Despite the recent increase in attention on studies focusing on different types of assessment of student participation in physical education (PE), there is little research concerning students’ ...attitudes toward the PE assessment process. This study aimed to investigate students’ attitudes toward assessment procedures in PE by developing and validating a quantitative instrument concerning crucial areas of pedagogy such as curriculum, teachers, grading, and fitness tests. It further investigates important attitude determinants such as grade level and gender differences. The scale was distributed to 1,403 students in the 5
, 6
, 7
, and 10
grades. Principal components analysis showed an eigenvalue factor greater than 1, which accounted for 47% of the total variance. Confirmatory factor analysis yielded satisfactory indices that confirmed the unidimensional model with high internal consistency (α = .84). A two-way analysis of variance revealed a significant difference between the 7
and 10
grades. At the same time, students expressed a high level of positive attitudes toward the different aspects of assessment procedures. The study examined various aspects of students’ attitudes toward assessment and resulted in a reliable, valid, and easy-to-use quantitative instrument that can be used by educators and researchers to assess students’ attitudes toward assessment in PE.
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FSPLJ, NUK, ODKLJ, UL, UM, UPUK
In this follow-up study, we aimed to assess the effectiveness of the "
" anti-smoking preventive health education program. The program was based on the theory of planned behavior supplemented with ...life skills teaching and targeted at high school students. The intervention comprised ten one-hour online sessions, administered by physical education instructors. The study cohort comprised 222 students (109 boys, 113 girls) from 11 secondary schools, with an average age of 16.42 ± 1.36 years. Data collection involved pre- and post-intervention self-assessment questionnaires. The examined variables included attitudes towards smoking, intention to smoke, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control (PBC), knowledge about smoking, smoking behavior, exercise behavior, attitudes toward the program's implementation, and satisfaction with the program. A separate paired samples
-test revealed a significant improvement in students' knowledge about smoking (
= -5.605,
< 0.001, d = 0.38) and perceived behavioral control (
= -2.166,
< 0.05, d = 0.15) following the intervention. However, no significant changes were observed in the remaining variables. In addition, students' overall satisfaction with the implementation of the present health education program was high (
= 5.72 ± 1.39). These findings suggest that the health education smoking prevention intervention incorporates techniques and strategies that influence the perceived behavioral control variable, emphasizing students' strong interest in educationally theorized programs integrating technology into their design. Future studies should consider further examination of tobacco control strategies within the high school context.
The children's fairytale is a playful educational tool that can be modified in such a way to enhance motor proficiency. This study investigated the effect of an online exercise program with modified ...fairytales on children's motor proficiency during the kindergarten curriculum. Forty preschool children (20 girls and 20 boys; 5.13 ± 0.24 years old) were divided into two equal groups: an intervention (IG) group and a control group (CG). The IG followed a 3-month (3 times/week) online exercise intervention program (supervised by the class's kindergarten teacher) with modified children's fairytales, during the COVID-19 pandemic, with an aim to improve their motor proficiency. The CG did not attend any exercise intervention program. The Democritos Movement Screening Tool for Preschool Children (DEMOST-PRE), consisting of ten tests, was used to assess the children's motor proficiency. Τhe IG, after the end of the intervention program, significantly improved in the DEMOST-PRE total score (
< 0.001; mean change: 40.7%), while the CG did not significantly improve in the total score (
> 0.05). Furthermore, in the IG, a significant negative correlation between the pre-training DEMOST-PRE total score and the percentage change following the intervention (r = -0.64;
= 0.002) was observed. A modified exercise program using children's fairytales may be incorporated into the kindergarten curriculum as an effective educational tool for the improvement of motor proficiency.
The present study examined the effectiveness of a school-based health education program promoting healthy diet and exercise, named DIEX, implemented on adolescents. The program is based on the Theory ...of Planned Behavior (TPB) and is supported by life skills training. The recipients of the program were high school students (
= 367; 168 boys and 199 girls) from 14 schools in Greece who attended 10 1 h sessions implemented by their schoolteachers. Data were collected before and after the program implementation through online questionnaires for: a. attitude, intention, subjective norms, and PBC toward healthy eating; b. knowledge about healthy eating; c. exercise behavior and attitude toward the DIEX program; and d. satisfaction with the DIEX program (only post-program). The results showed that there were significant differences among the pre- and post-measures of students' knowledge and behavior about healthy diet, as well as attitudes and satisfaction toward the program's application. The results show that the DIEX program may have improved nutrition behavior variables. Conclusively, a theory-based behavioral intervention with skills training may result in positive behavioral changes for young students during health education in school settings with the assistance of new technologies.
The present study aimed to identify the impact of social distancing measures on adolescents' physical activity (PA) levels and well-being during the implementation of COVID-19 restrictive measures. ...There were 438 participants (207 boys and 231 girls), aged 12 to 15 years old (
= 13.5,
= 0.55). They completed online questionnaires on well-being and PA in three waves (December 2020, February 2021, and June 2021). Correlation analyses were conducted to examine the relationship between well-being and PA variables in the three measurements. Additionally, separate three-way repeated-measures ANOVAs were conducted to capture possible differences in students' moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) levels, life satisfaction, and subjective vitality among the three measurements due to gender, age, and interaction between gender and age. A significant relation emerged between the MVPA variables and well-being. In all measurements, adolescents' PA levels did not meet the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations of at least 60 min per day in MVPA. Students' MVPA levels, life satisfaction, and subjective vitality were significantly higher in the third measurement compared to the first and second ones. Moreover, significant differences emerged in life satisfaction and subjective vitality between boys and girls in the first and third measurements, respectively. The COVID-19 restrictions appeared to negatively influence adolescents' PA and well-being. Policymakers aimed at facilitating adolescents' well-being in a similar situation in the future should not adopt measures restricting the participation of adolescents in PA.
