Raquel Vaquero-Cristóbal

• PhD
• Professor (Full) at University of Murcia

The global aging trend increases chronic diseases and lowers quality of life. Exercise is vital for physiological, cognitive, and mental health, countering age-related decline. Outdoor multidomain interventions enhance adherence, motivation, and resilience, supporting independence and well-being. Objectives: This paper aimed to apply an outdoor exe...

No previous research has analyzed the opinion of adolescents, teachers, coaches, managers, and mobile app experts, on the usefulness and functionality of mobile apps for use by adolescents. For this reason, the objectives of this research were: to discover their opinion about the physical activity apps currently available; and to determine the elem...

The main objective of this study was to analyze the effect of a resistance training program using outdoor fitness equipment (OFE) on sagittal spine disposition and pelvic tilt in middle-aged and older adults. One hundred and twenty-eight middle-aged and older adults were randomly assigned to the training (TG) or control group (CG). The TG trained f...

The aim of this study was to compare the socio-demographic, sporting characteristics and perceptions of student-athletes with disabilities of perceived barriers according to the state system of dual career support. Two hundred and twelve student-athletes with disabilities from two European countries with state centralisation in dual career-related...

Background Accurate body fat distribution assessment is essential for managing cardiovascular disease and metabolic disorders. Although several methods are available for segmental fat analysis, few studies have examined the validity of affordable methods such as Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA) against the reference method, Dual-Energy X-ray...

Anthropometry is crucial in the field of health due to its usefulness in the prevention and monitoring of chronic diseases and risk groups. This chapter carries out an analysis of the anthropometric variables most related to different pathologies, in order to identify risk factors and provide information about the health of the individual, underlin...

The present chapter is an introduction to anthropometry as a science. It describes a terminological approach to this concept and specifies that it is based on the measurement of various dimensions of the human body, from basic measurements to skinfolds, girths, lengths and heights, and breadths and depths, using specialised scientific techniques. I...

Predicting sports performance requires a multifactorial approach. However, anthropometry has emerged as a key tool for assessing and predicting performance in various sports disciplines, allowing for talent identification and training optimisation. This chapter delves into the relationship between sports performance and body composition, especially...

Proportionality is the branch of knowledge that analyses the relationship between different parts of the body or between the body and some reference to determine their relative size. There are two main types of proportionality: body indices and comparison with a reference model. Within the body indices, we find: (a) relative measurements or proport...

This chapter addresses the importance of accuracy and precision in anthropometric measurements, highlighting how measurement errors can affect the interpretation of results. Various sources of error are mentioned, including challenges related to the measurement technique, environmental conditions, the biological variability of individuals, the veri...

This chapter details the equipment necessary to carry out anthropometric measurements accurately and reliably. The equipment required to mark the subject before the measurements is listed, including an anthropometric box, a dermographic pencil, wet wipes, a segmometer and an anthropometric measuring tape. The instruments necessary for the measureme...

This chapter contains information about the definition of the somatotype as a method to quantify the shape and composition of the human body, providing a quantitative summary of the current physique. It specifies which methods and formulas are used to calculate the three components of the somatotype: endomorphy (adiposity), mesomorphy (muscular and...

This chapter addresses the importance of evaluating body composition, especially in the sports and health fields. Various models for estimating body composition are presented, highlighting the tissue model as one of the most utilized, as it allows differentiating between specific tissues such as adipose, bone, and muscle. The text also points out a...

This chapter addresses the importance of ethics and proxemics in anthropometry, focusing on respect and consideration for individuals who are being evaluated. It begins by explaining what proxemics is, that is, the classification of interpersonal distances and their effect on interpersonal behaviour. The importance of respecting personal space duri...

The main objectives of this research were to analyze the impact of the use of augmented reality (AR) for analyzing the safety of sport equipment, on the motivational climate, behavior, and intention to use, and to validate a theoretical model for predicting continuance intention to use AR among students. The sample consisted of 254 university sport...

investigación HEALTHY-AGE es el resultado de años de investigación y trabajo en conjunto de profesionales y científicos comprometidos con una de las cuestiones más urgentes en el ámbito de la salud pública contemporánea: el impacto del envejecimiento y las enfermedades crónicas sobre la calidad de vida de millones de personas en todo el mundo. En u...

Previous research has determined the relevance of video games for adolescents; however, it has not been possible to establish differences in usage patterns and certain psychological variables according to gender, parental control, academic performance, physical activity level or game type, nor the relationship between these variables. For this reas...

