The use of performance enhancing substances by adolescent male athletes in selected Johannesburg boys' high schools

MSc (Med), Biokinetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the WitwatersrandIntroduction: Performance enhancing substance (PES) use is a major concern currently facing adolescent sport. The youth have become more competitive in sport, with some using substances and supplements to improve their performance. Unfortunately, some of these adolescent athletes are using substances that are both harmful to their health and prohibited. Aim of study: To establish the attitudes and perceptions towards and the use of PES, including prohibited substances and food supplements, by adolescent male athletes, in selected Johannesburg boys’ high schools. Method: The study design was a cross-sectional study using a self-administered questionnaire. Male adolescent high school learners involved in 1st and 2nd team competitive high school sport in seven Johannesburg boys’ high schools were invited to volunteer to participate in the study. Questionnaires were completed under conditions similar to an examination, where participants were not allowed to communicate with each other. Demographic data was analysed using descriptive statistics. Results: The sample size was 100. Results indicated that the prevalence of PES use amongst the participants was 30%. The use of prohibited substances was found, including growth hormone (5%), anabolic androgenic steroids (4%), and adrenaline (4%). Food supplement use was also found in this sample, including creatine (32%), protein (61%), carbohydrate (54%), caffeine (57%) and vitamin (61%) supplementation. Most of the participants (83%) that used PES started using them when they were over 15 years old. The majority of the participants (42%) played rugby as their main high school sport. Conclusion: The findings indicate that there was generally a low prevalence of ergogenic substance use in Johannesburg boys’ high school sport for performance enhancement. Substances such as anabolic androgenic steroids (4%) and growth hormone (5%) were found to be used by the learners. The anti-doping attitude of the learners may be improved by education programmes, which aim to decrease the prevalence of prohibited PES use in adolescent sport

Reporting doping in sport: national level athletes' perceptions of their role in doping prevention.

This paper qualitatively explores national level athletes' willingness to report doping in sport. Following ethical approval, semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine national level athletes from rugby league (n = 5) and track and field athletics (n = 4). Thematic analysis established the main themes within the data. Contextual differences existed around the role that athletes perceived they would play if they became aware of doping. Specifically, track and field athletes would adopt the role of a whistle-blower and report individuals who were doping in their sport. In comparison, the rugby league players highlighted a moral dilemma. Despite disagreeing with their teammates' actions, the players would adhere to a code of silence and refrain from reporting doping. Taking these findings into account, prevention programs might focus on changing broader group and community norms around doping. In doing so, community members' receptivity to prevention messages may increase. Moreover, developing skills to intervene (e.g., speaking out against social norms that support doping behavior) or increasing awareness of reporting lines could enhance community responsibility for doping prevention. In sum, the findings highlight the need to consider the context of sport and emphasize that a one-size-fits-all approach to anti-doping is problematic

Patterns, levels and correlates of self-reported physical activity in urban black Soweto women

BACKGROUND: Urban black South African women have a high prevalence of non-communicable diseases such as obesity and type 2 diabetes. The aim of this study was to assess the physical activity patterns of a cohort of middle-aged urban-dwelling black African women and to determine if physical activity is associated with anthropometric measures and metabolic outcomes in this population. METHODS: Physical activity and sitting time were assessed using the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ) in a cross-sectional study of 977 black African women (mean age 41.0 ± 7.84 years) from the Birth to Twenty study based in Soweto, Johannesburg. Anthropometric outcomes were measured and fasting blood glucose, insulin and lipid profile were analysed to determine metabolic disease risk and prevalence. RESULTS: Sixty-seven percent of the population were classified as active according to GPAQ criteria, and the domain that contributed most to overall weekly physical activity was walking for travel. Only 45.0% of women participated in leisure time activity. The prevalence of metabolic syndrome in this sample was 40.0%, and the prevalence of overweight and obesity was 29.2% and 48.0%, respectively. Women who reported owning a motor vehicle walked for travel less, and participated in more leisure-time activity (both p < 0.01), while women who owned a television reported significantly lower moderate-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), and walking for travel (both p < 0.01). Sitting time (mins/wk) was not different between the activity groups, but was associated with triglycerides and diastolic blood pressure. Total physical activity was inversely associated with fasting insulin, and physical activity in the work domain was associated with fat free soft tissue mass. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study show that the majority of urban dwelling black South African women are classified as physically active despite a high prevalence of obesity and metabolic disease risk factors. Sitting time had detrimental effects on both triglyceride levels and diastolic blood pressure whilst total physical activity attenuated fasting insulin levels. As walking for travel is a major contributor to physical activity, future research should attempt to determine whether the intensity of this activity plays a role in the prevention of cardiometabolic diseases. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/1471-2458-14-934) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Why factual appeals about the abilities of sheep may fail

