Breakfast consumption is associated with many benefits, including behavioural, cognitive, and affective aspects. Young adults, especially female university/college students, frequently fail to meet the prescription of nutritional intake and often skip meals, particularly breakfast. Thus, this study investigates the associations of breakfast consumption with body status and level of physical activity among female university students. A total of 165 female university students, mean age 21.9 ± 1.5 years from Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Shah Alam, Malaysia, voluntarily took part in this study. Body weight, height, waist circumference and body fat percentages were measured using standard procedures. The odd ratios were calculated to compare in level of physical activity between breakfast skippers and non-skippers. The findings revealed that breakfast consumption was not significantly associated with body mass index (BMI), waist circumference or physical activity level. Conversely, the results showed that breakfast consumption was significantly associated with body fat percentages (%BF) (p<0.05; p=0.006). The results show that skippers were more likely (OR: 1.6; 95% CI) never to perform mild exercise or only performed mild exercise for less than half an hour per day (56.5%) compared to non-skippers (43.5%) even though the data did not meet the level of statistical significance. Among the respondents, skippers (56.5%) were more likely (OR: 1.6; 95% CI) to spend less than half an hour in moderate exercise than non-skippers (43.5%). Also, the data indicates that non-skippers (53.3%) were more likely (OR: 2.4 times) to do moderate exercise of more than half an hour than skippers (46.7%). Skippers (65.3%) tend to do more strenuous exercise of less than half an hour (OR: 5.3; 95% CI) compared to non-skippers (34.7%). Emphasizing the importance of eating breakfast may lead university students to have better healthy lifestyles, improve academic achievement and prevent obesity crisis among young adults.

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Background: The rate of obesity is consistently increasing in Malaysia, especially among women, which exposes the population to various metabolic and other mortality diseases. The aim of this study was to compare the effect of 12 weeks of Aqua Zumba® Fitness programmes on metabolic diseases indicators for obese young and middle-age women. Methods: Eighty previously sedentary obese (BMI >30 kg/m2) women (age 20-59 years old) were randomized to either a 12-week Aqua Zumba® regimen (AZ, n=40) or control group (C, n=40). Experiment group were involved in 12-weeks of Aqua Zumba® Fitness programmes, 3 times per week, 60 minutes per session, with an intensity of 50-75% of maximum heart rate. Body fat percentage (BF%), visceral fat (VF), waist circumference (WC), resting blood pressure (RBP), blood glucose (BG), and blood lipids (HDL and TG) were measured at baseline (week-0) and post-exercise intervention (week-13). Result: A significant difference (p<0.05) was found in changes of BF%, VF, WC, RBP, BG, HDL, and TG following 12-weeks of Aqua Zumba® Fitness programmes in both obese young and middle-age groups. However, the obese young group demonstrated significant superior changes with improvements of BF%, WC, and BG (p<0.05) compared to obese middle-age group. Conclusion: As a result, Aqua Zumba® Fitness elicits favorable changes in all metabolic parameters among obese women. Furthermore, the aging process affects metabolic responses towards exercise, with less prolific results in improvement of BF%, WC, and BG found in the middle-age group.

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The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of 4 weeks of plyometric training on grass surface group and concrete surface on jumping performance among volleyball athletes. The vertical jump was evaluated in two types of jump; squat jump (SJ) and countermovement jump (CMJ). The results of this study indicate that 4 weeks of intervention led to a significant improvement in post-tests of SJ and CMJ (p < 0.05) for both grass surface and concrete surface. However, in comparing the grass and concrete surfaces, there was no significant difference (p > 0.05). These findings suggest that plyometric training on different surfaces may be associated with similar training-induced effects on neuromuscular factors related to the efficiency of the stretch-shortening cycle.

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The ability to possess the ball during soccer matches is linked to success. The domination of Johor Darul Ta'zim FC (JDT FC) in recent years in the Malaysia Super League has impressed many. The aim of this study was to compare the performance between JDT FC and their opponents in Malaysia Super League 2015 season. Successful and unsuccessful passes, ball possession rates, attempt on goal, shot on target, and goals scored were selected as Performance Indicators (P.I) in this study. Twelve matches from Malaysia Super League (MSL) season 2015 were selected. Video of 12 matches was obtained from Media Prima Sdn. Bhd., www.youtube.com and live recordings. Longo Match 1.0 match analysis software was used for post-coding. Kolmogorov-Smirnov Z was used to analyses the differences while Spearman's rho correlation test was utilized to determine the correlation. Percentage of successful passes (p=0.034), ball possessions rate (p=0.000), and goal scored (p=0.002) were significantly difference between JDT FC and their opponents. There were also positive correlations between possessions and all variables except for unsuccessful passes. This study concludes that in Malaysian soccer matches, a high percentage of successful passes and high rate of ball possessions influence total shots in a soccer game.

