Search Results (61)

Attempts towards achieving gender equality are widely considered to be ‘wicked’ problems and continue to be a global priority in line with other United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. In sport, longstanding gender inequities are reproduced and perpetuated through problematic heteropatriarchal, ableist, and colonial sporting structures and cultures. These negatively impact women and girls and gender expansive people, as well as their access to quality sporting experiences across different pathways. As key actors within sporting ecosystems, sport coaches have a critical role to play in terms of supporting the development of inclusive, ethical, and equitable sporting environments and, more broadly, in the mainstreaming of quality sporting experiences for all. Therefore, the development of a gender and diversity-sensitive, -responsive, and -transformative coaching workforce should be a critical concern. This position paper builds on previous empirical work which has identified gaps in coaching knowledge alongside a range of problematic understandings and assumptions which currently shape coaches’ ‘gender-responsive’ coaching practices. It does so by identifying challenges and ways forward for enhanced coach learning and development strategies targeting the development of a more gender and diversity-responsive coaching workforce. Full article

Athletes engaged in dynamic sports experience a shortened red blood cell (RBC) lifespan and accelerated turnover due to RBC destruction. This accelerated RBC turnover might have a positive impact on exercise performance by increasing the number of young red blood cells with a high oxygen-carrying capacity. However, accelerated turnover might also be a result of intravascular haemolysis caused by RBC destruction during exercise, impairing RBC function and oxygen transport. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the relationship between reticulocyte count as an indicator of short-term RBC profile changes and exercise capacity. We retrospectively evaluated elite Italian athletes engaged in endurance or mixed sports disciplines selected for the 2023 European Games or 2024 Olympic Games. Athletes underwent blood tests, echocardiography, and cardiopulmonary exercise tests. We assessed the relationship between reticulocytes and the peak value of VO₂ (peak VO₂) and anaerobic threshold (AT). In addition, the effects of age, sex, haemoglobin concentration, stroke volume, peak heart rate, and reticulocytes on peak VO₂ and AT were assessed using multiple linear regression. Of the 105 athletes, reticulocyte count (0.059 ± 0.024 × 10¹²/L) negatively correlated with peak VO₂ (45.5 ± 9.1 mL/min/kg) (p = 0.022) and AT (27.6 ± 7.9 mL/min/kg) (p = 0.040). Using multivariate linear regression analysis, reticulocytes were independent predictors of peak VO₂ and AT (95% confidence interval: −192.3 to −45.9; p = 0.001; 95% confidence interval: −143.4 to −13.8: p = 0.018, respectively). Our findings indicated a negative relationship between reticulocyte count and peak VO₂ or AT. The life span of reticulocytes was close to the period of transient decline in RBC function that occurred after high-intensity exercise; therefore, the changes in reticulocytes might be related to the decline in exercise performance owing to this decline in RBC function. Full article

The purpose of this study was to examine the evolution of participants’ situational motivation in physical activity. From a sample of 194 individuals, the 20 most self-determined, the 20 moderately self-determined, and the 20 least self-determined in sports were selected to participate in the research protocols. These 60 subjects performed a putting task with a golf club on a 1.50 m mat. Immediately afterward, they had to self-assess using the mouse paradigm software in order to measure their intrinsic situational motivation throughout the task. We used multilevel growth curve analyses (MGCAs) to explore the trajectories of students’ situational intrinsic motivation during the experimental task. The results revealed a significant positive linear and cubic effect of time and a significant negative quadratic effect of time on situational motivation for highly self-determined students. Our study shows that situational intrinsic motivation is dynamic, and the most self-determined subjects experience a positive evolution in their intrinsic motivation in a specific physical activity. Full article

Physical and psychological distress frequently challenges athletes throughout their careers. The perception of pain and coping strategies are often crucial factors in achieving victory. These factors not only reflect their commitment to daily training, but can also indicate their level of athletic performance. This study is a cross-sectional research using convenience and snowball sampling methods. It explores the relationship between mindfulness and athletes’ distress tolerance, revealing the mediating roles of cognitive reappraisal and mental toughness. A sample of 285 athletes was drawn from universities, youth training centers, and sports academies in Hunan, Hubei, and Sichuan provinces in China. To assess the proposed hypotheses, structural equation modeling was conducted using AMOS v23. The findings identified a significant positive correlation between mindfulness, cognitive reappraisal, and mental toughness. Additionally, both cognitive reappraisal and mental toughness were positively associated with distress tolerance. Further analysis demonstrated that cognitive reappraisal and mental toughness function as mediators in the mindfulness–distress tolerance relationship. These results indicate that athletes with higher mindfulness levels exhibit enhanced cognitive reappraisal skills, greater mental toughness, and improved distress tolerance. This means that athletes with higher mindfulness levels are more likely to detach from negative psychological states in a timely manner, utilizing emotional regulation skills such as cognitive reappraisal, and face training and competition with greater mental resilience. This can help athletes alleviate negative psychological states and, to some extent, reduce their experience of pain, enabling them to better cope with challenges. Therefore, athletes can actively engage in mindfulness practices combined with cognitive reappraisal strategies to achieve better psychological states, which can support their adherence to training and rehabilitation plans. Full article