Background In recent decades, physical activity intervention programs have been developed to reduce overweight and obesity in adolescents. However, this population is considered hard to reach in physical activity programs due to lack of adherence and poor results. Interventions with mobile phones in the adolescent population with normal weight have...

Purpose Body composition can be estimated using anthropometric-based regression models, which are population-specific and should not be used interchangeably. However, the widespread availability of predictive equations in the literature makes selecting the most valid equations challenging. This systematic review compiles anthropometric-based predic...

Outdoor fitness equipment (OFE) are strength training installations comparable to those found in indoor gyms but are located outdoors with greater accessibility. However, the scientific evidence supporting their effectiveness remains limited. The objective of this study was to analyze and compare the electromyographic (EMG) activity of upper limb m...

Background: An accurate assessment of body fat distribution is crucial for managing cardiovascular disease and metabolic disorders. Although several methods are available for segmental fat analysis, few studies have examined the validity of affordable methods such as Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA) against the reference method, Dual-Energy X...

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2024.1421950.].

Mobile applications positively influence the practice of physical activity in adolescents, but the effect of this improvement on the psychological state and the addictive use of technologies in this population is unknown. For this reason, the aims of the present investigation were to establish the differences in psychological variables and problema...

The objectives of the present study were to analyze the adherence of normal weight and overweight/obese adolescents to intervention with mobile applications; to establish the differences in the evaluation of the mobile application and in the problematic use of the mobile phone between normal weight and overweight/obese adolescents; and to determine...

Background: Back pain in adolescents is a common injury, mainly affecting the lumbar, cervical and sometimes shoulder region. This has been related to various factors, such as lifestyle habits or physical capacity, but no previous research has shown conclusive results. The aims of this study was to analyze the risk of suffering lumbar, neck and sho...

Featured Application The main practical application of this research is the presentation of a new type of outdoor fitness equipment (OFE) available to both trainers and users, with scientific support regarding its ability to recruit the desired muscles in a similar way to conventional gym machinery. In addition, it was possible to improve the effec...

Introduction The use of mobile apps to promote physical activity in adolescents can improve health-related parameters. However, previous studies have not evaluated whether the benefits depend on the users’ prior active or inactive status. Therefore, the main objective was to analyze differences in physical activity levels, adherence to the Mediterr...

Introduction For years, gender inequality has conditioned women’s participation in sport, exposing them to difficult situations and numerous barriers to face. However, no previous research has analyzed the situation of women in sport from the perspective of the athletes themselves, or from the perspective of the coaches, teachers or managers who wo...

The aims of the present research were to understand the reasons why adolescents stop using mobile applications and to discover the objective and subjective evaluation of mobile applications for physical activity by adolescents. A 10-week quasi-experimental design involving four experimental groups of adolescents who used mobile apps. A total of 240...

Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of HIIT and SIT programmes on body composition, blood pressure, lipid profile, glucose, cardiorespiratory fitness, and strength of adolescents and to compare the effect between those different protocols. Methods Sixty adolescents were recruited from a high school and were randomly placed i...

The mental health of adolescents is a determining factor for their adequate development, but is influenced by factors such as physical activity, nutrition, gender, and weight status. However, previous research has not analysed differences in psychological status, mainly in basic psychological needs and life satisfaction, among male and female adole...

Introduction Assessment of fat mass has historically employed various methods like Dual-energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DXA), and bioelectrical impedance (BIA), and anthropometry with its set of formulas. However, doubts persist regarding their validity and interchangeability to evaluate fat mass. This research aimed to determine the validity of anthr...

Introduction The interest in estimating muscle mass (MM) and bone mass (BM) has grown in the sporting arena, and more specifically in recreational strength trainees, leading to the creation of different strategies to assess them. The aims were: 1) to investigate the agreement between different MM and BM formulas, and the muscle-bone index (MBI), an...

In this study, we aimed to identify the variability among anthropometrists with varying levels of experience and its effects on the final interpretations of body composition estimates. Were implied 25 male university students, aged between 18 and 30 years. Skinfold measurements of eight body regions were obtained by two anthropometrists: an expert...

The practice of physical activity and adherence to the Mediterranean diet (AMD) have been extensively studied for their relationship with kinanthropometric, body composition and physical fitness variables. However, no previous study has analyzed whether these healthy habits are equally determinant for the differences found in kinanthropometric, bod...

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of sprint interval training (SIT) and [high intensive interval training (HIIT)] carried out during the cool-down period of the physical education classes on body composition, blood pressure variables (BP) and pulse rate (PR), and cardiorespiratory fitness of adolescents who are overweight...

Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of sprint interval training (SIT) and [high intensive interval training (HIIT)] carried out during the cool-down period of the physical education classes on body composition, blood pressure variables (BP) and pulse rate (PR), and cardiorespiratory fitness of adolescents who are overweight a...

The aims of the study were: 1) to evaluate the changes in anthropometric variables, body composition, somatotype and body proportions of elite basketball players throughout the pre-season period; 2) to evaluate the changes in anthropometric variables, body composition, somatotype and body proportions of elite basketball players throughout the in-se...

This study examined the effect of outdoor-fitness-equipment-based resistance training on the health parameters of middle-aged and older adults, as well as analyzing the effect of age on the results found. A total of 149 volunteers were randomly assigned to the training (TG) and control (CG) groups. The TG performed two weekly sessions of resistance...

The objectives of the present research were to analyze adherence to the Mediterranean diet (AMD), to observe which variables most affect AMD, and to analyze whether AMD affects physical fitness and anthropometric parameters in high-level adolescent athletes. A total of 96 adolescent athletes in the under-16, under-18, and under-20 categories select...

The aim of this systematic review with meta-analysis was to evaluate the effects of resistance training on physical fitness, physiological variables and body composition of postmenopausal women. The present systematic review was performed in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) statement and...

(1) Background: Given the physiological characteristics of handball, players may require the use of certain sports supplements (SS). However, very few studies have investigated the consumption of SS in handball. The aims were to determine the number of handball players who consume SS, to analyze their SS consumption pattern according to gender and...

Little is known about the interactions between the iceberg profile, which is characterized by high vigor scores, as opposed to low scores in tension, depression, anger, fatigue, and confusion, and performance in League of Legends (LOL). For these reasons, the objectives of the present research were to analyze whether performance was influenced by t...

El Manual sobre igualdad de género, equidad e inclusión en el deporte es un producto intelectual del proyecto Women in Sport: Relaciones de Género y Perspectivas de Futuro (Women-Up), cofinanciado por la Unión Europea. Esta exhaustiva guía pretende sensibilizar e inspirar la acción en favor de la igualdad de género en el deporte. Involucra a las pa...

El Manual sobre igualdad de género, equidad e inclusión en el deporte es un producto intelectual del proyecto Women in Sport: Relaciones de Género y Perspectivas de Futuro (Women-Up), cofinanciado por la Unión Europea. Esta exhaustiva guía pretende sensibilizar e inspirar la acción en favor de la igualdad de género en el deporte. Involucra a las pa...

El Manual sobre igualdad de género, equidad e inclusión en el deporte es un producto intelectual del proyecto Women in Sport: Relaciones de Género y Perspectivas de Futuro (Women-Up), cofinanciado por la Unión Europea. Esta exhaustiva guía pretende sensibilizar e inspirar la acción en favor de la igualdad de género en el deporte. Involucra a las pa...

This project will investigate the effectiveness of an 8-week outdoor fitness equipment (OFE) programme on health parameters in healthy community-dwelling middle and older adults, corresponding to the present paper to the study protocol, which follows a single-blind randomised controlled trial design. The training intervention will involve participa...

No previous study has analyzed the differences in the effectiveness of an intervention with mobile applications, according to gender and academic year, on the level of physical activity, body composition, and physical fitness of adolescents. For this reason, the aim of the present investigation was to establish the differences in the change in leve...

Objectives To examine the associations of cardiorespiratory fitness (VO 2 max) and muscular strength with indicators related to the risk scale, such as perceived competence, sensation seeking, competitiveness, risk taking and risk perception in sports. Design Cross-sectional study. Setting High schools from the Region of Murcia (Spain). Particip...

BACKGROUND In recent decades, physical activity intervention programs have been developed to reduce overweight and obesity in adolescents. However, this population is considered hard to reach in physical activity programs due to lack of adherence and poor results. Interventions with mobile phones in the adolescent population with normal weight have...

Introduction Esports have experienced tremendous growth in recent years. In the scientific field, previous research has shown the determining role of psychology in competitive performance, but little is known about the factors that may be more determinant. In addition, in the amateur field, where fun and enjoyment are the most important factors, it...

The Handbook on Gender Equality, Equity, and Inclusion in Sports is an intellectual output of the Women in Sport: Gender Relations and Future Perspectives (Women-Up) project, co-funded by the European Union. This comprehensive guide aims to raise awareness and inspire action for gender equality in sports. It engages stakeholders such as sports oper...

