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Papers by Fotis Mavrovouniotis

International Journal of Social Science and Human Research, 2022

The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of an online live group program with Greek... more The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of an online live group program with Greek traditional dances on the self-esteem and anxiety of the participants. The research involved 147 people, 43 men and 104 women, aged 49,73±8,141 years old, members of Cultural Clubs. The participants were randomly divided into the experimental group (N=75) and the control group (N=72). The experimental group participated in online live group lessons of Greek traditional dances, through the online platform ZOOM, twice a week. Each lesson had a 45-minute duration and the program lasted 12 weeks, during the quarantine imposed due to COVID-19. During the same period of 12 weeks, the control group continued its daily life in quarantine. The participants in both groups completed the Heatherton and Polivy (1991) State Self-Esteem Scale to measure performance self-esteem, social self-esteem and appearance self-esteem, as well as the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-FORM X-1 by Spielberger et al. (1...

International Journal of Physical Education, Sports and Health

Science of gymnastics journal, 2012

Journal of physical education and sport, 2011

There is evidence that musculoskeletal injuries are an important health issue for dancers at all ... more There is evidence that musculoskeletal injuries are an important health issue for dancers at all skill levels. Most dancers in various dance techniques and styles such as hip-hop, tap, musical theater, jazz, folk, ethnic, modern, and classical ballet reported more than 1 dance-related injury. However the dancers have received little attention in the medical literature. Most of all dance injuries have been found in the lower limbs (hip, lower leg and knee, ankle, and foot), and less frequently in the spine (lower back and/or pelvis). Dance-related injuries usually result from anatomic alignment, poor training, technical errors, unfamiliar choreography or style, and environmental factors including flooring surfaces and theater temperature. Amenorrhea, disordered eating, and low bone density, in female dancers have been also implicated as contributing factors to dance injuries. Age may also have a significant impact on injury incidence. Preventive strategies are the key to avoid injuries. Most information is available from ballet which has probably been the most studied of all dance styles regarding injuries and contributes to understanding of the dance injury mechanisms and can be useful in the treatment and diagnosis of injuries in other dance disciplines. More research is needed to expand the knowledge on injury patterns of different dance styles.

Journal of physical education and sport, Dec 1, 2012

IntroductionBlood fibrinolysis is an important physiological mechanism, is clot searching system ... more IntroductionBlood fibrinolysis is an important physiological mechanism, is clot searching system that eliminates intravascular clots ensuring the blood vessels passage (Chandler, Schwartz, Stratton, & Vitiello, 1996; Chatzikonstantinou, 1993; El-Sayed, Ali-El-Sayed, & Ahmadizad, 2004; Smokovitis, 1992; Takada & Takada, 1993). Clot fiber dissolution occurs with the action of a proteolytic enzyme, a serinoproteasis, plasmin (Arnout, Hoylaerts, & Lijnen, 2006; Stassen, Arnout, & Deckmyn, 2004; Van den Burg, Hospers, Mosterd, Bouma, & Huisveld, 2000).During clot formation along with other plasma proteins a large quantity of plasminogen is embedded in it. However, there are substances in the blood which activate plasminogen and convert it into plasmin (Guyton, 1984). The activation is done by specific enzymes activity known as plasminogen activators. Cells release plasminogen activators to an active state, ready to activate plasminogen (Arnout et al., 2006; Stassen et al., 2004; West, 1985). The major is the tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) (Collen, 1987; Saksela, 1985; Takada & Takada, 1993). t-PA is synthesized and secreted primarily by endothelial cells of the vascular wall and other cells as well (Ridker, Brown, Vaughan, Harrison, & Mehta, 2004; Smokovitis, 1992; Takada & Takada, 1993; Todd, 1959; Trakatellis, 1991).The regulation of fibrinolysis is influenced by both the production and secretion of plasminogen activators and by certain plasminogen activators inhibitors. The principal inhibitor is plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) (Gardikas, 1989; Saksela, 1985; Smokovitis, 1992; Takada & Takada, 1993; Van den Burg et al., 2000; West, 1985). t-PA and PAI-1 are primarily responsible for blood fibrinolytic activity regulation. There is a dynamic balance between coagulation and fibrinolysis. The disruption of this balance against fibrinolysis can lead to atherosclerosis and clot formation, which can lead to vascular ischemia, myocardial infarction, stroke and pulmonary embolism (Astrup, 1956; Aznar & Esteles, 1994).MethodThe literature data was primarily collected through computer and manual searches of primary sources (e.g., journal articles, theses). For the computer search, online data bases of Pub Med, Google Scholar and Sport Discus were used to retrieve available English language publications, entire articles and abstracts, related to fibrinolytic activity, using keywords such as haemostasis, fibrinolysis, coagulation, plasminogen activators, plasminogen activators inhibitors, physical activity and exercise.The results of this literature study are described in the present review, in the part of the role of exercise on fibrinolytic activity. Finally, a conclusion is presented and recommendations are provided for further investigation.The role of exercise on fibrinolytic activityPhysical activity results in increased exercise capacity and physical fitness, which can lead to many health benefits. Regular exercise helps to prevent cardiovascular diseases, since the attributable to exercise biological changes have been suggested as possible mechanisms by which exercise contributes to lower risk of cardiovascular lesions, fewer cardiac events and lower mortality rates for coronary heart disease. Physical activity improves cardiac risk factor profiles and may, also, lead to an improvement in endothelial function (Appenzeller & Atkinson, 1983; Haskell, Stefanick, & Superko, 1988; Morris, Clayton, Everitt, Semmence, & Burgess, 1990; Paffenbarger & Hyde, 1980; Sherman, 2000; Tsopanakis & Tsopanaki, 1990). Physical activity makes the blood more fluid and less prone to clots, causing haematological changes such as increased fibrinolysis and reduced viscosity of blood that may protect against thrombosis and increase athletic performance (Eichner, 1986). Howerer, the abstention from exercise is associated with an increased risk for cardiovascular complications development (Van den Burg, Dooijewaard, Van Vliet, Mosterd, Kluft, & Huisveld, 1994). …

