No abstract

This study aimed to identify the characteristics associated to quality of life (QOL)

For the seven tests, only one trial was necessary to provide consistent and reliable results regarding the functional performances of stroke subjects.

We evaluated changes in different domains of quality of life (QL) for persons with Parkinson's disease after a program of physical activity. Twenty subjects with a diagnosis of Parkinson's disease classified as Stages 1 to 3 on the Hoehn and Yahr scale and with a mean age of 61.5 +/- 9.8 years participated in 36 group sessions of a combined group program of aerobic conditioning and muscular strengthening. QL was investigated by the Nottingham Health Profile, a generic questionnaire composed of six domains. Student's paired t tests indicated significant gains associated with the program (P < 0.05) on the total score and those related to emotional reactions (ER), social interactions (SI), and physical ability (PA). SI was the domain that showed the greatest program gains (41.4%). The program of physical activity performed with persons with Parkinson's disease at light to moderate stages resulted in improvements in their perception of QL, mainly in the domains of ER, SI, and PA.

O objetivo deste estudo foi investigar as propriedades psicométricas e validar a versão em português do Fear Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire (FABQ-Brasil): um instrumento de avaliação sobre as crenças e medos dos indivíduos com dor lombar e de como esta dor pode afetar suas atividades físicas, subescala FABQ-Phys, e ocupacionais, subescala FABQ-Work. O questionário foi traduzido para o português segundo metodologia recomendada e aplicado em 53 indivíduos com dor lombar crônica não específica. Coeficientes de correlação intraclasse (CCI) do teste-reteste e consistência interna do instrumento (a de Cronbach) foram adequadas, tanto para a FABQ-Phys (0,84 e 0,80, respectivamente) quanto para a FABQ-Work (0,91 e 0,90, respectivamente). A regressão múltipla stepwise revelou correlação significativa entre todos os itens isolados e suas respectivas subescalas, com a variação dos escores em cada uma delas sendo explicada em 99% pelo conjunto de seus itens. Correlação de Pearson entre as subescalas não foi significativa, mas entre estas e a intensidade da dor (escala visual numérica) e a incapacidade física (Questionário de Roland-Morris-Brasil) foi significativa e positiva. Portanto, o FABQ-Brasil apresentou propriedades psicométricas adequadas para ser utilizado na população brasileira com dor lombar crônica.

In general, the MST showed adequate criterion-related validity, test-retest and inter-rater reliabilities for the assessment of strength of the lower limb and trunk muscles in subjects with chronic stroke. For the majority of the assessed muscles, only one trial, after familiarization, provided adequate strength values.

MAL-Brazil is potentially useful to evaluate the more severely affected upper limb in Brazilian patients with chronic hemiplegia. However, the instrument has limitations for use with individuals with severe limb impairments. Also, construct validity was affected by the presence of irregular score patterns. MAL-Brazil should be applied to additional samples to further investigate its validity.

Background Tests that are usually employed for the clinical assessment of muscular strength have notable disadvantages. The Modified Sphygmomanometer Test (MST) is a promising method because it is low-cost and provides objective measures. Objectives To investigate the most adequate method and sources of outcome values for the assessment of strength with the MST. Method Methodological study with 40 healthy adults (22.98±2.26 years), who did not practice physical activity regularly. The strength of the flexors and extensors of the elbow and knee, the handgrip of the dominant side and anterior trunk flexors were randomly assessed with portable dynamometers and the MST (bag and cuff adaptations, and sphygmomanometer without adaptation) by a single examiner. An independent examiner read and recorded the values. The sources of the investigated outcome values were the first trial and the means of two and three trials. One-way ANOVAs and Pearson Correlation Coefficients were used for the analyses (α=0.05). Results For the MST methods applied to assess all muscular groups, similar values were found for all sources of outcome values (0.01