Carlos A. Cordente

Influencia de determinantes socio-demográficos en la adherencia a las recomendaciones de actividad física en personas de entre 15 y 74 años de Madrid

Background: To know the adherence to physical activity recommendations of the population is of clinical and social interest. The aim of this study was to estimate the proportion of Spanish adults adhering to the physical activity recommendations, and to examine the influences of socio-demographic correlates. Methods: In the present cross-sectional study we conducted a telephone survey of 1,500 Spanish adults (15-74 years old) from Madrid (Spain). Physical activity (work place, transport and leisure time) was assessed with the version 2 of the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQv2). Participants were categorized in three physical activity levels (low, moderate and high). The socio-demographic correlates included: gender, age, educational level, employment status, marital status, smoking status, and self-perceived health. The association between socio-demographic factors and physical activity was examined with multinomial logistic regression analysis. Results: A total of 82% of men and 78% of women (total 80%) had moderate to high levels of physical activity, yet, when considering the leisure time physical activity, only 40,1% of mean and 22,6% of women (total 31.1%) reach the recommendations. Participants with university degree (OR: 2.05; 95%IC: 1.48-2.86), those who were smokers (OR: 1.41; 95%IC: 1.04-1.90), and those who perceived their health as bad (OR: 3.58; 95%IC: 2.39-5.38) were more likely to not to reach the recommendations. In contrast, those participants aged 35-44 years (OR: 0.61; 95%IC: 0.39-0.95) and 45-54 years (OR: 0.52; 95%IC: 0.32-0.83) were less likely not to reach the recommendations. Conclusions: The 20% of adults from Madrid did not reach the physical activity recommendations, and when considering only leisure time physical activity, only 69% reached the recommendations. The findings suggest that the educational level, smoking status, and the self-perceived health seem to be key determinants. There is a large diversity in the physical activity levels in the population subgroup; therefore, there is a need of developing social-ecological approaches to physical activity promotion.

Body sway and performance at competition in male pistol and rifle Olympic shooters

Summary Study aim: We examine the body sway differences between a) pistol and rifle and b) elite and national level senior male Olympic shooters, as well as the possible relation between body sway and performance at competition in Olympic shooting. Material and methods: Two body sway tests (feet together and feet apart) were performed by 28 Spanish male senior Olympic shooters just before competition. Performance was measured as the actual score at competition. Total center of mass (COM) areas and average/maximum COM velocities were calculated from force platform data. ANCOVA tests were implemented with age as a covariable. The non-parametric test U of Mann Whitney was used to study the differences between national and elite shooters. Pearson correlations were used to examine the relation between performance and total COM area. Results: At the feet apart position, rifle and elite shooters were found to have statistically less body sway than pistol and national level shooters respectively (total COM areas: F1,25 = 6.7; p < 0.05, and Z = 2.36; p < 0.01). No statistically significant differences were found regarding the feet together position, regardless the level or discipline (total COM areas: F1,25 = 1.49 ; p > 0.05; 1 – β = 0.22, average COM velocities: F1,25 = 0.58; p > 0.05; 1 – β = 0.11, maximum COM velocities: F1,25 = 0.03; p > 0.05; 1 – β = 0.05). No significant relation was found between body sway and performance at competition (feet together: r = 0.13, feet apart: r = 0.14, p > 0.05). Age and body sway were not found to be significantly correlated (F1,25 = 0.23; p > 0.05; 1 – β = 0.08). Conclusions: Easy to carry out, non-specific body sway tests can be used for the selection of novice shooters.

Validation of a Dumbbell Body Sway Test in Olympic Air Pistol Shooting

We present and validate a test able to provide reliable body sway measurements in air pistol shooting, without the use of a gun. 46 senior male pistol shooters who participated in Spanish air pistol championships participated in the study. Body sway data of two static bipodal balance tests have been compared: during the first test, shooting was simulated by use of a dumbbell, while during the second test the shooters own pistol was used. Both tests were performed the day previous to the competition, during the official training time and at the training stands to simulate competition conditions. The participantś performance was determined as the total score of 60 shots at competition. Apart from the commonly used variables that refer to movements of the shooters centre of pressure (COP), such as COP displacements on the X and Y axes, maximum and average COP velocities and total COP area, the present analysis also included variables that provide information regarding the axes of the COP ellipse (length and angle in respect to X). A strong statistically significant correlation between the two tests was found (with an interclass correlation varying between 0.59 and 0.92). A statistically significant inverse linear correlation was also found between performance and COP movements. The study concludes that dumbbell tests are perfectly valid for measuring body sway by simulating pistol shooting.

