Cooking and food skills confidence of team sport athletes in Ireland.

Nutritional support often focuses on cooking and food skills such as food selection, recipe planning and meal preparation. Individuals with greater cooking and food skills confidence have previously displayed higher diet quality scores and lower intakes of overall calories, saturated fat and sugar. Despite this, the cooking and food skills of team sport athletes have yet to be investigated. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between cooking and food skills confidence and athletes' demographic characteristics. A validated measure for the assessment of cooking and food skills confidence was distributed via an online survey. Participants were required to rate their confidence on a Likert scale (1 "very poor" - 7 "very good") for 14 items related to cooking skills and 19 items for food skills. Food engagement, general health interest and self-reported fruit and vegetable consumption as a measure of diet quality were also measured. The survey was completed by 266 team sport athletes (male: 150, female: 116, age: 24.8 ± 6.1 years). Group differences were explored using t-tests and ANOVA and associations were evaluated using Spearman's correlation and hierarchical multiple regressions. Athletes' total cooking and food skills confidence was 62.7 ± 17.4 (64.0 ± 17.8%) and 83.8 ± 20.1 (63.0 ± 15.1%), respectively. Females reported greater confidence in both cooking (+20.3%, p < 0.01) and food skills (+9.2%, p < 0.01). Hierarchical multiple regressions explained 48.8% of the variance in cooking skills confidence and 44% of the variance in food skills confidence with gender, previous culinary training, cooking learning stage, general health interest and food engagement all remaining significant in the cooking skills confidence model and cooking frequency, previous culinary training, general health interest and food engagement remaining significant in the food skills confidence model. Male team sport athletes may benefit the most from educational interventions designed to increase cooking and food skills confidence.

The Prevalence of Menstrual Cycle Disorders and Menstrual Cycle-Related Symptoms in Female Athletes: A Systematic Literature Review.

BACKGROUND: Menstrual cycle (MC) disorders and MC-related symptoms can have debilitating effects on the health and performance of female athletes. As the participation of women in sports continues to increase, understanding the prevalence of a range of MC disorders and MC-related symptoms may guide preventive strategies to protect the health and optimise the performance of female athletes. OBJECTIVE: To examine the prevalence of MC disorders and MC-related symptoms among female athletes who are not using hormonal contraceptives and evaluate the assessment methods used to identify MC disorders and MC-related symptoms. METHODS: This systematic review was performed in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). Six databases were searched until September 2022 for all original research that reported the prevalence of MC disorders and/or MC-related symptoms in athletes not using hormonal contraceptives, which included the definitions of the MC disorders examined, and the assessment methods used. MC disorders included amenorrhoea, anovulation, dysmenorrhoea, heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB), luteal phase deficiency (LPD), oligomenorrhoea, premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). MC-related symptoms included any affective and physical symptoms related to the MC that do not cause significant personal, interpersonal or functional impairment. The prevalence data across eligible studies were combined, and all studies were qualitatively synthesised to evaluate the assessment methods and tools used to identify MC disorders and MC-related symptoms. The methodological quality of studies was assessed using a modified Downs and Black checklist. RESULTS: Sixty studies involving 6380 athletes were included. A wide range of prevalence was observed for all types of MC disorders, with a dearth of data on anovulation and LPD. Based on pooled data, dysmenorrhoea (32.3%; range 7.8-85.6%) was the most prevalent MC disorder. Studies reporting MC-related symptoms mostly examined the premenstrual and menstruation phases, where affective symptoms appeared more prevalent than physical symptoms. A larger proportion of athletes reported symptoms during the initial days of menstruation compared with the premenstrual phase. MC disorders and MC-related symptoms were retrospectively assessed using self-report methods in 90.0% of studies. Most studies (76.7%) in this review were graded as moderate quality. DISCUSSION: MC disorders and MC-related symptoms are commonplace among female athletes, warranting further research examining their impact on performance and preventive/management strategies to optimise athlete health. To increase the quality of future studies, researchers should adopt standardised definitions of MC disorders and assessment methods such as a combination of calendar counting, urinary ovulation tests and a mid-luteal phase serum progesterone measurement when assessing menstrual function. Similarly, standardised diagnostic criteria should be used when examining MC disorders such as HMB, PMS and PMDD. Practically, implementing prospective cycle monitoring that includes ovulation testing, mid-luteal blood sampling (where feasible) and symptom logging throughout the MC could support athletes and practitioners to promptly identify and manage MC disorders and/or MC-related symptoms. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This review has been registered in the PROSPERO database (CRD42021268757).

