Search Results (429)

Regular assessment of aerobic capacity is important in sports medicine and preventive health; however, cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPX) is often impractical in field or clinical settings. Phase angle (PhA), derived from bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA), has been proposed as a practical indicator of cellular health and membrane integrity; however, its relevance to aerobic capacity relative to skeletal muscle mass percentage (SMM%) in healthy young adults remains unclear. This cross-sectional study investigated the independent associations of PhA and SMM% with peak oxygen uptake (VO₂peak) and oxygen uptake at the anaerobic threshold (VO₂AT). Forty-one adults underwent same-day BIA and CPX using a cycle ergometer. VO₂peak was obtained from 37 participants who achieved maximal effort, while VO₂AT was identified in all. In multiple regression analyses adjusted for sex, PhA was independently associated with both VO₂peak and VO₂AT, whereas SMM% showed no independent association. These findings indicate that PhA may serve as a stronger determinant of aerobic capacity than SMM% in healthy young adults and highlight its potential utility in settings such as routine health check-ups or preliminary screening of aerobic capacity when CPX is impractical. Full article

Background: Numerical cognition and motor performance rely on overlapping brain systems, yet the extent of their reciprocal interaction remains unclear. This systematic review explores how number processing influences motor execution and how motor activity shapes numerical cognition, emphasizing the neural mechanisms underlying these associations. Methods: A comprehensive search of Scopus, PubMed, MEDLINE, SPORTDiscus, PsycINFO, and SpringerLink, as well as journal citations and conference proceedings (up to August 2025), identified experimental studies examining the interplay between numerical cognition and motor performance in healthy adults. Both randomized and non-randomized designs were included. Two reviewers independently screened, extracted data, and assessed study quality following PRISMA and Cochrane Risk of Bias guidelines. Results: Twelve studies met the inclusion criteria. Most showed that numerical stimuli facilitated motor responses, with congruent number–movement pairings yielding faster reactions and more efficient kinematics. Mental calculation often enhanced motor output (e.g., force, jump height), though interferences emerged under high cognitive load. Conversely, motor actions consistently biased numerical judgments, aligning with spatial–numerical associations. Conclusions: Evidence suggests a predominant pattern of facilitation, likely reflecting shared networks between cognitive and motor resources. These findings advance theoretical understanding and highlight promising translational applications in education, sport, and neurorehabilitation. Full article

Background: Psychological well-being is crucial for the development and performance of young athletes. This systematic review aims to synthesize the available scientific evidence on the relationship between passion (harmonious and obsessive), basic psychological needs (BPNs), motivation, affect (positive and negative), and life satisfaction in young football (soccer) players. Methods: A systematic literature review was performed, following the PRISMA 2020 (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines. The search was conducted in the Web of Science, Scopus, ERIC, and SportDiscus databases, using a comprehensive strategy that combined keywords related to football, youth, passion, motivation, and well-being. Two independent reviewers performed article screening, eligibility assessment, and data extraction. The methodological quality of the included studies was determined using two different tools. Results: Nine studies met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed in detail. The results consistently indicate that harmonious passion is associated with greater fulfillment of BPNs, positive affect, and overall life satisfaction. In contrast, obsessive passion was linked to negative outcomes such as burnout and emotional dysregulation. The available evidence suggests a positive association of harmonious passion with motivation and well-being, and an association of obsessive passion with psychological distress. Conclusions: Within the delimited scope, the evidence suggests that harmonious passion is an important construct positively associated with the well-being and motivation of young footballers, while obsessive passion is associated with adverse outcomes. Research in this area is scarce, showing methodological diversity and heterogeneous samples, which limits the generalizability of the findings. Future research should prioritize longitudinal designs and interventions to promote harmonious passion and the satisfaction of BPNs. Full article

