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Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the use of stairways/moving stairways in shopping malls and examine the extent to which simple warning signs determined whether people took the stairs. Design: Large posters that could readily be seen by mall visitors were situated between the stairs and moving stairways in shopping malls. Setting: A total of 30,026 people who visited the shopping mall over an 11 week period were chosen consecutively for this study. Method: Thirty-three counting operations (2 h/day) were undertaken using two positive posters and one negative poster on different days of the week. In the process of counting, four groups were examined: children, adults aged <55 years, adults aged ≥55 years, and overweight individuals. General observations conducted during the first 2-week period, and the 5th, 8th, and 11th weeks served as control periods. Results: When posters were not shown, rates of stair use were lower among individuals in all age groups, but the ratio of stairway to moving stairway use tripled when positive-direction posters were displayed. Similarly, negative-direction posters decreased the ratio of stair to moving stairway use. Positive-direction posters were strongly associated with stairway use ( p = 0.001). Conclusion: This study showed that the use of stairs decreased when no poster was displayed, while positive posters increased stair use and negative posters decreased this behaviour. Individual preference, together with the comfort brought by moving stair technology, consciously or unconsciously causes individuals to avoid activities they can perform during the day.

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Background and Study Aim. The children and adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder lead a sedentary lifestyle and, as a result, they are more affected by health problems such as being overweight and obese.  They are physically less active than their peers showing typical developing. The aim of the study is to carry out a general comparison of the gross motor performance levels of elementary school-age children living in Germany diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and children showing typical developing. Material and Methods. A total of 68 children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and 73 children showing normal development between the ages 7 and 10 participated in the study. Of the participants, 55 were diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder were boys and 13 were girls, and the average age of the boys was 8.40±1.09 years, while the average age of the girls was 8.85±1.14 years. Of the 73 participants, 36 showing typical development consisted of boys and 37 of them consisted of girl students, and the average age of the boys was 8.56±1.08 years while the average age of the girls was 8.43±1.21 years. The Body Coordination Test for Children was used to evaluate gross motor performance components in the study. Results. The results of the study showed that girls had lower general body coordination than boys on average. It was concluded that children who had an autism spectrum disorder diagnosis displayed statistically lower total motor performance in all of the administered tests compared to their peers showing normal development (p<0.05). Conclusion. It is considered that the data obtained will provide important clues about the motor coordination values and body composition of children with autism spectrum disorder and will contribute to taking precautions against the health risks of children with autism spectrum disorder, who are more affected by a sedentary lifestyle compared to their normally developing peers.

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Background and Study Aim. It was aimed to measure the effects of single-leg stance on measuring the individual postural limits and balance skills of elderly adults. Material and Methods. The present study involved a total of 360 elderly adults aged between 70 and 80 years. The participants were divided into two groups as 187 individuals in experiment group (99 women / 88 men) and 173 individuals in control (94 women / 79 men). In measuring the risk of fall and balance skills, the Functional Reach Test, Timed up and go Test, and Single Leg Stance Test were used. The participants in experiment group were asked to stand on one foot for a total of 4 minutes (2 minutes in morning and 2 minutes in evening) every day while brushing their teeth for 50 weeks. Since the data showed normal distribution, the independent samples t-test was used in determining the intergroup difference, whereas the dependent sample t-test was used in determining the intragroup pretest-posttest difference. Results. It was determined that there was a significant relationship between elderly adults’ balance skills and 4-min/day single-leg stance practice (p<0.05). In all the tests, it was found that the balance skills of women and men have improved and men had better values in comparison to women. Conclusion. It is thought that, via simple procedures such as lifting up one foot while brushing the teeth, the balance skills of elderly adults can be improved, the risk of fall can be reduced. They can be supported in terms of living an independent life.

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The aim of WC exercises is to acquire technical skills required for using WC correctly, and to help improve the physical performance. This study has been carried out in order to investigate the effects of AWC and SWC exercises on physical performances and technical skills of obese individuals having no movement limitation in their upper extremities. In this study, 41 WC users (20 AWC users and 21 SWC users) aged between 18 and 26 years, and having no movement limitation in their upper extremities have been involved. For 16 weeks, a 50 min WC activity program (technique, distance walking, and effort) has been implemented 3 times a week. IBM SPSS 21 software has been used for statistical analyses, while t-test has been utilized for standard deviation, mean value and comparisons, and the level of significance has been set as p<0.05. After the 16-weeks physical activity program, increases in WC usage techniques, balance skills, and physical performance have been observed. In all of tests performed, AWC group showed better performance than SWC group. It has been found that the users especially in SWC group have ache in back, shoulders, arms, and wrists. Physical activities with an appropriate WC improve the mobility, decrease pain in back, shoulders and wrists, and balance the energy consumption. This study shows that 50-mil daily physical activities would contribute to WC usage techniques of AWC users, and their physical performances. This could be an important factor in eliminating the possible injuries.