Delphi developed syllabus for the medical specialty of sport and exercise medicine: part 2.

Training in the medical specialty of sport and exercise medicine (SEM) is available in many, but not all countries. In 2015, an independent Delphi group, the International Syllabus in Sport and Exercise Medicine Group (ISSEMG), was formed to create a basic syllabus for this medical specialty. The group provided the first part of this syllabus, by identifying 11 domains and a total of 80 general learning areas for the specialty, in December 2017. The next step in this process, and the aim of this paper was to determine the specific learning areas for each of the 80 general learning areas. A group of 26 physicians with a range of primary medical specialty qualifications including, Sport and Exercise Medicine, Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Cardiology, Rheumatology and Anaesthetics were invited to participate in a multiple round online Delphi study to develop specific learning areas for each of the previously published general learning areas. All invitees have extensive clinical experience in the broader sports medicine field, and in one or more components of sports medicine governance at national and/or international level. SEM, Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Cardiology, Rheumatology and Anaesthetics were invited to participate in a multiple round online Delphi study to develop specific learning areas for each of the previously published general learning areas. All invitees have extensive clinical experience in the broader sports medicine field, and in one or more components of sports medicine governance at national and/or international level. The hierarchical syllabus developed by the ISSEMG provides a useful resource in the planning, development and delivery of specialist training programmes in the medical specialty of SEM.

Influence of intensity of physical activity on adiposity and cardiorespiratory fitness in 5-18 year olds.

Physical activity (PA) is being increasingly promoted in children in an attempt to curb the rising epidemic of childhood obesity and its future consequences of obesity and cardiovascular diseases in adulthood. Although many reviews and guidelines have been published regarding PA in children and adolescents, none have specifically focused on the influence of intensity of activity on the crucial health aspects of fatness and cardiorespiratory fitness. Therefore, we conducted an online search for pertinent literature and reviewed 25 studies for this purpose. We found that there were limited studies that assessed the influence of 'intensity' of PA on health parameters, and there was considerable inconsistency in defining the thresholds for moderate (MPA) and vigorous (VPA) levels of PA. Collectively, we concluded that VPA is a significant predictor of fatness and significantly correlated to fitness. The association between the intensity of PA and cardiorespiratory fitness is more obscure compared with fatness because of limited studies and the varying conclusions made by them. However, decreased adiposity and increased aerobic capacity have been observed with participants who spent more time performing VPA. Further research needs to be undertaken to arrive at uniform thresholds for defining MPA and VPA and to obtain the exact dose of VPA and MPA, individually, to increase aerobic fitness and decrease adiposity.