To evaluate the effectiveness of core stability training and dynamic stretching on thoracolumbar range of motion (ROM), pain level and functional disability among chronic low back pain patients. Forty-three participants aged from 19-67 years old with the primary complaint of low back pain of more than 12 weeks' duration were assigned to three groups: core stability (CS) (n=17), dynamic stretching (DS) (n=16) and control (n=12). All participants received regular thermotherapy and electrotherapy from the hospital rehabilitation unit. The CS group and DS groups were assigned with additional training, namely core stability training and dynamic stretching training programs for the respective groups. No additional training was given to the control group. The participants' thoracolumbar range of motion (ROM), pain level and functional disability were tested over four different testing periods (pre, acute, ongoing, post). The current study shows both the CS group and DS group show significant improvement (p<0.05) in thoracolumbar ROM (CS group; ηp² = 0.50, CS group; ηp² = 0.66), pain level (CS group; ηp² = 0.85, CS group; ηp² = 0.81), and functional disability (CS group; ηp² = 0.65, CS group; ηp² = 0.82). In summary, both core stability exercise and dynamic stretching are effective in improving thoracolumbar ROM, pain-level, functional disability among chronic low back pain patients.

Physically sedentary and overweight nurses appear to be less credible in inculcating healthy behaviour among patients. Shift-work has been shown to promote physical inactivity, whilst sedentarism strongly correlates with a high body mass index (BMI). We aim to determine the level of physical activity among hospital nurses of different work schedules, i.e. shift-work and day-work; and explore any associations between nurses' demographic backgrounds, BMI, and work schedules with their physical activity level. This cross-sectional study design was employed. The self-administered Malaysian International Physical Activity Questionnaire – Long form (IPAQ-L) and a demographic survey sheet were provided to the eligible nurses. Bivariate and subsequent regression analyses were performed to determine their associations. A total of 1988 nurses from the University Malaya Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur were invited to participate in this study. There were 1504 (76%) returned responses, with 77% of responding nurses working shift. Based on the IPAQ-L, 87% of the nurses were deemed highly active, while another 11% were moderately active. Upon stratifying into shift-work and day-work, statistically significant differences were observed between the groups in the domains of ‘work’ (p = 0.016), ‘domestic chores’ (p = 0.038), and in intensity-specific ‘walking’ (p = 0.046) and ‘vigorous’ activities (p = 0.034). There were no differences among groups within categories of physical activities (p = 0.355). Regression analysis showed significant difference for ‘duration of daily vehicle travel’, with the day-workers reporting a longer adjusted travel time (76.50 minutes/day, p < 0.001). Working shift does not seem to harm an individual nurse's overall measured physical activity, as evidenced by equivalent high values of physical activity engagement between both work schedules. Any differences within domains and intensities of physical activities may be attributed to the respective cohort characteristics.

Rowing has two stroke phases: the drive phase and recovery phase. The objective of our study was to evaluate the changes of drive to recovery ratio during rowing on a dynamic ergometer. Ten male national junior rowers participated in the study. Three-dimensional motion was recorded using nine infrared cameras. Rowing motions were captured in ten strokes for every 500m section of 2000m rowing time trial on a dynamic ergometer. Two-way ANOVA was performed to compare the duration of drive and recovery phases across 500m sections of 2000m time trial. The findings showed that there were no significant interactions between drive and recovery phases and distance covered. However, there was significant interaction between the duration of the recovery phase and distance covered. Participants were consistent in maintaining the duration of drive and recovery phase at 500m, 1000m, and 1500m; in the final 500m section, the rowers sprinted as fast as possible with high stroke rates. Drive to recovery ratio across 2000m dynamic ergometer rowing was 1:1. From the study, the strategy to minimise time to completion may be managed by adjusting the time spent during drive and recovery phases in each section of the 2000m time trial. Crew pairings can be conducted according to personal drive to recovery ratio to enhance rowing synchronisation.

