Filipe Melo

Associations of Physical Activity with Driving-Related Cognitive Abilities in Older Drivers: An Exploratory Study:

The purpose of this study was to examine the associations between physical activity and driving-related cognitive abilities of older drivers. Thirty-eight female and male drivers ages 61 to 81 years (M = 70.2, SD = 5.0) responded to the International Physical Activity Questionnaire and were assessed on a battery of neuropsychological tests, which included measures of visual attention, executive functioning, mental status, visuospatial ability, and memory. A higher amount of reported physical activity was significantly correlated with better scores on tests of visual processing speed and divided visual attention. Higher amounts of physical activity was significantly associated with a better composite score for visual attention, but its correlation with the composite score for executive functioning was not significant. These findings support the hypothesis that pzhysical activity is associated with preservation of specific driving-related cognitive abilities of older adults.

Effects of sleeping position on back pain in physically active seniors: A controlled pilot study

BACKGROUND The increase in life expectancy of elderly population has aroused the interest of different knowledge areas in understanding the variables that are involved in the aging process, linking them to other concepts such as active aging, healthy aging and the bio-psycho-social changes. OBJECTIVE This paper presents the results of the first controlled, experimental pilot study that aimed to analyze the relationship between the perception of back pain and the sleeping position adopted by physically active female seniors. METHODS Twenty female seniors (mean age 62.70 ± 3.827) participated in this study. The individuals were separated in 2 groups (Experimental and Control Group). For the carrying out of this study, the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) was used to measure the intensity of back pain in the spine before and after four consecutive weeks an Intervention program. Individuals in the Experimental Group were instructed regarding the recommended way to sleep position (Intervention program) according to the pathological problems or the amount of pain reported. RESULTS The Experimental Group (N = 10) presented significantly (p = 0.009) fewer complaints of back pain after an Intervention program in comparison to individuals who did not receive this type of information (Control Group).

Human-Bed Interaction: A Methodology and Tool to Measure Postural Behavior during Sleep of the Air Force Military

The behavioral and postural habits and sleep rhythm of air force military change depending on the specialty work at the airbase or other types of events but we did not find anything in the literature to analyze and evaluate this behavior through sleep disorders. Perhaps this is related to the fact that the evaluation of this behavior is complex and the observation of these postural behaviors in the environmental context is needed. However the observation methodology based on ISEE software [9] allows the classification and registration of postural behaviors for long periods of time and can be applied in this context. This paper presents a study whose objective was to research the human interaction with postural behaviors during sleep in the residences’ bedrooms of male air force military during the periods in which the subjects were asleep, awake, out of bed, doing activities, using a pillow in different time periods and with ecological validation with observation method and Visual Analogical Scale (VAS). A sample of 8666 observations, which corresponds to 240 sleep-hours of 12 air force military, was classified into six (6) Interaction Categories (IC). The results show that 50,2% of the participants presented the Lateral position (25,38% on the left and 24,86% on the right) as the most common postural behavior during sleep and 94,1% used only one pillow under their head. In the IC´s, the most common interactions were sleep period using the pillow with 66,47%, followed by category Out of bed with 25,32% and followed the category the activities and using the pillow with 6,95%. Findings of this study allow suggesting what graphical interface designers must seek as new strategies and solutions for behavior change in posture in bed, exploring other peripheral equipment for sleep position; or, at least, to improve the posture of the participants when using the number and the placement of the pillow in bed and if these Ergonomic changes can influence the reduction in back pain indications.

International Conference on Technology and Innovation in Sports, Health and Wellbeing (TISHW)

Introduction ObesiTIC is a project which aims to investigate innovative information and communication technologies resulting in a new ICT tool specifically designed for children and teenagers, in order to acquire healthy lifestyles, promoting physical activity and avoiding health and social problems associated with obesity and overweight. This is achieved through its co-design and validation with children and teens following a Living Lab approach through SPORTIS Living Lab, a European Network of Living Lab’s effective member. Objectives 1. To develop an innovative solution that would enable healthrelated behaviour changes, increase motivation, promote physical activity and reduce prolonged sedentary time in users, thanks to persuasive and ubiquitous computing techniques. 2. To be validated by SPORTIS Living Lab. Following SPORTIS aim to involve society in the innovation process, ObesiTIC will be validated by end-users (children and teenagers) combined with the development of the application and final product, in order to suit and respect all the needs and aspects of the users’ requirements. Methods A Living Lab methodology is implemented:

Interdisciplinary working practices: can creative dance improve math?

