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Physical Activity and Sleep Duration on Health

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A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Applied Biosciences and Bioengineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2023) | Viewed by 12953

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Georgian Badicu

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Guest Editor

Department of Physical Education and Special Motricity, Faculty of Physical Education and Mountain Sports, Transilvania University of Brasov, 500068 Brasov, Romania
Interests: physical activity; diet, fitness; sport; quality of life
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Hadi Nobari

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Guest Editor

1. Department of Physical Education and Sports, University of Granada, 18010 Granada, Spain
2. HEME Research Group, Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Extremadura, 10003 Cáceres, Spain
3. Department of Exercise Physiology, Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Isfahan, Isfahan 81746-7344, Iran
4. Sports Scientist, Sepahan Football Club, Isfahan 81887-78473, Iran
Interests: sports performance; growth of youth and maturation; external load monitoring; training load; well-being; soccer training; injury prevention; strength and conditioning; sports nutrition and supplement; quality of life; reliability; validity of devices
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Gabriel González-Valero

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Guest Editor

Department of Didactics of Musical, Plastic and Corporal Expression, Melilla Campus, University of Granada, 52005 Melilla, Spain
Interests: social network data analytics; complex network data mining; query processing and optimization; spatial temporal data processing

Prof. Dr. Manuel Castro Sanchez

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Guest Editor

Department of Didactics of Musical, Plastic and Body Expression, University of Granada, 52005 Melilla, Spain
Interests: mediterranean diet; public health; nutrition; obesity; epidemiology; diet; nutrition and sports; child nutrition; psychology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

It is our pleasure to present this Special Issue on “Physical Activity and Sleep Duration on Health” in the Applied Sciences journal.

Sleep, physical activity, and sedentary behaviour are associated with a wide range of important health and developmental outcomes in children and adolescents. Sleep plays an important role in early childhood growth and health. If preschool children have insufficient sleep, they are more prone to obesity or growth disorders and have a higher risk of psychological problems. A lot of studies, as well as the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the American Sleep Medicine Foundation, say that preschool children (3–5 years old) need 10–13 h of sleep every day. Regarding physical activity (PA), related research shows that school-age children with adequate PA are more likely to get adequate sleep than those with lower PA. World Health Organization guidelines on PA and sedentary behaviour for children recommend: (1) 180 min of PA (at any intensity) for two-year old children, (2) 180 min of PA, of which 60 min are moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) for 3- to 4-year-old children, and (3) at least 60 min of MVPA for 5-year-old children. More links between sleep and PA have been postulated , as well as the general and much-discussed notions that PA is good for sleep and vice versa.

In this Special Issue, we welcome contributions that describe and list the links between PA and sleep. Your contribution is welcome in the form of an original article, case report, commentary, and systematic review with meta-analysis.

Dr. Georgian Badicu
Dr. Hadi Nobari
Prof. Dr. Gabriel González-Valero
Prof. Dr. Manuel Castro Sanchez
Guest Editors

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Keywords

preschool children
sleep
physical activity
health
correlations
physical education activities

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

22 pages, 1889 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Relevance of Surface Electromyography Assessment and Sleep Impairment in Scoliosis: A Pilot Study

by Denisa Piele, Eva Ilie, Ligia Rusu and Mihnea Ion Marin

Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(19), 11108; https://doi.org/10.3390/app131911108 - 9 Oct 2023

