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- Effects of body composition and anthropometric profiles on competitive performance in U14 male basketball playersPublication . Rocha, João; Serrano, João; Martinez-Sanchez, Almudena; Campos-Redondo, Amália; Ibáñez, Sergio; Fabrizio PerroniBody composition and anthropometric characteristics are considered relevant factors in youth basketball performance, yet evidence in early adolescence remains limited. This study aimed to analyze the influence of these characteristics on competitive performance in U14 male basketball players from Portuguese regional selection teams. Ninety-six athletes were assessed during a national youth tournament using a cross-sectional, descriptive, and correlational design. Body composition variables (weight, height, BMI, muscle mass, fat mass, fat-free mass, bone mass, and total body water) were measured using a Tanita MC-780MA bioelectrical impedance analyzer. Competitive performance was evaluated through the Performance Index Rating (PIR), normalized per minute of play. Spearman’s correlations showed moderate positive associations between PIR and height (ρ = 0.296), muscle mass (ρ = 0.280), fat-free mass (ρ = 0.280), bone mass (ρ = 0.274), and total body water (ρ = 0.262). Although multivariable regression analyses did not identify significant individual predictors due to severe multicollinearity, principal component analysis revealed an “overall body size” factor, mainly reflecting lean and bone mass, that significantly predicted PIR (β = 0.046, p < 0.001). Physically more developed players tended to demonstrate higher competitive effectiveness. Monitoring body composition may support youth development programs when combined with functional and tec
- Quantificação da carga com recurso à tecnologia IMU no basquetebol juvenil: uma revisão sistemáticaPublication . Rocha, João; Serrano, João; Mancha-Triguero, David; Ibáñez, Sérgio; Sociedad Iberoamericana de Psicología del DeporteA monitorização da carga de treino e competição é fundamental nas etapas de formação, em que os atletas enfrentam elevadas exigências físicas durante processos de maturação biológica e motora. Este estudo sintetizou a evidência científica sobre a quantificação da carga de jogo no basquetebol de formação através de tecnologia baseada em dispositivos inerciais. Foi realizada uma revisão sistemática nas bases de dados Web of Science e PubMed, seguindo as diretrizes PRISMA e com protocolo registado no PROSPERO. Foram analisados 21 estudos quantitativos com jogadores de basquetebol 5x5 entre os 12 e os 18 anos. A maioria incidiu sobre atletas sub-18 de níveis subelite ou elite e utilizou IMUs baseadas em tecnologia UWB ou sistemas LPS. As variáveis de carga externa mais reportadas incluíram distância total, acelerações, desacelerações, saltos, impactos e PlayerLoad™, enquanto a carga interna, sobretudo baseada na frequência cardíaca, foi menos analisada. Os resultados reforçam a necessidade de protocolos padronizados e abordagens de monitorização mais inclusivas.
- The importance of physical education and the intention to be physically active as predictors of subjective well-being in secondary school adolescentsPublication . Batista, Marco; Rojo-Ramos, Jorge; Castillo-Paredes, Antonio; Galán-Arroyo, CarmenIntroduction: In recent years, concerns about adolescent mental health and declining physical activity levels have increased across European educational systems, including Portugal. Understanding how Physical Education (PE) and students’ intention to remain physically active contribute to subjective wellbeing is therefore essential for guiding educational practices and health promotion strategies. Within this context, the present study aimed to analyze these relationships in a group of secondary school students in Portugal, with a view to proposing evidence-based recommendations. This study aimed to analyze the role of the importance attributed to Physical Education (PE) and the intention to be physically active as significant statistical predictors of subjective well-being (SWB) in Portuguese secondary school adolescents. Methods: The sample consisted of 560 students, aged between 16 and 19 years, from different regions of Portugal. Validated scales were used to measure the variables of interest: Importance of PE, Intention to Be Active, Positive and Negative Affect, and Life Satisfaction. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Spearman correlations, Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests, linear regressions, and simple mediation models (Hayes’ model 4). Results: The results indicated high levels of physical activity intention and life satisfaction, low levels of negative affect, and strong internal consistency in the scales used. The importance attributed to PE and the intention to be active were significantly associated with positive affect and life satisfaction, with intention partially mediating the relationship between the importance of PE and positive affect, and fully mediating the relationship with negative affect. No significant mediation was found for life satisfaction. Additionally, significant differences were observed across school years, highlighting the 11th year as a stage of greater emotional vulnerability. Discussion: The findings suggest the need to reinforce the value of PE in the curriculum and to promote educational strategies that encourage regular physical activity as a way to enhance SWB in the school context.
