The effects of different levels of sports activity on health-related quality of life and lifestyle habits in high school Italian students.

Physical activity (PA) is an important predictor of physical and mental health preventing chronic degenerative diseases. The purpose of this study was to investigate in a group of Italian high school students whether health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and lifestyle habits (diet) are associated with the level of physical activity performed (low, moderate, high). Data were collected from 2819 adolescents (n = 951 males). HRQoL was analyzed using the Italian version of the KIDSCREEN-52. Physical activity level was analyzed using the PAQ-A, while eating habits with KIDMED. Practicing physical activity in general improves HRQoL. Specifically, adolescents practicing moderate or high PA, in single dimensions of HRQoL, showed better mood (p < 0.001), self-perception (p < 0.001), family relationships (p < 0.001), reported a higher perception of socioeconomic status (p < 0.05), relationship with peers (p < 0.001), and social acceptance (p < 0.001). High PA subjects reported increased physical (p < 0.001) and mental health (p < 0.001), increased autonomy (p < 0.001), and school learning (p < 0.001). For lifestyle habits, practicing moderate PA showed higher adherence tox the Mediterranean diet (p < 0.001). Conclusion: Our results highlighted a positive association between the frequency of PA levels, some dimensions of HRQoL, and risk behaviors. These findings demonstrated the protective role of sports not only as a preventive strategy for the onset of chronic degenerative diseases, but also as an educator of healthy lifestyle habits, thus suggesting the importance and need to implement strategies to promote sports practice.

Exercise addiction: a comparison between runners, cyclists, swimmers, and triathletes / Dependência ao exercício: uma comparação entre corredores, ciclistas, nadadores e triatletas / Adicción al ejercicio: una comparación entre corredores, ciclistas, nadadores y triatletas

The aim of the present study was to evaluate and compare exercise addiction (EA) between runners, cyclists, swimmers, and triathletes. Took part in this study 39 runners, 32 cyclists, 30 swimmers and 38 triathletes. Exercise Dependence Scale (EDS), and the Exercise Addiction Inventory (EAI) was used to evaluate the EA and classified the participants into: at-risk for EA, nondependent-symptomatic, and nondependent-asymptomatic. Most participants were classified as nondependent symptomatic for EA. The EDS total score was significantly lower in the swimmers compared to the cyclists and triathletes and the EAI total score was significantly higher for cyclists compared to runners. Therefore, in both instruments, the majority of participants was nondependent symptomatic for EA.

O objetivo do presente estudo foi avaliar e comparar a dependência ao exercício (DE) entre corredores, ciclistas, nadado-res e triatletas. Participaram do estudo 39 corredores, 32 ciclistas, 30 nadadores e 38 triatletas. As escalas Exercise Dependence Scale (EDS) e Exercise Addiction Inventory (EAI) foram usadas para a ava-liação da DE e classificaram os participantes em três categorias: em risco de DE, não dependente sintomático e não dependente assintomático. A maioria dos participantes foram classificadas como não dependentes sintomáticos para DE. O escore da EDS foi significativamente menor nos nadadores comparado aos ciclistas e triatletas e o escore total da EAI foi significantemente maior nos ciclistas comparado aos corredores. Portanto, em ambos os ins-trumentos, a maioria dos participantes foi não dependente sinto-mático para DE.

El objetivo del presente estudio fue evaluar y comparar la adicción al ejercicio (AE) entre corredores, ciclistas, nadadores y triatletas. Participaron de este estudio 39 corredores, 32 ciclistas, 30 nadadores y 38 triatletas. La Escala de Dependencia al Ejercicio (EDS) y el Inventario de Adicción al Ejercicio (EAI) fueron utilizados para evaluar la AE y clasificaron a los participantes en tres categorías: en riesgo de AE, no dependiente-sintomático y no dependiente-asintomático. La mayoría de los participantes se clasificaron como no dependiente-sintomático para AE. La puntuación EDS fue significativamente menor en nadadores en comparación con ciclistas y triatletas y la puntuación EAI total fue significativamente mayor en ciclistas en comparación con corredores. Por lo tanto, en ambos instrumentos, la mayoría de los participantes eran sintomáticos no dependientes para AE.

