Several researchers report that object control skills, health-related physical fitness and physical activity are not optimally developed in children. It is also evident from the literature that children, especially girls, are not active enough these days. These trends are disturbing as these are important factors that play a role in the health and sports development later in the child's life. Firstly, this dissertation attempts to examine the relationship between object control skills and health-related physical fitness in nine to ten-year old girls in the North-West Province of South Africa. Secondly, the relationship between object control skills and physical activity levels and patterns in nine to ten-year old girls in the North-West Province of South Africa was investigated. Data were collected by means of a stratified randomised sample of 408 girls with a mean age of 9,86 years (±0,42) who participated in the NW-CHILD study. The Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency-2 (BOT-2) (Bruininks & Bruininks, 2005) strength sub-test (standing long jump, push-ups, sit-ups, wall sit and V-up) was used to determine the girls’ strength, the Test of Gross Motor Development-2 (TGMD-2) (Ulrich, 2000) was used to determine the learners’ object control skills and the FITNESSGRAM (Meredith & Welk, 2008) was used to evaluate the girls’ cardiovascular endurance. The Children’s Leisure Activities Study Survey (CLASS) was used to evaluate the physical activity pattern of the girls. Stature, body mass and skinfolds (subscapular, triceps and calf) were measured according to standard kinantropometric protocols. The STATISTICA software package was used to analyse the data. Small but significant correlations were found between object control skills and strength, aerobic fitness and the body composition of the group. According to the healty fitness zone (HFZ) classification, 49.62% (n=198) of girls were categorised as being in the HFZ with regard to their BMI and 54.14% (n=216) in the HFZ with regards to the FAT%. This indicates that object control skills are influenced by factors that can contribute to the health of young girls. Participation in physical activities should therefore be increased. Appropriate development of object control skills (OC) and strength skills in girls is recommended to prevent delays in sports participation. Further investigation involved racial differences in activity performances. Ninety white and 318 black girls with a mean age of 9.86 years participated in this study. OC skills were assessed. Statistically (p≤0.001) and practically significant differences between the white and black girls were found, where the white girls participated more in ten of the moderate intensity physical activities than the black girls and the black girls participated more in three of these activities. Activities in which white girls mostly participated contributed significantly to higher moderate to high intensity. / MA (Kinderkinetics), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Several researchers report that object control skills, health-related physical fitness and physical activity are not optimally developed in children. It is also evident from the literature that children, especially girls, are not active enough these days. These trends are disturbing as these are important factors that play a role in the health and sports development later in the child's life. Firstly, this dissertation attempts to examine the relationship between object control skills and health-related physical fitness in nine to ten-year old girls in the North-West Province of South Africa. Secondly, the relationship between object control skills and physical activity levels and patterns in nine to ten-year old girls in the North-West Province of South Africa was investigated. Data were collected by means of a stratified randomised sample of 408 girls with a mean age of 9,86 years (±0,42) who participated in the NW-CHILD study. The Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency-2 (BOT-2) (Bruininks & Bruininks, 2005) strength sub-test (standing long jump, push-ups, sit-ups, wall sit and V-up) was used to determine the girls’ strength, the Test of Gross Motor Development-2 (TGMD-2) (Ulrich, 2000) was used to determine the learners’ object control skills and the FITNESSGRAM (Meredith & Welk, 2008) was used to evaluate the girls’ cardiovascular endurance. The Children’s Leisure Activities Study Survey (CLASS) was used to evaluate the physical activity pattern of the girls. Stature, body mass and skinfolds (subscapular, triceps and calf) were measured according to standard kinantropometric protocols. The STATISTICA software package was used to analyse the data. Small but significant correlations were found between object control skills and strength, aerobic fitness and the body composition of the group. According to the healty fitness zone (HFZ) classification, 49.62% (n=198) of girls were categorised