Inquiries in Physical Education and Sport

The Effect of Exercise In and Out of the Water in Adults with Chronic Low Back Pain

2023-02-02T10:24:17+00:00

This study aimed to investigate the effects of the exercise in and out of the water to people with chronic low back pain. Thirty participants with low back pain took part, averaging 40.7 years old, 13 males and 17 females. QUALEFFO-41 and Keele StarT Back Screening Tool were used to measure how chronic low back pain affects people. The questionnaires were given to the participants before they started exercising and after 8 weeks of exercising. The exercise of fifteen participants was swimming, while the other fifteen participants did mobility, stretching and strength training out of the water. It was necessary for the participants to exercise twice a week; otherwise, they were excluded from the study. The results were based on the comparison of the total time of exercising and the type of exercise. It was shown that after 8 weeks of exercise, both types of exercises led to a significantly improved feel of pain and a better quality of life. According to our results, we suggest that the general population should exercise both ways either into water or outside of this, to confront chronic low back pain.

How Idealists or how Relativists are Greek Health and Fitness Managers? Assessment of Individual Ethical Ideology by adapting the Ethics Position Questionnaire (EPQ) to a Greek Population

2023-02-02T10:31:25+00:00

Business practice in general, is shaped in respect to the critical decisions of the administrative executives regarding ethics, which are the result of their individual moral ideology. Individual moral ideology is in turn influenced by individual factors such as gender, age, years of experience, education. Business ethics, in the context of the study of the above practices, is related to the evaluation of health & fitness businesses’ ethics which derives from their management and therefore to the managers who are in positions of responsibility, while it has been proven that their ethical values influence the company’s overall culture. The purpose of this research was to test Forsyth’s (1980) Ethics Position Questionnaire (EPQ) for the first time in a Greek population and to check the validity and reliability of the scale. Furthermore, the aim of the research was to assess the individual ethical ideology of fitness business managers (N=249), and to study whether it differs based on their gender, age, years of experience and education. Data were collected through Forsyth’s (1980) Ethics Position Questionnaire (EPQ),
assessing through 20 variables how idealistic or relativist a manager is. The questionnaire was translated with the double-direction method and adapted to the Greek population. The results of the present research showed that the specific questionnaire presents moderate to satisfactory internal validity and reliability for the evaluation of the perceived individual ethics of managers. Fitness business managers rate one of the two factors more highly, that of Idealism, while no statistically significant differentiation of managers' ethical ideology based on their demographics was confirmed, with the exception of their further education. In the health & fitness industry, individual ethics as an evaluation parameter of business ethics can significantly contribute to the understanding of business practices and to the further development of business ethics studies in this field.

Flexibility Assessment of Young Wrestlers

2023-02-02T10:37:56+00:00

Flexibility plays an important role in the effective execution of various skills in wrestling, and its assessment
helps to guide the training process more effectively. The purpose of the present study was to assess flexibility levels and examine the effect of age (children - adolescents) and gender (boys - girls) on the development of flexibility in young wrestlers. Thirty female (15 children, 15 teenagers) and 30 male wrestlers (15 children, 15 teenagers) voluntarily took part in the research. In the participants, the flexibility of the hamstrings and the lumbar spine was measured with the sit-and-reach test and the flexibility of the shoulder joint with the back scratch test. To examine the effect of age and gender on the flexibility of young wrestlers, an analysis of variance with two factors (2-way ANOVA) "age" x "gender" (2: children - teenagers x 2: boys - girls) was used. Additionally, paired t-tests were used to investigate differences in flexibility between the two hands. From the statistical processing of the data, both in the sit and reach test and in the back scratch test, no significant interaction of the factors "age" and "gender" (p>.05) was observed, nor was there a main effect of both the factor "age" (p>.05) as well as the factor "gender" (p>.05). In contrast, a statistically significant difference in flexibility was observed between the two hands, with the right hand being superior to the left hand (p<.05) regardless of gender and age category of assessment. In conclusion, the present study presents indicative values for evaluating the flexibility of young male and female wrestlers that could be used to design, implement and guide effective training programs for flexibility increase and performance enhancement.

The Variation of Performance in 100-m and 400-m Freestyle Events Before, During and After the COVID-19 Era in Greek Swimming Championships

2023-02-02T10:44:23+00:00

The COVID-19 pandemic had a profound impact on almost all social activities, including participation in
competitions and swimming practices. Swimming training was significantly reduced in 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 by four and two months, respectively (Tsalis & Mougios, 2022). During the following 2021-2022 season, swimmers' training returned to the normal level. The present study investigated the variation of performance in the 100-m and 400-m freestyle events, in the age groups 13-18 years old, during the 2019-2022 seasons in the four national Greek swimming championships. For the comparison of performance between years, regardless of the participants, a non-parametric analysis was applied, which showed a relative stability in the results of 100-m event during these years, while in the 400-m event showed a decline of performance during the years 2020 and 2021. To compare the results of swimmers who participated continuously in the championships, a repeated measures analysis of variance (on time) was applied, which showed a continuous improvement in performance regardless of the reduction in training in 2020 and 2021. In conclusion, abstaining from swimming training during the COVID-19 period had little effect on swimming performance in the 100-m events and a negative effect in the 400-m freestyle events in young Greek male and female swimmers.

