Frontiers in Sports and Active Living最新文献

PlayerLoad™ is the most widely used accelerometer-derived metric for quantifying external demands in sport. Its normalized variant, PlayerLoad·min^-1, is also commonly used as a marker of exercise intensity. However, recent literature has raised concerns regarding its scientific foundation, including inconsistent definitions, arbitrary units, opaque filtering methods, questionable theoretical underpinnings, and imprecise mechanical terminology. The construct validity of PlayerLoad™ remains unverified, and emerging evidence suggests weak dose-response relationships with performance outcomes. Although widely adopted in practice, these concerns warrant critical scientific scrutiny. This review critically evaluates the validity and reliability of the PlayerLoad™ metric, highlighting the need for greater transparency and theoretical rigor in wearable athlete monitoring. Furthermore, we present alternative accelerometer-derived metrics, developed from clearer biomechanical and physiological principles, which may offer more robust and interpretable measures for researchers and practitioners.

Introduction: Amid growing concerns about youth mental health, several states in the U.S. have enacted policies requiring mental health training for school-based sport coaches.

Methods: This mixed methods study explored the delivery of mental health training for coaches in Ohio in response to new policy mandates, comparing the effectiveness of in-person and asynchronous online formats. A total of 1,690 coaches completed evaluations after participating in an online (n = 978) or in-person (n = 712) state-approved mental health training.

Results: Repeated measures ANOVA analyses revealed statistically significant increases in coaches' confidence in supporting student-athletes with mental health concerns and in linking them to appropriate supports, regardless of the delivery modality (p < .001). Small but significant interaction effects indicated slightly greater confidence gains among online participants (η ² = .011 for supporting concerns; η ² = .005 for linking to supports). Qualitative analysis of open-ended responses about perceived learning from online participants identified five major themes: (1) Approaching struggling student-athletes, where coaches highlighted new skills in de-escalation, emotional regulation, and engaging in difficult conversations; (2) Wellness check-ins, where coaches learned relational strategies to monitor well-being; (3) Q.P.P.R. (Question, Pause/Persuade, Refer), which improved coaches' recognition of warning signs and confidence in crisis conversations; (4) Creating dialogue with open-ended questions, which provided sentence starters to elicit meaningful conversations; and (5) Referring student-athletes to resources, which underscored the importance of knowing referral pathways.

Discussion: Findings suggest coach educators can leverage technology to design interactive online coach training sessions that yield comparable learning outcomes to those of in-person training. Our results inform scalable, policy-aligned solutions that can enhance coach preparedness by leveraging technology to equip coaches with best practices in supporting student-athlete mental health.

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a leading cause of chronic morbidity and mortality worldwide. Despite its significant public health burden, few studies have reported on the association of physical activity with incident COPD. This study aimed to determine the association between physical activity and the risk of incident COPD.

Methods: This prospective cohort study analyzed data from 49,482 participants aged 30-79 years enrolled in the China Kadoorie Biobank study in Tongxiang. Baseline assessments were carried out between August 2004 and January 2008. Physical activity was measured using an interviewer-administered questionnaire and quantified as metabolic equivalent of task hours per day (MET-h/day). Participants were categorized into quartile-based activity groups for analyses. All participants were followed up from the date of baseline survey until the date of COPD diagnosis, death, loss to follow-up, or 31 December 2017, whichever occurred first. Incident COPD events were obtained periodically through linkage with national insurance electronic systems and death registries. Cox proportional hazards regression was employed to estimate adjusted hazard ratios of COPD in relation to physical activity.