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National Sport Associations, National and International Sport Federations and even the International Olympic Committee continue to struggle with meeting the 20% representation quota of women in executive boards. Although women's representation as athletes, coaches and officials has increased in national and international sport competitions, this does not hold in leadership, particularly in top positions. In sport leadership, empirical research showed statistical figures that women have gained access in leadership pipeline however, they still lack representation on executive boards. This study is a part of a larger phenomenological investigation intended to identify the factors that influence the persistent underrepresentation of women in top leadership positions. From a purposive maximum variation sampling of seven participants, top women leaders in Malaysia national sport organisations were interviewed about their career paths and experiences concerning how and why women top leaders continue to lag behind their male counterparts. Results suggest that self-limiting behaviors, work-life conflict and interpersonal relationships among other women contribute to the underrepresentation of women in top positions. Factors attributed to social perception of gender and leadership roles incongruence also limited women leaders' access in organisations, which subsequently contribute to the pipeline problem. Moreover, participants offered suggestions in overcoming the challenges and personal strategies in advancing opportunities and career development.

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Coaches are the people responsible for helping athletes work towards achieving their full potential. The influence of coaches is associated with positive impacts on athletes by enhancing their performance, character development, athlete satisfaction and other various positive outcomes. In order to develop successful athletes, coaches need to have a high level of coaching efficacy. Many factors may affect coaching efficacy, such as coaching education and experience, and it might play a part in the ability of coaches in coaching their athletes. Hence, the purpose of this study is to determine the impact of coaching experience and education on coaching efficacy among Malaysian collegiate coaches. A total of 331 coaches for SUKIPT 2016 were involved in this study. The Coaching Efficacy Scale (CES) questionnaire was used to measure the coaches coaching efficacy. Overall, Malaysian collegiate coaches showed that their level of coaching efficacy was high for all subscales, namely character building (M=7.92, SD=.83), technique (M=7.91, SD=.89), game strategy (M=7.80, SD=.93), and motivation (M=7.79, SD=.83). Furthermore, study shows that there was a medium positive correlation between coaching experience (r=.37, n=331, p<.001) and coaching efficacy and the small positive correlation between coaching education (r=.12, n=331, p<.05) and coaching efficacy. In addition, multiple regression results indicated that both coaching experience and coaching education can predict overall coaching efficacy (F (6, 324) =12.85, p<.001). In conclusion, this study has provided additional information about coaching efficacy that in the context of Malaysian collegiate coaches. From these consequences, Malaysian collegiate coaches are aware that coaching education and coaching experience are important elements for them to become a successful coach.

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Background: Obesity is major contributor to diseases and mortality. Constant weight loss significantly reverses diseases related to obesity and helps prolong human life expectancy. To date, there has been limited scientific evidence comparing the effectiveness of the Aqua Zumba® Fitness program and conventional aqua jog among obese women. Thus, the purpose of this study is to compare the effects between 12 weeks of Aqua Zumba® Fitness and aqua jog on health parameters among middle-age women. Methods: A total of sixty sedentary obese women (BMI >30 kg/m2), aged 40-59 years old were randomized to either Aqua Zumba® Fitness (AZ, n=20), aqua jog (AJ, n=20) or control group (C, n=20). Exercise groups were involved in different 12-week aqua exercise programs, 3 times per week, 60 minutes per session, with an intensity of 50-75% of maximum heart rate. Body mass (BM), skeletal muscle mass (SMM), body fat percentage (BF%), waist circumference (WC), upper and lower body strength (UBS and LBS), cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), and flexibility were measured at baseline (week-0) and post-exercise intervention (week-13). Result: The AZ group demonstrated significant changes (p<0.05) in all selected health parameters following 12 weeks of exercise programs. AJ group also demonstrated significant differences (p<0.05) in most of the health parameters except for WC and UBS post-intervention. However, this study found that the AZ group produced significant superior changes in the improvement of SMM, WC, UBS and LBS (P<0.05) when compared to the AJ group. Conclusion: The Aqua Zumba Fitness program elicits better improvement in all health parameters among obese middle-aged women as compared to aqua jog.