European Journal of Physical Education and Sport Science, Jun 10, 2018

The present study aimed to evaluate dancers’ image/personality. For this purpose, ninety eight da... more The present study aimed to evaluate dancers’ image/personality. For this purpose, ninety eight dancers of ballet and modern dance participated in the research. All the subjects answered to a 35-item questionnaire describing the image they have towards dancers, regarding to five factors such as social nature, volition nature, active nature, physical nature and emotional nature. The participant’s opinion about dancers’ image was higher as for active nature, volition nature, social nature, and physical nature, but lower as for emotional nature. The younger dancers aged 26y) in all the natures, while the advanced dancers rated higher than professional dancers and dance teachers in all the natures. One-way Anova, on the whole sample, showed that age influences significantly on dancers’ image as for emotional nature F 2,95 =3.586, p<0.05, while dancing influences significantly on dancers’ image as for social nature F 2,95 =6.317, p<0.01, for volition nature F 2,95 =4.616, p<0.05, for physical nature F 2,95 =4.626, p<0.05 and for emotional nature F 2,95 =9.236, p<0.001. The results indicate that dance training and performing effects positively all the natures. Consequently, dance could be used as a part of physical education due to its three-dimension qualitative nature, since dance is an art, it’s physical education and exercise. Article visualizations:

Sport Science Review, Aug 1, 2012

T he current era is characterized by kinetic limitation, both in children, and adolescents. Child... more T he current era is characterized by kinetic limitation, both in children, and adolescents. Children today expend 400% less energy than did their counterparts of 40 years ago and are 40% less active than they were 30 years ago. Children and adolescents' today activity level is very low, while they spend their free time, mainly, in sedentary behaviours, such as tv viewing, and computer videogames playing. The average child or adolescent 2-to 18-years old spends on tv-videotapes watching or video games playing more than 5 hours per day. The lack of movement in children and adolescents' lives is one of the primary predisposing factors of increased morbidity, since many of the chronic diseases of adults are initiated in childhood. Approximately 40% of children aged 5-8 years old present increased risk factors for heart disease, such as obesity, hypertension and high total cholesterol, or for diabetes. These diseases are most often irreversible due to the continuous sedentary lifestyle that has been adopted by children. Moreover, significant relationships between inactivity and other adverse health practices, such as consumption of less-healthy foods or increased fat intake, as well as cigarette smoking that have been demonstrated in adolescents, predispose to cardiovascular disease. To sum up, inactivity represents a behaviour that is associated with adverse health consequences which initiate even though from childhood and follow children and adolescents throughout their lives.

