Patricia Alexandra García-Garro

Introduction: Recreational bike paths are community programs that promote physical activity and active use of public space; however, evidence regarding their impact on subjective well-being in Latin America is limited. Objective: to analyze the relationship between subjective well-being, level of physical activity, and frequency of attendance at the CicloVida program in Cali. Methodology: Cross-sectional observational study in 382 adults participating in the CicloVida program in Cali. Subjective well-being was assessed using the 8-item Subjective Well-being Scale, and physical activity level was assessed using the short version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. Monthly attendance frequency and sociodemographic variables were self-reported. Ordinal logistic regression was used. Results: Higher frequency of use of the recreational bike path was associated with higher levels of subjective well-being (OR = 1.605; 95% CI: 1.263–2.07). In contrast, the overall level of physical activity was not statistically significantly associated with subjective well-being (p > 0.05). Discussion: The results suggest that participation in community programs may be associated with subjective well-being through contextual factors beyond the volume of physical activity. Conclusions: Participation in California's CicloVida program was associated with higher levels of subjective well-being among adults, whereas overall physical activity levels were not significantly associated. These results provide exploratory evidence regarding the potential of community programs and highlight the need for future longitudinal studies to investigate the underlying mechanisms further

Background/Objectives: Falls are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in older adults, even among those who are physically active. This study examined the associations of skeletal muscle mass, muscle strength, and muscle power with fall risk in community-dwelling, physically active older adults. Methods: A cross-sectional analysis was conducted with 280 participants (71.9 ± 5.3 years; 75% women) enrolled in the Stay Up–Falls Prevention Project. Assessments included skeletal muscle mass (anthropometric prediction equation), handgrip strength, lower-limb strength and power (Five Times Sit-to-Stand test, 5xSTS), and fall history over the past 12 months. Muscle power was calculated from 5xSTS performance using the equation proposed by Alcazar and colleagues. Logistic regression models and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses were performed. Results: Overall, 26.4% of participants reported at least one fall in the previous year, with a higher prevalence among women (28.9%) than men (18.8%). Fallers showed significantly lower handgrip strength (23.1 vs. 25.4 kg, p = 0.022) and poorer lower-limb strength (9.2 vs. 8.7 s, p = 0.007) compared with non-fallers. However, no significant differences were found for skeletal muscle mass or sit-to-stand–derived power. In multivariable models adjusted for age, sex, body mass index, comorbidities, and medications, lower-limb strength remained the only independent predictor of falls (OR = 1.78, 95% CI: 1.11–2.85, p = 0.016). ROC analysis confirmed fair discriminative capacity for 5xSTS performance (AUC = 0.616, p = 0.003), with an optimal cut-off of 8.62 s (sensitivity = 78.4%, specificity = 33.0%). Handgrip strength, muscle mass, and power did not show independent predictive value. Conclusions: These findings indicate that the 5xSTS test provides a simple, cost-effective, and clinically relevant measure for fall-risk screening in active older adults. Clinicians should consider the 5xSTS as a sensitive first-line screening tool, ideally combined with complementary assessments (e.g., balance, gait, cognition) to improve risk stratification and guide preventive interventions in ageing populations.

Very little is known about the associations between balance and cognition in Latin America. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate associations between 10-second standing balance tests and mild cognitive impairment using data from a large nationally representative study of older adults in Colombia. The sample included 23,443 community-dwelling adults aged 71 (8) years [mean (SD)] from the National Survey of Health, Wellbeing and Ageing in Colombia. Trained interviewers collected the data in 2015. Mild cognitive impairment was defined as a score of 12 or less out of 19 on the shorter version of the mini-mental state examination used and validated in the region. Balance was assessed using three increasingly difficult standing balance tests: the feet-together test, the semi-tandem test, and the tandem test. Logistic regression models were adjusted for age, sex, education, smoking, civil status, diabetes, and physical activity. The prevalence of mild cognitive impairment was 20% in 23,443 participants who attempted the feet-together test, 16% in 20,943 who attempted the semi-tandem test, and 15% in 19,527 who attempted the tandem test. The odds ratio (95% confidence interval) for mild cognitive impairment was 0.43 (0.39, 0.48) for a successful feet-together test, 0.53 (0.46, 0.60) for a successful semi-tandem test, and 0.63 (0.57, 0.70) for a successful tandem test after adjusting for potential confounders [the p-value for each model was highly significant (all p < 0.001)]. There is a need for simple screening tools in Colombia and other countries in Latin America with limited resources. This study suggests that even the simplest of balance tests could be used to identify older adults at risk of mild cognitive impairment in Colombia. Longitudinal studies are needed to confirm these novel and important findings.