Does Physical Conditioning Influence Performance Attenuation and Recovery in Gaelic Football?

PURPOSE: This study investigated the influence of components of fitness on measures of performance attenuation and recovery following Gaelic football match play. METHODS: Measurements of players' anthropometric characteristics, body composition, running speed, lower-body strength and power, blood lactate concentrations, running economy, and maximal aerobic capacity (V˙O2max) were taken over 2 separate days 1 week prior to a competitive match. Creatine kinase, countermovement jump height, drop jump height, contact time, reactive strength index, and perceptual responses were tested prematch, at full time, 24 hours postmatch, and 48 hours postmatch. RESULTS: Multiple components of fitness were associated with reduced performance attenuation and improved recovery responses (adjusted R2 = 9.8%-27.6%; P < .05). Players were divided into higher-standard and lower-standard V˙O2max (higher standard: 57.4 [4.2] mL·kg-1·min-1; lower standard: 45.3 [3.8] mL·kg-1·min-1) and relative squat (higher standard: 1.46 [0.11] 1-repetition-maximum kg·body mass-1; lower standard: 1.20 [0.08] 1-repetition-maximum kg·body mass-1) groups. After adjusting for prematch baseline differences, there were significant differences between V˙O2max groups in drop jump height at 24 hours postmatch (ηp2=.078-.154; P < .05) and countermovement jump height at 48 hours postmatch (ηp2=.134; P < .05), where the lower-standard group displayed larger decrements. In addition, there were significant differences between relative squat groups at all postmatch time points in contact time (ηp2=.156-.194; P < .05) and reactive strength index (ηp2=.127-.223; P < .05) and in perceptual responses at 24 hours postmatch (ηp2=.152; P < .05), where the lower-standard group expressed larger decrements. CONCLUSION: Coaches should prioritize the development of aerobic capacity and neuromuscular function as an effective method of reducing performance attenuation and enhancing recovery kinetics in Gaelic football.

Evaluation of nutrition knowledge in elite and sub-elite Gaelic football players.

Nutrition knowledge is a key factor for consideration when evaluating the dietary intake of athletes. Positive associations have been established between higher nutrition knowledge and improved quality of dietary intake. Given the negative impact poor nutrition can have on performance and training adaptation, further investigation into athletes' nutrition knowledge is warranted. Inadequacies in Gaelic football players dietary intake have been observed however, no assessment of nutrition knowledge has been reported. This study examined players knowledge and compared results by playing level, education level, and history of nutrition education. An online survey was disseminated to a sample of male Gaelic football players (n = 152, mean age = 24.5 ± 5.9).  This included 68 club (sub-elite) and 84 inter-county players (elite). Total score was 44.3 ±  12.7%, classified as "poor" and lower than previous findings from similar sports. There were no differences between playing level, however when grouped by education level those with master's degree scored higher by 9.9% in comparison to leaving certificate (upper secondary) (P= 0.009, d = .805). Those with previous nutrition education also demonstrated higher scores by 12.5% (P<.001, d = 1.096). The evidence presented highlights that Gaelic football players may benefit from evidence-based nutrition education interventions.

Can Directed Compliant Running Reduce the Magnitude of Variables Associated With the Development of Running Injuries?