The purpose of this study is to look at the effects of music during physical activities towards the mood of primary school children. The results of this study show a result that found a positive mood effect during physical education activities by incorporating music elements in teaching and teaching sessions. The study was conducted for two weeks. A week-long three Physical Education subject sessions per session take about 30 minutes. This study was conducted on primary school pupils in Seremban which involves three (n = 3) schools, focusing on schools in rural areas only encompassing one hundred and eighty (n = 180) ie 90 pupils men and 90 girls. All nine-year study subjects were broken down into three groups ie control groups A, B, and C. The study was experimental. Group A follows the Three Year syllabus syllabus provided by the Curriculum Development Division of the Ministry of Education, which is applicable in primary schools in Malaysia. Group B runs free games that are not tied to curriculum syllabus and Group C similar to group A also follow the same syllabus of the Year Three syllabus but during the lesson the pupils are played with the background of music in each learning session. The findings show that the C group absorbed by the music element shows the tendency of a better and positive mood compared to other groups. The results of this study also attract the children to participate in the Physical Education class more actively and give positive impact to the individual in terms of the development of their gross motor and is a fun subject and lead to the formation of a balanced, physical, emotional, spiritual, and intellectuality.

This study aims to assess the acceptance and effectiveness of an exercise board game in improving knowledge of physical activity among overweight and obese children. A quasi-experimental research design was carried out. This study was conducted among 68 overweight and obese children aged 7-11 years old from four primary schools in Kuala Lumpur. Children in the intervention group (n=34) played the exercise board game, while those in the control group (n=34) were given explanations using the Ministry of Heath Malaysia's physical activity pyramid. Both groups were tested on their knowledge of physical activity using a pre-tested questionnaire before and after the study. The results showed a significant increase in the knowledge of physical activity among both the intervention and control groups. In the intervention group, the total scores before and after intervention were respectively: median (25^th – 75^th percentile), 8 .0 (6.0 - 9.0) and 8.0 (8.0 – 10.0), p=0.005. In the control group, the total scores before and after intervention were respectively: median (25^th – 75^th percentile), 9.0 (7.0 – 10.0) and 10.0 (8.8 – 10.0), p=0.005. Overall, the acceptance score of children on the exercise board game was high [7.0 (6.0 – 8.0)] from total score of 8.0. In conclusion, both groups improved their knowledge of physical activity after the intervention sessions. This study confirms the acceptance of the exercise board game among overweight and obese children in primary schools. Further research is needed to evaluate the attitudes and practices of children towards physical activity after playing the exercise board game.

The Mindfulness Acceptance Commitment-Physical (MAC-P) training module aims to improve physical training performance as in aerobic exercise. The face and content validity of the MAC-P Module has been accepted by the expert with an agreement percentage of 0.68 to 0.88. While the reliability of the module based on Cronbach Alpha values is between 0.65 and 0.94. The MAC-P effect is tested on the performance of aerobic resistance in Bleep tests, physical self efficacy and mental strength compared to conventional methods based on Psychological Skill Training (PST). The research design is the Randomized Subjects Pretest-Postest Control Group. The subject is a semester student of the UPSI Coaching Science program, divided into MAC-P (n = 21), PST (n = 21) and control (n = 21). The research instrument is Bleep, Mental Toughness Questionnaire (MTQ), and physical self-efficacy scale. Based on Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA), there is a significant intervention effect on post-VO2max performance, mental strength, and physical self-efficacy. The MAC-P group shows post-VO2max and higher physical self-efficacy than PST and control groups. While the PST group obtained a higher post-mental score than MAC-P and control groups. In conclusion, MAC-P has more effect on aerobic performance than PST. The MAC-P approach strives to be an alternative besides PST towards improved performance in exercises that test aerobic endurance. Abstrak Modul latihan Mindfulness Acceptance Commitment-Physical (MAC-P) bertujuan meningkatkan prestasi latihan fizikal seperti dalam latihan aerobik. Kesahan muka dan kandungan bagi Modul MAC-P telah diterima pakar dengan peratus persetujuan antara 0.68 hingga 0.88. Manakala kebolehpercayaan modul berdasarkan nilai Cronbach Alpha adalah antara 0.65 hingga 0.94. Kesan MAC-P diuji ke atas prestasi daya tahan aerobik dalam ujian Bleep, efikasi kendiri fizikal dan kekuatan mental berbanding kaedah konvensional berasaskan Psychological Skill Training (PST). Reka bentuk kajian adalah Randomized Subjects Pretest-Postest Control Group. Subjek adalah pelajar semester satu program Sains Kejurulatihan UPSI, yang dibahagikan kepada kumpulan MAC-P (n = 21), PST (n = 21) dan kawalan (n = 21). Instrumen kajian adalah ujian Bleep, Mental Toughness Questionnaire (MTQ), dan skala efikasi kendiri fizikal. Berdasarkan Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA), terdapat kesan intervensi yang signifikan ke atas prestasi pasca VO2max, kekuatan mental, dan efikasi kendiri fizikal. Kumpulan MAC-P menunjukkan skor pasca VO2max dan efikasi kendiri fizikal yang lebih tinggi berbanding kumpulan PST dan kawalan. Manakala kumpulan PST memperoleh skor pasca kekuatan mental lebih tinggi berbanding kumpulan MAC-P dan kawalan. Kesimpulannya, MAC-P lebih memberi kesan terhadap prestasi aerobik berbanding PST. Pendekatan MAC-P berupaya menjadi alternatif selain PST ke arah peningkatan prestasi dalam latihan yang menguji daya tahan aerobik.

