Epigenetic changes in leukocytes after 8 weeks of resistance exercise training
- Authors: Denham, Joshua , Marques, Francine , Bruns, Emma , O'Brien, Brendan , Charchar, Fadi
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: European Journal of Applied Physiology Vol. 116, no. 6 (2016), p. 1245-1253
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/1009490
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: PURPOSE: Regular engagement in resistance exercise training elicits many health benefits including improvement to muscular strength, hypertrophy and insulin sensitivity, though the underpinning molecular mechanisms are poorly understood. The purpose of this study was to determine the influence 8 weeks of resistance exercise training has on leukocyte genome-wide DNA methylation and gene expression in healthy young men. METHODS: Eight young (21.1 +/- 2.2 years) men completed one repetition maximum (1RM) testing before completing 8 weeks of supervised, thrice-weekly resistance exercise training comprising three sets of 8-12 repetitions with a load equivalent to 80 % of 1RM. Blood samples were collected at rest before and after the 8-week training intervention. Genome-wide DNA methylation and gene expression were assessed on isolated leukocyte DNA and RNA using the 450K BeadChip and HumanHT-12 v4 Expression BeadChip (Illumina), respectively. RESULTS: Resistance exercise training significantly improved upper and lower body strength concurrently with diverse genome-wide DNA methylation and gene expression changes (p = 0. 01). DNA methylation changes occurred at multiple regions throughout the genome in context with genes and CpG islands, and in genes relating to axon guidance, diabetes and immune pathways. There were multiple genes with increased expression that were enriched for RNA processing and developmental proteins. Growth factor genes-GHRH and FGF1-showed differential methylation and mRNA expression changes after resistance training. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that resistance exercise training improves muscular strength and is associated with reprogramming of the leukocyte DNA methylome and transcriptome.
Foxtrot football club
- Authors: Gorman, Sean , Lusher, Dean , Reeves, Keir
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Sport in Society Vol. 19, no. 4 (2016), p. 582-589
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: The Foxtrot football club is an AFL club that participated in this Australian Research Council project assessing the Australian Football League’s Racial and Religious Vilification Laws to promote community harmony, multiculturalism and reconciliation. Foxtrot participated in both the surveys and the interviews. This club and its players and staff have all been deidentified as required by Curtin University’s ethics guidelines. © 2015 Taylor & Francis.
Gecko football club
- Authors: Gorman, Sean , Lusher, Dean , Reeves, Keir
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Sport in Society : Cultures, Commerce, Media, Politics Vol. 19, no. 4 (2016), p. 590-593
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Special Issue : The biggest game in town : An analysis of the AFL's vilification policy. The Gecko football club is an AFL club that participated in this Australian Research Council project Assessing the Australian Football League’s Racial and Religious Vilification Laws to promote community harmony, multiculturalism and reconciliation. Foxtrot participated in the surveys only. This club and its players and staff have all been deidentified as required by Curtin University’s ethics guidelines. © 2015 Taylor & Francis.