Imprisonment is clearly associated with mental health problems among prisoners. Evidence across research literature shows that exercise in detention environments improves mental health. The purpose ...of the study was to examine the effect of an exercise program on mood profile and anxiety of inmates in Greek prisons. Sixty male inmates randomly assigned in two groups (control and experiment). Individuals of the exercise group received a 12 weeks training program at a frequency of three (3) training sessions each week of 60 minutes per session. Control group individuals did not participate in the exercise program. The Profile of Mood States (POMS) and The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) were administered to both groups prior and after exercise intervention. The findings of this study support the beneficial effect of exercise on mood and anxiety of inmates in Greek prison settings.
This study examined the effect of coach-initiated motivational climate and parental support on intrinsic motivation, enjoyment of sport participation, subjective vitality, sport-related violence, and ...academic achievement of youth soccer players. The second purpose was to examine if intrinsic motivation mediates the impact of coach-initiated climate and parental support on the above endogenous variables. Two measurements Time 1 (T1) and Time 2 (T2) were conducted. In T1, 494 young soccer male athletes completed surveys of coach-created motivational climate, parental praise and understanding, intrinsic motivation, sport-related violence, vitality, sport enjoyment and Grade Point Average (GPA). After five months, 188 of those soccer athletes responded again to the same surveys (T2). In both measurements the findings suggest that perceived coach-initiated empowering climate and parental praise and understanding have indirect effects on sport-related violence, GPA, vitality and sport enjoyment through intrinsic motivation in sport.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
The purpose of the study was to examine the effect of an exercise program on the quality of life and self-esteem of inmates in Greek prisons. Sixty male inmates randomly assigned in two groups ...(control and experiment). The duration of the training program for the exercise group was 12 weeks. Control group individuals did not participate in the exercise program. SF-12 quality of life questionnaire and the Rosenberg self-esteem scale were administered to both groups prior and after exercise intervention. The findings of this study support the beneficial effect of exercise on quality of life and self-esteem of inmates in Greek prison settings.
The purpose of this paper is to present the design, construction, and technical aspects of a prototype upper extremities lever-driven exercise system, called FIT-WHEEL (Functional and Intelligent ...Training system for WHEELchair users), as well as the preliminary experimental measurements conducted to test the device’s usability in healthy individuals. FIT-WHEEL was developed to provide a training modality that combines the known benefits of eccentric exercise and lever-propelled wheelchairs. Eleven healthy male participants performed, seven days apart, a moderate intensity concentric and eccentric exercise protocol on FIT-WHEEL consisting of 30 trials of both upper extremities at 30% of peak concentric and peak eccentric force, respectively. At the end of each exercise bout, participants completed a number of valid and reliable instruments examining attitudes, intention and enjoyment during concentric or eccentric exercise on the FIT-WHEEL system as well as the usability of the two exercise protocols on the novel lever-driven exercise system. Statistical analyses revealed high scores in all the examined parameters (attitudes, intention, enjoyment, and usability) in both eccentric and concentric exercise protocols, without any significant differences emerging between them. Moreover, total mechanical work during eccentric exercise was 18.3% higher compared to concentric exercise performed on the FIT-WHEEL training system (p = 0.001). The preliminary experimental results discussed serve as an initial step to implement lever-driven eccentric exercise in wheelchair dependent populations in the future and evaluate the potential long-term benefits and limitations.
Although exercise is associated with depression relief, the effects of aerobic exercise (AE) interventions on clinically depressed adult patients have not been clearly supported. The purpose of this ...meta‐analysis was to examine the antidepressant effects of AE versus nonexercise comparators exclusively for depressed adults (18–65 years) recruited through mental health services with a referral or clinical diagnosis of major depression. Eleven e‐databases and bibliographies of 19 systematic reviews were searched for relevant randomized controlled clinical trials. A random effects meta‐analysis (Hedges’ g criterion) was employed for pooling postintervention scores of depression. Heterogeneity and publication bias were examined. Studies were coded considering characteristics of participants and interventions, outcomes and comparisons made, and study design; accordingly, sensitivity and subgroup analyses were calculated. Across 11 eligible trials (13 comparisons) involving 455 patients, AE was delivered on average for 45 min, at moderate intensity, three times/week, for 9.2 weeks and showed a significantly large overall antidepressant effect (g = –0.79, 95% confidence interval = –1.01, –0.57, P < 0.00) with low and nonstatistically significant heterogeneity (I2 = 21%). No publication bias was found. Sensitivity analyses revealed large or moderate to large antidepressant effects for AE (I2 ≤ 30%) among trials with lower risk of bias, trials with short‐term interventions (up to 4 weeks), and trials involving individual preferences for exercise. Subgroup analyses revealed comparable effects for AE across various settings and delivery formats, and in both outpatients and inpatients regardless symptom severity. Notwithstanding the small number of trials reviewed, AE emerged as an effective antidepressant intervention.
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DOBA, FZAB, GIS, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
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