Exercise addiction: a comparison between runners, cyclists, swimmers, and triathletes / Dependência ao exercício: uma comparação entre corredores, ciclistas, nadadores e triatletas / dicción al ejercicio: una comparación entre corredores, ciclistas, nadadores y triatletas

The aim of the present study was to evaluate and compare exercise addiction (EA) between runners, cyclists, swimmers, and triathletes. Took part in this study 39 runners, 32 cyclists, 30 swimmers and 38 triathletes. Exercise Dependence Scale (EDS), and the Exercise Addiction Inventory (EAI) was used to evaluate the EA and classified the participants into: at-risk for EA, nondependent-symptomatic, and nondependent-asymptomatic. Most participants were classified as nondependent symptomatic for EA. The EDS total score was significantly lower in the swimmers compared to the cyclists and triathletes and the EAI total score was significantly higher for cyclists compared to runners. Therefore, in both instruments, the majority of participants was nondependent symptomatic for EA (AU).

O objetivo do presente estudo foi avaliar e comparar a dependência ao exercício (DE) entre corredores, ciclistas, nadadores e triatletas. Participaram do estudo 39 corredores, 32 ciclistas, 30 nadadores e 38 triatletas. As escalas Exercise Dependence Scale (EDS) e Exercise Addiction Inventory (EAI) foram usadas para a avaliação da DE e classificaram os participantes em três categorias: em risco de DE, não dependente sintomático e não dependente assintomático. A maioria dos participantes foram classificadas como não dependentes sintomáticos para DE. O escore da EDS foi significativamente menor nos nadadores comparado aos ciclistas e triatletas e o escore total da EAI foi significantemente maior nos ciclistas comparado aos corredores. Portanto, em ambos os instrumentos, a maioria dos participantes foi não dependente sintomático para DE (AU).

El objetivo del presente estudio fue evaluar y comparar la adicción al ejercicio (AE) entre corredores, ciclistas, nadadores y triatletas. Participaron de este estudio 39 corredores, 32 ciclistas, 30 nadadores y 38 triatletas. La Escala de Dependencia al Ejercicio (EDS) y el Inventario de Adicción al Ejercicio (EAI) fueron utilizados para evaluar la AE y clasificaron a los participantes en tres categorías: en riesgo de AE, no dependiente-sintomático y no dependiente-asintomático. La mayoría de los participantes se clasificaron como no dependiente-sintomático para AE. La puntuación EDS fue significativamente menor en nadadores en comparación con ciclistas y triatletas y la puntuación EAI total fue significativamente mayor en ciclistas en comparación con corredores. Por lo tanto, en ambos instrumentos, la mayoría de los participantes eran sintomáticos no dependientes para AE

Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Injuries Related to Individual and Team Sports: An Analysis of the NEISS Database Between 2017 and 2021.

Background: The first 2 years of the coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic had a profound effect on youth sports participation. Purpose: The primary aim of this study was to explore the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on youth sports injury patterns, with a secondary aim of comparing organized team and individual sport-related injuries in diverse age groups. Study Design: Descriptive epidemiology study. Methods: The National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) was searched to identify injuries sustained by patients aged 11 to 23 years while playing organized team or individual sports from 2017 to 2021. We investigated reports of concussions, dislocations, fractures, and sprains/strains. Results: Between 2017 and 2021, there were 58,721 and 3778 team and individual sport-related injuries, respectively. When compared with the prepandemic years, there was a 57.07% decrease in 2020 and 22.31% decrease in 2021 for the number of organized team sport-related injuries. Organized individual sport-related injuries had a 56.24% and 35.18% decrease in number in 2020 and 2021, respectively. Male patients were most likely to be injured in team sports (81.0%), and female patients were most likely to be injured in individual sports (67.1%). High school athletes sustained the majority of injuries in team (57.0%) and individual (51.2%) sports. The years 2020 and 2021 saw a decrease in proportion of sprains/strains and an increase in proportion of fractures. Conclusion: The number of organized sport-related injuries reported to emergency departments decreased in 2020, and despite vaccinations and easing of social distancing, the 2021 value did not return to what it was prepandemic. As coronavirus-related restrictions have eased, there should be careful monitoring of sports injuries among youth athletes.