as being in the HFZ with regard to their BMI and 54.14% (n=216) in the HFZ with regards to the FAT%. This indicates that object control skills are influenced by factors that can contribute to the health of young girls. Participation in physical activities should therefore be increased. Appropriate development of object control skills (OC) and strength skills in girls is recommended to prevent delays in sports participation. Further investigation involved racial differences in activity performances. Ninety white and 318 black girls with a mean age of 9.86 years participated in this study. OC skills were assessed. Statistically (p≤0.001) and practically significant differences between the white and black girls were found, where the white girls participated more in ten of the moderate intensity physical activities than the black girls and the black girls participated more in three of these activities. Activities in which white girls mostly participated contributed significantly to higher moderate to high intensity. / MA (Kinderkinetics), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

<p>Insulin resistance has shown to be a precursor to a number of lifestylerelated chronic diseases and abnormalities in adults and is affected by a number of factors including genetics, age, physical activity and acute exercise, diet, obesity, body fat distribution and medication. Physical activity has shown to have marked effects on improving sensitivity to insulin though various physiological mechanisms, and numerous correlation studies have identified a relationship between these two variables, suggesting the beneficial role of exercise on insulin resistance.&nbsp / This study aimed to identify a relationship between current levels of physical activity, physical fitness and insulin resistance in adults between the ages of 35 and 65 years of age residing in a northern suburb community in Cape Town. A total of 186 volunteers participated in this study ranging from healthy individuals to those with diagnosed chronic conditions. Insulin resistance (determined by the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance), physical activity (measured by the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire) and five health-related physical fitness tests were measured. The five components included body composition, determined by body mass index and waist circumference, the 3-minute cardiorespiratory step test, the handgrip&nbsp / muscle strength test, one-minute crunches for muscle endurance and the sit-and-reach flexibility test. Spearman correlation was used to identify the relationships between the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance, age, body composition and physical activity and fitness.Results showed that body mass index and waist circumference were the only two variables which produced significant correlations with the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (p &lt / 0.019). No physical activity or fitness data produced significant scores with the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance. Body mass index in men was the only significant predictor of HOMA-IR and explained 37% of the variance in insulin resistance, whereas in women, only waist circumference was related to HOMA-IR, but explained less than 16% of the variance. Associations between reported MET-minutes from the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire and the four fitness tests indicated significance with handgrip strength (&rho / = 0.17 / p =0.039), one-minute crunches (&rho / = 0.18 / p = 0.024) and sit-and-reach flexibility (&rho / = 0.17 / 0.034). This study has shown that body composition is an important component in influencing insulin resistance therefore physical activity interventions should be targeted at increasing physical activity levels and reducing body weight.</p>

<p>Insulin resistance has shown to be a precursor to a number of lifestylerelated chronic diseases and abnormalities in adults and is affected by a number of factors including genetics, age, physical activity and acute exercise, diet, obesity, body fat distribution and medication. Physical activity has shown to have marked effects on improving sensitivity to insulin though various physiological mechanisms, and numerous correlation studies have identified a relationship between these two variables, suggesting the beneficial role of exercise on insulin resistance.