Effects of additional anterior body mass on gait

BACKGROUND: Gradual increases in mass such as during pregnancy are associated with changes in gait at natural velocities. The purpose of this study was to examine how added mass at natural and imposed slow walking velocities would affect gait parameters. METHODS: Eighteen adult females walked at two velocities (natural and 25 % slower than their natural pace) under four mass conditions (initial harness only (1 kg), 4.535 kg added anteriorly, 9.07 kg added anteriorly, and final harness only (1 kg)). We collected gait kinematics (100 Hz) using a motion capture system. RESULTS: Added anterior mass decreased cycle time and stride length. Stride width decreased once the mass was removed (p < .01). Added mass resulted in smaller peak hip extension angles (p < .01). The imposed slow walking velocity increased cycle time, double limb support time and decreased stride length, peak hip extension angles, and peak plantarflexion angles (p < .01). With added anterior mass and an imposed slow walking velocity, participants decreased cycle time when mass was added and increased cycle time once the mass was removed (p < .01). CONCLUSIONS: Gait adaptations may be commensurate with the magnitude of additional mass when walking at imposed slow versus natural velocities. This study presents a method for understanding how increased mass and imposed speed might affect gait independent of other effects related to pregnancy. Examining how added body mass and speed influence gait is one step in better understanding how women adapt to walking under different conditions.K12 HD055931 - NICHD NIH HHS; K23 AR063235 - NIAMS NIH HH

Differences in Lower Extremity and Trunk Kinematics between Single Leg Squat and Step Down Tasks

The single leg squat and single leg step down are two commonly used functional tasks to assess movement patterns. It is unknown how kinematics compare between these tasks. The purpose of this study was to identify kinematic differences in the lower extremity, pelvis and trunk between the single leg squat and the step down. Fourteen healthy individuals participated in this research and performed the functional tasks while kinematic data were collected for the trunk, pelvis, and lower extremities using a motion capture system. For the single leg squat task, the participant was instructed to squat as low as possible. For the step down task, the participant was instructed to stand on top of a box, slowly lower him/herself until the non-stance heel touched the ground, and return to standing. This was done from two different heights (16cm and 24cm). The kinematics were evaluated at peak knee flexion as well as at 60° of knee flexion. Pearson correlation coefficients (r) between the angles at those two time points were also calculated to better understand the relationship between each task. The tasks resulted in kinematics differences at the knee, hip, pelvis, and trunk at both time points. The single leg squat was performed with less hip adduction (p ≤ 0.003), but more hip external rotation and knee abduction (p ≤ 0.030), than the step down tasks at 60° of knee flexion. These differences were maintained at peak knee flexion except hip external rotation was only significant in the 24cm step down task (p ≤ 0.029). While there were multiple differences between the two step heights at peak knee flexion, the only difference at 60° of knee flexion was in trunk flexion (p \u3c 0.001). Angles at the knee and hip had a moderate to excellent correlation (r = 0.51–0.98), but less consistently so at the pelvis and trunk (r = 0.21–0.96). The differences in movement patterns between the single leg squat and the step down should be considered when selecting a single leg task for evaluation or treatment. The high correlation of knee and hip angles between the three tasks indicates that similar information about knee and hip kinematics was gained from each of these tasks, while pelvis and trunk angles were less well predicted

What is ‘me time’? An exploratory investigation into the qualitative characteristics of me time for parents of preschoolers.

Me time (independent leisure) is one of the least researched phenomena in the leisure literature, with no current operational definition based on parent perspectives and descriptions. The aim of this thesis was to explore parent’s perspectives of me time; more specifically, the qualitative characteristics of me time the leisure activities they participate in, and the frequency of and satisfaction in their me time. Seventy-nine parents of preschoolers were asked about their perceptions and experiences of me time. The results showed that 70% of parents believed that purposeful me time meant that it had to be a solo experience that left them with feelings of fulfilment and enjoyment. They reported this was because they were able to choose when to engage and what activities to do in their me time. 25% of parents believed me time replenished their physical, emotional, and spiritual resources, to better face the challenges of parenting and everyday life. When asked what types of activities parents engage in during me time, the majority (70%) of parents described mindful, artistic, physical, and media-related activities. Unsurprisingly, the amount of time parents engaged in me time was positively associated with their satisfaction in me time. Our study opens avenues for researchers to continue exploring me time and work towards operationally defining this phenomenon. Future work may wish to extend the novel protocol developed in this study, expand its questions to include outcome measures, and extend it to other parent populations. Me time, especially for mothers, is overlooked within literature and society; furthering this research could shift systemic and ideological perspectives on leisure that improves parents’ psychological and physiological health and wellbeing. Further research should first focus on extending the protocol to understand me time more and to work towards a definition of me time. Additionally, there is a need to investigate me time experiences and outcomes for diverse populations, as this is severely lacking within the literature to date

