Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Pedometer-Determined Physical Activity, Bmi And Waist Girth In 7- To 16- Year-Old Children And Adolescents, Beth P. Hands, Helen Parker

Health Sciences Papers and Journal Articles

Background: Different approaches to measuring physical activity and fatness in youth have resulted in studies reporting relationships ranging from very strong to non-existent.

Methods: The sample comprised 787 males and 752 females aged between 7 and 16 years. Pedometer-determined physical activity, height, weight and waist girth measures were taken.

Results: Significant differences were found in activity level between BMI-determined weight categories for the females (F(1, 742) = 9.07, p = .003) but not for the males (F(1, 777) = 3.59, p = .06) and between truncal adiposity groupings for both the males (F(1, 777) = 4.69, p = .03) and …

The Relationship Between Physical Activity, Motor Competence And Health-Related Fitness In 14-Year-Old Adolescents, Beth P. Hands, Dawne Larkin, Helen Parker, Leon Straker, Mark Perry

Health Sciences Papers and Journal Articles

Physical activity, physical fitness, and motor competence are important health-related constructs. However, the relationship between them, particularly among children and adolescents, is still unclear. In this study, motor competence (measured by the McCarron Assessment of Neuromuscular Development), pedometer-determined physical activity and physical fitness (aerobic fitness, muscle strength, muscle endurance, flexibility and body composition) were examined in a cohort of 1585 adolescents (771 girls, 814 boys) of mean age 14.1 yrs. Significant gender differences were observed for all measures except motor competence. Apart from hip and shoulder flexibility, males outperformed females. For both males and females, motor competence was associated with …

Changes In Motor Skill And Fitness Measures Among Children With High And Low Motor Competence: A Five-Year Longitudinal Study, Beth Hands

Health Sciences Papers and Journal Articles

Children with low motor competence (LMC) are less able to participate fully in many sports and recreational activities typically enjoyed by their well-coordinated peers. Poor fitness outcomes have been reported for these children, although previous studies have not tracked these outcomes over time. In this study, 19 children (8 girls and 11 boys) with LMC aged between 5 and 7 years were matched by age and gender with 19 children with high motor competence (HMC). Six fitness (body compostion and cardiovascular endurance) and motor skill (sprint run, standing broad jump and balance) measures were repeated for each group once a …

Fitness, Motor Competence And Body Composition As Correlates Of Adolescent Neck/Shoulder Pain: An Exploratory Cross-Sectional Study, Mark Perry, Leon Straker, Peter O'Sullivan, Anne Smith, Beth P. Hands

Health Sciences Papers and Journal Articles

Background: Adolescent neck/shoulder pain (NSP) is a common and sometimes debilitating problem. Several risk factors for this condition have been investigated, but no studies have previously evaluated associations between fitness, motor competence, body composition and adolescent NSP.

Methods: 1608 males and females of mean age 14 years answered questions on their history of NSP (4 measures), and were tested for aerobic fitness, upper and lower limb power, trunk endurance, grip strength, shoulder flexibility, motor competence and anthropometric factors. Univariate and multivariate logistic regressions were used to test for associations between NSP and physical variables.

Results: There were significant gender differences …

Chronic Non-Specific Low Back Pain – Sub-Groups Or A Single Mechanism?, Benedict M. Wand, Neil E. O'Connell

Health Sciences Papers and Journal Articles

Low back pain is a substantial health problem and has subsequently attracted a considerable amount of research. Clinical trials evaluating the efficacy of a variety of interventions for chronic non-specific low back pain indicate limited effectiveness for most commonly applied interventions and approaches.

Many clinicians challenge the results of clinical trials as they feel that this lack of effectiveness is at odds with their clinical experience of managing patients with back pain. A common explanation for this discrepancy is the perceived heterogeneity of patients with chronic non-specific low back pain. It is felt that the effects of treatment may be …