The Handbook on Gender Equality, Equity, and Inclusion in Sports is an intellectual output of the Women in Sport: Gender Relations and Future Perspectives (Women-Up) project, co-funded by the European Union. This comprehensive guide aims to raise awareness and inspire action for gender equality in sports. It engages stakeholders such as sports oper...

The objective of this study was to analyze the perceived barriers to dual career success and athletic identity of student-athletes according to disability type and level of professionalization. The final sample consisted of 203 student-athletes with disabilities from five European countries. The questionnaires used were ESTPORT, EBBS and AIMS. Depe...

Since the European Year of Education through Sport (EYES, 2004), sport has been recognised as an important cultural, social and economic phenomenon in the European Union, fully recognising the right of sportspeople (e.g. athletes, coaches, referees, sport managers and volunteers) to combine their academic/work and sport careers (e.g. dual career)....

Since the European Year of Education through Sport (EYES, 2004), sport has been recognised as an important cultural, social and economic phenomenon in the European Union, fully recognising the right of sportspeople (e.g. athletes, coaches, referees, sport managers and volunteers) to combine their academic/work and sport careers (e.g. dual career)....

Introducción: El uso de suplementos deportivos (SD) para mejorar el rendimiento deportivo es muy común en deportistas. En el caso de los/as jugadores/as de balonmano y dadas las características fisiológicas del deporte pueden requerir el uso de determinados SD. Aunque el consumo de SD está muy extendido en los deportes de equipo, hasta el momento s...

Women have a longer life expectancy, but also a poorer quality of life due to the combined effects of aging and menopause. Among the most widely used non-pharmacological therapies that slow down the effects of these phenomena is resistance training. The aims of this narrative review were: 1) to analyze the strength in health parameters of middle-ag...

Featured Application This research shows the results of the body composition of male soccer players from different divisions of Spanish soccer, differentiated in turn by the different playing positions which, until now, had not been analyzed. These results could be a guide for the medical and technical staff when focusing and individualizing traini...

Background The skinfold caliper reading of the skinfold thickness depends on its dynamic compressibility. This has led to the fact that, while it is indicated that skinfold readings should be taken when the reading is stable, there is no consensus on at what second the reading should be taken after the application of the skinfold caliper. The new L...

BACKGROUND It is not known whether an intervention made mandatory as a physical education (PE) class assignment and aimed at promoting physical activity (PA) in adolescents can create a healthy walking habit, which would allow further improvements to be achieved after the mandatory and promoted intervention has been completed. OBJECTIVE The aims o...

Kinanthropometric and physical fitness variables have been habitually used for the detection of sports talent in adolescent populations. Considering these variables, players who obtained better scores than their peers in kinanthropometric and physical fitness variables have been traditionally selected for promotion in their teams, without taking in...

Previous research in this field has not examined the significance of each of the basic psychological needs (BPNs) on changes in the physical activity level, adherence to the Mediterranean diet (AMD), kinanthropometric and derived variables, and the physical fitness of adolescents. Therefore, the purpose of this study was (a) to examine the variance...

Background: Pokémon Go is a mobile app that offers both continuous and intermittent (gamified) gameplay, but no previous research in adolescents is known to have addressed changes in physical activity and body composition according to playing style. For this reason, the aims of the present investigation were (1) to establish the differences in the...

Background: The aims of the present umbrella review were (a) to summarize the available evidence on the effectiveness of mobile applications aimed at increasing physical activity; (b) to analyse the effect of an increase in physical activity on kinanthropometric variables, body composition and physical fitness of adolescents aged 12-16 years old;...

The objective of this study was to analyse the perceived barriers to dual career success and athletic identity of student-athletes according to sociodemographic, sport, and academic variables. The final sample consisted of 203 student-athletes with disabilities from five European countries. The questionnaires used were ESTPORT, EBBS and AIMS. It wa...

The previous scientific literature has shown how detrimental addictive internet and mobile phone use can be for the adolescent population. However, little is known about their influence on the physical activity, kinanthropometry and body composition, nutrition patterns, psychological state, and physical fitness of this population. For this reason,...

The aim of this systematic review with meta-analysis was to examine the influence of exogenous factors related to nutritional and hydration strategies and environmental conditions, as modulators of fatigue, including factors associated with performance fatigability and perceived fatigability, in endurance tests lasting 45 min to 3 h. A search was c...