Hand-held dynamometry strength measures for internal and external rotation demonstrate superior reliability, lower minimal detectable change and higher correlation to isokinetic dynamometry than externally-fixed dynamometry of the shoulder
- Authors: Holt, Kylie , Raper, Damian , Boettcher, Craig , Waddington, Gordon , Drew, Michael
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Physical Therapy in Sport Vol. 21, no. (2016), p. 75-81
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Objectives: To investigate inter and intra-rater reliability of hand held (HHD) and externally fixed (EFD) dynamometry for shoulder internal (IR) and external rotation (ER) strength and their correlation to isokinetic testing. Design: Within participant, inter and intra-rater reliability study. Participants: Twenty active, healthy male and female participants underwent testing by two examiners. Outcome measures: Intra-class coefficients (ICC), percentage standard error of measurement (%SEM), and percentage minimal detectable change (%MDC) were calculated for inter-rater, intra-day and intra-rater, inter-week reliability. Maximum and average of three repetitions were compared to the isokinetic results at three speeds (60 degrees/sec, 180 degrees/sec, 240 degrees/sec) for both concentric and eccentric contractions. Results: Inter and intra-tester values demonstrated good to high agreement (HHD, ICC range = 0.89 -0.97, %SEM = 4.80-8.60%, %MDC = 13.29-23.70%; EFD, ICC = 0.88-0.96, %SEM = 6.60-11.00%, % MDC = 18.40-30.04%). HHD and EFD showed moderate to very strong correlations to the isokinetic testing (HHD, r = 0.45-0.86; EFD, r = 0.49-0.83). Conclusions: The results of this study indicate that both EFD and HI-ID are suitable for clinical practice and research. Hand-held dynamometry is preferred due to its higher intra- and inter-rater reliability and smaller MDC and lower SEM. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Health and economic burden of running-related injuries in runners training for an event : A prospective cohort study
- Authors: Hespanhol Junior, Luiz , van Mechelen, Willem , Postuma, Eva , Verhagen, Evert
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports Vol. 26, no. 9 (2016), p. 1091-1099
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Prospective running-related injury (RRI) data from runners training for an event are scarce, especially with regard to RRI-associated costs. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence and economic burden of RRIs in runners participating in an organized training program preparing them for an event. This was a prospective cohort study with 18 weeks of follow-up. Individuals aged 18 or older and registered to participate in an organized running program were eligible. Follow-up surveys were sent every 2 weeks to collect data about running exposure, RRIs, and costs. Of the 161 potential participants, 53 (32.9%) were included in this study. A total of 32 participants reported 41 RRIs. The mean prevalence during follow-up was 30.8% [95% confidence interval (CI) 25.6–36.0%]. Overuse was the main mechanism of RRI (85.4%, n = 35). An RRI was estimated to have an economic burden of €57.97 (95% CI €26.17–94.00) due to healthcare utilization (direct costs) and €115.75 (95% CI €10.37–253.73) due to absenteeism from paid work (indirect costs). These results indicate that the health and economic burden of RRIs may be considered significant for public health. Therefore, prevention programs are needed for runners participating in organized training programs. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd
Hornet football club
- Authors: Gorman, Sean , Lusher, Dean , Reeves, Keir
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Sport in Society Vol. 19, no. 4 (2016), p. 594-596
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: The Hornet football club is an AFL club that participated in this Australian Research Council project Assessing the Australian Football League’s Racial and Religious Vilification Laws to promote Community Harmony, Multiculturalism and Reconciliation. Hornet participated in the surveys only. This club and its players and staff have all been deidentified as required by Curtin University’s ethics guidelines. © 2015 Taylor & Francis.
Igloo football club
- Authors: Gorman, Sean , Lusher, Dean , Reeves, Keir
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Sport in Society Vol. 19, no. 4 (2016), p. 597-599
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: The Igloo football club is an AFL club that participated in this Australian Research Council project Assessing the Australian Football League’s Racial and Religious Vilification Laws to promote Community Harmony, Multiculturalism and Reconciliation. Igloo participated in the surveys only. This club and its players and staff have all been deidentified as required by Curtin University’s ethics guidelines. © 2015 Taylor & Francis.