The aim of this study was to determine the relationship among obesity, physical activity level, physical fitness and academic performance among female secondary school students in Shah Alam. Two hundred and fourteen participants (age: 16 years, body height: 156.76 ± 5.65 cm, body mass 59.92 ± 13.35 kg, BMI: 24.41 ± 5.00 kg/m²) participated in this study. Students with a body mass index above 25 kg/m² were classified as obese. Physical activity level was evaluated by using International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), while physical fitness was evaluated by the total score of four fitness components (cardiovascular endurance, muscular endurance, muscular strength, flexibility) measured by SEGAK used in Malaysia secondary schools. Academic performance was assessed by the Average School Grade (ASG) from the Form Three Assessment (PT3) results of the previous year. There was a negative significant relationship between obesity and physical activity level (r = -0.20, p < 0.05), obesity and physical fitness (r = -0.42, p < 0.05), obesity and academic performance (r = 0.49, p < 0.05), physical activity level and physical fitness (r = 0.54, p < 0.05), physical activity level and academic performance (r = -0.14, p < 0.05). and physical fitness and academic performance (r = -0.26, p < 0.05). These results suggested that obesity status, physical activity level and physical fitness could not only affect health status but also academic performance in secondary school students.

Some say that students engaged in athletics and non-athletics competitions are usually fully into academics. Others say that after physical activities, students become active in the classroom. A descriptive research was used utilizing closed ended questionnaire to determine the welfare and or if its shortcoming outweighs the welfare and possibly propose measures to help students improved their academic performance. There were 67 students mostly in the Junior year who participated in this study. 22 were male and 45 were female. Most of them participated in sports and athletics while few were not in athletics. Most of them agreed that these activities helped them developed better time management skills. They spent less than three hours practice between all athletics/non-athletics commitments, while devoting more than three hours for school work outside classroom. Most said that they could have better or same grades if not involved but then they agreed to choose to compete and agreed that academic support services helped them succeed. Their involvement in these competitions helped them identify their life skills and determined their career direction and motivated them to attend classes. Most of them earned a General Point Average ranging from 1.0 to 2.0, and agreed that their involvement in sports and academic events in terms of credits totals for eligibility motivated them toward degree completion and persistence towards graduation.

Tujuan kajian ini adalah untuk mengkaji kesan pengubahsuaian raket badminton dalam prestasi kemahiran kanak-kanak. Saiz raket badminton yang digunakan oleh kanak-kanak telah dikecilkan bagi membolehkan mereka bermain mengikut ciri-ciri fizikal mereka. Seramai 40 orang kanak-kanak berusia antara 7 hingga 9 tahun, yang tidak mempunyai pengalaman dalam bermain badminton telah menyertai kajian ini. Kanak-kanak telah dibahagikan kepada dua buah kumpulan secara rawak iaitu kumpulan raket yang diubahsuai (RU) dan kumpulan raket piawai (RP). Kedua-dua buah kumpulan telah menjalani program latihan selama lima minggu, yang telah dikendalikan oleh seorang jurulatih yang berkelayakan. Prestasi pukulan hadapan peserta telah diukur dan dianalisis menggunakan ujian-t sampel bebas. Hasil ujian mendapati terdapat perbezaan yang signifikan terhadap penggunaan raket bersaiz piawai antara kumpulan RU dan kumpulan RP, t (38) = 2.51, p < .05. Manakala bagi penggunaan raket yang diubahsuai juga menunjukkan terdapat perbezaan yang signifikan antara kumpulan RU dan kumpulan RP, t (38) = 4.53, p < .05. Dapatan kajian turut mendapati bahawa kumpulan RU mempunyai prestasi pukulan hadapan yang lebih baik berbanding kumpulan RP apabila menggunakan raket yang diubahsuai dan raket piawai. Keputusan ini menunjukkan bahawa kumpulan RU mempunyai proses pemindahan pembelajaran kemahiran yang lebih baik semasa menggunakan raket yang diubahsuai dan raket piawai berbanding kumpulan RP. Kesimpulannya, pengubahsuaian saiz raket dapat meningkatkan prestasi kemahiran di kalangan kanak-kanak dalam sukan badminton.