Results: The average of the physical activity level of participants was 31.1 ± 15.1 MET-hours/day. During 551,266 person-years (median 11.5 years) of follow-up, 1,470 incident COPD cases (744 men and 726 women) were documented. After adjusting for socio-demographic status, lifestyle factors (cigarette and alcohol consumption, secondhand smoke exposure, meat and fresh fruit consumption, sleep duration), BMI, and household cooking fuel type, participants with physical activity levels in the highest vs. lowest quartile exhibited a 30% reduced risk of incident COPD (HR = 0.70, 95%CI, 0.54-0.91) in smoking men. However, no significant association was observed in women (HR = 0.99, 95%CI, 0.77-1.27) or non-smoking men (HR = 1.05, 95%CI, 0.41-2.46).

Conclusion: Physical activity is inversely associated with incident COPD risk in smoking men but not in women or non-smoking men.

Background: Rowing is a sport that places significant stress on the lower back, often leading to low back pain (LBP) injuries among athletes. Laboratory studies have shown that rowing with an oar blade under an angle is more efficient compared to a traditional blade. The effect of blade angle on the lower back is unknown. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate the effect of different oar blade angles on the muscle activation of the lower back muscles during on-water rowing.

Methods: Seven collegiate (five males, two females) athletes row 500 m on water twice, once with a traditional (0-degrees blade) and once with an oar blade under a 5-degrees angle. Surface electromyography of the longissimus muscle of the erector spinae was measured bilaterally at the thoracic and lumbar level with a sample frequency of 2,000 Hz. In total 1,443 strokes were analyzed. Statistical Parametric Mapping was used to investigate the differences in muscle activity between the 0-degrees and 5-degrees oar blade.

Results: No significant differences in muscle activity were found between the 0- and 5-degrees oar blade.

Conclusion: Rowing with an oar blade under 5-degrees did not alter the muscle activity during on-water rowing. This indicates that rowing with an oar blade under 5-degrees may not increase the muscle activation. These results are important as it seems that a change in oar blade angle does not increase the injury risk, longitudinal studies should investigate the effect of oar blade angles on LBP injuries.

The concept of sport functions as an implicit premise in almost all sport-related research and practice, yet its definition itself is seldom subjected to critical scrutiny. Traditionally, sport has been characterized by elements such as playfulness, competitiveness, physicality, and organization. However, the concept is not universal; rather, it undergoes continual transformation in response to historical and social conditions, and many studies and practices have tended to overlook this aspect. This study, therefore, seeks to critically reassess the traditional concept of sport through the lens of posthumanism, a framework emblematic of contemporary digital technological society, and to propose a new perspective for redefining sport in the present era. Examining the contemporary phenomenon of esports from a posthuman standpoint reveals that various forms of physical violence and direct discrimination are preemptively mitigated by the digital mediation that characterizes these activities. In this sense, esports may be understood as a moral and distinctly more human form of sport. Such an understanding simultaneously exposes the extent to which conventional sport inherently contains inhuman dimensions, namely an element of "animality", as an indispensable component. This insight aligns with arguments in sport ethics suggesting that existing sports have historically demanded forms of in/trans-human performance from athletes. According to Derrida, this dimension of animality has long been marginalized within anthropocentric modernity. From this vantage point, the present study's introduction of animality into the conceptualization of sport can be seen as a deconstructive gesture that challenges the modern, implicitly presupposed image of the human, typically Western, white, and male, and opens possibilities for reimagining sport as a genuinely inclusive and ecological cultural practice. At the same time, this perspective offers a novel vantage point for reconsidering various pressing issues in contemporary sport, such as genetic doping and binary gender eligibility regulations. In other words, situating animality at the core of sport's conceptual redefinition provides a critical foundation for rethinking the nature of sport in an increasingly digitalized society.

Introduction: Pelvic compression garments are an emerging adjunct in the management of pelvic floor dysfunction (PFD), yet research investigating their efficacy and mechanism of action is limited, especially in the context of returning to running postpartum. Proposed theories for how pelvic compression garments assist postpartum women during running include alterations to running biomechanics, changes in perception, and improved pelvic floor support. It is also theorised that these factors could be influenced by levator hiatus distensibility.