European Journal of Physical Education and Sport Science, Jul 20, 2020

The aim of the present study was to examine the effects of a Greek traditional dances program on ... more The aim of the present study was to examine the effects of a Greek traditional dances program on adult individuals' body composition parameters. For this purpose, 73 sedentary healthy adults, 42 women and 31 men, aged 38-58 years, were randomly chosen and separated into an experimental and a control group. The subjects of the experimental group (n=37, 22 women and 15 men) engaged in a 24-week Greek traditional dance program with moderate intensity, and at a frequency of three training sessions per week, each lasting 60 minutes. The control group (n=36, 20 women and 16 men) did not engage in any physical activity. Body mass, waist circumference (WC) and hip circumference (HC) were measured, and BMI, body fat percentage and waist to hip ratio (WHR) were assessed pre-and post-24-week Greek traditional dances program. For the statistical analysis the Statistical Package for Social Sciences ver. 23.0 for windows was used. No significant difference was found in the baseline measurements between the two groups. After the participation in the 24-week Greek traditional dances intervention program the experimental group presented significant decreases in body mass from 77,71±16,8 kg to 75,57±15,7 kg (t=5,121, p<0,001), in BMI from 25,75±4 kg/m 2 to 25,05±3,8 kg/m 2 (t=5,289 p<0,001), in BF percentage from 28,3±6,4% to 26,33±5,6% (t=5.279 p<0,001) and in WC from 89,81±12,9 cm to 87,46±12 cm (t=5.703, p<0,001). No significant difference was found after the 24-week period for the control group. Regarding the WHR, no significant change was observed, although the experimental group showed a tendency

Science of gymnastics journal, 2013

European Journal of Physical Education and Sport Science, Mar 14, 2019

The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of exercise in the form of recreation... more The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of exercise in the form of recreational team sports on resting lipidemic factors of healthy young men. Thirty-four healthy men, 20-37 years old, volunteered to participate in the research. The subjects were separated in two groups, exercisers who participated regularly during the last six months in recreational team sports such as volleyball, basketball and football (Group A, n=17) and inactive men who did not exercise regularly, with a frequency of more than 1 hour per fortnight during the last six months (Group B, n=17). Measurements of anthropomorphological and hemodynamic characteristics were taken place. For the evaluation of lipidemic profile, triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC), low density lipoproteins (LDL) and high density lipoproteins (HDL) at rest were measured, while ratios TC/HDL and LDL/HDL were estimated. For data analysis, descriptive statistics, and independent samples t-tests of the SPSS ver. 20.0 for windows was used. The results showed that hemodynamic state of exercisers is better than that of inactive men, since they have lower heart rate (64.82+15.23 vs 69.41+11.61 bpm), systolic blood pressure (114+10.58 vs 115.35+12.90 mmHg), and diastolic blood pressure (72.06+10.91 vs 78.65+12.13 mmHg) at rest. In addition, there were observed significantly more increased HDL (+29.25%, p<0.01), but significantly more decreased TG (-37.87%, p=0.05), TC (-16.84%, p<0.01), LDL (-22.38%, p<0.01), TC/HDL (-35.99%, p<0.001) and LDL/HDL (-44.56%, p<0.001) in the group of young men who participate in regular exercise in the form of team sports compared with the group of young men who didn't participate in any exercise. Thus, from the results of the present study it is obvious that regular participation in recreational team sports improves participants' lipidemic profile, which may be a favourable effect for cardiovascular system. Consequently, exercise programs in the form of recreational team sports such as football, volleyball and basketball are recommended for young men, in order to be achieved engagement and adherence to an exercise program aiming on health benefits, especially concerning blood lipids.

The aim of the present study was to investigate overweight and obesity, in Greek adults. In the p... more The aim of the present study was to investigate overweight and obesity, in Greek adults. In the present study, 110 men and women, 19-to 60 years old, took part. Measurements of subject's height, body weight, and waist circumference (WC) were performed. BMI was used for the evaluation of the degree of overweight and obesity and WC for the evaluation of the degree of central obesity, according to the values for adults set by World Health Organisation (WHO). For the statistical analysis the statistic packet SPSS/PC version 12.0 for windows was used. From data statistical analysis, it was found out that men had BMI 24.94+3.22 kg/m 2 and WC 90.78+13.24cm, while women had BMI 22.99+4.75 kg/m 2 and WC 80.64+11.19cm. T-tests showed that the observed differences between men and women in both BMI and WC were significant (t=2.51, p<0.05 and t=4.34, p<0.001, respectively). Additionally, it was found out that more than half of the men were overweight and/or obese (51.9%), while approximately the 1/5 th of women were overweight and/or obese (21.5%). Chisquare test showed that sex affects significantly the degree of overweight and obesity (x 2 =18.14, p<0.001). Moreover, men presented central obesity to a percentage of 11.1%, while women presented central obesity to a smaller percentage (3.60%). Consequently, in the present study, there were observed high percentages of overweight and obesity, as well as of central obesity, especially on men. Thus, a combination of an exercise program with a balanced diet is suggested in order to lead to a normal body weight and normal abdominal fat quantity for an enhanced quality of life without health disorders due to obesity.

