Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness (0145482X)106(8)pp. 466-474
Introduction: Maintaining balance while walking is of utmost importance for individuals with visual impairments because deficits in dynamic balance have been associated with a high risk of falling. Thus, the primary aim of the study presented here was to determine whether balance training effects the dynamic balance of children with visual impairments. Methods: The study included 19 children with visual impairments (aged 8 to 14) from the school for students with visual impairments in Isfahan, Iran, who were randomly assigned to a balance-training (n = 9) or control (n = 10) group. The balance-training group was required to participate in an eight-week balancetraining program, while the control group did not participate in any organized balance-training program. The Modified Bass Test of Dynamic Balance was used to measure the dynamic balance of the participants. Both groups performed a pretest prior to the experimental period and performed a posttest immediately after the experimental period. Results: The scores on the pretest showed no significant difference between the balance-training group and the control group. However, after the balance-training group completed the balance-training program, a between-group difference was found in the participants' task scores, t (18) = 4.095, p <.05. Discussion: The findings indicate that involvement in a balance-training program will significantly improve the dynamic balance of individuals with visual impairments relative to a control group. Implications for practitioners: The study showed that if instructors require individuals with visual impairments to perform balance-improving exercises, the result can be an outstanding improvement in their dynamic balance. With improved balance, individuals with visual impairments may encounter fewer falls and experience a healthier lifestyle. © 2012 AFB, All Rights Reserved.
Research in Developmental Disabilities (18733379)33(4)pp. 1183-1193
The effects of 14 weeks of Kata techniques training on stereotypic behaviors of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) were investigated. The study included 30 eligible (diagnosed ASD, school age) children with ages ranging from 5 to 16 years whom they assigned to an exercise (. n=. 15) or a no-exercise control group (. n=. 15). Participants of the exercise group received Kata techniques instruction four times per week for 14 weeks (56 sessions). Stereotypy was assessed at baseline (pre-intervention), week 14 (post-intervention), and at one month follow up in both groups. Results showed that Kata techniques training significantly reduced stereotypy in the exercise group. Following participation in Kata techniques training, stereotypy decreased from baseline levels by a . M of 42.54% across participants. Interestingly, after 30 days of no practice, stereotypy in the exercise group remained significantly decreased compared to pre-intervention time. The participants of the control group did not show significant changes in the stereotypy. Teaching martial arts techniques to children with ASD for a long period of time consistently decreased their stereotypic behaviors. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd.
Journal of Human Sport and Exercise (19885202)7(1 SPECIAL ISSUE)
Volunteers form an integral part of the sport industry. Recognition of the volunteers' motivations to attract them in sport programs is the aim of each organization. Although several studies have been conducted regarding volunteers in sport, there is not a clear idea about the effective motivational factors on the sport volunteers on different communities. This subject might be due to the effects of social variables on the volunteering motivations. The aim of this study was to analyze the motivational factors in university sport. The samples consist all of the 304 students who participated as volunteers in sport programs at the Iranian universities. For data collection, a structured questionnaire comprising 39 items in the form of seven different factors (material, social, career supportive, purposive, progress and obligation) regarding the motivational factors of sport volunteering was used. The items in the questionnaire were scored on a 5-point Likert-type scale. This study demonstrated that the social and obligation factors were the highest and lowest effective factors on the sport volunteers' motivation. Also, there was a significant difference between the effect of social and career factors in two genders (P<0.05). This means that boys and girls had higher scores in career and social factors. In conclusion it is stated that university students have a large impact on the general ideas at the communities; therefore, promotion of sport volunteering activities at the universities could develop the culture of volunteering in various parts of the communities. © Faculty of Education. University of Alicante.