Association Between Sports Participation and Psychosocial Wellbeing of Australian Children: An 8-year Longitudinal Study.

PURPOSE: Sports participation is associated with children's health and wellbeing; however, existing evidence is predominantly based on cross-sectional studies. This study examined the longitudinal association of sports participation with psychosocial wellbeing of Australian children. METHODS: Data were from five waves of the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children aged 6-7 years in 2010 (n = 4,242) and followed up until 2018. Outcomes were assessed using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire and the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory. Sports participation was measured using two items assessing regular participation in team and individual sports. RESULTS: Multilevel mixed effects modeling showed that any sports participation was beneficially associated with psychosocial wellbeing. Boys who participated in team sports had 1.78 point lower difficulties score (ß = -1.78; 95% confidence interval: --2.01,-1.55), while this was 0.58 points lower for individual sports (ß =-0.58; -0.81,-0.34). In girls, difficulties score was 1.22 point lower for team sports (ß = -1.22; -1.44,-1.00) and 0.49 point lower for individual sports (ß = -0.49; -0.71,-0.26). Sports participation was positively associated with better quality of life with team sports (ß = 4.72; 4.15,5.28 for boys; ß = 3.44; 2.87,4.00 for girls) offering more benefits than individual sports (ß = 1.00; 0.83,1.98 for boys; ß = 1.40; 0.83,1.98 for girls). Participation in both team and individual sports had the strongest benefits. Prolonged engagement in sports was associated with better psychosocial wellbeing in a dose-dependent manner. DISCUSSION: Regular participation in any sports can benefit children's wellbeing with team sports being more beneficial than individual sports. Encouraging children to regularly participate and remain engaged in sports can help to optimize their psychosocial wellbeing.

Team Cohesion in Individual/Team Sports Athletes: Transformational Leadership and the Role of Social norms.

Team cohesion is a critical factor in sports, yet few studies have comparatively analyzed individual and team sport athletes in sporting situations. The purpose of this study was to identify the relationship between transformational leadership, social norms, and team cohesion, and to analyze the moderating effects of individual/team sports athletes. In 2022, a total of 196 baseball, judo, soccer, taekwondo, and hockey players registered with the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee completed a questionnaire using transformational leadership, social norms, and team cohesion scales. Transformational leadership had a significant positive effect on social norms and team cohesion. Social norms had a significant positive effect on team cohesion. Transformational leadership and the interaction of individual/team sports athletes had a significant effect on team cohesion. At this time, individual sports athletes appeared to have somewhat higher team cohesion. This study sheds light on the social norms and team cohesion of athletes from a social moral perspective based on transformational leadership theory. It can also help young athletes who are just starting out to learn the culture and sociology of sports.

