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- Predictive Factors of Mental Health in Athletes from the Paralympic Preparation Program During Social Isolation: The Role of Sleep, Competitive Status, and MotivationPublication . Eduarda Coelho; Carla Lourenço; Pereira, Antonino; Maria Isabel Mourão-Carvalhal; Sandra FonsecaBackground: The COVID-19 pandemic posed unprecedented challenges for elite athletes, disrupting training routines and affecting mental health. This study examined the impact of social isolation on training, sleep, motivation, and psychological well-being among Portuguese Paralympic athletes. Methods: Forty-five athletes (31.36 ± 10.81 years) from the Paralympic Preparation Program participated, divided into the Paralympic Preparation Project (PPP; n = 21) and the Paralympic Hopes and Talents Project (PHTP; n = 24). Training routines before and during social isolation were compared. Sleep duration, training motivation, and mental health were assessed using the Mental Health Inventory-5 (MHI-5). The analysis employed paired and independent t-tests and a multiple linear regression (Enter method) to examine predictors of mental health. Results: Daily training duration declined by 34.3% (p < 0.001), though weekly frequency remained stable (p = 0.061). PPP athletes reported higher mental health scores than PHTP athletes (66.24 vs. 60.37; p = 0.048). The regression model explained 42.8% of the variance in mental health (R2 = 0.428). Sleep duration was positively associated with mental health and showed the highest standardized coefficient in the regression (β = 0.351; p = 0.008), followed by PPP status (β = 0.315; p = 0.024) and motivation (β = 0.278; p = 0.041). Conclusions: Maintaining biological routines, particularly sleep and motivation, supports mental health under social isolation. Higher well-being among PPP athletes underscores the need for targeted interventions for less experienced athletes. Sports organizations should prioritize sleep hygiene and psychological support to mitigate vulnerability during crises.
- Timeout as a strategic tool in Handball: Decision-making and performance processes’ analysisPublication . Nunes, Tomas; Azevedo, António; Mendes Ribeiro Eira, Paulo AlexandreTimeout in Handball serves as a strategic intervention that allows coaches to manage game dynamics and make real-time adjustments in order to enhance their team’s performance. The present study aimed to analyze the timeout as a strategic tool in Handball, investigating the factors that lead to its use, the content of the coach's speech during the break, and its effects on team performance. The study group consisted of four Portuguese male coaches, all holding the Sports Coach’s professional title – Level IV (Master Coach), with over ten years of experience. Their interventions were observed in 124 timeouts recorded during national competitions in U16, U18, and Senior categories. The interventions were recorded using a validated observation grid, complemented by semi-structured interviews subjected to content analysis, with the aim of understanding the communicational intentions and perceptions regarding the intervention’s effectiveness. The results reveal a predominance of tactical statements, followed by psychological and technical content. It was found that discourse is adapted to the competitive context: in youth categories, it assumes a pedagogical and motivational character, while at highperformance level it becomes more directive and focused on strategic details. Communication’s clarity, brevity, and objectivity, as well as the use of visual aids, emerge as key determinants of timeout effectiveness. The timeout is characterized as an essential tool for technical-tactical and emotional regulation, whose effectiveness depends on time management, discourse coherence, and suitability to the competitive level. It is recommended to implement communication specific training programs applied to coaching and to deepen research that relates the interventions’ content to objective performance indicators.
- Participants´ perceptions of fitness instructors´ behaviors: focus on feedback actions in group classesPublication . Azevedo, António; Ramos, Ana; Mendes Ribeiro Eira, Paulo AlexandreIntrodução: O instrutor de Fitness desempenha um papel de reconhecida importância, cuja intervenção se estende desde a orientação técnica, por meio de encorajamento e atenção, à criação de estratégias motivacionais e estilo de comunicação. Objetivo: Analisar a eficácia e qualidade das aulas de grupo em contexto de health club, focado nas perceções dos praticantes acerca dos comportamentos dos instrutores, especificamente nas ações de feedback oferecidas. Métodos: O grupo de estudo foi composto por cinquenta frequentadores regulares de dois health clubs localizados nas regiões de Viseu e Castro Daire. O questionário QFIF-AG foi aplicado para o contexto específico e, para os processos de análise descritiva e inferencial, recorreu-se à versão 29 do software de estatística SPSS. Resultados: Elevados níveis de concordância foram encontrados em todas as dimensões do feedback. Proximidade, forma, momento de ocorrência e direção correspondem às dimensões mais valorizadas, enquanto a afetividade e a orientação obtiveram avaliações mais baixas. Foram identificadas diferenças significativas em função do género (p = .04), da idade (p = .04) e da experiência de prática (p ≤ .01), indicando variações na importância percebida de dimensões específicas do feedback. Conclusão: Compreender os mecanismos que podem melhorar a adesão e fidelização dos clientes é fundamental para manter e aumentar os seus níveis de atividade física.
