Suchergebnisse

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of demographic and occupational characteristics, anthropometric indices, lifestyle adopted and physical activity levels, free (leisure) or structured in the form of institutional training (Physical Education), sources of Stress and coping strategies, and the perception of the state of physical and mental health of the State Police of Puglia. Methods: The sample consists of 101 police officers (age 46.08 ± 5.66 years, weight 81.60 ± 14.04 kg, height 173.47 ± 6.14 cm) volunteers for this study. The Occupational Stress Indicator and the Short Form-12 were used, along with a questionnaire of socio-demographic, occupational and anthropometric data. Statistical analyzes were performed using descriptive analyzes followed by the analysis of multiple linear regression with the stepwise method. The level of significance was set at p <0.05. Results: To follow an active lifestyle, practicing motor sports or sports at any level, especially in institutional training environments (Physical Education), can enable State Police operators to cope with stress by adequately increasing coping strategies. In addition, the beneficial effects of active lifestyle on some sources of stress and perception of the physical health status are mediated by some bio-anthropometric data, such as abdominal circumference, which inversely correlate with the intensity and continuity of the sports motorcycle practice Structured and motivated. Conclusions: These findings encourage Formation of the Order's Forces to adopt an institutional policy that allows police practitioners to regularly attend Physical Education, Adapted Physical Education programs to their age and working characteristics in order to maintain and improve their form Psycho-physical, performance and quality of life. Scopi: Il presente studio ha voluto determinare gli effetti delle caratteristiche demografiche e occupazionali, indici antropometrici, stile di vita adottato e livelli di attività fisica, libera (Tempo Libero) o strutturata sotto forma di percorso formativo istituzionale (Educazione Fisica), sulle fonti di stress e le strategie di coping, e sulla percezione dello stato di salute fisica e mentale degli operatori della Polizia di Stato della Puglia. Metodi: Il campione è costituito da 101 operatori di polizia (età 46.08 ± 5.66 anni, peso 81.60 ± 14.04 kg, altezza 173.47 ± 6.14 cm) volontari per questo studio. Sono stati utilizzati l'Occupational Stress Indicator e lo Short Form-12, insieme ad un questionario di dati socio- demografici, occupazionali e antropometrici. Le analisi statistiche sono state effettuate usando le analisi descrittive seguite dall'analisi della regressione lineare multipla con il metodo stepwise. Il livello di significatività è stato fissato a p<0.05. Risultati: Seguire uno stile di vita attivo, praticando attività motoria o sportiva a qualsiasi livello, soprattutto nei contesti formativi istituzionali (Educazione Fisica), può consentire agli operatori della Polizia di Stato di fronteggiare lo stress adeguatamente incrementando le strategie di coping. Inoltre, gli effetti benefici dello stile di vita attivo su alcune fonti di stress e sulla percezione dello stato di salute fisica sono mediati da alcuni dati bioantropometrici, come la circonferenza addominale, che correlano inversamente all'intensità ed alla continuità della pratica motorio sportiva strutturata e motivata. Conclusioni: Questi risultati incoraggiano i responsabili della Formazione delle Forze dell'Ordine ad adottare una politica istituzionale che consenta agli operatori di polizia di seguire regolarmente programmi formativi di Educazione Fisica Adattata all'età ed alle caratteristiche lavorative allo scopo di mantenere e migliorare la loro forma psico-fisica, la prestazione lavorativa e qualità della vita.

Bullying has been considered as a multidimensional form of aggression which includes a double distinction, distinguishing the form of aggression and its functions. In the school context, bullying is considered a primary issue with figures up to 35%. Two forms of aggression have traditionally been considered: physical aggression and relational/social aggression. In Italy regional laws have been enacted on prevention and fight against bullying and cyberbullying and the parliament started the legislative iter to recognize bullying as a form of stalking. Physical education (PE) potentially promote behaviors and attitude against bullying but PE setting has also been linked to bullying episodes: victims of bullying can tend to avoid PE lessons as a potential situation that make them feel vulnerable; on the other hand, PE can exert beneficial effects in encouraging the externalization of emotions and improving social skills. PE teaching styles and teachers' proactive attitude are crucial to promote a friendly environment and to avoid potential situation of discrimination. PE teachers should try to enhance self-efficacy as well as social competences of their students and avoiding creating embarrassing sit-uation due to physical appearance and/or poor motor skills. Future research should address behaviors of PE teachers to contrast bullying, evaluate the positive/negative role of PE in bullying situations, explore the prevalence of bullying at school respect to the other disciplines. ; Il bullismo è stato considerato come una forma di aggressione multidimensionale che comprende una doppia distinzione, tra la forma di aggressione e le sue funzioni. Nel contesto scolastico, il bullismo è considerato una questione primaria con cifre fino al 35%. Tradizionalmente sono state considerate due forme di aggressione: l'aggressione fisica e l'aggressione relazionale/sociale. In Italia sono state emanate leggi regionali sulla prevenzione e la lotta al bullismo e al cyberbullismo e il Parlamento ha avviato l'iter legislativo per ...

