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Percorrer por autor "Parraca, José A."

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  • Does a 12-week yoga program influence the decision-making capacity of military aviation pilots?
    Publication . Santos, Sara; Fernandes, Orlando; Cabo, Carolina A.; Parraca, José A.; Melo, Filipe
    Does a 12-week yoga program influence the decision-making capacity of military aviation pilots? Rationale and aims: This study investigates whether the incorporation of yoga practice into the training regimen of Portuguese Airforce Aviation Pilots can enhance their decision-making capacity, in order to promote better occupational health safety. Methods: A randomized controlled trial with Portuguese Airforce pilots had the Control Group (n = 8), follow standard military aviation training, and the Intervention Group (n = 10), receive additional yoga training twice a week for 12 weeks. Cognitive/performance assessments included the Aviation Safety Attitude Scale (ASAS). The procedures were approved by the Évora University research ethics committee (approval number: 21050), and participants gave written informed consent per the Helsinki declaration. The study was registered on April 19, 2023, on ClinicalTrials.gov (identifier NCT05821270). Analysis: Data analysis used Jamovi (version 2.3.16). Normality was assessed with the Shapiro-Wilk test, non-parametric data analysis used Wilcoxon rank test and Rank Biserial Correlation for effect sizes. Statistical significance was generally determined with a threshold of 0.05. Findings: Results showed significant differences in ASAS: it indicated significant increases in Self-Confidence (p = 0.021), Risk Orientation (p = 0.024), and Safety Orientation (p = 0.021) within the yoga group. Conclusions: This research offers a unique contribution: studying the hard-to-access population of military aviation pilots, due to security and workload constraints. Portuguese Airforce pilots, facing high stress and lacking a structured training regimen, will benefit from the findings of this study. Results could influence policymakers to implement mandatory exercise programs, enhancing work safety. These insights are also applicable to Airforce teams in other nations, commercial and civil aviation sectors.
    2025Documento de conferência Acesso aberto Ver mais
  • The influence of a 12-week yoga program on military aviation pilots' decision-making capacity for operational effectiveness
    Publication . Santos, Sara; Fernandes, Orlando; Cabo, Carolina A.; Parraca, José A.; Melo, Filipe
    Military aviation demands cognitive performance, emotional stability, and resilience under pressure. Portuguese Airforce pilots face additional challenges: maintaining fitness and readiness independently, without structured exercise regimens. Yoga’s capacity to enhance mindfulness makes it a promising intervention. Despite potential benefits, research on yoga’s impact in military aviation remains limited. This study investigates incorporation of yoga into the training regimen of Portuguese Airforce to verify decision-making effectiveness and performance. A randomized controlled trial was conducted with 18 Portuguese Air Force pilots: Control Group (n = 8) followed standard military training, and Intervention Group (n = 10) received aditional yoga training twice a week, for 12 weeks. Assessments included Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ), Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA), Aviation Safety Attitude Scale (ASAS), Risk Perception To Self (RPTS), Trail Making Test (TMT) and aviation simulator performance. Data analysis used Jamovi v2.6.13. The yoga group showed significant improvements in mindfulness (FFMQ), interoceptive awareness (MAIA), self-confidence and safety attitudes (ASAS), cognitive flexibility (TMT-B), and simulator performance (fewer flight errors). Enhancements in attention regulation, body awareness, and emotional self-regulation reflect greater readiness for stress management. Improvements in decision-making, calculated risk-taking, and operational safety suggest yoga’s potential to reinforce psychophysiological resilience in high-demand environments. Yoga contributes meaningfully to enhanced performance and safety in high-pressure aviation environments. These findings may inform policy-level decisions toward integrating mandatory mind-body training programs that are cost-effective and time-efficient. The benefits observed may be applicable to Air Force teams globally, as well as commercial aviation, civil aviation, and other high-stress, high-performance domains, including elite sports. Clinical Trial Registry number and website where it was obtained: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT05821270.
    2025-12Artigo científico Acesso aberto Ver mais