- Domain-specific motor responses to a play-based physical literacy intervention in preschool children: A cluster-randomized controlled trialPublication . Agnese, M.; Massaro, S.; Cottone, R.; Scardina, A.; Lo Dico, F.; Honório, Samuel; Bellafiore, M.; Tabacchi, G.Background: Fundamental motor skills are key components of early motor competence and may contribute to physical activity participation and health-related development during childhood. However, less is known about domain-specific responses to structured interventions and whether intervention effects vary according to baseline motor competence and age. This study examined a structured, play-based physical literacy intervention in preschool children. Materials and methods: A cluster-randomized controlled trial was conducted with 160 children aged 3–6 years from eight pre-school classes. Classes were randomly allocated to an intervention group (IG; five classes, n = 98) or a control group (CG; three classes, n = 62). The IG received an 8-week structured, play-based motor program delivered twice a week, whereas the CG continued usual preschool activities. Fundamental motor skills were assessed at baseline and post-intervention using the Test of Gross Motor Development–Third Edition. Primary outcomes were locomotor raw scores, ball skills raw scores, and the Gross Motor Index (GMI). ANCOVA models adjusted for baseline score, age, and sex were used, with mixed-effects models including preschool class as a random intercept for sensitivity analyses. Main effects and interactions were assessed using F-tests, with partial eta squared (η²p) reported as the measure of effect size. Registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT07624695; https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT07624695). Results: Post-intervention data were available for 139 children. Compared with the CG, the IG showed significantly higher post-intervention locomotor scores, ball skills scores, and GMI. Group effects were significant for locomotor skills (F(1,131) = 31.37, p < .001, η²p = .193), ball skills (F(1,131) = 94.81, p < .001, η²p = .420), and GMI (F(1,131) = 73.24, p < .001, η²p = .359). Significant group × baseline score interactions were observed for all outcomes, and group × age interactions were significant for ball skills and GMI. Sensitivity analyses yielded consistent findings. Conclusions: A structured, play-based physical literacy intervention improved fundamental motor skills in preschool children, with particularly marked effects on ball skills and GMI. Findings suggest that intervention responsiveness may vary by motor domain, baseline competence, and age, supporting differentiated and developmentally responsive approaches in early childhood motor programs.
- Your time, whose science? On tempo reviewability in human movement researchPublication . Ramalho, AndréWho owns research tempo? In human movement research, the pro blem of acceleration is not simply that research moves too quickly, but that institutional timelines increasingly shape what can be asked, observed, published, and credited. This field makes temporal governance especially visible because many of its central phenomena – recovery, learning, aging, adaptation – are constituted by their temporal structure. Funding horizons, evaluation windows, protocol timelines, publication-mediated visibility, policy urgency, and career clocks can become tightly coupled, making some forms of inquiry easier to complete and others professionally risky to sustain. This article examines how such coupling can compress research into auditable outputs while displacing the time required for follow-up, interpretation, repair, and care onto those with the least temporal slack. It then develops time-attuned science as a procedural framework for making research timelines explicit, reviewable, and revisable when temporal misfit threatens validity or justice. The framework is organized around tempo reviwability, tempo adequacy, and three procedural tests: tempo-fit, tempo justice, and reflexivity. The aim is not to oppose speed or to defend slowness as a virtue, but to make the adequacy of research tempo open to justification, contestation, and warranted revision.
- Assessment of internal load and external load in senior football players: Differences between competitive levelsPublication . Tereso, Diogo; Gamonales, José M.; Hernández-Beltrán, Víctor; Paulo, RuiBackground: Football is an intermittent sport characterized by high physical and physiological demands, which may be influenced by the competitive level. Understanding differences in match load is fundamental for optimizing training planning, fatigue management, and athlete performance and injury prevention. This study aimed to evaluate and compare external and internal load in senior football players in Portugal across five distinct competitive levels. Methods: Wimu ProTM (Hudl, Lincoln, NE, USA) and Garmin Heart Rate bands (Garmin International Inc., Olathe, KS, USA) were used to quantify and evaluate the external and internal load of the players. A total of 96 athletes were assessed, with ages ranging from 19 to 36 years (mean: 24.28 ± 4.72), who were divided into five competition levels (1st Division (n = 19), 2nd Division (n = 21), 3rd Division (n = 14), 4th Division (n = 20), and Regional Division (n = 22). Results: Significant differences were observed between competitive levels across several external load variables (p > 0.001). The 3rd Division and 4th Division showed higher values in variables associated with reactive and high-intensity actions (p < 0.001; effect size: 0.287), whereas the 2nd Division exhibited a more controlled load profile. Regarding internal load, significant differences were only observed in average heart rate during the second half (p = 0.043; effect size: 0.085), indicating distinct capacities to maintain physiological intensity under fatigue. Conclusions: It can be concluded that competitive level influences load profiles in football, although the differences do not follow a linear pattern. External and internal loads demonstrate greater discriminatory capacity between competitive levels than internal load.