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University students experience a substantial amount of change where they progress from the highly controlled setting of school to the self-motivated environment of the university. Many changes which involve social, financial, and environment elements, can be a burden to the students putting them at risk in negative health behaviours. Negative health behaviours among university students are a cause for concern since they have a tendency to be carried into adulthood, which may cause the emergence of chronic disease at a younger age. Spiritual intelligence together with self-efficacy is seen to promote better health behaviour. Therefore, the purpose of the study was to investigate the relationship between spiritual intelligence and self-efficacy on health behaviours among university students in Universiti Putra Malaysia, Malaysia. A correlational study was conducted on 400 undergraduate university students living on campus and were chosen through stratified random sampling technique using closed ended questionnaires (The Spiritual Self-Report Inventory, General Self Efficacy Scale and a modified version of Health Style Questionnaire). Pearson correlation and structural equation modelling were used to explore association between these aspects. Spiritual intelligence, self-efficacy and health behaviour were significantly correlated. Self-efficacy showed a partial mediation effect towards the relationship between spiritual intelligence and promoting health behaviour (p=0.000). Thus, an association was found between spiritual intelligence with health behaviour, and self-efficacy with health behaviour. It is interpreted that spiritual intelligence can boost positive health behaviour and it is associated with self-efficacy relevantly gives benefit to health behaviour. Such data have important implications for both health practice and policy, especially in the context of higher education institutions.

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Virtual Reality (VR) is a technology that makes use of computer graphics, algorithms and special hardware to simulate the real world in real time. There are four main elements required to make a VR system a success, namely virtual world, immersion, sensory feedback and interactivity. The virtual world created must be as real as possible. Users should have a sense of immersion in the virtual world. Position tracking is usually incorporated into a VR system for visual, sound and force feedback on the users and the virtual objects in the VR world must be interact-able with the users. VR has proven to be effective in training and widely used in many areas, for example medical surgery, dental treatment, psychology treatment for phobia, engineering design, maintenance and repair, sports and many more. By implementing VR technology in training, users are able to reduce the training cost and time. VR training is also safer for users, as harsh environments can be simulated despite the environment and/or human factors. On the other hand, the physical facilities and infrastructures of the track cycling are very costly. In track cycling, the game field, known as a velodrome, requires a large space of area. It requires a huge budget and professional manpower to maintain these facilities. Therefore, the proposed spatial immersive track cycling simulator is invented to overcome these issues. The aim of this study is to simulate the velodrome track cycling in VR environment and synchronize with a 6 degree-of-freedom motion platform. The simulator is aimed to be low cost and minimal space requirement compared to actual velodrome. A trainee who undergoes VR track cycling simulator training wears a head-mounted-display (HMD) to visualize the VR environment. An actual bike will be mounted on the 6-DOF motion platform, which the platform will synchronize with the VR environment to simulate the track condition for the training purposes. An encoder is placed at the bicycle wheel to feedback the moving speed and synchronize the visualize feedback to the HMD.

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Disability sport is becoming more popular worldwide as shown by increased participation from athletes. The increase participation exerted pressure on the athletes to achieve better sports performance. One of the factors in enhancing sports performances is nutrition. A proper diet is needed for athletes, as it is an essential component in optimizing physical development and sports performance. Identifying the nutritional knowledge and supplement habits among disabled athletes will help maximize the benefits of nutrition. Despite the importance of nutrition, there is no validated questionnaire for identifying nutritional knowledge and supplement habits among disabled athletes in Malaysia. Thus, this study aims to develop and validate a questionnaire on nutritional knowledge and supplement habits among Malaysian disabled athletes and to examine the reliability of the questionnaire. This paper intends to discuss the validation of the developed questionnaire specifically on expert validation. The target population of this study is Malaysian disabled athletes. Firstly, the questionnaire is developed and adapted from previous literature on both nutritional knowledge and supplement habits for disabled athletes. Then, the developed questionnaire undergoes translation process before proceeding with validation and reliability process. Expert validation requires a panel of experts in sports nutrition, nutrition and dietitian fields. The questionnaire will be analyzed in terms of content validity ratio (CVR). The expected result of this study is a questionnaire validated by an expert panel on nutritional knowledge and supplement habits among Malaysian disabled athletes. In future research, the reliability of the questionnaire will be tested on 23 Malaysian disabled athletes, and their nutritional status will be identified. Hence, this study will help to promote the growth of disability sports in Malaysia and enhance the sports performance of disabled athletes in Malaysia through nutrition.

