Centro de Investigação em Desporto, Saúde e Desenvolvimento Humano - UID/04045/2025

Comparison of Frailty and Autonomy Levels in Older Adults According to Place of Residence

Publicações

Publication . Machado, Andrea; Forte, Pedro; Rodrigues, Filipe

The present study aimed to compare levels of frailty and functional independence in older adults according to their place of residence and to analyze the associations between age, frailty, and autonomy, considering sex. Methods: A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted with a sample of 77 older adults (80.16 ± 8.68 years), divided into community-dwelling (n = 38) and institutionalized (n = 39) participants. Data collection included sociodemographic characterization and the assessment of frailty and autonomy. Results: Older adults in the community showed significantly higher levels of autonomy (94.21 ± 10.81) compared to those who were institutionalized (75.53 ± 23.21; p < 0.001). No significant differences were found in frailty levels between the groups (p = 0.674). Correlation analysis revealed a strong negative association between frailty and autonomy, which was more pronounced in institutionalized older adults (r = −0.64) and in males (r = −0.72). Age was only correlated with the loss of autonomy in men (r = −0.43). Conclusions: Place of residence is a critical determinant of functional autonomy but not of perceived frailty. The results highlight a health-survival paradox, where men exhibit a more abrupt functional decline associated with frailty. The implementation of gerontomotricity programs in residential care facilities is suggested to mitigate learned dependency.

Lap stability, stroke kinematics, and turn performance in female 200 m short-course finals at the 2019 LEN European Championships

Publication . Oliveira, João P.; Marinho, D.A.; Sampaio, Tatiana; Barbosa, Tiago M.; Silva, A.J.; Arellano, Raúl; Morais, J.E.

The aim of this study was to analyse lap performance stability, stroke kinematic variables in the clean swimming phase and turn performance in the finals of the four 200 m short course (SCM) events (freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly). The sample included thirty-two elite female swimmers who competed in the 200 m finals at the 2019 LEN European Short Course Championships in Glasgow. Lap times, stroke kinematics, and turns were analysed using two approaches: (i) official lap time comparison (50 m), and; (ii) comparison of consecutive segments (25 m). Based on the official lap time comparison, performance significantly decreased over time (p < 0.001) with strong effect sizes in all strokes (η2 between 0.89 and 0.96). Pairwise comparisons between consecutive 25 m segments were not significant. Turn time increased in all four strokes with strong effect sizes (p < 0.001; η2 between 0.71 and 0.84). The start contributed ∼6% and turns ∼52% of the total race time. These findings highlight that traditional pacing analysis based on official splits may lead to misleading interpretations of performance in SCM events. Analysing 25 m segments provides a more accurate representation of race dynamics and contributes to a clearer understanding of pacing stability in short-course swimming.

Physical Fitness and Physical Activity in Young Adults: A Comparative Study Between Two Higher Education Institutions

Publication . Sampaio, Tatiana; Oliveira, João P.; Magalhães, Pedro; Bragada, José A.; Bartolomeu, Raúl Filipe; Vasques, Catarina; Morais, J.E.

Background: Evidence suggests that physical activity and fitness tend to decline during the transition to higher education, yet the influence of institutional environment on these variables remains unclear. Objectives: This study aimed to compare physical fitness and physical activity levels between first-year students from two higher education institutions within the same national context. Methods: Fifty-eight male university students (IPB (Instituto Politécnico de Bragança): n = 31; IPG (Instituto Politécnico da Guarda): n = 27; mean age IPB = 19.2 ± 1.8 years; IPG = 19.8 ± 5.5 years) were assessed for body composition, handgrip strength, mid-thigh pull, standing long jump, stork balance, flexibility, and estimated VO2max (StepTest4all). Physical activity levels were determined using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) and were classified as low, moderate, or high. Between-group comparisons were performed using independent samples t-tests, with statistical significance set at p < 0.05. Results: Students from IPB presented significantly higher IPAQ scores (2.97 ± 0.18) compared with those from IPG (2.56 ± 0.64; t = 3.235, p = 0.003, d = 0.90), along with superior standing long jump performance (1.95 ± 0.15 m vs. 2.12 ± 0.24 m; t = −3.239, p = 0.002, d = 0.85). No significant differences were observed for body composition, strength, flexibility, balance, psychological well-being or VO2max (all p > 0.05), although small effects were noted for flexibility (d = 0.50) and VO2max (d = 0.48). The distribution of physical activity categories revealed that 96.8% of IPB students were classified as highly active, whereas IPG students were more evenly distributed across high (63.0%), moderate (28.6%), and low (7.4%) activity levels. Conclusions: These findings indicate that institutional environment and access to exercise opportunities may influence physical activity behavior and lower-limb power in university students. Promoting structured physical activity programs and recreational opportunities within higher education may help sustain adequate fitness and health in this population.

