Heart rate variability as a possible predictor of sport performance in junior rhythmic gymnastics

BACKGROUND: Heart rate variability may reveal sensitive information about the athletes’ physiological adaptation when exercising for sport performance. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to demonstrate whether heart rate variability (HRV) measurements were able to predict sport results and determine which type of measurements, at rest or during routines, were relevant in anticipating the performance. METHOD: Ten female gymnasts, aged 11–14 years old, and 16 age-matched non-active adolescents participated in this study. HRV was measured at rest for 10 minutes and throughout the training routines one week prior to competition. Correlations and multivariate analysis determined the parameters predicting performance. Significance was set at p⩽ 0.05. Results: At rest, the gymnasts displayed higher HRV values than controls. At rest, sympathetic parameters correlated with sport results whereas no correlation was observed during routines. The magnitude of the predictive factors highlighted the importance of Ln SD2 (coefficient =−117, 95CI −130 to −106), Ln RMSSD (coefficient =−24.5, 95CI −29.2 to −19.8), Ln pNN50 (coefficient =−10.7, 95CI −11.5 to −9.9), and Ln Total power (coefficient =−2.5, 95CI −13.4 to −11.5). CONCLUSIONS: HRV at rest may predict results in competition, being a complementary tool for coaches

Sports Training during COVID-19 First Lockdown—A Romanian Coaches’ Experience

COVID-19 restrictions impacted sports training and its human resources. The purpose of this study was to highlight the difficulties faced by Romanian coaches while carrying out online training during the first lockdown. It was assumed that the training coordinates were significantly influenced by distance coaching and that the coaches’ self-perceived efficacy was related to their digital skills. The study involved 407 coaches (62.16% men, 37.84% women), with a mean age of 41.7 ± 10.01 years, who completed an online questionnaire with 16 items. The statistics analysis was both quantitative and qualitative, with a significance level of 95%. T test was used for the training duration and for the differences between the coaches’ seniority. Chi-squared test was applied between sports branches and Anova for the non-parametric data. Correlations and regression model were performed to estimate the relationship between variables. It was revealed that 87.22% of the coaches adjusted their initial objectives and that the IT tools were provided through coaches’ own financial resources for 83.05% of them. Overall, 51.84% of the coaches failed to engage all athletes in online training; for the rest of them, an association with their professional experience and sports branches was demonstrated (χ2(8) = 34.688, p = 0.001). ANOVA confirmed that the ability to use IT tools influenced online training efficiency at p < 0.005. The results emphasized that Romanian coaches encountered difficulties related to training programming, IT use, with consequences on their professional self-efficacy

Barriers and Facilitators for the Romanian Older Adults in Enjoying Physical Activity Health-Related Benefits

Older adults are considered a vulnerable category within the population, which is exposed to an accelerated risk of functional degeneration. The purpose of this study was to explore different facilitating factors and possible existing barriers to being physically active in older age in urban areas of Romania. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 172 participants who were asked to assess their health, on a scale from 1 to 3, and to fill out two questionnaires: 1. Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly; 2. Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale. Participants were also asked to specify to what extent they performed different leisure activities during the last week. SPSS was used for data analysis. The chi-squared test, t-test, ANOVA, and MANOVA emphasised the differences between participants, at p < 0.05. Regarding health condition, 27.3% of participants responded that their health was good, 53.5%—satisfactory, and 19.2%—not so good. The results showed significant differences between older adults participating in Elderly Clubs and non-participants, only in terms of PASE leisure. There were significant multivariate effects of the variables Gender and Stable life partner regarding PASE leisure. Weak negative correlations were identified between leisure physical activities and emotional state. Among the proposed leisure activities, watching TV and listening to music represented the most frequent preferences of the participants. The older adults participating in this study preferred to become involved with different physical activities, in conjunction with their habits, health, age, sex, stable life partner, and Elderly Club participation

Barriers and Facilitators for the Romanian Older Adults in Enjoying Physical Activity Health-Related Benefits