Marino & Merskin (2019) express hope that providing people with positive information about the abilities of sheep (factual appeals) will improve perceptions of them and thus improve their welfare. However, these factual appeals can, and do, fail to change perceptions of animals. This commentary considers why and when factual appeals fail, and with whom they may be effective

Factors associated with obesity and metabolic syndrome in an ageing cohort of black women living in Soweto, Johannesburg (study of women in and entering endocrine transition [sweet])

A thesis submitted to the Department of Paediatrics Faculty of Health Sciences University of the Witwatersrand In fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Johannesburg, 2016Background: Black South African women living in urban settings have the highest prevalence of obesity in the sub–Saharan African region, and consequently a high prevalence of cardiometabolic diseases. The risk factors for obesity and the metabolic syndrome are not well studied in this population group, and the inter–relationship between diseases risk factors for metabolic syndrome is poorly understood, in addition to whether one factor predominates. Aim: The aim is three–fold: (i) To assess the physical activity patterns of middle–aged, urban black South African women, and if these patterns are associated with metabolic outcomes; (ii) To examine the association between lifestyle and psycho–social factors and changes in body composition over 10 years in this population; and (iii) To identify risk factors for the various components of metabolic syndrome. Methods: Drawing on the longitudinal Birth to Twenty Plus cohort (a longitudinal study of the health and development of children and their families) data collected in 2003 and 2013 was used to address the respective aims of the thesis. In particular, data on (i) anthropometry; (ii) body composition; (iii) blood pressure; (iv) cardiometabolic markers; (v) environmental factors (physical activity, smoking and smokeless tobacco consumption, and alcohol consumption); (vi) psycho–social factors; (vii) socio–economic status; and (viii) education status was used. Analytical methods comprised of descriptive, correlations, comparisons, multivariable regression, and logistic regression. Paper 1 described the patterns, levels and correlates of physical activity in 977 African women. Paper 2 was a longitudinal study of the role of environmental and psycho–social factors in predicting changes in body composition over 10 years (N=430). Body composition from ultrasound and DXA analyses, blood pressure, cardiometabolic and demographic factors were measured in 702 black African women from Soweto, Johannesburg for paper 3, which was a descriptive, cross–sectional study using data from the 2011/13 wave of data collection. Results: The prevalence of obesity (48.0% (baseline) to 67.8% (follow–up)) and metabolic syndrome (40.0% (baseline) to 49.6% (follow–up) increased significantly over ten years. The majority of the population were classified as “active” according to global physical activity questionnaire criteria, and the domain that contributed most to overall weekly physical activity was walking for travel. Sitting time (mins/wk) was not different between the activity groups, but was positively associated with triglyceride levels and diastolic blood pressure. Total physical activity was inversely associated with fasting insulin, and physical activity in the work domain was associated with fat–free, soft–tissue mass. Two distinct groups of overweight/obese females were identified using body–size dissatisfaction and body–size discrepancy scores: one that was content with their body–size and one that wished to be leaner. Vigorous physical activity at baseline was inversely associated with absolute changes in all measures of adiposity. In subjects who underestimated their body–size at baseline (74.0 % of the study population) changes in total and peripheral levels of body fat were less than in subjects who correctly identified their body–size. In the group that underestimated body–size, more women wanted to be leaner than in the group who knew their body–size (60.1 % vs 47.5 %, p < 0.05). Logistic regression analysis demonstrated that adiponectin (odds ratio [95% CIs]: 0.84 [0.77, 0.92], p<0.0005) and abdominal subcutaneous fat (0.56 [0.39, 0.79], p=0.001) reduced metabolic syndrome risk whilst insulin resistance (1.31 [1.16, 1.48], p<0.0005) and trunk fat–free, soft–tissue mass (1.34 [1.10, 1.61], p=0.002) increased risk. Within this group of risk factors, the relationship of adiponectin with metabolic syndrome risk, when analysed across adiponectin hexiles, was the least affected by adjustment for the other risk factors. Conclusions: The findings of this thesis show that the majority of urban black South African women have a high prevalence of obesity and cardiometabolic disease risk factors despite being classified as ‘physically active’. However, the intensity of the respective domains of physical activity is unknown. As walking as a means of travel/transport is a major contributor to physical activity, future research should attempt to determine whether the intensity of this activity plays a role in the prevention of cardiometabolic diseases. It was also demonstrated that an underestimation of body–size is common and is associated with a lower gain in total body adiposity and a desire to lose weight in most of the participants. Finally, this thesis observed that adiponectin has a significant protective role against metabolic syndrome that is independent of other risk factors. The protective and augmentive effects of abdominal subcutaneous fat and lean trunk mass, respectively, on metabolic syndrome risk demonstrate the existence of novel interactions between body composition and cardiometabolic disease.MT201

