Luís Coelho

This study analyzed the relationships among objectively monitored physical activity, motor competence, and physical fitness in primary-school children. It examined whether physical activity predicts motor competence and cardiorespiratory fitness. A total of 164 children participated (86 boys; aged 6.42–10.36 years). Physical activity was assessed with waist-worn ActiGraph wGT3X-BT accelerometers on five consecutive school days. It was quantified as the daily time in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity accumulated within a common school-hours window (09:00–17:00; school-hours MVPA). Motor competence was assessed with the Motor Competence Assessment (MCA). Cardiorespiratory fitness was assessed with the 20 m shuttle-run (Luc Léger) test of the PréFITescola^® platform, and body mass index (BMI) was computed. Pearson correlations were computed, and two multiple linear regression models with heteroscedasticity-robust standard errors were estimated. Physical activity was the focal predictor; sex, age, BMI, and recorded time within the window were covariates. School-hours MVPA (M = 55.8 min/day) was positively associated with motor competence (r = 0.16; p = 0.041). In the fully adjusted model, the estimate remained positive but was attenuated (β = 0.15; p = 0.077). MVPA did not predict cardiorespiratory fitness (β = 0.03; p = 0.765). BMI was the strongest predictor of motor competence (β = −0.31; p < 0.001). Measured with independent instruments, motor competence and cardiorespiratory fitness were only weakly associated (r = 0.19; p = 0.019). Weight status, rather than the volume of school-hours activity, emerges as the strongest correlate of motor competence at these ages.

This study analysed the relationships among physical activity, physical fitness, and motor competence in primary-school children, and examined whether objectively measured physical activity predicts motor competence and physical fitness. A total of 164 children participated (86 boys; aged 6.65–10.38 years). Physical activity was assessed by accelerometry as the daily time spent in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA); motor competence was assessed with the Motor Competence Assessment (MCA); physical fitness with the FITescola battery; and body mass index (BMI) was computed. Pearson correlations and two multiple linear regression models (with robust standard errors) were estimated, with physical activity as the predictor and sex, age, and BMI as covariates. Motor competence and physical fitness were strongly associated (r = 0.65; p < 0.001), whereas physical activity was not significantly associated with either (r = 0.13 and r = −0.04; p > 0.05). In the regression models, physical activity predicted neither motor competence (β = 0.13; p = 0.141) nor physical fitness (β = −0.01; p = 0.855); BMI was the strongest, negatively signed predictor in both models. At these ages, the volume of physical activity is weakly associated with motor competence and physical fitness, highlighting the need for structured, motor-development-oriented school interventions.

The performance of 94 elderly subjects (73 women) (71.72 ± 5.64) in an eye–hand and eye–foot coordination test (TST) was correlated with fear of falling, based on the results obtained on the International Fall Efficacy Scale (FES-I), translated into Portuguese. The results revealed that, for the whole sample, there was a weak inverse association between the two (ρ = −0.54, p < 0.05). However, when analyzing the results by gender, this inverse association only remained significant for females (ρ = −0.305, p < 0.01), with no statistical significance for males. Thus, higher levels of fear of falling in the elderly female population were associated with lower levels of eye–segmental coordination. Additionally, men achieved significantly better results in TST than women (9.38 ± 4.70 vs. 4.67 ± 3.13, p < 0.001). Regarding fear of falling, women had significantly higher scores (23.51 ± 7.17 vs. 21.38 ± 7.59, p < 0.05). At the same time, elderly men had higher values of eye–segmental coordination, which may have reduced their fear of falling. Results highlight the importance of the maintenance of a healthy and active lifestyle through the lifespan and place TST as a potential proxy for detecting fear of falling in elderly populations, especially in women. Future studies would benefit from employing balanced, representative samples to validate and extend these results, particularly regarding possible sex-related patterns, as the study relied on a convenience sample that was markedly unbalanced in terms of sex.

