Individuals with Visual Impairments: A Review of Psychomotor Behavior

1996 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 16-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steve Skaggs ◽  
Chris Hopper
Keyword(s):  
Visual Acuity ◽  
Physical Fitness ◽  
Visual Impairments ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Psychomotor Skills ◽  
Muscular Endurance ◽  
Fitness Evaluation ◽  
Cardiovascular Endurance ◽  
Evaluation Instruments

The present paper is a review of the psychomotor abilities of individuals with visual impairments. It was found that cardiovascular endurance, muscular endurance, flexibility, and balance were significantly lower in individuals with visual impairments than in individuals with nonimpaired sight. Differences were found in physical fitness and psychomotor skills among individuals with visual impairments. Those individuals with a later onset of blindness and greater visual acuity performed best. Segregated environments appeared to foster superior physical fitness and psychomotor skills compared to integrated environments. Findings indicated that some physical fitness evaluation instruments produce inaccurate results in testing individuals with visual impairments. Suggestions for future research are included.

Analysis of trends in physique and physical fitness in Korean adults

2020 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Fitness ◽  
Muscular Strength ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Muscular Endurance ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Fitness Level ◽  
Korean Adults ◽  
Cardiovascular Endurance ◽  
Maximum Decrease

Background and objective: This study aimed to investigate the changes and trends in various measures of physique and physical fitness in Korean adults from 2009 to 2017. Material and methods: The physique and physical fitness levels of 19,415 Korean adults aged 20-69 years were investigated using data from the Survey of National Physical Fitness conducted by the Korea Institute of Sport Science. Physical fitness variables included muscular strength (grip strength), muscular endurance (sit-up exercise), power (standing long jump), cardiovascular endurance (20-m shuttle run), and flexibility (sit and reach exercise). Differences between physique and physical fitness variables were evaluated using Pearson's correlation coefficient. Results were expressed as an intensification factor. Results: A significant relationship was identified between physique and physical fitness variables (P < 0.05), excluding power and flexibility (r = -0.003, P = 0.683). Height and weight increased in men and women in all age groups except those in the age group of 60-69 years; in this age group, a decrease in height was observed in men, and a decrease in weight was observed in both sexes. Men aged 40-49 years and women aged 20-29 years demonstrated a rapid increase in body mass index (BMI). Muscular strength decreased dramatically in both sexes from the age of 40 years. Muscular endurance increased within each age group, most significantly in men aged 60-69 years (32.01%) and women aged 50-59 years (21.0%). However, absolute muscular endurance decreased with age. Power increased significantly in men aged 60-69 years (5.61%) and women aged 20-29 years (2.60%), but decreased in men aged 40-49 years (-2.84%) and women aged 60-69 years (-1.89%). Cardiovascular endurance decreased after the age of 30 years in both sexes, with maximum decrease in men aged 40-49 years (-0.77%) and women aged 60-69 years (-9.33%). Flexibility decreased from the age of 30 years in both sexes: men aged 20-29 years (-24.25%) and women aged 30-39 years (-6.60%) showed the maximum decrease. Conclusion: Overall, the following trends were found: BMI increase is likely to occur in men in their 30s and 40s and women in their 60s; muscular strength rapidly decreases in men and women in their 40s; muscular endurance increases over time in men compared to that in women; power reinforcement exercise is necessary for both men and women in their 40s to overcome decreased power; cardiorespiratory endurance largely decreases during the 20s; and flexibility tends to decrease largely in men from the 20s to 40s. There is a correlation between physique and physical fitness in Korean adults. Moreover, the physical fitness level decreases with age. Regular exercise is recommended to improve physical fitness and prevent aging.

scholarly journals PHYSICAL EDUCATION: PRACTICE, CESSATION AND RESUMPTION IN UNTRAINED SAUDI COLLEGE STUDENTS

2021 ◽  
pp. 681
Author(s):  
Pablo Prieto-González ◽  
Jaromir Sedlacek
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Physical Education ◽  
University Students ◽  
Physical Fitness ◽  
Muscular Endurance ◽  
Education Practice ◽  
Cardiovascular Endurance ◽  
Flexor Muscles ◽  
Physical Capacities

The aim of the present study was twofold: firstly, to verify whether two classes a week of Physical Education (PE) are sufficient to improve physical fitness in college students. Secondly, to ascertain the effect of PE practice, cessation and resumption on the mentioned students. Thirty (30) untrained Saudi college students attended PE lessons twice a week for nine weeks. Subsequently, they were inactive for nine weeks, and finally, they attended PE classes again another period of nine weeks. After the two nine-week periods of PE, the participants improved their strength, endurance, speed and agility. The period of inactivity implied the loss of all the adaptations attained during the first nine weeks of practice, except muscular endurance in the trunk flexor muscles. Two classes a week of PE during nine weeks improve physical fitness in untrained university students. These improvements almost entirely decay after nine weeks of inactivity, but can be recovered with another nine weeks of PE classes. Individuals who resume PE lessons after nine weeks of PE followed by a nine-week inactivity period, could attain higher improvements in specific physical capacities (muscular endurance, cardiovascular endurance, speed and agility).

