method reaches 95.1%. The overall experimental results demonstrate that our proposed method is effective in physical fitness assessment of cancer patients.

Associations of Monitor-Independent Movement Summary and Health-Related Fitness With Gross Motor Skills in Young Children

The purpose of this study was to determine the associations of device-based assessments of physical activity (PA) and health-related fitness (HRF) with gross motor skills (GMS) in preschool-aged children. Participants were 3- to 5-year-old children (N = 316; 49.6% female) who participated in the 2012 National Youth Fitness Survey. GMS was assessed using the gross motor quotient calculated from the Test for Gross Motor Development—Second Edition. PA was assessed using wrist-worn ActiGraph GT3X accelerometers with raw triaxial acceleration data summarized using monitor-independent movement summary units (MIMS). Analyzed metrics included average MIMS per day and peak 30-min MIMS. HRF assessment consisted of a plank score and a sum of skinfold assessment. Weighted hierarchical regressions tested the associations between PA, HRF, and GMS variables with a secondary weighted mediation analysis that examined whether HRF mediated the association between PA and GMS. Peak 30-min MIMS significantly correlated with GMS (b = 0.17, p = .005). Plank scores had the strongest correlation with GMS (b = 0.23, p = .004), and weighted mediation analyses revealed that plank scores partially mediated the association between peak 30-min MIMS and GMS (indirect effect = 0.03, p = .01, 23.1% mediation). Peak 30-min MIMS significantly associated with GMS in preschool children, an association partially mediated by core muscular endurance.

Associations between Smoking Status and Health-Related Physical Fitness and Balance Ability among Older Males in Taiwan.

The primary aim of this study was to examine the relationships between smoking status and health-related physical fitness and balance ability in older males residing in Taiwan. This investigation adopted a cross-sectional design, utilizing data from 7688 older males who took part in the 2014-2015 wave of the National Physical Fitness Survey of Taiwan. Various data sources, including a standardized structured questionnaire, anthropometric measurements, health-related physical fitness assessments, and balance ability tests, were analyzed. The participants were divided into three categories based on their smoking habits: never smokers, former smokers, and current smokers. Multiple regression analyses were performed to evaluate the linear association between cigarette smoking status and health-related physical fitness and balance ability performance. Health-related physical fitness and balance performance were significantly greater (p < 0.05) in the never smoker group than in the current smoker group. Current smoking status was significantly negatively (p < 0.05) associated with cardiopulmonary function, muscular endurance, flexibility, and balance performance. A history of smoking (former smoker) was significantly negatively (p < 0.05) associated with the 2-min step test, 30-s arm curl and chair stand, as well as the 8-foot up-and-go test; however, the association was not significant for the back scratch, chair sit-and-reach, and one-leg stance with eyes open performance. These results suggest that current cigarette smoking is detrimental to health-related physical fitness and balance performance in older males. Quitting smoking may reverse the effects of smoking on overall body flexibility and static balance performance in Taiwanese older adults, thereby reducing the risk of falls and incapacity.

Physical fitness, hormonal profile, nutritional and psychological aspects assessment of transgender women volleyball players submitted to physical tests: protocol paper of a prospective cohort

To evaluate aerobic capacity, strength and other physiological, nutritional, and psychological variables which may influence the performance of transgender women (TW) athletes and compare them to cisgender women (CW) and...

Exploring New Tools for Risk Classification among Adults with Several Degrees of Obesity.

The epidemic of obesity worldwide has been recognized as a very important challenge. Within its complexity, the identification of higher-risk patients is essential, as it is unsustainable to offer access to treatment to all people with obesity. Several new approaches have recently been presented as important tools for risk stratification. In this research, we applied several of these tools in a cross-sectional study involving adults with obesity classes I, II, III, and super-obesity. The participants had their cardiometabolic risk profiles assessed. The study included adults with obesity aged 18 to 50 years (n = 404), who were evaluated using anthropometric, body composition, hemodynamic, physical fitness, and biochemical assessments. These variables were used to identify the prevalence of risk factors for cardiometabolic diseases according to the classes of obesity by gender and age group. The results showed high prevalence of risk factors, especially among the upper classes of obesity (BMI > 35 kg/m2) using single parameters as the waist circumference, with almost 90% above the cut-off point. For smaller numbers such as Glycated Hemoglobin, however, the prevalence was around 30%. Indexes such as the atherogenic index of plasma (AIP) had the highest prevalence, with 100% of the male participants identified as being at increased risk for cardiovascular disease.