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During the COVID-19 pandemic a home confinement was enforced in Jordan, We investigated the physical activity, dietary status and sleep quality and mental wellbeing during the lockdown, A sample of Jordanian adults (N =1088, 18-65 Years Old) answered the survey which employed the use of the following tools to conduct information:1- Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ), 2- International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), 3- WHO-5 Mental wellbeing score, and 4- Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Participants of the study (565 females and 523 males) who completed the online survey consented to answer the survey questions after being assured that all their responses will be kept unanimous and no questions will reveal their identity. Statistical analysis (ANOVA) showed differences in the mental wellbeing index according to the physical activity level (F (2, 1087) = 49.181; P

Athletes need modeling and feedback to reach for their maximum performance, computer simulation is not the only nontraditional modern development in biomechanics. Dynamical system approach (DSA) is another fascinating enlargement in the field of biomechanics. The purpose of this study was to investigate the practicability of this assessment by showing the dynamics of the movement and the differences in movement patterns by comparing the frequency patterns of the gait of the different subject groups. Three different groups were examined in this study. These groups were: control patient group (CP), senior group (S), and sport student group (SS). The CP-group was composed of (9)patients ,the S-group and the SS-group had no neurophysiological diseases and were composed of 17 senior. Results showed that the S-group and the SS-group resembled patterns and data with the difference of higher peaks at the beginning and a higher gradient between the first peaks for the seniors. The CP-group shows much lower peaks in the beginning and higher peak values to the end, also the differences between both sides of the body are obvious in comparison to the normal gait of the SS-group.

The Directorate of General Security in Jordan has created sport fields in new prisons taking into consideration its importance for inmates. This is due to the belief that prisoners should be encouraged to spend interesting times, discharge their repressed energies and to improve their physical and mental states in addition to strengthening their social relations. Providing members and specialist officers to the inmates may decrease the problems inside prisons by doing these different kinds of physical activities. The purposes of this study were to evaluate the level of health-related fitness of the inmates in the reform and rehabilitation centers in Jordan and to differentiate between them according to the time span spent in the prison. The study sample consisted of (208) inmates who volunteered to participate in the tests out of 2400 inmates in the center. They were classified into different age categories and their condemnation period. The tests contained the health related physical fitness elements: muscle power, respiratory endurance, muscle strength, flexibility, and body composition in terms of body mass index. Results showed that there were statistical differences between the categories in this study in some tests. It was concluded that there must be physical programs for inmates to prevent them from getting non-communicable diseases due to hypokinetic and sedentary life.

Motion analysis implies that sufficiently complex models of the human neuromusculoskeletal system can be used for the simulation and analysis of sports motions and, at least in principle, for the biomechanical optimization of the performance in the various sport disciplines. A new methodological assessment using the Fast Fourier Transform was created to compare the frequency patterns of the gait in terms of Phase space model as a mathematical space that represents all states of a system. In this respect, the n marker coordinates connected to a human body and the respective velocities establish a 2n-dimensional phase space and hence fully describe the movement. For example, the scalar product of the distance between shoulder and ankle was investigated using a Fast Fourier Transform (Muller, Vieten & Kilani, 2012.) Using similar approach, can we provide enough information to identify a certain degree of fatigue in running based just on one parameter, say the distance between the left hip joint and the tip of the left foot as a function of time? Our subjects walked/run at their individual speed on a treadmill by holding at both sidebars to get comparable movement patterns. A motion analysis was investigated with three infrared cameras at a frequency of 100Hz by Lukotronic System (LUKOtronic Lutz-Kovacs-Electronics OEG, Innsbruck, Austria). Eleven reflected markers were placed at the backside of the subjects. The scalar product of the distance between shoulder and ankle was investigated using a Fast Fourier Transform. To amplify the higher harmonical frequencies, the distance data was differentiated with respect to time. To be independent of individual walking speed, the frequency data was normalized afterwards. The area under the first peak (fundamental frequency) and the nine following peaks (higher harmonical frequencies) were measured. Next step in the methodology is filtering; followed by calculating the first derivative and thereafter the plot of the phase space (Vieten, 2007). This paper demonstrates that beside the traditional descriptive" studies (standard equipment and a moderate amount of work expenditure) and the simulations approach (usually with lots of effort, lots of equipment) a third avenue the “dynamical system approach" (DSA) exists. DSA promises new and exciting views of new and old problems while the expenditure in equipment and time is also affordable for smaller research groups.