El estudio analiza los efectos de un programa de entrenamiento basado en el método Tabata en la atención plena de trabajadores administrativos de una institución universitaria. La investigación se basa en un ensayo controlado no aleatorizado con 10 participantes divididos en dos grupos, uno de intervención y otro de control. La atención plena se evalúo utilizando la escala Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) pre y post de la intervención. Los resultados muestran que el grupo de intervención experimentó una mejora significativa en su nivel de atención plena y en varias capacidades físicas, por su parte el grupo control no presentó cambios relevantes. Estos hallazgos indican que el método Tabata, además de mejorar la condición física, puede ser una herramienta efectiva para aumentar la atención plena en el ámbito laboral. Se concluye que es necesario realizar investigaciones adicionales con muestras más amplias y aleatorizadas para afirmar estos resultados y explorar la adaptación de este tipo de entrenamiento a diferentes contextos laborales. Este estudio contribuye a la literatura sobre bienestar laboral, proponiendo el método Tabata como una intervención viable para mejorar la salud mental y la productividad en el trabajo.

El estado de emergencia mundial ocasionado por la pandemia COVID-19 causó gran impacto en diferentes aspectos del estilo de vida, tales como la actividad física. Por consiguiente, la presente investigación tiene como objetivo establecer los cambios en los niveles de actividad física de los docentes de la Institución Universitaria Antonio José Camacho de Cali, que se generaron durante el confinamiento obligatorio ocasionado por la pandemia del COVID-19 y posterior a este. En este estudio participaron 103 docentes universitarios, se aplicó el Cuestionario Internacional de Actividad Física (IPAQ). Para el análisis estadístico se utilizaron las pruebas Q de Cochran, McNemar-Bowker y Wilcoxon. Los resultados establecieron que los niveles de actividad física recolectados por medio del IPAQ no fueron estadísticamente significativos (p=0.168), al igual que el IMC (p=0.667). Esta investigación determinó que en el periodo de confinamiento obligatorio a causa del COVID-19 representó una disminución en los niveles de actividad física.

Physical exercise has been established as an intervention in the integral approach for the physical, functional, and social health of older adults. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of a high-intensity functional training (HIFT) program on the physical condition and functional capacity of an elderly Colombian population with mild cognitive impairment. This research corresponds to a blind randomized controlled clinical trial. A total of 169 men and women aged over 65 years were evaluated and distributed in two groups: the experimental group that received a 12-week HIFT intervention (n = 82) and the control group (n = 87) that received general recommendations on the benefits of physical exercise. The outcome variables included physical condition, assessed using the Senior Fitness battery (SNB); Fried’s frailty phenotype was applied, and gait and balance were assessed using the Tinetti scale. For the functional variables, activities of daily living, instrumental activities of daily living, and advanced activities of daily living were evaluated. All variables were measured pre- and post-intervention. Statistically significant improvements were observed in the IG for gait stability and balance (p < 0.001), as well as for independence in activities of daily living (p = 0.003), and instrumental and advanced activities (p < 0.001). Likewise, greater functionality was found when assessed with the SNB (p < 0.001), except for upper limb strength. The frailty classification did not show changes post-intervention (p = 0.170) nor in the group x time interaction. MANCOVA analysis showed that regardless of gender, health level, age, BMI, cognition, and health level, the HIFT intervention produced better results in functional capacity, balance, and gait (F = 0.173, p < 0.001, Wilks’ λ = 88.231).