Igniting the pressure acclimatization training debate: Contradictory pilot-study evidence from Australian football
- Authors: Beseler, Bradley , Mesagno, Christopher , Young, Warren , Harvey, Jack
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Sport Behavior Vol. 39, no. 1 (2016), p. 22-38
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: In Australian Football, set shot goal kicking is when a player has a shot at goal after taking a mark (i.e., catching a kicked ball) or receiving a free kick (i.e., penalty from an opposing player). In the past two decades, Australian football has improved in nearly all aspects of the game, yet set shot goal kicking accuracy has declined. The purpose of the current pilot study was to investigate whether pressure acclimatization training improves Australian football goal kicking under pressure. Twelve football players assigned to either an experimental (EG) or a control group (CG) completed a pre-intervention test, intervention, and post-intervention test. During the pre-intervention and post-intervention tests, participants attempted 10 goal kicking trials under low pressure (LP) and high pressure (HP) conditions. After five attempts, participants completed an anxiety questionnaire. During the intervention period, the EG practiced under HP, while the CG practiced under LP. These pilot results indicated a significant increase in participants ' anxiety from LP to HP for both groups and a significant decrease in accuracy from pre-intervention to post-intervention. In the post-intervention test, the CG was more accurate under HP than the EG, indicating no significant advantage by practicing under pressure and contradicting other acclimatization studies. These results may ignite a debate about the benefits of acclimatization training, but caution should be exercised when interpreting the results considering the pilot nature of the study. Larger sample sizes should be used to further explore these effects. Future research in acclimatization training is discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)
Interventions preventing ankle sprains; previous injury and high-risk sport participation as predictors of compliance
- Authors: Janssen, Kasper , Van Der Zwaard, Babette , Finch, Caroline , van Mechelen, Willem , Verhagen, Evert
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport Vol. 19, no. 6 (Jun 2016), p. 465-469
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Objectives: To describe the association between participants' person-related potential predictor variables and cumulative compliance with interventions for preventing ankle sprains: neuromuscular training, wearing an ankle brace, and a combined training and bracing. Design: Secondary analysis of compliance data from a randomized controlled trial (RCT) comparing measures preventing ankle ligament injuries. Methods: Ordinal regression with a backward selection method was used to obtain a descriptive statistical model linking participants' person-related potential predictor variables with the monthly cumulative compliance measurements for three interventions preventing ankle ligament injuries. Results: Having had a previous ankle injury was significantly associated with a higher compliance with all of the preventive measures trialed. Overall compliance with bracing and the combined intervention was significantly lower than the compliance with NM training. Per group analysis found that participating in a high-risk sport, like soccer, basketball, and volleyball, was significantly associated with a higher compliance with bracing, or a combined bracing and NM training. In contrast, participating in a high-risk sport was significantly associated with a lower per group compliance with NM training. Conclusions: Future studies should include at least registration of previous ankle sprains, sport participation (high- or low-risk), experience in NM training, and hours of sport exposure as possible predictors of compliance with interventions preventing ankle sprains. Practitioners should take into account these variables when prescribing preventive neuromuscular training or bracing. (C) 2015 Sports Medicine Australia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Introduction : The AFL’s rule 35
- Authors: Gorman, Sean , Lusher, Dean , Reeves, Keir
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Sport in Society Vol. 19, no. 4 (2016), p. 472-482
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: This introductory paper lays the foundation for this important work. This is the first time that a multidisciplinary, systematic study has been conducted into the Australian Football League’s (AFL) Rule 35 1 – the first code of conduct introduced by an elite sporting organization in the world to deal with racial, religious and sexual vilification. Social and sport history in Australia will be discussed to further contextualize the importance of the research. © 2015 Taylor & Francis.
Is quality of life following hip arthroscopy in patients with chondrolabral pathology associated with impairments in hip strength or range of motion?