Drug addiction may cause health problems and social exclu- sion (Neale, 2006, In R. Hughes (Ed.), Drugs, policy and politics (pp. 201–226). Maidenhead: McGraw-Hill/Open University Press). Although studies indicate that physical activity levels are inversely related to substance use disorders, it is not clear the role of exercise during drug abuse treatment (Weinstock, Barry, & Petry, 2008, Addictive Behaviors, 33, 1072–1075). Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of 8-week exercise intervention, as an adjunct to treat- ment for drug dependent patients (cannabis, opiates, amphe- tamines, cocaine and heroin addicted), on psychological and physical fitness variables. With institutional ethics approval, 34 male participants (mean age: 45.2 ± 12.6 years; stature: 1.77 ± 0.06 m; body mass: 74.2 ± 9.7 kg) were assigned to an experimental group (n = 17) that performed exercise inter- vention (i.e., aerobic-anaerobic exercise at moderate-intensity plus behavioural training), or a control group (n = 17). At baseline and after 8-week, COPE-NVI (60-item self-report questionnaire), CD-RISC (10-item scale) and physical fitness tests (i.e., Stork balance stand, functional reach, lateral side- step and push-up tests) assessed coping skills, resilience and fitness levels, respectively. A 2-way analyses of variance (ANOVA) with repeated measures and paired t-test analysis were performed to locate between- and within-trial variance, and the magnitude of significant effects was determined using Cohen's d effect sizes. Statistical significance level was set at P < 0.05. Adherence to exercise was 94 ± 2,6% and after intervention significant improvements in the skills and strate- gies adopted to cope with stressful events (P < 0.01, d = 0.80) and in ability to deal with negative experiences (P < 0.01, d = 0.87) were found. In addition, the physical fitness compo- nents as static (P < 0.01, d = 0.96) and dynamic balance (P < 0.01, d = 0.75), anaerobic power and coordination (P < 0.01, d = 0.89), and endurance of the upper body muscu- lature (P < 0.01, d = 0.58) are significantly improved in the experimental group. No relevant changes were found in the control group. Findings highlighted the positive relationship between increased physical fitness and improved functional and adaptive modalities used to cope with stressful events and negative experiences. Therefore, exercise intervention was effective to improve mental and physical wellbeing in drug addicts.

Background: The Italian government promoted social distancing, in which the suspension of any social event, suspension of all activities practiced in gyms, sports centers and their closure was ordered. The social distancing in the school environment and the use of strategies to limit viral infection are not very compatible with group motor activity and team sports. The aim of this study is to verify the effectiveness of a CrossFit program in order to mitigate the deficits in fitness caused by COVID-19 prevention measures and to evaluate the effects on self-efficacy in a group of young adolescents. Methodsː 30 healthy participants were randomly allocated into an intervention group (IG) that performed the 8 weeks CrossFit training program or control group (CG). Physical fitness tests (i.e., Squat, push-up, lunge, and 20 m run) and psychological measures Regulatory Emotional Self-Efficacy scale (RESE) were performed at baseline and after 8 weeks. Resultsː After 8 weeks, the intervention group showed significant improvements for all fitness tests (p < 0.0001). Additionally, higher scores for the RESE negative and positive (p < 0.0001) scales were found in the intervention group. No statistical differences were found in the control group except for the push up test. Conclusionsː the 8-week CrossFit intervention program could positively affect the general physical well-being and improve the emotional perceived self-efficacy in healthy adolescents.

Futsal is a sport that originates from soccer and is increasingly practiced all over the world. Since training and warm-up protocols should be sport-specific in order to reduce injuries and maximize performance, this study aimed to evaluate the effects of 5 weeks of the FIFA 11+ warm-up program on explosive strength, speed, and perception of physical exertion in elite female futsal athletes. Twenty-nine elite female futsal athletes participating in the Italian national championships were divided into two groups: the experimental group (EG) underwent 5 weeks of the FIFA 11+ warm-up program, and the control group (CG) underwent 5 weeks of a dynamic warm-up. We evaluated any effect on explosive strength (by Squat Jump test), speed (by Agility T-test), and perception of physical exertion (by Borg CR-10 scale). All measurements were carried out by a technician of the Italian Football Federation before (T0), at the middle (T1), and at the end (T2) of the protocol. The EG showed significant improvements on performances between T0 vs. T1 and T0 vs. T2 both in the Squat Jump test (p = 0.0057 and p = 0.0030, respectively) and in the Agility T-test (p = 0.0075 and p = 0.0122). No significant differences were found in the Squat Jump test performances in the CG, while significant improvements were detected in the Agility T-test performances (p = 0.0004 and p = 0.0053, T0 vs. T1 and T0 vs. T2, respectively). As for the Borg CR-10 scale, we found a significant difference between T0 and T2 in the EG (p = 0.017) and no differences in the CG. This study showed that 5 weeks of the FIFA 11+ warm-up program improves the jumping performance of female futsal athletes without adversely affecting speed. These findings can be useful for coaches and athletic trainers in order to consider FIFA 11+ warm-up program also in female futsal athletes.