Brazilian Women in Paralympic Sports: Uncovering Historical Milestones in the Summer Paralympic Games.

The journey of Brazilian female Paralympians transcends mere statistical increases in women's participation. Behind the modest athlete growth lies the reality of women who are doubly marginalized by the intersection of gender and disability in an arena tailored for able-bodied men. Our study aimed to catalyze critical discourses surrounding the historical trajectory of Paralympic women's sports. Through a comprehensive documentary analysis based on the Brazilian Paralympic Committee's official documents from 1976 to 2021, we sought to shed light on this complex scenario. Numerically, Brazil's representation comprised 229 women who, predominantly, had physical impairments and engaged in individual sports. In addition to a sporting legacy deeply entrenched in physical rehabilitation with limited opportunities for team-based sports, we observed negative influences stemming from ableist and sexist narratives. A thorough investigation into Paralympic milestones revealed a multitude of social barriers and highlighted the significant impact of societal changes in reshaping athletic opportunities and challenging traditional stereotypes.

Functional fitness benchmark values for older adults: a systematic review.

Introduction: The use of normative values and/or standards of functional fitness in adults is relevant to overall health and well-being. The objectives of the study were: to identify the physical tests of the senior fitness test (SFT) that have been applied since its proposal and to describe the proposed percentiles according to age, sex and country. Methods: A systematic review study was conducted in the Pubmed and Scopus databases. As eligibility criteria, we considered the period from 1999 to 2022 that presented data on SFT test used in the population over 60 years of age and that described normative values through percentiles. MeSH were used as: (1) Physical fitness, Exercise test, Senior Fitness Test, Functional fitness, Cardiorespiratory fitness, (2) older adult, aged, (3) Reference standards, standards, standards of care. Boolean operators "AND" and "OR" were included. Data extracted from the selected studies included: year of publication, country, sample age, sample size, sample sex, fitness component. Results and discussion: Seven studies were identified in five countries (03 in China, 01 in Poland, 01 in Portugal, 01 in Spain and 01 in United States). The age range ranged from 60 to 103 years. The studies were conducted in both sexes. The study with the smallest sample size was by Chung et al. (China) with 944 participants and the largest number of participants was the study by Rikli and Jones in the United States with 7,183 participants. In general, no study was able to complete 100% (8 components) of the tests proposed in the SFT. Normative values were presented through percentile distribution (p10, p50 and p90) organized by age ranges. Males presented better performance in FPF tests than females in all tests. Since the first publication of the SFT until 2022, seven articles have been published in countries such as United States, China (three regional studies), Poland, Portugal and Spain. No study has published the complete battery with its eight components. The percentiles of functional fitness reflect decline with advancing age. Systematic review registration: PROSPERO (CRD42023441294: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42023441294).

Prediction of fat-free mass from body surface area in young basketball players.

BACKGROUND: Fat Free Mass (FFM) is an important and essential indicator in various sports populations, since greater muscle and bone mass generates greater strength, endurance and speed in athletes. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the study was to validate Body Surface Area (BSA) as an anthropometric indicator to estimate FFM in young basketball players. METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out in 105 male basketball players of the Brazilian Basketball Confederation of Sao Paulo (Campinas), Brazil. The age range was 11 to 15 years. Weight and height were evaluated. BSA, body mass index (BMI) and maturity status (MS) were calculated. Total body scanning was performed by dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). The components were extracted: Fat mass (FM), Fat free mass (FFM), percentage of fat mass (%FM) and bone mass (BM). The data were analyzed using the correlation coefficient of concordance (CCC) in terms of precision and accuracy. RESULTS: Three regression equations were generated: equation 1 had age and body weight as predictors [FFM= -30.059+(2.926*age)+(0.625*Weight)] (R2 = 92%, precision = 0.96 and accuracy = 0.99), equation 2 used age and BSA [FFM=-45.719+(1.934*age)+(39.388*BSA)] (R2 = 94%, precision = 0.97 and accuracy = 0.99) and equation 3 was based on APHV and BSA [FFM=-15.284+(1.765*APHV)+(37.610*(BSA)] (R2 = 94%, precision = 0.96 and accuracy = 0.99). CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest the use of anthropometric equation using decimal age and BSA to estimate FFM in young basketball players. This new method developed can be used to design, evaluate and control training programs and monitor the weight status of athletes.

Body surface area is a predictor of maturity status in school children and adolescents.