In youth sports, young people are often subjected to approaches and coach behaviors misaligned with their physical and psychological development, including early specialization and the use of physical activity as punishment. Little research investigates these practices from the perspective of youth. This study used novel qualitative approaches to explore student reactions to these practices. Over four years, students who took an Introduction to Psychology class at one private high school in a West Coast city received a presentation about topics at the intersection of sports and psychology and submitted their reflections. A student-led research team analyzed the 332 reflections. The findings show that the information in the Long-Term Athlete Development framework was dissonant with student experiences in the U.S. youth sports system. Many had negative experiences with physical activity as punishment. Providing youth with information about developmentally appropriate practices in sports can help them advocate for change that will protect them and others from harm. Full article

Background and Objectives: Resistance exercises (REs) are a type of physical activity that individuals from many age groups have been doing recreationally, both as amateurs and professionally, in their daily lives in recent years. It is crucial to understand the effects of such sports on cardiac morphology in order to maximize the benefit of training and to tailor the training content accordingly. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between training experience (TE) and left ventricular (LV) systolic and diastolic parameters and left atrial (LA) mechanical function in healthy subjects who regularly performed RE for different durations. Materials and Methods: Forty-five healthy adults [age = 28.91 ± 10.30 years, height = 178.37 ± 5.49 cm, weight = 83.15 ± 13.91 kg, body mass index = 26.03 ± 3.42 kg/m², TE = 7.28 ± 6.49 years] who performed RE between 1 year and 20 years were included in our study. The transthoracic echocardiograms (ECHOs) of the participants were evaluated by the cross-sectional research method, which is often used to understand the current situation in a given time period. Correlations between TE and LV systolic and diastolic parameters and LA mechanical function were analyzed. Results: As a result, interventricular septal thickness (IVS; r = 0.33, p = 0.028), the aortic diameter systole (ADs; r = 0.56, p < 0.001), and aortic diameter diastole (ADd; r = 0.58, p < 0.001) were positively correlated with TE, indicating associations with increased left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy and reduced ventricular compliance, while the aortic strain (AS; r = −0.44, p = 0.002), aortic distensibility (AD; r = −0.62, p < 0.001), and diastolic flow parameters including E (r = −0.41, p = 0.005), E/A (r = −0.38, p = 0.011), and E/Em (r = −0.31, p = 0.041) were negatively correlated with TE, reflecting impairments in diastolic function. Conclusions: This study showed that diastolic parameters were adversely affected in chronic RE. Therefore, we think that these individuals may have decreased relaxation and filling functions of the heart, which may also reduce adequate oxygen and nutrient delivery to the tissues. In this context, cohort studies are needed to analyze in detail the reasons for the decrease in diastolic parameters in these individuals. Full article

