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Advancing the Understanding of Motor Competence in Special Populations
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Advancing the Understanding of Motor Competence in Special Populations

A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Exercise and Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2023) | Viewed by 7734

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Sbriccoli Paola

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Human Movement and Health Science, University of Rome Foro Italico, 00135 Rome, Italy
Interests: neuromuscular changes due to overload in low back pain individuals; neuromechanics in top level athletes; adapted physical activity; exercise physiology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

It is well-known that physical activity and sport participation improve functional status and quality of life among people with physical and/or intellectual disabilities (ID). Although sport participation has shown measurable physiologic and psychologic benefits in special populations, data on participation in structured activity programs, while growing in number, are still lacking. 

The application of innovative methods, taking into consideration different levels of disabilities and different disabilities, could help more precisely identify the exercise level necessary to improve an individual’s motor competence, social inclusion and integration in adapted physical activity. 

The pathway leading to a progressive though slow and not always easy integration in organized physical activity programs requires a more comprehensive understanding and deeper knowledge of motor competence in special populations.

Motor skill competence assessment in these populations is of paramount importance for daily life functioning and building more complex skills necessary for their participation in physical activity and/or sport-specific activities.

Although interest in this topic is improving, there is still a lack of relevant research, especially that assessing the validity, reliability and applicability of new gross motor competence assessment tools in special populations.

This Special Issue of the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (IJERPH) is therefore inviting papers proposing new methods and tools for assessing motor competence in special populations, with a particular interest in promoting social inclusion and enhancing participation in organized physical and sport activity programs. Cutting-edge research papers, case reports, conference papers and reviews reviewing the actual state of the art on this topic are welcome.

Dr. Sbriccoli Paola
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • adapted physical activity
  • down syndrome
  • intellectual disability
  • special populations
  • motor competence
  • motor function assessment

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 1135 KiB  
Article
¡Miranos! An 8-Month Comprehensive Preschool Obesity Prevention Program in Low-Income Latino Children: Effects on Children’s Gross Motor Development
by Vanessa L. Errisuriz, Deborah Parra-Medina, Yuanyuan Liang, Jeffrey T. Howard, Shiyu Li, Erica Sosa, Sarah L. Ullevig, Vanessa M. Estrada-Coats and Zenong Yin
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(21), 6974; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20216974 - 25 Oct 2023
Viewed by 1720
Abstract
Organized childcare is an ideal setting to promote gross motor development in young children from low-income minority families. A three-group clustered randomized controlled trial was conducted in Head Start centers serving low-income Latino children to evaluate the impact of an 8-month comprehensive obesity-prevention [...] Read more.
Organized childcare is an ideal setting to promote gross motor development in young children from low-income minority families. A three-group clustered randomized controlled trial was conducted in Head Start centers serving low-income Latino children to evaluate the impact of an 8-month comprehensive obesity-prevention intervention on children’s percentile scores for locomotive skills (LS pctl) and ball skills (BS pctl), and general motor quotient (GMQ). Trained Head Start staff delivered the center-based intervention (CBI) to modify center physical activity and nutrition policies, staff practices, and child behaviors, while the home-based intervention (HBI) offered training and support to parents for obesity prevention at home. Participants were 3-year-old children (n = 310; 87% Latino; 58% female) enrolled in Head Start centers in South Texas. Twelve centers were randomized (1:1:1 ratio) to receive CBI, CBI and HBI (CBI + HBI), or control treatment. Posttest data were collected from 79.1% of participants. All gross motor development measures improved significantly for children in CBI compared to the control, while children in CBI + HBI only showed improvement for GMQ (p = 0.09) and LS pctl (p < 0.001) compared to the control. A comprehensive and culturally competent intervention targeting childcare centers and children’s homes was effective at improving children’s gross motor development and reducing disparities in child development. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advancing the Understanding of Motor Competence in Special Populations)
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21 pages, 1150 KiB  
Article
Assessing Motor Function in Frail Older Adults in Their Home Settings: Challenges, Strategies and Recommendations
by Lijuan Yin, Maria Caceres, Jordan Skowronski and Naoko Muramatsu
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(15), 6515; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20156515 - 3 Aug 2023
Viewed by 1407
Abstract
Assessing motor competence is essential for evaluating the effectiveness of physical activity interventions that aim to maintain or improve older adults’ function. However, assessing motor competence in older adults who have difficulties walking or standing is challenging, because few instruments or guidelines are [...] Read more.
Assessing motor competence is essential for evaluating the effectiveness of physical activity interventions that aim to maintain or improve older adults’ function. However, assessing motor competence in older adults who have difficulties walking or standing is challenging, because few instruments or guidelines are appropriate for these frail older adults. This article aims to describe challenges in evaluating motor function among frail older adults, discuss strategies for adapting motor function assessments to their home settings, and provide recommendations for future clinical trials so that older adults with ambulatory difficulties can benefit from motor function assessment and physical activity programs. Data came from the baseline assessment of 116 participants of an ongoing clinical trial, “Promoting Seniors’ Health with Home Care Aides (Pro-Home)”. Our results demonstrated that the Pro-Home study involved participants who would be typically excluded from clinical trials and that the two instruments selected or developed for Pro-Home (Short Physical Performance Battery, Pro-Home Ankle Range of Motion Measure) captured a wide range of lower extremity motor competence with no or few missing data. Recommendations for future studies include knowing the target population thoroughly, developing trust and rapport with all parties involved, and continuously collaborating with interviewers who conduct assessments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advancing the Understanding of Motor Competence in Special Populations)
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18 pages, 725 KiB  
Article
Development of a Physical Therapy-Based Exercise Program for Adults with Down Syndrome
by Sarah Mann, Jennifer Spiric, Cailin Mitchell and Thessa Irena Maria Hilgenkamp
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(4), 3667; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20043667 - 18 Feb 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 4081
Abstract
In adults with Down syndrome, the combination of low physical activity and fitness levels and the high prevalence of musculoskeletal co-morbidities stresses the need for specialized exercise programs. The goal of this research study was to develop a specialized exercise program for individuals [...] Read more.
In adults with Down syndrome, the combination of low physical activity and fitness levels and the high prevalence of musculoskeletal co-morbidities stresses the need for specialized exercise programs. The goal of this research study was to develop a specialized exercise program for individuals with Down syndrome using the physical therapy approach of a systems review as the foundation. We first conducted an overview of the literature on co-morbidities in adults with Down syndrome using the systems review method to categorize these findings. We extracted recommendations for content and delivery of an exercise program based on the literature review, and finally composed a specialized exercise program for individuals with Down syndrome adhering to these recommendations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advancing the Understanding of Motor Competence in Special Populations)
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