The Comparison of Physical Fitness, Anthropometric Characteristics, and Visual Acuity of Goalball Players with Their Right Shot Performance

2020 ◽  
Vol 114 (6) ◽  
pp. 516-530
Author(s):  
Bulent Kimyon ◽  
Gonca Ince
Keyword(s):  
Visual Acuity ◽  
Muscle Strength ◽  
Physical Fitness ◽  
Upper Extremity ◽  
Handgrip Strength ◽  
Visual Impairments ◽  
Fat Percentage ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Anthropometric Characteristics ◽  
The Relationship

Introduction: This study investigated the relationship between physical fitness, anthropometric characteristics, visual acuity of athletes with visual impairments, and their right shot performance. Method: The participants of the study involved 34 male athletes with different visual acuities who participated in the 2015 Visually Impaired Schools Goalball Championship in Alanya, Turkey. The means of the participants’ age, body weight, height, and sport age were 14.95 ± 1.28 years, 52.06 ± 8.89 kilograms, 163.58 ± 10.39 centimeters, 02.39 ± 1.50 years, respectively. The participants’ physical fitness, body fat percentage, handgrip (right–left), and spine flexibility were measured. Upper and lower extremity lengths were obtained through anthropometric measurements, and the athletes’ right shot performance was calculated. To analyze the data, the Shapiro–Wilk test was used, and one-way analysis of variance and independent sample t-test were performed, because the data showed a normal distribution ( p = .106). In addition, multivariate regression model analysis was utilized to investigate the relationship between all parameters and the athletes’ right shot performance. Results: A significant difference was found among the groups’ right shot performance ( p = .03), specifically on behalf of the athletes with low vision. When the participants’ anthropometric features, physical fitness values, and their right shot performance were examined, a positive relationship was observed between their dominant (right) handgrip strength and right shot performance (stepwise method; p = .03, R2 = 0.14). However, no significant difference emerged between their anthropometric characteristics and right shot performance. Discussion: It is considered that visual acuity and upper extremity muscle strength are of vital importance in goalball. Implications for practitioners: Whereas the International Blind Sports Federation applies rules according to visual acuity to offer equal conditions for some areas of sport, in goalball such a rule does not exist. It is important to make a change in the regulations for competition groupings according to visual acuities in goalball like in other sports for individuals with visual impairments. More frequent workout oriented to upper extremity muscle strength during right shot performance is suggested in the training sessions.

scholarly journals Fitness Fights Fires: Exploring the Relationship between Physical Fitness and Firefighter Ability

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (22) ◽  
pp. 11733
Author(s):  
Annmarie Chizewski ◽  
Allyson Box ◽  
Richard Kesler ◽  
Steven J. Petruzzello
Keyword(s):  
Physical Fitness ◽  
Bench Press ◽  
Vertical Jump ◽  
Strong Association ◽  
Muscular Endurance ◽  
Test Results ◽  
Cardiovascular Endurance ◽  
Vertical Jump Height ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Diabetes And Obesity

Background: Regular exercise in firefighters may be effective in preventing or attenuating ill health (e.g., hypertension, diabetes, and obesity), as well as improving their firefighting ability. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between physical fitness and firefighting ability. Methods: Male firefighter recruits’ (n = 89; age = 27.1 ± 4.2 yrs) physical fitness and firefighting ability were assessed at Week 1 and Week 7 during a basic firefighting training academy. Physical fitness was assessed via 1.5 mile run time, sit-up and push-up repetitions, the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) bench press test, vertical jump height, and sit-and-reach flexibility, while firefighting ability was assessed via completion time on a firefighting skills test. Results: Fitness predicted significant variance in firefighting ability at Week 1 (R2= 0.46; p < 0.01) and Week 7 (R2 = 0.46; p < 0.01), after accounting for age and body mass index. Cardiovascular endurance accounted for 22.4% (FΔ (1, 85) = 25.75) and 39.3% (FΔ (1, 85) = 55.53) while muscular endurance accounted for an additional 19.0% (FΔ (3, 82) = 10.34) and 6.3% (FΔ (3, 82) = 3.2) unique variance in firefighting ability at Week 1 and Week 7, respectively. Conclusions: Given the strong association between fitness and firefighting performance, municipal departments may want to focus on increasing fitness levels among firefighters.