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic’s effects on adolescents’ physical activity, sports involvement, and feelings of loneliness remain inadequately understood. This study aimed to explore the shifts in leisure-time physical activity, sports participation, and loneliness among adolescents before and during the pandemic, positing that the pandemic has led to decreased physical activity and sports engagement, as well as heightened loneliness, where more active adolescents experience lower loneliness levels. This study included a prior four-year follow-up cohort from the same region two decades earlier to explore the existence of typical longitudinal aging effects in a cohort not affected by the pandemic. Methods: Prospective and longitudinal data from two cohorts of the Young-HUNT Study two decades apart involving adolescents aged 13–19 years were utilized. The controls were as follows: Cohort 1 from the Young-HUNT1 (YH1) Survey included 2399 adolescents with follow-up in the Young-HUNT2 (YH2) Survey four years later. Cohort 2 included the Young-HUNT4 (YH4) Survey (2017–2019) of 8066 adolescents, with a subset of 1565 participants followed up in the Young-HUNT COVID Survey (YHC) (2021) after exposure to the COVID-19 pandemic and associated restrictions. Changes over time were assessed using McNemar’s tests and dependent sample T-tests, while multinomial logistic regression modeled within-individual changes in loneliness, adjusting for age, gender, and other factors. Results: The findings revealed a significant decline in physical activity and sports participation in both cohorts from early to late adolescence. Additionally, there was a considerable increase in reported loneliness, more after exposure to the pandemic and especially among girls, but without any difference in historical initial levels (between cohorts). Inactive adolescents faced a greater risk of increased loneliness, while those participating in sports had a lower risk of loneliness. Physically inactive boys had a higher risk of loneliness compared with physically active boys at both time points in Cohort 2, which was higher than in the control Cohort 1. There was no historical difference between initial assessments. Conclusion: Adolescents experienced a significant decrease in physical activity and sports participation, along with increased loneliness, from early to late adolescence. Given the protective benefits of physical activity against loneliness and the negative longitudinal trends observed, public health initiatives should focus on increasing physical activity and reducing sports drop-out rates among adolescents to combat rising loneliness. Full article

This study’s aim was an analysis regarding selected determinants of diet health quality in a group of elite Polish female team sport players. Relationships were assessed between age, sport experience, personal resources and personality traits with regard to the Big Five model and the pro-Health (pHDI-10) and non-Healthy (nHDI-14) Diet Indices. This study was conducted among 181 women (median age—25 years; sport experience—7 years) with the use of the Beliefs and Eating Habits Questionnaire (KomPAN), Generalised Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES), Multidimensional Health Locus of Control Scale (MHLC-B) and NEO-PI-R personality inventory. Statistical analysis was carried out via the Wilcoxon signed-rank test, Kruskal–Wallis’s ANOVA, Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient and forward stepwise regression at a significance level of α = 0.05. Multivariate regression analysis indicated that the value of the pro-Health Diet Index (pHDI-10) was positively explained by professional experience and extraversion, while negatively by openness to experiences (12% of the pHDI-10 variance). In turn, a higher value of the non-Healthy Diet Index (nHDI-14) was associated with the discipline of basketball (2% of the nHDI-14 variance). In summary, the demonstrated diet health quality was low and the predictive significance of competitive experience as well as type of discipline and selected personality traits was exhibited for diet quality among female team sport players. Full article

The study of drugs of natural origin that increase endurance and/or accelerate recovery is an integral part of sports medicine and physiology. In this paper, decaffeinated green tea extract (GTE) and two ammonium salts—chloride (ACL) and carbonate (ACR)—were tested individually and in combination with GTE as stimulants of physical performance in a forced swimming rat experimental model. The determined parameters can be divided into seven blocks: functional (swimming duration); biochemistry of blood plasma; biochemistry of erythrocytes; hematology; immunology; gene expression of slow- and fast-twitch muscles (m. soleus, SOL, and m. extensor digitorum longus, EDL, respectively); and morphometric indicators of slow- and fast-twitch muscles. Regarding the negative control (intact animals), the maximum number of changes in all blocks of indicators was recorded in the GTE + ACR group, whose animals showed the maximum functional result and minimum lactate values on the last day of the experiment. Next, in terms of the number of changes, were the groups ACR, ACL, GTE + ACL, GTE and NaCl (positive control). In general, the number of identified adaptive changes was proportional to the functional state of the animals of the corresponding groups, in terms of the duration of the swimming load in the last four days of the experiment. However, not only the total number but also the qualitative composition of the identified changes is of interest. The results of a comparative analysis suggest that, in the model of forced swimming we developed, GTE promotes restoration of the body and moderate mobilization of the immune system, while small doses of ammonium salts, especially ammonium carbonate, contribute to an increase in physical performance, which is associated with satisfactory restoration of skeletal muscles and the entire body. The combined use of GTE with ammonium salts does not give a clearly positive effect. Full article