Carrying a backpack imposes stress on the back and lower limbs. In Reserve Officer Training Unit (ROTU), carrying a backpack is a requirement. It is included in the training drafted by the Malaysian Armed Forces. This study examined the effects of weight training on core strength, balance and jumping mechanics in 20 female ROTU cadets (Backpack group = 10, Control group = 10). Both groups underwent six weeks of physical training twice a week, performing a 2.4 km run, three sets of jumping jacks (20 reps each set) and three sets of squats (10 reps each set). During physical training, the Backpack group carried a military issue backpack with a total weight of 7 kg, while the Control group carried nothing. Four tests were conducted prior and after the training sessions which were, Modified Plank test to assess core strength; Balance Error Scoring System test to assess static balance; Star Excursion Balance test to assess dynamic balance and Drop Vertical Jump test to assess the jumping mechanics through the evaluation of Frontal Plane Projection Angle (FPPA) of the knee joint. There were no statistically significant differences in core strength (p-value = 0.353), static balance (p-value=0.458) and knee FPPA (p-value=0.681) when comparing between the two groups post-training. These results suggest that six weeks of training with a 7 kg-backpack does not have any major effects on the core strength, static and dynamic balance, and jumping mechanics of female ROTU cadets.

The main purpose of this study was to identify the most preferred and the actual leadership behaviour of the school football team coaches' by the athletes. One hundred and ninety school team under 18 players who were playing for the Inter- Zone Alor Gajah District, took part in this study. Leadership Scale for Sports (LSS) questionnaire was used. There are 40 questionnaires which have been translated from English Language to Bahasa Malaysia was used. The Data was analysed using descriptive statistics to identify the percentage, mean, standard deviation, t-test and ANOVA. The results of this study suggests that the most preferred leadership behaviours by the athletes is training and instruction (min=3.29) and followed by the democratic (min=3.20). Whereas the autocratic behaviour (min 2.97) were found to be least preferred. The actual leadership behaviours of the coaches show that the dominant behaviours are training and instruction (min 4.49) followed by democratic behaviour (min=4.40), social support(min=4.35) and autocratic behaviour. The least dominant behaviour is autocratic behaviour (min=4.20). There were no significant differences between preferred and actual leadership behaviour in all the dimension except the autocratic bahaviour t(187)=3.18, p=0.002.

Digit ratio has been investigated extensively and in certain studies has been shown to be predetermined as early as in the womb. Digit ratio is often associated with varied human performance in various aspects such as fertility, psychology, disease, and sports. It has been reported that athletes with higher testosterone levels excel over than those with low testosterone levels. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the association of low digit ratio with talented young footballers' aerobic and anaerobic capacities. The study selected 29 subjects (N=29), comprising male students aged 10.41±0.57 (years) actively undergoing football training at the Kuala Lumpur Football Association (KLFA) Academy. Spearman's Rho result indicates that low digit ratio is moderately correlated with aerobic capacity, which was tested by using One Mile Run test (MRW) with =0.406, p=0.029. Meanwhile, concerning the association between low digit ratio and anaerobic capacity through 50-meter sprint tests, the results deduced from Spearman's Rho revealed that there is no significant correlation, with =-.128, p=0.509. In conclusion, these results may give further insights into the influence of digit ratio on energy capacities if the sample size is improved with a thorough methodology. Given a larger sample size and detailed research in future, digit ratio could be a good indicator in classifying athletes based on their dominant energy system capacity.