A distance runner's performance is generally limited by energy availability when competing or training. Modifying meal frequency and timing by abstaining from eating or drinking, from dawn to dusk, during Ramadan fasting is hypothesized to induce hypohydration and reduced caloric and nutrient intake. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of Ramadan fasting on runners' performances. Fifteen trained male distance runners who observed Ramadan participated in this study (Age = 23.9 ± 3.1 years; Peak VO2 = 71.1 ± 3.4 ml/kg/min). Each participant reported to the human performance lab on two testing occasions (pre-Ramadan and the last week of Ramadan). In each visit, participants performed a graded exercise test on the treadmill (Conconi protocol) and their VO2, Heart Rate, time to exhaustion, RPE, and running speed were recorded. Detailed anthropometrics, food records, and exercise logs were kept for the entire period of the study. Repeated measure ANOVA, paired t-test, and Cohen's effect size analysis were carried out. Results indicated no significant influence for Ramadan fasting on body mass (p = 0.201), body fat (p = 0.488), lean body mass (p = 0.525), VO2max (p = 0.960), energy availability (p = 0.137), and protein intake (p = 0.124). However, carbohydrate (p = 0.026), lipid (p = 0.009), water (p < 0.001), and caloric intakes (p = 0.002) were significantly reduced during Ramadan Fasting. Daily training duration (p < 0.001) and exercise energy expenditure (p = 0.001) were also reduced after Ramadan. Time to exhaustion (p = 0.049), and maximal running speed (p = 0.048) were improved. Overall, time to exhaustion and maximal running speed of the distance runners was improved during Ramadan fasting, independent of changes in nutrients intake observed during the current study. With proper modulation of training, distance runners performance can be maintained or even slightly improved following the month of Ramadan fasting.

Background In the past infectious diseases affected the quality of lifestyle during home confinement. The study conducted examines the influence of home confinement during the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak on lifestyle, mental wellbeing, nutritional status, and sleeping pattern. Method An online multicategorical questionnaire was distributed to collect demographic information combined with the following tools: Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ), International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), WHO-5 wellbeing score, and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). A snowball non-discriminate sampling procedure was conducted to collect data from people attending or working at higher institutions from March 1, 2020 to April 24, 2020. A total of 1723 completed responses (917 males, 37.4 ±13.4 years old and 806 females 32.2 ± 11.5 years old) were collected. Results The female participants had significantly lower mental health scores than males (53.9% vs. 46.1%). The mental wellbeing scores were higher among participants with medium and high physical activity (PA) levels (p < 0.00). Additionally, the mental wellbeing scores were significantly improved by dietary quality and it’s sleeping score (p < 0.001). However, PA was by far the major determinant of the mental health scores. Conclusion Factors such as PA, diet, and sleeping patterns were associated with mental wellbeing during the COVID-19 confinement among Arab participants.

