Is there a link between self-perceived stress and physical activity levels in Scottish adolescents?

Purpose It is becoming more evident that Physical Activity (PA) has a moderating effect on the negative health consequences of excessive psycho-social stress (Stults-Kolehmainen & Sinha, 2014). Recent literature has highlighted that the relationship between stress and physical activity is bidirectional (Stults-Kolehmainen & Sinha, 2014). Furthermore, it has been suggested that the stress response impedes levels of participation in PA (Lutz, Stults-Kolehmainen, & Bartholomew, 2010). However, the impacts of accumulating life stress on PA remain under-investigated. Aims: i. To determine if significant differences exist in uptake of PA between adolescents who have experienced high life stress, in comparison to those who have not ii. To investigate the relationship between perceived stress in adolescents and PA. iii. To investigate whether high life stress can explain differences in other health behaviours, such as smoking and alcohol consumption Methods A purposive sampling strategy was employed. Adolescents from a low SES background who had experienced extensive life stress, were compared with more economically-affluent matched-controls. PA patterns were measured using the ‘Physical Activity Questionnaire for High School (PAQA)’(Kowalski, Crocker, & Kowalski, 1997) Stress scores were assessed using the 10 item version of the perceived stress scale (PSS-10). Statistical analysis was conducted Findings PA scores were significantly different between groups (p˂0.05), with the low SES group significantly less active every day (p˂0.05) except on Saturdays (Mann-Whitney U= 31.0, Z=-1.594, p = ˃0.05). Furthermore, Spearman’s correlation showed a negative relationship between total stress levels and PA during spare time ( rs = -0.61,n=10, p= ˂0.05). A similar relationship was evident for: PA levels during lunchtime, (rs = -0.69, n= 10, p= ˂0.05), evenings ( rs = -0.57, n= 10, p = ˂0.05) and for overall PA over a seven day period (rs =0.81, n = 10, p= ˂0.05). Conclusion These findings add to existing evidence suggesting stress, during adolescent transition periods, impedes PA uptake. Physical Educators should incorporate the stress remediating effects of PA into school practice, and strive to inculcate leisure-based physical activities promoting sustainable PA, especially with adolescents likely to have been exposed to excessive stress loads during critical developmental periods

What makes young people tick? A qualitative analysis of the beliefs and perceptions of school aged children towards PE and healthy living in ‘the sickest area of Europe’

Scottish children are reported to be among the least active in the world, additionally Scotland has previously been labelled ‘the sick man of Europe’ on account of its poor health record. In response, the Scottish Government has implemented a range of policies with a strong focus on increasing physical activity (PA), Physical Education (PE) and the integration of health and wellbeing (HWB) with the aim of promoting and sustaining PA throughout life. To date, limited qualitative research exploring pupil perspective of PE lessons and HWB exists. To address this deficit, within this study, focus groups were conducted with 39 secondary school pupils (S1-S2). The findings indicated that delivery of traditional PE lessons, prioritizing sporting ability, can act as a participation barrier to pupils who consider themselves ‘non-sporty’. Accordingly, a shift towards pedagogical models, rather than simply blocks of sports-related activities should be the priority of educators

Mechanical Demands of the Hang Power Clean and Jump Shrug: A Joint-level Perspective

The purpose of this study was to investigate the joint- and load-dependent changes in the mechanical demands of the lower extremity joints during the hang power clean (HPC) and the jump shrug (JS). Fifteen male lacrosse players were recruited from an NCAA DI team, and completed three sets of the HPC and JS at 30%, 50%, and 70% of their HPC 1-Repetition Maximum (1-RM HPC) in a counterbalanced and randomized order. Motion analysis and force plate technology were used to calculate the positive work, propulsive phase duration, and peak concentric power at the hip, knee, and ankle joints. Separate three-way analysis of variances were used to determine the interaction and main effects of joint, load, and lift type on the three dependent variables. The results indicated that the mechanics during the HPC and JS exhibit joint-, load-, and lift-dependent behavior. When averaged across joints, the positive work during both lifts increased progressively with external load, but was greater during the JS at 30% and 50% of 1-RM HPC than during the HPC. The JS was also characterized by greater hip and knee work when averaged across loads. The joint-averaged propulsive phase duration was lower at 30% than at 50% and 70% of 1-RM HPC for both lifts. Furthermore, the load-averaged propulsive phase duration was greater for the hip than the knee and ankle joint. The jointaveraged peak concentric power was the greatest at 70% of 1-RM for the HPC and at 30% to 50% of 1-RM for the JS. In addition, the joint-averaged peak concentric power of the JS was greater than that of the HPC. Furthermore, the load-averaged peak knee and ankle concentric joint powers were greater during the execution of the JS than the HPC. However, the loadaveraged power of all joints differed only during the HPC, but was similar between the hip and knee joints for the JS. Collectively, these results indicate that compared to the HPC the JS is characterized by greater hip and knee positive joint work, and greater knee and ankle peak concentric joint power, especially if performed at 30 and 50% of 1-RM HPC. This study provides important novel information about the mechanical demands of two commonly used exercises and should be considered in the design of resistance training programs that aim to improve the explosiveness of the lower extremity joints