Trends and determinants of organised sports participation in immigrant and Australian children: A nine-year follow-up.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to examine trends and determinants of organised sports participation among children of immigrant parents from low-and-middle-income countries, high-income countries, and Australian children. DESIGN: Longitudinal (nine-year follow-up). METHODS: Data were from the birth-cohort of Australian Children aged 6-15 years with follow-up between 2010 and 2018. Organised sports participation was measured using two items about regular participation in team and individual sports. Multilevel logit modelling was used to assess the determinants of organised sports participation across groups. RESULTS: Both team sports participation and individual sports participation increased between 6 and 11 years and declined between 11 and 15 years across the three groups. Children of immigrant parents from low-and-middle-income countries (OR 0.65; 95 % CI 0.57-0.74) and high-income countries (OR 0.82; 95 % CI 0.76-0.89) had lower odds of team sports participation than Australian children. Children of immigrant parents from low-and-middle-income countries had lower odds of team sports participation (OR 0.79; 95 % CI 0.69-0.90) than children of immigrant parents from high-income countries. Female children, high screen time, high psychological difficulties, increased number of siblings and low socio-economic position were identified as determinants of lower team and individual sports participation. CONCLUSIONS: The present study identified evidence of disparities in organised sports participation among children of immigrant parents and Australian children. Multilevel and multicomponent interventions to promote children's organised sports participation should be prioritised, with a focus on children of the female sex, older children, children with lower socioeconomic status, and children with higher screen time and higher psychological difficulties.

Practices of strength and conditioning coaches in professional sports: a systematic review.

The practices of strength and conditioning (S&C) coaches have been reported in various professional sports. This study aims to comprehensively assess this available evidence to help establish whether theoretical, practical, and evidence-based guidelines align with the practices employed by these experienced S&C coaches. Three databases were searched (PubMed, SPORTDiscus, and Cochrane) until November 2020. Studies surveying the practices of S&C coaches in professional sports using a survey design with common questions, written in English, and published in peer-reviewed journals were reviewed. Eight studies (n = 318 S&C coaches) were finally included. All studies adapted a similar survey, providing a strong basis for comparison between sports. Periodization strategies were widely used (89%), with training volume consistently reduced during the in-season period. Olympic weightlifting was commonly used across sports, except in baseball (29%). Plyometric exercises were predominantly prescribed for speed development (74%) and lower body power (68%), which were mostly programed as complex training (45%) and conducted all year round (52%). Flexibility exercises were mostly performed before practice (83%) for 6-10 min (40%). Physical tests were mainly conducted during the preseason period (66%), with body composition (86%) being the most used test. S&C coaches generally adhered to current guidelines and research in S&C concerning training prescription and physical testing. Whereas, intersport differences were also noted and further discussed. Results of this study can be used by S&C coaches to plan, implement, and review their professional practices. Furthermore, may inform the development of general and sport-specific guidelines, and future research in S&C.

Anxiety and Sleep Quality Amelioration in College Students: A Comparative Study between Team Sports and Individual Sports.

BACKGROUND: Anxiety is one of the most common mental disorders and is often accompanied by sleep disturbances. Studies have focused on the ameliorative effect of sports games on anxiety and its subsidiary issues. However, the effect on the improvement of such mental and physical disorders between individual sports and team group sports is not yet clear, especially regarding their effects on anxiety and sleep quality improvement. Therefore, this paper explores the improvement effects of individual sports and team sports participation on anxiety symptoms and sleep quality amelioration. OBJECTIVE: To explore the effects of individual and team group sports participation on ameliorating college students' anxiety symptoms and sleep quality. METHODS: A total of 197 college students were sampled in the study. The self-rating anxiety scale (SAS) and Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) were used to assess the severity of anxiety symptoms and level of sleep quality. Participants were randomly divided into three groups: team sports, individual sports, and control groups. The distribution ratio of these groups was 1:1:1. RESULTS: Generally, compared with the control group, the subjects in the team sports group and individual sports group had greater improvements in anxiety amelioration and sleep quality improvements. Specifically, the improvement effect between individual and team sports groups was different. To assess the resulting differences, improvements in anxiety symptoms and sleep quality were compared between the team sports group and the individual sports group with reference to the mean change in the control group. In the corrected model, the odds advantage ratio (OR) of anxiety symptom improvement after individual sports was 3.18 (CI 2.87-11.21), and the advantage OR of anxiety symptom improvement after team sports was 4.99 (CI 4.06-14.87). The advantage OR of sleep quality improvement after individual sports was 7.32 (CI 5.53-18.22), and the advantage OR of anxiety symptom improvement after team sports was 7.98 (CI 6.69-19.98). CONCLUSION: After 6 weeks of intervention, it was found that both team sports and individual sports improved anxiety symptoms and sleep quality with different effects. Team sports were better at improving anxiety, while individual sports and team sports shared the same improvement effect with no significant difference in sleep quality improvement.