Background: Traditional regression explains only part of the variation in forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV₁). Machine learning (ML) methods may capture nonlinear patterns beyond linear assumptions. Methods: We analyzed 23,943 non-smoking Taiwanese men aged 45–55 years from the MJ Health Screening Cohort. Random Forest (RF), Stochastic Gradient Boosting (SGB), and XGBoost were compared with multiple linear regression (MLR) using repeated train–test splits. Model performance was evaluated with RMSE, RAE, RRSE, and SMAPE. Shapley additive explanations (SHAP) were used to interpret variable effects. Results: ML models achieved slightly lower prediction errors than MLR. The most influential predictors across models were lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), body weight (BW), education level, leukocyte count, total bilirubin, and sport area. SHAP indicated negative effects of LDH and leukocyte count and positive associations for BW, bilirubin, education, and physical activity. Conclusions: ML approaches provided modest accuracy gains and clearer interpretability compared with MLR. Biochemical and lifestyle factors—including LDH, BW, education, inflammation markers, and physical activity—contribute meaningfully to FEV₁ among healthy middle-aged men. Full article

Background: Ice hockey is a high-intensity collision sport with one of the highest injury rates among youth team sports. Despite advanced protective equipment, youth athletes remain particularly vulnerable due to their unique physiological and psychological characteristics. Objective: This narrative review aims to synthesise the current evidence on the epidemiology, risk factors, and prevention strategies for common sports injuries in youth ice hockey players. Methods: We conducted a comprehensive literature search across PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and the Cochrane Library for publications between August 2015 and August 2025 using an iterative process and manual reference screening to identify relevant studies. Result: The evidence indicates that injury rates are notably high, ranging from 11.7 to 34.4 per 1000 athlete-hours. Concussions and upper/lower limb injuries are most prevalent. Body checking is the most significant modifiable risk factor associated with a threefold increase in concussion incidence. Policy interventions prohibiting body checking have demonstrated substantial benefits, leading to a 50–70% reduction in injury rates and a 57–60% reduction in concussions. Furthermore, the use of full-face protection was associated with a fourfold reduction in the risk of facial and dental injuries. Specialised preparatory activities and neuromuscular training, as well as comprehensive safety and rules training for players and coaches, can reduce the risk of injury in youth hockey players. Conclusion: This review underscores that effective injury prevention in youth ice hockey requires multi-faceted strategies focused on policy changes and proper equipment. Future work should focus on developing personalised prevention models, establishing youth-specific equipment standards, and enhancing safety awareness. Full article

Background: Screening blood tests are often collected from elite athletes in an effort to optimize performance. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the yield of screening for anemia and anemia-related factors in elite athletes entering the Israeli Olympic team. Methods: We investigated hemoglobin levels, red blood cell count and indices and serum levels of iron, transferrin, ferritin, B12 and folic acid in 407 members of the Israeli Olympic team (179 females, 228 males) upon joining the team. Results: Forty-four (10.8%) athletes had abnormally lower Hb level (8.9% females and 12.3% males). Forty-two athletes (10.3%) had low RBC concentration (9.5% females and 11% males). Twenty-one athletes (5.2%) had low iron levels (7.9% in males and 1.7% in females) and only 14 athletes (7 males) had low ferritin levels (3.4%). Fourteen female athletes (7.8%) had ferritin levels of less than 20 ng/mL, and 43 (24%) had levels of less than 30 ng/mL. There were no cases of both anemia and low ferritin levels together. Twenty-five athletes (6.1%) had low levels of folic acid with higher prevalence (7%) in males. Only five athletes (1.2%) had low levels of vitamin B12, while 29 (7.1%) had levels higher than normal. None of them had abnormal Hb. In a multiple regression analysis, combat sports had significantly lower Hb levels. Conclusions: The yield of anemia screening and especially anemia-related biochemical abnormalities in adult elite athletes may be relatively low. Clearly, anemia should not be missed in the elite athlete, yet, if there are no signs or symptoms, Hb levels are close to normal and dilution is diagnosed, further frequent biochemical evaluation may be unnecessary. Full article