&nbsp / This study aimed to identify a relationship between current levels of physical activity, physical fitness and insulin resistance in adults between the ages of 35 and 65 years of age residing in a northern suburb community in Cape Town. A total of 186 volunteers participated in this study ranging from healthy individuals to those with diagnosed chronic conditions. Insulin resistance (determined by the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance), physical activity (measured by the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire) and five health-related physical fitness tests were measured. The five components included body composition, determined by body mass index and waist circumference, the 3-minute cardiorespiratory step test, the handgrip&nbsp / muscle strength test, one-minute crunches for muscle endurance and the sit-and-reach flexibility test. Spearman correlation was used to identify the relationships between the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance, age, body composition and physical activity and fitness.Results showed that body mass index and waist circumference were the only two variables which produced significant correlations with the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (p &lt / 0.019). No physical activity or fitness data produced significant scores with the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance. Body mass index in men was the only significant predictor of HOMA-IR and explained 37% of the variance in insulin resistance, whereas in women, only waist circumference was related to HOMA-IR, but explained less than 16% of the variance. Associations between reported MET-minutes from the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire and the four fitness tests indicated significance with handgrip strength (&rho / = 0.17 / p =0.039), one-minute crunches (&rho / = 0.18 / p = 0.024) and sit-and-reach flexibility (&rho / = 0.17 / 0.034). This study has shown that body composition is an important component in influencing insulin resistance therefore physical activity interventions should be targeted at increasing physical activity levels and reducing body weight.</p>

Magister Artium (Sport, Recreation and Exercise Science) - MA(SRES) / Insulin resistance has shown to be a precursor to a number of lifestylerelated chronic diseases and abnormalities in adults and is affected by a number of factors including genetics, age, physical activity and acute exercise, diet, obesity, body fat distribution and medication. Physical activity has shown to have marked effects on improving sensitivity to insulin though various physiological mechanisms, and numerous correlation studies have identified a relationship between these two variables, suggesting the beneficial role of exercise on insulin resistance. This study aimed to identify a relationship between current levels of physical activity, physical fitness and insulin resistance in adults between the ages of 35 and 65 years of age residing in a northern suburb community in Cape Town. A total of 186 volunteers participated in this study ranging from healthy individuals to those with diagnosed chronic conditions. Insulin resistance (determined by the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance), physical activity (measured by the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire) and five health-related physical fitness tests were measured. The five components included body composition, determined by body mass index and waist circumference, the 3-minute cardiorespiratory step test, the handgrip muscle strength test, one-minute crunches for muscle endurance and the sit-and-reach flexibility test. Spearman correlation was used to identify the relationships between the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance, age, body composition and physical activity and fitness.Results showed that body mass index and waist circumference were the only two variables which produced significant correlations with the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (p < 0.019). No physical activity or fitness data produced significant scores with the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance. Body mass index in men was the only significant predictor of HOMA-IR and explained 37% of the variance in insulin resistance, whereas in women, only waist circumference was related to HOMA-IR, but explained less than 16% of the variance. Associations between reported MET-minutes from the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire and the four fitness tests indicated significance with handgrip strength (&rho; = 0.17; p =0.039), one-minute crunches (&rho; = 0.18; p = 0.024) and sit-and-reach flexibility (&rho; = 0.17; 0.034). This study has shown that body composition is an important component in influencing insulin resistance therefore physical activity interventions should be targeted at increasing physical activity levels and reducing body weight. / South Africa