The Birthplace Effect in 14-18-Year-Old Athletes Participating in Competitive Individual and Team Sports.

The birthplace (the place where an athlete was born) effect (BPE) has been found to be one of the environmental variables associated with early talent development and the achievement of a high level of proficiency in sport. The purpose of the current study is twofold: (1) to calculate the BPE in 14-18-year-old athletes who participated in individual and team sports and (2) examine how coaches perceived this effect. The participants were 1397 athletes (390 females and 1007 males) who competed in 5 individual (gymnastics, judo, swimming, tennis, and track and field) and 5 team (basketball, soccer, team handball, volleyball, and water polo) sports, as well as 147 coaches who provided their preliminary thoughts about the BPE. Data analyses revealed that although the BPE was not found to be associated with cities of a similar size, it was observed that growing up in cities of small and medium sizes was more beneficial than growing up in towns or cities of other sizes. Most of the coaches believed that certain characteristics of the place or city where the athlete grew up (e.g., proximity to sport facilities) could contribute positively to the athlete's development. We discuss how the BPE data can aid policymakers in developing a sport policy associated with early phases of talent development.

Self-reported current sleep behaviors of adult athletes from different competitive levels and sports.

OBJECTIVES: To quantify self-reported current sleep behaviors in a range of adult athletes. In addition, to determine any differences in sleep duration and sleep quality, depending on sport type and competitive level. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 313 athletes (243 male, 70 female), competing in a variety of sports and competitive level, completed the Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) and a questionnaire which captured current sleep behaviors. Sleep quality was calculated using the global PSQI score (≥ 5 indicative of poor sleep quality). RESULTS: On average, athletes self-reported sleep duration was 7:34 ± 1:00 h:min. Overall, 19% of athletes achieved less than 7 h of sleep, 50% achieved less than 8 h. Global PSQI score was 5.0 ± 2.4, with poor sleep quality found in 55% of athletes. Sleep duration was significantly shorter in runners compared to basketball, soccer and rugby players (p < 0.05). Recreational athletes slept significantly less (7:08 ± 0:54 h:min) than competitive (7:32 ± 1:00 h:min), national (7:50 ± 1:00 h:min) and elite level athletes (7:49 ± 0:51 h:min). No differences in sleep quality were found between sport or competitive level. DISCUSSION: Half of the athletes failed to achieve 8 h of sleep per night and the majority reported compromised sleep quality. Sport type and competitive level may influence sleep duration; however, these factors do not seem to cause discrepancies in sleep quality. This study provides novel data into the sleep behaviors of adult athletes, and suggests strategies to improve sleep duration and quality may be warranted.

Different Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Exercise Indexes and Mood States Based on Sport Types, Exercise Dependency and Individual Characteristics.

Exercise indexes have been affected by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and its related restrictions among athletes. In the present study, we investigated the exercise frequency and intensity before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, and also current exercise dependency and mood state among non-contact individual, contact individual, and team sports athletes. A total of 1353 athletes from non-contact individual sports athletes (NCISA), contact individual sports athletes (CISA) and team sport athletes (TSA) participated; 45.4% of them were females that completed a series of self-rating questionnaires covering sociodemographic information, former and current exercise patterns, exercise dependency and mood states. NCISA had less exercise frequency than CISA, both before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, and NCISA had less exercise frequency than TSA during the COVID-19 pandemic. Regarding exercise intensity, CISA had higher scores than NCISA and TSA before the COVID-19 pandemic, and CISA had more exercise intensity than TSA during the COVID-19 pandemic. Frequency and intensity were reduced from before to during the COVID-19 pandemic in the three groups, except for TSA intensity. In addition, positive and negative mood states were correlated with exercise dependency. CISA were more discouraged and vigorous than NCISA and TSA, respectively. For NCISA, CISA, and TSA, ordinal regressions separately showed that adherence to quarantine and exercise dependency were better predictors of exercise indexes. Finally, exercise dependency subscales were different among sports, but it was not in exercise dependency itself. Although the decrease in exercise indexes was noticeable, there was no consistent pattern of change in exercise behavior in all sports. Additionally, during the COVID-19 pandemic, negative moods were predominant among all athletes. The results discussed are based on exercise nonparticipating, sport type, and affect regulation hypothesis.