Nowadays, people have realized that physical activity plays a critical role in determining the health and wellness of an individual. This is proven by the extensive research on this area, which indicates that people have started to emphasize this matter. In addition, it is also well known that motivation is one of the main factors that determine whether people will participate in performing physical activity or not. Both extrinsic and intrinsic motivators play a major role in determining levels of physical activity. Therefore, this study is made to investigate the relationship between extrinsic motivation and physical activity level. The researcher randomly selected 195 students from SMK Alam Megah 2, Seksyen 28, Shah Alam, Selangor as respondents for this study. The method of this study includes a questionnaire adapted from International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) and Exercise Motivation Inventory (EMI), which was edited to fulfil the requirements of this study. The results from this study show that there is a positive and significant relationship between extrinsic motivation and physical activity.

Background: Improving the physical characteristics of rhythmic gymnasts (RGs) has a significant impact on their level of performance. The enhancing of certain characteristics among RG is helpful in the early stages of RG training process. Methods: The current quasi-experimental study aimed to assess the effects of the core training program on enhancing physical characteristics including power (vertical jump test), balance (stork stand balance test), flexibility (sit and reach test), and strength and endurance (sit-up test), among Malaysian rhythmic gymnasts. Forty female rhythmic gymnasts (aged 6-9 years old) from 2 sport clubs located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, were selected to participant in this study and divided randomly into intervention and control groups. Participants in the intervention group received 12 weeks of the core training program as the intervention program. Results: The results showed the core training program had positive effects on physical characteristics including power (Δmean=-2.95, p<0.001), balance (right leg: Δmean=-2.25, p<0.001 and left leg: Δmean=-0.69, p=0.04) and strength (Δmean=-2.70, p<0.001) among participants in the intervention group. However, compared to pre-test scores, no significant changes were seen in the mean scores for flexibility (sit and reach test) in the post-test (p>0.5). Conclusion: Overall, the results of the current study showed that the intervention program can be introduced as an effective program for improving the physical characteristics of the young female Malaysian RGs. The findings of the current study could be used by Malaysian gymnastics coaches and gymnastics trainers to design and implement a continuous core training program to improve the performance of Malaysian RGs.

Batting velocity is an important component for successful hitting. Previous research has shown that batting velocity is influenced by increased muscular strength. Resistance training is broadly applied by strength and conditioning coaches to increase strength. However, recently, Whole-Body Electromyostimulation (WB-EMS) has been proven to be able to increase muscular strength in high performance athletes. This study aimed to examine the effects of eight weeks of dynamic WB-EMS training on muscular strength and batting velocity among female collegiate softball players. Forty softball players were randomly assigned to two groups: DS-EMS (n = 20) and DS (n = 20). Both groups performed 100 basic dry swings per session using a standard bat. Additionally, DS-EMS group performed whole body electromyostimulation after the dry swing training. The training program was conducted three times a week and all participants were tested before (baseline) and after (week-8) the training programs. Both groups showed statistically significant increases in predicted 1RM torso rotational strength (p ≤ 0.01) and batting velocity (p ≤ 0.01) after 8 weeks of training. The WB-EMS group showed significant increase in predicted 1RM bench press, and predicted 1RM squat (p ≤ 0.01). The WB-EMS group showed greater increases (p ≤ 0.01) in batting velocity compared to control group. These data indicate that an 8-week of dry swing training supplemented by dynamic WB-EMS sessions may significantly increase strength and batting velocity among female collegiate softball players.

This study was conducted to evaluate the differences of physiological and biomechanical variables during 2 km rowing time trials on a stationary versus dynamic ergometer. Ten state-level rowers (male: 6, female: 4) voluntarily participated in the study. Two sessions of 2 km time trial were conducted: one on a static ergometer and another on a dynamic ergometer. Data on oxygen consumption, blood lactate concentration, maximum heart rate, stroke rate, time to completion and lower limb angles at sagittal plane were collected and analysed during the tests. A paired T-test was used to compare the physiological and biomechanical variables across stationary and dynamic ergometer. Stroke rate, maximum heart rate, drive to recovery phase ratio and VO2max showed statistically significant differences during 2 km rowing time trials on stationary versus dynamic ergometer. Moreover, VO2max was inversely related with high correlation to time to completion of 2 km rowing test on both ergometers. Height, body fat and VO2max are the major determinants of 2 km rowing time trials on stationary and dynamic ergometer. The outcomes from this study are important to enhance rowing performance especially for rowers.