Leisure time physical activity in persons with spinal cord injury across the seasons

Physical activity of children and adolescents with disabilities in Poland - First Para Report Card

Background

This study provides a comprehensive evaluation of the Polish Para Report Card, which assesses various aspects of physical activity (PA) and related indicators among Polish children and adolescents with disabilities. This area has been under-researched, especially in the Polish context.

Methods

The research methodology included systematic literature searches from 2014 to 2022, utilizing databases such as PubMed, EBSCO, and Google Scholar. This was complemented by outreach to governmental institutions for additional reports and data. The search strategy was aligned with the Global Matrix methodology and aimed at evaluating ten distinct indicators: Overall PA, Organized Sport and PA, Active Play, Active Transportation, Sedentary Behavior, Family and Peers, School, Community and Environment, Government.

Results

Grades were assigned to three of ten indicators. The Overall PA, Sedentary Behavior, and Government indicators each received a D-grade.

Conclusions

The study reveals the need for an extensive system to monitor PA among Polish children and adolescents with disabilities, and the development of effective strategies to enhance PA in this group. Children with disabilities in Poland are under-researched in the area of PA compared to their their counterparts without disabilities.

The usefulness of balance test in preseason evaluation of injuries in amputee football players: a pilot prospective observational study

Background

Low balance ability is generally associated with an increased risk of ligament injuries. It seems that assessing the level of stability in amputee football players can help evaluate the accompanying risk of sports injuries. Thus, the study aimed to examine the usefulness of the balance test in preseason evaluation by calculating between-group differences in stability parameters between injured and non-injured amputee players.

Methods

The study was designed as a pilot prospective observational study. Twenty-five elite amputee football players representing the Polish National Team and the highest division in Polish League completed one-leg preseason balance tests on the Biodex Balance System before the start of the football season. All players in this study were male, with an average age of 29 years (SD = 7.9), a stature of 174.2 cm (SD 5.2) and a body mass of 80.1 kg (SD = 13.1). Then, players were prospectively observed over one football season, and lower leg injury data were prospectively collected through the nine months. The between-group differences were tested using the non-parametric Mann-Whitney U test for players who sustained an injury (yes) and those who did not within the analysed season (no). Overall (OSI), medial-lateral (MLSI), and anterior-posterior stability index (APSI) were analysed as primary outcomes.

Results

The preseason values of the balance tests were not predictive (p > 0.05) regarding sustaining an injury during the season. No between-group differences were noted for any analysed outcomes (p values ranged from 0.093 to 0.453).

Conclusions

Although static balance tasks offer a chance to make a preliminary assessment of injury prediction in amputee footballers, in overall, the balance test results cannot be regarded as the sole predictive injury risk factor in amputee football.

Seasonality and Objective Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour among Older Adults from Four European Countries

OBJECTIVE

The present study aimed to explore the relationship between objective physical activity and sedentary behaviour with seasonality among a sample of older adults living in four European countries.

METHODS

A sample of 169 older adults living in Croatia, Greece, Portugal, and Poland (mean age = 72.2 ± 6.0, 68% female) had valid objective physical activity and sedentary behaviour data collected in different seasons of the year: spring and autumn/winter. Physical activity and sedentary behaviour were collected with accelerometers (ActiGraph, GT3X), over 7 consecutive days, in both periods. A valid record was defined as at least two weekdays and one weekend day with 10 hours of wearing time. Analyses were performed with IBM SPSS 28.0, using t-test, ANOVA, and binary logistic regressions.

RESULTS

Most older adults from the four countries met the physical activity guidelines in spring and autumn/winter. No significant variations were found across seasons for sedentary behaviour and physical activity both for light and vigorous intensity, regardless of sex, country, education, and body mass index (BMI). A decline in moderate physical activity intensity from spring to autumn/winter was found for those with lower education and higher BMI.

CONCLUSION

The promotion of physical activity must be considered in programs to promote healthy aging throughout the year, especially considering the moderate intensity and those populations with higher BMI and lower educational levels.

Physical Activity Levels and Shoulder Pain in Wheelchair Users during COVID-19 Restrictions

Background

Manual wheelchair users are at high risk of developing shoulder pain. However, it is not known if restrictions to limit the spread of the COVID-19 virus affected physical activity, wheelchair use and shoulder pain.

Objective

The aim of the study is to determine whether COVID-19 related restrictions caused changes in physical activity levels and the presence of shoulder pain in persons who use a wheelchair.

Methods

Manual wheelchair users completed a survey about the presence and severity of shoulder pain in a cross-sectional study design. Participants completed the Leisure Time Physical Activity Questionnaire and were asked about daily wheelchair activity before and during lockdown. A logistic regression examined the relationship between increase in shoulder pain severity and change in activity levels.

Results

Sixty respondents were included for analysis. There was no significant change in physical activity during lockdown. There was a significant reduction in number of hours of daily wheelchair use and number of chair transfers during lockdown. Of the respondents, 67% reported having shoulder pain and 22% reported their shoulder pain becoming more severe during lockdown. No significant relationship was observed between the change in activity levels and increasing severity of shoulder pain.

Conclusion

Restrictions to reduce the spread of the COVID-19 virus resulted in no changes in physical activity levels in a sample of adult manual wheelchair users; however, there was a reduced time using a wheelchair each day and fewer chair transfers. The changes in wheelchair activities were not related to the worsening of shoulder pain.

Sports Injuries Among Players of the Polish National Team in Amputee Football in the Annual Training Cycle

The aim of the study was to determine the frequency, type and origin of the occurrence of injuries in amputee football. The studied group comprised all members of the Polish national amputee football team (n = 25). During the 9-month observation period, 13 players incurred 22 injuries. The incidence proportion was 48.0 per 100 athletes (95% Cl, 28.4-67.6) and the incidence rate was 5.73 per 1000 athlete-days (95% Cl, 3.33-8.12). The study showed that 32.8% of the injuries were to the thigh, 13.6% to the ankle, and 9.1% to the knee. The obtained results indicate that amputee football players rather frequently incur play-related injuries, but a single athlete incurs relatively few of them, with the lower limb being most commonly injured.

Impact of Seasonality on Physical Activity: A Systematic Review

BACKGROUND

The purpose of this study was to collect and analyze the available scientific evidence of the impact of seasonality on physical activity (PA). PA refers to walking, biking, sports and/or active recreation.

METHODS

The search was performed in the following databases: PubMed, PEDro, Cochrane and Embase. All publications from January 2015 to September 2020 assessing seasonal variations on physical activity development in adults were selected.

RESULTS

A total of 1159 articles were identified, of which 26 fulfilled the selection criteria involving 9300 participants from 18 different countries. The results obtained suggest that seasonality affects PA independently of the countries, pathologies of the participants and the tool to collect PA information.

CONCLUSIONS

PA level varies across the seasons, with higher PA level in summer compared with other seasons, especially in winter. Sedentary behavior follows the opposite trend. Impact of seasonality variations should be considered in clinical research involving PA as a primary outcome as well as in interventions on PA promotion.