- Heritage education in the digital age: An analysis of public perceptions of the documentary Amato Lusitano Science and HumanismPublication . Jorge, Fátima; Marcelo, Ana Sofia; Reis, Carlos Domingues dos; Naik, Neel; Marcos, Isabel; Pais, António; Ribeiro, Madalena; Silva, Ricardo J. Nunes da; Afonso, Paulo; Melia, PaulCommunicating heritage to contemporary audiences, especially younger generations, is a central challenge in Heritage Education. This study aims to analyse audience perceptions of the documentary Amato Lusitano: Ciência e Humanismo—a cultural mediation tool designed and produced by the authors—and to verify the association of these perceptions with sociodemographic profiles. Framed within an action research methodology, the study combines artistic creation and empirical analysis of public reception. During the first screening, a questionnaire was administered to 55 viewers (37 students aged < 40), and data were submitted to an exploratory factor analysis. This revealed a two-factor structure, highlighting a primary factor—Communicative and Educational Effectiveness—with high internal consistency (α = 0.89). Participants reported high agreement with this dimension, with statistically significant differences across generational groups (p < 0.005). Participants with less prior knowledge about Amato Lusitano showed a greater perception of novelty. Clarity of information and quality of the content were the most valued aspects. In contrast, duration and accessibility emerged as areas for improvement. The potential of the documentary as a heritage education resource for initial teacher training is evident. It is necessary to develop more modular, dynamic content ecosystems tailored for young audiences.
- Relationship between motor competence and weight status from childhood to adolescence (3-19 years)Publication . Pombo, André; Luz, Carlos; Cordovil, Rita; Almeida, Gabriela; Rebelo, Miguel; Serrano, João; Rodrigues, Luis Paulo; Turkish Archives of PediatricsObjective: To evaluate the relationship between motor competence (MC) and weight status (WS) from childhood through adolescence. Methods: A total of 4537 participants (2425 boys) aged 3-19 years were assessed. The MC was measured using the MC Assessment (MCA) instrument, and body mass index was calculated from height and weight. Results: An inverted U-shaped relationship was observed between WS and MC. Participants with a healthy weight (HW) consistently showed higher total MCA scores compared to those with underweight (UW) (P = .002), overweight (OW), and obesity (OB) (both P < .001). The OB participants had the lowest MC scores overall (OB < OW < HW; P < .001), with UW also per-forming significantly worse than HW. This pattern was consistent in the Stability and Locomotor components. However, in the Manipulative component, UW participants scored significantly lower than all other groups (HW P = .028; OW P = .024; OB P = .017), while HW, OW, and OB did not differ significantly. These patterns were consistent across sex and age groups (all Ps > .05). Conclusion: An association between WS and MC was observed across developmental stages, suggesting that HW profiles may be related to higher MC. The consistency of these patterns across age and sex suggests that biological and sociocultural mechanisms may jointly influ-ence this relationship throughout development.
- Not all sitting is equal in later life: A perspective on cognitively active sedentary behaviorPublication . Ramalho, André; Fernandes, Emmanuel; Duarte-Mendes, Pedro; Paulo, Rui; Paulo, RuiSedentary behavior is conventionally defined as waking time spent sitting, reclining, or lying at very low energy expenditure (≤1.5 METs), a definition that supports surveillance and guideline translation. For cognitive and mental-health outcomes in later life, however, total sedentary minutes may be too coarse: seated episodes differ in cognitive demand, social context, autonomy over pacing, and stopping cues. This perspective advances a falsifiable thesis: distinguishing cognitively active from cognitively passive sedentary domains should yield more coherent and interpretable associations with cognition and mental health than total sedentary time alone. Existing evidence suggests that passive, media-dominant patterns and cognitively engaging seated practices relate differently to cognitive decline, dementia risk, and depression-related outcomes, although confounding and reverse causality remain central concerns. We propose a minimal measurement agenda: domain reporting, key modifiers, reliability flags for mixed episodes, episode-linked ecological momentary assessment, and time-reallocation contrasts. If domain resolution does not improve stability, coherence, or substitution-based interpretability, the thesis should be rejected or revised.
- The effects of menstrual cycle phase on jumping performance in women's football players: a systematic reviewPublication . Marques, Catarina; Rebelo, Miguel; Serrano, João; Fonseca, Helder; Frontiers in Sports and Active LivingObjectives: This systematic review aimed to evaluate the available evidence on the influence of menstrual cycle (MC) phases on vertical jump performance (countermovement jump and squat jump height) in female football players. Design: The review was conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidelines and registered in PROSPERO (ID1035357). Methods: A systematic search was performed in PubMed, Scopus, and SPORTDiscus (EBSCO). Studies were included if they involved female football players, assessed vertical jump performance, and compared performance across MC phases. Methodological quality was assessed using a modified Downs & Black checklist for non-interventional studies. Results: Seven studies met the inclusion criteria. Substantial heterogeneity was observed regarding MC phase determination procedures, sample characteristics, and testing protocols. Although some studies reported higher vertical jump height values during the follicular or ovulatory phases, no statistically significant differences were found. Conclusions: Current evidence is insufficient to determine whether MC phases influence vertical jump performance in female football players. Findings should be interpreted cautiously due to methodological limitations in MC phase determination and low statistical power. Future research should aim to standardize protocols, use objective hormonal verification, and recruit larger samples.