The current state of NCAA Division I collegiate strength facilities: size, equipment, budget, staffing, and football status.

Strength and conditioning training programs are essential components of athletic performance, and the effectiveness of these programs can be linked to the strength and conditioning facilities (SCFs) used by athletes. The primary purpose of this study was to provide a statistical overview of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I SCFs, equipment and maintenance budget, and the relationship between SCF budget and staffing space, and equipment. The secondary purpose was to note differences in SCFs between those schools with and without football programs. An 84-item online survey instrument, developed with expert input from certified strength professionals, was used to collect data regarding the SCFs in NCAA Division I universities. A total of 110 valid and complete surveys were returned for a response rate of 38.6%. Results of Pearson's χ2 analysis demonstrated that the larger reported annual equipment budgets were associated with larger SCFs (χ2 = 451.4, p ≤ 0.001), greater maximum safe capacity of athletes using the facility (χ2 = 366.9, p ≤ 0.001), increased numbers of full-time coaches (χ2 = 224.2, p ≤ 0.001), and increased number of graduate assistant or intern coaches (χ2 = 102.9, p ≤ 0.001). Based on these data, it can be suggested to athletic administrators and strength and conditioning professionals at the collegiate level that budgets need to be re-evaluated as the number of personnel available to monitor student-athletes and the size and safe capacity of the facility are related to the ability of the strength and conditioning staff to safely and adequately perform their duties.

U.S. Paralympic Hopeful's Athletic Identity and How It Has Been Affected by the Sport Disruption of COVID-19.

The purpose of this study was to explore the status of Paralympic hopefuls' athletic identity and how this identity was impacted by the training and competition cessation resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Researchers conducted in-depth semi-structured interviews that explored the experiences of 29 Paralympic hopefuls who compete in thirteen different Paralympic sports. A thematic analysis yielded two superordinate themes: a) Prominent athletic identity, multiplicity over exclusivity; b) Various Impact on AI: Mental adaptation helps overcome the lack of sport participation. Participants in this study possessed prominent strong athletic identities from the benefits of sport participation. Their prioritized athletic role still remains despite setbacks due to the pandemic. However, athletes identified with multiple roles rather than an exclusive athletic identity during COVID-19. As for the impacts on identity, the severity of challenges are determined by the mindset of the athletes. All of the athletes experienced a decreased amount of time and physical participation in their sport. Paralympians whose sole focus was on the loss of physical participation were impacted the most. Athletes who felt unchallenged did so because of their mental adaptation. Through a positive outlook and mentality, athletes were able to effectively cope and not dwell on the negative aspects brought on by the pandemic. In conclusion, having a strong AI did not necessarily coincide with a negative impact on identity from COVID-19, and those who do not possess a strong AI felt their AI was unchallenged by the pandemic. More importantly, Paralympians' mindset of how they view and interpret their AI is crucial to how the individual's AI is affected by the sport disruption of COVID-19.

Well on wheels intervention: Satisfaction with life and health for adults with spinal cord injuries.

Objective/Background: To examine how demographic and injury characteristics identify satisfaction with life (SWL), and assess the differential effects of a wellness intervention by baseline SWL groups.Design: Baseline and longitudinal analysis of a randomized controlled pilot intervention using decision tree regression and linear mixed models.Setting: Community based.Participants: Seventy-two individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) were randomized to an intervention group (n = 39) or control group (n = 33). Participants were aged 44.1 ± 13.0 years and 13.1 ± 10.6 years post-injury. Most participants were male (n = 50; 69.4%) and had paraplegia (n = 38; 52.7%). Participants were classified as high versus low SWL at baseline using a cutoff score of 20.Interventions: The intervention aimed to increase self-efficacy, and in turn, increase engagement in health-promoting behaviors related to SWL. Six 4-hour in-person workshops were conducted over a 3-month period led by experts and peer-mentors who were available for support.Outcome measure(s): Self-efficacy for health practices, secondary condition severity, health-promoting behaviors, perceived stress, and SWL.Results: At baseline, participants with low SWL were recently injured (<4.5 years), while persons with high SWL were married and younger (<49 years old). Intervention participants with low SWL at baseline significantly improved SWL over time compared to those with high SWL (P = 0.02).Conclusion: Certain injury and demographic characteristics were associated with SWL, and intervention participants with low SWL at baseline improved their SWL over 2 years. Healthcare providers should consider time post-injury, marital status, and age in identifying individuals at risk for low SWL that may benefit from wellness interventions.