- Authors: Kemp, Joanne , Makdissi, Michael , Schache, Anthony , Finch, Caroline , Pritchard, Michael , Crossley, Kay
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Knee Surgery Sports Traumatology Arthroscopy Vol. 24, no. 12 (2016), p. 3955-3961
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: If physical impairments that are associated with poorer outcomes can be identified in people with chondrolabral hip pathology, then rehabilitation programmes that target such modifiable impairments could potentially be established to improve quality of life. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between quality-of-life PROs and physical impairment measurements in people with chondrolabral pathology post-hip arthroscopic surgery. This was a cross-sectional study where multiple stepwise linear regression analyses were conducted to determine which physical impairment measurements were most associated with poorer quality-of-life patient-reported outcomes (PROs). Eighty-four patients (42 women; all aged 36 +/- 10 years) with hip chondrolabral pathology 12- to 24-month post-hip arthroscopy were included. The Hip disability and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score Quality-of-life (HOOS-Q) subscale and International Hip Outcome Tool (IHOT-33) PROs were collected. Measurements of active hip ROM and strength were assessed. Modifiable post-surgical physical impairments were associated with PRO in patients with chondrolabral pathology. Greater hip flexion ROM was independently associated with better scores in both HOOS-Q and IHOT-33 (adjusted r (2) values ranged from 0.249 to 0.341). Greater hip adduction strength was independently associated with better HOOS-Q and IHOT-33 (adjusted r (2) 0.227-0.317). Receiver Operator Curve analyses determined that the limit value for hip flexion ROM was 100A degrees (sensitivity 92 %, specificity 75 %), and hip adduction strength was 0.86 Nm/kg (sensitivity 96 %, specificity 70 %). Hip flexion ROM and adduction strength were associated with better quality-of-life PRO scores in patients with chondrolabral pathology 12- to 24-month post-hip arthroscopy. These impairments could be targeted by clinicians designing rehabilitation programmes to this patient group.
Key factors influencing implementation of falls prevention exercise programs in the community
- Authors: Day, Lesley , Trotter, Margaret , Donaldson, Alex , Hill, Keith , Finch, Caroline
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Aging and Physical Activity Vol. 24, no. 1 (2016), p. 45-52
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: The study aim was to evaluate the implementation of group-and home-based exercise falls prevention programs delivered through community health agencies to community-dwelling older people. Interviews with program staff were guided by the Diffusion of Innovations theory. Highly consistent themes emerged for the two types of programs. Both had high overall compatibility, high relative advantage, good observability and high inherent trialability-all factors known to strengthen implementation. The level of complexity and low financial compatibility emerged as the strongest potential inhibitors to program implementation in the context examined. The two main factors contributing to complexity were the need to challenge balance safely across a broad range of capability, and practical considerations associated with program delivery. A range of strategies to provide more technical support for exercise program leaders to tailor balance challenge for exercise program leaders may enhance implementation of falls prevention exercise programs. © 2016 Human Kinetics, Inc.
Musculoskeletal screening as a predictor of seasonal injury in elite Olympic class sailors
- Authors: Schultz, Adrian , Taaffe, Dennis , Blackburn, Michael , Logan, Peter , White, Donna , Drew, Michael , Lockie, Robert
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport Vol. 19, no. 11 (2016), p. 903-909
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Objectives: To investigate seasonal injury incidence and musculoskeletal screening as a predictor of injury in elite Olympic class sailors. Methods: A 12-month analysis of injury surveillance data was performed for elite Australian sailors (age = 16-30 years, N= 22). Pre-season musculoskeletal screening (incorporating mobility, stability and neural tests) and seasonal injury data were analysed for predictive relationships, and associations between potential predictor variables and injury status. Results: Injuries requiring medical attention occurred at a rate of 3.6 injuries/athlete, while injuries resulting in disability occurred at a rate of 0.6 injuries/athlete, with the lumbar spine the main site of injury (23% and 33%, respectively). Wrist and hand injury resulted in the