- Parents and their children’s involvement in swimming practicePublication . Azevedo, António; Mendes Ribeiro Eira, Paulo Alexandre; Dias Taralhão, Rita MariaIntrodução: A prática da natação promove o desenvolvimento integral das crianças, comportando segurança e independência na piscina. Porém, existe divergência entre o esperado pelos encarregados de educação e os objetivos curriculares estabelecidos. Objetivo: Analisar o contraste entre os objetivos associados ao ensino-aprendizagem na Natação infantil e os estabelecidos pelos encarregados de educação. Métodos: Recorreu-se à versão adaptada do questionário de Prada (2022) para analisar as perceções de 128 participantes de uma escola de Natação de Viseu e, posteriormente, ao software SPSS para realizar as análises descritivas e inferenciais. Resultados: Os principais resultados revelam os motivos que conduzem à inscrição na modalidade: “segurança contra o afogamento”, “saber nadar”, “necessidade de uma prática desportiva” e “independência na piscina”; as dimensões “troca de professor” e “conjugação com outras modalidades” são as menos valorizadas; a didática dos professores é valorizada como “excelente”, assim como os aspetos que se prendem com o equilíbrio de estímulos nas sessões, a aprendizagem e segurança; o menos valorizado aponta ao agrupamento de praticantes de diferentes faixas etárias na mesma sessão. Conclusão: A aprendizagem através de exercícios lúdicos que garantam e aumentem a segurança das crianças no meio aquático é crucial, fundada num processo estruturado e pedagogicamente adequado às suas necessidades.
- Individual and Joint Associations of Cancer Diagnosis and Handgrip Strength with Depression in European Middle-Aged and Older AdultsPublication . Vasconcelos, Carlos; Miguel Peralta; Adilson Marques: Depression is a mood disorder affecting millions of people worldwide and is especially prevalent in older ages. There are a multitude of interconnected factors that influence depression, including cancer and handgrip strength. In this study, we sought to understand how these two factors, cancer diagnosis and handgrip strength, are individually and jointly associated with depression. For that, we conducted an analysis with depression evaluated in 2017 and 2019 in a large sample of European middle-aged and older adults. Both cancer and handgrip strength were associated with depression, with the first increasing its risk and the later reducing it. A joint association pattern was also found, where individuals with greater handgrip strength and no cancer had a lower risk of depression. Campaigns aimed at cancer prevention and participation in exercise programs, with an emphasis on resistance training, should be encouraged
- Effects of Combined Interventions of Physical Activity and Diet in Childhood Cancer Survivors: A Systematic ReviewPublication . Vasconcelos, Carlos; Sousa, PatríciaPhysical activity and diet have complementary benefits for attenuating adverse health effects that childhood cancer survivors experience after the end of treatment. This review aimed to explore the impact of combined physical activity and diet interventions on the health status of childhood cancer survivors. A thorough review of the literature was carried out using the Cochrane Library, PubMed, Scielo, LILACS and Web of Science databases for studies published until June 2024. Studies concerning survivors of childhood cancer of any type engaged exclusively in combined diet/physical activity interventions were included in this review. Three manuscripts met the inclusion criteria. The results indicated that combined physical activity plus diet interventions showed beneficial impacts for the intestinal microbiome, percentage of calories from sweet foods, daily consumption of sugary beverages, reduction in sedentary activity, and mood (1 out of 1 study for each of the presented outcomes). Although more rigorous studies are needed, these findings showed promising results regarding the impact of interventions involving both physical activity and diet on childhood cancer survivors
- ANXIETY LEVELS ANALYSIS IN SWIMMERS DURING PRE-COMPETITIONPublication . Tomás, João; Azevedo, António; Mendes Ribeiro Eira, Paulo AlexandreIntrodução: O desporto revela uma variedade de facetas, contornos, sentidos, atividades, vivências, comportamentos e atitudes. Compreende situações que dizem respeito ao jogo e ao ambiente e contexto que rodeiam as competições: pressão dos técnicos, dirigentes, familiares e dos adeptos que detêm elevadas expetativas quanto à prestação das suas equipas. Objetivo: Analisar os níveis de ansiedade pré-competitiva e a autoconfiança em jovens nadadores. Métodos: O grupo de estudo é composto por todas as turmas de natação competitiva de um Health Club da cidade de Viseu. Recorreu-se à versão traduzida e validada do Competitive State Anxiety Inventory 2 para a recolha de dados e para o seu tratamento, descritivo e inferencial, com o software Statistical Package for the Social Sciences. Resultados: Verificou-se que: (1) os níveis de ansiedade variam de acordo com o género, idade, experiência e nível da competição; (2) os atletas mais jovens e com menor experiência competitiva apresentam maiores níveis de ansiedade somática e cognitiva (3) os níveis de autoconfiança variam significativamente de acordo com a experiência competitiva dos atletas; (4) as meninas apresentam maiores índices de ansiedade e menores de autoconfiança, assim como os atletas mais jovens. Conclusão: As perceções de ansiedade e autoconfiança são influenciadas pelas experiências e expectativas sociais, pelo que, à medida que os atletas amadurecem, adquirem competências e habilidades que lhes permitem reduzir os estados de ansiedade précompetitiva e, paralelamente, desenvolver os níveis de confiança
