Objective: To identify how Brazilian families with children aged under 13 years face the period of social isolation resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, especially regarding the time spent on physical activity (PA), intellectual activity, games, outdoor activities and screen. Methods: An anonymous online survey was launched on March 24, 2020 in Brazil to assess how families with children aged up to 12 years are adjusting their daily routines to this situation. In the survey, each family reported the daily time each child spent in sedentary activity (sum of intellectual activities, play time on screen, playing without PA) and PA (sum of playing with PA and PA). Results: The main findings based on data from 816 children indicate that most parents consider there was a reduction in the time that children spend practicing PA; increase in screen play time and family activities, differences between sex were found regarding screen play time (boys>girls) and in playing without PA (girls>boys), and there was an age effect for all categories analyzed, with a tendency to increase the total time of sedentary lifestyle and complementary reducing the time of PA over age. Conclusions: The household routines of families during the period of social isolation resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic confirm the general reduction tendency in PA time during childhood.

During long periods without school, children are more susceptible to unhealthy behaviors, such as an increase in sedentary behaviors, which has a negative impact on children’s motor competence (MC). The COVID-19 lockdown offered us a unique opportunity to test, in a quasi-experimental setting, the impact of lockdown movement restrictions on children’s MC. We assessed the motor competence of 114 children aged 6–9 years using the motor competence assessment. All children were tested before and after the COVID-19 lockdown. Chi-square and 2 × 2 ANOVA (sex by moment) were used to further analyze the data. Regardless of sex, motor performances in all tests (except for jumping sideways in boys) were lower when compared with performances before lockdown. There was a marked decreasing trend in children’s levels of MC, shifting from an upper to a lower quartile in different tests. The results after the lockdown were always significantly inferior to the results before lockdown in all motor tests (except jumping sideways), in the three components of MC, and in global MC. Children’s global MC score decreased by an average of 13 points in boys and 16 points in girls. The imposed movement restrictions had a negative effect on children’s motor competence development.

The presence of physiologic abnormalities is compatible with the hypothesis of a non-associative acquisition of fear of heights, i.e., not associated to previous traumatic events or other learning experiences. Clinically, this preliminary study corroborates the hypothesis that vestibular physical therapy can be particularly useful in treating individuals with fear of heights.

HighlightsThis study has promotes a better understanding on the evolution of stability, functional maturation of sensorial integration and postural adjustments in children.This study has combined biomechanical and motor control concepts, discussing the parameters separately stability and postural adjustments.This study indicated Postural stability and adjustments were associated with age and were influenced by sensory manipulation and seven-year-olds seem to go through a period of differentiated singularity in postural control.

Objective: To evaluate if the variables child’s sex, age, presence of siblings, parents working remotely, and external space affect the level of physical activity (PA) of Brazilian children during social distancing imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: An online questionnaire was applied by the LimeSurvey software from March to April 2020. Children were divided into four age groups, and the questionnaire comprised questions on family and household characteristics, domestic and children’s routines in the period of Brazilian social distancing. Based on the answers concerning children’s activities, the following variable was created: percentage of physical activity (%PA) in one-day period. Analysis of variance and regression analysis were performed to investigate the effect of demographic and parental activities on %PA. Results: The %PA decreases with increasing age, but increases with the availability of external space at home. No significant or interaction effects were observed for other variables. Age and external space at home are predictors of %PA. Conclusions: Household and personal characteristics of Brazilian children influence the level of physical activity performed by them during social distancing. Preventive measures can be adopted in the face of another similar period.

The aim was to describe trunk control in ambulant and non-ambulant patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of a sample of 50 DMD patients, (M age = 16.7 years) who underwent the Segmental Assessment of Trunk Control (SATCo). A seven-level scale of trunk control was used (1: head control only; 7: control of entire trunk while unsupported). Static, active and reactive posture control were evaluated in ambulant and non-ambulant patients. Inter-rater reliability for all assessments was evaluated by calculating the kappa coefficient. More advanced disease (having higher Vignos scores), was associated with poorer trunk control. Ambulant patients showed better trunk control than non-ambulant patients (p = 0.003). There was strong inter-rater agreement for SATCo scale scores.

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This study aimed to investigate possible asymmetries and relationships between performance of dominant and non-dominant upper limbs (UL) in patients with Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophies (DMD/BMD), to compare UL performance of patients and healthy subjects and to investigate the relationship between timed performance of UL and age, motor function and muscle strength in DMD/BMD patients. Sixteen patients with DMD and 3 with BMD were evaluated with Jebsen-Taylor Test (timed performance), Vignos scale and Dimension 3 of Motor Function Measure (motor function), and Medical Research Council scale (muscle strength) on a single session. ANOVA showed no asymmetry between dominant and non-dominant UL, except in the writing subtest, in patients and in healthy controls. There were relationships between dominant and non-dominant UL performances. Correlations between timed performance, motor function and muscle strength were found, but age was not correlated with these variables. These findings may reduce the assessment time, prevent fatigue and provide more accurate clinical reasoning involving UL in DMD/BMD treatment.