Cultivating a non-anthropocentric worldview in aid of the environment and animal welfare: Possible psychological interventions

Treves, Santiago-Avila, and Lynn (2019) argue for adopting a non-anthropocentric worldview to prevent further environmental damage and lack of consideration for animals. We discuss psychological interventions that might help achieve this

Extubation Failure after Neonatal Cardiac Surgery: A Multicenter Analysis

Objectives To describe the epidemiology of extubation failure and identify risk factors for its occurrence in a multicenter population of neonates undergoing surgery for congenital heart disease. Study design We conducted a prospective observational study of neonates ≤30 days of age who underwent cardiac surgery at 7 centers within the US in 2015. Extubation failure was defined as reintubation within 72 hours of the first planned extubation. Risk factors were identified with the use of multivariable logistic regression analysis and reported as OR with 95% CIs. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was conducted to examine the relationship between extubation failure and worse clinical outcome, defined as hospital length of stay in the upper 25% or operative mortality. Results We enrolled 283 neonates, of whom 35 (12%) failed their first extubation at a median time of 7.5 hours (range 1-70 hours). In a multivariable model, use of uncuffed endotracheal tubes (OR 4.6; 95% CI 1.8-11.6) and open sternotomy of 4 days or more (OR 4.8; 95% CI 1.3-17.1) were associated independently with extubation failure. Accordingly, extubation failure was determined to be an independent risk factor for worse clinical outcome (OR 5.1; 95% CI 2-13). Conclusions In this multicenter cohort of neonates who underwent surgery for congenital heart disease, extubation failure occurred in 12% of cases and was associated independently with worse clinical outcome. Use of uncuffed endotracheal tubes and prolonged open sternotomy were identified as independent and potentially modifiable risk factors for the occurrence of this precarious complication

Toward a non-anthropocentric view on the environment and animal welfare: Possible psychological interventions

Treves, Santiago-Avila, and Lynn (2019) argue for adopting a non-anthropocentric worldview to prevent further environmental damage and lack of consideration for animals. We discuss psychological interventions that might help achieve this

Body mass index and associated lifestyle and eating behaviours of female students at a South African university

Objective: To determine the prevalence of obesity and the physical activity, sitting time, and eating behaviours associated with BMI in a group of undergraduate female students at a South African university. Methods: A cross-sectional study of 110 female undergraduate students, registered at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. Validated self-reported questionnaires were used for physical activity and eating behaviours; and body mass index (BMI) was collected using standardised methods. Results: The presence of obesity in the sample was 17.3%, with a mean BMI of 25.4 ± 4.63 kg/m2. Those with BMIs ≥ 25 kg/m2 were less likely to be physically active and purchase fruits than those with normal BMIs. Close proximity to food vendors (≤500m) (β: 0.25), peer influence (β: 0.26), sitting time (β: 0.20) and purchasing fried foods ≥ 4 times/week (β: 0.87) were positively associated with BMI (all p &lt; 0.05). Conclusion: Given the period of susceptibility and potential for shaping healthy behaviour, public health initiatives addressing obesity should target the high sitting times of students and eating behaviour, particularly during the period of transition from adolescence to adulthood