highest number of days of disability (110 days), followed by injury to the lumbar spine (87 days). Across the season 75% of injuries to the lumbar spine occurred in the latter half of the season. The only screening measure predictive of injured/uninjured status was better left-sided single-leg decline-squat performance (OR= 0.29; 95% CI = 0.09-0.88; p = 0.03), while increasing age was significantly (p = 0.03) associated with thoracic (OR = 1.48; 95% CI = 1.03-2.12) and lumbar spine (OR= 1.46; 95% CI = 1.04-2.04) injury. Conclusions: Though clinically useful, current screening protocols do not adequately assess the risk of seasonal injury in elite Olympic class sailors, and should be revised. Due to the increased risk of spinal injury and potential lost/modified participation in older Olympic class sailors, injury prevention activities should be individualised and age appropriate. (C) 2016 Sports Medicine Australia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Normative MRI, ultrasound and muscle functional MRI findings in the forearms of asymptomatic elite rowers
- Authors: Drew, Michael , Trease, Larissa , Caneiro, J. P. , Hooper, Ivan , Ooi, Chin-Chin , Counsel, Peter , Connell, David , Rice, Anthony , Knight, Emma , Hoy, Gregory , Lovell, Gregory
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport Vol. 19, no. 2 (2016), p. 103-108
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Objectives Forearm injuries are common and debilitating to elite rowers. Chronic exertional compartment syndrome, intersection syndrome and proximal radial bone stress injuries have been documented in this population. This paper explores the imaging findings related to these conditions in asymptomatic elite rowers. Design Observational study. Methods 19 asymptomatic senior elite and under-23 rowers currently competing at National level or above underwent ultrasound (US), Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and muscle functional MRI evaluation of their forearms. A comprehensive evaluation sheet identifying characteristics of bone stress, intersection syndrome and chronic exertional compartment syndrome was utilised based on a literature search and review by senior clinicians working with this population. Results Peritendinous fluid of Extensor Carpi Radialis Longus (n=10, 53%) or Extensor Carpi Radialis Brevis (n=6, 32%) was a common finding on US. MRI had a higher rate of identification than US. Extensor Digitorum (Coeff=−1.76, 95%CI −3.04 to −0.49), Flexor Carpi Radialis (Coeff=−2.86, 95%CI −5.35 to −0.38) and Flexor Carpi Ulnaris (Coeff=−3.31, 95%CI −5.30 to −1.32), Pronator Teres (Coeff=−3.94, 95%CI −6.89 to −0.99), and Supinator (Coeff=−168, 95%CI −3.28 to −0.02) showed statistically significant changes immediately post-exercise. Mild proximal radial marrow hyperintensity was present (n=15, 78.9%) with three participants (15.8%) also having mild periosteal oedema of the radius. Conclusions Imaging findings commonly seen in symptomatic populations are observed in elite, asymptomatic rowers. Care should be taken when diagnosing bone stress injuries, intersection syndrome and compartment syndrome on imaging findings alone. Data presented can be utilised as a normative dataset for future case studies.
Older adult perceptions of participation in group- and home-based falls prevention exercise
- Authors: Robins, Lauren , Hill, Kylie , Day, Lesley , Clemson, Lindy , Finch, Caroline , Haines, Terry
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Aging and Physical Activity Vol. 24, no. 3 (2016), p. 350-362
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/565900
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: This paper describes why older adults begin, continue, and discontinue group-and home-based falls prevention exercise and benefits and barriers to participation. Telephone surveys were used to collect data for 394 respondents. Most respondents reported not participating in group-(66%) or home-based (78%) falls prevention exercise recently. Reasons for starting group-based falls prevention exercise include health benefits (23-39%), health professional recommendation (13-19%), and social interaction (4-16%). They discontinued because the program finished (44%) or due to poor health (20%). Commonly reported benefits were social interaction (41-67%) and health (15-31%). Disliking groups was the main barrier (2-14%). Home-based falls prevention exercise was started for rehabilitation (46-63%) or upon health professional recommendation (22-48%) and stopped due to recovery (30%). Improvement in health (18-46%) was the main benefit. These findings could assist health professionals in prescribing group-based falls prevention exercise by considering characteristics of older adults who perceive social interaction to be beneficial.
