فهرست مطالب davood houmanian

 Physical and mental disabilities and diseases increase with the onset of old age. On the other hand, the observation of older people who have considerably maintained their cognitive and physical abilities by changing their lifestyle rejects the belief that old age is always associated with profound physical and mental defects. In this regard, this study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of Tai Chi exercises on balance, fear of falling, working memory, and selective attention in older women.

 The present study is an applied study in which 47 older women with a mean age of 62.91±0.580 years from Tehran City, Iran, announced their readiness to cooperate after responding to a cyberspace call. Of them, 40 eligible women were selected. After performing the pretest (static and dynamic balance tests, working memory and selective attention, and falling efficiency questionnaire), they were randomly divided into experimental and control groups. Then, the experimental group participated in the Tai Chi training program online for 8 weeks, and the control group performed their daily activities. Finally, the post-test was performed, and the results were recorded. Data analysis was performed by statistical method of analysis of covariance and combined analysis of variance using SPSS software at the level of P≤0.05.

 The results of the analysis of covariance showed that the effect of Tai Chi exercises on static balance (P=0.001), dynamic balance (P=0.001), fear of falling (P=0.001), working memory (P=0.022), and selective attention (P=0.002) was significant. Comparing the groups, the results showed that in all components studied, the participants in the experimental group performed better than the control group (P=0.001).

 According to the findings, Tai Chi exercises are a useful way to improve balance, reduce fear of falling, enhance working memory, and increase selective attention in older women.

 Children have a very high ability to learn. With correct planning, we can provide conditions for them to perform various movement patterns to increase their motor skills and thus reduce the risk of skeletal injuries and obesity. This study aims to investigate the relationship between fundamental movement skills, body composition, and flat feet in children.

 This is a descriptive-correlational study on 50 healthy children (girls and boys) aged 3-6 (mean age: 5.13±0.831 years) who were selected using a convenience sampling method from Novak Kindergarten in Tehran, Iran. To evaluate the fundamental movement skills, Ulrich (2015)’s test of gross motor development was used. The InBody 270 device was used to examine the body composition, and a digital photo scanner was used to evaluate the flat feet deformity. Data analysis was performed by using the Pearson correlation test and multiple regression analysis in SPSS software, version 24. P≤.0.05 was considered statistically significant.

 The results showed a negative and significant relationship of body weight (P=0.001), body mass index (P=0.001), body fat percentage (P=0.001), and flat feet (P=0.009) with fundamental movement skills. Also, the relationship between musculoskeletal mass and fundamental movement skills was positive and significant (P=0.001), but its relationship with flat feet was negative and significant (P=0.004). The body weight had the highest power to predict fundamental movement skills, and musculoskeletal mass had the highest power to predict flat feet (P=0.001) in preschool children.

 It seems that, by improving fundamental movement skills and musculoskeletal mass index, the development of flat feet and overweight in preschool children can be prevented.