ABSTRACT: Ó Catháin, CP, Richter, C, and Moran, K. Can directed compliant running reduce the magnitude of variables associated with the development of running injuries? J Strength Cond Res 36(3): 772-780, 2022-Running is one of the most popular modes of activity worldwide and provides numerous health benefits. However, impact forces associated with the foot contacting the ground have been implicated in the development of running related injuries. As such, previous studies have used various methods to alter running to reduce the magnitude of these impact forces. However, it is unclear what kinematic changes facilitate this reduced loading or how loading further up the body changes. In this study, verbal direction was used to teach subjects to run with a more compliant running technique. Kinetic and kinematics characteristics of each subjects "normal" running technique and new "compliant technique" were measured in a fatigued and unfatigued state. Energy expenditure of each running style was also measured. Verbally directed compliant running significantly decreased (17%) vertical ground reaction force impact peaks, sacral (41%) and head (28%) impact accelerations, and increased energy expenditure (21%), in comparison with normal running. Findings suggest that verbally directed compliant running may reduce the magnitude of variables associated with the development of running injuries.

Dietary Intake of Gaelic Football Players during Game Preparation and Recovery.

It is well established that dietary intake can influence performance and modulate recovery in field-based invasion team sports such as soccer and rugby. However, very limited research currently exists examining dietary intake of Gaelic football players. This research aimed to examine the dietary intake of Gaelic football players 2 days prior to competition, on game day, and for 2 days post-competition. A five-day paper-based food diary was completed by 45 players (25 elite and 20 sub-elite). Preliminary inspection of diaries eliminated 11 participants, and analysis of Goldberg cut-offs identified 1 player as an under-reporter, leaving 33 players in the final analysis. Playing level had no effect on energy, carbohydrate, or fat intake. Average intake of energy was 2938 ± 618 kcal.day-1, carbohydrate was 3.7 ± 1.42 g.kgbm-1.day-1, and fat was 1.34 ± 0.61 g.kgbm-1.day-1. However, elite players consumed 24.1% more protein than sub-elite players (2.2 ± 0.67 vs. 1.8 ± 0.62 g.kgbm-1.day-1). Regardless of playing level, players consumed inadequate amounts of carbohydrate to support optimal performance and recovery and consumed protein and fat in line with general sport nutrition guidelines. Given the unique demands placed on Gaelic football players, it may be necessary to develop nutrition guidelines specific to Gaelic football. Additionally, the design and implementation of Gaelic football-specific education-based interventions may be necessary to address the highlighted nutritional inadequacies.

A Quality of Experience assessment of haptic and augmented reality feedback modalities in a gait analysis system.

Gait analysis is a technique that is used to understand movement patterns and, in some cases, to inform the development of rehabilitation protocols. Traditional rehabilitation approaches have relied on expert guided feedback in clinical settings. Such efforts require the presence of an expert to inform the re-training (to evaluate any improvement) and the patient to travel to the clinic. Nowadays, potential opportunities exist to employ the use of digitized "feedback" modalities to help a user to "understand" improved gait technique. This is important as clear and concise feedback can enhance the quality of rehabilitation and recovery. A critical requirement emerges to consider the quality of feedback from the user perspective i.e. how they process, understand and react to the feedback. In this context, this paper reports the results of a Quality of Experience (QoE) evaluation of two feedback modalities: Augmented Reality (AR) and Haptic, employed as part of an overall gait analysis system. The aim of the feedback is to reduce varus/valgus misalignments, which can cause serious orthopedics problems. The QoE analysis considers objective (improvement in knee alignment) and subjective (questionnaire responses) user metrics in 26 participants, as part of a within subject design. Participants answered 12 questions on QoE aspects such as utility, usability, interaction and immersion of the feedback modalities via post-test reporting. In addition, objective metrics of participant performance (angles and alignment) were also considered as indicators of the utility of each feedback modality. The findings show statistically significant higher QoE ratings for AR feedback. Also, the number of knee misalignments was reduced after users experienced AR feedback (35% improvement with AR feedback relative to baseline when compared to haptic). Gender analysis showed significant differences in performance for number of misalignments and time to correct valgus misalignment (for males when they experienced AR feedback). The female group self-reported higher utility and QoE ratings for AR when compared to male group.