Smart textiles are emerging as transformative modern textiles in which sensing, actuation, and communication are directly embedded into textiles, extending their role far beyond passive wearables. This review presents a comprehensive analysis of the convergence between smart textiles, the Internet of Things (IoT), and human-centric design, with sustainability as a guiding principle. We examine recent advances in conductive fibers, textile-based sensors, and communication protocols, while emphasizing user comfort, unobtrusiveness, and ecological responsibility. Key breakthroughs, such as silk fibroin ionic touch screens (SFITS), illustrate the potential of biodegradable and high-performance interfaces that reduce electronic waste and enable seamless human–computer interaction. The paper highlights cross-sector applications ranging from healthcare and sports to defense, fashion, and robotics, where IoT-enabled textiles deliver real-time monitoring, predictive analytics, and adaptive feedback. The review also focuses on sustainability challenges, including energy-intensive manufacturing and e-waste generation, and reviews ongoing strategies such as biodegradable polymers, modular architectures, and design-for-disassembly approaches. Furthermore, to identify future research priorities in AI-integrated “textile brains,” self-healing materials, bio-integrated systems, and standardized safety and ethical frameworks are also visited. Taken together, this review emphasizes the pivotal role of smart textiles as a cornerstone of next-generation wearable technology, with the potential to enhance human well-being while advancing global sustainability goals. Full article

Developing reliable and valid instruments to assess habits and correlates of physical activity and sports (PAS) in children can contribute to generating scientific evidence for implementing effective public policies to promote PAS in children. There is a significant lack of questionnaires that assess the habits and correlates of PAS in a multidimensional way. Therefore, this study aimed to gather evidence on the construct validity of the PASHQ-C, which was designed to assess the habits and correlates of PAS in schoolchildren aged 8 to 12 years in Gipuzkoa. In total, 306 schoolchildren (153 girls and 153 boys) completed the 20-item, 9-dimensional questionnaire online, which assessed general physical activity (PA), transportation from and to school, recreational screen time, family and friends’ support, spaces and facilities, sleep time, barriers, motivations, and current and future status of PA. Frequencies and percentages were calculated for each item of the questionnaire, as well as total values and values categorised by the variables of gender, course, type of school, and population. The evidence obtained in the present study demonstrates good preliminary construct validity, as the overall results align with those found in previous studies, and the differential evidence discriminates according to gender, grade, school, and municipality. However, further studies are needed using more robust psychometric techniques and in other contexts to verify and extend these findings. Full article

Pectus excavatum (PE) is the most frequent chest wall deformity, representing 65–95% of all cases, with an estimated prevalence of up to 1 in 300 births. Despite its frequency, it remains underrecognized in sports cardiology. PE results from sternal depression and narrowing of the anterior chest, which may lead to cardiac compression, impaired diastolic filling, and reduced stroke volume during exercise. Consequently, athletes with PE often present with cardiovascular symptoms such as exercise-induced dyspnoea, chest pain, palpitations, presyncope, or reduced physical fitness. Electrocardiographic changes, including right bundle branch block, axis deviation, atrial enlargement, T-wave inversion, QS complexes or Brugada phenocopies, are frequent and may mimic serious cardiovascular conditions, complicating pre-participation screening. Furthermore, PE is associated with potentially high-risk conditions including mitral valve prolapse, ventricular arrhythmias, and connective tissue disorders such as Marfan syndrome, which carry implications for sports eligibility and safety. Assessment of athletes with PE requires multimodal imaging (echocardiography, computed tomography, magnetic resonance), cardiopulmonary exercise testing, and exclusion of concomitant cardiovascular disease. Treatment strategies range from conservative approaches (physiotherapy, vacuum bell therapy) to surgical correction, most commonly with the Nuss procedure, which can improve cardiac function, exercise capacity, and quality of life. Management should involve shared decision making between clinicians, athletes, and families, weighing potential risks against athletic aspirations. Awareness of PE in sports cardiology is crucial, as it not only influences differential diagnosis and screening outcomes but also impacts career decisions and the psychological well-being of athletes. Full article

Objectives: This study examined the effectiveness of a physical activity (PA) promotion intervention administered by a sports scientist as part of team-based care in a primary care setting. Methods: A randomised controlled trial was conducted. Physically inactive participants aged 35–70 years with non-communicable diseases (NCDs) were recruited. All participants received PA screening by a nurse and brief PA counselling by a physician. The intervention group also received a tailored PA programme at the first visit and monthly phone calls for 6–8 months (from visit 1 to visit 3). Outcome assessments by a sports scientist were performed for both groups at every visit (visit 1: baseline, visit 2: follow-up, visit 3: end-point, visit 4: continuing). Outcomes included meeting PA recommendations and weekly time spent in aerobic PA. An intention-to-treat analysis was applied. Results: Sixty participants were randomly allocated to each group. At visit 2 (months 3–4), significantly higher proportion of participants in the intervention group were meeting PA recommendations compared with the control group: aerobic PA (23.3% vs. 6.7%, p < 0.05), muscle-strengthening activity (31.7% vs. 0%, p < 0.001), and multicomponent PA (20.0% vs. 0%, p < 0.001). Median time spent in moderate- to vigorous-intensity PA (MVPA) was also higher (90 min/week vs. 60 min/week, p < 0.05). Weekly MVPA time increased significantly from baseline in both groups. Conclusions: Integrating a sports scientist into team-based care effectively improved short-term PA levels when intervention intensity was highest. The team-based care integrating sports scientists into primary care may enhance PA promotion for patients with NCDs. Full article

