Page 60 - Petelin Ana. Ur. 2022. Zdravje otrok in mladostnikov / Health of children and adolescents. Proceedings. Koper: Založba Univerze na Primorskem/University of Primorska Press
P. 60
avje otrok in mladostnikov | health of children and adolescents 60 Introduction
A sedentary lifestyle and physical inactivity are well-known trends in devel-
oped countries. In 2011, a study including nearly 300,000 participants from 76
different countries showed that 1 out of 5 people did not meet the minimum
level of physical activity (Dumith et al., 2011). Just four years later, in 2015, the
World Health Organisation revealed that about one third of the world’s popu-
lation aged 15 years or less did not meet the minimum requirements of 1 hour of
moderate to high intensity physical activity per day (WHO, 2020). The SARS-
CoV-2 virus, responsible for COVID-19 disease, spread worldwide in 2020,
causing a global pandemic. The population that has been particularly affect-
ed by the pandemic are children and adolescents. Reduction in physical activ-
ity during the pandemic could have adverse effects, as regular physical activity
prevents the occurrence of several diseases such as obesity, cardiovascular dis-
ease and lower back pain (LBP) (Rubin, 2007).
LBP is a global health problem experienced by 50-80% of adults (Rubin,
2007). In approximately 20% of the population, pain develops into chronic LBP
(Maher, etc., 2017). Unfortunately, LBP often starts in childhood and the prev-
alence in adolescents is similar to that in adults (Leboeuf-Yde and Kyvik, 1998).
The trunk plays an important role in both elite sport and everyday life. The ef-
fectiveness of multi-joint movements depends on the efficiency of force trans-
fer between the body segments. Kicking, throwing and lifting are examples of
multi-joint movements in which an adequate level of stability of the spine is es-
sential for the transfer of energy from the trunk to the arms or legs. Stability is
the ability to control the joint position and depends on the effective interaction
of the passive, active and nervous system (Panjabi, 1992). Exercise is an impor-
tant factor in maintaining a healthy lifestyle and is important for treating sev-
eral diseases, including LBP (Hurley et al., 2011). Several studies have shown
improved muscle strength, local endurance and patterns of muscle activation
after exercise intervention (Magnusson et al., 1996; Pedersen et al., 2004; Koc-
jan and Sarabon, 2020). For the treatment of LBP, exercise has been shown to be
more effective than non-exercise-based interventions (Searle et al., 2015). Due
to multifactorial nature of LBP the training content should include exercis-
es that improve coordination, aerobic capacity, strength and local endurance
(Owen et al., 2020; Gordon and Bloxham, 2016).
Video games with moving content (exergames) represent one way to im-
prove movement activity among children and adolescents. Studies have shown
the impact of playing such games on psychological abilities, physical activity
in overweight people (Höchsmann et al., 2016; Andrade and Correia, 2019) and
balance performance in older adults (Fang et al., 2020). Exergame systems such
as Xbox and Kinect are becoming increasingly popular where a new type of en-
tertainment could promote physical activity (Sween et al., 2014).
The aim of this paper is to review scientific literature on the field of mo-
tion tracking technology and exercise protocols to reduce the risk of LBP. The
A sedentary lifestyle and physical inactivity are well-known trends in devel-
oped countries. In 2011, a study including nearly 300,000 participants from 76
different countries showed that 1 out of 5 people did not meet the minimum
level of physical activity (Dumith et al., 2011). Just four years later, in 2015, the
World Health Organisation revealed that about one third of the world’s popu-
lation aged 15 years or less did not meet the minimum requirements of 1 hour of
moderate to high intensity physical activity per day (WHO, 2020). The SARS-
CoV-2 virus, responsible for COVID-19 disease, spread worldwide in 2020,
causing a global pandemic. The population that has been particularly affect-
ed by the pandemic are children and adolescents. Reduction in physical activ-
ity during the pandemic could have adverse effects, as regular physical activity
prevents the occurrence of several diseases such as obesity, cardiovascular dis-
ease and lower back pain (LBP) (Rubin, 2007).
LBP is a global health problem experienced by 50-80% of adults (Rubin,
2007). In approximately 20% of the population, pain develops into chronic LBP
(Maher, etc., 2017). Unfortunately, LBP often starts in childhood and the prev-
alence in adolescents is similar to that in adults (Leboeuf-Yde and Kyvik, 1998).
The trunk plays an important role in both elite sport and everyday life. The ef-
fectiveness of multi-joint movements depends on the efficiency of force trans-
fer between the body segments. Kicking, throwing and lifting are examples of
multi-joint movements in which an adequate level of stability of the spine is es-
sential for the transfer of energy from the trunk to the arms or legs. Stability is
the ability to control the joint position and depends on the effective interaction
of the passive, active and nervous system (Panjabi, 1992). Exercise is an impor-
tant factor in maintaining a healthy lifestyle and is important for treating sev-
eral diseases, including LBP (Hurley et al., 2011). Several studies have shown
improved muscle strength, local endurance and patterns of muscle activation
after exercise intervention (Magnusson et al., 1996; Pedersen et al., 2004; Koc-
jan and Sarabon, 2020). For the treatment of LBP, exercise has been shown to be
more effective than non-exercise-based interventions (Searle et al., 2015). Due
to multifactorial nature of LBP the training content should include exercis-
es that improve coordination, aerobic capacity, strength and local endurance
(Owen et al., 2020; Gordon and Bloxham, 2016).
Video games with moving content (exergames) represent one way to im-
prove movement activity among children and adolescents. Studies have shown
the impact of playing such games on psychological abilities, physical activity
in overweight people (Höchsmann et al., 2016; Andrade and Correia, 2019) and
balance performance in older adults (Fang et al., 2020). Exergame systems such
as Xbox and Kinect are becoming increasingly popular where a new type of en-
tertainment could promote physical activity (Sween et al., 2014).
The aim of this paper is to review scientific literature on the field of mo-
tion tracking technology and exercise protocols to reduce the risk of LBP. The
