To determine the prevalence and factors associated with the risk of burnout among sport and exercise physicians and registrars in Australia.
Cross-Sectional Study.
Australian based sport and exercise physicians and registrars of the Australasian college of sport and exercise physicians were invited to complete a survey. Demographic data and response to a questionnaire utilising the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) tool were collected. Descriptive analysis was conducted to assess the prevalence of burnout. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to determine factors associated with the risk of burnout whilst adjusting for covariates.
25 registrars (25/52 = 48%) and 31 physicians (31/172 = 18%) completed the survey. The risk of overall burnout in all three MBI parameters or in at least one parameter was 25% and 34%, respectively. Findings of the primary analysis showed that higher working hours (AOR 50.59; 95% CI 1.81–141.33; p = 0.021) and higher level of job dissatisfaction (AOR 262.68; 95% CI 4.98–13857.50; p = 0.006) were associated with increased odds of burnout.
Burnout poses a significant risk to sport and exercise physicians and registrars in Australia. The small size of this specialty group and unique nature of their work requires specific interventions to reduce risks of burnout.
Over forty years of evidence supports the integration of exercise therapy in cancer care. However, most cancer patients remain insufficiently active due in part to subjectively reported treatment-related side effects (and late effects) including fatigue, pain, appetite dysregulation, insomnia, cognitive impairment, depression, anxiety, low self-efficacy, and poor motivation. Many of these symptoms can be mitigated with exercise. However, the biological mechanisms by which exercise attenuates these cancer treatment-related side effects remain to be elucidated. This article presents a rationale for the investigation of endocannabinoid system (ECS) responses to exercise in cancer patients. We provide an overview of the ECS and preliminary evidence of ECS dysfunction induced by cancer, its risk factors (comorbidities) and cancer treatment. Further, we present a brief review of evidence from non-cancer cohorts demonstrating that acute (single bout) and chronic (>12 week) exercise can induce changes in circulating endocannabinoids (e.g. N-arachidonoylethanolamine (AEA or anandamide), 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) and related biogenic lipids). These changes are consistently accompanied by improvements in many subjectively reported, affective (mood) states (i.e. psychological outcomes) including sense of well-being, euphoria, vigour, anxiety, depression, fatigue, confusion, tension, mood disturbance, and pain. Given the substantial overlap between these subjective outcomes and the adverse effects that commonly arise as a consequence of cancer treatment, we clarify avenues for future research directed at improving our understanding of how cancer treatments negatively affect the ECS and patient symptomology, and how exercise may biologically mitigate these sequelae.
Ensuring adherence to exercise programs is important for optimizing benefits and efficacy of interventions in women with breast cancer. Despite numerous studies on adherence to exercise in women with breast cancer, no systematic review has exclusively examined exercise adherence and its influencers during and after active treatment in this population. This review aims to examine the adherence rates and influencing factors for exercise in breast cancer survivors during and after treatment.
We systematically searched PubMed, CINAHL, Web of Science, and Scopus. We included studies on adherence to exercise and potential influencing factors conducted on women with breast cancer. Relevant studies were screened, and data were extracted. Analyses of adherence and factors influencing adherence were performed for ‘during’ and ‘after’ primary cancer treatment. Systematic review and meta-analyses were performed.
Twenty-six studies were included. The overall pooled exercise adherence was 64% (95% CI: 58%–70%). Adherence to exercise during primary cancer treatment was 63% (95% CI: 55%–70%), and after primary cancer treatment was 68% (95% CI: 59%–78%), with no significant variation (Q = 0.82, p = 0.36). Physical fitness, baseline physical activity, fatigue, education, body mass index, and having a partner were identified to influence adherence during primary cancer treatments. Body mass index was reported to have a negative association with exercise adherence during and after primary cancer treatment.
The review revealed no significant variations in exercise adherence among women with breast cancer both during and after primary cancer treatments. Body mass index appeared to be negatively associated with both stages of primary cancer treatment.
Rugby league is a popular collision sport among Australian adolescent and young adult men. Concussion is one of the more common injuries in rugby league. Few studies have examined concussion in youth rugby league. To examine medically diagnosed concussions from a single season within two elite-level pathway rugby league competitions by evaluating game play risk factors and conducting a video review of potential concussion signs.
All players involved in the Queensland Rugby League's (QRL) under 18 years and under 20 years age group competitions during the 2019 season were included in this study. Data included all head injury assessments (HIAs) identified in real-time through the QRL injury surveillance system for these two QRL age group competitions. The purpose of this study was to (i) report the rates of HIAs and medically diagnosed concussions; (ii) examine video signs of potential concussion; (iii) review game play risk factors related to HIAs and concussions; and (iv) determine the number of days until a concussed player returned to match play and the number of subsequent games missed by concussed players.
There were 86 HIAs and 30 medically diagnosed concussions from the two competitions. The concussion incidence was 2.93 per 1000 player match hours in the under 18-year age group and 5.75 per 1000 player match hours in the under 20-year age group. Slow to stand was the most commonly observed video sign (78.6%; 22/28 concussions). Most concussed players (91%, 21/23) missed at least one subsequent game (M = 1.4, SD = 1.7, range = 0–7 games), with the average days to return-to-play being 15.7 (SD = 7.0, range = 7–41 days).
In elite-level pathway rugby league, the incidences of HIAs and medically diagnosed concussions were higher in the under 20 age group than the under 18 age group. Both age groups had lower incidences of HIAs and concussions than professional adult rugby league players. Return-to-play following concussion was similar across the two age groups and differed considerably compared to the elite level, with a longer time before return to play for the younger elite level development pathway players.