Due to the highly individualised presentation of sport-related concussion (SRC), multi-domain assessments examining cognitive, migraine, vestibular, ocular, mood, sleep, and neck-related function have been suggested to assist clinicians with diagnosis, management, and rehabilitation. Normative data on such assessments for female, community players from countries outside the U.S. are needed. This study aimed to (i) describe normative data from community-level Ladies Gaelic Football players using a multi-domain assessment, and (ii) compare findings between adolescent and adult players. A total of 138 LGF players without SRC (101 adults, 37 adolescents) completed a multi-domain SRC assessment including Sport Concussion Assessment Tool 5th Edition, Concussion Clinical Profiles Screening, Vestibular/Ocular Motor Screening (VOMS), Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing (ImPACT^®), Patient Health Questionnaire-9, Generalised Anxiety Disorder-7, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Migraine Disability Assessment, and Neck Bournemouth Questionnaire, and neck dynamometry. Normative data were summarised using descriptive statistics, while differences in test scores between adolescents and adults were examined using parametric or non-parametric tests. While adolescents and adults scored similarly on most measures, adolescents scored worse on ImPACT^® visual–motor speed (d = 0.09) and reaction time (r = 0.52), SCAT5 concentration (V = 0.38), total modified Balance Error Scoring System (r = 0.42), and CP Screen vestibular profile (r = 0.38) (p < 0.05). This is the first study to describe and compare normative data for multidomain SRC assessments in adolescent and adult female, community athletes. Differences in some tests between adolescents and adults highlight the need for demographic-specific normative data when interpreting post-SRC assessment results. Full article

Background/Objectives: Adolescents’ screen time has increased alongside rising rates of depression and suicidal ideation and behavior. This study examined associations between excessive screen time and mental health among U.S. high school students, and explored whether social image factors (overweight perception, sports team participation, and academic performance) mitigate these associations. Methods: We analyzed data from the 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) (N = 13,677). Screen time was categorized as <2, 2–3, ≥4 h per day for television watching and digital device use (excluding school-related use). Multivariate logistic regression analyses estimated adjusted odds ratios (AORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for associations between screen time and mental health outcomes, adjusting for demographic and social image factors. Results: Overall, 31.7% of students reported using digital devices for ≥4 h per day, compared with 10.2% who watched television for ≥4 h per day. Using digital devices for ≥4 h per day was significantly associated with difficulty concentrating (AOR = 1.68), insufficient sleep (AOR = 1.43), feeling sad or hopeless (AOR = 1.86), and suicidal ideation (AOR = 1.69 for considering suicide; AOR = 1.77 for planning suicide) compared with using digital devices for <2 h per day, after adjusting for demographic and social image factors. Significant associations between television viewing and mental health outcomes appeared to be largely explained by social image factors. Female students and certain racial/ethnic groups were more likely to report mental health difficulties. Students with a positive social image reported lower odds of poor mental health outcomes and excessive screen time. Conclusions: Excessive digital device use is associated with poor mental health and suicidal ideation among high school students, with female students particularly vulnerable. Social image factors were also associated with screen time and mental health outcomes. Interventions that promote school engagement, sports team participation, and a positive social image may help mitigate the adverse effects of excessive screen time. Full article

