Performance enhancement and health最新文献

The use of cognitive enhancement has been rising in recent years. While this increase is well-documented, most existing research primarily focuses on university students.

Aims

This study aimed to assess the types and frequencies of cognitive enhancer use in the Portuguese population, the cognitive functions that participants intended to enhance, and the specific contexts of usage.

Method

A total of 623 Portuguese people completed an online survey distributed through social media and sent by web mailing. The survey focused on the frequency of cognitive enhancer use, the cognitive functions participants aimed to enhance, and the contexts in which enhancers were used.

Results

Except for electronic devices, the most common frequency of use for all cognitive enhancers was never. Among the cognitive enhancers that were used, the most prevalent were electronic devices, coffee, and sleep hygiene. There is a negative correlation between the participants’ age and sleep hygiene and specific music for cognitive enhancement. Female participants were more likely to use natural products, specific foods, and supplements, while male participants were more likely to use physical activity and energy drinks. The most frequently enhanced cognitive function was attention, followed by memory. University students tended to enhance attention more frequently than employed participants and work-study participants. During more demanding periods of work or study, 21.1 % of participants always used strategies to enhance cognition, 24.6 % used them often, and 22.5 % never used them.

Discussion

Overall, the use of cognitive enhancement strategies in Portugal seems to be limited. However, achieving a more accurate quantification requires employing representative sampling techniques within the broader population. Among the various strategies used, non-pharmacological enhancers predominate. Coffee stands out as one of the more frequently used strategies. The consumption of prescription drugs for cognitive enhancement is very low, contrasting with studies in other countries.

The Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It has been shown that the postponement had various negative effects on athletes in Europe and North America. Based on phenomenological and cognitive appraisal theories, the present study explores how Kazakhstani elite athletes experienced the postponement, and the effect of the pandemic on their mental health, dietary behaviour, physical activity, and preparations for the 2020 games. We conducted a qualitative study comprising individual in-depth interviews of 20 ‘qualified’ Kazakhstani elite athletes (8 females; age range: 20–35, M = 26.45, SD = 5.17 years). Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Three overarching themes were identified: mixed initial appraisal, adjustment disorder symptoms, and resilience factors in preparation. Participants had mixed initial appraisal of the postponement with most appraising the postponement negatively. They described symptoms of adjustment disorder such as psychological distress, and poorer training and diet. Coping with stress and high motivation was important for participants during the pandemic. Most participants explained that support from coaches and other team personnel was very valuable in their preparation during the pandemic. Also, adaptation to the restrictions of the pandemic was crucial to participants in their preparation. Our study provides empirical evidence of the perspectives of Kazakhstani elite athletes regarding the 2020 games postponement and their preparation during the pandemic. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.

Weight-category athletes (e.g. boxers, wrestlers, jockeys etc.) who engage in weight-making practices to compete are at risk of encountering negative physiological and psychological consequences. There is evidence to support safer weight-making strategies for these athletes; however, there appears to be poor adherence to these evidence-based methods. The aim of this review article is to identify the behavioural determinants which lead to athletes’ engagement and adherence in various weight-making practices amongst weight-category sports. A narrative review was conducted with articles screened for inclusion until February 2023. Twenty-three articles met the criteria for inclusion within this review. This review highlights the broad socio-cultural influences on athletes being introduced to weight-making from a young age and the continued engagement with these practices due to their wide cultural acceptance. Psychological factors such as perceived competence and confidence influence positive beliefs related to weight-making practices, further engraining them within the cultural sphere of weight-category sports. Recommendations related to future research and for practitioners within these sports are proposed throughout the article. Recommendations relate to such areas as further identification of barriers and facilitators to safer weight-making with weight-category athletes, education on the impact of weight-making for athlete support personnel, and psychological skills training to overcome periods of self-regulatory fatigue.

Using a qualitative design, the aim of the current research was to examine specialist defence and security personnel's perspectives on the operationalization, measurement, and training of resilient performance. Specialist personnel working in defence and security settings often have to perform under high levels of demand. To date, few studies have examined the nature of resilient performance in these settings based on in-depth perspectives from personnel themselves. A sample of 17 participants were recruited comprising eight military, three intelligence, and six police firearms personnel. Semi structured interviews were conducted with participants. A qualitative descriptive approach was used. Seven themes were identified, these included: markers of resilient performance (theme 1), enablers (theme 2), and disablers (theme 3) of resilient performance, dynamic resilient performance processes related to resources (theme 4) and demands (theme 5), measuring resilient performance (theme 6), and training resilient performance (theme 7). This paper is the first of its kind to openly report perspectives of resilient performance from those involved with specialist groups within the defence and security community. Findings from this work can aid progress in the study of resilient defence and security performance that helps meet the needs of end-users.

