Associations between Feelings of Loneliness and Attitudes towards Physical Education in Contemporary Adolescents According to Sex, and Physical Activity Engagement.

BACKGROUND: Currently, adolescents grow up consuming a large amount of multimedia content and lead a sedentary lifestyle. As a result, emerging trends show greater feelings of loneliness. The present research seeks to describe adolescents' attitudes towards Physical Education (PE), indices of loneliness and physical activity (PA) engagement. Further, it analyses associations between attitudes towards PE as a function of PA engagement and considers sex, loneliness and school year repetition as factors. METHOD: A sample of 2388 adolescents (43.3% males and 56.6% females) was recruited. Participants were aged 11-17 years (M = 13.8 years; SD = 1.2) and came from Spain. The following instruments were used: The Attitudes towards Physical Education questionnaire (AQPE) in order to analyze attitudes towards PE, and the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) loneliness scale to estimate loneliness. RESULTS: With regard to sex and attitudes towards PE, significant differences were detected in relation to the difficulty of PE, with higher values being achieved in males (M = 2.4) than females (M = 2.3). A medium correlation emerged between the dimension of loneliness and the usefulness of PE (r = 0.323 **). CONCLUSIONS: It is confirmed that adolescents who experience greater levels of emotional or relational loneliness have less positive attitudes towards PE.

Effects of the Application of a Program of Adapted Utilitarian Judo (JUA) on the Fear of Falling Syndrome (FOF) for the Health Sustainability of the Elderly Population.

This research analyzes the fall history of a group of elderly people and studies the effects of an intervention program based on Adapted Utilitarian Judo (JUA) to teach fall control in subjects with fear of falling syndrome (FOF). We adopted a quasi-experimental research design with pre-post measurement of the experimental group, in a healthy, pre-fragile sample of 12 women aged 71.5 ± 8 years, chosen using non-probabilistic-incidental accessibility sampling. The WHO questionnaire was used for the functional assessment of the fall. To evaluate FOF, we applied the 16-item version of the Falls Efficacy Scale-International (FES-I), (pretest and posttest). This intervention program was based on Adapted Utilitarian Judo and conducted over 8 weeks, with two 60-minute sessions each week. After analyzing the scores obtained by the subjects in the pre and post FES-I, we found that the intervention with the JUA program had been significant for the experimental group with p ≤ 0.004, and there was an 11.9% decrease in the fear of falling (FES-I pos = 18.17). The results show that after the application of the JUA program there were significant improvements in subjects' perception of FOF, with this being greater in those who had the highest levels of fear of falling before the intervention.

Evaluación de un programa motivacional de establecimiento de objetivos para la optimización del rendimiento en deportistas de alto nivel: una aproximación cualitativa / Evaluation of a motivational program to goal setting to optimize performance in high level athletes: a qualitative approach / Avaliação de um programa motivacional de estabelecimento de objectivos para a optimização do rendimento em desportistas de alto nível: uma abordagem qualitativa

El propósito de este estudio se orienta a descubrir las bondades de un programa de entrenamiento por establecimiento de objetivos (EO) desde la óptica de los propios implicados. Para ello, se diseña y se aplica un programa motivacional de EO en dos equipos de fútbol de alto nivel, con metas a corto, medio y largo plazo, individual y colectivo, abordando tipologías de objetivos autoimpuestos en los planos físico, técnico-táctico y psicológico. La metodología empleada se sustenta en el método de investigación evaluativa. El enfoque metodológico predominante es de naturaleza interpretativa, y se concreta en un diseño articulado desde los preceptos de la Grounded Theory (o Teoría Fundamentada en los datos). El análisis de los datos cualitativos se llevó a cabo mediante el software Atlas.ti. Los datos registrados se utilizaron como base para la elaboración de networks (o mapas conceptuales) y para el cálculo del coeficiente C, posteriormente se exportan a una matriz de datos cuantitativa para trabajar técnicas estadísticas descriptiva y correlacional (medidas de dispersión y coeficientes de contingencia). Los resultados obtenidos ofrecen una caracterización de objetivos establecidos por deportistas de alto nivel, según categoría y demarcación de los jugadores. Se llega a la conclusión de que la mayor parte de los objetivos que se plantean los jugadores son fundamentalmente de corte psicológico, más que físicos o técnico-tácticos, al igual que los objetivos perseguidos por centrocampistas y porteros

The purpose of this study was to discover the benefits of a training program by goal setting from the perspective of those involved. To this end, a motivational goal setting program is designed and implemented in two high-level football teams, with short, medium and long term goals, individual and collective, addressing typologies of selfimposed objectives in the physical, technical-tactical and psychological. The methodology used was based on the method of evaluative research. The predominant methodological approach is of an interpretive nature, and is concretized in a design articulated from the Grounded Theory. The analysis of the qualitative data was carried out using Atlas.ti software. The data recorded were used as a basis for the elaboration of networks (or conceptual maps) and for the calculation of the coefficient C, subsequently exported to a quantitative data matrix to work descriptive and correlational statistical techniques (dispersion measures and contingency coefficients). The results obtained offer a characterization of objectives established by high level athletes, according to category and demarcation of the players. It is concluded that most of the objectives that the players pose are fundamentally psychological, rather than physical or technical-tactical, as are the goals pursued by midfielders and goalkeepers

O objetivo deste estudo foi descobrir os benefícios de um programa de treino tendo por base o estabelecimento de objetivos da perspectiva dos envolvidos. Para isso, um programa motivacional de estabelecimento de objetivos foi desenvolvido e aplicada a duas equipas de futebol de alto nível, com objetivos a curto, médio e longo prazo, bem como individuais e coletivos abordando tipologias de objetivos auto-impostas ao nível físico, técnico-tático e psicológico. A metodologia utilizada baseiou-se no método de pesquisa avaliadora. A abordagem metodológica foi predominante de natureza interpretativa e é concretizada numprojeto articulado a partir dos pressupostos da Grounded Theory (ou teoria fundamentada nos dados). A análise dos dados qualitativos foi realizada utilizando o software Atlas.ti. Os dados registados foram utilizados com base para o desenvolvimento de redes (ou mapas conceituais) e para o cálculo do coeficiente C, depois foram exportados para uma matriz de dados quantitativos, sendo analisados com recurso a uma análise descritiva e de correlação estatísticas descritivas e correlacionais (medidas de dispersão e coeficientes de contingência). Os resultados obtidos oferecem uma caracterização dos objetivos estabelecidos pelos atletas de alto nível, de acordo com a categoria e limitação dos jogadores. Conclui-se que a maioria dos objetivos que os jogadores criam são maioritariamente psicológicos, comparativamente aos físicos ou técnico-táticos, bem como os objetivos perseguidos pelos médios-centro e guarda-redes