The Effects of a Combined Exercise Program Aerobic and Resistance on Morphological Characteristics and Body Composition Before, During and After Pregnancy

2023-02-02T10:50:57+00:00

Weight gain is one of the most important changes that occur during pregnancy due to both maternal and fetal adaptations. In the majority of pregnant women, weight gain exceeds the recommended guidelines, compromising maternal and fetal health. Exercise during pregnancy is an effective intervention to prevent excessive weight gain. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of a combined exercise program (resistance training and aerobic) on body composition before, during and after pregnancy in young pregnant women. Fifty-six women aged 30.8 ± 4.3 years, who intended to become pregnant, voluntarily participated in the study. Of these, 16 conceived within three months and were included in the study. One of them was excluded due to obstetric complications. During the 20th week of pregnancy, each participant was assigned into an exercise intervention group (systematic supervised exercise) (n=8) and control group (standard care) (n=7). During the 20th to 32nd week of gestation, the intervention group increased body weight by 6.2%. When pre-pregnancy baseline weight was compared to three months postpartum weight, the increase was 1.92%. Body weight of the control group increased 9.2% (p<0,05) and 5.6% (p<0,05), respectively. During the 20th to 32nd week of gestation, the intervention group reduced body fat percentage by 20.5%. When pre-pregnancy baseline body fat percentage was compared to three months postpartum body fat percentage the increase was 5.5%. Body fat percentage of the control group increased 14.2% (p<0,05) and 18.8% (p<0,05) respectively. Finally, during the 20th to 32nd week of gestation, the intervention group increased sum of skinfold thickness by 2.89%. When pre-pregnancy baseline sum of skinfold thickness was compared to three months postpartum sum of skinfold thickness, the increase was 8.8%. Sum of skinfold thickness of the control group was 20.5% (p<0,05 vs. intervention group) and 32.8% (p<0,05) respectively. Between the two groups there was no statistically significant difference regarding the week of gestation at delivery, the type of delivery and the Apgar Score of the newborns (p>0,05). Also, none of the pregnant women experienced complications during the intervention. In conclusion, systematic and supervised exercise has a positive effect on body composition during pregnancy. Exercise counseling without supervision has also a positive effect but to a lesser extent

The Effect of Physical Activity on the Cardiometabolic Profile and Mental Health of People with Spinal Cord Injury

2023-02-02T10:58:54+00:00

It is a fact that one of the main causes of mortality in people with Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) is cardiovascular
diseases. These individuals show increased rates of obesity, hypertension, hyperlipidemia and diabetes, which are indicators of cardiovascular diseases, due to hypoactivity and abstinence from physical activities. The purpose of this review was to examine the contribution of physical activity to reducing cardiometabolic risk and promoting mental health in people with SCI. The methodology followed was a literature review of 52 articles through the PubMed and Google Scholar search engines. From the review of the literature, it emerged that increasing (EE), from the participation of people with (SCI) in physical activities systematically and organized sports, such as basketball and wheelchair rugby, improved their maximum oxygen uptake (VO2max), their lipid profile, increased the indices of exercise-induced inflammation as well as the indices of antioxidant capacity. The systematic participation in physical activities and sports, by people with (SCI), led to an increase in (ED), without additional burden on their immune system, contributing, both to the reduction of chances of developing cardiovascular diseases, and to their psychological upliftment, which plays a key role in the reintegration of these individuals into society.

The Effects of Virtual Training in Psychological Wellbeing During the Lockdown: A Positive Psychology Intervention

2023-02-09T09:30:14+00:00

The rapid expansion of the Covid-19 pandemic led countries to develop a range number of measures, including social distancing. Previous studies (Chiesa et al., 2021; Fountoulakis et al., 2021; Skapinakis et al., 2020) have shown the negative psychological and well-being effects, of such measures, on society. On the contrary, the importance and positive effects of exercise on psychological health is well established during the last decades (Raglin, 1990). At the same time, Seligman has presented well-being as a result of five factors that make up the acronym PERMA: Positive emotions, Engagement, Relationships, meaning and accomplishment. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of online exercise on psychological health and well-being, during a period of social distancing. The online program was attended by 20 novice subjects, aged 18-45 years, free of injury or other disease. The study took place for 6 weeks, and the online training was applied 3 times a week. The PERMAProfiler questionnaire (Butler & Kern, 2016) was used for the measurement, which was sent via online forms three times (pre, mid, post of the intervention) and measured the five factors of the model as well as the subjective perceptions of loneliness, physical health and happiness. The results were then analysed using the package SPSS 24.0. The analysis of repeated measures (repeated measures ANOVA) for each dependent variable (Kim, 2017), showed statistically significant differences and specifically: reduction of loneliness (F1,19 = 15.76, p < .001) and negative emotions (F1,19 = 10.73, p < .001), increase in commitment (Friedman test = 10.44, p < .01) and increase in achievement (Friedman test = 16.89, p < .001).In conclusion, the study showed the positive effects of exercise on the psychological health and well-being, even when applied on an online environment. The findings reinforce the use of exercise as a technique of intervention of positive psychology (Hefferon & Mutrie, 2012) with the aim of enhancing well-being and improving human life.