THE LEVEL OF MOTOR SKILLS DEVELOPMENT COMPARED TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE NATIONAL EVALUATION SYSTEM IN GRADE 4 STUDENTS

A good knowledge of the level of development of motor skills of students allows us to identify/improve/establish the level ofmanifestation of its components and the relationships between them. Physical fitness is a strong indicator of health in childhood and adolescence and a main objective for the specialist in the field. In this context, the present study was carried out in 2018-2019and aimed to determine the level of development of motor skills in fourth-grade students from several school units in Craiova, compared tothe requirements of the national evaluation system. Materials and methods.In order to ascertain the level of somatic and motor development of the group included in the present approach, anthropometric measurements and motor testswere applied, namely: height, weight, torso/chest height, abdominal perimeter, arm span,thestanding long jump, supine trunk lifts, the 25mrunning speedand the long-distancerunning. The recording methods applied were those already standardized. Results. Following the analysis of the recorded data we can state that,as far as somatic indicators are concerned, the investigated group presents values below the average of students of the same age in both girls and boys, and there are no significant differences between sexes. However, there is a downward trend inthe average values in the motor tests, many of the recorded values being above therequirements of the national evaluation system. Also, the body mass index calculated for the target group has values that place the studentsin a comfortable range, the average being below the underweight threshold. Conclusions. We consider such approaches very useful, both for a diagnosis of what is actually happening in the school, and forapplying targeted intervention programs to improve any deficiencies.

Model for Prediction of the Weight and Height Measurements of Patients with Disabilities for Diagnosis and Therapy

Background: Accurate measurement of a patient’s height and weight is an essential part of diagnosis and therapy, but there is some controversy as to how to calculate the height and weight of patients with disabilities. Objective: This study aims to use anthropometric measurements (arm span, length of leg, chest circumference, and waist circumference) to find a model (alternatives) that can allow the calculation of the height and the body weight of patients with disabilities. Additionally, a model for the prediction of weight and height measurements of patients with disabilities was established. Method: Four hander patients aged 20-80 years were enrolled in this study and divided into two groups, 210 (52.5%) male and 190 (47.5%) female. Result: A significant correlation was noted between body height and arm span, as well as between body height and length of leg in all study groups. The body weight and the ratio of arm span or leg length to the sum of chest and waist circumferences were found to have a negative significant correlation. Model equations were derived to estimate the height and body weight according to anthropometric measurements. Conclusion: Anthropometric measurements can be used to create a model for calculating the body height and body weight of patients with disabilities and which can be considered an alternative to measurements that can be made on otherwise healthy subjects.

BODY HEIGHT AND ITS ESTIMATION UTILIZING ARM SPAN MEASUREMENTS AMONG MEDICAL STUDENTS IN UNIVERSITY OF SANAAAND UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY IN SANAA CITY,YEMEN: AN ANTHROPOMETRIC STUDY

Background: Arm span is the most reliable anthropometric measurement to estimate the height of an individual. Objective the present study was under taken to measure the height as well as arm span and to determine whether there is any correlation between the height and the arm spanamong medical students in university of Sanaa as the government university and university of science and technology(UST) as the private university in Sanaa city, Yemen. Cross sectional study was carried out with a total number of 396, with equal size of gender, aged between 17 to 27 years. Height and arm span were measured by using anthropometric techniqueconducted from October to December 2020. The data statistically analyzed by computation to find out its normative value. The relationship between body height and arm span were determined using simple correlation coefficients. Result: males had higher means in height and arm span, the differences weresignificant.All parameters were higher for students of UST, differences arm span were significant (p values < 0.05), no significant differences were found according to their study level, the difference in height and arm span between males and females weresignificant, there were a strong positive correlation between arm span and height. The correlation coefficient for males was 0.555, for females was 0.602, and overall correlation for total sample was 0.762. In conclusion these correlations were statistically significant.Therefore, the arm span measure seems to be a reliable indirect anthropometric measurement for estimating body height in adults.

