Frontiers in Sports and Active Living最新文献

This mini review explores the psychological factors associated with weight cutting practices among combat sport athletes. We overviewed combat sport athletes' extrinsic and intrinsic motivations for their sport participation and performance expectations and goals associated with weight cutting. Next, we reviewed the extant research on psychological risk factors associated with weight cutting with a particular focus on combat sport athletes' relationship with food, societal expectations concerning body image, and disordered eating. Finally, we examined how applying task-oriented strategies and Goal Attainment Theory aligns with combat sport athletes' motivation for sport participation. We called for further research into exploring how promoting gradual weight loss may promote psychological resilience with the goal of promoting healthier weight management strategies among combat sport athletes.

Quantification of asymmetries between the two limbs is informative in assessing the risk of injury and performance deficits, but there is a paucity of studies investigating the effects of age and sex on bilateral asymmetry in young soccer players. This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the effects of age and sex on strength and dynamic balance in 7- to 24-year-old soccer players in the United States. A total of 174 young soccer players participated in the study (Age 7-9 years: 26 females and 16 males; Age 10-12 years: 32 females and 31 males; Age 13-17 years: 17 females and 25 males; Age >18 years: 13 females and 14 males). Jump displacement, peak force, and asymmetry during countermovement jump with arm swing and landing, peak force and asymmetry during push-up, and normalized reaching distances for upper and lower extremity reaching tests were quantified. Preferred legs and arms were defined as the preferred kicking leg or throwing arm. As age increased, both preferred and non-preferred sides demonstrated decreased landing forces, increased jump displacement, and increased normalized peak forces during push-ups in both males and females (p < 0.05). Males showed greater jump displacement, normalized landing forces, and normalized peak forces in push-ups compared to females in several age groups (p < 0.05). No significant differences were observed for asymmetry variables between ages or sexes, and on average, most bilateral asymmetry variables were less than 5%. Age was associated with strength but not dynamic balance performance in healthy soccer players in the United States. Male and female players demonstrated similar changes, and bilateral asymmetries were on average small. Soccer players may need more dynamic balance training over time as they progress to higher levels of competition. Landing technique training may be implemented for young soccer players to decrease the high impact landing forces and landing related injury risk. Asymmetries and their relationships with injury risk should be evaluated on an individual basis, as their relationships with age and sex were weak. Future longitudinal and cohort studies are warranted to further elucidate the relationship among strength, dynamic balance, and injury risk in soccer players.

Introduction: Esports have been suggested to enhance hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills, and reaction times. While physical exercise is known to improve these abilities, its impact on short-term esports performance is under-researched. This study aims to evaluate the effects of specific and general physical training on gaming performance, hypothesizing improvements in both physical and gaming-related variables.

Methods: Baseline and follow-up tests measured global coordination, grip strength, Aimlabs performance, single and 4-fold reaction times, and anticipation. Participants completed a weekly and an ending questionnaire. Twenty-eight participants (12.3 ± 10.1 h gaming/week) were assigned to specific (N = 10), general (N = 9), and no training (N = 9) groups for an 8-week intervention. Variable changes over time and between groups were analyzed using a repeated measures ANCOVA.

Results: Training significantly improved the overall coordination of those participants engaging in physical training compared to the control group [F(2,25) = 3.858, p = 0.035, η ² = 0.236]. Grip strength also showed significant improvement [F(2,25) = 6.084, p = 0.007, η ² = 0.327]. There were no significant time or group effects for the gaming variables, but the hours played by participants positively influenced Grid Shot [F(1,24) = 4.746, p = 0.039, η ² = 0.165] and Track Point [F(1,24) = 9.613, p = 0.005, η ² = 0.286] performance. The weekly questionnaire indicated a significant improvement in participants' well-being.

Discussion: While training improved physical variables, no effects were observed in suggested short-term performance. However, gaming hours and experience during the intervention positively influenced performance. Future research should consider the amount of time spent playing as it may affect short-term performance. Furthermore, future research should strive to differentiate between various types of esports performance, such as short-term vs. long-term outcomes. Participants reported that engaging in physical activity within the context of esports and gaming positively contributed to their overall well-being.