Objectives

Orthorexia nervosa (ON) is characterised by a pathological fixation on healthy eating. Athletes are at a greater risk of developing eating disorders (EDs) and since ON is sharing many features with EDs, is considered an emerging health concern as it might compromise athlete's health and performance. Despite recent interest in orthorexia, there are still a lot of inconsistencies around ON and the sensitivity of the available instruments used to assess ON is questioned. The present study aimed to examine the psychometric properties of two self-reported measures of ON, to assess differences in ON between elite and recreational athletes, and to explore correlates of orthorexic scores among athletic individuals.

Methods

Cross-sectional study of 215 athletes; 59 elite (mean age 26.71 ± 6.83 years) and 156 recreational athletes (mean age 36.13 ± 14.33 years) completed the Teruel Orthorexia Scale (TOS), Eating Habits Questionnaire (EHQ), Short Form Food Frequency Questionnaire (SFFFQ), Eating Attitudes Test-26 (EAT-26), and the Hewitt-Flett Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale Short Form (HF-MPS-SF).

Results

Exploratory factor analysis revealed two-factor structures for both the TOS and the EHQ. Elite athletes exhibited higher scores for ‘healthy orthorexia’ (HeOr) (p = .016), ‘knowledge of healthy eating’ (EHQ-Knowledge) (p = .038), diet quality score (DQS) (p = .013) and self-orientated perfectionism scores (p = .032) compared to recreational athletes. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed DQS to be a consistent and significant predictor of all ON symptoms (both TOS and EHQ). BMI was negatively associated with HeOr (β = -.21, p < .001). EAT-26 dieting, bulimia and oral subscales predicted ‘orthorexia nervosa’ (OrNe; smallest p = .015) and ‘problems associated with healthy eating’ (EHQ-Problems; smallest p = .012). Other-orientated perfectionism (OOP) was the only perfectionism construct to predict HeOr (β = .23, p < .01), EHQ-Knowledge (β = .34, p < .001), EHQ-Problems (β = .18, p < .01) and EHQ-Total (β = .27, p < .001).

Conclusions

Findings suggest TOS is a reliable measure of ON symptomatology in athletes and further refinement of the EHQ is required. Improvements in assessment tools, study methodology and classification of athlete characteristics are required to advance our understanding of ON in athlete populations.

The purpose of the current study is to extend the research on the relationship between athletes’ emotional intelligence and sport motivation by focusing on the potential of athletes’ communication satisfaction with their coaches as a mediator in this context. The results of a cross-sectional survey with a sample of 165 South Korean college student-athletes support the hypotheses that student-athletes’ emotional intelligence predicts sport motivation and that communication satisfaction with their coaches mediates this relationship. Implications of the findings and limitations of the study are discussed.

Background

The health and fitness industry has witnessed a rise of influencers on social media promoting a myriad of brands and products, including some promoting anabolic steroids and other performance and image enhancing drugs (PIEDs). It is currently unclear, however, what type of information and advice social media influencers distribute.

Aim

This study aims to examine the narratives of social media influencers who discuss PIEDs.

Method

The study identified 20 influencers specialized in PIEDs and then made a content analysis of the videos they posted on YouTube.

Findings

While we find several similarities in influencers’ narratives, we also categorize them in three distinct categories: (1) narratives primarily relying on scientific literature and discussing ‘usual’ bodybuilders’ products and doses; (2) narratives primarily relying on the influencers’ personal experience and discussing ‘usual’ bodybuilders products and doses; and (3) narratives primarily relying on the influencers’ personal experience and discussing experimental products and ‘unusual’ doses.

Recommendations

The narrative-typology should be used as a means of identifying high-risk videos on social media platforms like YouTube. Policy-makers should do more to challenge high-risk and potentially harmful discussions. Conversely, reliable discussions ought to be made more visible to ensure they are not overshadowed by flashier and riskier narratives.