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Rugby Union is a popular sport both internationally and nationally. The sport has seen a rise in high-intensity activity and is more physically demanding on players since turning professional in 1995. Over the past decade, professional rugby players have made frequent appearances in the media due to lapses in psychological, physical, and social wellbeing, suggesting professional rugby players may experience compromised health. Research has largely ignored rugby players' health when health is defined beyond injury. The present study aimed to provide insight into the health of professional rugby players by investigating two components of health, namely psychological and physical wellbeing and the relationship between these facets. Two hundred and thirty-eight (238) professional male rugby union players, situated at the Investec Rugby Academy participated in the study. Psychological wellbeing (PW) was measured by the State Trait Personality Inventory (form Y) (STPI-Y) and the Sport Competitive Anxiety Test (adult form) (SCAT-A). Physical wellbeing was defined as health-related physical fitness (HRPF). HRPF was assessed by measurements of the rugby players' body composition, physical fitness, and heart health. Pearson's correlation co-efficient was calculated between the variables used to measure HRPF and PW. The results showed the rugby players experience average levels of competitive anxiety, above average levels of anger, anxiety, and depression and a relatively high level of curiosity. The rugby players had a high level of HRPF, with the exception of body composition (particularly BMI), cardiovascular endurance, muscle strength and endurance, and heart health (when measured according to the CSI), which indicate a moderate risk to the players' health. Furthermore, the results show significant correlations between variables of HRPF and PW in the rugby players. The findings that indicate professional rugby players do not experience optimal PW and HRPF, as well as the significant correlations found between the variables of the rugby players PW and HRPF, suggest these players may be in a state of overtraining or experiencing overtraining syndrome. / Mini Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2016. / Psychology / MA / Unrestricted

Orientador: Eduardo Kokubun / Banca: Fabio Yuzo Nakamura / Banca: Sebastião Gobbi / Resumo: Atualmente avaliação da aptidão física constitui importante ferramenta para prevenção e detecção de problemas físicos que podem interferir na autonomia e independência nas atividades da vida diária. Parâmetros de aptidão física estão direta e indiretamente relacionados com indicadores de saúde como atividade física habitual, qualidade de vida e avaliação antropométrica. O modelo de potência crítica nos fornece, de forma simples e não invasiva, dois parâmetros físicos, um aeróbio e outro anaeróbio. Este tem sido classicamente utilizado para descrever desempenho em atletas e não foi validado a testes não exaustivos, o que ampliaria sua aplicabilidade a populações com contra-indicação a testes máximos. Dois objetivos nortearam esse estudo. 1) Examinar se os testes de caminhada com intensidade autoselecionada fornecem estimativas confiáveis dos parâmetros do modelo e consistentes com a predição do modelo. 2) Examinar a relação entre os parâmetros do modelo da velocidade crítica com indicadores de atividade física relacionada à saúde. Um total de 39 indivíduos (32 a 80 anos) realizaram: 1) testes de caminhada de 3, 6 ou 9 minutos, ou até a exaustão em ritmo préfixado, para a determinação da velocidade crítica de caminhada (VCC) e capacidade de caminhada anaeróbia (CCA), 2) teste de caminhada na VCC e superior; 3) avaliação da qualidade de vida relacionada à saúde; 4) testes de aptidão física relacionada à saúde; 5) monitoramento da atividade física habitual (pedometria). Os resultados demonstraram bons ajustes do modelo aos testes de caminhada... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: Evaluation of physical fitness is an important tool to detect and prevent physical disabilities, which can impair the autonomy and the daily life activities. Components of physical fitness are related to health indexes much as physical activity, quality of life and anthropometrics measures. The critical power model provide two physical parameters (aerobic and anaerobic) in an easy and non-invasive way. Even it has been used to describe performance in athletes, it still has not validated to non-exhausted tests, which could be usefull to apply to people with contraindication on exhaustive tests. Two main objectives conducted this study: 1) To exam if self-paced walk tests could estimated reliable parameters of critical power and in accordance to prediction of the model; 2) To exam the relationship between the parameters provided by the critical power model with health related physical activity indexes. A total of 39 volunteers performed: 1) walking tests of 3, 6, or 9 minutes, or until exhaustion in a pre-determined pace. These tests aimed to determine the critical walking velocity (CWV) and the anaerobic walking capacity (AWC); 2) walking tests at and above CWV; 3) health related quality of life assessment; 4) health related physical fitness tests, and; 5) monitoring of habitual physical activity (by pedometers). The results showed good agreement of self-selected walking speed tests to the model (r2 = 0,996 + 0,005), and no difference between the strategies of data collection was detected. The test-retest intraclass... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Mestre