El test WDPK&C requiere la manipulación de un balón tanto con las extremidades superiores (soltar y atrapar) como con las inferiores (chutar). El presente estudio tuvo como objetivos: i) identificar cuál de las dos partes del pie (parte interna o empeine) implicaría un mejor rendimiento en el WDPK&C; ii) verificar si existe una correlación significativa entre el rendimiento de ambas partes del pie en el test, y iii) buscar diferencias entre adolescentes de edad temprana (10-13 años) y media (14-17 años) en las variables mencionadas. Treinta y cuatro jóvenes jugadores de baloncesto (14,59 ± 1,93 años) participaron en este estudio. Considerando la muestra global, así como sólo para el grupo de adolescentes precoces, la utilización del empeine reveló tener mayor eficacia que la utilización de la parte interna del pie. Además, se encontraron correlaciones muy fuertes (muestra global y adolescentes medios) y fuertes (adolescentes tempranos) entre el rendimiento de ambas partes del pie. Sin embargo, considerando exclusivamente a los adolescentes medios, no se encontró ninguna supremacía en el rendimiento de la parte del pie. Parece que la mayor eficacia en el test WDPK&C utilizando el empeine desaparece al pasar de la adolescencia temprana a la adolescencia media, en jugadores de baloncesto masculinos, probablemente debido a un aumento de la maduración y de los años de práctica. Palabras clave: competencia motora, coordinación motora gruesa, evaluación WDPK&C test requires the manipulation of a ball with both the upper (releasing and catching) and the lower (kicking) limbs. The present study aimed to: i) identify which (if any) of two different foot parts (inner part or instep) would imply a better performance on WDPK&C; ii) verify if a significant correlation between both foot parts’ test performance could be found, and iii) search for differences between early (10-13 years-old) and middle (14-17 years-old) adolescents on the afore mentioned variables. Thirty-four young male basketball players (14.59 ± 1.93 years-old) participated in this study. Considering the global sample, as well as for the early adolescents’ group alone, using the instep revealed to have greater efficacy than using the inner part of the foot. Besides, very strong (global sample and middle adolescents) and strong (early adolescents) correlations between both foot parts performance were found. However, considering the middle adolescents exclusively, no foot part performance supremacy was found. It seems that the greater efficacy on WDPK&C test using instep disappears when passing from early adolescence to middle adolescence, on male basketball players, probably due to a rise in maturation and years of practice. Keywords: motor competence, gross motor coordination, assessment

The present study aimed to verify whether, in children of 10 years of age practicing athletics, a greater number of years of practice of this modality would correspond to higher values of motor competence (MC), as determined by the Motor Quotient (MQ) in the Körperkoordinationstest Für Kinder (KTK). The cross-sectional and descriptive study was conducted in an athletics club in Portugal. Thirty-two children were evaluated, 15 female (10.4±0.25 years of age, 2.5±0.92 years of practice) and 17 male (10.4±0.22 years of age, 2.2±1.1 years of practice). Although no significant differences were found between children with one or two years of athletics practice and children with three or four, a moderate positive correlation was found between the time of practice (TP) and MC in girls (ρ=0.543, p=0.036). Mean MC results were considerably higher (both sexes) than the generality of studies often reveal. Finally, there were no significant differences on MC of boys and girls. The present results allow us to speculate that athletics may have helped to fill some gaps in motor coordination so often observed in girls, and the time of practice may have been especially beneficial for this group. It is suggested a longitudinal study to, more than confirm the detected association, verify what happens with boys’ and girls’ MC throughout the years of athletics practice. Keywords: athletics; children; practice time; motor competence; KTK test.

This study aimed to evaluate the reliability of a manipulative eye–segmental (hand and foot) coordination task, namely the Wall Drop Punt Kick and Catch test (WDPK&C), over two weeks. Forty-one children and adolescents (18 boys, 23 girls) with a mean age of 10.2 (SD = 1.62) years old were recruited for assessment. Subjects had 30 s to perform as many ball impacts as possible on a wall two meters away, following a drop punt kick, rebound on the wall, and catch sequence. The Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC = 0.896) for unique measures, Cronbach Alpha (α = 0.945), and Lin’s Concordance Correlation Coefficient (CCC = 0.896) provide evidence of reliability considering two consecutive measurements. These results further support the reliability of the WDPK&C test in a sample of Portuguese children and adolescents. Thus, the WDPK&C test can be applied to Portuguese boy and girl children and adolescents. Forthcoming studies should test the reliability of this test across different age groups since it is intended to be a test with a wide lifespan coverage.