Relative Age Effect in 14- to 18-Year-Old Athletes and Their Initial Approach to This Effect-Has Anything Changed Over the Past 10 Years?

One of the environmental variables associated with early talent development and the achievement of a high level of proficiency in sport is the relative age effect (RAE). The purpose of our study was threefold: (a) to calculate the RAE in young Israeli athletes (ages 14-18 years); (b) to examine how the athletes perceived this effect, if the effect indeed exists; and (c) to compare the RAE findings of this study with those of two previous studies on elite male (Lidor et al., 2010) and female (Lidor et al., 2014) Israeli ballplayers. Participants in the current study were 1,397 athletes (390 females and 1,007 males) who competed in five individual (gymnastics, judo, swimming, tennis, and track and field) and five team (basketball, soccer, team handball, volleyball, and water polo) sports. Data on the RAE, as well as on a number of aspects associated with this effect as perceived by the athletes, were collected via two closed questions. Data analyses showed that the RAE was found to be significant among the male athletes in four sports-swimming, basketball, soccer, and team handball; those who were born early in the year had a higher representation in these sport programs. However, this effect was not found to be significant in the female athletes. Most of the female and male athletes did not think that their birth date influenced their athletic success. However, a large portion of those who were born in the first quarter of the year (Q1) and the second quarter of the year (Q2) among the male athletes felt that they exhibited stronger abilities in the sports program compared to their peers who were born in the third and fourth quarters of the year (Q3 and Q4, respectively). The data of the current study provide additional support for the use of an "open door" approach to accepting children to sport programs by policymakers and coaches in Israel.

Research in Another un-Examined (RAE) context. A chronology of 35 years of relative age effect research in soccer: is it time to move on?

It is approximately 35 years since the publication of the first relative age effect paper in sport and despite the volume of empirical studies, book chapters, conference presentations, and column inches dedicated to this topic we appear to be no further on in eliminating or attenuating this discriminatory practice. This commentary argues that the ongoing use of univariate methods, focusing on primary or secondary analyses of birth-date data, unearthed from previously un-examined contexts is not conducive to stimulating discussion or providing empirical solutions to relative age effects. This paper concludes by suggesting a departure from the traditionally narrow view of relative age inquiry and instead consider the role of transdisciplinary research.

Prevalence of poor sleep quality in athletes before competition.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to investigate athletes sleep quality before competition and its relationship with age, gender, sport modality, competitive level, competition result, and practice time. METHODS: The sample was 1010 Brazilian athletes (656 men and 354 women; 511 young and 499 adults), with an age of 20 ± 7 years old. Participants answered the question 'How would you evaluate the quality of your sleep in the past few days?' Participants rated their sleep quality on a Likert-type scale as follows: 1 = very poor, 2 = poor, 3 = regular, 4 = good, 5 = excellent. RESULTS: Young athletes were 2.30 times more likely to experience poor sleep than adult athletes (p < 0.01; 95% Confidence Interval [CI] = 1.47-3.61). Individual athletes were 3.45 times more likely to present poor sleep compared to athletes of team sports (p = 0.00; 95% CI = 2.18-5.48). International athletes were 1.71 times more likely to present regular sleep compared to regional athletes (p = 0.01; 95% CI = 1.16-2.51). Conclusions: Thus, our study indicates that young, individual sports, and international athletes may be at higher risk of poor sleep quality before competitions.

