Change in general and domain-specific physical activity during the transition from primary to secondary education: a systematic review.

Background: Knowledge of changes in the domains of physical activity (PA) during the transition period from primary to secondary education and the factors associated with these changes, are prerequisites for the design of effective PA promotion strategies. Therefore, the first aim of this study was to systematically review changes in general, leisure-time, school, transport, work, and home PA across the transition from primary to secondary education. The second aim was to systematically review the individual, social, and physical environmental factors that were associated with these changes.

An early start at a professional soccer academy is no prerequisite for world cup soccer participation.

Introduction: 829 players from 32 nations on five continents participated in the 2022 men's World Cup tournament in Qatar. Not much is known about the youth careers of World Cup players from all over the world, especially about the age at which they began playing youth soccer in a professional academy. This study aimed to provide insights in the age national team players participating in World Cup Qatar 2022 started playing for a professional soccer academy and whether their starting age relates to continent and their current playing position (i.

Factors Related to Adolescents' Participation in Organized Sports.

Participation in organized sports has important health benefits in adolescence, yet participation rates are concerning. A better understanding of factors influencing adolescents' participation in organized sports offers opportunities to improve participation rates. The aim of this study was to examine to what extent motives, perceived competence, encouragement and motor skills were associated with participation in organized sports in a sample of first-year secondary school students.

Primary School Pupils: Unequal GMC Developmental Pathways in a Single School Year.

Gross motor coordination (GMC) is essential for the development of specific motor skills and long-term participation in physical activities and sports. Group analysis reveals that, on average, children develop these skills gradually; however, how individuals develop GMC is less clear. The main aim of this study is to increase the understanding of developmental patterns within one school year, and whether children’s grade, gender, or baseline GMC proficiency are associated with these developmental patterns.

The impact of beetroot juice supplementation on muscular endurance, maximal strength and countermovement jump performance.

: Dietary nitrate has been shown to enhance muscle contractile function and has, therefore, been linked to increased muscle power and sprint exercise performance. However, the impact of dietary nitrate supplementation on maximal strength, performance and muscular endurance remains to be established. : Fifteen recreationally active males (25 ± 4 y, BMI 24 ± 3 kg/m) participated in a randomized double-blinded cross-over study comprising two 6-d supplementation periods; 140 mL/d nitrate-rich (BR; 985 mg/d) and nitrate-depleted (PLA; 0.

Teachers' perceptions of children's sport learning capacity predicts their fundamental movement skill proficiency.

The intrapersonal mechanism that drives and explains individual differences in motor development is still a relatively underexplored area of research. In this study, we set out to determine whether in teachers' perceptions, higher sport-learning capacity (SLC) is associated with the level of fundamental movement skills, and the changes therein over 24 weeks in 7-year-olds. We assessed 170 children from eight primary schools in the Netherlands twice (T1, T2) in 24 weeks, using a tool to assess their FMS in applied settings (Platvoet, Elferink-Gemser, & Visscher, 2018).

Four Weeks of Goal-Directed Learning in Primary Physical Education Classes.

Relatively little is known about how practice relates to children's improvement in gross motor skill performance. The aim of this study is to determine to what extent 6- and 7-year-old children improve their gross motor skill performance in a four-week period, in which goal-directed learning is stimulated and to determine whether differences between boys and girls occur. Groups of 6 year olds (n = 167) and 7 year olds (n = 140) practiced their gross motor skill for four weeks.

From sedentary time to sedentary patterns: accelerometer data reduction decisions in youth.

Aim: This study aims to establish evidence-based accelerometer data reduction criteria to accurately assess total sedentary time and sedentary patterns in children.

Methods: Participants (n = 1057 European children; 9-13 yrs) were invited to wear an accelerometer for at least 6 consecutive days. We explored 1) non-wear time criteria; 2) minimum daily valid wear time; 3) differences between weekday and weekend day; and 4) minimum number of days of accelerometer wear by comparing the effects of commonly used data reduction decisions on total sedentary time, and duration and number of prolonged sedentary bouts.

Functional effects of botulinum toxin type-A treatment and subsequent stretching of spastic calf muscles: a study in patients with hereditary spastic paraplegia.

Objective: Although calf muscle spasticity is often treated with botulinum toxin type-A, the effects on balance and gait are ambiguous. Hereditary spastic paraplegia is characterized by progressive spasticity and relatively mild muscle weakness of the lower limbs. It is therefore a good model to evaluate the functional effects of botulinum toxin type-A.

StartReact restores reaction time in HSP: evidence for subcortical release of a motor program.

Startling acoustic stimuli (SAS) can accelerate reaction times ("StartReact" effect), but the underlying mechanism remains unclear. Both direct release of a subcortically stored motor program and a subcortically mediated trigger for a cortically stored motor program have been hypothesized. To distinguish between these hypotheses, we examined the StartReact effect in humans with pure hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP).

Mechanisms of postural instability in hereditary spastic paraplegia.

Hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP) is characterized by progressive lower extremity spasticity and weakness, due to retrograde axonal degeneration of the corticospinal tract and posterior spinal columns. HSP patients fall frequently. We hypothesized that delayed postural responses contribute to their balance impairments.

Does calf muscle spasticity contribute to postural imbalance? A study in persons with pure hereditary spastic paraparesis.

Objectives: The contribution of spasticity to postural imbalance in patients with upper motor neuron syndrome is still unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the responses to support-surface perturbations in patients with hereditary spastic paraparesis (HSP). These patients typically suffer from bilateral spasticity with relatively preserved muscle strength of the lower limbs.

Short-latency stretch reflexes do not contribute to premature calf muscle activity during the stance phase of gait in spastic patients.

Objective: To identify whether a relationship exists between stretch and activity of the calf muscles during the stance phase of gait in patients with upper motor neuron syndrome (UMNS), while taking into account the physiologic phase shift between these entities.

Design: Survey.

Setting: Ambulatory care and general community.

Deficits underlying impaired visually triggered step adjustments in mildly affected stroke patients.

Background: The ability to make step adjustments while walking is often impaired following a stroke, but the basic sensorimotor control deficits responsible have not been established.

Objective: To identify these deficits in Patients who have recovered from stroke leaving only mild lower limb impairment.

Methods: Ten stroke and 10 age-matched control patients stepped onto an illuminated rectangle.

Evidence of a logarithmic relationship between motor capacity and actual performance in daily life of the paretic arm following stroke.

Objective: To examine the associations between actual performance in daily life and function, capacity and self-perceived performance of the paretic upper limb following stroke.

Population: Seventeen individuals with stroke.

Outcome Measures: Correlation coefficients between actual performance (measured with the Stroke-Upper Limb Activity Monitor), function (Fugl-Meyer Assessment), capacity (Action Research Arm test) and self-perceived performance (ABILHAND questionnaire).

Falls in individuals with stroke.

Stroke survivors are at high risk for falls in all poststroke stages. Falls may have severe consequences, both physically and psychosocially. Individuals with stroke have an increased risk for hip fractures, and after such a fracture, they less often regain independent mobility.

The stroke upper-limb activity monitor: its sensitivity to measure hemiplegic upper-limb activity during daily life.

Objective: To test the Stroke Upper-Limb Activity Monitor (Stroke-ULAM), which uses electrogoniometry and accelerometry to measure the amount of upper-limb usage in stroke patients in daily life conditions, for its sensitivity to discriminate between moderately recovered and well-recovered stroke patients and control subjects.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Setting: At home or a rehabilitation center.