espanolIntroduccion. El proposito de este estudio fue examinar si la percepcion del valor de la en- senanza y la autoeficacia de un profesor estan relacionadas con el agotamiento. Investigacio- nes anteriores han demostrado una fuerte relacion entre la autoeficacia de los profesores y el agotamiento. Sin embargo, en raras ocasiones, el valor del trabajo se ha incluido en cualquiera de los estudios anteriores. Metodo. Se extrajo una muestra aleatoria estratificada (N = 2446) de maestros omanies. Se utilizaron tres medidas: valor del trabajo, inventario de agotamiento de Maslach (MBI) y es- cala de sentido de eficacia de los maestros (TSES). Se realizo un analisis factorial confirmato- rio para probar la estructura factorial propuesta de las medidas, asi como el modelo estructural propuesto. Resultados. Las pruebas de invariancia demostraron que la estructura de constructos y las relaciones entre constructos eran invariantes en todos los generos. El valor del trabajo quedo relacionado significativamente con las dimensiones de SE y de agotamiento. De acuerdo con las predicciones, la SE del compromiso de los estudiantes se relaciona con las tres dimensio- nes de agotamiento; mientras que las otras dos dimensiones de SE no se relacionaron con las dimensiones de agotamiento en la direccion esperada. El valor del trabajo y la SE explicaron variaciones significativas en cada una de las dimensiones de agotamiento. Discusion y Conclusion. Los resultados de este estudio resaltan la importancia del valor en el trabajo y la SE de involucrar a los estudiantes como mecanismos cognitivos de autorregula- cion utilizados en situaciones estresantes como la ensenanza y para ayudar a controlar el es- tres y el agotamiento. El Ministerio de Educacion, los medios de comunicacion y la sociedad en general deberian conocer el estado social de la ensenanza y los maestros y brindar mas respeto a los maestros y a su trabajo. Tal respeto mejoraria la moral de los docentes y los ayu- daria a ser mas eficaces y menos exaltados. EnglishIntroduction. The purpose of this study was to examine if the perception of teaching value and a teacher's self-efficacy (SE) are related to burnout. Previous research has shown a strong relation between teachers SE and burnout. Rarely, however, job value has been included in any of the previous studies. Method. A stratified random sample (N =2446) of Omani teachers was drawn. Three measures: Job value, Maslach burnout inventory (MBI) and the teachers' sense of efficacy scale (TSES) were used. Confirmatory factor analysis was performed to test the proposed factor structure of the measures as well as the proposed structural model. Results. The invariance tests proved that the structure of constructs and the relations between constructs were invariant across gender. Job value significantly related to both SE and burn- out dimensions. Consistent with predictions, SE of student engagement related to all three burnout dimensions; whereas the other two dimensions of SE didn’t relate to burnout dimen- sions in the expected direction. Job value and SE explained significant variances in each of the burnout dimensions. Discussion and Conclusion. The results of this study highlight the importance of job value and SE of engaging students as cognitive self-regulatory mechanisms used in the stressful situations like teaching and to help control stress and burnout. Ministry of education, media and socity at large should be aware of the social status of teaching and teachers and provide more respect to the teachers and their job. Such respect would improve the morale of teachers and help them become more efficacious and less exhausted.

The purpose of this study was to document the significance of the practices employed by parents that contribute to children’s healthy lifestyle in Oman. Those practices encompassed the physical activity and inactivity, sedentary behaviour, nutritional knowledge, and its reflection on their children at early childhood class. Subjects consisted of 237 male and female parents of kindergarten children in the Sultanate of Oman. The researchers developed a twenty-three and a twenty-item questionnaire intended to measure the degree of parent involvement in their children's impact at acceptable levels of validity and reliability. (Amazingly, it was found that parents’ healthy lifestyle were low in their habit practices (low in engagement to physical activity, sports and daily life activity) which showed a trend of sedentary lifestyle. Meanwhile, they did not encourage their children to participate in physical activity nor control them from staying away from being in front of TV screen and video games, too. In addition, their nutritional knowledge also scored low which affected their children’s health negatively. It is, therefore, suggested that lifestyle concept should be inculcated in the learning process for children, and further analysis be made as to what extent the demographic category may influence parents’ involvement towards their children’s healthy lifestyle.