Overarching findings
- Authors: Gorman, Sean , Lusher, Dean , Reeves, Keir
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Sport in Society Vol. 19, no. 4 (2016), p. 501-537
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: The issue of racism in the Australian Football League (AFL) is one that has been officially recognized since 1995. Since then, the AFL, the AFL Players Association (AFLPA) and the AFL clubs have been bound by the rules of the code, specifically Rule 35, to deal with racism, racial and religious intolerance and racist abuse, as well as other forms of vilification, when it has arisen. The most recent player-to-player vilification incident occurred in 2011 and involved Western Bulldogs forward Justin Sherman and Gold Coast Sun defender Joel Wilkinson. Despite the problems that many had with Sherman’s suspension, which still allowed him to play with the Western Bulldogs reserves side, what was very marked was the speed of the process from the lodgement of complaint to the suspension. This would seem to indicate that when it comes to such matters, the AFL is serious about dealing with racial vilification and it wanted to send a message to all the clubs and players. In the weeks and months after the incident, what became quite evident was the damage Sherman had sustained to his reputation as a professional athlete: his ‘brand’ is tarnished from here on. Furthermore, the overarching message from this incident as it related to the AFL was that racism in any form is wrong and it will not be tolerated.
Patients with chondrolabral pathology have bilateral functional impairments 12 to 24 months after unilateral hip arthroscopy : A cross-sectional study
- Authors: Kemp, Joanne , Risberg, May , Schache, Anthony , Makdissi, Michael , Pritchard, Michael , Crossley, Kay
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy Vol. 46, no. 11 (2016), p. 947-956
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. BACKGROUND: Functional task performance in patients with chondrolabral pathology following hip arthroscopy is unknown. OBJECTIVES: To investigate in people with chondrolabral pathology following hip arthroscopy (1) the bilateral differences in functional task performance compared to controls, (2) the association of hip muscle strength with functional task performance, and (3) the association of functional task performance scores with good outcome, as measured by International Hip Outcome Tool score. METHODS: Seventy-one patients who had unilateral hip arthroscopy for hip pain and 60 controls were recruited. Patient-reported outcomes included the 4 subscales of the International Hip Outcome Tool. Hip muscle strength measures included abduction, adduction, extension, flexion, external rotation, and internal rotation. Functional tasks assessed included the single hop test, the side bridge test, and the single-leg rise test. For aim 1, analyses of covariance tests were used. For aim 2, stepwise multiple linear regression analyses were used. For aim 3, receiver operating characteristic curve analyses were used. RESULTS: Compared to controls, the chondrolabral pathology group had significantly worse performance on both legs for each of the functional tasks (P<.001). Greater hip abduction strength was moderately associated with better performance on functional tasks in the chondrolabral pathology group (adjusted R' range, 0.197-0.407; P<.001). Cutoff values associated with good outcome were 0.37 (hop distance/height) for the single hop, 16 repetitions for the single-leg rise, and 34 seconds for the side bridge test. CONCLUSION: Patients with hip chondrolabral pathology had reduced functional task performance bilaterally 12 to 24 months after unilateral hip arthroscopy when compared to controls.
Patterns of time use among regional and rural adolescent girls : Associations with correlates of physical activity and health-related quality of life
- Authors: Casey, Meghan , Harvey, Jack , Telford, Amanda , Eime, Rochelle , Mooney, Amanda , Payne, Warren
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport Vol. 19, no. 11 (2016), p. 931-935
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/LP0990206
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Objectives: To describe patterns of time use among regional and rural adolescent girls and compare identified clusters with respect to correlates of physical activity (PA) and health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Methods: Data were from Year 7-9 adolescent girls (aged 12-15 years) from 16 schools involved in a cluster-randomised trial in regional and rural Victoria, Australia (n = 494). Time use data were collected using 24-h Previous Day Physical Activity Recall (PDPAR-24) questionnaire, collapsed into 17 categories of time use. Differences between time use clusters with regard to demographics, correlates of PA and HRQoL measured using PedsQL 4.0 Generic Core Scales, were investigated. Results: Two time use clusters were identified and were associated with correlates of PA and HRQoL. Girls who spent significantly more time in teams sports, non-team sports, school classes, watching TV and sleeping had higher levels of positively aligned PA correlates (e.g. self-efficacy, perceived sports competence) and HRQoL than girls characterised with high levels of computer use and video gaming. Conclusions: These findings highlight how different activity patterns of regional and rural girls affect HRQoL and can inform future intervention strategies to improve PA levels and HRQoL. Clusters characterised by low levels of PA and high computer use and video gaming require targeted interventions to address barriers to their participation. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of Sports Medicine Australia.