EXPLORING OF CHANGES OF ANTHROPOMETRIC STRUCTURES AND ATHLETIC PERFORMANCES OF 8-13 YEAR-OLD MALE BASKETBALL PLAYERS

In the study, it was aimed to determine how the anthropometric structure and athletic performance elements of male basketball players changed in terms of age levels. The research group consists of male athletes between the ages of 8-13 who are licensed in the basketball. All athletes completed the anthropometric tests (stature, body weight, arm span, abdominal and triceps skinfold thickness and athletic performance tests (standing long jump, countermovement jump, maximum vertical jump, modified sit and reach, alternate wall toss, 20-m sprint and pro-agility). A significant difference was determined in the comparison of stature, body weight, arm span in terms of age groups in the research group. [respectively = F(3-72) = 71.954; 23.505; 63.109 p<0.05]. A significant difference was found between the vertical jump, hand-eye coordination, speed, anaerobic power performances of the participants in terms of age levels. [respectively= F(3-72) = 19.871; 22.939; 16.253; 37.579, p<0.05]. There was no significant difference between the groups in the flexibility variable in terms of age level (p>0.05). The significant difference between the age groups in terms of broad jump (x2(2) = 13.340), maximum vertical jump (x2(2) = 24.087) p<0.017) and agility x2(2) = 7.022, p<0.017) are due to the 8-9 age groups and the 12-13 age groups. In conclusion, the change in the anthropometric structures of basketball players such as stature, body weight, and arm span increases in proportion to the increase in age levels. In addition, it is seen that all athletic performance parameters, except flexibility, increase with the increase in age level. From this point of view, especially the trainers working in the infrastructure should design their training programs by taking into account the developmental characteristics of the athletes. <p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0984/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

Bimanual Grasping Adheres to Weber's Law

Weber's law states that our ability to detect changes in stimulus attributes decreases linearly with their magnitude. This principle holds true for many attributes across sensory modalities but appears to be violated in grasping. One explanation for the failure to observe Weber's law in grasping is that its effect is masked by biomechanical constraints of the hand. We tested this hypothesis using a bimanual task that eliminates biomechanical constraints. Participants either grasped differently sized boxes that were comfortably within their arm span (action task) or estimated their width (perceptual task). Within each task, there were two conditions: One where the hands’ start positions remained fixed for all object sizes (meaning the distance between the initial and final hand-positions varied with object size), and one in which the hands’ start positions adapted with object size (such that the distance between the initial and final hand-position remained constant). We observed adherence to Weber's law in bimanual estimation and grasping across both conditions. Our results conflict with a previous study that reported the absence of Weber's law in bimanual grasping. We discuss potential explanations for these divergent findings and encourage further research on whether Weber's law persists when biomechanical constraints are reduced.

Waist circumference, hip circumference, arm span, and waist-to-hip ratio high risk of polycystic ovarian syndrome

Background and Aims Polycystic ovarian syndrome is a reproductive problem of women with high prevalence cases accompanied by obesity conditions. Obesity condition can be seen from the size of waist circumference, hip circumference, arm span, and waist-to-hip ratio. This study aims to find out the risk factors between waist circumference size, hip circumference, arm span, and waist-to-hip ratio with polycystic ovarian syndrome. Methods This research is an analytical observation using a case-control approach conducted at Sekar Fertility Clinic and Poly Obgyn Dr Moewardi General Hospital Surakarta. Subjects were 150 consisting of 75 polycystic ovarian syndrome women and 75 normal fertile women. Sampling techniques used in this study are purposive sampling, researchers doing anthropometric measurements in the form of waist circumference, hip circumference, arm span, and waist-to-hip ratio simultaneously. The results were analyzed using Statistic Product and Service Solution 25. Results The results of the study obtained waist circumference with polycystic ovarian syndrome ( b = 3.002; CI 95% = 3.41–123.5; p = 0.001), hip circumference ( b = −2.671; CI 95% = 0.01–0.37; p = 0.002), arm span ( b = 5.318; CI 95% = 32.23–129.58; p < 0.001) and waist-to-hip ratio ( b = 1.761; CI 95% = 1.02–33.01; p = 0.047). Conclusion Waist circumference size, hip circumference, arm span, and waist-to-hip ratio correlate to a high risk of polycystic ovarian syndrome. Arm span is more dominant as an indicator of high risk to polycystic ovarian syndrome compared to waist circumference, hip circumference, and waist-to-hip ratio.