Understanding Differences in Swimming Velocity and Propulsive Force in the Butterfly Stroke: A Comparison Between Male and Female Butterfly Swimmers Through Discrete and Continuous Variables

Publication . Pinto, Mafalda; Neiva, Henrique P.; Sampaio, Tatiana; Oliveira, João P.; Morais, J.E.; Marinho, D.A.; Barbosa, Tiago M.

The aim of this study was to verify differences in swimming velocity and propulsive force (PF) between male and female swimmers in the butterfly stroke based on discrete variables and Statistical Parametric Mapping (SPM—continuous variables). The sample comprised 20 young national-level swimmers (10 boys with 17.9 ± 1.2 years and 10 girls with 15.5 ± 1.4 years). Swimming velocity, intracyclic variation of swimming velocity, stroke frequency, stroke length, stroke index, and PF were measured as discrete variables. Swimming velocity and PF were also measured as continuous variables with SPM. As a discrete variable, swimming velocity presented significant differences between sexes with very large effect sizes (p < 0.001, d = 2.46). The average PF also presented significant differences between sexes with very large effect sizes (p < 0.001, d = 2.01). Male swimmers were faster and generated greater PF than female swimmers. As for SPM, velocity presented significant differences between sexes (t = 3.355, p < 0.001) between ∼31 and ∼56% of the stroke cycle. This corresponds mainly to the end of the pull and most of the push phase. PF followed the same trend, with differences in the same phase of the time series. SPM allowed for identification where, within the stroke cycle, differences between sexes occurred in velocity and PF. Being in the same phase of the time series highlights the existing velocity–PF relationship. SPM can allow researchers and coaches to pinpoint the exact moments within the stroke cycle where differences between swimmers may occur

The Effect of Two Activation Protocols During the Transition Phase: Sprint Swimming Performance

Publication . Paiva, Daniel; Rama, Luís Manuel; Neiva, Henrique P.; Nunes, Célia Pinto; Morais, J.E.; Marinho, D.A.

The transition phase often causes athletes to lose the benefits of warm-up, so this study aimed to assess the effects of two re-warm-up protocols and a control condition without re-warm-up on 100 m freestyle performance and the kinematic variables (stroke length (SL), stroke rate (SR), and stroke index (SI)), subjective perception of effort (RPE), and physiological variables (heart rate (HR), temperature (T), and blood lactate concentration (La−)). Twenty competitive-level swimmers completed a dryland and water warm-up, followed by a 30 min transition phase and a 100 m freestyle simulation. Over 30 min, each swimmer randomly performed one of three re-warm-up protocols: control (remaining seated), dryland (explosive exercises), and water (race-pace series). The three experimental re-warm-up protocols affected 100 m freestyle performance (p = 0.019; η2p = 0.189). Posthoc comparisons showed that dryland was faster than control (−0.68%, p = 0.009), whereas no significant difference was observed between water and control (−0.52%, p = 0.234). No significant differences were observed between conditions for SR, SL, RPE, or La−, whereas peak HR was lower in the control. Although water did not significantly improve performance, swimmers reported more favourable sensations during the trial. In conclusion, the dryland protocol significantly improved 100 m freestyle performance, whereas the water protocol did not produce significant performance benefits under the present conditions.