Disease activity flares and pain flares in an early rheumatoid arthritis inception cohort; characteristics, antecedents and sequelae

© 2019 The Author(s). This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.Background: RA flares are common and disabling. They are described in terms of worsening inflammation but pain and inflammation are often discordant. To inform treatment decisions, we investigated whether inflammatory and pain flares are discrete entities. Methods: People from the Early RA Network (ERAN) cohort were assessed annually up to 11 years after presentation (n = 719, 3703 person-years of follow up). Flare events were defined in 2 different ways that were analysed in parallel; DAS28 or Pain Flares. DAS28 Flares satisfied OMERACT flare criteria of increases in DAS28 since the previous assessment (≥1.2 points if active RA or ≥ 0.6 points if inactive RA). A ≥ 4.8-point worsening of SF36-Bodily Pain score defined Pain Flares. The first documented episode of each of DAS28 and Pain Flare in each person was analysed. Subgroups within DAS28 and Pain Flares were determined using Latent Class Analysis. Clinical course was compared between flare subgroups. Results: DAS28 (45%) and Pain Flares (52%) were each common but usually discordant, with 60% of participants in DAS28 Flare not concurrently in Pain Flare, and 64% of those in Pain Flare not concurrently in DAS28 Flare. Three discrete DAS28 Flare subgroups were identified. One was characterised by increases in tender/swollen joint counts (14.4%), a second by increases in symptoms (13.1%), and a third displayed lower flare severity (72.5%). Two discrete Pain Flare subgroups were identified. One occurred following low disease activity and symptoms (88.6%), and the other occurred on the background of ongoing active disease and pain (11.4%). Despite the observed differences between DAS28 and Pain Flares, each was associated with increased disability which persisted beyond the flare episode. Conclusion: Flares are both common and heterogeneous in people with RA. Furthermore our findings indicate that for some patients there is a discordance between inflammation and pain in flare events. This discrete flare subgroups might reflect different underlying inflammation and pain mechanisms. Treatments addressing different mechanisms might be required to reduce persistent disability after DAS28 and Pain Flares.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio

A genetic-based algorithm for personalized resistance training

Association studies have identified dozens of genetic variants linked to training responses and sport-related traits. However, no intervention studies utilizing the idea of personalised training based on athlete’s genetic profile have been conducted. Here we propose an algorithm that allows achieving greater results in response to high- or low-intensity resistance training programs by predicting athlete’s potential for the development of power and endurance qualities with the panel of 15 performance-associated gene polymorphisms. To develop and validate such an algorithm we performed two studies in independent cohorts of male athletes (study 1: athletes from different sports (n=28); study 2: soccer players (n=39)). In both studies athletes completed an eight-week high- or low-intensity resistance training program, which either matched or mismatched their individual genotype. Two variables of explosive power and aerobic fitness, as measured by the countermovement jump (CMJ) and aerobic 3-min cycle test (Aero3) were assessed pre and post 8 weeks of resistance training. In study 1, the athletes from the matched groups (i.e. high-intensity trained with power genotype or low-intensity trained with endurance genotype) significantly increased results in CMJ (P=0.0005) and Aero3 (P=0.0004). Whereas, athletes from the mismatched group (i.e. high-intensity trained with endurance genotype or lowintensity trained with power genotype) demonstrated non-significant improvements in CMJ (P=0.175) and less prominent results in Aero3 (P=0.0134). In study 2, soccer players from the matched group also demonstrated significantly greater (P<0.0001) performance changes in both tests compared to the mismatched group. Among non- or low responders of both studies, 82% of athletes (both for CMJ and Aero3) were from the mismatched group (P<0.0001). Our results indicate that matching the individual’s genotype with the appropriate training modality leads to more effective resistance training. The developed algorithm may be used to guide individualised resistance-training interventions