Elvio R Gouveia

• Doctor of Sport Science
• Professor (Assistant) at University of Madeira

Aim To compare the growth and maturity status, physical activity, motor coordination, and physical fitness of youth participants and non‐participants in organized sports. Subjects and Methods The sample included 161 boys and 187 girls 11–12 years and 128 boys and 143 girls 13–14 years. Height, weight, skeletal age (SA), physical activity, motor co...

This study aimed to explore whether immediate recall, delayed recall, and verbal fluency mediated the relationship between meaning in life and depression in a large sample of older adults from 17 European countries. The study also sought to investigate potential differences in mediation trajectories by sex. The data used were from the eighth wave o...

Set pieces represent a crucial moment in football analysis but have yet to receive as much attention as other football moments or physical and physiological elements. This systematic review summarized the literature surrounding set-pieces in professional football players. The studies were included if the sample comprised adult male football players...

Understanding how playing position influences physical, physiological, technical, and tactical demands in basketball is essential for optimizing training. Despite numerous studies examining these demands, there remains a need for a comprehensive review focused specifically on male basketball players. This scoping review aimed to summarize these dem...

Effective volunteer management in sports tourism events depends on understanding motivations, segmenting profiles, and fostering satisfaction to ensure continuity and event success. The purpose of this study was to examine volunteer motivation, investigate differences in motivation based on gender and age, and identify key predictors of the intenti...

Background/Objectives: Depression, as one of the leading causes of disease burden, frequently co-occurs with other diseases. Cancer seems to be strongly associated with depression more than any other disease. As an outcome of physical fitness, muscular strength seems to have a protective effect on depression. This study aimed to analyze how muscula...

Background Physical functioning refers to the ability to perform daily living activities, namely basic activities, instrumental, and advanced activities. Poorer performance in these areas may indicate the potential presence of sarcopenia. Objectives To analyze the differences in physical function between older people with and without sarcopenia an...

Objective To assess the impact of depression and physical activity (PA) of different intensities on the incidence of heart disease. Methods A prospective cohort study with 20 645 European middle-aged and older adults (mean baseline age 63 years; 55.1% women; median follow-up 9.5 years) was conducted using data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and...

The assessment of biological maturation is a central topic in pediatric exercise sciences. Skeletal age (SA) reflects changes in each bone of the hand and wrist from initial ossification to the adult state. This study examined intra-observer and inter-examiner agreement is Greulich-Pyle (GP) assessments of SA in 97 male tennis players 8.6–16.8 year...

Noncontact injuries are prevalent among professional football players. Yet, most research on this topic is retrospective, focusing solely on statistical correlations between Global Positioning System (GPS) metrics and injury occurrence, overlooking the multifactorial nature of injuries. This study introduces an automated injury identification and p...

Background: Handball is characterized by fast and dynamic movements requiring appropriate psychomotor abilities and body mass composition. High levels of reaction and movement time can be crucial factors influencing quick reactions and in-time decision-making at the handball court. The aim of this study was to assess psychomotor abilities among eli...

Parental involvement in youth sports is increasingly relevant in scientific research since parents have gradually developed awareness regarding youngsters’ sports experiences. This study aimed to (1) examine potential differences in athletes’ and parents’ perceptions of parental involvement practices in youth basketball, (2) verify whether these pe...

Objective We analyzed how anthropometric measures predict cardiometabolic health and how genetic and environmental factors contribute to these associations. Methods Data on 8 indicators of cardiometabolic health, 21 anthropometric measures, and 11 anthropometric indices were available for 216 twin pairs of individuals age 3 to 18 years living in t...

Head Coaches (HCs) and players are the primary agents with the greatest influence on performance in professional soccer. With failure, the common approach is to replace the HC. Little is known about the players’ awareness in these situations. This study explored players’ understanding of leadership changes. Semi-structured interviews were conducted...

Football is distinguished by its intense sprinting, continuous vertical jumping, and abrupt direction changes, among other high-intensity motions. These typical football actions are primarily associated with the occurrence of sports injuries. This study aimed to (i) describe the injury profile over four seasons (i.e., number of injured players, inj...

Background Lifestyles of contemporary children are largely organised with relatively little time for free play. Aim To compare the growth, maturity status, motor proficiency and physical fitness of non-participants and participants in organised sports 7–10 years. Subjects and methods Height, weight, skeletal age (SA), physical activity, fundament...

As orientações de valores referem-se a uma direção ética ou ideológica que influenciam o comportamento, as decisões e as escolhas do professor e se apresentam geralmente de forma implícita. As diversas orientações educacionais se refletem nos objetivos dos currículos, nas expectativas dos alunos e na forma do planeamento. Este estudo teve como obje...