scholarly journals Analysis of Children’s Physical Characteristics Based on Clustering Analysis

Children ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (6) ◽  
pp. 485
Author(s):  
Eunjung Kim ◽  
Yumi Won ◽  
Jieun Shin
Keyword(s):  
Physical Fitness ◽  
Physical Health ◽  
Clustering Analysis ◽  
Muscular Strength ◽  
High Ratio ◽  
Fat Free Mass ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Muscular Endurance ◽  
Fitness Evaluation ◽  
Cluster 2

This study assessed the physical development, physical fitness (muscular endurance, muscular strength, flexibility, agility, power, balance), and basal metabolic rate (BMR) in a total of 4410 children aged six (73–84 months) residing in Korea. Their physical fitness was visually classified according to the physical fitness factor and—considering that children showed great variations in the physical fitness criteria depending on their physique and body composition—the study aimed to assess characteristics such as physique and BMR, the precursor for fat-free mass, based on the physical health clusters selected through a multivariate approach. As a result, the physical health clusters could be subdivided into four clusters: balance (1), muscular strength (2), low agility (3), and low physical fitness (3) cluster. Cluster 1 showed a high ratio of slim and slightly slim children, while cluster 2 had a high proportion of children that were obese, tall, or heavy, and had the highest BMR. We consider such results as important primary data for constituting physical fitness management programs customized to each cluster. It seems that it is necessary to have a multidirectional approach toward physical fitness evaluation and analysis methodologies that involve various physical fitness factors of children.

scholarly journals Association between Health-Related Physical Fitness and Respiratory Diseases in Adolescents: An Age- and Gender-Matched Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (12) ◽  
pp. 6655
Author(s):  
Jeong-Hui Park ◽  
Myong-Won Seo ◽  
Hyun Chul Jung ◽  
Jong-Kook Song ◽  
Jung-Min Lee
Keyword(s):  
Physical Fitness ◽  
Respiratory Diseases ◽  
Muscular Strength ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
General Group ◽  
Cardiovascular Endurance ◽  
Health Practitioners ◽  
Health Related ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Matched Study

The current study examined the differences in health-related physical fitness (HRPF), physical activity (PA), and sedentary behavior (SB) between adolescents with and without ongoing respiratory diseases (RD). This study’s participants were from 12 to 15 years old (7th–10th grade) in South Korea. Adolescents with RD were selected through RD-related questions (i.e., asthma, rhinitis, sinusitis, and bronchitis) (n = 139); in contrast, adolescents without RD, randomly selected from the general group, responded to any health problem-related questions as “No” (n = 139). HRPF was measured based on the FITNESSGRAM and EURO FIT test batteries and the measurements of HRPF included cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength, muscular endurance, flexibility, and body composition. All statistical analyses were conducted by SPSS 25.0, and the independent t-test was used to compare the HRPF and PA between the two groups. Moreover, the measured HRPF was compared with a series of analyses of three-way ANOVAs (age × gender × group). Adolescents with RD had a positive association with less participation in PA (p < 0.05; RD: 3081.81 ± 4793.37; general: 2073.64 ± 3123.47) and with more time spent on SB (above 12 h per week: RD group (38.85%) and general group (33.09%)). Furthermore, adolescents in the RD group showed significant effects on all components of HRPF (p < 0.05). Our study confirmed that HRPF is an essential predictor of adolescents’ health outcomes, especially for those with RD. We suggest that increased HRPF can be an effective treatment for respiratory diseases in adolescents, and health practitioners should pay more attention to helping adolescents with RD to gain or maintain high HRPF.

Adaptive motor recreation in the structure of vacation training camps for goalball players

2021 ◽  
pp. 60-66
Author(s):  
Viktoriia L. Lerner ◽  
Pavel A. Khlystov
Keyword(s):  
Physical Education ◽  
Physical Fitness ◽  
Visual Impairments ◽  
Initial Training ◽  
Warm Up ◽  
Training Stage ◽  
Adaptive Physical Education ◽  
Game Practice ◽  
Active Recreation ◽  
Individual Training

The training macrocycle of goalball players includes 52 weeks and in addition to group and individual training, theoretical classes, sports competitions, etc. implies training camps. This needs to achieve continuity of the educational and training process, preparation for competitions, active recreation and recovery of disabled athletes. At the initial training stage, only summer and winter training camps are organized for goalball players twice a year. Summer three-week training camps include morning and evening classes. Morning training sessions following the goals of the initial training stage were mainly aimed at developing physical fitness and developing the game practice of goalball players. Evening training sessions were recreational, the orientation of which was determined by the goals of this type of adaptive physical education. In the introductory part there are construction, greeting, warm-up (varieties of walking and running, jumping, complexes of general developmental exercises with synchronized eye movement), in the main part – specially selected outdoor games for children with visual deprivation aimed at correcting and developing coordination abilities and improving game actions in goalball, in the final part – exercises to prevent the progression of visual impairments. We believe that the inclusion of recreational activities in the structure of the summer training camps of goalball players will contribute to the improvement of technical and tactical game actions, improve their physical fitness in general, correct and develop certain types of coordination abilities, prevent visual impairments, as well as implement the socializing and integrative function of adaptive physical education following the principle of hedonism.