Viewed by 1392

Abstract

Background: According to statistics, worldwide, the number of young persons diagnosed with idiopathic scoliosis has tripled in the last 10 years. This tendency seems to be related to the development of technological devices that induce vicious postures. Specialized literature shows that the predicted evolution will lead to a tripling of the population affected by scoliosis by 2050. Associated complications can be most varied, with functional or respiratory and cardiac impairment being the most severe. The purpose of this study is to objectify the effect of associating Schroth therapy with general elements of global postural reeducation (GPR) therapy in the treatment of scoliosis using electromyography, scoliosis assessment scales, and sleep quality evaluation. The present study is addressed to scoliotic patients. Methods: In order to assess the muscle imbalance installed in scoliosis, we have used SEMG, while Epworth, Baecke, and SAQ scales assessed sleepiness, physical activity levels, and self-perception of the scoliotic patient. Results: After performing a therapeutic protocol that combines Schroth and global postural reeducation (GPR) exercises, an improvement of the functional status was observed for the scoliotic patients. The statistical analysis presents a favorable symmetry index during flexion (p = 0.042), a significant difference in the Epworth score (p = 0.002), as well as a significant difference in the SAQ2 score (p = 0.049). Conclusion: Early detection of scoliosis prevents functional degradation. On the other hand, developing an adequate therapeutic protocol leads to an improved functional status and increased life quality. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physical Activity and Sleep Duration on Health)

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9 pages, 274 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Vojta Therapy and Conservative Physical Therapy versus Physical Therapy Only for Lumbar Disc Protrusion: A Comparative Cohort Study from Romania

by Monica Elena Iosub, Dorina Ianc, Elena Sîrbu, Doriana Ciobanu and Liviu Lazăr

Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(4), 2292; https://doi.org/10.3390/app13042292 - 10 Feb 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2563

Abstract

Background: Lumbar disc herniation (LDH) is a common condition caused by degenerative lesions of the lumbar intervertebral discs, due to aging or lifting weights. For patients with LDH, a comparative study was conducted to understand the benefits of Vojta therapy and conservative physical therapy versus physical therapy only. The aim of this paperwork was to help physicians select interventions which are most appropriate for this disease. Methods: Seventy-seven patients with LDH from two cohorts were included in analysis (Group A and Group B). Group A benefited from 30 min of Vojta therapy procedures, in addition to the usual physical therapy treatment, and group B received a conservatory physical therapy program. The subjects were assessed with the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), mobility tests, muscle strength tests and the Nottingham Health Profile (NHP) questionnaire. Results: Pain intensity and disability decreased in both groups (p = 0.000 in experimental group and 0.047 in control group for VAS score and p = 0.000 for ODI score in both groups). Moreover, mobility, strength and health-related quality of life scores increased significantly both in groups A and B (p = 0.000 in both). Conclusions: After two weeks of interventions, we saw greater differences in pain intensity, disability level, mobility, strength, and health-related quality of life scores in both study groups, but not across the groups. This was not the case between the groups. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physical Activity and Sleep Duration on Health)

16 pages, 1330 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Relation between Muscle Force of Knee Extensors and Flexor Muscles and Sleep Quality of Women Soccer Players: A Pilot Study

by Ligia Rusu, Aurora Ungureanu Dobre, Alexandru Gabriel Chivaran and Mihnea Ion Marin

Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(4), 2289; https://doi.org/10.3390/app13042289 - 10 Feb 2023

Viewed by 1784

Abstract

Physical performance in sport performance such as football is influenced by sleep quality, but there are only a few studies about this and the behaviour of muscle force at knee flexors and extensors. The aim of this study is to make an analysis of sleep, an analysis of muscle force parameters (flexors and knee extensors), and a study of the correlation between sleep quality and muscle force. The study includes 18 junior women footballers, average age 14.75 years old, who participated in a training programme of 90 min, three times/week. The evaluation includes sleep quality evaluation using the sleep quality scale (SQS), sleepiness evaluation using the Cleveland Adolescent Sleepiness Questionnaire (CASQ), and muscle force evaluation using dynamometry for knee flexor and extensor muscles. We recorded maximal muscle force, medium maximal muscle force, and duration of maintained muscle force. We observed that more than 83% of subjects scored below 50% on the maximal SQS score and all participants scored less than 40 points (50%) on the CASQ’s maxim score, meaning a small level of sleepiness. With regard to muscle force, left–right symmetry for medium maximal force shows a predominance of the right-hand side and the value was 1.64%, for knee extensors and for knee flexors the difference was 7.58%, meaning that for knee extensors the symmetry is better than that of knee flexors. Statistical analysis regarding muscle parameters shows that there are no significant statistical differences between the left- and right-hand sides. Because the duration of the maintained maximal muscle force could indicate muscle fatigue, we observed that there was no link, and that sleep quality or sleepiness do not influence muscle fatigue. Our research concludes that muscle asymmetry of the left–right side of knee extensor and flexor muscles is minimal and does not correlate with sleep quality or sleepiness. There is no statistical correlation between muscle force parameters and sleep quality. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physical Activity and Sleep Duration on Health)