Archives of Budo, 2012

Background Judo is categorized among events which develop apart from technical aspects many physi... more Background Judo is categorized among events which develop apart from technical aspects many physical abilities such as explosive strength, speed and coordination. One representative task which involves the above mentioned abilities when performed from any athlete is the vertical jump. Purpose of this paper is to answer the question: if there are differences between untrained young males and advanced level Greek judo athletes in jumping ability in four different vertical jumping tasks. Material/Methods: Twenty male [(10 untrained/10 advanced ones), mean age: 19.4±1.6 years/ 17.3±1.2 years respectively] performed squat jumps, countermovement jumps and drop jumps from 20 and 40 cm height (DJ20 and DJ40, respectively). Kinetic data for further analysis were collected by a ground mounted 40×60 cm force plate. Results: Advanced young judokas presented higher scores in all examined jumping tasks compared to untrained ones, revealed shorter duration of examined contact times of all tasks and as a result better utilisation of stretch-shortening cycle mechanism. Total neuromuscular activation that adopt judokas reveals a more mature and skill dependent strategy compared to untrained ones. Conclusions: Vertical jump does not characterizes from a technical point of view a judo athlete but it seems that performance in vertical jumping tasks is affected by the participation and years habituation to ballistic and explosive strength training. Judo specific training in advanced-level judokas improves and induces specific neuromuscular alterations as well as performance in various jumping tasks.

Citius Altius Fortius, Mar 1, 2009

Journal of physical education and sport, Mar 1, 2013

The purpose of the present study was to examine the effect of a program with Greek dances and Pil... more The purpose of the present study was to examine the effect of a program with Greek dances and Pilates on the balance ability of children who are blind. Fourteen blind children, 15.93+1.33 years old, participated in this study. Nine individuals were assigned to the experimental group and underwent an 8-week intervention program with Greek traditional dancing, and Pilates movements at a frequency of 2 training sessions per week, for 45 minutes each session, while five individuals were assigned to the control group and participated in the school physical education lessons at a frequency of 2 lessons per week, for 45 minutes each lesson for 8 weeks, the analytic content of which is defined from the Ministry of Education. For balance assessment, the tasks for static and dynamic balance of the MABC-2 (Henderson et al., 2007) and the BOT-2 (Bruininks, & Bruininks, 2005) were used. For data analysis the non-parametric tests Kruskal-Wallis and Wilcoxon of the SPSS ver. 18.0 for windows were used. After the intervention program with Greek traditional dances and Pilates, were observed significant improvements on the three tasks of static balance (p<0.05-0.01), as well as on the four tasks of dynamic balance (p<0.05-0.01) in the experimental group. Likewise no significant difference was observed in the control group. Consequently, the combination of Greek dances and Pilates may be used as an alternative physical activity form, in order to produce benefits in both static and dynamic balance for individuals who are blind.

Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, Jul 1, 2010

The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of Greek traditional dances on the improve... more The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of Greek traditional dances on the improvement of old people's quality of life. A hundred and eleven subjects (75 women and 36 men) 60e91 years old, were divided into an experimental group (n Z 76) which participated in Greek traditional dances and a control group (n Z 35) which was discussing and watching television, both for 1 h.

Journal of education and culture studies, Feb 19, 2018

The purpose of the present study was to examine the effect of a Greek traditional dances program ... more The purpose of the present study was to examine the effect of a Greek traditional dances program on the development of kinesthesis and dynamic balance in school-aged children. For this purpose seventeen children, six boys and eleven girls, pupils of elementary school, with their age ranged from 6 to 10 years, took part in the study. All the children received a 12-week program of Greek traditional dances at a frequency of one lesson per week, for 90 minutes. Data collection included pretest and posttest measurements of the kinesthesis and dynamic balance for all the children. Kinesthesis was measured by the kinesthesiometer (Lafayette Instrument Co.) and dynamic balance was measured by the stabilometer platform (Lafayette Instrument Co.). For data analysis, descriptive analysis and the non-parametric tests Wilcoxon of the SPSS ver. 18.0 for windows were used. The level of significance was set to p<0.05. The results showed that after the 12-weeks program of Greek traditional dances there was a significant improvement in the kinesthesis (z=-3.01, p<0.01) and the dynamic balance ability (z=-3.29, p<0.01) of the children. In conclusion, a program with Greek traditional dances with music accompaniment, could lead to significant improvements in children's abilities, kinesthesis and balance.