Is There a Relationship Between Workload and Occurrence of Back Pain and Back Injuries in Athletes?

The back is subjected to a great deal of strain in many sports. Up to 20% of all sports injuries involve an injury to the lower back or neck. Repetitive or high impact loads (e.g., running, gymnastics, skiing) and weight loading (e.g., weightlifting) affect the lower back. Rotation of the torso (e.g., golf, tennis) causes damage to both, the lumbar and thoracic spine. The cervical spine is most commonly injured in contact sports (e.g., boxing, football). One of the factors that increases the odds of injuries in athletes is excessive and rapid increases in training loads. In spite of currently emerging evidence on this issue, little is known about the balance between physiological loading on the spine and athletic performance, versus overloading and back pain and/or injury in athletes. This scoping review aims (i) to map the literature that addresses the association between the training load and the occurrence of back pain and/or injury, especially between the Acute:Chronic Workload Ratio (ACWR) and back problems in athletes of individual and team sports, and (ii) to identify gaps in existing literature and propose future research on this topic. A literature search of six electronic databases (i.e., MEDLINE, PubMed, Web of Science, SCOPUS, SportDiscus, and CINAHL) was conducted. A total of 48 research articles met the inclusion criteria. Findings identified that fatigue of the trunk muscles induced by excessive loading of the spine is one of the sources of back problems in athletes. In particular, high training volume and repetitive motions are responsible for the high prevalence rates. The most influential are biomechanical and physiological variations underlying the spine, though stress-related psychological factors should also be considered. However, limited evidence exists on the relationship between the ACWR and back pain or non-contact back injuries in athletes from individual and team sports. This may be due to insufficiently specified the acute and chronic time window that varies according to sport-specific schedule of competition and training. More research is therefore warranted to elucidate whether ACWR, among other factors, is able to identify workloads that could increase the risk of back problems in athletes.

Relationship of participation in specific sports to academic performance in adolescents: A 2-year longitudinal study.

Physical activity is considered a promising behavior to improve cognitive function and academic performance in adolescents. As evidence on the relationship of specific sports activity is not conclusive, this study aimed to determine the longitudinal relationships of different sports to academic performance in adolescents and evaluate the cardiorespiratory fitness mediation effect of these sports. We focused on the demands of complex motor skills and the differences between individual sports vs team sports. Four hundred and sixty-three 7th-grade students (227 girls and 236 boys) were followed up over 2 years. Data regarding participation in sports activities, types of sports activities, academic performance, and cardiorespiratory fitness were obtained at baseline and after a 2-year follow-up. Structural equation modeling revealed that participation in all sports activity was positively associated with improvement of academic performance from baseline to follow-up, and that these associations were mediated by cardiorespiratory fitness gains. Participation in sports activities that require more complex motor skills and individual sports activity was directly associated with an improvement of academic performance from baseline to follow-up. Furthermore, quitting sports activities was negatively associated with academic performance via a reversal in cardiorespiratory fitness gains. These findings indicate that participation in specific sports may have significant benefits for academic performance in adolescents. Although these relationships are presumably mediated by cardiorespiratory fitness, sports activities that require more complex motor skills and individual sports participation may be directly related to academic performance. Considering that quitting sports activities reversed these benefits, sustained participation in sports is important for academic success.

From secondary school to university: associations between sport participation and total and domain-specific sedentary behaviours in Spanish students.