Esta pesquisa teve como principal objetivo analisar o impacto de dois diferentes programas de intervenção em educação física escolar na aptidão física relacionada à saúde de escolares de uma escola municipal de Campo Bom-RS. Trata-se de uma pesquisa avaliativa de abordagem quantitativa, realizada com 44 adolescentes provenientes de duas turmas de 7° ano de uma escola municipal de Campo Bom-RS. As turmas foram alocadas em Grupo I e Grupo II por meio de sorteio, sendo Grupo I a turma que foi submetida ao programa de intervenção I (ênfase em atividades de formação corporal através de exercícios funcionais) e Grupo II a turma que foi submetida ao programa de intervenção II (ênfase na prática desportiva) durante um trimestre escolar. A aptidão física relacionada à saúde foi avaliada mediante uma bateria de testes, propostas pelo Projeto Esporte-Brasil, sendo: teste de sentar e alcançar - para avaliar a flexibilidade; teste máximo de repetições realizadas em um minuto - para avaliar a força/resistência abdominal e teste de corrida/caminhada de 6 minutos - para avaliar a resistência cardiorrespiratória. Para o tratamento dos dados foi realizada uma análise de cunho descritivo por meio de Medidas de Dimensão do Efeito com escalas nominais dicotômicas, sendo zona de risco e zona saudável da aptidão física relacionada à saúde, classificação realizada pelo Projeto Esporte Brasil. Os resultados indicaram que na análise estratificada por sexo, o programa de intervenção I causou maiores efeitos na força/resistência abdominal e na flexibilidade, nas meninas, e na força/resistência abdominal nos meninos, enquanto o programa de intervenção II, o efeito maior foi na resistência cardiorrespiratória, nos meninos, e na flexibilidade e na resistência cardiorrespiratória nas meninas. Na análise por grupos constatamos que as aulas com conteúdos de exercícios de formação corporal através de exercícios funcionais (programa de intervenção I) causaram maiores efeitos positivos nas variáveis de força/resistência abdominal e flexibilidade enquanto nas aulas com conteúdos esportivos (programa de intervenção II) os efeitos maiores foram verificados na variável capacidade cardiorrespiratória. A partir dos resultados encontrados, concluímos que houve efeitos positivos dos programas de intervenção nas variáveis da aptidão física relacionada à saúde, ainda que tenham sido pequenos. O programa de intervenção I causou maiores efeitos na flexibilidade e força/resistência abdominal e o programa de intervenção II causou um efeito maior na resistência cardiorrespiratória. / This research aimed to analyze the impact of two different intervention physical education programs in health-related physical fitness of students of a municipal school Campo Bom-RS. It is an evaluative research with a quantitative approach, conducted with 44 adolescents from two classes of 7th year of a municipal school in Campo Bom–RS. The classes were divided into Group I and Group II by lot, and Group I class that was submitted to the physical education program I (emphasis functional exercises) and Group II class that was submitted to the Physical Education Program II (emphasis on sports) for a school quarter. The health-related physical fitness was assessed by a battery of tests proposed by the Projeto Esporte Brasil, as follows: sit and reach test - to assess the flexibility; 1-minute abdominal test - to evaluate the abdominal strength/endurance and 6 minute run/walk test - to assess cardiorespiratory fitness. About the treatment of data was performed one descriptive matrix analysis by Effect Dimension measures with dichotomous nominal scales, as follow risk zone and healthy zone of health-related physical fitness, classification carried out by the Projeto Esporte Brasil. The results indicated that in the stratified analysis by sex, Physical Education Program I caused major effects on abdominal strength/endurance and flexibility in girls, and abdominal strength/endurance in boys, while the Physical Education Program II, the greatest effect was in cardiorespiratory fitness in boys and flexibility and cardiorespiratory fitness in girls. In the analysis by groups found that classes with functional exercises (Physical Education Program I) caused major positive effects on variables abdominal strength/endurance and flexibility while in class with sports (Physical Education Program II) the greatest effects were observed in the variable cardiorespiratory fitness. From these results, we conclude that there were positive effects of Intervention Programs in health-related physical fitness variables, even though they were small. The Physical Education Program I caused greater effects on flexibility and abdominal strength/endurance and the Physical Education Program II caused a greater effect on cardiorespiratory fitness.