Differences in the Anthropometric and Physiological Profiles of Hungarian Male Rowers of Various Age Categories, Rankings and Career Lengths: Selection Problems

Background: Little is known about the anthropometric and physiological profiles of lower-ranking athletes who aspire to rise to the pinnacle of their profession.Aim: The aim of this study was to create anthropometric and physiological profiles of Hungarian male rowers of different age categories (15–16, 17–18, and over 18 years), sports rankings and career lengths.Materials and Methods: Anthropometric and physiological profiles were created for 55 juniors, 52 older juniors and 23 seniors representing seven of the largest Hungarian rowing clubs. One-way independent analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to compare arithmetic means.Results: Rowers in older age categories were significantly taller (185.0 ± 5.0 cm vs. 183.0 ± 7.3 cm vs. 178.7 ± 7.2 cm) and heavier (81.1 ± 8.8 kg vs. 73.7 ± 8.4 kg vs. 66.8 ± 12.3 kg) than their younger peers, with significantly higher BMI values and larger body dimensions. Compared to younger athletes, rowers in older age categories also covered 2,000 m significantly faster (6.6 ± 0.3 min vs. 6.9 ± 0.4 min vs. 7.5 ± 0.5 min) while developing significantly more power (372.2 ± 53.0 W vs. 326.8 ± 54.5 W vs. 250.6 ± 44.6 W). Similarly, seniors and older juniors had higher values of maximal oxygen uptake and force max (by 6.2 and 7.0 ml/kg/min, and by 263.4 and 169.8 N). Within the older juniors, internationally ranked rowers had significantly greater body height (+ 5.9 cm), body mass (+ 6.1 kg), sitting height (+ 2.7 cm), arm span (+ 7.9 cm), limb length (+ 3.73 cm) and body surface area (+ 0.21 m2). They also rowed 2,000 m significantly faster (–0.43 min, p &lt; 0.001) and had significantly higher values of power (+ 58.3 W), relative power (+ 0.41 W/kg), jump height (+ 4.5 cm), speed max (+ 0.18 m/s) and force max (+ 163.22 N).Conclusion: The study demonstrated that potential differences in anthropometric and physiological profiles are more difficult to capture in non-elite rowers, and that the final outcome may be determined by external factors. Therefore, athletes with superior aptitude for rowing are more difficult to select from among lower-ranking rowers, and further research is needed to determine specific training requirements to achieve the maximum rowing performance.

Riding to the top – A systematic review on multidimensional performance indicators in surfing

Identifying high-performing and promising athletes is an important task of national surf associations. However, the scientific foundation of performance indicators in surfing has only developed in recent years. This review aimed to (1) find out which performance characteristics discriminate between surfers of different skill levels, and (2) point out gaps in the existing literature and direct future studies by applying the Groningen Sport Talent Model (GSTM) to categorize findings. A systematic review of PubMed, Web of Science, MEDLINE and PsycInfo databases was performed according to the PRISMA guidelines. A total of thirty-one studies were included. Studies were found on anthropometric, physiological, technical, and tactical, but not on psychological characteristics of surfing performance. In total only six studies included female surfers. Findings suggest that a few performance indicators exist in relation to associations between physical capacities and surfing skill. For one, relative arm span seems to be beneficial to surfing performance and discriminates between differently skilled surfers. Additionally, 15 m and 400 m in-water paddle performance, as well as relative upper and lower-body strength also tend to be better in superior surfers. Technical skills, such as the ability to perform aerials and tube rides with a high completion rate, translate directly into an enhanced scoring potential and therefore success in surfing competitions. While a variety of characteristics for high-performance surfing are already indicated, future research needs to focus on developing reliable methods with higher ecological validity to assess these skills. Apart from the in-water paddle tests, most indicators lack a broadly accepted testing method. Especially, the field of psychological skills in surfing should be addressed more in the future.

COMPARISON OF ANTHROPOMETRIC PARAMETERS BETWEEN INDIAN ADOLESCENT MALE SWIMMERS AND NON-SWIMMERS: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

Background: During adolescence, a number of changes take place in growing children. Current study has been conducted to understand effect of sports training on the growth. Objective: The main objective of the study is to compare the anthropometric parameters in adolescent swimmers and non-swimmers. Methods: 61 boys (30 swimmers and 31non-swimmers) between age group12-17 years were selected for the study. Height, weight, biacromial breadth (BAB), bicristal breadth (BCB), mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC), waist circumference (WC), hip circumference (HC), sum of four skinfolds (SSF) namely triceps, biceps, subscapular and suprailiac, total leg length (TLL), sitting height (SH) and arm span (AS) were the anthropometric measurements taken. Independent sample t-test was used to study the difference between the two groups with p<0.05 as level of significance. Conclusion: As a response to training stimulus, the development of anthropometric parameters of swimmers are significantly different from non-swimmers. However, they follow the normal growth pattern like their non-swimming peers. <p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0854/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>