Seven elite national Jordanian weightlifters were videoed at 50 fields per second from the sagittal plane during the execution of the clean and jerk (C&J) on an AMTI force platform with 3 weights of submaximal lifts; low medium and high weights (35%, 65%, 85%) of their maximum. Linear and angular kinematics of the barbell with the ground reaction forces histories of the lower body were analysed using Kinova & APAS. A significant decrease was found in the maximum vertical velocity of the barbell during the second pull of the heaviest lift (p < 0.05). Maximum extension velocity of the hip joint significantly increased during the first pull of the heaviest lift (p < 0.05). Vertical velocity and maximum bar height decreased during the second pull, especially at 85%. Angle-angle diagrams of the knee and hip profile showed major differences among participants, especially at the 85% lift of their maximum.

Despite the importance of physical activity and training, the optimum nutrient intake and good nutritional knowledge have been recognized as important factors in improving the athletic performance and health status of athletes. The present study was conducted to assess the nutritional knowledge, dietary habits, nutrient intake and nutritional status of Sultan Qaboos University student athletes. A cross-sectional study design was used to achieve the objectives. Seventy one (49 male and 22 female) student athletes with a mean age of 21.0±1.81 and 19.32±0.72 years and body mass index (BMI) of 22.51±1.98 and 20.34±2.97 kg/m for male and female respectively, participated in study. All subjects were interviewed in person. The 2 study questionnaire consisted of questions related to demographic information, nutritional knowledge and a 7-days food diary to identify nutrient intake, food frequency and variety of food consumption. Significant differences (p

Objectives : This study aimed to investigate the lifestyle habits—physical activity (PA), eating habits (EH), and sleep duration (SD)—of Omani adolescents, and to examine gender differences in such variables. Methods : 802 Omani adolescents (442 females and 360 males), aged 15‒18 years were randomly recruited. Anthropometric indices, PA level, and EH and SD were evaluated by the Arab Teenage Lifestyle questionnaire. A semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire for dietary assessment was also administered. Results : The results showed that although the study subjects had a sedentary lifestyle (lack of PA, average of 6.7 hours sleep, and consumption of high calorie foods), they maintained a normal body mass (less than 25 Kg/m2). Males were more than twice as active as females. With respect to EH, there were few gender differences, except in dairy and meat consumption where 62.5% and 55.5% of males consumed more than 3 servings, respectively, compared to 18.78 % and 3.76% of females, respectively. In addition, waist/height ratio, height, reasons for being active, energy drinks, potato consumption, eating sweets, vigorous PA and breakfast EHs were statistically significant independent predictors for BMI, P

The purpose of this study is to document the significance of four practices employed by parents that contribute to such development. Those practices encompassed the availability of materials, activities at home, parent attitude and visits to their child's class. Subjects consisted of 314 male and female parents of kindergarten children in the Sultanate of Oman. The researchers developed a 25-item questionnaire intended to measure the degree of parent involvement in their children's development at acceptable levels of validity and reliability. Results indicated that the role of parents ranged from medium to high on all practice domains of the tool. There were no significant differences for parents reading and writing practices, education levels, income levels, gender of children and siblings order. It is suggested that additional investigation in rural areas and other locales districts with different socially and economical levels should be conducted. In addition, the role of technology at homes and kinder...

The purpose of the study was to detect the effect of a psychological program supported by Macromedia Flash technology on some of psychological conditioning skills and the level of skills performance for table tennis players. Seven subjects comprised of 5 male and 2 female players from the Jordan national team with age ranges 12-15 year of old were intentionally selected. Measurement of muscle relaxation, mental imagery, state of competition anxiety, self talk, and colored readiness concentration (in-house built) for table tennis players. Skill performance during the competition was also assessed using special forms. Experiment design involved one group with pre and post hoc test after 12 weeks of the program application, 4 sessions per week in a simulated competition circumstances. Results of none parametric statistics (Welcoxon) revealed that there was a significant effect of the program at post hoc test for all skills variables. It is imperative to provide an early psychological conditioning program for table tennis juniors’ players with practice sessions as it is important part of training regimen. In addition, it was suggested to use the Macromedia Flash technology for simulation enhancement of the real competition.