Introducción: Las lesiones musculares son comunes en futbolistas, siendo la lesión de isquiotibiales la más frecuente. Objetivo: Analizar la evidencia existente sobre los efectos de los ejercicios nórdicos en la incidencia de lesiones de isquiotibiales en jugadores de fútbol profesional y amateur masculinos entre los 15 y 41 años. Materiales y métodos: Se llevó a cabo una revisión sistemática siguiendo las recomendaciones de la declaración PRISMA, realizando la búsqueda de artículos en PubMed, BVS, Cochrane, Web OF Science y SCOPUS, además de consultar Google Scholar. La búsqueda se realizó basada en la estrategia PICO con los siguientes términos: hamstring muscles, exercise, rehabilitation, therapy, athletic injuries, soccer. Resultados: un total de 257 artículos resultaron de la búsqueda, siendo 5 los artículos incluidos en este estudio. Todos los estudios evidenciaron efectos positivos de los ejercicios nórdicos para los deportistas. Conclusiones: los ejercicios nórdicos redujeron la incidencia de lesión de isquiotibiales en 4 de los estudios analizados, el porcentaje de cumplimiento de las sesiones de intervención condicionaron la calidad de los efectos mientras que el momento de aplicación de la intervención (pre- o post-entreno) no influyó

El envejecimiento, por todos sus efectos sobre los sistemas del ser humano, trae consigo un mayor riesgo de caídas, consolidándose como la segunda causa de muerte por traumatismos involuntarios más frecuente a nivel mundial, por lo que se categoriza como un problema sustancial para la salud pública. El ejercicio físico en los Adultos Mayores (AM) ha mostrado ser útil a la hora de reducir el riesgo de caída, mejorar la calidad de vida, funcionalidad, independencia, movilidad e incrementar la habilidad para el desarrollo de las Actividades Básicas de la Vida Diaria. El objetivo principal de este estudio fue determinar los efectos del entrenamiento HILIT sobre el riesgo de caída y las habilidades funcionales en AM físicamente activos. Para esto, se realizó un ensayo clínico no aleatorizado, con una muestra obtenida por conveniencia de dos centros deportivos de AM, consolidando un Grupo Control (GC) (n = 20) y un Grupo Experimental (GE) (n = 20). Los hallazgos muestran que al comparar el GE con el GC se produjeron cambios estadísticamente significativos en el momento post intervención (p<0.05) en las variables Vo2Máx, tiempo de ejecución del test de Rockport, escala de Tinetti y en los dominios de salud general, función física, dolor corporal, vitalidad, el promedio del componente físico y el promedio del componente mental de SF-12v2. Estos resultados sugieren que el HILIT es útil para reducir el riesgo de caídas, mejorar las habilidades funcionales de los AM y contribuir a la Década del Envejecimiento Saludable.

Background: Menopause is one of the stages in a woman’s life that affects her psychological health, the most frequent being anxiety and depression. In addition, another problem related to this stage is the lack of sleep that causes a decrease in the quality of sleep. The purpose of this randomized controlled trial was to analyze the effectiveness of a Qigong exercise program on sleep quality, anxiety, and depression in Spanish postmenopausal women. Methods: A total of 125 women were randomly assigned to an experimental group (EG) (n = 63) that carried out a Qigong exercise program for 12 weeks, or a control group (CG) (n = 62), which did not perform any type of intervention. Sleep quality was assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and anxiety and depression using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Results: Women who underwent an intervention program experienced significant improvements for all measured variables, except for the use of sleeping medication and daytime dysfunctions that did not show any significant effect with respect to the group and group × time interaction. Conclusions: After an intervention based on a BaDuanJin Qigong exercise program for 12 weeks, improvements were observed in sleep quality, sleep latency, sleep duration, sleep efficiency, sleep disturbances, the total score of the PSQI, anxiety and depression in postmenopausal Spanish women.

Growing evidence suggests that rhythmic physical activity (PA) improves cognitive function in both persons with normal brain aging and with cognitive impairment. This study aims to conduct a systematic review of randomized controlled trials assessing the effects of rhythmic PA over global cognition in older adults with and without mild cognitive impairment. Different keywords related to the topic and Boolean operators were used in the Web of Science, PubMed, and Scopus databases. A total of 11 articles that met the inclusion criteria were analyzed; all of them assessed global cognition using either the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) or the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS). Five studies showed beneficial effects over global cognition. All studies had at least one experimental group with rhythmic training, and the interventions evidenced a great diversity of rhythmic stimuli, as well as a varied frequency, duration and type of activities. The heterogeneity of the protocols could be the reason for the mixed findings. Future studies with more precise exercise prescriptions are needed to establish whether rhythmic PA has beneficial effects on global cognition.