Background Extreme sports have increased in popularity, particularly over the past two decades. Theories explaining participation in extreme sports tend to focus on risk. Consequently, extreme sports participants are often characterized by an accentuated desire for risk and abnormal personal traits, but the positive aspects of extreme sports are of...

Exergaming is a modern approach frequently used to promote physical activity at all ages while playing digital games. Given that physical health deteriorates with age, that older people tend to live sedentary lifestyles and that they get tired faster due to lack of physical stimulation, maintaining a healthy lifestyle and regular exercise routine i...

Background Muscle strength and balance abilities have been related to game performance injury prevention. This study aimed to (1) assess knee muscle strength performance based on intra- and inter-limb asymmetries, (2) investigate the relationships between knee muscle strength, body composition, and balance, and (3) analyze the variance in the overa...

Background CrossFit® combines different types of activities (weightlifting, gymnastics, and cardiovascular training) that challenge aerobic and anaerobic pathways. Over the last few years, the scientific interest in CrossFit® has increased considerably. However, there have been no published reviews characterizing the physical demands and physiologi...

Loneliness and depression are serious public mental health problems. Meaning in life (MIL) is associated with reduced loneliness and depression. This study aimed to: (1) investigate associations between loneliness, MIL, and depression, differentiated by sex in individuals aged ≥ 50 years, residing in 26 European countries and Israel, and (2) to exa...

Background There has been an increase in studies examining the demands of soccer relative to each playing position in recent years. Understanding the physical, physiological, and technical demands on soccer players according to their positional role during competitive matches is necessary to understand match requirements and develop position-specif...

Handball demands intense movements like rapid direction changes and physical contact. Consecutive competitions expose player fatigue and weaknesses due to the sport's exhaustive nature. Therefore, the aims of this study are twofold: (i) to investigate the impact of competitive fatigue on the body composition of youth elite handball players, and (ii...

Background In the older population, depression, loneliness, and quality of life are closely related, significantly influencing health status. This paper aimed (1) to investigate autoregressive and cross-lagged associations over 2 years between depression, loneliness, and quality of life, and (2) to examine sex-related differences in the 2-year asso...

Background: The purpose of the review was to evaluate the literature exploring nutritional habits and practices in female soccer players. Methods: The PRISMA-ScR Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews were followed. Searches of Web of Science, PubMed and Scopus databases were conducted for studies exploring...

Purpose To analyze the shared genetic background of physical fitness tests in children. Methods Physical fitness was assessed in 198 Portuguese twin pairs (6–18 years old, 40% monozygotic) through 15 tests from the Eurofit and Fitnessgram test batteries. Genetic twin modeling was used to estimate the heritability of each test and the genetic corre...

Purpose In female football, a growing concern has emerged regarding assessing and monitoring strategies, particularly on locomotor activities. This study evaluated locomotor activities during training sessions and official matches of female football players according to their field position. Methods Twenty-four semi-professional female football pl...

Purpose This study aims to explore disparities in locomotor metrics such as total distance (TD), high-speed running (HSR), accelerations (Acc), decelerations (Dec), and maximum speed (MS) across five soccer positions – centre defenders, fullbacks, midfielders, wingers, and forwards – during the 1-, 3-, and 5-minute match intensity periods (MIP). Ad...

Nota de apresentação Ao longo das últimas décadas, e particularmente nos últimos anos, a Educação tem enfrentado mudanças significativas impulsionadas por diversas alterações na sociedade e por avanços tecnológicos que, juntos, têm estimulado novas abordagens pedagógicas. Neste contexto, a Educação Física emerge, não apenas como uma disciplina tra...

This study aims to examine, for each head coach (HC) replaced, the association between training intensity and physical performances obtained in games. Furthermore, the study investigated how contextual factors influence locomotor and mechanical performance association. External load variables were collected using Global Positioning System (GPS) dev...

In soccer, knee and hip muscle strength assessments have been recommended for injury prevention. The aims of this study were threefold: (1) to compare knee and hip muscle strength between professional players competing at different levels; (2) to compare strength performance according to the preferred leg (PL) and the non-preferred leg (NPL); and (...

Speed and agility have been described as crucial abilities for soccer players. The purpose of this study was to analyze, in detail, the variance in speed and agility tasks explained by lower-body power after controlling for age and body composition. The participants were 96 male soccer players aged 16.1 ± 1.6 years. Body composition (stature, body...

Students' attitudes towards the subject of Physical Education are important to consider, as they impact their behaviour in the classroom and, consequently, their learning. Moreover, since Physical Education aims to promote a healthy lifestyle and physical activity habits throughout life, more positive attitudes towards the subject tend to lead to t...