Clinical trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier (NCT06264375).

Background: Many older adults do not meet current physical activity (PA) guidelines, and this might be influenced by environmental factors (e.g., temperature). The purpose of this study was to determine how various weather variables influence light PA (LPA), moderate-vigorous PA (MVPA), and sedentary behaviour (SB), steps, and time spent walking outdoors.

Methods: Fifty community-dwelling older adults completed the 10-day assessment period, using a Fitbit fitness tracker, Global Position System (GPS), and completing self-report questionnaires. Forty participants were included in the analysis. LPA, MVPA, and SB were calculated using heart rate and multilevel models were used to assess their association with weather variables.

Results: Number of steps was positively associated with self-reported health status (0.18, p < 0.01). Increased age was associated with less time spent engaging in LPA (total and outdoors), reduced steps, increased time spent sedentary, and less time spent walking outdoors. LPA outdoors was positively associated with mean temperature. Freeze thaw cycles were associated with time spent walking outdoors. Females spent more time in total LPA and LPA indoors, and as age increased total LPA and LPA outdoors decreased.

Conclusions: Older adults located in a dry (∼690 mm precipitation annually) region with warm winters and hot summers (-5°C-30°C) seemingly choose indoor activities. Females tend to participate in indoor LPA, and as age increases the time spent in outdoor LPA decreases.

Implications: Consideration needs to be given to designing indoor PA interventions, with a focus on increasing MVPA for older adults.

The impact of pole position in seated shot put has been a key research question both in the previous literature and for coaches in the field. The aims of this research were to understand the dynamics of seated shot put and to investigate the impact of changing pole grip height on trunk parameters. Three grip heights are compared: the athlete's standard grip, 75 mm higher than standard, and 75 mm lower than standard, to determine which grip produced greater angular velocity and power at the trunk. In addition, a post-analysis intervention was implemented following this investigation where the athlete completed four weeks of training (8 sessions) with a grip height that was indicated to be superior. The trunk was found to provide the largest contribution to the movement, with a 64% of the total velocity contribution. A lower grip height was found to generate greater power and velocity in trunk rotation and flexion when compared to higher grip heights. When assessed over the intervention period, the lower grip height showed an increased rate of improvement throughout, and a performance advantage over the standard grip after just four sessions. This research demonstrates that pole grip height can impact athlete biomechanical parameters and may improve overall performance given sufficient time.

Introduction: Sports participation is important for promoting lifelong health and well-being. However, it often declines during adolescence, highlighting the need to understand the factors related to adolescent sports participation. This prospective study examines the associations between different sources (e.g., family, peers, coaches, teachers) and types (e.g., emotional, instrumental, co-participation) of social support and hours of organized sports participation among secondary school students (N = 294). It also explores whether these associations change from the second to the third year of secondary education.

Methods: Data were collected using questionnaires and anthropometric measurements in October/November 2021 and October/November 2022. Multilevel linear fixed effects regression models were used to analyze relationships between sources and types of social support and sports participation. Additionally, scatterplots illustrated individual variability in these associations.

Results: Results showed significant associations for various sources and types of social support with organized sports participation. Social support from teammates and coaches and instrumental support emerged as the strongest predictors of hours of participation. Additionally, we found that the relationships remained stable over time. Yet, substantial individual variability in how social support related to sports participation was also observed.

Discussion: These findings emphasize the importance to promote social support from within the sports environment and to encourage instrumental support. Tailored approaches addressing individual differences are recommended to enhance adolescent sports participation.

Background: Although finger joint capsulitis has been described among the most frequent injuries in climbers, no clinical studies on treatment strategies and outcomes are available.

Study design: Prospective case series study.

Methods: Between 2015 and 2018 we prospectively treated 50 patients (38 male, 12 female) with a total number of 69 independent finger joint capsulitis according to a clinic specific treatment regimen and evaluated the outcome retrospectively. Therapy consisted of either conservative management, steroid injections, radiosynoviorthesis or a combination depending on the treatment regimen, prior therapy and timeline of symptoms. Outcomes were assessed using visual analogue scale (VAS), Buck-Gramcko score and a climbing specific outcome score with secondary patient recall.