Older adults are considered a vulnerable category within the population, which is exposed to an accelerated risk of functional degeneration. The purpose of this study was to explore different facilitating factors and possible existing barriers to being physically active in older age in urban areas of Romania. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 172 participants who were asked to assess their health, on a scale from 1 to 3, and to fill out two questionnaires: 1. Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly; 2. Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale. Participants were also asked to specify to what extent they performed different leisure activities during the last week. SPSS was used for data analysis. The chi-squared test, t-test, ANOVA, and MANOVA emphasised the differences between participants, at p < 0.05. Regarding health condition, 27.3% of participants responded that their health was good, 53.5%—satisfactory, and 19.2%—not so good. The results showed significant differences between older adults participating in Elderly Clubs and non-participants, only in terms of PASE leisure. There were significant multivariate effects of the variables Gender and Stable life partner regarding PASE leisure. Weak negative correlations were identified between leisure physical activities and emotional state. Among the proposed leisure activities, watching TV and listening to music represented the most frequent preferences of the participants. The older adults participating in this study preferred to become involved with different physical activities, in conjunction with their habits, health, age, sex, stable life partner, and Elderly Club participation

An Assessment of the Novel COVISTRESS Questionnaire: COVID-19 Impact on Physical Activity, Sedentary Action and Psychological Emotion

International audienceGlobally the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak has triggered an economic downturn and a rise in unemployment. As a result, global communities have had to face physical, health, psychological and socio-economical related stressors. The purpose of this study was to assess and report the impact of isolation and effect of coronavirus on selected psychological correlates associated with emotions. Following ethical approval, a mixed methods observational study was conducted using the validated COVISTRESS questionnaire. Two observational study scenarios were evaluated namely "Prior" to the COVID-19 outbreak and "Currently", i.e., during the COVID-19 pandemic. 10,121 participants from 67 countries completed the COVISTRESS questionnaire. From the questionnaire responses only questions that covered the participant's occupation; sociodemographic details, isolation and impact of coronavirus were selected. Further analyses were performed on output measures that included leisure time, physical activity, sedentary time and emotions. All output measures were evaluated using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) with an intensity ranging from 0-100. Descriptive statistics, Wilcoxon signed-rank test and Spearman correlational analysis were applied to the leisure time, physical activity, sedentary time and emotional feeling datasets; p = 0.05 was set as the significance level. Both males and females displayed similar output measures. The Wilcoxon signed rank test showed significant differences with respect to "Prior" COVID-19 and "Currently" for sedentary activity (Z = -40.462, p r > 0.081) for "Prior"; and poor correlations (r) between leisure, physical activity and sedentary action (i.e., -0.078 > r > 0.167) for "Current". The correlations (r) between sedentary action and emotion for "Prior" and "Currently" were (-0.100 > r > 0.075) and (-0.040 > r > 0.041) respectively. The findings presented here indicate that the COVISTRESS project has created awareness in relation to the physical and psychological impact resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings have also highlighted individual distress caused by COVID-19 and associated health consequences for the global community

COVID‐19 lockdown consequences on body mass index and perceived fragility related to physical activity: A worldwide cohort study

International audienceBackground: This paper is a follow-up study continuing the COVISTRESS network previous research regarding health-related determinants.Objective: The aim was to identify the main consequences of COVID-19 lockdown on Body Mass Index and Perceived Fragility, related to Physical Activity (PA), for different categories of populations, worldwide.Design: The study design included an online survey, during the first wave of COVID-19 lockdown, across different world regions.Setting and participants: The research was carried out on 10 121 participants from 67 countries. The recruitment of participants was achieved using snowball sampling techniques via social networks, with no exclusion criteria other than social media access.Main outcome measures: Body Mass Index, Physical Activity, Perceived Fragility and risk of getting infected items were analysed. SPSS software, v20, was used. Significance was set at P < .05.Results: Body Mass Index significantly increased during lockdown. For youth and young adults (18-35 years), PA decreased by 31.25%, for adults (36-65 years) by 26.05% and for the elderly (over 65 years) by 30.27%. There was a high level of Perceived Fragility and risk of getting infected for female participants and the elderly. Correlations between BMI, Perceived Fragility and PA were identified.Discussion and conclusions: The research results extend and confirm evidence that the elderly are more likely to be at risk, by experiencing weight gain, physical inactivity and enhanced Perceived Fragility. As a consequence, populations need to counteract the constraints imposed by the lockdown by being physically active