Effective ways to reduce sedentary behaviour in adolescents are needed to mitigate the risk of chronic disease and poor mental health. Organised sport participation is the most practiced physical activity during adolescence. However, the influence sport participation has on sedentary behaviours remains unclear. This study investigated the associations between sport participation, total and domain-specific sedentary behaviour and physical activity during the transition from secondary school to university. A 3-year longitudinal survey followed Spanish secondary school students (n = 113) to their first year of university. Generalized linear models, adjusted by gender and year, assessed the relationships between sport participation, total and domain-specific sedentary behaviour and physical activity. Compared with non-sport participants, teenagers who played individual sports from baseline during secondary school spent significantly less total time sitting (- 110.5 min/day at weekends), watching television (- 18.7 min/day at weekends) or using the computer for leisure (- 37.4 min/day weekdays). Those who played team sports from baseline at secondary school spent less time sitting (- 126.4 min/day at weekends) or socialising (- 37 min/day at weekends)Conclusion: From secondary school to university, sport participation-based interventions might be an effective strategy to reduce sitting time spent on some domain-specific behaviours. Promoting sports could reduce the rise of sedentary behaviour during adolescence, a stage where sedentary behaviour evolves. What is Known: • Sitting too much and for too long is an important risk factor during adolescence. • Replacing adolescent's sedentary time with moderate-to-vigorous physical activity has been associated with a better quality of life. What is New: • Playing sport is associated with spending less time in total SB on the transition from high school to college. • Not all SB domains are linked to sport participation with associations differing from whether participants played individual or team sports.

Achievement-Motivated Behavior in Individual Sports: Evidence for the Construct and Criterion Validity of the AMBIS-I Coach-Rating Scale.

The coach-rating scale for Achievement-Motivated Behavior in Individual Sports (AMBIS-I) was constructed to measure achievement motivation, not from athletes' own views but from coaches' perspectives. The tool was already checked for reliability as well as content, factorial, and concurrent criterion validity (Zuber and Conzelmann, 2019). To further establish construct and criterion validity, two different samples were involved. Sample 1 included 67 experienced coaches rating their 278 athletes on the three AMBIS-I dimensions proactivity, ambition and commitment. In sample 2, 157 athletes completed self-report questionnaires measuring motivational and volitional concepts. Congruent and discriminant construct validity were assessed using the QCV-procedure (Westen and Rosenthal, 2003) by comparing experts' predicted and empirically observed correlations between the coaches' ratings on the AMBIS-I with the self-ratings of validated instruments. Consistent with theoretical expectations, achievement goal orientations, self-determination and self-optimization show significant positive relationships to the AMBIS-I scales, the negatively formulated volitional concepts, negative ones. As indicated by the 0.87 ≤ ralerting-CV ≤ 0.95, the general patterns of the expert's predictions triangulate consistently with the observed correlations. The findings concerning absolute agreement were mixed. Even though the ICCs suggest sufficient to good consistency, the values of rcontrast-CV are considerably lower. To indicate criterion validity, AMBIS-I display medium to large correlations with the actual performance level estimated by the coaches and small to medium correlations with the assigned potential for subsequent success one year later. In summary, we found solid indications, that AMBIS-I is a valid measure of achievement-motivated behavior in individual sports from coaches' perspective.

More Success With the Optimal Motivational Pattern? A Prospective Longitudinal Study of Young Athletes in Individual Sports.

It is widely recognized that motivation is an important determinant for a successful sports career. Specific patterns of motivational constructs have recently demonstrated promising associations with future success in team sports like football and ice hockey. The present study scrutinizes whether those patterns also exist in individual sports and whether they are able to predict future performance levels. A sample of 155 young individual athletes completed questionnaires assessing achievement goal orientations, achievement motives, and self-determination at t1. The person-oriented method linking of clusters after removal of a residue (LICUR) was used to form clusters based on these motivational constructs in order to analyze the relations between these clusters and the performance level 2.5 years later (t2). Similar to the studies in team sports, four motivational patterns were observed at t1. The highly intrinsically achievement-oriented athletes were much more likely to compete internationally [odds ratio (OR) = 2.12], compared to the failure-fearing athletes (OR = 0.29). Although team and individual sports differ in many respects, they nevertheless are characterized by similar and thus generalizable career-promoting motivational profiles: Regardless of the type of sport, the highly intrinsically achievement-oriented athletes consistently have the best potential for success.