Jessica Hamm

Parental Perceptions of Physical Activity Benefits for Youth With Developmental Disabilities.

Physical activity promotion is of need for youth with developmental disabilities. Parental perceptions of physical activity benefits may influence youth behaviors. This study investigated the relationship between parental beliefs on the importance of physical activity and physical activity levels among youth with disabilities. Parents and caregivers of 113 youth with disabilities reported on the perceived benefits of physical activity, the childs physical activity level, and demographic information. Linear regression analyses to examine the relative association between parental perceived benefits and child physical activity (R² = 0.19) indicated that physical activity level was predicted by parental beliefs and child gender. Health promotion for youth with disabilities should consider educating parents and caregivers of physical activity benefits, in addition to creating more opportunities.

Parental Influence on Physical Activity of Children with Disabilities

Abstract The purpose of this study was to identify parental influences on physical activity behaviours of children with disabilities. One hundred and forty-eight parents of children with disabilities responded to a survey about factors related to parent and child physical activity, parental support and belief in their child’s abilities regarding physical activity. The results of multiple regression revealed that parents’ perceived competence of their child’s physical ability and parental support were the key factors of promoting physical activity behaviours of children with disabilities. Findings from this study should be utilised to inform parents on the ways that they can be most helpful for improving the physical activity experiences of their children.

What are the effects of neuromuscular training on muscle activation

ed by students Roman Berkhan, Sam Bullard, and Michael Mayuski, as well as faculty member Jessica Hamm, in the Exercise Science Program at Georgia Gwinnett College in Lawrenceville, GA. What Was the Question? Female athletes are up to eight times more likely than their male counterparts to injure their anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). This could be because female athletes demonstrate less knee flexion and greater knee valgus (or abnormal outward turning of the bone) upon initial contact with the ground when performing a side-cut maneuver. A side-cut maneuver puts extra stress on the muscles and ligaments of the legs because all of the momentum created by going in a certain direction is suddenly halted and immediately accelerated in a different direction. An example of a sidecut maneuver is when a soccer player is moving quickly to the right or left to try to go around a player of the opposite team. This shift in momentum and energy makes the muscles quickly transfer the force from one direction to another, causing extra stress and increasing the likelihood of a non-contact ACL injury. Waxman et al. (2016) asked whether a training program focused on quadricep and hamstring activation could potentially prevent non-contact ACL injuries. What Was Done? A six-week training program was conducted with 16 high school female athletes who had no prior history of knee injuries. Sessions for the program were conducted three times a week, and each session lasted about 90–120 minutes. The program, titled Sports-Metrics, consisted of a warm-up with a focus on dynamic activities (i.e., toe walk and high knees), speed/agility training, jump training (i.e., tuck jumps and squat jumps), strength training within a circuit format, and exercises to improve flexibility. Preand post-tests using wireless surface elecetromyography were conducted to measure the effectiveness of the preventive training program on the activation of the quadriceps and hamstrings during a side-cutting maneuver. The maneuver was performed five times on each leg. Trials were forfeited and run again if a participant did not make initial contact within the target area, or if there was a lack of effort. When the trials were analyzed, the highest and lowest trials were removed to yield a more accurate mean. What Was Found? Results showed “a significant increase in the dominant limb lateral hamstring activation 10 milliseconds after initial contact” (Waxman et al., 2016, p. 1). Previous research has shown that externally applied movements of knee flexion, valgus and internal tibial rotation express the greatest strain on the ACL, and these motions occur directly after initial contact. The results from this study show how neuromuscular training activates the hamstring muscles to better control rotation, therefore decreasing the strain and risk of ACL injury. What Does the Study Mean? Neuromuscular training programs have the potential to reduce the occurrences of non-contact ACL tears in female athletes. By implementing this type of training protocol one could increase the overall performance and health of female athletes. With less risk of injury and better performance, this could increase the net performance and achievements of a program without increasing the budget significantly. More research is needed to understand the benefits and applications of neuromuscular training.

Is children's weight associated with their activity levels during physical education?

ed by Maranda Harvey, Edna Badu, Precious Salami and Nicole White, who are students, and Jessica Hamm, who is an instructor, in the Exercise Science Program at Georgia Gwinnett College in Lawrenceville, GA. Research into Practice Guidelines Readers may send Research into Practice abstracts to Vicki Ebbeck at Vicki.Ebbeck@oregonstate.edu. • Abstracts must be of peer-reviewed and data-based research articles published within the past year (excluding articles previously published in JOPERD). • Abstracts should follow the Research into Practice structure and include a title and reference, along with sections that address what was the question, what was done, what was found, and what does the study mean. • Ensure research results are applicable to practitioners and relevant to the readership of JOPERD. • Length should be no more than two double-spaced pages using a 12-point font. • Attach a file of the entire source paper. What Was the Question? The number of children classified as being overweight or obese continues to rise. This trend often continues into adulthood and can have negative implications for a person’s health. One way to influence an individual’s weight status is through physical activity; however, people’s weight may also affect the amount of physical activity they engage in. Pathare, Piche, Nicosia and Haskvitz (2016) examined whether weight status was associated with the physical activity levels of children during structured physical education classes.

Influence of physical activity on the health-related quality of life of young adults with and without autism spectrum disorder

Abstract Background: Health-related quality of life constructs has been used to understand the multiple dimensions (i.e., physical health, psychological, environment and social relationships) that affect a person’s health status. In order to improve health-related quality of life for young adults, it is important to understand the factors that influence each dimension. The purpose of this paper was to examine the influence of the presence of autism spectrum disorder and physical activity on the multiple domains of health-related quality of life for young adults. Methods: Three-hundred and twenty participants, including young adults with ASD, completed a questionnaire about their physical activity and health-related quality of life. Results: Five multiple regressions revealed that the presence of autism spectrum disorder significantly predicted overall health-related quality of life, the physical health domain, psychological domain, and the environment domain. Additionally, physical activity significantly predicted each domain and overall health-related quality of life regardless of the presence of autism spectrum disorder. Conclusion: Practitioners should recognize the limitations that individuals with autism spectrum disorder may experience regarding their health-related quality of life, and utilize physical activity as a tool for improving health-related quality of life. Implications for Rehabilitation In order to address an individual’s overall health, practitioners must consider multiple dimensions of health-related quality of life. Autism spectrum disorders influence how people perceive multiple dimensions of their health. Physical activity is a tool for improving perceptions of the multiple dimensions of health for individuals with and without autism spectrum disorders.