Rankings drive consequential decisions in science, sports, medicine, and business. Conventional evaluation methods typically analyze rank concordance, dispersion, and extremeness in isolation, inviting biased inference when these properties co-move. We introduce the Concordance–Dispersion–Extremeness Framework (CDEF), a copula-based audit that treats dependence among these properties as the object of interest. The CDEF automatically detects forced versus non-forced ranking regimes, then screens dispersion mechanics via ${\chi }^2$ tests that distinguish independent multinomial structures from without-replacement structures and, for forced dependent data, compares Mallows structures against appropriate baselines. The framework estimates upper-tail agreement between raters by fitting pairwise Gumbel copulas to mid-rank pseudo-observations, summarizing tail co-movement alongside Kendall’s W and mutual information, then reports likelihood-based summaries and decision rules that distinguish genuine from phantom agreement. Applied to pre-season college football rankings, the CDEF reinterprets apparently high concordance by revealing heterogeneity in pairwise tail dependence and dispersion patterns that inflate agreement under univariate analyses. In simulation, traditional Kendall’s W fails to distinguish scenarios, whereas the CDEF clearly separates Phantom from Genuine and Clustered agreement settings, clarifying when agreement stems from shared tail dependence rather than stable consensus. Rather than claiming probabilities from a monolithic trivariate model, the CDEF provides a transparent, regime-aware diagnosis that improves reliability assessment, surfaces bias, and supports sound decisions in settings where rankings carry real stakes. Full article

Background/Objectives: Eating disorders (EDs) and body image disturbances are increasingly recognized as important health issues among young athletes. Sports participation may both support healthy development and simultaneously increase vulnerability to disordered eating due to performance pressures and cultural ideals. The aim of this study was to assess the risk of eating disorders and body image among 17–20-year-old athletes. Methods: The study included 428 participants (215 women and 213 men) actively engaged in sports. Standardized psychometric tools were applied, including the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26) and the Body Esteem Scale (BES). Statistical analyses examined differences across gender, BMI categories, and sports disciplines, as well as predictors of ED risk. Results: The analysis showed that 32.9% (n = 141; 95% CI: 28.3–37.8%) of respondents were at risk of developing eating disorders, with women being significantly more vulnerable than men (p < 0.001; V = 0.27). Underweight athletes demonstrated a higher risk compared with those of normal weight (OR = 2.86, 95% CI: 1.48–5.55, p < 0.001). The type of sport was also associated with risk (p < 0.001, V = 0.323); the highest prevalence of ED risk occurred among dancers (48.1%) and swimmers (38.9%). Body esteem differed markedly between groups: participants at risk scored lower in Weight Control (p < 0.001, Cohen’s d = 0.94) and Physical Attractiveness (p = 0.072) but higher in Physical Condition (p < 0.001). Regression analyses indicated that gender (β = −3.35, p < 0.001) and Body Esteem—Weight Control (β = −0.45, p < 0.001) were the strongest predictors of EAT-26 scores. Conclusions: The findings confirm the multidimensional nature of eating disorder risk among young athletes, highlighting the role of body image imbalance and gender differences. Early screening, preventive interventions, and multidisciplinary support are essential to protect both the physical and mental health of young athletes. Future research should include objective physiological measures and broader samples to improve generalizability. Full article

Concussions, classified as a type of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), are frequently underdiagnosed due to the subjective nature of symptoms and limitations in existing diagnostic methodologies. Current clinical evaluations, including tools such as the Sport Concussion Assessment Tool 5 (SCAT5), Balance Error Scoring System (BESS), and Vestibular Ocular Motor Screening (VOMS), demonstrate high sensitivity and specificity but often fail to capture the full complexity of concussive injuries. Emerging diagnostic approaches, such as blood biomarkers (for example, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase-L1 (UCH-L1), S100 calcium-binding protein B (S100B), and tau) and advanced neuroimaging techniques (for example, diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)), show promise but remain impractical for routine clinical use due to accessibility and standardization challenges. This review examines objective markers, including neuroimaging, electrophysiological measures (for example, Electroencephalography (EEG), Magnetoencephalography (MEG)), and real-time diagnostic tools, as complementary strategies to enhance traditional clinical evaluations. Findings indicate that while clinical assessments remain central to concussion diagnosis, integrating them with advanced imaging and electrophysiological tools can provide more accurate diagnostics and recovery tracking. Biomarkers, although not yet ready for widespread use, hold significant potential for future applications. Further research is required to validate these methods and establish standardized protocols to facilitate their integration into clinical practice. Full article