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14 pages, 657 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

“Move” Their Brain: Motor Competence Mediates the Relationship of Physical Activity and Executive Functions in Children

by Martha Spanou, Vasiliki Kaioglou, Caterina Pesce, Myrto F. Mavilidi and Fotini Venetsanou

Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(20), 10527; https://doi.org/10.3390/app122010527 - 18 Oct 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2578

Abstract

The inconsistent conclusions regarding the effects of physical activity (PA) on children’s executive functions (EFs) call for an investigation of the mediators that may explain this relationship during development. This study attempted to examine the potential mediating role of children’s weight status and motor competence (MC) in the PA-EFs relationship. In this regard, 115 children (M_age = 10.3 ± 1.2 years, 42.61% boys) practicing sports were cross-sectionally assessed for their PA (pedometers); BMI (body mass and height); MC (Bruininks–Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency); EFs (via computerized tests). The associations among the variables were examined using structural equation modelling. Based on the significant correlation between them (PA was not related to EFs, and BMI was not related to other variables), a serial path model was considered for investigation (PA→MC→EFs). The model fitted well with the data (χ2[5] = 7.244, p = 0.203; CFI= 0.991; RMSEA = 0.071 [0.000, 175], p = 0.315). The unstandardized path coefficients were significant (p < 0.05) (PA predicts MC/MC predicts EFs). All (but one) direct and all indirect effects were significant (p < 0.05), confirming that MC is an intervening variable in the PA-EFs relationship. Given that the cognitive/coordinative challenges related to PA are important to EFs development, children should be encouraged to participate in PA, especially sports, in programs targeting their motor skills. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physical Activity and Sleep Duration on Health)

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15 pages, 927 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Relationship of Physical Activity and Sleep Duration with Self-Concept, Mediterranean Diet and Problematic Videogame Use in Children: Structural Equation Analysis as a Function of Gender

by Gabriel González-Valero, Hadi Nobari, Georgian Badicu, Carlos Javier López-Gutiérrez, Guillermo Moreno-Rosa and Manuel Castro-Sánchez

Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(6), 2878; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12062878 - 11 Mar 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2505

Abstract

Engagement in physical activity and sleep duration are crucial to the adequate psychosocial and healthy development of children. Thus, the aim of this study was to develop an explanatory model of the relationships of physical activity and sleep duration with self-concept, Mediterranean diet and problematic use of videogames. Accordingly, a structural model was contrasted by means of a multi-group analysis according to gender. A non-experimental study was conducted with a descriptive, cross-sectional design for a sample of 1154 students aged 11–12 years (M = 11.41 ± 0.49). An ad hoc questionnaire was used to record sociodemographic and physical-health attributes (physical activity time and sleep). Adherence to a Mediterranean diet was assessed using the KIDMED questionnaire, self-concept was assessed using “self-concept form-5” (AF-5) and problematic videogame use was assessed using the “Video Game-Related Experiences Questionnaire”. For data analysis, a multi-group structural equation analysis was performed. The results showed that physical activity was positively associated with self-concept, while sleep duration and self-concept were negatively related to problematic videogame use. In boys there was a direct effect of self-concept on sleep duration and adherence to the Mediterranean diet, while girls did not generate such differences. Although there is a negative association between physical activity and problematic videogame use in the theoretical model and in boys, girls showed a direct association between these factors. Finally, physical activity and sleep duration were directly related in boys and indirectly related in girls. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physical Activity and Sleep Duration on Health)

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