Results: The proximal interphalangeal joint of the middle finger was the most commonly affected joint, and there was no correlation with osteoarthritis. All climbers returned to sport within 12 months. The majority were able to maintain their level of performance after injury and the difference in climbing level before and after injury was not statistically significant (p = 0.22). The total time spent climbing was significantly less after the injury than before the injury (p < 0.001). The Buck-Gramcko score showed excellent results. The overall functional outcome was good to very good with a mean score of 1.6 ± 0.7, as was the climbing specific score of 1.7 ± 0.9. Pain was significantly less after treatment than before (p < 0.001).

Conclusion: Good to very good functional and sport-specific outcomes were seen with the stage-specific treatment regimen presented, allowing all patients studied to resume climbing. A better understanding of the underlying pathogenesis is essential in order to better assess long-term progress.

This prospective diagnostic study aimed to assess the utility of machine learning-based quadriceps fat pad (QFP) radiomics in distinguishing patellofemoral osteoarthritis (PFOA) from non-PFOA using Q-Dixon MRI in patients presenting with anterior knee pain. This diagnostic accuracy study retrospectively analyzed data from 215 patients (mean age: 54.2 ± 11.3 years; 113 women). Three predictive models were evaluated: a proton density-weighted image model, a fat fraction model, and a merged model. Feature selection was conducted using analysis of variance, and logistic regression was applied for classification. Data were collected from training, internal, and external test cohorts. Radiomics features were extracted from Q-Dixon MRI sequences to distinguish PFOA from non-PFOA. The diagnostic performance of the three models was compared using the area under the curve (AUC) values analyzed with the Delong test. In the training set (109 patients) and internal test set (73 patients), the merged model exhibited optimal performance, with AUCs of 0.836 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.762-0.910] and 0.826 (95% CI: 0.722-0.929), respectively. In the external test set (33 patients), the model achieved an AUC of 0.885 (95% CI: 0.768-1.000), with sensitivity and specificity values of 0.833 and 0.933, respectively (p < 0.001). Fat fraction features exhibited a stronger predictive value than shape-related features. Machine learning-based QFP radiomics using Q-Dixon MRI accurately distinguishes PFOA from non-PFOA, providing a non-invasive diagnostic approach for patients with anterior knee pain.

The aim of this study was to compare the perceptive responses, physiological measures, training volume and training duration comparing a superset vs. a traditional resistance training session in untrained adults. Thirty adults (29 ± 7 years, 1.72 ± 0.1 m, 77 ± 16 kg) performed one superset resistance training session and one traditional resistance training session in a randomized-crossover design. Both sessions consisted of eight exercises with two sets and a load of ∼10-repetition maximum. The outcomes included number of repetitions, training duration, blood lactate and heart rate in addition to rate of perceived exertion (RPE), rate of perceived discomfort (RPD), session displeasure/pleasure (sPDF) and exercise enjoyment (EES) which were recorded in the middle and post-exercise. Forty-eight hours after the last session the participants reported which session they would prefer as their regular routine if they had to choose. The main findings were that the superset session led to greater RPE compared to the traditional session (p = 0.012-0.16, d = 0.53-0.54). Further, there was a trend towards greater RPD after the superset session, although not reaching statistical significance (p = 0.092, d = 0.41). There were no differences for sPDF (p = 0.404) or EES (p = 0.829). Furthermore, the superset session demonstrated higher levels of blood lactate levels (18.3%. p < 0.001, d = 0.81) and average heart rate (7.8%, p < 0.001, d = 1.53) compared to the traditional session. The traditional session took 60% longer time (p < 0.001, d = 6.62), and had 4.6% more repetitions (p = 0.006, d = 0.54) compared to the superset session. Two out of three participants reported the superset session as their preferred regular training routine. In conclusion, the superset session led to a higher perceived effort and discomfort, higher metabolic stress, took less time, had a lower training volume and was more preferred compared to the traditional session in untrained adults.