Browsing by Author "Mabweazara, Smart Z."

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    Predicting swimming performance using state anxiety
    (SAGE Publications Inc., 2017) Mabweazara, Smart Z.; Leach, Lloyd; Andrews, Barry S.
    Competitive state anxiety is a common response to stressful competitive sports situations that could affect athletic performance. The effects of state anxiety on swimming performance need further inquiry. The aim of the study was to determine the component of state anxiety that best predicts swimming performance. A quantitative, cross-sectional study design that made use of the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 to measure precompetitive state anxiety was used. A total of 61 male high school swimmers whose age ranged between 14 and 19 years (M = 16.16, standard deviation = 1.66 years) completed the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 1 hr before competing in a 50-m individual swimming event. Performance was evaluated using finishing position. Due to the relatively short duration of the 50-m event, the available literature would suggest that Somatic Anxiety would have a greater effect on Performance - there is not enough time to allow cognitive anxiety to have a detrimental impact on performance. Thus, it was hypothesized that somatic rather than cognitive anxiety will best predict swimming performance. It emerged that both cognitive (b =.787; p <.001) and somatic anxieties (b =.840; p <.001) can independently predict swimming performance. However, when both cognitive and somatic anxieties were regressed onto swimming performance, somatic anxiety partially dominated cognitive anxiety (b =.626; p <.001) and became the significant predictor of swimming performance. It is recommended that swimmers and swimming coaches make use of specific intervention strategies that eradicate the detrimental effects of somatic anxiety immediately before competition.
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    A six week contextualised physical activity intervention for women living with HIV and AIDS of low socioeconomic status: a pilot study
    (Taylor & Francis, 2018) Mabweazara, Smart Z.; Leach, Lloyd; Ley, Clemens; Smith, M.
    Research has consistently shown the benefits of regular physical activity (PA) for women living with HIV and AIDS (WLWHA). This study is a pilot, randomised controlled crossover trial, reporting the effects of a contextualised PA intervention amongst a sample of 21 HIV positive Xhosa-speaking women of low socioeconomic status (SES). The study determined total moderate-to-vigorous PA (TMVPA) as measured subjectively by the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ), total weekly steps (TWS) as measured by a pedometer, and self-efficacy for PA as measured by the Physical Exercise Self-efficacy scale (PESES). Multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) was used to compute the impact of the intervention on TMVPA, TWS, and self-efficacy for PA from baseline to six weeks, and baseline to 12 weeks post-intervention controlling for pre-test differences in TMVPA. Results showed that participants exposed to the intervention had significant increases in PA as measured by TMVPA (p = .027), TWS (p = .032), as well as exercise self-efficacy (p = .000) from pre-test to 6 weeks. Insignificant findings were reported for all three variables when measured from baseline to 12 weeks. In conclusion, the findings of the pilot study suggest that the intervention was effective in producing significant increases in PA in a sample of PLWHA of low SES over six weeks. Careful consideration of behavioural constructs, such as self-efficacy, can help WLWHA of low SES to adopt regular PA as a complementary therapy for managing their health.