Letter to the editor entitled “fairness and scientific correctness is needed in the debate on transgender athletes”

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Sports Injuries in Brazilian Blind Footballers

The purpose of this study was to assess the characteristics and prevalence of sports-related injuries in visually disabled athletes of the Brazilian football 5-a-side team. The participants were 13 male athletes, all classified as B1 visual class, members of the Brazilian team, who played in five consecutive international competitions. Data were collected using the Brazilian Paralympic Committee and the Brazilian Confederation of Sports for the Blind report form. From the total of 13 athletes, 11 succumbed to some form of injury during the 5 competitions, which incorporated 23 matches, representing a prevalence of 84.6%. A total of 35 sports injuries were recorded, giving a clinical incidence of 2.7 injuries per athlete and an injury risk of 0.85 and an incidence rate of 0.12 injuries per match. Traumatic injuries (80%) were more common than overuse injuries (20%) (p<0.05). The highest distribution of injury was in the lower limbs (80%), followed by the head (8.6%), spine (5.7%) and upper limbs (5.7%). The body regions most affected were the knee (28.6%), feet (17.1%), ankle (11.4%) and thigh (11.4%). Contusions (31.4%), sprains (25.7%) and tendinopathy (8.6%) were the most frequent diagnoses. This is the first study to describe the nature and prevalence of sports-related injuries in 5-a-side football in blind athletes. The results are important in guiding strategies to inform the implementation of preventive pathways and provide a strong rationale for the compulsory use of additional protective equipment.34323924

Autopercepção corporal de variáveis da aptidão física relacionada à saúde Bodily self-perception of health-related physical fitness variables

FUNDAMENTAÇÃO: A aptidão física apresenta duas dimensões, uma relacionada à saúde e outra ao desempenho. Não é sabido se adultos não-atletas possuem autopercepção corporal (ApC) apropriada sobre a sua aptidão física relacionada à saúde. OBJETIVOS: a) testar a ApC de indivíduos não-atletas em algumas variáveis morfofuncionais constituintes da aptidão física, b) verificar se a margem de acerto ou de erro nessa ApC depende dos resultados obtidos; e c) verificar se aqueles com maior ApC são mais aptos fisicamente. MÉTODOS: Foram obtidos dados em 63 adultos (51 homens), com idade entre 22 e 85 anos, tendo sido medida e testada a ApC das seguintes variáveis: VO2 máximo, flexibilidade, força de preensão manual, potência muscular máxima absoluta e relativa, localização predominante de gordura corporal e peso de referência, habilidade de sentar e levantar do solo e relação peso/altura, além da altura e do peso corporal. A influência da magnitude das variáveis sobre o escore de ApC (soma dos acertos nas 12 variáveis testadas) foi testada pela comparação entre os resultados do primeiro e do quinto quintis da distribuição e por correlações. RESULTADOS: Os indivíduos tendem a errar mais do que a acertar, em média, a ApC: 60 vs. 40%. A ApC é mais incorreta para a variável flexibilidade 84% de erro - e mais precisa para a habilidade de levantar do solo 66% de acerto. O escore de ApC foi maior nos indivíduos mais flexíveis (p = 0,01) e nos que possuíam maior força de preensão manual (p = 0,04) e tendia a ser maior nos que alcançavam percentual mais elevado do VO2 máximo previsto (p = 0,08). O sedentarismo era quase três vezes mais prevalente nos indivíduos com pior ApC. Os 20% com maiores escores de ApC tendiam a melhores resultados nas variáveis da aptidão física (p entre 0,03 e 0,11). CONCLUSÕES: O nível global de ApC de variáveis da aptidão física é baixo, dependendo dos níveis de flexibilidade e de força de preensão manual e pelo padrão de atividade física regular no passado e no presente. Os que apresentam melhor ApC tendem a ser mais aptos. É possível que o aumento do conhecimento sobre os níveis de aptidão física influenciem positivamente para a adoção de um estilo de vida mais ativo.<br>BACKGROUND: Physical fitness has two dimensions, one related to health and the other, to performance. However, it is still unknown if non-athlete adults present an appropriate level of self-perception (SP) about their health-related physical fitness. OBJECTIVES: a) to assess the SP of non-athlete subjects in some morphofunctional variables related to physical fitness; b) to check if the degree of SP correctness is related to those variables; and c) to check if those with higher SP levels are more physically fit. METHODS: SP data from 63 adults (51 men), ages ranging from 22 to 85, were measured and assessed regarding the following variables: maximum VO2, flexibility, handgrip, absolute and relative maximal muscular power, largest fat deposition site and reference body weight, ability to sit and stand up from the floor and weight/height ratio, and height and body weight. The influence of variable magnitude on the SP score (sum total of correct answers in the 12 variables assessed) was tested by comparison between the first and fifth quintiles and by correlation. RESULTS: On the average, subjects more often provided wrong answers for the SP 60 vs 40%. SP was more incorrect regarding flexibility 84% of mistakes and more precise as to the ability to stand up from the floor 66% of correct answers. SP score was higher for more flexible subjects (p = 0.01) and for those that showed higher values of grip strength (p = 0.04) and those who achieved a higher % of predicted maximal VO2 (p = 0,08) tended to present a higher SP. Physical inactivity was almost three times more common for those with lower SP. The 20% with higher SP levels tended to present higher values in the physical fitness variables (p between 0.03 and 0.11). On the other hand, when the authors compared subjects with levels above the average for aerobic condition, flexibility and muscle strength and power with those with values below average in the four variables, there was no differences in SP. CONCLUSIONS: The overall level of SP of health-related physical fitness is low, being related to levels of flexibility, grip strength, and by past and current physical activity pattern. Subjects with higher SP tended to be more physically fit. It is possible that higher awareness about physical fitness levels will induce positive behaviors leading to the adoption of a more active lifestyle

Field tests for evaluating the aerobic work capacity of firefighters

Working as a firefighter is physically strenuous, and a high level of physical fitness increases a firefighter's ability to cope with the physical stress of their profession. Direct measurements of aerobic capacity, however, are often complicated, time consuming, and expensive. The first aim of the present study was to evaluate the correlations between direct (laboratory) and indirect (field) aerobic capacity tests with common and physically demanding firefighting tasks. The second aim was to give recommendations as to which field tests may be the most useful for evaluating firefighters' aerobic work capacity. A total of 38 subjects (26 men and 12 women) were included. Two aerobic capacity tests, six field tests, and seven firefighting tasks were performed. Lactate threshold and onset of blood lactate accumulation were found to be correlated to the performance of one work task (rs = -0.65 and -0.63, p&lt;0.01, respectively). Absolute (mL·min(-1)) and relative (mL·kg(-1)·min(-1)) maximal aerobic capacity was correlated to all but one of the work tasks (rs = -0.79 to 0.55 and -0.74 to 0.47, p&lt;0.01, respectively). Aerobic capacity is important for firefighters' work performance, and we have concluded that the time to row 500 m, the time to run 3000 m relative to body weight (s·kg(-1)), and the percent of maximal heart rate achieved during treadmill walking are the most valid field tests for evaluating a firefighter's aerobic work capacity