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This study investigated the effects of a short-term vibration training intervention, using a relatively low-cost side-alternating platform, on the jump performance of a young recreationally-active female population. Following institutional ethics approval, 22 recreationally-active females (mean: age = 21.1 ± 0.6 years; height = 1.66 ± 0.08 m; mass = 68.1 ± 9.8 kg), recruited via a convenience sampling method, were randomly assigned to a whole-body vibration training (WBVT) or control group. The WBVT group performed static squats and lunges, once-per-week over a six-week period, on a side-alternating vibration platform. The control group followed an identical training protocol without vibration exposure. Lower-body muscular power was assessed before and after the intervention using three maximal vertical countermovement jumps (VCMJ), performed on a contact mat. Results of a repeated measures t-test revealed the WBVT group significantly improved their VCMJ performance (P = 0.012) over the six-week intervention. The control groups' performance remained relatively stable with no significant increase in jump performance (P = 0.68). The current study supports the inclusion of vibration training as part of an exercise regime to increase jumping performance in a recreationally-active female population. As findings show comparable improvements to those from other studies following similar training protocols, using more expensive vibration platforms, further investigation is now warranted to ascertain responses to vibratory signals received from the variety of low-cost, vibration platform types currently available.

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The aim of this study was to examine the effect of caffeine supplementation on aerobic, lactic anaerobic and alactic anaerobic performances in male futsal plyers following a simulated futsal match. Methods: Twenty trained futsal players (age= 34.05±3.7 yr., weight=74.38±8.65 kg, height= 1.75± 4.3 cm, body fat%=20.82±5.6 and BMI=24.15±2.62 kg/m²) participated in this single group, placebo controlled and single blinded study. The participants conducted two simulated futsal games with 1 week break between them after ingesting either caffeine (3mg/kg body mass) or placebo. The subjects consumed the same food 24 hr. before each protocol. At the baseline and immediately after two protocols, alactic anaerobic, lactic anaerobic, and aerobic performances were assessed using Sargent jump test, Running based anaerobic sprint (RAST) test and 5 minutes running field test as a measurement of maximal aerobic velocity, respectively. The data were analyzed using repeated measures of analysis of variance. Results: After futsal simulation under caffeine or placebo condition, There were no significant (p≥0.05) differences on alactic anaerobic performance compared to baseline, and alactic anaerobic power output was not significantly(p≥0.05) different between two conditions after simulated protocol. After futsal simulation, aerobic and lactic anaerobic performances for caffeine and placebo conditions were significantly (p≤0.05) lower that the baseline. Post protocol aerobic and lactic anaerobic performance measures were found significantly (p≤0.05) higher in the caffeine condition than that of in the placebo. Conclusions: Based on these results it can be said that 3 mg/kg body mass acute caffeine supplementation retards aerobic and lactic anaerobic performances decline after simulated futsal protocol. But it is not clear whether these ergogenic effects influence performance during futsal game. Therefore, the results need to be confirmed during simulated and true futsal games.

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Background: There is compelling evidence of an obesity phenomenon worldwide and interest in structured physical activity in improvement on overall health. Moderate to high levels of cardiorespiratory fitness and muscular strength resulting from aerobic and strength training appears to be protective against diabetes, CVD, and metabolic syndrome. Aerobic and strength training have also been shown to have beneficial effects on metabolic syndrome risk factors by improving in glucose metabolism, lipids profile, blood pressure, and abdominal obesity via different physiological pathways. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the effects of different modes of training on metabolic syndromes risk factors among obese females. A total of 52 participants (22.71± 1.53 years old) participated in this study. Participants were randomly assigned into aerobic (n=13), strength (n=13), concurrent (n=13), and control (n=13) groups. Intervention groups (aerobic, strength and concurrent) engaged in training 3 times weekly for 8 weeks, with approximately one hour per session at moderate intensity (aerobic; 50-70% of heart rate reserve, strength; 50-70% 1 repetition maximum). The concurrent training group spent 30 minutes of aerobic exercise, followed by 30 minutes of strength exercise. Triglycerides (TG), high density lipoprotein (HDL), fasting blood glucose (FBG), resting blood pressure (RBP), and waist circumference (WC) were measured in this study. A significant improvement (p < 0.05) was observed in fasting blood glucose (FBG), resting blood pressure (RBP), and waist circumference (WC) in intervention groups. It can be summarized that regular involvement in exercise was associated with a reduction in most metabolic syndrome risk factors among obese females.