This article draws on the stimulus–organism–response (SOR) model to understand the role of negative emotions in the anti-brand behaviors of online users who consume snow sports brands. To this end, both the online social influence and the mediating effect of symbolic incongruence (stimulus) on the generation of negative emotions (anger, stress, frustration, fear, boredom and sadness) (organism), and how these influence the formation of negative customer brand engagement (nCBE) (response), are analyzed. The study also analyses the moderating effects of “level of expertise”, this makes it possible to capture differences in behaviors based on the profile of the users in each of the proposed relationships. Questionnaire responses of 400 ski and snowboard users over 18 years of age were analyzed using a quantitative methodology. The results obtained have important theoretical and practical implications, since they confirm that online social influences have both a direct and indirect (mediating) effect on negative emotions, which positively affects the nCBE of online users of snow sports brands. Significant differences in behavior based on experience level (moderation effect) were also found. The study proposes useful practical recommendations applicable in online environments that the extreme sports industry could use to neutralize/avoid highly detrimental consequences. Full article

Climbing is an Olympic discipline in full development and multidisciplinary in nature, where the influences of body composition and nutritional status on performance have not yet been clarified despite the quest for a low weight in anti-gravity disciplines such as climbing. The present cross-sectional study aimed to conduct nutritional (3-day dietary diaries) and body composition (ISAK profile) assessments on sport climbing athletes by gender and climbing level during the months of February and March 2024. The t-test for independent samples and the Mann–Whitney U-test, as well as an ANOVA and the Kruskal–Wallis H-test, were used to compare the distributions of two or more groups, respectively, and Pearson’s and Spearman’s correlation coefficients were used to estimate the correlations between the different variables. The mean age of the 46 Spanish climbers (22 men and 24 women) was 30 years (SD: 9) with 7.66 years of experience (SD: 6.63). The mean somatotype of the athletes was classified as balanced mesomorph. Negative correlations were observed between fat mass variables and climbing level (p < 0.010), and positive correlations were observed with forearm circumference (p < 0.050). The mean energy availability (EA) was 33.01 kcal-kg FFM⁻¹d⁻¹ (SD: 9.02), with 55.6% of athletes having a suboptimal EA status and 35.6% having low energy availability (LEA). The carbohydrate and protein intakes were below the recommendations in 57.8% and 31.1% of athletes, respectively. There were deficient intakes of all micronutrients except phosphorus in males. These findings suggest that climbing athletes are at a high risk of developing low energy availability states and concomitant problems. Optimal nutritional monitoring may be advisable in this type of athlete to try to reduce the risk of LEA. Full article

Background: This study investigates the relationship between Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy (VRET) and social anxiety in sport environments. Social anxiety is a mental health condition that manifests people’s intense fear of being watched and judged by others and worrying about humiliation It is important to research potential tools like VRET that could help to mitigate the impact of social anxiety as people with social anxiety often avoid attending live events due to the venue’s sensory stimuli and the social encounters they anticipate. VR simulation could allow socially anxious individuals to fully experience a sporting event simulation minus the anxiety induced by potential social encounters. VR’s therapeutic effects on social anxiety should be explored when considering several findings of VR intervention to mental health. Aim: The study aims to assess the impact of exposing socially anxious people to a virtual sporting game by measuring their levels of social anxiety, team identification, and intentions to attend a live sporting event before and after the VR exposure. Due to VR’s positive experience, social anxiety is expected to decrease. However, team identification and intentions to attend live sporting events are expected to increase because of VR’s ability to develop sport fanship. Method: Fourteen students with symptoms of social anxiety participated in the study. To create the VR simulation stimuli, the researchers used six 360° cameras to record an NCAA Division-I women’s volleyball game. Participants experienced the sporting event via VR simulation. Data were analyzed via one-group pre- and post-comparison. Results and Conclusions: Significant results were found for behavioral intentions of participants after experiencing the simulation. Social anxiety’s difference was negative 0.22, t(13) = 3.47, p < 0.01. After watching the game in VR, the respondents’ social anxiety decreased significantly. Team identification’s difference was 0.53, t(13) = −3.56, p < 0.01. Lastly, event visit intentions’ difference was 0.24, t(13) = −2.35, p < 0.05. Team identification and intentions to visit a sporting event rose significantly after viewing the game in VR. Full article