O estudo das relações entre níveis de aptidão física relacionada à saúde e a ocorrência de dores nas costas e alterações posturais em adolescentes é importante, pois permite o estabelecimento de critérios de saúde. Sendo assim, o objetivo geral deste estudo é verificar a associação entre a ocorrência de dor e alteração postural da coluna lombar e os níveis de aptidão física relacionada à saúde em adolescentes de 10 a 16 anos de idade. A amostra foi composta por 467 adolescentes (260 meninos e 207 meninas) de 10 a 16 anos de idade, provenientes de uma escola da cidade de Porto Alegre. A definição da amostra foi por critério de conveniência. O estudo é do tipo correlacional e preditivo, com delineamento transversal. Os componentes da aptidão física relacionada à saúde analisados foram a flexibilidade (sentar-e-alcançar) e a força/resistência abdominal (número de abdominais em um minuto – sit up´s). A avaliação da dor lombar foi realizada através de questionário e a postura da coluna lombar verificada através de fotografias, a partir da marcação de pontos de referência. Foram realizados testes de encurtamento muscular (isquiotibiais e flexores de quadril - através de goniometria), de flexibilidade lombar (teste de Schober modificado), medidas antropométricas (peso e estatura) e calculado o IMC. Para a descrição dos dados foi utilizado a freqüência de ocorrência. Para as associações entre as variáveis categóricas foi utilizado e teste qui-quadrado e para predizer as variáveis dependentes dor lombar e alteração postural da coluna lombar foi utilizado a regressão logística binária, com método enter. Para todas as análises estatísticas foi utilizado o programa SPSS for Windows 13.0 e adotado o nível de significância de 5%. Os resultados demonstraram que houve elevada prevalência de hiperlordose lombar (78%) e de dor lombar (54,2%) na amostra estudada e a ocorrência de ambas se associaram ao sexo feminino. Não houve associação entre a ocorrência de dor e alteração postural da coluna lombar. As variáveis capazes de predizer a ocorrência de alteração postural da coluna lombar foram sexo, mobilidade lombar, força/resistência abdominal, postura da coluna cervical, flexibilidade e estatura. Quanto à ocorrência de dor lombar, as variáveis capazes de predizê-la foram sexo, idade e flexibilidade. Considerando os resultados encontrados e, a partir dos modelos preditivos formulados, verificamos que as variáveis força/resistência abdominal e flexibilidade, amplamente utilizadas e referenciadas à saúde osteomuscular, associam-se, quando abaixo dos pontos de corte estabelecidos, à maior ocorrência de dor e alteração postural da coluna lombar. / The relationship between health related physical fitness and low back pain occurrence and posture assessment study during adolescence is important, because allows to establish health criteria. The aim of this study is to evaluate the association between low back pain and low back posture with health related physical fitness in adolescents aged 10 to 16 years old. This cross sectional study with correlation and predictive technique comprised a sample of 260 boys and 207 girls, which were selected by convenience criterion. Health related physical fitness components analyzed were flexibility (sit and reach test) and abdominal strength (sit up test). Low back pain was evaluated through a questionnaire and the low back posture assessed by photographs with reference marks. Hip extension and hamstrings flexibility was measured by goniometer and sagittal lumbar mobility was assessed by Schober´s modified technique. Body height and weight were measured, and BMI was calculated. Data description was made through frequency of occurrence and quisquare test was used to evaluate categorical variables association. Binary logistic regression was used to predict low back pain and increased lumbar lordosis occurrence. All statistic analyzes were made at SPSS 13.0 statistic program for Windows with the significance level of 5%. The results showed high lumbar hyperlordosis prevalence (78%) and high low back pain prevalence (54,2%). Those occurrences was associated with female gender. There was no association between low back pain and increased lumbar lordosis. The predictive variables for low back posture deviation were gender, sagittal lumbar mobility, abdominal strength, flexibility and height. Variables gender, age and flexibility have shown to be predictive to the occurrence of low back pain. In conclusion, abdominal strength and flexibility, widely used as health related physical fitness, were associated, when bellow cut off points recommended with low back pain and hyperlordosis occurrence.