Methods: An exploratory, randomised, repeated-measures crossover design recruited 13 postpartum runners with self-reported symptoms of PFD. Participants' pelvic floor function and structural support were assessed. Each participant underwent two 7-min self-paced running trials, in randomised order, wearing their own shorts (control) and a pelvic compression garment (experimental) while biomechanical and accelerometer data were collected. Perceptual data on pelvic support and perceived symptoms were recorded following each running trial.

Results: The pelvic compression garment significantly decreased the peak pelvic jerk, low-frequency pelvic shock attenuation, and the area under the peak pelvic acceleration curve. A significant decrease in left pelvic rotation excursion and an increase in axial trunk-to-pelvis rotation were also identified during late stance. The pelvic compression garment significantly increased perceived pelvic floor and core support and reduced fear of experiencing pelvic floor symptoms. No differences were observed between conditions for self-reported symptom experience following the running trials. Levator hiatus distensibility did not significantly interact with any biomechanical or perceptual variables.

Discussion: Wearing a pelvic compression garment appears to alter running biomechanics in postpartum women with PFD in a way that produces a smoother running gait and restricts transverse pelvis motion, promoting trunk-pelvis coordination similar to that of healthy runners. In addition, wearing a pelvic compression garment increases perceived core and pelvic floor support and decreases fear of experiencing PFD symptoms compared to a control condition. Levator hiatus distensibility does not appear to interact with how symptomatic postpartum women respond to wearing a pelvic compression garment and therefore offers limited predictive value. Future studies with higher statistical power are needed to further investigate the biopsychosocial effect of pelvic compression garments.

Aims: This study aimed to build a comprehensive understanding of who plays walking football and how participation relates to physical activity, well-being, and perceived health benefits, to assess its potential as a sustainable physical activity option for middle-aged and older adults.

Methods: A cross-sectional, survey-based design examined the sociodemographic characteristics, health status, lifestyle behaviours, and participation experiences of 352 walking football players during The FA Walking Football Cup 2024 in England. Data were collected from six regional final events involving 84 teams.

Results: Participants (mean age: 56 years; 55.3% men, 43.6% women) reported a broad age range (33-81 years) and diverse socioeconomic backgrounds (16.6% from the most deprived 30% of areas), but ethnic diversity was limited (95.3% White vs. 81.7% nationally). Compared to national averages, more participants had a healthy weight (men: 31.5% vs. 19%; women: 50.8% vs. 30%) and met the UK physical activity guideline of ≥150 min/week of moderate aerobic activity (75% vs. 63%). Despite 47% reporting health conditions, 70.4% experienced no limitations in daily activities. Mental well-being scores were higher, and stress and loneliness levels were lower than national averages. Over three-quarters of participants reported increased physical activity since starting walking football, with perceived improvements in social connections (82.6%), physical fitness (78.0%), and mental well-being (73.8%).

Conclusion: Walking football attracts a broad player base and may support healthy ageing, even among those with chronic conditions. Greater efforts are needed to improve ethnic representation, but findings support its value as a health-enhancing physical activity option for middle-aged and older adults.

Since its inclusion in the Olympic Program in 2016, climbing has grown increasingly popular and professionalized. While climbing research is also increasing, female (elite) athletes remain underrepresented, with the extent of this gap remaining unexplored. Therefore, the aims of this review are to (1) systematically review the published research in climbing, focusing on the inclusion of female athletes, (2) evaluate the differences between male and female climbers, and (3) formulate recommendations for future research and practice. A systematic literature search was performed in four databases in July 2025. In a general analysis, all included studies were analyzed regarding the representation of female participants. Peer-reviewed original studies assessing various factors of climbing performance in advanced to higher-elite climbers (speed, lead, and boulder-IRCRA minimum of 15 females and 18 males) were included. In a detailed analysis, studies specifically assessing sex-specific differences were categorized and analyzed with respect to these differences. A total of 246 met the inclusion criteria and were included in the general analysis. The results showed that studies in high-level climbing predominantly focus on male participants, both in terms of study design, with much more studies investigating isolated male athletes compared to females, and in participant distribution with only 22.7% female participants compared to male participants (66.5%). In addition, only 34 studies including sex-specific analyses were identified. The results demonstrate that male and female performance in the various climbing disciplines depend on different factors to varying degrees and reveal further important differences between male and female athletes. Our findings emphasize the need for future climbing research to focus on female athletes and further investigate sex-specific differences. Based on our findings, we propose recommendations to guide future research and practice.