Detecting changes in the basin of attraction of a dynamical system: Application to the postural restoring system

A method that provides a three-dimensional representation of the basin of attraction of a dynamical system from experimental data was applied to the problem of dynamic balance restoration. The method is based on the density of the data on the phase space of the system under study and makes use of modeling and numerical curve fitting tools. For the dynamical system of balance restoration, the shape and the size of the basin of attraction depend on the dynamics of the postural restoring mechanisms and contain important information regarding the biomechanical, as well as the neuromuscular condition of the individual. The aim of this work was to examine the ability of the method to detect, through the observed changes in the shape and/or the size of the calculated basins of attraction, (a) the inherent differences between different systems (in the current application, postural restoring systems of different individuals) and (b) induced changes in the same system (the postural restoring system of an individual). The results of the study confirm the validity of the method and furthermore justify its robustness.

Cardiorespiratory Fitness Cutoff Points for Early Detection of Present and Future Cardiovascular Risk in Children:A 2-Year Follow-up Study

Objective: To examine the association between cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) at baseline and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in 6‐ to 10‐year‐olds (cross‐sectional) and 2 years later (8‐ to 12‐year‐olds [longitudinal]) and whether changes with age in CRF are associated with CVD risk in children aged 8 to 12 years. Patients and Methods: Spanish primary schoolchildren (n=236) aged 6 to 10 years participated at baseline. Of the 23 participating primary schools, 22% (n=5) were private schools and 78% (n=18) were public schools. The dropout rate at 2‐year follow‐up was 9.7% (n=23). The 20‐m shuttle run test was used to estimate CRF. The CVD risk score was computed as the mean of 5 CVD risk factor standardized scores: sum of 2 skinfolds, systolic blood pressure, insulin/glucose, triglycerides, and total cholesterol/high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol. Results: At baseline, CRF was inversely associated with single CVD risk factors (all P<.05) and CVD risk score at baseline and follow‐up (P<.001). Cardiorespiratory fitness cutoff points of 39.0 mL/kg per minute or greater in boys and 37.5 mL/kg per minute or greater in girls are discriminative to identify CVD risk in childhood (area under the curve, >0.85; P<.001) and to predict CVD risk 2 years later (P=.004). Persistent low CRF or the decline of CRF from 6‐10 to 8‐12 years of age is associated with increased CVD risk at age 8 to 12 years (P<.001). Conclusion: During childhood, CRF is a strong predictor of CVD risk and should be monitored to identify children with potential CVD risk. Abbreviations and Acronyms: AUC = area under the curve; CRF = cardiorespiratory fitness; CVD = cardiovascular disease; HDL‐C = high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol; HOMA‐IR = homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance; OR = odds ratio; SBP = systolic blood pressure; TC = total cholesterol; TG = triglycerides; VO2max = maximum oxygen consumption

Finger Flexor Force Influences Performance in Senior Male Air Pistol Olympic Shooting

The ability to stabilize the gun is crucial for performance in Olympic pistol shooting and is thought to be related to the shooters muscular strength. The present study examines the relation between performance and finger flexor force as well as shoulder abduction isometric force in senior male air pistol shooting. 46 Spanish national level shooters served as test subjects of the study. Two maximal force tests were carried out recording handgrip and deltoid force data under competition conditions, during the official training time at national Spanish championships. Performance was measured as the total score of 60 shots at competition. Linear regressions were calculated to examine the relations between performance and peak and average finger flexor forces, peak and average finger flexor forces relative to the BMI, peak and average shoulder abduction isometric forces, peak shoulder abduction isometric force relative to the BMI. The connection between performance and other variables such as age, weight, height, BMI, experience in years and training hours per week was also analyzed. Significant correlations were found between performance at competition and average and peak finger flexor forces. For the rest of the force variables no significant correlations were found. Significant correlations were also found between performance at competition and experience as well as training hours. No significant correlations were found between performance and age, weight, height or BMI. The study concludes that hand grip strength training programs are necessary for performance in air pistol shooting.