Chronic Effects of Asymmetric and Symmetric Sport Load in Varsity Athletes across a Six Month Sport Season.

The relation between specific sport practice and possible spine modifications is unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of different sports on the spine in adult varsity athletes across a six month sports season. Forty-four athletes (24.5 ± 3 years) were divided into two groups according to the typology of the sport practiced: the symmetric sports group (S, 22 athletes: track and field running, n = 14; cycling, n = 8), and the asymmetric sports group (A, 22 athletes: tennis, n = 22). The participants' spines were evaluated with Formetric® 4D rasterstereographic analysis at the beginning (BL), in the middle (INT), and at the end (FIN) of the season. Twenty-five parameters were measured in an average 4D modality. The results showed that the intervention factor (BL vs. FIN) had a significant effect on dimple distance (p < 0.05) and on left lateral deviation (BL vs. FIN and INT vs. FIN, p < 0.01 and p < 0.01, respectively). Statistical differences were found for the sport typology factor for pelvic antero-retroversion and right lateral deviation. For left lateral deviation, no modulation was found for the sport typology. Asymmetric versus symmetric sport loads showed small statistical differences in a non-professional sample of adult athletes. The practice of asymmetric sports should also be encouraged without exceeding the total number of hours per week.

Acute and Chronic Effects of Supervised Flexibility Training in Older Adults: A Comparison of Two Different Conditioning Programs.

Flexibility training is a fundamental biological process that improves the quality of life of the elderly by improving the ranges of motion of joints, postural balance and locomotion, and thus reducing the risk of falling. Two different training programs were assessed acutely and after 12 weeks by means of the sit-and-reach test. Thirty-one healthy older adults were randomly divided into three groups: the Experiment I group (Exp) performed strength and static stretching exercises; the Experiment II group performed dynamic and static stretching exercises; and participants assigned to the control group maintained a sedentary lifestyle for the entire period of the study. Flexibility acutely increased in Exp I by the first (ΔT0 = 7.63 ± 1.26%; ES = 0.36; p = 0.002) and second testing sessions (ΔT1 = 3.74 ± 0.91%; ES = 0.20; p = 0.002). Similarly, it increased in Exp II significantly by the first (ΔT0 = 14.21 ± 3.42%; ES = 0.20; p = 0.011) and second testing sessions (ΔT1 = 9.63 ± 4.29%; ES = 0.13; p = 0.005). Flexibility significantly increased over the 12 weeks of training in Exp I (ΔT0 - T1 = 9.03 ± 3.14%; ES = 0.41; p = 0.020) and Exp II (ΔT0 - T1 = 22.96 ± 9.87%; ES = 0.35; p = 0.005). The acute and chronic differences between the two groups were not significant (p > 0.05). These results suggest the effectiveness of different exercise typologies in improving the flexibility of the posterior muscular chains in older adults. Therefore, the selection of a program to optimize training interventions could be based on the physical characteristics of the participants.

A before and after study on personality assessment in adolescents exposed to the 2009 earthquake in L'Aquila, Italy: influence of sports practice.

OBJECTIVE: To assess and estimate the personality changes that occurred before and after the 2009 earthquake in L'Aquila and to model the ways that the earthquake affected adolescents according to gender and sport practice. The consequences of earthquakes on psychological health are long lasting for portions of the population, depending on age, gender, social conditions and individual experiences. Sports activities are considered a factor with which to test the overall earthquake impact on individual and social psychological changes in adolescents. DESIGN: Before and after design. SETTING: Population-based study conducted in L'Aquila, Italy, before and after the 2009 earthquake. PARTICIPANTS: Before the earthquake, a random sample of 179 adolescent subjects who either practised or did not practise sports (71 vs 108, respectively). After the earthquake, of the original 179 subjects, 149 were assessed a second time. PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURE: Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-Adolescents (MMPI-A) questionnaire scores, in a supervised environment. RESULTS: An unbalanced split plot design, at a 0.05 significance level, was carried out using a linear mixed model with quake, sex and sports practice as predictive factors. Although the overall scores indicated no deviant behaviours in the adolescents tested, changes were detected in many individual content scale scores, including depression (A-dep score mean ± SEM: before quake =47.54±0.73; after quake =52.67±0.86) and social discomfort (A-sod score mean ± SEM: before quake =49.91±0.65; after quake =51.72±0.81). The MMPI-A profiles show different impacts of the earthquake on adolescents according to gender and sport practice. CONCLUSIONS: The differences detected in MMPI-A scores raise issues about social policies required to address the psychological changes in adolescents. The current study supports the idea that sport should be considered part of a coping strategy to assist adolescents in dealing with the psychological effects of the earthquakes on their personalities.

Comparison of self-reported and measured height and weight: implications for obesity research among young adults.

BACKGROUND: The use of self-reported data in epidemiological surveys leads to misclassification of the prevalence of obesity as the participants overestimate or underestimate height, weight and/or both. Such misclassifications vary according to gender, age, status and ethnicity. OBJECTIVES: To estimate on a sample of youth of both sexes (1) the difference between self-reported data and measured height and weight and (2) the extent of misclassification of BMI deriving from such differences. METHODS: Self-reporting in questionnaires and subsequent measurements of height and weight conducted by trained personnel. The mean values and the BMIs were calculated. RESULTS: Both sexes overestimate height (2.1 and 2.8cm for males and females, respectively), and underestimate weight (1.5 and 1.9kg for males and females, respectively). Consequently the BMI is underestimated (1.1 and 1.5 points for males and females, respectively). The classification of BMI from self-reported data shows underestimation of overweight in both sexes (8 percentage points) and of obese males (3.3 percentage points), an overestimation of normal weight (12.2 and 4.3 percentage points for males and females, respectively) and an excessive underweight in the girls (4.3 percentage points). CONCLUSIONS: There is a difference between self-reported and measured data and self-reported biases are reflected in the classification of the participants in the 4 categories of BMI.