This work provides a new dataset method intended to build a biomechanical training model for the free-throws shots in basketball. Eight youth players from Jordanian secondary public school were video recorded from the sagittal plane executing free throw shots in basketball. Collectively (480) video clips were recorded and analyzed using image processing techniques to identify the ball track. Video processing involves extracting (11) different parameters that may affect the free throw in basketball game after detecting the ball trajectory. Creation of this dataset and its subsequent use for extracting free-throws information yielded several insights. First, a set of most important features were identified as those affecting the free-throws score in basketball. Second, our data set can be trained and tested using machine learning classifiers for building a new biomechanical training model based on set of rules that can be useful for both trainers and trainee to rehearse on successful free-throws in basketball. The dataset is being made publicly available at www.ju.edu.jo.

Information on the health status in Oman depicts an increase of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes, overweight, obesity, and metabolic syndrome. An examination of factors related to this increase shows that there is a shift in the daily practices of the people, and especially men, as they grow older towards a more sedentary lifestyle. In addition, school curricula deal with the subject of physical education as a stand-alone topic. Integration of physical activities in the curriculum starting from basic education is warranted if plans to highlight the importance of physical activity and to curb the dramatic increase in NCDs are to succeed. Teachers and health professionals should be competent and aware of health issues affecting the country. Comprehensive programs need to target the child's family and community.

Objective: Adequate dietary intake is crucial for optimum training and performance of athletes. There is almost no available information related to dietary practices among Omani athletes, especially during the competition. This study aimed to assess the nutritional practices (nutritional knowledge, eating habits and daily nutrients intake) among Omani male handball athletes in Muscat city, Oman. Methods: This is a cross sectional study including 35 male handball athletes involved in serious training for no less than three years. Data collection was done through personal interviews using a study questionnaire which enlisted questions relating to sociodemographic information, anthropometric measurements and nutritional practices. All the study participants declared no intake of anabolic steroids. Results: The mean age of the study participants was 27 ± 3 years. Their anthropometric assessment revealed that their mean height was 166 ± 12 cm, mean weight was 75 ± 10 kg, and body mass index was 27 ± 3. Nutritional knowledge analysis revealed that 80% had no nutritional supervision by a nutritionist/dietitian. Their knowledge of nutritional requirements was only 23% correct for total energy intake, 63% for protein intake, 46% for carbohydrate intake, 11% for fat intake and 83% for water intake. Eating habits indicated that 55% had

The metabolic syndrome is a clustered syndrome characterized by five major abnormalities: cardiovascular risk factors, including elevated blood pressure, dyslipidemia, impaired glycemic control, and abdominal obesity. Although, this syndrome is reaching an epidemic spread in parallel to obesity, the incidence of the metabolic syndrome is expected to continue to rise, enabling the exercise prescription to contribute to optimal treatment at the socioeconomic scale. Exercise training reduces several of the symptoms of the syndrome, but the exercise modality and intensity that yields the maximal beneficial adaptations is controversial. The optimal level of physical training needed to prevent and treat the metabolic syndrome and its associated cardiovascular abnormalities remains undefined. A combination of frequency, intensity, and duration of chronic exercise is responsible for producing a training effect. The interaction of these factors shall provide the required stimulus. This paper will emphasize the adequate dose of exercise needed for most disorders.