Virtual Reality in Medical Students’ Education: A Scoping Review (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haowen Jiang ◽  
Sunitha Vimalesvaran ◽  
Jeremy King Wang ◽  
Kee Boon Lim ◽  
Sreenivasulu Reddy Mogali ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Medical Education ◽  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Data Extraction ◽  
3D Models ◽  
Bibliographic Databases ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Psychomotor Skills ◽  
Group Setting

BACKGROUND Virtual reality (VR) is a digital education modality that produces a virtual manifestation of the real world and it has been increasingly used in medical education. As VR encompasses different modalities, tools and applications, there is a need to explore how VR has been employed in medical education. OBJECTIVE The objective of this scoping review is to map existing research on the use of VR in undergraduate medical education and to identify areas of future research METHODS We performed a search of 4 bibliographic databases in December 2020, with data extracted using a standardized data extraction form. The data was narratively synthesized and reported in line with the PRISMA-ScR guidelines. RESULTS Of 114 included studies, 69 studies (61%) reported the use of commercially available surgical VR simulators. Other VR modalities included 3D models (15 [14%]) and virtual worlds (20 [18%]), mainly used for anatomy education. Most of the VR modalities included were semi-immersive (68 [60%]) and of high interactivity (79 [70%]). There is limited evidence on the use of more novel VR modalities such as mobile VR and virtual dissection tables (8 [7%]), as well as the use of VR for training of non-surgical and non-psychomotor skills (20 [18%]) or in group setting (16 [14%]). Only 3 studies reported the use conceptual frameworks or theories in the design of VR. CONCLUSIONS Despite extensive research available on VR in medical education, there continues to be important gaps in the evidence. Future studies should explore the use of VR for the development of non-psychomotor skills and in areas other than surgery and anatomy.

scholarly journals European normative values for physical fitness in children and adolescents aged 9–17 years: results from 2 779 165 Eurofit performances representing 30 countries

2017 ◽  
Vol 52 (22) ◽  
pp. 1445-1456 ◽  
Author(s):  
Grant R Tomkinson ◽  
Kevin D Carver ◽  
Frazer Atkinson ◽  
Nathan D Daniell ◽  
Lucy K Lewis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Fitness ◽  
Children And Adolescents ◽  
Muscular Strength ◽  
Normative Values ◽  
Muscular Endurance ◽  
Muscular Power ◽  
Monitoring And Surveillance ◽  
Lms Method ◽  
Better Than ◽  
Apparently Healthy

ObjectiveTo develop sex-specific and age-specific normative values for the nine Eurofit tests in European children and adolescents aged 9–17 years.MethodsA systematic review was undertaken to identify papers that explicitly reported descriptive results for at least one of nine Eurofit tests (measuring balance, muscular strength, muscular endurance, muscular power, flexibility, speed, speed-agility and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF)) on children and adolescents. Data were included on apparently healthy (free from known disease/injury) children and adolescents aged 9–17 years. Following harmonisation for methodological variation where appropriate, pseudodata were generated using Monte Carlo simulation, with population-weighted sex-specific and age-specific normative centiles generated using the Lambda Mu Sigma (LMS) method. Sex-specific and age-specific differences were expressed as standardised differences in means, with the percentage of children and adolescents with healthy CRF estimated at the sex-age level.ResultsNorms were displayed as tabulated centiles and as smoothed centile curves for the nine Eurofit tests. The final dataset included 2 779 165 results on children and adolescents from 30 European countries, extracted from 98 studies. On average, 78% of boys (95% CI 72% to 85%) and 83% of girls (95% CI 71% to 96%) met the standards for healthy CRF, with the percentage meeting the standards decreasing with age. Boys performed substantially (standardised differences >0.2) better than girls on muscular strength, muscular power, muscular endurance, speed-agility and CRF tests, but worse on the flexibility test. Physical fitness generally improved at a faster rate in boys than in girls, especially during the teenage years.ConclusionThis study provides the largest and most geographically representative sex-specific and age-specific European normative values for children and adolescents, which have utility for health and fitness screening, profiling, monitoring and surveillance.

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