Differences among participants' response to a wellness intervention for individuals with spinal cord injuries.

BACKGROUND: Individuals with spinal cord injuries (SCI) often struggle with lifestyle adjustment following injury. Effective wellness interventions may aid in improving quality of life; however, treatment response heterogeneity is a concern for behavioral interventions. OBJECTIVE: To identify differences among adults with SCI who were responders and non-responders in a wellness intervention. METHODS: There were 29 persons with SCI who received a wellness intervention. Participants engaged in six in-person workshops over a 3-month period, led by wellness experts with peer mentors available. Individual intervention participant change was compared to the mean among control group participants target outcomes variables (i.e., satisfaction with life, self-efficacy for health practices, secondary conditions, health promoting behaviors, and perceived stress) to classify responders versus non-responders. RESULTS: Of the 29 participants, 18 who completed the intervention were classified as responders and 11 were non-responders. The mean age was 43.2 ±â€¯11.2 years, and years post-injury were 12.0 ±â€¯9.8. Decision tree regression analysis for demographic variables and injury characteristics showed that single/divorced participants were more likely to not respond to the intervention (52%), compared to married participants (17%). Further, participants who were single/divorced and ≤50 years old were more likely to not respond to the intervention (62%) than those who were older (25%). CONCLUSIONS: Single/divorced individuals with SCI may respond differently to behavioral wellness interventions than married individuals. Additionally, the effects of age on treatment response in behavioral interventions should be further examined. Identifying non-modifiable factors related to response heterogeneity may help guide the creation of tailored interventions specific to patient characteristics.

The effect of adaptive sports on employment among people with disabilities.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to analyse the role of adaptive sport in predicting employment for individuals with physical disabilities. METHOD: This study is cross-sectional. We collected survey data on employment and other covariates including education, age, age at disability onset, veteran status and athletic classification from 140 mobility impaired athletes who play either wheelchair rugby or wheelchair basketball. RESULTS: One hundred and thirty-one participants were studied. Our analysis shows that playing an additional year of adaptive sport is associated with an approximately 4% increase in likelihood of employment. Education and duration of disability are found to be positive predictors of employment, while veteran status and severity of injury are negative predictors of employment. Age of disability onset is not found to be a predictor of employment when other controls are included. CONCLUSIONS: This result indicates that a substantial economic benefit would result from increased participation in adaptive sport, and therefore may justify additional funding to expand adaptive sport programs. Implications for Rehabilitation Employment rates are very low among individuals with physical disabilities, despite research indicating extensive benefits from employment. Participation in adaptive sport is associated with a higher likelihood of employment. Efforts to increase participation in adaptive sport could have a large economic benefit.

Offensive tactical thinking level of wheelchair basketball players in Arab countries.

The purpose of this study was to assess the appropriateness of offensive tactical decision-making of Arab basketball players, and to determine if there are differences in the appropriateness of offensive tactical decision-making within the various disability classifications of Arab basketball players. A twenty-question survey was formulated to assess decision-making in offensive tactical situations in wheelchair basketball players. Participants in the present study were 108 athletes from 10 Arab national teams participating in wheelchair basketball. The mean offensive tactical thinking level of wheelchair basketball players in the 20 different situations in the Arab countries ranged between 1.38-2.84, and the standard deviations for these 20 means ranged from 0.41 to 0.90. The total mean of all tactical situations was 2.33, which is moderate thinking level. The influence of the disability classification on the offensive tactical thinking of wheelchair basketball players was addressed by examining the data via a one-way ANOVA. The ANOVA revealed no significant differences among disability classifications/categories in tactical thinking (F(3, 104)=1.12, p=0.34). This study represents the first attempt to identify why Arab nations have not consistently qualified for the Paralympics or World Championships. These findings indicate that the moderate offensive tactical thinking level of wheelchair basketball players on Arab national teams may be part of the reason that performances of these teams have not been as strong as they would like.