Although the Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) scale has been widely used, its French adaptation has not been validated and its psychometric properties have not been tested. Addressing this literature gap, we propose a French validation of the measure, investigating its factorial structure and testing its invariance regarding age, sex, education, and time...

Background: To examine the longitudinal association between frailty criteria and depression (DEP) in a large sample of older Europeans using decision tree models, and to examine complex relationships between frailty criteria and DEP symptomatology. Methods: Data come from waves six and eight of the Population Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement...

Background: Depression and cardiovascular diseases are two main health conditions contributing to the global disease burden. Several studies indicate a reciprocal association between them. It is still unclear how changes in overall muscle strength may impact this association. This study aimed to analyse how muscular strength moderates the relations...

Introdução: As doenças cardíacas são uma componente chave da morbilidade e mortalidade das doenças cardiovasculares. Todavia, são escassos os estudos multicêntricos europeus que investigaram a associação entre a força de preensão manual (FPM) e a incidência de doenças cardíacas. A identificação de potenciais ferramentas simples, como a medição da F...

Introdução Algumas investigações têm demonstrado uma associação inversa entre a força de preensão manual (FPM) e a sintomatologia depressiva em adultos e idosos (Fukumori et al., 2015). Esta relação pode ser explicada pelo concomitante declínio funcional e cognitivo associado ao envelhecimento. Todavia, o efeito da FPM na depressão não foi consist...

Purpose: The monitoring of training loads and quantification of physical performance are common practices in youth soccer academies to support coaches in prescribing and programming training for individuals. The interaction between training load and physical performance is unknown during a preseason period in youth soccer players. The current study...

Background Physical fitness is a health marker in youth and is associated with current and future health. Objective Present the healthy fitness zone (HFZ) prevalence and age‐specific fitness profile of young people from seven European countries. Methods This study used data from the European Fitness Monitoring System project. The sample comprised...

Sedentary behavior and inadequate energy expenditure are serious global public health concerns among youngsters. The exponential growth in technology emerges as a valuable opportunity to foster physical activity, particularly through active video games. We performed a systematic review following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews...

Due to its physical demands, professional soccer is becoming a real challenge regarding players' exposure to high injury risk. Given its tight correlation with high-intensity actions, muscular strength is a crucial physical characteristic for soccer players. Therefore, the aims of this study are (a) to compare the vertical jumping performance durin...

The aim of this review was to identify and synthesise the most significant literature addressing the effects of changing the HC on soccer team’s performance, identifying the most frequently researched outcomes and characterizing their methodologies. A systematic review of PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and SPORTDiscus databases was performed accord...

Purpose Physical activity (PA) is associated with a better quality of life and well-being in older adults. Examining PA trajectories, especially increasing habitual PA habits, makes it possible to better understand how PA behavioural changes may impact health and quality of life. This study aimed to analyse the longitudinal association between 2-ye...

Diabetes mellitus and depression rank among the leading causes of disease burden and are present in the top ten causes of disability-adjusted life years worldwide. Numerous studies have shown that both depression and diabetes have a detrimental effect on the quality of life, and when they coexist, the effect is considerably worse. This study aimed...

This study aimed to analyse the knowledge of Portuguese physical education (PE) teachers according to the health recommendations for physical activity (PA) for children and adolescents. A total of 764 teachers participated (55.2% men) with a mean age of 48.2 years. Data was collected using answering to an online survey. Teachers were asked about PA...

As the digital revolution continues to take hold in contemporary society, new technology and communications networks have provided football with new possibilities and prospects for expansion. This study provides an assessment of the published research regarding innovative digital tools designed to increase the interactivity of fans when watching a...

Introduction Soccer has enormous global popularity, increasing pressure on clubs to optimize performance. In failure, the tendency is to replace the Head coach (HC). This study aimed to check the physical effects of mid-season replacements of HCs, investigating which external load variables can predict retention or dismissal. Methods The data was...

Sarcopenia is a disease characterized by muscle strength and decreased muscle mass whose prevalence increases with aging. It is a condition that interferes with health in general, with daily functional competence in particular, but also with life expectancy, since frailty, that is, vulnerability to a stressful event, is often found associated with...

Investment in outdoor parks is proposed as a promising large-scale strategy to promote physical activity (PA). This study aimed to systematically review the impact of park renovations or installing new ones in increasing PA. Searches were conducted using predefined terms in three databases (PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science) in March 2022. Studies...

Purpose Depression, as one of the leading causes of disease burden, frequently co-occurs with other diseases. Cancer seems to be strongly associated with depression more than any other disease. As an outcome of physical fitness, grip strength seems to have a protective effect on depression. This study aimed to analyse how grip strength moderates th...