In ultimate games governed by the World Flying Disc Federation (WFDF), all competitors also take on the role of referee. The players discuss disputed calls with each other during the game, and then follow rules designed for these situations to determine how the play continues. The number one rule of the sport is to respect the spirit of the game (SOTG), which encourages competitive play while preserving mutual respect and minimizing the risk of injury. The use of SOTG in ultimate in the framework of self-arbitration as a moral practice aligns well with other tools of critical pedagogy. For this study, the SOTG scores of the WFDF Joint Junior Ultimate Championship (JJUC 2022) were analyzed. A total of 1009 players from 19 countries competed in 434 self-refereed games (29 national teams in the WJUC Under-20 (U20) tournament and 20 teams in the EYUC Under-17 (U17) tournament). All the scores from the individual criteria correlated well with the overall scores, but for the most part, they did not correlate with each other. Our experience with the scoring system has highlighted the importance of participants understanding the meaning of the results and how they may lead to a constructive reflection to improve exceptions, including scores representing fouls and rules knowledge. The findings provide important information for physical education teachers, coaches, and sport consultants and may be of use to design SOTG programs that could foster the experience of sportsmanship and to facilitate the ethical conduct of athletes in either recreative or in competitive contexts.

O envelhecimento está associado a patologias crónicas, que podem ser prevenidas ou retardadas através do envolvimento em comportamentos saudáveis, como a prática regular de Exercício Físico (EF). O objetivo deste trabalho foi caracterizar a qualidade de vida, vitalidade e força de preensão manual de idosos participantes em programas comunitários de EF, bem como analisar a relação da prática de EF com estas variáveis. Recorreu-se a uma amostra composta por 81 indivíduos, 49 do sexo feminino e 32 do sexo masculino, com idades compreendidas entre os 65 e os 85 anos (72.33±5.02). Os resultados indicam-nos que os elementos do género masculino apresentavam valores superiores nas variáveis força de preensão manual (p≤0.001; =0.510), vitalidade subjetiva (p=0.05; =0.005) e no domínio “intimidade” da qualidade de vida (p=0.01; =0.005). Relativamente à análise das relações entre as variáveis, no género feminino a força de preensão manual está relacionada com a frequência semanal (r=0.42; p=0.003), com o número de horas de prática (r=0.49; p≤0.001), e com a qualidade de vida geral (r=0.35; p=0.015). Ainda no género feminino, verificamos a existência de uma regressão linear significativa da frequência de prática semanal (R² ajustado=0.23; p≤0.001) e do número de horas semanal (R² ajustado=0.30; p ≤0.001), com a força de preensão manual. Já no género masculino, a força de preensão manual correlaciona-se com o número de horas de prática semanal (r=0.38; p=0.033). Já a vitalidade está relacionada com a força de preensão manual (r=0.49; p=0.004) e com a qualidade de vida geral (r=0.61; p≤0.001). Parece assim evidente o papel do EF por parte desta população, bem como a inclusão do treino de força uma vez que esta variável parece estar associada a uma melhor perceção de qualidade de vida e de vitalidade pelo idoso.

Worldwide, studies reveal that a significant proportion of adults and children do not meet the recommended guidelines for physical activity (PA). Therefore, it is crucial that proxy determinants for child physical activity enhancement could be identified. Parents have been considered to have a key role in child adherence to physical activity. Thus, this systematic review aimed to identify association between parents’ and children’s PA. The search of scientific papers was conducted from 31 October 2020 until 31 January 2021, on the Web of Science, Scopus, Psycinfo, SportDiscus, and Pubmed databases. The PRISMA protocol was used. Findings indicate a consistent association between parents’ and children’s (6–12 years old) PA. Despite the imbalance of the number of assessed fathers and mothers with the latter clearly overrepresented, a trend towards the same gender dyads on PA significant and positive association (father/son, mother/daughter) was evidenced. Results support the relevant importance of parents’ PA as role modeling (either explicitly or implicitly) for children’s PA. Besides, results revealed the importance of promoting PA in family for the enhancement of children’s PA. Moreover, and given the positive impact of exerting PA with the children on children’s PA, parents should spend more time practicing PA with their children, especially on MVPA and meeting the recommended guidelines for PA. Future studies should highlight the role of mediator variables on this interaction process, extending the knowledge on the contribution of other factors to the requested enhancement of children adherence to PA practice.