Journal of Human Sport and Exercise (19885202)7(1 SPECIAL ISSUE)
Litigation is now a common occurrence and the sport environment is not excluded. The law affects all aspects of sport, whether you are an Olympic champion, a referee of a soccer game, a fan of special team, a constructor or seller of sports equipment, or a coach of team. Many circumstances do occur in the field of sports through which administrators, coaches, referees, et cetera, could be entangled in legal disputes on the conducts of their duties in sports. With of referee's career in the sport competitions and the effective role of them in the result of matches regards to the importance, discussion about the duties of referees, their responsibilities arising from breaching their duties, required factors for imposing liability to them, and the criteria of the standard referees are important. In this article, it is tried to analyze different aspects of civil liability of referees in the sport competitions. © Faculty of Education. University of Alicante.
Rejaei, S.F.,
Mojtahedi, H.,
Marandi, S.M.,
Rahnama, N.,
Movahedi, A.,
Bambaeichi e., E.,
Khayambashi, K. Journal of Isfahan Medical School (10277595)30(186)
Background: Cardiac biomarkers are factors that are used in the diagnosis of heart tissue damage and acute myocardial infarction. The main purpose of this study was to compare 3 types of endurance, resistance, and combined exercise on cardiac biomarkers, i.e. cardiac troponin T (cTnT) and creatine kinase isoenzymes MB (CK-MB), in active men. Methods: A total number of 15 healthy active young men with a mean age of 23 ± 1.60 years, mean height of 173 ± 3.75 cm, mean weight of 69 ± 8.74 kg, and maximal oxygen uptake (VO2 max) of 51.48 ± 1.84 mL/kg.min were selected. Each subject performed the 3 types of exercise with 7-day intervals. Blood samples were obtained before and immediately after exercise and cardiac biomarkers were evaluated. Statistical analyses were conducted using paired t-test and analysis of variance (ANOVA). Findings: Our results indicated that CK-MB increased significantly after resistance, endurance, and combined exercise (pretest value = 20.87 ± 2.39; posttest values = 25.98 ± 3.86, 26.34 ± 4.21, and 27± 2.66, respectively; α = 0.01). However, the 3 types of exercise did not result in significantly different CK-MB levels. CTnT levels did not change significantly after resistance, endurance, or combined exercise (pretest value = 0.65 ± 0.11; posttest values = 0.48 ± 0.11, 0.65 ± 0.11, and 0.77 ± 0.11, respectively; α = 0.01). Nevertheless, cTnT levels were higher after endurance and combined exercise compared to resistance exercise. Conclusion: The results indicated that despite the increased amounts of CK-MB which might have been caused by the nature of exercises and muscle damage due to intense muscular activity, none of endurance, resistance, and combined exercises triggered significant changes in cTnT levels in active men. Therefore, these types of exercise cannot be followed by heart damage.
Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders (17509467)7(9)pp. 1054-1061
The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of long term Kata techniques training on social interaction of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). We assigned 30 school aged children with ASD to an exercise (n = 15) or a no-exercise group (n = 15). We required participants of the exercise group to exercise Kata techniques for 14 weeks, while participants of the control group received no exercise. We evaluated the social interaction of the participants at baseline, post-intervention (week 14), and at one month follow up. Results revealed that Kata techniques training significantly improved social dysfunction in the exercise group. Interestingly, at one month follow up improvement in social deficiency in the exercise group remained unchanged compared to post-intervention time. The social deficiency of participants of the control group was not changed across the experimental period. We concluded that teaching martial arts techniques to children with ASD leads to significant improvement in their social interaction. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Iranian Studies (00210862)47(6)pp. 951-966
Women's sport has always been a challenging subject in Muslim countries and Muslim women have had to face various constraints regarding their participation in sport and exercise, which also influence their attitudes to sport. This study aims to explore the attitude of Iranian female university students toward sport by survey method (N = 1,120) and qualitative interviews (N = 50). The results indicate that the majority of the participants have negative attitudes to sport, and accordingly they do not practice it. Various macro-, meso-and micro-level factors were found as perceived barriers. From the results it can be concluded that the media as a tool for raising awareness to providing role models and shaping the social values of mainstream society does not take a positive role in order to develop the culture of women's sport, and to change the attitude of female students and their social environments to sport in Iranian society. © 2013 The International Society for Iranian Studies.