Background There are several markers for the suspicion, identification, and confirmation of sarcopenia. Objectives To analyse the importance of several markers for assessing sarcopenia by classifying phenotypes based on five domains: symptomatology, muscle function, muscle mass, physical performance, and physical function. Methods A cross-section...

IIntroduction: Sarcopenia has originally been defined as the loss of muscle mass due to aging. However, during the last decade, the term has acquired complexity and has been used to define the loss of strength and muscle mass in relation to aging. Objective: The aims of this study were: (I) to analyze the differences in physical functioning between...

NOTA DE APRESENTAÇÃO Num mundo cada vez mais tecnológico, onde a tecnologia tende a nos afastar do movimento, da conexão e da interação humana, a Educação Física afirma-se como um catalisador para o desenvolvimento integral de crianças e jovens. Neste contexto, é com satisfação e compromisso que compartilhamos o nosso livro “A Educação física para...

Incorrect postural habits developed already at an early age are predictors of low back pain and functional limitations in adult life. Postural education programs (PEPs) are activities developed in Physical Education classes with the aim of promoting healthy habits. One tool used by PEPs is comics. The objective of this study was to develop comics a...

Background: The importance of soccer referees is widely accepted by international soccer organizations and governing bodies, although there is little research summarizing and appraising the literature on soccer referees. The aim of this study was to systematically review the information related to physical demands, nutrition and physiological profi...

To compare the performance of SARC-F and SARC-CalF as screening tools for sarcopenia. Cross-sectional study with a convenience sample of 312 community-dwelling older people. Sarcopenia was defined as low handgrip strength (HGS) or low gait speed (GS ≤ 0.8 m/s). HGS was measured by dynamometry and GS by the 4-m walking speed test. For HGS, six crite...

Background Engaging in physical activity increases energy expenditure, reducing total body fat. Time spent in sedentary behaviours is associated with overweight and obesity, and adequate sleep duration is associated with improved body composition. This systematic review aimed to analyse the relationship between compliance with the 24-h movement gui...

Introduction There has been an abundance of dietary analysis research conducted on adult male soccer players, while studies on youth players are lacking. Furthermore, the daily distribution of energy and macronutrient intake throughout the day has been reported to influence training adaptations, but this is often not considered in the literature. T...

Anthropometric measurements of the human body are an important problem that affects many aspects of human life. However, anthropometric measurement often requires the application of an appropriate measurement procedure and the use of specialized, sometimes expensive measurement tools. Sometimes the measurement procedure is complicated, time-consumi...

Background: There are several markers for the suspicion, identification, and confirmation of sarcopenia. Objectives: The main objective of this study was to analyze the relevance of markers for a sarcopenia risk phenotype based on five domains: symptomatology, muscle function, muscle quantity, physical performance, and physical function. Methods: T...

Sports participation is one of the most popular forms of physical activity among youngsters. This study aimed to examine the changes in the estimated body composition, strength, and flexibility of adolescent boys after 12 months of soccer training compared with those of age-matched controls with non-sports participation. We assessed 137 boys (62 so...

The purposes of this study were twofold: (1) to describe a new technological solution for the rehabilitation of musculoskeletal injuries based on virtual reality (VR) gaming, and (2) to analyze the variation in rated perceived exertion (RPE) and heart rate (HR) of the participants when undergoing a rehabilitation session based on different VR games...

Introduction: Physical fitness concerns a set of attributes related to the ability to perform physical activity that may justify the symptoms reported by the elderly in the context of sarcopenia. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between the perception (symptomatology) of physical functioning (what the person thinks the...

In male professional soccer, changing coaches frequently occurs during a sports season. Although this decision may disrupt players' and teams' development, organizational progress, and financial stability, the administrations still decide to change coaches due to several sportive factors. This study aims to describe a local Portuguese professional...

Purpose: Physical education (PE) is an important context for promoting health-related cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) in youth. Within PE, the lesson context and teacher behavior may be relevant for the promotion CRF; however, evidence is scarce. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess whether students' CRF improvement in a school year w...

Muscular strength is strongly related to speed and agility tasks, which have been described as the most decisive actions preceding goals in the soccer game. This study aimed to characterize the players’ strength indicators and to analyze the variation associated with age, competition level, and positional role. Eighty-three male soccer players from...

This study aims to report what motivates individuals to be physically active, to determine whether motivating factors influence physical activity (PA) levels, and whether this differs across the lifespan. This is a cross-sectional study with 498 individuals: 117 adolescents, 306 adults, and 75 older adults. PA was assessed using Baecke’s questionna...

Studying fatigue is challenging because it is influenced by physiological, psychological, and sociological states. Fatigue can be assessed objectively or subjectively, but the literature has difficulty understanding how an analytical test relates to a response via a questionnaire. Thus, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationships be...