Patients with lung cancer may experience deterioration in quality of life due to adverse effects caused by their disease and its treatment. Although exercise programs have been shown to improve quality of life in certain stages of the disease, the overall impact on this population is unknown. The objective of this research was to evaluate the effect of physical activity on the self-perception of quality of life, physical wellbeing and dyspnea in lung cancer patients. Thirteen articles were included. Five meta-analyses were performed using the standardized mean difference (SMD) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) to evaluate the target outcomes. Results showed significant differences in quality of life (p = 0.01; SMD = 0.43, 95% CI = 0.10, 0.75), physical functioning (p = 0.01; SMD = 0.27, 95% CI = 0.06, 0.49) and physical wellbeing (p = 0.01; SMD = 0.37, 95% CI = 0.08, 0.67) in favour of participants who have undergone the programme compared to those who have not, without significant differences between the two groups in dyspnea. This study shows how physical activity interventions could have positive effects on physical functioning and physical wellbeing but could also be effective for improving quality of life in patients with lung cancer.

Emotional intelligence is a determinant factor in sports performance. The present study analysed differences in total emotional intelligence and its four dimensions in 2166 Spanish athletes (25.20 ± 10.17 years) from eight sports (volleyball, track and field, shooting, football, basketball, handball, gymnastics, and judo). A total of 1200 men and 966 women answered anonymously using a Google Forms questionnaire sent via WhatsApp about demographics and psychological variables. A Pearson correlation was conducted to assess the age–emotional intelligence relationship. An independent T-test and One-Way ANOVA were carried out to check for age differences between biological sex and sport and a One-Way ANCOVA to determine differences between sports controlled by age. Age differences were observed by sex and sport (p < 0.001). An association was found between age and emotional intelligence dimensions (p < 0.001), except for other’s emotional appraisal (p > 0.05). Judo was the sport with the highest levels of regulation of emotions, other’s emotional appraisal, use of emotion, and total emotional intelligence (p < 0.05). Generally, emotional intelligence was found to be more developed in individual sports than in team sports, except football. Consequently, psychological skills like emotional intelligence could be critical to achieving high performance, depending on the sport.

The aim of this paper was to study the correlations between blood pressure and other health variables in Spanish adolescents. 204 boys and 270 girls (aged 13-17 years, with written parental consent,) from 18 private and 17 public educative centers from 16 of 21 districts of the city of Madrid, constituted the representative sample. 12.7% of the boys and 35.6% of the girls were inactive or sedentary. Socioeconomic status significantly determined the physical activity of girls, especially in the age group 16-17 years. The tobacco consumption by girls was significantly greater than by boys. A significant inverse relation of tobacco consumption with physical activity was found for boys. Among the girls, 47.4% were lightly overweight to obese as opposed to 14.7% of boys. A significant association between adiposity and physical activity in the girls was observed. The averages for the systolic/diastolic blood pressure were 125.6/71.3 mm Hg in boys and 118/69.4 mm Hg in girls. A significant relation between gender and systolic blood pressure was found. A relation between physical activity and diastolic blood pressure for boys was observed (69.9 mm Hg for active or very active and 74.1 mm Hg for moderately active to sedentary). The lack of existing relations between blood pressure and others variables support the hypothesis that these variables require a longer-term to become obvious cardiovascular risk factors. We believe, therefore, that girls and those from lower socioeconomic status should receive high-priority attention concerning health-related habits.

Fundamento: La creciente preocupación por la salud ha suscitado un enorme interés en el estudio de los factores que inciden sobre ella. El objetivo de este trabajo es analizar la influencia del nivel de actividad física (NAF) en la salud de los adolescentes y determinar su relación con la presión arterial (PA) y la composición corporal. Métodos: La investigación se realizó entre noviembre de 2002 y febrero de 2003 utilizando el Cuestionario Modificable de Actividad Física para Adolescentes que mide el nivel de actividad física. También se midieron la composición corporal y la presión arterial, en una muestra compuesta por 554 adolescentes de 35 centros educativos de Madrid, con edades comprendidas entre 12 y 18 años. Resultados: Resultaron inactivos el 13,2% de los varones y el 36,4% de las mujeres. Los promedios para las PA sistólica/diastólica fueron de 125,6/71,3 mmHg en los varones y 118/69,4 mmHg en las mujeres, pero sólo se detectó influencia del nivel de actividad física en la PA diastólica para los varones. Presentaron tendencia al sobrepeso el 48,27% de las mujeres frente al 13,53% de los hombres. En el caso de las mujeres se encontró relación entre adiposidad corporal y nivel de actividad física. Conclusiones: El nivel de actividad física se presenta como un factor asociado a la salud de los adolescentes, si bien se manifiesta de forma distinta en cada sexo. En los hombres afecta significativamente a la PA diastólica, mientras que en las mujeres su influencia se detecta en el grado de adiposidad corporal.

Objective: To describe the relationship between bilateral electrical activity in the biceps femoris and the variation of triaxial acceleration in three 50 m sprints. Methods: Biceps femoris muscle activation and acceleration in the anterior–posterior, mediolateral, and superior–inferior axes were measured in three 50 m sprints in nine national-level sprinters. Results: There was significant asymmetry between both legs, and the variations between axes were significant between the anterior–posterior with respect to the lateral and superior–inferior, and between the lateral and superior–inferior (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Increased biceps femoris activation during running increases speed regardless of asymmetry in force application. In the maintenance of horizontal velocity, acceleration of the anterior–posterior axis is the most relevant and depends on the flexion-extension muscle actions contained in the lateral axis.

Background: The proper development of balance is essential in the acquisition of a correct physical condition, as well as in the evolutionary follow-up at early ages, and its periodic evaluation is very relevant in the educational environment. Objectives: The objective of this research was to design an accessible web application for static and dynamic balance assessment, based on a force platform and motion analysis software. Methods: The Single leg balance test (SLB), Tandem balance test (TBT), and Y balance test (YBT) were performed on a sample of 75 children aged 6 to 9 years. Results: The results show that static balance is more complex at an older age, greater standing height, and with eyes closed (p < 0.001). Regarding the center of pressure (COP), its variability was greater in girls owing to a lower Total Force (TF) at the time of the test (p < 0.05). Parallel observation with the Kinovea software has made it possible to elaborate a scale from 1 to 10 points for integration into an open-access web application (IMEP) to assess static and dynamic balance. Conclusions: The creation of an ad hoc application for primary school teachers and students has been possible by using validated devices obtaining a rating scale, which facilitate the monitoring of students’ functional evolution and offers the possibility of scheduling physical education sessions with a preventive approach as well as a focus on improving physical condition.