The major worldwide stress of healthcare professionals during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic - the international COVISTRESS survey

IntroductionThe COVID-19 pandemic has initiated an upheaval in society and has been the cause of considerable stress during this period. Healthcare professionals have been on the front line during this health crisis, particularly paramedical staff. The aim of this study was to assess the high level of stress of healthcare workers during the first wave of the pandemic.Materials and methodsThe COVISTRESS international study is a questionnaire disseminated online collecting demographic and stress-related data over the globe, during the pandemic. Stress levels were evaluated using non-calibrated visual analog scale, from 0 (no stress) to 100 (maximal stress).ResultsAmong the 13,537 individuals from 44 countries who completed the survey from January to June 2020, we included 10,051 workers (including 1379 healthcare workers, 631 medical doctors and 748 paramedical staff). The stress levels during the first wave of the pandemic were 57.8 33 in the whole cohort, 65.3 +/- 29.1 in medical doctors, and 73.6 +/- 27.7 in paramedical staff. Healthcare professionals and especially paramedical staff had the highest levels of stress (p &lt; 0.001 vs non-healthcare workers). Across all occupational categories, women had systematically significantly higher levels of work-related stress than men (p &lt; 0.001). There was a negative correlation between age and stress level (r = -0.098, p &lt; 0.001). Healthcare professionals demonstrated an increased risk of very-high stress levels (&gt;80) compared to other workers (OR = 2.13, 95% CI 1.87-2.41). Paramedical staff risk for very-high levels of stress was higher than doctors' (1.88, 1.50-2.34). The risk of high levels of stress also increased in women (1.83, 1.61-2.09; p &lt; 0.001 vs. men) and in people aged &lt;50 (1.45, 1.26-1.66; p &lt; 0.001 vs. aged &gt;50).ConclusionsThe first wave of the pandemic was a major stressful event for healthcare workers, especially paramedical staff. Among individuals, women were the most at risk while age was a protective factor

Changes in Cannabis Consumption During the Global COVID-19 Lockdown: The International COVISTRESS Study

Introduction: COVID-19 lockdown measures have been sources of both potential stress and possible psychological and addiction complications. A lack of activity and isolation during lockdown are among the factors thought to be behind the growth in the use of psychoactive substances and worsening addictive behaviors. Previous studies on the pandemic have attested to an increase in alcohol consumption during lockdowns. Likewise, data suggest there has also been a rise in the use of cannabis, although it is unclear how this is affected by external factors. Our study used quantitative data collected from an international population to evaluate changes in cannabis consumption during the lockdown period between March and October, 2020. We also compared users and non-users of the drug in relation to: (1) socio-demographic differences, (2) emotional experiences, and (3) the information available and the degree of approval of lockdown measures. Methods: An online self-report questionnaire concerning the lockdown was widely disseminated around the globe. Data was collected on sociodemographics and how the rules imposed had influenced the use of cannabis and concerns about health, the economic impact of the measures and the approach taken by government(s). Results: One hundred eighty two respondents consumed cannabis before the lockdown vs. 199 thereafter. The mean cannabis consumption fell from 13 joints per week pre-lockdown to 9.75 after it (p < 0.001). Forty-nine respondents stopped using cannabis at all and 66 admitted to starting to do so. The cannabis users were: less satisfied with government measures; less worried about their health; more concerned about the impact of COVID-19 on the economy and their career; and more frightened of becoming infected in public areas. The risk factors for cannabis use were: age (OR = 0.96); concern for physical health (OR = 0.98); tobacco (OR = 1.1) and alcohol consumption during lockdown (OR = 1.1); the pre-lockdown anger level (OR = 1.01); and feelings of boredom during the restrictions (OR = 1.1). Conclusion: In a specific sub-population, the COVID-19 lockdown brought about either an end to the consumption of cannabis or new use of the drug. The main risk factors for cannabis use were: a lower age, co-addictions and high levels of emotions.publishedVersio