This cross-sectional study aimed to analyse the factors contributing to state body appreciation (SBA) during exercise. After providing their informed consent, 200 study participants (mean age 30.0 ± 9.4 years, 72.0% were men) filled in an online questionnaire immediately after the completion of resistance training (n = 125), cardiovascular exercise (n = 55), or functional/interval group exercise (n = 20) sessions. The study measures included socio-demographic variables, body mass index (BMI), the duration of involvement in sports, SBA, state body surveillance (SBS), state mindfulness in physical activity, state intrinsic exercise regulation, and perceived pleasantness during exercise. The results showed that exercisers involved in sports for >2 years and those whose body weight was within a healthy range (<25.0 kg/m²) demonstrated higher SBA and mindfulness during exercise, lower SBS, more intrinsic exercise regulation, and higher satisfaction during physical activity compared to exercisers with less exercise experience (≤2 years) and a body weight higher than a healthy range (≥25.0 kg/m²). The negative effects of being overweight or obese were more pronounced in individuals with ≤2 years of sports participation, except regarding body surveillance and monitoring the mind. The factors significantly contributing to SBA during the exercise sessions were a longer duration of involvement in sports, a lower BMI and SBS, and greater mindful body acceptance and exercise pleasantness. Decreasing SBS and enhancing mindful body acceptance, pleasantness, and intrinsic motivation during exercise might significantly contribute to SBA in physical activity. These results can inform physical-activity-based programmes aiming to promote a positive body image. Also, these results show that it is important to increase education and develop competencies for fitness coaches to create inclusive and positive-body-image-promoting sports environments. Full article

The COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting lockdown countermeasure may have significantly affected adolescents’ physical and mental health. This study aims to assess adolescents’ recollections of this period, also analyzing their current weight status along with factors they traced back to the epidemic phase and their current sports practice. A survey among 233 Italian adolescents aged 12.4 ± 0.9 years was conducted in October 2023. To achieve the research objectives, a new questionnaire was developed: the COVID-19 AdolesceNt/chilDren Lockdown Experience questionnaire (CANDLE). The new questionnaire was employed to gather data on the adolescents’ recollections of the lockdown situation they experienced. The stature and weight of participants were measured directly. The results indicated that middle schoolers remember both positive and negative experiences of the lockdown: the change perceived as the most positive was spending more time with family, while social detachment from peers represents the most negative aspect. According to multivariate regression analysis, certain behaviors they assumed during the lockdown, such as comfort food consumption in boys and sleeping disturbances in girls, in addition to their current sports practice, affected their actual Body Mass Index. This study supports the evidence that changes caused by the COVID-19 lockdown affected adolescents’ physical and mental health, albeit with sex differences. Full article

The objective of this study was to investigate how nitrogen and slow-release fertilizers affect the traits of leaf senescence and quinoa production in order to explore the optimal slow-release fertilizer and nitrogen fertilizer ratios suitable for quinoa production, as well as to provide theoretical references for the planting of quinoa fertilization methods and fertilizer amount. In this experiment, the main local strain Quinoa 77 was selected as the experimental material, and six treatments were set up: CK: no nitrogen fertilizer; T₁: 100% urea (N); T₂: 100% slow-release fertilizer (C); T₃: 5:5 (C₅N₅); T₄: 3:7 (C₃N₇); and T₅: 7:3 (C₇N₃). This was done in order to investigate how various treatments affect the activities of catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POD), and superoxide dismutase (SOD); malondialdehyde (MDA) content; and yield of quinoa leaves. The findings revealed the following: (1) As the reproductive period progressed, the activities of CAT, POD, and SOD in quinoa leaves treated differently showed a tendency to increase and subsequently decrease, and they reached the peak value at the early stage of filling. The activity of CAT, POD, and SOD in the T₃ treatment was the highest, and the average activities were 3148.74 U·g⁻¹, 2197.84 U·g⁻¹, and 118.51 U·g⁻¹, respectively, which increased by 78.90%, 101.99%, and 108.14%, respectively, compared with CK. The content of MDA continued to increase with the progress of fertility. The average T₃ treatment was 36.41 nmol·g⁻¹, which was 46.87% lower than that of CK. (2) Out of all the treatments, T₃ had the highest yield with an average of 3829.43 kg·hm⁻², T₅ the second with an average of 3313.52 kg·hm⁻², and T₄ the third with 2847.47 kg·hm⁻², which increased yields by 96.18%, 69.75%, and 45.87%, respectively, compared with CK. (3) Yield was highly significantly and positively correlated with thousand kernel weight; number of grains per spike per plant; and the early filling stages of CAT, POD, and SOD sports, and it had a negative, extremely significant correlation with MDA content. Comprehensive analysis showed that slow-release fertilizer and nitrogen fertilizer can improve the antioxidant enzyme activity of quinoa leaves, inhibit MDA content, improve the physiological characteristics of quinoa, and delay the purpose of leaf senescence, with a better effect of yield and income, of which the T₃ treatment had the high-quality impact of increasing yields and was a more scientific and reasonable fertilization method. Full article