BACKGROUND: Generally, Body surface area (BSA) changes significantly during growth and maturation. These increases portend a possible relationship between body size as determined by BSA with maturational status in children and adolescents. OBJECTIVE: To determine the relationship between maturity status (MS) obtained by non-invasive anthropometric methods and body surface area (BSA) in children and adolescents of both sexes in a regional population of Chile. Additionally, we sought to verify the type of linear or nonlinear relationship between MS and BSA in both sexes. METHODS: A descriptive (cross-sectional) study was designed in 950 children and adolescents of both sexes (539 males and 411 females). The age range ranged from 6.0 to 17.9 years. Anthropometric measurements were evaluated: body weight, standing height, sitting height. MS was assessed by means of two non-invasive anthropometric techniques. Both techniques predict peak years of growth velocity (APHV) through a regression equation for each sex. BSA (m2) was estimated by means of the Haycock equation. RESULTS: The R2 in the linear model is relatively lower (R2 = 0.80 to 0.89 in males and 0.74 to 0.66 in females) in relation to the nonlinear quadratic model (R2 = 0.81 in males and 0.76 to 0.69). The quadratic nonlinear quadratic model reflected an adequate fit (RMSE) for the data set, being in men (RMSE = 1.080 and 1.125), while in women (RMSE = 1.779 and 1.479). CONCLUSION: BSA is positively associated with MS determined by two non-invasive methods in Chilean children and adolescents: The nonlinear quadratic model was a better fit to the data distribution. The results suggest the use of BSA as a possible predictor of maturity status in Chilean youth.

Fat-free mass and maturity status are determinants of physical fitness performance in schoolchildren and adolescents.

OBJECTIVES: The objective of the study was to verify whether (FFM), maturity status (MS) and chronological age (CA) are determinants of physical fitness performance, and to analyze FFM and physical performance aligned by CA and MS in children and adolescents. METHODS: A descriptive correlational study was carried out in 863 schoolchildren. Weight, height, and waist circumference (WC) were evaluated. Body mass index (BMI), FFM, fat mass (FM), MS (Age at peak height velocity, APHV) were calculated. The physical tests of velocity 20 m, agility 5 m x 10rep, and horizontal jump (HJ) were evaluated. RESULTS: The APHV was estimated in boys at 14.0 ± 0.36APHV and in girls at 11.96 ± 0.49APHV. The relationships between CA and APHV with FFM was r = 0.80 in boys and r = 0.44 to 0.45 in girls. The relationships between FFM and physical tests in boys were [HJ (r = 0.70), agility 5m x 10rep (r = -0.68), velocity (r = -0.61)] and in girls [HJ (r = 0.42), agility 5m x 10rep (r = -0.52), velocity (r = -0.20)]. The differences in FFM and physical fitness tests were more pronounced when aligned by APHV than by CA. CONCLUSION: It was verified that both FFM, CA, and APHV are determinants of physical fitness performance. In addition, the APHV should be introduced in physical education as a means of ranking physical performance among schoolchildren.

Purple grape juice improves performance of recreational runners, but the effect is genotype dependent: a double blind, randomized, controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: We examined the influence of superoxide dismutase 3 (SOD3) Arg213Gly and Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated α-Receptor (PPARα) 7G/C polymorphisms to a single dose of purple grape juice supplementation on time-to-exhaustion running test, redox balance and muscle damage in recreational runners. METHODS: Forty-seven male recreational runners performed a running test until exhaustion after supplementation with grape juice or a control drink. Serum total antioxidant capacity (TAC), malondialdehyde (MDA), plasma nitrite (NO), creatine kinase (CK) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) were measured pre and post exercise. Also, polymorphisms were analyzed in DNA extracted from the oral mucosa. RESULTS: Grape juice improved the time-to-exhaustion. When analyzed by genotype, the recreational runners with GG+CG genotypes of the SOD3 gene had greater time-to-exhaustion than the CC genotype, but was no different for the PAPRα gene. A slight difference was noted in TAC, since the CC genotype of the SOD3 gene showed higher TAC values in the post-exercise compared to the baseline and with pre-exercise, but these values did not increase compared to the CG+GG group, respectively. The SOD3 and PPARα genes were similar at all times for the other biochemical variables. CONCLUSION: The ergogenic effect of grape juice was genotype-dependent for SOD3 Arg213Gly. However, biochemical redox balance markers did not explain this difference.

Estimation of Pubertal Growth Spurt Parameters in Children and Adolescents Living at Moderate Altitude in Colombia.

Objective: Knowledge of the biological parameters of pubertal growth spurt allows verification of secular changes and exploration of the timing of puberty. The aim of the study was to estimate final height, age at peak height velocity (APHV), and peak height velocity PHV (cm/y) in children and adolescents living at moderate altitude in Colombia. Methods: A cross-sectional study was designed in 2.295 schoolchildren from Bogotá (Colombia) with an age range from 5.0 to 18.9 years. Height (cm) was assessed. Preece-Baines model 1 (1PB) was used to make inferences about mathematical and biological parameters. Results: The five mathematical parameters estimated in general have reflected quality in the fit to the model, reflecting a small residual error. Final height was reached in boys at 170.8 ± 0.4 cm and in girls at 157.9 ± 0.2 cm. APHV was estimated at 12.71 ± 0.1 years in boys and 10.4 ± 0.2 years in girls. Girls reached APHV 2.2 years earlier than boys. In relation to PHV (cm/y), boys reached higher growth speed in height (7.4 ± 0.4 cm/y), and in girls it was (7.0 ± 0.2 cm/y). Conclusion: It was determined that final height was reached at 170.8 ± 0.4 cm in boys and 157.9 ± 0.2 cm in girls, and APHV (years) and PHV (cm/ye) were reached relatively early and with average peak velocity similar to Asian and Western populations. A large-scale longitudinal study is needed to confirm these findings.