University students are a population particularly vulnerable to stress, anxiety, and reduced wellbeing. Physical activity has been proposed as a protective factor, but existing findings are heterogeneous. This systematic review examined the relationship between physical activity and mental health in university students, focusing on perceived stress, anxiety, depression, and psychological wellbeing. It was conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidelines, and the study protocol was registered in PROSPERO (CRD420251179614). A total of 38 studies published between 2020 and 2025 were analyzed, involving more than 20,000 participants from various countries. Most studies were cross-sectional, although some longitudinal and quasi-experimental studies were also included. The results showed a consistent association between higher levels of physical activity and lower levels of stress, depression, and anxiety, as well as an increase in subjective wellbeing. In addition, mediators such as sleep quality and resilience, and moderators such as gender or internet use, were identified. The effects were more significant when physical activity was combined with other healthy habits such as good sleep and low sedentary behavior. Although most of the studies were not experimental, the evidence suggested a possible beneficial causal effect of exercise. The need for comprehensive interventions in universities was highlighted, promoting physical activity as a preventive and therapeutic strategy to improve the mental health of students. Systematic Review Registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/view/CRD420251179614, PROSPERO, CRD420251179614.

Purpose: The UGO exoskeleton enables gait training and simultaneous, in-situ assessment of peak isokinetic torque at the hip and knee joints while participants maintain an upright, near-natural walking posture. The primary aim of this study was to establish the inter- and intra-tester reliability of peak isokinetic torque using the UGO exoskeleton in healthy young adults.

Methods: Two independent cohorts were enrolled to determine the inter- and intra-tester reliability of the UGO exoskeleton. Each cohort consisted of 20 fourth-year undergraduate students (10 male, 10 female), with mean ages of 22.55 ± 1.05 and 21.40 ± 1.00 years, respectively. Testing was conducted by two experienced therapists. Peak isokinetic torque (Nm) in hip and knee flexors and extensors was collected. Relative and absolute reliability of peak torques were estimated using the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) and standard error of measurement (SEM), respectively. Bland-Altman plot was utilized to further elucidate the differences between tests obtained by different testers or by the same tester at different times.

Results: Inter-tester reliability was good-to-excellent, as evidenced by ICCs of 0.791-0.906 for the hip and 0.859-0.975 for the knee (all P ≤ 0.001). Intra-tester reliability was excellent, with ICCs of 0.834-0.905 for the hip and 0.917-0.955 for the knee (all P < 0.001). The SEM values further indicated moderate to high reliability, spanning 13.1-16.1 Nm (11.9-15.6%) at the hip and 8.5-10.2 Nm (8.8-16.0%) at the knee for inter-tester assessment, and 11.5-13.1 Nm (10.2-13.1%) at the hip and 6.4-8.0 Nm (8.2%-9.2%) at the knee for intra-tester assessment. Bland-Altman plots confirmed this, showing mean differences from -3.3 to -26.5 Nm (inter-tester) and -1.4 to -15.7 Nm (intra-tester), and 95% limits of agreement ranging from -71.2 to 31.2 Nm and from -51.8 to 26.2 Nm, respectively.

Conclusions: The UGO exoskeleton provides a reliable, time-efficient, and functionally relevant means of quantifying hip- and knee-flexor and -extensor torque in healthy young adults while maintaining a posture that closely replicates natural gait.