Examining the Effects of Reformer Pilates Exercises on Physical Fitness and Cognitive Functions in Healthy Individuals

The Stroop Test, developed by Stroop in 1935, is a test used to assess selective attention, cognitive flexibility, inhibition skills, and information processing speed. Successful performance requires suppressing processes unrelated to the task and focusing on processes related to the task. There are many types of forms used in the Stroop Test. In Turkey, the Stroop Test Çapa form, whose validity and reliability were established by Emek Savaş et al., is widely used. In this study, the Stroop Test-Çapa Form will be used to assess individuals' cognitive flexibility. The test consists of a total of 60 items. A long test duration and a high number of errors indicate weak cognitive flexibility.

It was developed by Reitan (1955). It measures executive functions such as working memory, complex attention, planning, and set-shifting abilities. It consists of two sections, A and B. Section A contains circles with numbers scattered on an A4 sheet of paper. In section A, participants are asked to connect the numbers inside the circles in order (1-2-3-...) by drawing a line. In section B, there are circles scattered on an A4 sheet of paper, but these circles contain both numbers and letters. In this section, participants are asked to connect the numbers and letters inside the circles in alternating order (1-A-2-B-...), one number followed by one letter. Section A assesses processing speed, while Section B assesses set-shifting, response inhibition, and interference resistance skills.

Upper and lower extremity reaction time will be measured using a wireless system consisting of a laser LED light emitter and a central hand control unit. For the lower extremity reaction time assessment, individuals are asked to extinguish four randomly lit LEDs placed on the ground at 1-meter intervals as quickly as possible within a 30-second time frame while standing on one foot. The assessment will be recorded separately for the right and left legs. The unit extinguishing time in milliseconds are recorded. For the upper extremity reaction time assessment, participants are asked to extinguish five LEDs on a table as quickly as possible with one hand while in a sitting position. The right and left hands are evaluated separately. The unit extinguishing time in milliseconds are recorded.

Upper and lower extremity reaction time will be measured using a wireless system consisting of a laser LED light emitter and a central hand control unit. For the lower extremity reaction time assessment, individuals are asked to extinguish four randomly lit LEDs placed on the ground at 1-meter intervals as quickly as possible within a 30-second time frame while standing on one foot. The assessment will be recorded separately for the right and left legs. The number of LEDs that can be extinguished within 30 seconds,and the number of LEDs missed after the 5-second light emission period are recorded. For the upper extremity reaction time assessment, participants are asked to extinguish five LEDs on a table as quickly as possible with one hand while in a sitting position. The right and left hands are evaluated separately.

The Senior Fitness Test will be used to assess physical fitness. It consists of six functional tests that measure strength, endurance, balance, agility, and flexibility.

Hand grip strength will be measured using a hand dynamometer. Participants will sit with their shoulders adducted alongside their torso, elbows flexed at 90°, forearms in a neutral position, and wrists in 0-30° extension and 0-15° ulnar deviation. Each participant will perform two trials with each hand, with a 30-second rest between trials. The highest score obtained from the dominant hand will be recorded for analysis.

A self-report tool developed by David Goldberg to screen individuals' mental health and determine their overall psychological health level. It is used to identify conditions such as depression, anxiety, impaired social functioning, and psychological stress at an early stage. It was developed to identify individuals at risk of mental health issues in non-clinical populations and is frequently used in community screenings, primary care settings, and epidemiological studies.

Nucci et al. developed and standardized the Cognitive Reserve Index Questionnaire to measure an individual's cognitive reserve in three dimensions: education, work activity, and participation in leisure activities. This questionnaire is applied among items by taking into account the frequency of an individual's participation in cognitively challenging activities throughout their life. The validity and reliability of the questionnaire for the Turkish population were established by Özakbaş et al. in 2021.It's a questionnaire that collects information under three main headings. Scores from all three domains are normalized and combined to calculate an overall cognitive reserve score. Low scores indicate low cognitive reserve, while high scores indicate high cognitive reserve.

Body mass index is calculated by dividing body weight by the square of height in meters (kg/m2).

Waist circumference is measured in centimeters at the narrowest part of the waist, at the level of the lowest rib at the end of exhalation, over underwear while the individual is standing, using a loose, non-stretchable tape measure. Height is also measured in centimeters, and waist circumference is divided by height, calculating the waist-to-height ratio.

Waist-hip ratio will be determined by dividing waist circumference (cm) by hip circumference (cm) and recorded in centimeters.