Concurrent Validity and Reliability of a Novel Visual Analogue Fitness Perception Scale for Adolescents (FP VAS A).

INTRODUCTION: Self-reported physical fitness (PF) provides an accurate measure of PF, specifically for young people. The Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) is one of the most used psychosocial measurement methods. The main arguments in favor of VAS are its ease of use and comprehension, particularly for less educated participants. There are some scales that assess self-perception of PF, but the VAS presented in this study covers a higher range of responses and a number of variables than other already validated measures. AIMS: The aim was to determine the concurrent validity of the Visual Analogue Fitness Perception Scale for Adolescents (FP VAS A) (Sub-study 1) and check its reliability (Sub-study 2). METHODS: Anthropometric and body composition measurements were performed, as well as PF tests (manual dynamometry, Course Navette, 4 × 10 m, and sit and reach). The International Fitness Scale (IFIS) and FP VAS A were used to assess self-reported PF. RESULTS: Two sub-studies were carried out: in sub-study 1 a total of 67 students (26 males and 41 females aged 12-16 years) participated. The results showed a significant direct correlation between the level of PF and self-perception of PF (IFIS and FP VAS A), with the FP VAS A obtaining a higher correlation with PF (r = 0.444 to 0.666) than the IFIS and PF (r = 0.154 to 0.557). In sub-study 2 (test-retest of the FP VAS A), a total of 217 students (120 males and 97 females aged 12-17 years) participated. It showed a moderate reliability for all items; the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was between 0.800 and 0.870, and kappa values ranged from 0.622 (endurance) to 0.458 (flexibility). In addition, Cronbach's α for the total was 0.860. CONCLUSION: This study showed good validity and reliability for the FP VAS A in adolescents.

Physical Activity Recommendations during COVID-19: Narrative Review.

Regular practice of physical activity plays a fundamental role in preventing and treating cardiovascular diseases such as obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome. During the pandemic caused by COVID-19 and the lockdown established, people have reduced considerably their mobility and motor activity, which has led to an increase in unhealthy lifestyle habits, raising the risk of suffering from diseases. This paper consists of reviewing the existing scientific literature on recommendations of physical activity during the pandemic and to establish specific guidelines according to the type of population to which the activity would be directed. A search strategy has been carried out in the different databases: Embase, PubMed, SCOPUS, SPORTDiscus, and Web of Science (WoS), including all the articles published until 14 May 2020, to find essays with recommendations on aerobic activity, muscle strengthening, flexibility-stretching, meditation-relaxation, and balance exercises. The articles found have been evaluated considering the following criteria: type of publication, proposals for physical exercise, language, and, if it appears, volume of activity, frequency, intensity, and rest. The results obtained 29 articles that discuss patterns of physical activity, although there is no common consensus on such recommendations during confinement, nor are they suitable for all people. From these results, we can conclude that physical activity is widely recommended during the confinement caused by COVID-19, mainly through the performance of aerobic, strength, flexibility, and balance exercises.

Impact of adding a simultaneous cognitive task in the elbow's range of movement during arm curl test in women with fibromyalgia.

BACKGROUND: Fibromyalgia symptoms cause a significant reduction in the ability to perform daily life activities. These activities require the ability to perform more than one task simultaneously. The main objective of this study was to evaluate how dual-task could modify range of movement, duration of repetitions and performance in the arm curl test in healthy controls and patients with fibromyalgia. METHODS: Twenty women participated in this study, divided into two groups: 1) patients with fibromyalgia (N = 10, age = 52.00 [5.08]) and 2) age- and gender-matched healthy controls (N = 10; age = 51.60 [4.09]). The participants had to perform the arm curl test in two conditions: single test condition and performing a dual-task. The dual-task condition consisted of remembering three random unrelated words. RESULTS: Patients with fibromyalgia completed fewer repetitions than controls during dual-task condition (p-value = 0.015). Furthermore, both groups showed a significant decrease in the range of movement in the dual-task condition when comparing the mean of the three first repetitions with the three last ones (p-value < 0.05). INTERPRETATION: The motor task might be prioritized over the cognitive task at the beginning of the test. However, at the end of the test, the cognitive task could require more attention due to the increased time since the words were heard, and also the motor task could require less attention after some repetitions have been performed. Thus, the addition of a cognitive task could lead to a less conscious execution of the motor task at the end of the test, which may be consistent with a reduced range of movement.

Biomechanics of octopedal locomotion: kinematic and kinetic analysis of the spider Grammostola mollicoma.

Despite the abundance of octapodal species and their evolutionary importance in originating terrestrial locomotion, the locomotion mechanics of spiders has received little attention so far. In this investigation we use inverse dynamics to study the locomotor performance of Grammostola mollicoma (18 g). Through 3-D kinematic measurements, the trajectory of the eight limbs and cephalothorax or abdomen allowed us to estimate the motion of the body centre of mass (COM) at different speeds. Classic mechanics of locomotion and multivariate analysis of several variables such as stride length and frequency, duty factor, mechanical external work and energy recovery, helped to identify two main gaits, a slow (speed <11 cm s(-1)) one and a fast one characterised by distinctive 3-D trajectories of COM. The total mechanical work (external + internal) calculated in the present study and metabolic data from the literature allowed us to estimate the locomotion efficiency of this species, which was less than 4%. Gait pattern due to alternating limb support, which generates asymmetrical COM trajectories and a small but consistent energy transfer between potential and kinetic energies of COM, is discussed both in terms of coordination indices and by referring to the octopod as formed by two quadrupeds in series. Analogies and differences of the newly obtained parameters with the allometric data and predictions are also illustrated.