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This study aimed to determine the effects of an 8-week core training on the balance and functional performance of young soccer players. Thirty young soccer players (age: 16.23 ± 0.69 years) were included in the study. Soccer players were randomly divided into two equal groups: a control group and training group. Balance performance was measured with Balance Error Scoring System. Pro Agility Test was used for determining agility. The standing broad jump test used in order to detect explosive power of leg muscles was conducted in accordance with Eurofit Test Battery. Standing broad jump values were gathered for both the dominant and non-dominant legs. Triple-Hop Test was used to specify muscle strength, power and balance properties of subjects. Mann-Whitney U test for comparisons between groups and Wilcoxon test for pretest-posttest comparison were used. It was observed that standing broad jump for the dominant leg of the training group increased after 8-week core training (p<0.05), but there was no statistically significant change (p>0.05) in the control group. After the 8-week core training, standing broad jump performance with double-leg did not show any statistically significant differences for both of the groups (p>0.05). After the training, triple-hop test performance in the training group increased significantly (p<0.05), but there were no changes for the control group (p>0.05). The pretest-posttest performance results of subjects revealed that agility test completion time of experimental group significantly decreased for 1. 10 yard (p<0.05), 2. 10 yard (p<0.05) and totally (p<0.05). A similar decrease was observed in the control group as well (1. 10 yard: Z=-2.201; p<0.05, 2. 10 yard: Z=-1.992; p<0.05) and totally Z=-2.201; p<0.05). After 8 weeks of training, a statistically significant change was not observed in soccer players' balance performance as measured by Balance Error Scoring System for both the training group and control group in all BESS scores (p>0.05). In conclusion, the results of the research indicate that a soccer-specific 8-week core training program can improve the performance of broad jump and triple jump in non-dominant legs of young soccer players. On the other hand, the results indicate that this may not affect long jump, agility and balance performance in dominant leg.

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This study was conducted to compare the futsal-specific skills and biomechanical characteristics of futsal female players at collegiate and club levels. Ten collegiate and ten club level female futsal players voluntarily participated in the study. Four futsal-specific skills tests (i.e., Massey Futsal Shooting Test, Illinois Agility Test, 20m sprint test and Futsal Intermittent Endurance Test) and four lower limb biomechanical tests (i.e., Drop Vertical Jump, Counter Movement Jump, Star Excursion Balance Test and isokinetic strength and power at 60°/s and 300°/s of knee flexors and extensors) were completed by the participants. Anthropometric parameters such as body weight, standing height and body fat composition were collected. An independent T-test was used to to determine the mean differences across groups in all variables. Results showed that there were no statistically significant differences between both groups except for MFST (p value = 0.00). The shot speed for the club group was statistically faster (52.16 km.h^-1) than the collegiate group (43.44 km.h^-1). The duration to complete the shots for club group was statistically shorter (4.35s) than collegiate group (4.43s). More total scores were obtained by the collegiate group (4.43 point) than the club group (4.35 point). These results conclude that both groups had similar level of strength and power for the lower limb, except for shooting skill. Training should focus on strength development for hamstring and quadriceps muscles because these muscles may affect shooting speed in both collegiate and club players.

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Previous research has not identified a consistent, robust effects of caffeine on standing body posture in healthy adults. We evaluated standing balance performance in healthy adults without caffeine and after ingestion of caffeine. During balance testing, the eyes either were open or closed. In addition, participants performed a variety of perceptual-cognitive tasks during balance testing. Consistent with previous studies, we found no statistically significant main effects of caffeine on balance performance. However, we found statistically significant improvements in balance performance under certain individual experimental conditions. Our results, together with those of previous studies, suggest that caffeine can exert subtle effects on balance performance in relation to specific perceptual-cognitive conditions.

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Main Problem: Pilates, a body-mind exercise method, has experienced increasing popularity in recent years, especially among young women. But there is not enough evidence whether this exercise method contributes to the physical or/and psychological condition of individuals. The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of an original six-week Pilates mat exercise protocol on young females' health-related parameters including anthropometric features, emotional state, fatigue, and quality of life. Methods: Fifty-one sedentary females aged between 18 and 25 were randomly assigned to Pilates Exercise Group (n=25), and Control Group (n=26). Pilates Exercise Group performed a six-week Pilates mat exercise protocol whereas Control Group did not participate in any regular physical activity for six weeks. Anthropometric features, anxiety, depression, fatigue, and quality of life of the subjects were assessed at the baseline and after six weeks. Results: Weight (p=0.005), body mass index (p=0.005), waist (p<0.001), hip (p=0.002), and thigh circumferences (p<0.001), severity of anxiety (p=0.001), depression (p=0.001), and fatigue (p<0.001) significantly decreased in the Pilates Exercise Group after six weeks and vitality (p=0.005), and mental health (p=0.021) domains of quality of life increased. There were no significant differences in Control Group (p>0.005) after six weeks except anxiety (p=0.010), and fatigue (p=0.032). Conclusions: The current Pilates mat exercise protocol contribute to the physical, and psychological well-being of young females in terms of anthropometric features, emotional state, fatigue, and some domains of quality of life.

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