The Directorate of General Security in Jordan has created sport fields in new prisons, taking into consideration its importance for inmates. This is due to the belief that prisoners should be encouraged to spend interesting times, discharge their repressed energies, and to improve their physical and mental states in addition to strengthening their social relations. Providing members and specialist officers to attend to the inmates may decrease the problems inside prisons. This, however, can be achieved by engaging them with different kinds of physical activities. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the level of health-related fitness of the inmates in the reform and rehabilitation centers in Jordan and to differentiate between them according to the time span spent in the prison. The study sample consisted of 208 inmates who volunteered to participate in the tests out of 2400 inmates in the center. They were classified into different age categories and their condemnation period. The tests contained the health related physical fitness elements: muscle power, respiratory endurance, muscle strength, flexibility, and body composition in terms of body mass index. Results showed that there were statistical differences between the categories in this study in some tests. In conclusion, inmates should undergo physical programs to prevent them from contacting non-communicable diseases due to hypokinetic and sedentary life.

Abdulrahman O Musaiger1, Hazzaa M Al Hazzaa2, Aayed Al-Qahtani3, Jalila Elati4, Jasem Ramadan5, Nebal A AboulElla6, Najat Mokhtar7, Hashem A Kilani81Arab Center for Nutrition, Bahrain; 2,3King Saud University, Saudi Arabia, 4National Institute of Nutrition, Tunisia; 5University of Kuwait, Kuwait; 6National Nutrition Institute, Egypt; 7Ibn Tofail University, Morocco; 8Sultan Qaboos University, OmanAbstract: Obesity has become a major public health problem in the Arab countries, creating a health and economic burden on these countries’ government services. There is an urgent need to develop a strategy for prevention and control of obesity. The third Arab Conference on Obesity and Physical Activity was held in Bahrain in January 2010, and proposed the Strategy to Combat Obesity and Promote Physical Activity in Arab Countries. This strategy provides useful guidelines for each Arab country to prepare its own strategy or plan of action to prevent and control obesity. The strategy focused on expected outcomes, objectives, indicators to measure the objectives, and action needs for 9 target areas: child-care centers for preschool children, schools, primary health care, secondary care, food companies, food preparation institutes, media, public benefit organizations, and the workplace. Follow-up and future developments of this strategy were also included.Keywords: obesity, physical activity, strategy, Arab countries

To determine if stretch reflex feedback contributes to enhanced performanceof vertical jumps of various types, partial block of the stretch reflex of vastus lateralis was accomplished using perineural injections of 1% Novocain (procaine) at the muscle's motor point. Jumps by six male athletes were done on a computerized force platform system before and after block. Block was assessed using an average EMG response to tendon tap. Stretch reflexes were reduced by 58–87%. Variables analyzed were jump height, digitized rectified EMG in the eccentric phase, and vertical velocity. A squat jump from a chair was used as a control for motor strength. A squat jump from flexed knees (with tonic prestretch) was a control for a jump without elastic contributions; jumps with elastic contributions have been seen only with fast prestretch. Jumps done with two legs (i.e. countermovement jump, drop jump) did not show consistent reductions because the unblocked leg may have compensated for the blocked leg. Significant decreases occurred in jumps done with one leg and having tonic (squat jump hop) or phasic (countermovement hop) prestretch phases. The decreases were greater in the jumps with phasic prestretch phases. Stretch reflex feedback seems to contribute to enhanced jump height. This may be either due to development of enhanced elastic storage capability or to EMG activation and force development, depending on whether feedback effects occur in the eccentric or concentric phases, respectively.

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the tonic neck reflex affects elbow flexor muscle torque production in healthy, young adults and which head-neck (H-N) positions have the greatest influence. Forty-eight male and female students between the ages of 18 and 35 years volunteered as subjects. Head-neck positions involving the sagittal and horizontal planes and combinations of these were tested. The nondominant hand was used to apply tension to the lever of an isokinetic analyzer under both isometric (static) and isotonic (dynamic) conditions. Peak torque was determined for each H-N position under each condition. Differences in peak torque were elicited more easily from the female subjects than from the male subjects. Head-neck rotation (horizontal plane) appeared to have a greater influence on elbow flexor muscle torque production than movements in the sagittal plane, particularly when movements in the two planes were combined. We concluded, therefore, that H-N position must be considered during rehabilitation of the upper extremity.