Abstract This study is integrated in the field of Dance in Education, focusing on the instrumentalist aspect of art. We focused on creative dance as a catalyst to learn Mathematics’ contents. This interdisciplinary work can enhance the learning, as far as the understanding of Mathematics’ concepts is achieved through the body and revealed by expressive and creative movement. The main purpose of the investigation, quasi-experimental, was to analyze the impact of creative dance in the learning of Mathematics’ concepts in children (7/8 year old) in primary education, in two Portuguese schools. The sample included 8 classes, 117 children in total, of both genders. The intervention has taken place in two groups (experimental group and control group), with four sessions of creative dance in the experimental group. Both groups were assessed on three different occasions (pre-test, post-test and retest). The statistical techniques used for processing the data were the analysis of variance of mixed plans and the Student’s t test for paired samples. The conclusions showed that the students who consolidated the knowledge in the creative dance classes, exhibited significant differences in their learning gains in Mathematics, as compared to the control group.

Proliferation of community exercise programs with limited evidence and expertise: Safety implications: Proliferation of community exercise programs

A number of research studies underscore the beneficial effects that physiotherapy and exercise can have on functional activities involving gait, transfers, and balance in Parkinson’s disease (PD). People with Parkinson’s (PwP) can receive this care in a range of settings from various professionals. Evidence is emerging that supports a number of community programs for PwP that incorporate different nonconventional types of group exercises, including dance, boxing, Nordic walking, tai chi, and aquatic exercise. There are reasons to be optimistic that these new initiatives may be a long-term cost-effective and easily accessible care strategy for ongoing exercise for PwP. However, data regarding their true benefits and the best approaches to implementation are still limited. Notably, there is an optimal minimal level of disease-specific expertise necessary, particularly with respect to safely integrating exercises and reducing the risk of falls and other possible safety issues. By prematurely referring PwP to exercise approaches that do not have robust evidence and are led by instructors with a lack of professional expertise, health professionals may favor unnecessary procedures, foster unrealistic expectations in PwP (particularly those with less favorable profiles), and could ultimately be putting patients at risk of falls and/or injury. As such, several important questions regarding the specificity to PD and safety issues are now arising that should fuel future research. First, should we obtain more evidence about these community exercise programs and then implement them within the community setting, or should we start these programs first, even if little evidence is available? Second, taking into account the financial considerations, accessibility, and safety issues and the progressive nature of the disease, who should implement such community programs? Should physiotherapists incorporate boxing, dance, or tai chi into to their clinical practice? Or would it be more feasible while equally effective to train exercise instructors who teach community programs? Safe evidence-based practices must be a priority for care in all settings, including the community. Several courses of action may be needed to address the gap between expertise, evidence, its dissemination, and its implementation into community exercise practices. Programs must be made available and accessible to PwP by reducing critical financial and travel barriers. If evidencebased practices are not covered or are inaccessible, they will simply not be used. Even if PwP may have limited access to evidenced-based care, that care, when delivered, should be delivered by instructors with PD expertise. It is critical to enhance expertise among professionals who deliver these exercise programs through specific training, adequate ongoing educational support, and continuous contact with PwP. In addition, we also need to enhance public and PwP awareness of evidence-based exercise programs and their locations. Increasing public interest in community exercise programs may also potentially positively influence the direction of clinical research and advance clinical practice. All these actions can begin to guide us away from care disparities and promote better care for PwP. Without them, no amount of evidence will matter.

A Dança Criativa na Escola: Dançar com a Matemática?

E inquestionavel que a danca, na esfera educativa, deve ser uma area de natureza artistica e autonoma, como a literatura evidencia, pois tem um papel fulcral na integracao das faculdades corporais, intelectuais, criativas e esteticas, promovendo um desenvolvimento completo e equilibrado da crianca e do jovem. Este artigo apresenta uma metodologia de trabalho de danca centrada na abordagem interdisciplinar, desenvolvida na parte experimental do estudo de doutoramento. Este estudo pretendeu descobrir um outro potencial da danca: se relacionarmos a danca com outras areas disciplinares podera, tambem, estimular a aprendizagem de conceitos por abranger o corpo com solucoes criativas de movimento? Apresentamos, assim, as sessoes de danca de âmbito interdisciplinar com a Matematica, como tambem a concecao que presidiu a sua construcao. Palavras-chave: Danca Criativa; Sessoes de Danca; Aprendizagem Interdisciplinar; Matematica; 1.o Ciclo do Ensino Basico

Mathematical and Statistical Concepts Applied to Health and Motor Control

Variability and complexity are characteristic of human motor behavior. Research concerning movement patterns generation is a subject of interest shared by different areas like sports, health, or neurosciences. Among other motor abilities, postural control or gait, are abilities studied in normal and disabled subjects of different ages, using different types of methodologies and analytical approaches, including linear and nonlinear models. Nevertheless, depending on what we are looking for, these approaches can be more or less accurate for our purposes. Humans as biological systems, must be analyzed in a dynamical way, employing specific tools. The knowledge of the information given by these tools can be very helpful in medical research allowing the clinicians to identify and differentiate specific motor manifestations, like tremor, or postural instability, that are common to different pathologies, or even different levels of severity, like in Parkinson’s Disease.