Test-Retest Reliability and Minimum Detectable Change for Various Frontal Plane Projection Angles during Dynamic Tasks

Objective: Establish between-day test-retest reliability metrics for 2-dimensional frontal plane projection angles (FPPAs) during the lateral step-down (LSD), single-limb squat (SLS), single-limb landing (SLL), and drop vertical jump (DVJ). Design: Test-retest reliability study Setting: University laboratory Participants: 20 healthy adults (12 female, age = 23.60±1.93 years old, body mass index = 24.26±2.54 kg/m2) were tested on 2 separate occasions 7-14 days apart. Main Outcome Measures: Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC), standard errors of the measurement (SEM), and minimal detectable change (MDC) values across the LSD, SLS, SLL, and DVJ for the following body region variables: trunk, trunk on pelvis, pelvis, hip, thigh to vertical, knee, and shank to vertical. Results: There was moderate-to-substantial between-day test-retest reliability for nearly all body regions across all tasks (ICC = 0.65-0.96). SEM values varied across body regions and tasks (0.9-3.5 degrees). MDCs were variable (2.3-9.8 degrees). Of the body regions, MDCs were largest for the knee and hip. By task, MDCs were lowest for the LSD. Conclusions: This study identified between-day test-retest reliability metrics for 2-dimensional FPPAs across a variety of body regions during commonly assessed clinical tasks. These data allow clinicians and researchers to more confidently assess true change between assessments or over time

Bully Prevention: Creating Safe and Inclusive Environments for Youth

Bullying is a major issue facing youth of all ages, backgrounds, and walks of life. In fact, 30% of youth report experiencing bullying on a monthly basis (Nansel, Overpeck, Pilla, Ruan, Simons-Murton & Scheidt, 2001). As a consequence, these youth are at much greater risk for a host of mental and physical problems (Ttofi & Farrington, 2008). Parents, teachers, educators and youth advocates all agree that this issue merits time and attention, yet many professionals are at a loss for understanding the issue or what resources might be most effective with their young audience. With the increased rates of bullying behaviors and growing research about effective prevention and intervention strategies, youth development professionals need guidance for creating and sustaining bully prevention efforts. The purpose of this article is to highlight the growing research on bully prevention and provide information for practitioners working to create safe and inclusive environments for youth

Bully Prevention: Creating Safe and Inclusive Environments for Youth

Bullying is a major issue facing youth of all ages, backgrounds, and walks of life. In fact, 30% of youth report experiencing bullying on a monthly basis (Nansel, Overpeck, Pilla, Ruan, Simons-Murton & Scheidt, 2001). As a consequence, these youth are at much greater risk for a host of mental and physical problems (Ttofi & Farrington, 2008). Parents, teachers, educators and youth advocates all agree that this issue merits time and attention, yet many professionals are at a loss for understanding the issue or what resources might be most effective with their young audience. With the increased rates of bullying behaviors and growing research about effective prevention and intervention strategies, youth development professionals need guidance for creating and sustaining bully prevention efforts. The purpose of this article is to highlight the growing research on bully prevention and provide information for practitioners working to create safe and inclusive environments for youth

Instrumentation issues in implementation science

Abstract Background Like many new fields, implementation science has become vulnerable to instrumentation issues that potentially threaten the strength of the developing knowledge base. For instance, many implementation studies report findings based on instruments that do not have established psychometric properties. This article aims to review six pressing instrumentation issues, discuss the impact of these issues on the field, and provide practical recommendations. Discussion This debate centers on the impact of the following instrumentation issues: use of frameworks, theories, and models; role of psychometric properties; use of ‘home-grown’ and adapted instruments; choosing the most appropriate evaluation method and approach; practicality; and need for decision-making tools. Practical recommendations include: use of consensus definitions for key implementation constructs; reporting standards (e.g., regarding psychometrics, instrument adaptation); when to use multiple forms of observation and mixed methods; and accessing instrument repositories and decision aid tools. Summary This debate provides an overview of six key instrumentation issues and offers several courses of action to limit the impact of these issues on the field. With careful attention to these issues, the field of implementation science can potentially move forward at the rapid pace that is respectfully demanded by community stakeholders