Performance success or failure is influenced by weeks lost to injury and illness in elite Australian track and field athletes : A 5-year prospective study
- Authors: Raysmith, Benjamin , Drew, Michael
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport Vol. 19, no. 10 (2016), p. 778-783
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Objectives: To investigate the impact of training modification on achieving performance goals. Previous research demonstrates an inverse relationship between injury burden and success in team sports. It is unknown whether this relationship exists within individual sport such as athletics. Design: A prospective, cohort study (n = 33 International Track and Field Athletes; 76 athlete seasons) across five international competition seasons. Methods: Athlete training status was recorded weekly over a 5-year period. Over the 6-month preparation season, relationships between training weeks completed, the number of injury/illness events and the success or failure of a performance goal at major championships was investigated. Two-by-two table were constructed and attributable risks in the exposed (AFE) calculated. A mixed-model, logistic regression was used to determine the relationship between failure and burden per injury/illness. Receiver Operator Curve (ROC) analysis was performed to ascertain the optimal threshold of training week completion to maximise the chance of success. Results: Likelihood of achieving a performance goal increased by 7-times in those that completed >80% of planned training weeks (AUC, 0.72; 95%CI 0.64-0.81). Training availability accounted for 86% of successful seasons (AFE=0.86, 95%CI, 0.46 to 0.96). The majority of new injuries occurred within the first month of the preparation season (30%) and most illnesses occurred within 2-months of the event (50%). For every modified training week the chance of success significantly reduced (OR=0.74, 95%CI 0.58 to 0.94). Conclusions: Injuries and illnesses, and their influence on training availability, during preparation are major determinants of an athlete's chance of performance goal success or failure at the international level. (C) 2016 Sports Medicine Australia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Providing services for acute low-back pain : A survey of Australian physiotherapists
- Authors: Keating, Jennifer , McKenzie, Joanne , O'Connor, Denise , French, Simon , Walker, Bruce , Charity, Melanie , Page, Matthew , Green, Sally
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Manual Therapy Vol. 22, no. (2016), p. 145-152
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Objective: To determine whether physiotherapists avoid lumbar X-rays for acute non-specific low back pain and advise people to stay active. Methods: We conducted a cross sectional survey of Australian physiotherapists. 880 physiotherapists were randomly sampled from Victoria (495), South Australia (158), and Western Australia (227). Physiotherapists were asked which investigations they would order and interventions they would provide for five acute low back pain (LBP) presentations described in vignettes. Four of the five vignettes represented people who would not require a plain lumbar X-ray and would benefit from advice to stay active; one described a patient with a suspected vertebral fracture and would require a plain X-ray. Participants selected from a list of response options or provided free text responses. Results: Questionnaires were completed by 203 of 567 potentially eligible physiotherapists (response rate 36%). Across the four vignettes where an X-ray was not indicated, 75% (95%CI 71-78%) of physiotherapists reported they would practice concordant with the guidelines and not order an X-ray, and 62% (95%CI 57-66%) provided advice to stay active. Conclusions: Most physiotherapists report intended compliance with recommendations in Australian clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) regarding avoiding the use of X-rays and providing advice to stay active for people with simple acute low back pain, given a vignette based scenario. The majority of respondents reported that they would not advise bed rest. Possible opportunities to further enhance compliance need to be developed and tested to reinforce the role of CPGs in informing physiotherapy practice. © 2015 Elsevier Ltd.