In recent years, there has been an increase in knowledge about the barriers experienced by people with disabilities in the education system or sports. However, no studies have analyzed the barriers for those who try to succeed in both disciplines (dual career). The purpose of this study was to examine the barriers faced by student-athletes with/out...

En la presente investigación se plantearon dos objetivos: 1) identificar la proporción de jugadores de golf en edad de formación que se clasificaban para los campeonatos de España en función del año y del trimestre del año de nacimiento tanto para el total de la muestra, como para la muestra dividida por sexos. 2) Analizar el efecto de la edad rela...

Futsal performance has been extensively investigated in previous studies, demonstrating that the psychological state of the players or the playing position condition performance. However, research with female indoor soccer players is scarce; therefore, menstruation has not been considered as a determinant aspect for performance in females. Previous...

Different authors have reported on the influence of the Teaching Games for Understanding (TGfU) intervention on game performance and psychosocial variables. This review aimed: (a) to explore the TGfU experimental studies; (b) to compare the effects of the TGfU vs. technical approach pedagogy on game performance; and (c) to determine the effect of t...

El balonmano es un deporte complejo y multifactorial. Estudios previos han mostrado como la maduración biológica y la edad cronológica influyen en las características cineantropométricas y la aptitud física. Además, la alimentación también juega un papel fundamental en estos aspectos. Sin embargo, no hay ningún estudio en jugadores de balonmano que...

The aims of this research were to analyze the differences in kinanthropometric characteristics and physical performance as a function of biological maturation, as well as to analyze these differences with the inclusion of the covariates age, maturity offset and diet, and to know how the players were classified according to BMI z-score. Seventy-thre...

The present investigation provides a new paradigm, the fat but healthy diet, through which to analyze the importance of adherence to the Mediterranean diet (AMD) in the adolescent population. To this end, the objectives were to analyze the existing differences in physical fitness, level of physical activity, and kinanthropometric variables in males...

The analysis of the most decisive factors in performance is fundamental in order to train on these aspects to maximize the chances of success in competition. However, in the field of esports, research that has analyzed performance is scarce and includes various modalities, making it difficult to draw conclusions for a specific esports. Due to the g...

Previous scientific research on the use of mobile applications to increase physical activity level and improve health among adolescents does not provide conclusive results, one of the main reasons being the lack of adherence to the intervention after the first weeks. For this reason, the main objectives of the research were to determine the changes...

"Recomendaciones para un envejecimiento activo y saludable: Guía de la red de investigación Healthy-Age”, le ayuda a tener un estilo de vida con un enfoque que se centra en la salud holística (física, psicológica, social, emocional y espiritual). Este texto le enseña a huir de hábitos nocivos y de inactividad física y le ayuda como aplicar la inves...

The importance of fat mass estimation in multiple areas related to health and sports has led to the emergence of a large number of methods and formulas for its estimation. The aim of the present study was to compare the agreement and differences between different formulas for estimating fat mass by anthropometry. Eighty-seven subjects underwent an...

Objectives To determine the diagnostic ability of GDLAM and SPPB batteries to classify people with sarcopenia according to the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP19). Study design This cross-sectional study recruited 584 participants (240 men, 65.33 ± 8.68 years old). The diagnostic criteria of the EWGSOP19 for probable, c...

Adolescence is a crucial stage in human development, and differences in psychological, physical and body composition variables between males and females have been amply demonstrated. However, the role played by certain healthy habits, such as the practice of physical activity, adherence to the Mediterranean diet (AMD) or the maintenance of an adequ...

Introduction. Handball is a team sport whose performance depends on a large number of factors. The objectives of the present study were to analyze the differences in physical performance, kinanthropometric variables, and adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MD), in handball players according to sports category, as well as the possible relationships...

Introduction This paper examines the convergence of the opinions of European higher education institution (HEI) experts on possible implementation of dual career policies and provision areas at university level. Methods An online 32-item questionnaire encompassing 26 dual career aspects collected the opinion of European HEI experts as the last pha...

The promotion of lifestyle habits in all ages is essential for the prevention of chronic non-communicable diseases. The aim of this study was to develop, validate, and disseminate an ecosystem that favors effective education on physical activity, a healthy lifestyle, and healthy nutritional habits. The sample consisted of 258 Spanish volunteer stud...

Los objetivos del presente estudio fueron establecer la relación de la práctica de ejercicio físico en el tiempo libre con la práctica de los padres, el rendimiento académico, la importancia que le dan a la asignatura de educación física (EF) y la influencia que consideran que tiene sobre su rendimiento académico; así como sobre la percepción que t...