- Can Physical Education contribute to Emotional Development? An action-research study with preschool childrenPublication . Beatriz Figueiredo; Mendes Ribeiro Eira, Paulo Alexandre; Azevedo, AntónioA escola desempenha um papel crucial no desenvolvimento das crianças por meio da Educação Física, que utiliza o corpo como principal ferramenta de aprendizagem. Nesse processo, decorre uma interação constante entre o cérebro e o corpo, evidenciando a conexão entre o desenvolvimento emocional, cognitivo e motor da criança. O presente estudo visa aferir o contributo da Educação Física no desenvolvimento emocional das crianças, através da análise das emoções expressas em contexto de jogo motor ao ar livre. A metodologia adotada é de natureza qualitativa, com características de investigação-ação (intervenção prática em contexto real) e desenvolveu-se numa instituição pertencente à rede pública de Educação Pré-Escolar localizada na periferia da cidade de Viseu, envolvendo crianças com idades compreendidas entre três e seis anos. Consistiu em intervenções focadas na promoção e no desenvolvimento de competências emocionais através de jogos ao ar livre. Posteriormente, realizaram-se entrevistas semiestruturadas com as respetivas educadoras de infância. Através da interação com o grupo de amigos, as crianças desenvolveram capacidades para controlar e expressar as suas emoções. As educadoras tribuíram importância significativa ao desenvolvimento emocional das crianças, mencionando que é a base da aprendizagem e que exploram as emoções de forma contínua e transversal, integrando-as em todas as áreas de conteúdo. Reconheceram a relevância da Educação Física para o desenvolvimento emocional das crianças, por meio do jogo. Salientaram que, no brincar ao ar livre, as crianças fortalecem laços emocionais entre si, o que promove um ambiente de aprendizagem saudável e colaborativo
- Fear of the Aquatic Environment in Learning Swimming: Causes, Effects, and Learning MethodologiesPublication . Diana Grandão; Mendes Ribeiro Eira, Paulo Alexandre; Azevedo, AntónioIn the swimming context, practitioners show difficulties in learning its basic skills, and the emotional factor seems to be one of the triggers for these complications, with “fear” standing out as one of the most studied emotions due to its cognitive reactive nature associated with survival mechanisms. This emotional response can hinder the learning process in swimming, potentially leading to disengagement or dropout. The present study aimed to analyze the causes that lead to fear of the aquatic environment, its effects on learning swimming, and how swimming coaches can intervene to help overcome this fear. Direct observation was used to capture the individuals’ perception of the degree of fear. Subsequently, semi-structured interviews were conducted to analyze an intervention aimed at reducing the fear of water, followed by a corresponding content analysis. The fear of water is commonly associated with anxiety, panic, and muscle tension. The role of the swimming instructor is crucial, as their teaching approach significantly influences the swimmer’s emotional response, particularly in fostering a sense of security. The use of playful activities proves effective in helping children adapt, overcoming the limitations posed by the fear of water. Recognizing students’ fears allows instructors to structure swimming lessons effectively, helping students overcome their emotional barriers. Therefore, introducing children to the aquatic environment at an early age contributes to this goal
- Integrating numerical superiority offensive actions into the game model and handball training executionPublication . Branco, João; Azevedo, António; Mendes Ribeiro Eira, Paulo AlexandreThe game model represents the coach's philosophy, detailing the strategy designed to achieve success in a competitive environment. It includes both the tactical and strategic elements that define the desired style of play and emphasizes the development and refinement of specifical skills during the training process. This study explored coaches' perceptions of the significance of the game model, particularly regarding the execution of offensive actions involving numerical superiority to achieve sporting success. The responses obtained highlight the importance of the game model in structuring and conducting training, involving all club participants. The "way of playing" is unique to each team, thus emphasizing the flexibility of the game model and its adjustment according to the characteristics of the athletes, the team's performance, and the evolution of results throughout the season.